Man who may be last Golden Gate Bridge worker dies

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Jack Balestreri was 17 when he got a job helping build the Golden Gate Bridge. He had hoped to make it to the span's 75th anniversary next month. But Balestreri - believed to be the last surviving bridge worker - died of natural causes at his San Francisco home on April 21, his daughter, Gayle Balestreri, told The ...

Sea creatures clog intake at PG&E nuclear power plant ; forces now 2reactors shutdown

SAN LUIS OBISPO (AP) - An overwhelming number of jellyfish-like creatures clogging seawater intake screens forced operators on Thursday to shut down the Unit 2 reactor at the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant, Pacific Gas & Electric officials said. Both reactors at the central coast plant are now offline. Unit 1 was shut down earlier this month for ...

Bay Area briefs

Prison in restaurant illegal worker case OAKLAND (AP) - The owner of a San Francisco Bay area restaurant chain has been sentenced to more than three years in federal prison for hiring illegal immigrants. Besides the 41 months in prison, El Balazo restaurants owner Marino Sandoval must pay more than $2 million restitution to the Internal Revenue Service. His ...

Religious leaders like Brown's tax plan for taking from rich & giving to poor

Researcher spies odd lava spirals on Mars

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A researcher has spotted lava flows shaped like coils of rope near the equator of Mars, the first time such geologic features have been discovered outside of Earth.

Governor signs bill extending pet license sales

Bill lets governor, local officials meet behind closed doors away from public

Brown tells corrections to mull one drug in lieu of three for lethal injection

Bay Area briefs

Regulators: PG&E higher-ups aware of snooping

State news briefs

TITLEHOLDER OF LONGEST WITH BULLET IN HEAD DIES: TURLOCK (AP) - The man who holds the Guinness World Record for living the longest with a bullet in his head has died in Central California at age 103.

Parents sue school over cheating policy

REDWOOD CITY (AP) - The parents of a Northern California high school sophomore are suing the school district for kicking the teenager out of an honors class because he cheated. When he started classes at Sequoia High School in Redwood City, the boy signed an Academy Honesty Pledge warning him that cheating is grounds for immediate removal from the advanced-level English class. ...

Callenbach, 'Ecotopia' author, dies at 83

Zynga reports 1Q net loss, higher revenue

Federal judge files for bankruptcy

LOS ANGELES (AP) - U.S. District Judge Otis Wright has been on the federal bench only five years and now is facing bankruptcy because he's unable to pay his existing debts. While Wright and other district judges are making roughly $174,000 annually, they are being outpaced by many other federal employees who are earning more than $200,000 each year, according to statistics ...

Sanctuary says killer elephant still welcome

AROUND THE STATE

NBC'S MICHAELS ARRESTED FOR ALLEGED DUI : SANTA MONICA (AP) - NBC Sports announcer Al Michaels was arrested over the weekend in Southern California on suspicion of drunken driving, authorities said Sunday.

Some lawmakers push for basic health care plan to cover illegal immigrants

SACRAMENTO (AP) - A plan being pushed by some California lawmakers would give immigrants living in the country illegally - and legal residents who can't afford health insurance but don't qualify for Medi-Cal - basic low-cost health care.

State, cities in next round of redevelopment fight as nearly 70 lawsuits jam court system

SACRAMENTO (AP) - A second round of bureaucratic bickering has begun over the dismantling of California's community redevelopment agencies.

Bill targets drop-in day care centers

SACRAMENTO (AP) - A state lawmaker wants to establish basic standards for the short-term day care centers that are growing in popularity at fitness centers, shopping malls, grocery stores and other businesses.

Sierra High seeks nominations for 2013 Hall of Fame

Nominations are being sought for the Sierra High Hall of fame.

Tech firms oppose Internet privacy law

SAN JOSE (AP) - A newspaper is reporting that technology firms, banks and other companies are fighting a proposed Internet privacy law that would require companies to show consumers the personal data they've collected on them and how it's being used.