US begins flying home deported Mexicans

SAN DIEGO (AP) - The U.S. government began flying Mexican deportees home on Tuesday in a two-month experiment aimed at relieving Mexican border cities overwhelmed with people ordered to leave the United States.

Oakland college shooting suspect's case suspended

OAKLAND (AP) - The murder case of a suspect accused of killing seven at a small California Christian college was suspended Monday after the suspect's lawyer questioned his mental competency to stand trial.

Teacher suspected of lewd conduct found dead

SAN LORENZO (AP) - A California teacher suspected of lewd conduct with a child has apparently committed suicide.

Initiative raises penalties for human trafficking

SANTA ANA (AP) - California voters will consider toughening the penalties on human trafficking in a November ballot initiative funded almost entirely by a former Facebook official and opposed - somewhat surprisingly - by some advocates who are trying to stop the exploitation.

Initiative seeks to end death penalty

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - More Death Row inmates have died of natural causes, suicide and murder than have been executed since California re-instated capital punishment 35 years ago.

Brown vetoes death-benefit bill

SACRAMENTO (AP) - An expansion of death benefits for the families of public safety workers and a renewal of the Hollywood tax credit are among the bills Gov. Jerry Brown acted upon late Sunday, the last day to sign or veto the more than 900 pieces of legislation that reached his desk this fall.

WWII gun to be displayed at San Francisco Bay

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A massive gun that was on the battleship Missouri when the Japanese surrendered at the end of World War II will soon be installed on a cliff at the entrance to San Francisco Bay.

2 million in gems, gold stolen from museum

MARIPOSA (AP) - California investigators searched Monday for thieves who made off with an estimated $2 million in precious gems and gold from a Central Valley museum during a brazen daytime robbery.

State news briefs

Bay Area briefs

OBAMA TO DESIGNATE CHAVEZ HOME AS NAT'L MONUMENT : KEENE (AP) - In a move aimed at shoring up support from Hispanic and progressive voters, President Barack Obama will designate the California home of labor leader Cesar Chavez as a national monument.

Backers aim to widen ban on gay conversion therapy

Backers aim to widen ban on gay conversion therapy

Immigrant advocates blast Brown vetoes

Immigrant advocates blast Brown vetoes

Proposition 34 at a glance

WHAT IT WOULD DO: Abolish California's death penalty. If the initiative is approved by voters this November, the 729 inmates on death row would have their sentences converted to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

At least 20 injured in California train crash

HANFORD (AP) - At least 20 passengers suffered minor to moderate injuries Monday when a big rig truck collided with a southbound Amtrak train in California's Central Valley, authorities said.

Brown vetoes domestic workers rights bill that included OT & meal breaks

SACRAMENTO . (AP) - Gov. Jerry Brown on Sunday announced that he had vetoed legislation that would have provided overtime pay, meal breaks and other labor protections to an estimated 200,000 caregivers, nannies and house cleaners in California.

SeaWorld loses appeal in death by killer whale

WASHINGTON (AP) - A federal appeals court on Friday upheld a regulatory safety finding against SeaWorld in the drowning of a trainer who was pulled under by a killer whale at the theme park.

LA mayor wants greener streets

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Hoping to give a new look to a city where the car is king, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said Thursday that he planned to add plazas, trees and artwork to some of the city's busiest streets to lure walkers, cyclists, new cafes and shops.

Assembly passes change to campaign disclosure bill

SACRAMENTO (AP) - A bill that would force political nonprofits to reveal the names of campaign donors no longer applies retroactively under an amendment pushed by Republican lawmakers and approved Thursday by the Assembly.

Ex-city official gets nearly 12 years

LOS ANGELES (AP) - One of the architects of a massive corruption scandal that nearly bankrupted the modest Los Angeles suburb of Bell was sentenced Thursday to nearly 12 years in prison by a judge who called her a con artist.

Pharmacy syringe sales permanent?

SACRAMENTO (AP) - The Assembly voted Thursday to make permanent a program that allows pharmacies to sell syringes to drug users as a way to prevent diseases spread by needle-sharing.

LA deputies, shot, kill unarmed man who was victim of attack

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies mistakenly shot to death a man who was fleeing from a knife-wielding attacker at a West Hollywood apartment, authorities announced Thursday.

Judge blasts excessive pepper spray use against mentally ill

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - A federal judge ruled Thursday that California's treatment of mentally ill inmates violates constitutional safeguards against cruel and unusual punishment through excessive use of pepper spray and isolation.

Teacher suspended for science projects

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Students and parents are calling for the return of a popular Los Angeles high school science teacher who was suspended from the classroom after students turned in projects that appeared dangerous to administrators.

Confessed killer won’t divulge associates

RESNO (AP) - A man in an Alabama jail who has confessed to killing dozens across the country did not name the drug cartels he said employed him, a detective said.

Suspect tells judge toddler left alone in car

SONOMA (AP) - A woman arrested for allegedly using fake credit cards at a Northern California casino showed up to court but left her 3-year-old daughter alone in her car with hypodermic syringes.

NEWS FROM ACROSS CALIFORNIA

• Sea search suspended for missing boy: SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Rescue crews have suspended their search for a missing 14-year-old boy who disappeared while swimming with two family members at San Francisco's Ocean Beach.

High-speed rail adopts new business plan

SACRAMENTO (AP) - The board that oversees the California High-Speed Rail Authority approved a new business plan to submit to state lawmakers Thursday, reflecting lower revenue projections but leaving the 2028 timeline for finishing the $68 billion bullet train unchanged despite legal setbacks that could cause delays.

PG&E offers $250K reward in grid attack

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Pacific Gas & Electric Co. offered a $250,000 reward Thursday for information leading to an arrest and conviction in a startling attack mounted nearly a year ago on telephone lines and the power grid in Silicon Valley.

Feinstein tweaks drought bill

WASHINGTON (AP) - Sen. Dianne Feinstein said Thursday she has dropped $300 million in emergency spending from drought-relief legislation to try to improve prospects for getting the bill passed.

Justice Dept.: San Diego cross should stay

SAN DIEGO (AP) - The U.S. Justice Department says a war memorial cross should remain on federal property atop a San Diego mountain, but it disagrees with cross supporters that an appeal should leapfrog straight to the U.S. Supreme Court.