Governor Brown won't try to block bullet train environmental lawsuits

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Gov. Jerry Brown is dropping his attempt to shield California's high-speed rail project from possible environmental challenges - at least for now. State lawmakers and environmental groups have been told the governor won't pursue legislation his office had begun circulating earlier this month, several media outlets reported Thursday. That legislation would have blocked judges from issuing work-stopping injunctions ...

California's budget deal cuts welfare, health care

SoCal may see record scorchers in coming years

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Southern California could see a record number of scorching days by mid-century as climate change heats up its cities, deserts and coastline, according to a study released Thursday. Southern California probably will be warmer by about 3 to 5 degrees in the years 2041 to 2060, although the huge differences between inland and coastal areas, mountains and deserts ...

Man convicted in 1976 bus kidnap released

CHOWCHILLA (AP) - One of three men who kidnapped a busload of California school children has been released from prison after more than 35 years behind bars. State prison officials said Thursday that Richard Allen Schoenfeld was released on parole to an undisclosed location late Wednesday. He will be monitored 24 hours a day with a GPS device. <p style="line-height: 18pt; background: ...

Foreclosure attorney facing loss of law license in California

Highlights of budget deal between Brown, Democrats

Bay Area briefs

MAN HELPS ELDERLY WOMAN NAB ROBBERY SUSPECT: OAKLAND (AP) - An Oakland carpenter is being credited with helping a 90-year-old woman catch a robbery suspect who allegedly knocked her down outside a convenience store and stole her wallet.

Teen pleads not guilty in Lamborghini theft

SAN RAFAEL (AP) - A judge on Wednesday denied a defense request to try a Northern California teen charged with stealing celebrity chef Guy Fieri's Lamborghini separately for another crime in which he allegedly shot at a teenaged girl and her boyfriend. Marin County Superior Court Judge Paul Haakenson sided with prosecutors, who said the vehicle theft and attempted murder charges against ...

Senators: 9th District Court unapologetic for Maui conference costing almost $1M

California economy will pick up speed

Oakland OKs Army base redevelopment to add distribution center jobs in $1B deal

OAKLAND (AP) - Oakland officials have approved a $1 billion deal to transform a former U.S. Army base into a state-of-the-art distribution center that's expected to create thousands of jobs. With a 7-0 vote Tuesday, the city council approved a series of agreements with developers to transform 130 acres of the former base into a shipping, packaging and warehousing complex next to ...

Priest at center of attack trial says he never molested man

State news briefs

NOOSE FOUND ON DAVIS HIGH SCHOOL GOAL POST: DAVIS (AP) - City leaders in Davis are angrily denouncing the hanging of a noose at a local high school while police search for whoever was responsible.

Updates with DMV declining comment

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Ashton Kutcher's production company is suing because it isn't being allowed to spend more time at the Department of Motor Vehicles. Katalyst Media Inc.'s breach of contract lawsuit accuses the California DMV of reneging on a deal to film a reality series focused on the much-maligned government agency and its customers. The company produced ...

Lake Isabella fire 35 percent contained

LAKE ISABELLA (AP) - A 300-acre fire near popular Lake Isabella is 35 percent contained, U.S. Forest Service officials said Wednesday. About 650 firefighters were battling the blaze on the northwest side of the lake and 200 more were on their way, said Forest Service spokeswoman Cindy Thill. About 160 structures, including homes and cabins, and a campground ...

Some are overlooked in overhaul

SAN DIEGO (AP) - Carlos Gonzalez has lived nearly all his 29 years in a country he considers home but now finds himself on the wrong side of the border - and the wrong side of a proposed overhaul of the U.S. immigration system that would grant legal status to millions of people.

California weighs first state ban on lead ammo

SACRAMENTO (AP) - In November, one of the oldest condors in Central California died from lead poisoning after being found with tiny bullet fragments and a .22-caliber slug in his gullet that he apparently swallowed with a mouthful of meat.

Rolling Stones rock small LA club

LOS ANGELES (AP) - For one night only, the Rolling Stones were an up-and-coming band again.

OC officials keep inmate alive they want to ultimately execute

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) - A man charged with raping and killing a woman 30 years ago is being kept alive in Orange County with dialysis treatments until officials can win permission to execute him.

Bills aim to protect privacy in drone age

SACRAMENTO (AP) - California lawmakers are attempting to stay ahead of science fiction-style technology as increasingly nimble unmanned aircraft are considered for use in tracking fleeing suspects and monitoring crowded public spaces.

Arrest in shooting at Vallejo Little League game

Daycare owners arraigned in swaddling case

State declines to update campaign data online

Perry disgusted by explosion cartoon

First confirmed Japanese tsunami debris in Calif.

209 News

WILD DOG KILLED BY DEPUTIES: FRENCH CAMP - One of the dogs which may have killed dozens of goats at a French Camp livestock auction yard recently was killed Friday.