SACRAMENTO — California and 22 other states sued Friday to stop the Trump administration from revoking the authority of the nation's most populous state to set emission standards for cars and trucks. Attorney General Xavier Becerra sued the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration a day after it issued a regulation...
Trump Bars California From Setting Stricter Fuel Standards
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that his administration is revoking California's authority to set auto mileage standards stricter than those issued by federal regulators. In a tweet, Trump said his move would result in less expensive and safer cars. He insisted that new cars would be cleaner, even...
Lawsuit Challenges California's Assault Weapons Ban
SAN DIEGO — A gun-rights group sued Thursday to block California from enforcing its assault weapons ban, contending it violates the Second Amendment right to bear arms. The lawsuit was the latest among gun advocacy and lobbying groups to challenge California's firearms laws, which are among the strictest in the...
California Alleges Doctor Killed 4 Patients With Opioids
SACRAMENTO — California's attorney general said Wednesday that he is charging a Northern California doctor with killing four patients by overprescribing opioids and narcotics, crimes he linked to the nationwide opioid epidemic. Attorney General Xavier Becerra filed multiple criminal charges against Dr. Thomas McNeese Keller, 72, of Santa Rosa related...
Reported Hate Crimes Doubled in Fresno in 2018, State Says
While the number of reported hate crimes decreased last year in California, the number more than doubled in the city of Fresno, according to data released Tuesday by the state's attorney general. There were 27 hate crimes reported in Fresno in 2018, compared to 13 in 2017. The 27 events...
More States Sue Opioid Maker Alleging Deceptive Marketing
SACRAMENTO — California, Hawaii, Maine and the District of Columbia filed lawsuits Monday against the maker of OxyContin and the company's former president, alleging the firm falsely promoted the drug by downplaying the risk of addiction while it emerged as one of the most widely abused opioids in the U.S....
AG Becerra Will Review Sex-Abuse Responses of Fresno Diocese
The California attorney general's office will review how all 12 Roman Catholic dioceses in the state handled allegations of child sexual abuse that have resulted in payouts of hundreds of millions of dollars to victims. Attorney General Xavier Becerra sent out letters to the dioceses last week, Sacramento diocese spokesman...
Declining Births Fuel Record Low Growth Rate in California
SACRAMENTO — New population estimates show California's births fell by 18,000 last year, prompting the slowest recorded growth rate in the country's most populous state. State officials said Wednesday the population stood at 39.9 million as of Jan. 1. The state added nearly 187,000 people in 2018 for a growth...
Judge Again Halts High-Capacity Magazine Sales in California
SACRAMENTO — A federal judge has halted sales of high-capacity ammunition magazines in California, giving state officials a chance to appeal his order last week that allowed their sale for the first time in nearly 20 years. U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez barred further sales until the 9th U.S. Circuit...
Becerra Won’t Release Misconduct Records Despite Court Ruling
SACRAMENTO — California's attorney general said Thursday that he won't release older records on state law enforcement agents' misconduct despite a recently released appeals court ruling that they are public documents. That's prompting criticism from the Democratic state senator who authored last year's police transparency law. It requires law enforcement...