SACRAMENTO — Years of increasingly deadly California wildfires spurred lawmakers to consider regulations Tuesday that would toughen local governments' requirements for approving housing developments in high-risk areas. A state Senate committee voted 8-3 Monday to advance a measure requiring developers to increase fire protections, plan for evacuations, or prepare for...
Oldest Southern Sea Otter in Captivity Dies in California
LONG BEACH — Charlie, the oldest southern sea otter held by any zoo or aquarium, has died in California. The Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach says Charlie died Monday at the age of 22. Male southern sea otters typically only live 10 to 14 years in the wild....
2020 Democrats Clash Over Impeachment, Felons' Right to Vote
MANCHESTER, N.H. — California Sen. Kamala Harris joined the call for President Donald Trump's impeachment as five leading Democratic presidential contenders clashed in a series of prime-time town hall meetings that exposed deep divisions in a party desperate to end the Trump presidency. Harris' unexpected support for impeachment follows Massachusetts...
California Police Promote Measure to Limit Fatal Shootings
SACRAMENTO — Round two gets underway Tuesday in California's fight over how best to limit fatal shootings by police through nation-leading reforms. Legislators are debating a measure that proponents said would set a national precedent by creating statewide guidelines on when officers can use lethal force and requiring that every...
Calif. Cities Devastated by Wildfires Face New Challenge: Benzene in Water
Last year, the Camp Fire tore across California, devouring forests and incinerating entire neighborhoods. Residents fled the flames, returning to find empty streets where their neighborhoods had been. It came only a year after the Tubbs Fire set records as it destroyed thousands of homes outside Santa Rosa. Now that...
Lawmakers and Landlords: More Than a Quarter of California Legislators Are Both
In a quiet neighborhood on the outskirts of south Sacramento, the property looks like any other on the block: a single-story house that could use a new paint job, a large front yard that could use a little tidying, a chain-link fence circumferencing the lot. The tenants inside have no...
US Corporations Embracing 420 as Pot Legalization Grows
LOS ANGELES — Potheads have for decades celebrated their love of marijuana on April 20, but the once counter-culture celebration that was all about getting stoned now is so mainstream Corporate America is starting to embrace it. No, Hallmark doesn't yet have a card to mark "420." But many other...
College Golfer in Hijab out to Blaze Trail for Muslim Girls
LINCOLN, Neb. — Noor Ahmed outwardly lives her Muslim faith, and even growing up in a state as diverse as California she says she encountered hostility on the street, in school and on the golf course. One of the top junior golfers in Northern California coming out of high school,...
California Dispute Threatens Plan to Protect Colorado River
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — A dispute between two major California water agencies is threatening to derail a hard-won agreement designed to protect a river that serves 40 million people in the U.S. West. The Imperial Irrigation District, the largest single recipient of Colorado River water, on Tuesday sued a Los Angeles...
California Issued 23,500 Tax Returns Without Verification
SACRAMENTO — The agency that processes California tax returns says it issued 23,500 refunds without verifying whether people had entered accurate wage information. The Franchise Tax Board plans to start sending letters next week notifying anyone who's received an improper refund because of the error. Spokeswoman Denise Azimi says most...