Bay Area briefs

Metal thieves take SF park bleachers SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Metal thieves have hauled away aluminum bleachers and irrigation pipes at a popular Sa Francisco Park. The San Francisco Chronicle says the brazen thieves also tried to steal the metal frames of soccer goals at Crocker-Amazon Park. The city Recreation and Parks Department estimates hundreds of thousands of dollars ...

Yosemite historic bridges under siege

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK (AP) - Perhaps no river crossing in Yosemite Valley has been more photographed than the historic Stoneman Bridge: a single, arching span faced with rough-hewn granite that provides a dramatic foreground to Half Dome, the park's most iconic natural marvel.

Owner drops price for SF Bay island

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - An island offering a secluded beach, promises of great fishing and stunning views of the San Francisco skyline is up for sale - and at a discounted price.

Lawmakers depart to prepare for fall election

SACRAMENTO (AP) - California state lawmakers have adjourned for their summer recess after spending months unabashedly positioning themselves to their best competitive advantage going into the fall election campaign.

Illegal weapons seized in search of Bay Point home

BAY POINT (AP) - Dozens of illegal weapons have been seized during a search of a home in an unincorporated area of Contra Costa County, authorities said.

Abandoned horses growing problem

SAN BERNARDINO (AP) - A growing number of horses are being abandoned by owners in San Bernardino County, an apparent lingering effect of the 2007 housing market collapse.

LA schools superintendent shakes up district

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Faced with a shocking case of a teacher accused of playing classroom sex games with children for years, Los Angeles schools Superintendent John Deasy delivered another jolt: He removed the school's entire staff - from custodians to the principal - to smash what he called a "culture of silence."

Dueling restraining orders for council members

SAN FERNANDO (AP) - Two council members of this Los Angeles suburb who admitted to having an affair have taken out restraining orders against each other after an alleged violent spat.

State news briefs

• MAGNITUDE-3.9 QUAKE SHAKES LAKE COUNTY: SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Two small earthquakes have jolted a remote area of Northern California, startling residents in Lake County.

State news briefs

DA: EVIDENCE SHOWS SUSPECTED PIMP SHOT IN REVENGE: SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - District Attorney George Gascon says new evidence shows the parents and two men charged for killing a girl's suspected pimp acted more out of revenge than protection.

Pair of ospreys spotted at San Francisco pier

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Bird watchers in San Francisco are celebrating what they say is the first confirmed sighting of an osprey in the city. A pair of the raptors was recently spotted nesting atop a container crane at Pier 80 in the city's Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Bird experts say their presence is a sign that the ...

Former Raiders DE Anthony Smith faces three new murder charges in Los Angeles

Rosemead slaughterhouse fights to stay open

ROSEMEAD (AP) - A slaughterhouse in a small Los Angeles suburb is raising a big stink as the owners fight an order to shut it down, accusing the city of discriminating against Asian culture. Chinese American Live Poultry in Rosemead provides freshly killed chickens - head, feet and all - to many Chinese and Vietnamese immigrants in the San Gabriel Valley. It ...

Justin Bieber cited for speeding, claims he was being chased by five cars of paparazzi

California OKs funding for high-speed rail line

Brown: Public still confident in Bay Bridge

209 News

MINN. HIKER FOUND DEAD AT CLIFF BOTTOM IN YOSEMITE: YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK (AP) - A hiker who went missing in Yosemite National Park has been found dead at the bottom of a cliff, authorities said.

Groups want details on license plate readers

Brown mystified at continuing prison legal case; faces possible contempt

Court: Cities can ban medical pot shops

State news briefs

Background on the case, recent developments and what happens next: What is the court case at issue?

CPUC: PG&E should pay $2.25B for blast

Crews mop up coastal mountain wildfire as rain falls

Truckee River flows peak, 3rd lowest in four decades

TRUCKEE (AP) - Some of the lowest season flows in the Truckee River in four decades are raising concerns about Nevada's lingering drought.

If you buy over Internet you’re probably a tax cheat

SACRAMENTO (AP) - Buy anything on the Internet lately without paying sales tax? In all but a few states, you're probably a tax cheat.

Central Coast rancher wins right to help homeless after court fight

SAN LUIS OBISPO (AP) - A Central Coast rancher and local hero to the homeless vowed to finally to build the Sunny Acres sober living facility after more than a decade in court and conflicts.

Rolling Stones launch tour with energetic set; youngest member now 65 years old

LOS ANGELES (AP) - The Rolling Stones must have passed through a time machine before taking the Staples Center stage to kick off their "50 and Counting" anniversary tour.

State news briefs

• 2 DEAD, 5 HURT AFTER VAN CRASHES ON HIGHWAY 99: FRESNO (AP) - Two men died and five others were hospitalized with injuries early Saturday after a van carrying farmworkers overturned on a Fresno highway, authorities said.

Brown, Demos in Medicaid expansion tiff

SACRAMENTO (AP) - California was an early booster of President Barack Obama's health care reform law and was the first state to authorize a health insurance exchange in 2010. It also was quick to commit to the optional Medicaid expansion that has been rejected by some Republican states.