SAN BERNARDINO BANKRUPTCY SPARKS RECALL EFFORT: SAN BERNARDINO . (AP) — San Bernardino's bankruptcy has sparked a recall campaign against the mayor, city attorney and the entire City Council.
The city east of Los Angeles declared bankruptcy in August, under crushing debt.
A group of business owners and residents this week served notices to officials that they plan to submit a recall petition.
If they collect enough voter signatures, the recall would be placed on the November ballot.
Mayor Pat Morris says he understands voters' frustration but says his job is to continue working for needed changes.
City Attorney James Penman says he believes business owners backing the recall are doing it for their own gain.
And Councilman John Valdivia says he's served the city well. He says of the recall effort: Bring it on.
POLICE: MAN ARRESTED AFTER DROPPING GUN BY SCHOOL: LOS ANGELES (AP) — A 19-year-old man has been arrested after allegedly dropping a gun outside a San Fernando Valley high school, running onto campus and changing clothes to try to avoid detection.
Los Angeles Unified School District spokeswoman Monica Carazo says the man was found near an outdoor greenhouse area and booked for possessing a gun in a school zone Thursday. She did not know the man's name but said he is not a student.
A school police officer saw a man outside Canoga Park High School with a gun at about 9:25 a.m. Los Angeles police spokesman Richard French says the man threw or dropped the gun and then headed into campus.
ASSEMBLY APPROVES TRIBAL CASINO IN MADERA COUNTY: SACRAMENTO (AP) — The state Assembly on Thursday narrowly approved a compact authorizing the North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians to build an off-reservation casino north of Fresno.
The 1,900-member tribe and its supporters say the Madera County casino will create 5,000 jobs and generate millions of dollars in economic activity in the Central Valley.
RESALE OF UNSAFE GUNS LIMITED UNDER ASSEMBLY BILL: SACRAMENTO (AP) — Peace officers and members of the military seeking to resell handguns that aren't approved by the California Department of Justice could sell them only to other authorized individuals under a bill that passed the Assembly on Thursday.
State law prohibits people from buying a handgun from a dealer if it has not been deemed safe by the state Justice Department. Peace officers are exempt from that law and are not restricted in how they resell the firearms.
AB169 by Assemblyman Roger Dickinson, D-Sacramento, is in response to a federal indictment last year charging two Sacramento County sheriff's deputies with selling such weapons for profit. The bill limits the resale of unsafe weapons to other law enforcement officials or members of the military.
"The exemptions unfortunately allow pretty much a free trade of unsafe handguns between exempt parties and nonexempt parties, making current restrictions under the law essentially meaningless," Dickinson said.
The legislation also prohibits the resale of unsafe guns that have been modified to hold only one round of ammunition. Supporters of the bill said the modification can be reversed easily.
SENATE PASSES DRUG-SENTENCING REFORM BILL: SACRAMENTO (AP) — The state Senate has approved a bill that would allow county prosecutors to charge lower-level, non-violent drug offenses as misdemeanors instead of felonies.
SB649 by Democratic Sen. Mark Leno of San Francisco passed on a party-line 23-14 vote Thursday. Leno says his bill will reduce incarceration costs and give local governments the flexibility to send drug offenders to treatment.
Democrats say the Legislative Analyst's Office estimated the change would save $160 million annually while helping the state reduce its prison population.
