State news briefs

WOMAN DIES AFTER GETTING HIT BY CHP MOTORCYCLE: OAKLAND (AP) - A 43-year-old Hayward has died after getting hit by a California Highway Patrol motorcycle.

Fires threaten hundreds of homes on north state

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Authorities have lifted an evacuation order for residents in a rural area northeast of Fresno as firefighters gain control of a blaze sparked by a discarded cigarette.

Police embrace emerging social media tool

OAKLAND (AP) - Minutes after a shooting near the Oakland Airport this year, the gunman was on the loose. And police Sgt. Chris Bolton quickly fired off a flurry of text alerts to thousands of nearby residents through a social media tool for law enforcement agencies.

Death possibly linked to California heat

Senate kills live feed of ballot measure hearing

Escape attempt from juvenile hall linked to Guy Fieri's Lamborghini

SAN RAFAEL (AP) - At least two suspects tried to break into a Marin County juvenile detention facility in what investigators believe was unsuccessful attempt to free a teenager accused of stealing a celebrity chef's Lamborghini, authorities said Friday. The attempted break-in happened at Marin County Juvenile Hall about 4:30 a.m. Friday when staff heard banging on the walls and saw "at ...

Legal claims rolling in after refinery fire

State news briefs

SAN DIEGO DESALINATION PLANT DEAL PROPOSED:SAN DIEGO (AP) - A plan to provide the San Diego area with drinking water made from seawater has cleared a major hurdle. The San Diego County Water Authority announced Thursday that it's reached an agreement with a private company to buy enough water from a proposed desalination plant to supply 112,000 homes. The 30-year deal will ...

Muslims want fed probe of pig-leg vandalism

ONTARIO (AP) - Pig's legs were thrown on the proposed site of a Southern California mosque, and a Muslim civil rights group is asking federal officials to investigate. Worshippers said two women threw the three legs onto the driveway of the proposed Al-Nur Islamic Center in Ontario shortly before 10 p.m. Tuesday and sped away in a white pickup, said Munira Syeda, ...

Man arrested for beating opossum can sue police due to it not being illegal

ANAHEIM (AP) - A Southern California man arrested with his young son for beating an opossum with a shovel can sue police officers for wrongful arrest because it's not illegal to kill an opossum, a federal appeals court ruled. In 2008, Lorenzo Oliver called Anaheim police about an opossum attacking his bulldogs in his backyard. Officers Ryan Tisdale ...

Bay Area briefs

GRAND JURY SAYS RIDERS DUMPED BEFORE DESTINATION: SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A San Francisco grand jury says Bay Area train and bus riders are too often dumped before reaching their destinations.

Anti-Semitism report sparks free speech fight

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - University of California students and faculty are criticizing a report to fight anti-Semitism that recommends the schools consider bans on hate speech and campus sponsorship of protests against Israel. More than 2,200 students, faculty and alumni signed a petition asking UC President Mark Yudof to disregard the report, commissioned in response to turmoil over campus discrimination. <p style="line-height: ...

State news briefs

MAN ARRESTED FOR MESSAGE ON CHICK-FIL-A : TORRANCE (AP) - A 30-year-old man has been arrested for investigation of vandalism after police say he scrawled "tastes like hate" on the side of a Chick-fil-A restaurant in a Los Angeles suburb.

Brown dismisses Romney's comment comparing state’s economy with Europe

Researchers find surprises in Lake Tahoe data

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE - (AP) - An annual report released Thursday detailing the status of Lake Tahoe's health and clarity has researchers rethinking some long-held assumptions and focusing on trends that may be linked to climate change.

Plastic ocean debris bill dies in committee

Bill would treat e-cigarettes like other tobacco

State Senate election might be headed to runoff in 16th district

LA sanitation ends plans for dump near Joshua Tree

Bill would prohibit ticket-buying software

SACRAMENTO (AP) - Music and sports fans would have one less obstacle in buying tickets to popular events under a bill advancing through the California Legislature. Legislation by Democratic Assemblyman Richard Pan of Sacramento would prohibit the use of robotic ticket-buying software. Supporters of AB329 say scalpers use the software to bombard online box offices and then resell tickets at higher prices. Lawmakers previously deleted a provision that would have allowed transfers of paperless event ...

Professor assigns students to make ad for his campaign

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A San Francisco State University professor considering a run for Oakland mayor is drawing scrutiny for a class assignment that asked students to create a political campaign ad and gave them the option of developing it for him. Joe Tuman said he would use the ad if it were good, the San Francisco Chronicle reported on Thursday. But ethics experts said any such use of the students' work could run afoul ...

Bay Area briefs

SWALLOWS LAWSUIT MAY DELAY PETALUMA BRIDGE WORK : PETALUMA (AP) - A lawsuit accuses state and federal regulators of causing the death of dozens of migratory cliff swallows by placing nets on a Sonoma County bridge during a highway widening project.

State releases health reform plans, pricing