State may act on mortgage protections

Bay Area briefs

Woman who left babies in car barred from Nordstrom

Bill lets Caltrans skip newspaper notices

Families say they weren't told of 9/11 scholarship fund from specialty plates

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 ...

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