SF slaying suspect in five killings had had been ordered deported to Vietnam

Chief: No conclusions in beating death of Iraqi-American woman

State news briefs

TINY PUPPY BORN IN CA COULD BE WORLD'S SMALLEST: SACRAMENTO (AP) - A puppy named after one of the world's biggest pop stars could set the world's record for tiniest dog.

Weinstein Co. to release 'Bully' without rating

Lawmaker pleads no contest to airport gun charges

Bay Area briefs

Federal crackdown hurts Oakland pot-growing school

State News Briefs

'HUNGER GAMES' BATTLES TO $155M OPENING WEEKEND: LOS ANGELES (AP) - "The Hunger Games" has filled fan appetites with a $155 million opening weekend that puts it near the top of the domestic record book.

Hmong community launches online translator

FRESNO (AP) - When Phong Yang, a Hmong refugee from Laos, landed in California's Central Valley - via stops in Thailand and France - he was 14 years old. He learned to speak Hmong from his parents, but today he has a hard time teaching the language to his children, who are distracted by cell phones and computers.

USC/Times poll finds California GOP support for Romney grows

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Mitt Romney is running away with Republican support in California, as the leader of the national presidential field enjoys a double digit lead over his competitors in the GOP, a new survey finds.

How many pot patients California has is anyone's guess based on state system

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - California has seven times as many residents as Colorado, but nearly nine times fewer medical marijuana users, at least on paper.

Vegas rail from Victorville to Sin City: A gamble or good thing?

VICTORVILLE (AP) - On a dusty, rock-strewn expanse at the edge of the Mojave Desert, a company linked to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid wants to build a bullet train that would rocket tourists from the middle of nowhere to the gambling palaces of Las Vegas.

LA marijuana dispensary workers join labor union connected with food workers

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Marijuana dispensary workers in Los Angeles have joined a labor union to fight for their jobs in an industry that the federal government considers illegal. Workers at 14 pot shops have formed the "medical cannabis and hemp division" of the United Food and Commercial Workers, Local 770. The 35,000-member union also represents grocery clerks, pharmacists and health care ...

State jobless rate unchanged at 10.9 percent

SACRAMENTO (AP) - California's unemployment rate remained unchanged in February at 10.9 percent as steady job growth continued, but the state still has a long way to go to fully recover from the recession. Its jobless rate remains well above the national average of 8.3 percent. The state Employment Development Department reported Friday that the seasonally adjusted jobless ...

State news briefs

CLERK'S WALLET STOPS BULLET DURING ROBBER STRUGGLE: MODESTO (AP) - A Modesto convenience store clerk's wallet has stopped a bullet during a struggle with an armed robber.

Munger says Brown tax claims untrue; vows TV blitz to get the truth out to voters

Brown: Review UC graduation rates

Major budget infusion for education

Body of missing 9-year-old found

State news briefs

HIKERS WON'T HAVE TO PAY $160K RESCUE COSTS: SANTA ANA (AP) - Two hikers lost for days in the Southern California wilderness won't be charged the $160,000 it took to find them.

SF loses federal grant for new fireboat

LA buildings emptied after devices found

Is boy mature enough to aid murder defense?

6 charged with embezzling $15M from SF schools

‘Fighting chance' for 2013 opening

State news briefs

POLICE: MAN DRESSED AS WOMAN IN RESTROOM ARRESTED: PALMDALE (AP) - A Palmdale man has been arrested for allegedly videotaping women in a Macy's restroom while dressed as a woman.

GOV. JERRY BROWN'S BUDGET PROPOSAL AT A GLANCE

911 caller believed stabbed girl, 8, was alive at the time

VALLEY SPRINGS . (AP) - The parents of an 8-year-old Central California girl who was stabbed to death in her home believed she was fine when they made a 911 call to authorities from another location.

Brown budget: An extra $2.9B to education

Brown takes restrained view of spending

Bay Area news briefs

LIVERMORE LAB JURY AWARDS $2.7 MILLION: OAKLAND (AP) - A jury has awarded more than $2.7 million to five former Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory workers in an ongoing wrongful-termination case.