Some lawmakers push for basic health care plan to cover illegal immigrants

SACRAMENTO (AP) - A plan being pushed by some California lawmakers would give immigrants living in the country illegally - and legal residents who can't afford health insurance but don't qualify for Medi-Cal - basic low-cost health care.

State, cities in next round of redevelopment fight as nearly 70 lawsuits jam court system

SACRAMENTO (AP) - A second round of bureaucratic bickering has begun over the dismantling of California's community redevelopment agencies.

Bill targets drop-in day care centers

SACRAMENTO (AP) - A state lawmaker wants to establish basic standards for the short-term day care centers that are growing in popularity at fitness centers, shopping malls, grocery stores and other businesses.

Sierra High seeks nominations for 2013 Hall of Fame

Nominations are being sought for the Sierra High Hall of fame. Nominations are due on Friday, May 3. The Hall of Fame induction will take place Sunday, May 19. Letters of recommendation from the nominator, and the nominee's related high school and career information must be accompanied by a completed nomination form. In cases where other support material is difficult to obtain, additional letters may be in order to substantiate the individual's accomplishments or contributions. ...

Tech firms oppose Internet privacy law

SAN JOSE (AP) - A newspaper is reporting that technology firms, banks and other companies are fighting a proposed Internet privacy law that would require companies to show consumers the personal data they've collected on them and how it's being used.

State news briefs

HOME, FORD TEAM UP ON ENERGY EFFICIENCY: LOS ANGELES (AP) - KB Home is teaming up with Ford Motor Co. in hopes of making energy efficiency a more compelling proposition to would-be homeowners who also drive hybrid and plug-in vehicles.

State failed to spend $455M on water projects

State failed to spend $455M on water projects

San Francisco mayor signs quake retrofit law

Bay Area briefs

SUN-POWERED PLANE COMPLETES BAY AREA TEST FLIGHT: MOUNTAIN VIEW (AP) - A solar-powered plane that has wowed aviation fans in Europe took to the skies Friday over the San Francisco Bay area in a successful test flight.

Feds release refinery fire investigation video

RICHMOND (AP) - Federal investigators released an animated video on Friday showing the events that led to a massive fire at Chevron's Richmond refinery last August, providing the clearest picture yet of the accident. The U.S. Chemical Safety Board released the video (http://1.usa.gov/13ytf11 ) ahead of a public meeting in Richmond where it will be shown on Friday evening. <p style="line-height: ...

Law change makes child abuse hard to track

Bullet train agency changed bid criteria

SACRAMENTO (AP) - California's high-speed rail authority changed its rules for selecting a company to build the first phase of the bullet train in a way that allowed a California bidder to emerge as the lead candidate despite having the lowest technical rating for safety and design quality, a newspaper reported Friday. The process was changed without approval from the board that ...

Van Dyke undergoing tests for 'cranial throbbing'

Audit finds problems with specialty plates

Settlement reached in bullet train lawsuit

Bay Area briefs

FEDS TO PROBE REPAIR WORK ON BAD BAY BRIDGE RODS: SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The Federal Highway Administration on Monday said it is investigating the state's response to broken steel seismic safety rods on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.

State news briefs

15 OF 23 CAL STATE CAMPUSES CHARGE GRADUATION FEES: SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Graduating students at more than a dozen California public universities will have to hand over money before they are handed their diplomas, a newspaper reported.

End near for evangelical radio network?

Girl , 7, escapes kidnapper's car trunk in Sacramento

Ginsburg: Roe gave abortion opponents a target

CHICAGO (AP) - U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg says she supports a woman's right to choose to have an abortion, but feels her predecessors' landmark Roe v. Wade ruling 40 years ago was too sweeping and gave abortion opponents a symbol to target.

Person of interest named in jogger killed by pit bull pack

PALMDALE . (AP) - Sheriff's authorities said a man who was arrested this week on suspicion of growing marijuana is now a "person of interest" in the death of a 63-year-old jogger who was mauled to death by a pack of pit bulls in the Mojave Desert.

Los Angeles, Paris project aims to track big city carbon footprints

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Every time Los Angeles exhales, odd-looking gadgets anchored in the mountains above the city trace the invisible puffs of carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gases that waft skyward.

Relentless thief still taking Tahoe crawfish traps - 160 stolen so far

INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. (AP) - It's not that easy to catch crawfish in Lake Tahoe. Turns out, it may be harder to keep them.

Black student targeted with racist note

IRVINE (AP) - University of California, Irvine officials pledged to work on race relations on campus this week after a black student found a hand-scrawled note in her backpack calling her a slave, making it the second racist incident that has offended black students in recent weeks.

Mom: Accused boy, 12, ‘could never’ hurt sister

VALLEY SPRINGS (AP) - A day before a 12-year-old boy was arrested for the stabbing death of his 8-year-old sister, his mother described him as "protective" of his younger sibling.

State lawmakers debate how to spend $900M in new revenue from loophole

SACRAMENTO (AP) - California schools are expecting a boost from the $900 million to be raised over the next year through the closure of a corporate tax loophole, but Gov. Jerry Brown is locked in a disagreement with state lawmakers over how to hand out that money.

Chris Brown’s scary curbside art irks LA neighbors; city cites him for ‘signage’

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Grammy-winning musician Chris Brown's neighbors are unhappy with what some are calling frightening art he's chosen to have painted along the curb of his Hollywood Hills home.

Bay Bridge base rods can’t be easily inspected

OAKLAND (AP) - More than 400 seismic safety rods that may be vulnerable to cracking or breaking are embedded in the base of the new San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge and may be difficult to inspect, remove or replace, according to a newspaper report.

One by one, homes in subdivision sinking

LAKEPORT (AP) - Scott and Robin Spivey had a sinking feeling that something was wrong with their home when cracks began snaking across their walls in March.

Judge denies bid to block Dorner reward payout plan