Land deal grows protected area of N. California. coast

POINT ARENA . (AP) - Another piece of California's North Coast will join a patchwork of coastal lands where development is banned and public use is encouraged, a preservation group said Monday.

Court rejects bid to stop gay marriages

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - California's highest court refused Tuesday to block the state from sanctioning same-sex marriages while it considers a petition arguing that a voter-approved gay marriage ban remains valid in all but two counties.

High school teacher faces sex charges

SANTA ANA (AP) - A high school math teacher in Orange County has been charged with having sex with one of her students.

State news briefs

ELDERLY WOMAN ROBBED, PUNCHED BY TEENS IN ROBBERY: SAN BERNARDINO (AP) - Authorities say two teenagers pretending to look for a lost dog attacked a 90-year-old woman in her San Bernardino home before demanding cash and stealing her car.

Bicyclist pleads guilty to manslaughter in SF

Calif. seeks firms to scout high-speed rail route

FRESNO (AP) - The California High-Speed Rail Authority has put out a call for firms to handle engineering and surveying for its prospective route from Fresno to Bakersfield.

State foreclosures rise in 2nd quarter

SAN DIEGO (AP) - More Californians went into foreclosure in the second quarter of this year - a blip in an overall trend that has seen more people hanging onto troubled property as home prices soar.

California news briefs

YMCA WORKER FACES MORE CHILD SEX CHARGES: MORGAN HILL (AP) - A San Francisco Bay Area YMCA worker accused of sexually assaulting a 6-year-old girl he was tasked with watching is facing additional charges involving two other girls under his care.

SD mayor’s accuser comes forward

SAN DIEGO (AP) - Mayor Bob Filner's former communications director filed a sexual harassment lawsuit on Monday against the leader of the nation's eighth-largest city, alleging he asked her to work without panties, demanded kisses and dragged her around in a headlock while whispering sexual advances.

2 men face breeding cruelty charges for 20,000 rats, reptiles

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Two men have been charged with more than 100 counts each of felony animal cruelty for the way they treated many of nearly 20,000 rats and reptiles found dead, dying or diseased at a breeding center in Lake Elsinore, authorities said Monday.

After blaze, mudslide threat for 20 homes

IDYLLWILD . (AP) - A Southern California wildfire that destroyed seven homes and threatened the mountain town of Idyllwild was sluggish after a thunderstorm drenched the timberland, and more storms were expected Monday.

Gore returns for Lake Tahoe Summit

CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) - Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who orchestrated the first presidential summit focused on Lake Tahoe's environmental challenges, on Monday announced that former Vice President Al Gore will return to Tahoe's shores for the 17th annual forum highlighting the Sierra's crown jewel.

San Francisco considers aerial ad ban

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Planes with advertising banners may become a thing of the past in the sky above San Francisco.

State news briefs

FOLSOM LAKE WATER LEVELS TO HIT 5-YEAR LOWS: SACRAMENTO (AP) - Federal officials say drought conditions in Northern California could bring water levels in Folsom Lake and the American River to five-year lows.

Disgraced former Vernon official wants full;$500,000 a year pension wants pension restored

VERNON (AP) - A disgraced former municipal official who once claimed California's largest public pension isn't giving it up without a fight.

1.4 M Californians sign up in second health enrollment

SACRAMENTO (AP) - More than 1.4 million Californians have either signed up or renewed their coverage for individual private insurance in the second year of the federal health expansion, a state official said Tuesday.

Police chief fired over stolen gun

KENSINGTON (AP) - A small California town has fired its police chief over his handling of an investigation into a sergeant accused of having his gun, badge and handcuffs stolen by a prostitute at a Nevada hotel.

SF Bay Area king tides flood warning

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Forecasters are calling for minor flooding on low-lying roads, parking lots, sidewalks and trails along the coast as king tides begin to rise.

LA mayor pushes quake resiliency plan

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Mayor Eric Garcetti told business leaders Tuesday he hopes to have ordinances passed this year to advance his sweeping plan to make Los Angeles resilient to major earthquakes.

NEWS FROM ACROSS CALIFORNIA

MAN SETS HIMSELF ON FIRE AT LOS ANGELES COFFEE SHOP: LOS ANGELES (AP) - Authorities say a man has been hospitalized in extremely critical condition after setting himself on fire in the restroom of a Los Angeles coffee shop.

Taxpayer groups slam state buying new vehicles

LOS ANGELES (AP) - The state is drawing criticism from taxpayer groups for buying California's top elected officials new hybrid cars while many ordinary residents still struggle financially.

Many sex offenders killed in state prison

SACRAMENTO (AP) - Shortly after 2 a.m. on April 6, 2010, a guard at Salinas Valley State Prison noticed Alan Ager's cellmate trying to stuff something under a mattress. It was Ager, blood trickling from his mouth and a cloth noose tied around his neck.

Amid measles outbreak, few rules on teacher vaccinations

LOS ANGELES (AP) - While much of the attention in the ongoing measles outbreak has focused on student vaccination requirements and exemptions, less attention has been paid to another group in the nation's classrooms: Teachers and staff members, who, by and large, are not required to be vaccinated.

West Coast ports backing up

LOS ANGELES (AP) - The nation's top labor official flew Monday to California in an attempt to resolve a damaging contract dispute between West Coast dockworkers and their employers.

17-year-old boy dies playing Russian roulette

CARSON (AP) - A 17-year-old boy shot and killed himself early Monday during what authorities are describing as a game of Russian roulette in his apartment with other teens.

Security guard killed chasing cigar thieves

SAN JOSE (AP) - Authorities say a security guard was shot and killed trying to stop a pair of men stealing cigars from a Northern California liquor store.

Medi-Cal rolls swell to 12 million

SACRAMENTO (AP) - Since California embraced the federal health care overhaul, the state's Medicaid program for the poor has added more than 2.7 million people, a surprisingly high number that has left the state to grapple with making sure there are enough doctors to care for all of them.

Citrus exports hurt by labor dispute

FRESNO (AP) - California's citrus growers already grappling with a fourth year of drought say their exports are taking a hit from a labor dispute at West Coast seaports, costing farmers millions of dollars a week.

Redding police chief says city attracts homeless with free services

REDDING (AP) - A police chief in Northern California has drawn criticism from homeless advocates for saying charities are to blame for attracting more transients to town by offering them services, a newspaper reports.

USC adds humanist chaplains for nonbelievers

LOS ANGELES (AP) - When Bart Campolo broke with the church almost five years ago, he immediately began to feel something missing.