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

Poll shows slim majority favor governor's tax hike ballot plan

Yacht accident survivor wants more focus on safety

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A survivor of the fatal grounding of a racing yacht on rocky islands west of San Francisco is calling on the sailing community to make safety a higher priority. In a lengthy letter posted online Tuesday, Bryan Chong, 38, offered a detailed account of what happened the day the sailboat Low Speed Chase wrecked during an April 14 ...

Marines discharge sergeant for Facebook posts critical of President Obama policies

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