Bay Area briefs

Official 'embarrassed' by expense errors SANTA CLARA (AP) - The head of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors says he takes full responsibility for errors in using his government credit card that forced him to repay thousands of dollars to taxpayers. Board President George Shirakawa posted an email this week on his county Web page. In it, Shirakawa says he's embarrassed by ...

Big storm bears down on California

HAPPY CAMP (AP) - A big storm bearing down on California has triggered flood warnings in Siskiyou County as heavy rain falls on the far north end of the state.

State to join Powerball frenzy next year

SACRAMENTO (AP) - Californians may have missed out on this week's record-setting Powerball lottery drawing, but they will be able to buy tickets to the multistate game starting next spring, after the California Lottery Commission voted Thursday to add it to the state's roster of games.

LA judge dismisses suit over park Nativity scenes

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A Los Angeles federal judge on Thursday dismissed a Christian group's lawsuit to force suburban Santa Monica to reopen spaces in a city park to private displays, including Christmas Nativity scenes.

Talks to resume in LA-Long Beach harbors strike

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Negotiators for employers and union workers at the Los Angeles and Long Beach harbors will resume talks following a third day of a strike that has shut down most of the terminals at the nation's busiest port complex, both sides confirmed Thursday.

Feds deny oyster farm lease renewal in NorCal

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - An historic Northern California oyster farm along Point Reyes National Seashore will be shut down and the site converted to a wilderness area, U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced on Thursday.

Report: Half of charity donations lost to overhead

SACRAMENTO (AP) - A report released Thursday reminds Californians to pay attention to their charitable giving this holiday season.

San Diego approves pact for desalinated water

SAN DIEGO (AP) - A regional water agency approved a contract Thursday to buy the entire output of what would be the Western Hemisphere's largest seawater desalination plant, clearing the way for construction to begin early next year.

Animal control officer killed in eviction

GALT (AP) - An unarmed animal control officer was shot and killed in Sacramento County on Wednesday while trying to retrieve pets from a home whose owner was evicted the previous day.

State audit faults LA Unified’s abuse reporting

LOS ANGELES (AP) - The Los Angeles Unified School District frequently failed to report teacher misconduct to state credentialing authorities and took too long to investigate and punish teachers, according to a report by the California state auditor released Thursday.

Another Yoda statue, Calif. Star Wars fans may get

SAN ANSELMO (AP) - Star Wars fans might soon have another Yoda statue in the San Francisco Bay area to visit.

Study contends Grand Canyon as old as dinosaur era

LOS ANGELES (AP) - The awe-inspiring Grand Canyon was probably carved about 70 million years ago, much earlier than thought, a provocative new study suggests - so early that dinosaurs might have roamed near this natural wonder.

State news briefs

• Calif. contractors to get 30 pct of requested water: FRESNO (AP) - California residents and farmers can expect less than a third of the water they requested for next year, but state officials hope that amount will increase.

Animal control officer fatally shot in Galt

GALT (AP) - An animal control officer was fatally shot Wednesday when he went to retrieve pets from a Sacramento County home where the resident had been evicted a day earlier, authorities said.

Egypt court sentences 8 to death over prophet film

CAIRO (AP) - An Egyptian court convicted in absentia Wednesday seven Egyptian Coptic Christians and a Florida-based American pastor, sentencing them to death on charges linked to an anti-Islam film that had sparked riots in parts of the Muslim world.

Audit calls for better estimate for Salton Sea

EL CENTRO (AP) - A recent state audit calls for a more thorough estimate of how much it will cost to alleviate expected clouds of dust and other hazards along the receding shores of the Salton Sea. The Desert Sun reports Monday that carrying out restoration projects could help California decrease its future mitigation costs. Under a 2003 deal, the state will be responsible for those costs after three local water agencies pay about $388 ...

Delta receives NFL award

National Forensic League Executive Director J. Scott Wunn recently announced that Delta Charter has earned the 2012-13 Leading Chapter Award in the Big Valley District.

Winds kill two people in Oakland

California unemployment falls to 8.7%

Final tally: Democrat wins Assembly race

SACRAMENTO (AP) - A final vote tally released Friday showed Democrat Matt Dababneh narrowly winning a special election to fill a Los Angeles-area seat in the state Assembly, but his Republican opponent said she is considering asking for a recount.

Drug cartel leader arrested at US border

SAN DIEGO (AP) - The son of one of the world's most-wanted drug lords was arrested at an Arizona border crossing to face drug-trafficking charges in the United States, authorities said Friday.

Crime witness who vanished on walk found

Convicted California serial killer gets death

Computer glitch is latest issue for transit agency

OAKLAND (AP) - In recent months, the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit system has seen two strikes shut down service and had two workers killed on tracks.

How low will we go? Study shows SJ Valley land is sinking

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News from around california

TEACHER STABBED BY STUDENT ON CAMPUS: SANTA ROSA (AP) - Authorities say a California high school teacher has been stabbed by a student at the school that led to an hourslong lockdown.

Network of electric car chargers stalled in California

Vallejo school abandons use of Apache mascot

VALLEJO (AP) - A Northern California school will no longer use a Native American as its mascot after critics decried it as offensive. The board of the Vallejo City Unified School District voted unanimously Wednesday to stop using the Apache mascot at Vallejo High School. The Times-Herald of Vallejo reports that the mascot will be retired after graduation in June, and it will not appear on any new paraphernalia the school orders. Board member Ward ...

California health exchange upholds policy cancelations

SACRAMENTO . (AP) - The board overseeing California's health insurance exchange voted unanimously Thursday to stick with its current year-end deadline of phasing out more than 1 million individual health insurance policies that fail to meet requirements of the federal health care overhaul, turning aside a plea by President Barack Obama to let those policies continue. <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; ...