GOP decries Legislature passing 'shell' bills they can later add budget legislation plans

Senate leader: Promote Brown tax plan on 2012 ballot then water bond in 2014

Lawmakers vote to overturn Citizens United

State news briefs

MAN CUTS OFF HIS HAND WITH KITCHEN KNIFE: ADELANTO (AP) - Investigators say a Southern California man deliberately cut off his hand with a kitchen knife, but it's not clear why.

Man faces up to 60 years in prison after pleading guilty for celeb hacking

Bay Area briefs

Mavericks big-wave surfing contest unlikely HALF MOON BAY . (AP) - A Mavericks big-wave surfing contest in California isn't likely this year. The window for the competition closes on March 31 and organizers say it doesn't appear the right combination of wind and ocean swell will materialize. Mavericks International contest director Jeff Clark saod that the window won't be ...

State news briefs

SF SHERIFF CHARGED WITH OFFICIAL MISCONDUCT: SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Over the past nine weeks, San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi hasn't spoken to his wife and has seen his 3-year-old son only sporadically.

Salinas counselor arrested on sex, porn charges

SALINAS (AP) - Police have arrested a high school counselor whose computer allegedly contained videos of students engaged in sexual activity in his office, authorities said. Gilbert Olivares, a drug and alcohol counselor at Salinas High School, was first arrested last week on suspicion of inappropriately touching a student, the Monterey County Herald reported Wednesday. The 34-year-old man turned himself in Monday ...

California mosque sues city over denial of application to rebuild and expand

Wal-Mart to pay $2.1 million in fines for overcharging California consumers

. SAN DIEGO (AP) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has agreed to pay a $2.1 million penalty for charging California costumers at prices higher than those posted, in violation of a 2008 judgment ordering the retail chain to stop, state Attorney General Kamala D. Harris announced Wednesday. The agreement came after an investigation that began in November 2010 found ...

LA council urges curbs on derogatory radio speech

LOS ANGELES (AP) - The City Council called on TV and radio broadcasters Wednesday to keep their hosts from spouting crude slurs, citing Rush Limbaugh's reference to a woman as a "slut" and a KFI show calling Whitney Houston a "crack ho." The council voted 13-2 for a resolution urging Los Angeles stations to do everything in their power to ensure that ...

Wife: 'Kony 2012' director suffers from psychosis

Oakland to pay legal fees in public search by cops

OAKLAND (AP) - Oakland officers' decision to pull two men's pants down on a public street after they were stopped by police has cost the city about a million dollars. The City Council voted 7-1 in closed session on Tuesday to pay the men's lawyers, civil rights attorneys John Burris and Michael Haddad, $832,000 in legal fees, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. ...

Bay Area briefs

PG&E wants to offset fine for pipeline blast

‘California inmates petition UN to monitor prisons

Divers search reservoirs for murder clues

VALLEY SPRINGS (AP) - Divers are searching two reservoirs and detectives are knocking on doors in Calaveras County as the investigation continues into the killing of 8-year-old Leila Fowler.

Fourth abalone diver dies in NorCal waters

SANTA ROSA (AP) - A diver died Saturday in the quest for abalone that has claimed three other lives in the waters off Northern California the past week.

Cellphone thefts accounts for half of all SF robberies

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Disturbed by the nationwide epidemic of cellphone robberies and thefts, law enforcement officials across the country are looking to the wireless industry to help find a cure.

Beach bonfire spat gets hot in Southern California

HUNTINGTON BEACH (AP) - Anna Abderhalden and her siblings woke before dawn to stake a claim to a coveted beachfront spot where bonfires blaze each night as a rite of summer in this surf-crazy Southern California city.

Fever hits thousands in Valley

FRESNO (AP) - California and federal public health officials say valley fever, a potentially lethal but often misdiagnosed disease infecting more and more people around the nation, has been on the rise as warming climates and drought have kicked up the dust that spreads it.

Cooler weather aids fight against wildfire

CAMARILLO. (AP) - Cool, moist air moving into Southern California on Sunday helped firefighters build containment lines around a huge wildfire burning through coastal mountains.

5 women die in limo fire on San Mateo Bridge

HAYWARD (AP) - A limousine taking nine women to a bachelorette party erupted in flames, killing five of the passengers, including the bride-to-be, authorities and the mother of one of the survivors said Sunday.

State news briefs

SHEEN SUPPORTS SONS' REMOVAL FROM EX-WIFE'S CARE: LOS ANGELES (AP) - Charlie Sheen's spokesman says the actor supports a decision to remove his twin sons from the care of his ex-wife and have them live temporarily with another ex-wife, actress Denise Richards.

Crews seek more success saving homes

Experimental Air Force aircraft goes hypersonic

Drug find means hikers may be charged for search

Bay Area briefs

NO CHARGES FOR TEACHER ACCUSED OF TYING KID: PLEASANTON (AP) - Prosecutors in Northern California have decided not to pursue any criminal charges against a former teacher accused of tying up a 2-year-old girl when she worked at a preschool.

209 News

CALIFORNIA ALMOND CROP TO SURPASS 2B LBS IN 2013: MODESTO (AP) - Federal agricultural officials are predicting another bumper crop for California's almonds this year.

Detectives study knives in girl's stabbing

Solar plane leaves NorCal on start of cross-country trip