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

Scientists use airship to look for meteorites

SACRAMENTO (AP) - A group of scientists took to the skies in a slow-moving airship Thursday in search of meteorites that rained over California's gold country last month. It's the latest hunt for extraterrestrial fragments from the April 22 explosion that was witnessed over a swath of Northern California and Nevada. Treasure hunters have swarmed the Sierra Nevada ...

UC seeks to cut costs by consolidating operations

RIVERSIDE (AP) - In a move aimed at cutting costs, the University of California will open a new service center in Riverside that will handle administrative duties for its 10 campuses and five medical centers, school officials said Thursday. The facility is expected to save as much as $100 million annually by creating a single payroll and human resources system for all ...

Bay Area news briefs

Needy teen gets free tickets to school from others

‘Rare bacteria appears to have killed SF researcher

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Health officials were trying to determine how a rare strain of bacteria infected and may have led to the death of a researcher at a Veteran's Affairs infectious diseases lab in San Francisco.

Kutcher ad is called racist, yanked offline

LOS ANGELES (AP) - An online ad featuring Ashton Kutcher as an Indian man has been pulled offline after viewers called it racist.

State news briefs

NO NEW REMAINS FOUND IN SPEED FREAK KILLERS SEARCH: LINDEN (AP) - Authorities say they did not find any new human remains during a search of private property in the Central Valley that authorities felt may have been linked to the so-called Speed Freak Killers.

Cal State University workers authorize strike

Transit worker fired after giving discarded passes to needy teen

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Transit worker Jim Stanek thought he was doing a good deed when he gave a needy teenager $300 in discarded train passes. But he said the decision led to his firing. Customers had paid for the passes then turned them over with outstanding balances to the booth where Stanek works as a station agent for the Bay Area ...

Funding plan would mean cuts to NorCal courts

Transit app can estimate crowds on BART trains

Senate advances bill to tax Internet sales

Racist video stirs anger on UC Irvine campus

SF firefighter makes $221,000 in OT

State news briefs

GOODWILL AGREES TO SETTLE SOCAL SEX BIAS CASE: LOS ANGELES (AP) - Goodwill Industries of Southern California has agreed to settle federal allegations that it discriminated against men in hiring.