Bills adding protections for gays & lesbians dividing California Assembly

SACRAMENTO (AP) - A recent run of bills intended to add more protections for gays and lesbians in California has sparked acrimonious debate in the state Assembly and exposed some of the social fissures that divide the two major parties.

California's 4th year of teacher layoffs spur concerns; 75% getting pink slips still on job

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Los Angeles Unified teacher Mike Newman sighed when he saw the now familiar certified letter in his mailbox last month - a pink slip, for the fourth year in a row.

San Jose police arrest dozens in 2 nights

SAN JOSE (AP) - Officers made dozens of arrests over two nights, but the Cinco de Mayo celebration in downtown San Jose during the weekend was mostly free of some of the violence seen during past celebrations, police said Sunday.

State News Briefs

OFFICIALS SAY 37 LEFT HOMELESS IN SF FIRE: SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Dozens of people have been burned out their homes and at least four people have been hurt after a fire roared through a four-story apartment building in San Francisco's Mission District, officials said Sunday.

State news briefs

• OC TEACHER ACCUSED OF SENDING STUDENT NUDE PHOTOS: NEWPORT BEACH (AP) - Prosecutors say an Irvine high school teacher has been charged with texting nude pictures of himself to a 15-year-old female student and arranging a sexual rendezvous with her.

University: Mediation, not police, for protests

Octomom: Broke & considering porn

State news briefs

MOM JAILED AFTER TODDLER FOUND ROAMING PARKING LOT: MISSION VIEJO, Calif. (AP) - Deputies say they have arrested a drug-addled mother after her 3-year-old daughter was found wandering a Southern California apartment complex parking lot late at night.

Demos gather for Pebble Beach fundraiser

SACRAMENTO (AP) - Assembly Democrats will be enjoying golf and fine food as they are being lobbied by top telecommunications donors during their annual Pebble Beach fundraiser, known as the Speaker's Cup, which began Friday. Donors are paying up to $65,000 for the chance to mingle with Assembly Speaker John Perez, D-Los Angeles, and other legislative Democrats at the world-renowned golf course ...

Pelosi criticizes federal medical pot crackdown on California dispensaries

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said she is concerned that the Obama administration's crackdown on medical marijuana dispensaries is hurting patients with a legitimate need for the drug. The San Francisco congresswoman said in a statement Wednesday that the crackdown has undermined "a policy that has been in place under which the federal government did not pursue individuals ...

GOP launches campaign against governor's proposed tax hikes

State news briefs

ASSEMBLY BILL WOULD BAN THE OPEN CARRY OF RIFLES: SACRAMENTO AP) - A year after the Legislature approved a ban on the public display of handguns, the Assembly on Thursday passed a similar prohibition for rifles.

Teachers protest removal after sex abuse scandal

3 agents shot, injured in S.F. Bay incident

3 agents shot, injured in S.F. Bay incident

State news briefs

Shasta woman convicted in revenge beating of boy

Bay Area briefs

NO BACKPACKS ALLOWED AT 2013 BAY TO BREAKERS IN SF: SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - No backpacks, large bags or containers will be allowed at this year's Bay to Breakers footrace in San Francisco as officials heighten security in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings.

Vulnerable inmates ordered out of 2 Central Valley prisons

Nesting swallows could delay Petaluma bridge work

State news briefs

SANTA CLARA THREATENS AMBULANCE TERMINATION: SAN JOSE. (AP) - Santa Clara County officials are threatening to terminate the contract of an ambulance company that they say has repeatedly responded too slowly to emergencies.

Killer on the loose: Valley Springs on lockdown

Lawmakers consider moratorium on oil fracking in San Joaquin Valley

3 divers killed over weekend abalone diving off California