LA trying to evict sex offenders by building parks near their homes

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Los Angeles officials are trying to force convicted sex offenders out of some neighborhoods by building parks near their homes. The city plans to spend millions of dollars to build three pocket parks in the Harbor Gateway and Wilmington areas, the Los Angeles Times reported. State law prohibits ...

Governor denies parole to Manson follower

SoCal wildfire is 40 percent contained

RIVERSIDE (AP) - Firefighters stopped the spread of a 311-acre wildfire in the heavily vegetated Santa Ana River bottom Friday, despite gusty Santa Ana winds and extremely dry conditions amid a late-winter heat spell. Firefighters continued to work on hotspots, and a firefighting helicopter was on standby, said Greg Birchfield, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection in ...

State news briefs

SURVEILLANCE VIDEO SURFACES IN HOMELESS DEATH CASE: FULLERTON (AP) - An attorney for a popular bar says his client did nothing wrong by making a police call that set in motion a fatal confrontation between several Fullerton officers and a mentally ill homeless man.

Cities lose bid to halt high-speed rail

SACRAMENTO (AP) - Atherton, Menlo Park and Palo Alto lost a bid to block the California high-speed rail line along the Caltrain corridor south of San Francisco after a judge dismissed a five-year-old lawsuit. The Thursday ruling in Sacramento County Superior Court means the $68 billion rail system can use the Pacheco Pass to connect the San Joaquin Valley with the San ...

Shark protections set to go into effect

SACRAMENTO (AP) - Great white sharks off the coast of California will likely enjoy greater protection, as state officials consider whether to add the predator to California's list of endangered species. The California Fish and Game Commission unanimously voted last month to advance the candidacy of the shark for inclusion on the state endangered species list. That means during a one-year study ...

1 of nation's oldest teachers retires at 94

California ocean protection zones helping struggling fish species

State news briefs

TOLL OFFICIALS APPROVE $5.6M BAY BRIDGE BASH: SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - San Francisco Bay area transportation officials have agreed to spend up to $5.6 million to pay for part of the inaugural celebration for the new east span of the Bay Bridge.

Bay Area briefs

OAKLAND MAYOR PUTS LOCK-PICKING CLASS IN NEWSLETTER: OAKLAND . (AP) - The mayor of a California city struggling with a spike in burglaries and other crimes is apologizing for promoting a class about how to pick locks in her newsletter.

Slain Santa Cruz police officers were taken by surprise, didn’t draw weapons

Slain Santa Cruz police officers were taken by surprise, didn't draw weapons

California Senate takes field trip to south state

LA appeals court ruling on homeless

'Girls Gone Wild' files for bankruptcy over debts

LOS ANGELES (AP) - The company behind the "Girls Gone Wild" video empire has filed for bankruptcy in a move it says is an effort to restructure its legal affairs after several disputed court judgments. GGW Brands LLC and several subsidiaries filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Wednesday in Los Angeles, listing more than $16 million in disputed claims. <p style="line-height: 18pt; ...

Calif. support of gay marriage at 61 percent

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A record 61 percent of Californians now approve of allowing same-sex couples to marry, according to a poll released Thursday. The Field Poll found 78 percent support among people 39 and younger and a solid majority of middle-aged residents now back gay marriage - 56 percent. Even among senior citizens there is 48 percent support, compared with 42 ...

State taxes coming in $4B above forecast

SACRAMENTO (AP) - California is on track to collect $4 billion more in personal income taxes than Gov. Jerry Brown had expected, giving a potential boost to education funding, the legislative analyst's office said Tuesday.

Los Angeles settles with women fired on in manhunt

Davis man spends week in wilderness on pine nuts

Burger King delivers it your way in San Francisco & LA

Bay Area briefs

WOMAN UNINJURED AFTER BART TRAIN PASSES OVER HER: SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A woman escaped uninjured after a commuter train passed over her but did not hit her on tracks at a San Francisco station, transit officials said.