SF slaying suspect in five killings had had been ordered deported to Vietnam

Chief: No conclusions in beating death of Iraqi-American woman

State news briefs

TINY PUPPY BORN IN CA COULD BE WORLD'S SMALLEST: SACRAMENTO (AP) - A puppy named after one of the world's biggest pop stars could set the world's record for tiniest dog.

Weinstein Co. to release 'Bully' without rating

Lawmaker pleads no contest to airport gun charges

Bay Area briefs

Federal crackdown hurts Oakland pot-growing school

State News Briefs

'HUNGER GAMES' BATTLES TO $155M OPENING WEEKEND: LOS ANGELES (AP) - "The Hunger Games" has filled fan appetites with a $155 million opening weekend that puts it near the top of the domestic record book.

Hmong community launches online translator

FRESNO (AP) - When Phong Yang, a Hmong refugee from Laos, landed in California's Central Valley - via stops in Thailand and France - he was 14 years old. He learned to speak Hmong from his parents, but today he has a hard time teaching the language to his children, who are distracted by cell phones and computers.

USC/Times poll finds California GOP support for Romney grows

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Mitt Romney is running away with Republican support in California, as the leader of the national presidential field enjoys a double digit lead over his competitors in the GOP, a new survey finds.

How many pot patients California has is anyone's guess based on state system

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - California has seven times as many residents as Colorado, but nearly nine times fewer medical marijuana users, at least on paper.

Vegas rail from Victorville to Sin City: A gamble or good thing?

VICTORVILLE (AP) - On a dusty, rock-strewn expanse at the edge of the Mojave Desert, a company linked to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid wants to build a bullet train that would rocket tourists from the middle of nowhere to the gambling palaces of Las Vegas.

LA marijuana dispensary workers join labor union connected with food workers

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Marijuana dispensary workers in Los Angeles have joined a labor union to fight for their jobs in an industry that the federal government considers illegal. Workers at 14 pot shops have formed the "medical cannabis and hemp division" of the United Food and Commercial Workers, Local 770. The 35,000-member union also represents grocery clerks, pharmacists and health care ...

State jobless rate unchanged at 10.9 percent

SACRAMENTO (AP) - California's unemployment rate remained unchanged in February at 10.9 percent as steady job growth continued, but the state still has a long way to go to fully recover from the recession. Its jobless rate remains well above the national average of 8.3 percent. The state Employment Development Department reported Friday that the seasonally adjusted jobless ...

State news briefs

CLERK'S WALLET STOPS BULLET DURING ROBBER STRUGGLE: MODESTO (AP) - A Modesto convenience store clerk's wallet has stopped a bullet during a struggle with an armed robber.

Munger says Brown tax claims untrue; vows TV blitz to get the truth out to voters

Woman faces attempted murder charges for tainting OJ at Starbucks

Inmate-removal order over Valley Fever complicates Calif. prison plan

Bay Area briefs

NO BACKPACKS ALLOWED AT 2013 BAY TO BREAKERS IN SF: SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - No backpacks, large bags or containers will be allowed at this year's Bay to Breakers footrace in San Francisco as officials heighten security in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings.

Vulnerable inmates ordered out of 2 Central Valley prisons

Nesting swallows could delay Petaluma bridge work

State news briefs

SANTA CLARA THREATENS AMBULANCE TERMINATION: SAN JOSE. (AP) - Santa Clara County officials are threatening to terminate the contract of an ambulance company that they say has repeatedly responded too slowly to emergencies.

Killer on the loose: Valley Springs on lockdown

Lawmakers consider moratorium on oil fracking in San Joaquin Valley

3 divers killed over weekend abalone diving off California

SF Bay Bridge has bolts similar to banned bolts

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The new eastern span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge has more than 1,200 bolts made from galvanized steel that is virtually identical to a high-strength alloy that a nationwide group of transportation officials banned for use on bridges because the bolts can crack, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Sunday.

Fatal stabbing of girl, 8, prompts manhunt

VALLEY SPRINGS (AP) - Residents of a rural Northern California county were being told Sunday to keep their doors locked and report anyone considered suspicious as authorities continued the search for the killer of an 8-year-old girl.

Some are overlooked in overhaul

SAN DIEGO (AP) - Carlos Gonzalez has lived nearly all his 29 years in a country he considers home but now finds himself on the wrong side of the border - and the wrong side of a proposed overhaul of the U.S. immigration system that would grant legal status to millions of people.

California weighs first state ban on lead ammo

SACRAMENTO (AP) - In November, one of the oldest condors in Central California died from lead poisoning after being found with tiny bullet fragments and a .22-caliber slug in his gullet that he apparently swallowed with a mouthful of meat.

Rolling Stones rock small LA club

LOS ANGELES (AP) - For one night only, the Rolling Stones were an up-and-coming band again.

OC officials keep inmate alive they want to ultimately execute

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) - A man charged with raping and killing a woman 30 years ago is being kept alive in Orange County with dialysis treatments until officials can win permission to execute him.