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State news briefs
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CALIF. STORMS BOOST SNOWPACK, CONDITIONS STILL DRY: SACRAMENTO . (AP) — State water managers say a recent spate of storms has brought California's water supply up to more than half of normal levels, but that is still not enough rain to change dry conditions in Southern California.

The Department of Water Resources' annual survey of the Sierra snowpack released Monday shows the snow across the 400-mile-long Sierra Nevada range is holding about 55 percent the normal level of water for this time of year.

Levels in Southern California are only about 39 percent of normal.

Reservoir supplies will help boost deliveries, but the final amount of water that can be sent to 25 million Californians and nearly 1 million acres of farmland will largely depend on the weather in the next month.

Monday's snow survey was the fourth of five that will be conducted for the season.

SAFE CONTAINING $10 MILLION STOLEN FROM LA HOME: LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles police say burglars who broke into a Hancock Park home stole a safe believed to contain $10 million in cash, jewelry and other items.

A Police Department statement Monday says investigators believe crooks jumped a security gate and smashed a glass side door to enter the home in the wealthy neighborhood on March 16.

Police say the burglars took the safe from a walk-in closet, and used a rug to move it down some stairs and out the front door. Police officers responding to a security alarm discovered the burglary.

Investigators are seeking the public's help in catching the thieves.

MANCUSO TO PROMOTE TAHOE LICENSE PLATES: SQUAW VALLEY. (AP) — U.S. Ski Team champion and Olympic gold medalist Julia Mancuso is lending her support to raise money for Lake Tahoe environmental projects.

The Squaw Valley resident will appear in television, radio and print advertisements to promote the Lake Tahoe License Plate for Powder program.

When the specialty license plates are purchased through the nonprofit Tahoe Fund, buyers receive two lift tickets or day passes to participating ski or cross-country resorts.

The tickets are good Sunday through Friday for the rest of the ski season.

A portion of Lake Tahoe license plate sales and renewals in California and Nevada helps fund environmental projects at the Sierra lake that straddles the two states.

Mancuso won the giant slalom and super-G competitions at the U.S. nationals in Colorado last week.

SEARCH FOR MENTALLY ILL TEEN IN SACRAMENTO RIVER: ELK GROVE  (AP) — Authorities in Sacramento County are searching for a mentally ill, 15-year-old girl who's been missing since Friday, and they fear she may have gone into the Sacramento River.

Elk Grove police say Shabnam Ahmadyar suffers from paranoid schizophrenia and functions well below her age level. The teenager disappeared Friday afternoon on her way to a park near her home.

KCRA-TV reports that some of Shabnam's clothing was found on a dock on the Sacramento River near the town of Hood on Saturday. Search dogs tracked her scent into the water.

Detective Jim Kang says Shabnam is known to like the water, but she doesn't know how to swim.

OCCUPY PROTESTERS TAKE OVER VACANT SF BUILDING: SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Occupy protesters have invaded a vacant Archdiocese of San Francisco building, saying they will take it over permanently for use as a homeless shelter.

It's the first major action by Occupy San Francisco since dismantling of an Embarcadero encampment in December.

The anti-Wall Street demonstrators held a rally and march on Sunday and about 100 of the Occupy protesters entered the two-story building near archdiocesan headquarters at St. Mary's Cathedral.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that police stood by as protesters entered the vacant building. Archdiocese spokesman George Wesolek says church officials asked police not to take any action until a meeting on Monday.

Across the bay in Oakland on Saturday night, windows were broken and graffiti was scrawled on downtown buildings during an Occupy anti-police march.

TOPLESS BAR PATRON SHOT TO DEATH BY SECURITY GUARD: LANCASTER  (AP) — Investigators say an unruly customer ordered to leave a Southern California topless bar returned with a shotgun and was shot to death by a security guard.

Security guards at Snooky's ushered an unruly group of men out of the Lancaster gentlemen's club late Sunday.

Los Angeles County sheriff's Deputy Tony Moore says one of the men returned a short time later clutching a shotgun and he confronted a security guard in the parking lot.

The guard fired several times, killing the armed man. His name hasn't been released.

The guard was questioned and released.

About 80 miles away in Harbor City, City News Service says a 27-year-old man was shot to death early Sunday at the Fantasy Gold strip club. The gunman has eluded capture.

MOTORCYCLIST ARRESTED AFTER 100 MILE CHASE: LOS ANGELES (AP) — A biker led officers on a 100-mile freeway chase across three Southern California counties before his motorcycle ran out of gas and he was arrested.

Los Angeles police and California Highway Patrol officers chased the Honda motorcycle through Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties at speeds reaching 95 mph on Sunday afternoon.

City News Service says the motorcycle ran out of gas near Camp Pendleton.

CHP investigators say 48-year-old Gabriel Barajas and his passenger, 49-year-old Stacey Veronica, are now in jail where they were booked for investigation of resisting arrest. Barajas and Veronica live in Sylmar.

CHP officers initially tried to pull over Barajas for speeding in the Newhall area.

ALAMEDA POLICE OFFICER KILLS DOG DURING ARREST: ALAMEDA  (AP) — An Alameda police officer has shot and killed a charging pit bull during the arrest of a man suspected for pulling a knife on his neighbor.

The San Jose Mercury News says a woman came out of the suspect's San Francisco Bay Area home on Sunday night and a pit bull came out with her and charged the officer.

The officer was arrested the man on suspicion of brandishing a knife during an argument with a neighbor.

The man yelled for the woman to control the dog, but it broke loose from the woman's grasp.

A Police Department news release says the officer then shot and killed the dog.

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7-year-old El Monte boy dies after horse kick

CERRITOS, Calif. (AP) — Los Angeles County coroner's officials say a 7-year-old El Monte boy has died after being kicked by a horse at a Cerritos stable.

Assistant Chief Ed Winter tells City News Service that the Edwin Ruiz died a couple hours after being injured at a stable Sunday afternoon around 2:15 p.m.

Winter says the boy was kicked in the side and the death is being investigated as accidental.