Gov. Gavin Newsom has nominated sitting Supreme Court justice Patricia Guerrero to be the high court’s chief justice. She would be the first Latina chief in a state where Latinos are under-represented on the bench.
California's Employment Development Department had a meltdown when facing a deluge of unemployment insurance claims and a new report explains how it happened, columnist Dan Walters says.
One year after a wind-whipped wildfire charred a craggy mountainside above Lone Pine, California, signs of life are slowly returning. Tiny clusters of white and purple wildflowers stand out against blackened trees. Green shoots of Horsetail as thin as yarn strands break from the ground below…
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has nominated Patricia Guerrero as the next chief justice of the state Supreme Court. Guerrero has been on the state Supreme Court since March as an associate justice and is its first Latina member. She would replace Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, who will st…
Authorities say a rookie Southern California police officer slain in an off-duty shooting was the victim of an attempted robbery. Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón revealed the alleged motive Wednesday as his office filed charges against a 20-year-old man and a 17-year-old b…
Authorities in Northern California released a frame from surveillance video showing a missing 16-year-old at a store before she disappeared over the weekend and asked Wednesday for anyone with information to contact officials, saying they are not getting any new leads. Kiely Rodni, of Trucke…
A naturopathic doctor charged with selling fake COVID-19 immunization treatments and fraudulent vaccination cards will be sentenced later this year after a California judge denied her motion to withdraw her plea agreement.
Authorities say a rookie Southern California police officer slain in an off-duty shooting was the victim of an attempted robbery. Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón revealed the alleged motive Wednesday as his office filed charges against a 20-year-old man and a 17-year-old boy in the killing of 26-year-old Monterey Park police Officer Gardiel Solorio. The man who allegedly shot Solorio five times was charged with murder, attempted robbery and possession of a firearm by a felon. The shooting occurred when Solorio drove into a parking lot in the city of Downey on Monday. Prosecutors say the juvenile was the getaway driver.
Authorities in Northern California released a frame from surveillance video showing a missing 16-year-old at a store before she disappeared over the weekend and asked Wednesday for anyone with information to contact officials, saying they are not getting any new leads. Kiely Rodni, of Truckee, was last seen Saturday near the Prosser Family Campground in Truckee at a party attended by hundreds of juveniles and young adults. But despite all those in attendance and hundreds of tips, officials have no new information. Rodni’s phone has been out of service since the party, and her car, a 2013 silver Honda CRV, has not been found. Placer County Sheriff Sgt. Josh Barnhart said Wednesday that not having any new leads has been very frustrating.
A naturopathic doctor charged with selling fake COVID-19 immunization treatments and fraudulent vaccination cards will be sentenced later this year after a California judge denied her motion to withdraw her plea agreement.
A federal judge has ruled that Walgreens can be held responsible for contributing to San Francisco’s opioid crisis for over-dispensing opioids for years without proper oversight and failing to identify and report suspicious orders as required by law. San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu said the pharmacy chain failed to track opioid prescriptions, prevented pharmacists from properly vetting prescriptions and missed red flags about over-prescribing doctors. U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer ruled that for 15 years, Walgreens dispensed hundreds of thousands of pills, eventually contributing to the city's hospitals being overwhelmed with opioid patients. Walgreens said it would appeal the ruling, which it said was not supported by “the facts and the law.”
In a revised playbook guiding University of California admissions, the system's nine undergraduate campuses accepted a record number of California first-year students for fall 2022, while significantly narrowing entry to out-of-state and international applicants amid widespread demands to preserve coveted seats for state residents, according to preliminary data released Wednesday. The UC ...
Roads on the south side of Joshua Tree National Park that were closed due to flash floods in southeastern California have reopened. The National Park Service says the park’s south entrance as well as the Pinto and Cottonwood Canyon roads reopened Tuesday and the Cottonwood Visitor Center is expected to reopen Wednesday. The southern portion of the desert park had to be evacuated on Monday when thunderstorms unleashed the floods. South of Joshua Tree, operators of the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway say the attraction that rises on the flanks of Mount San Jacinto will remain closed through Aug. 14 for cleanup of flood debris.
Kobe Bryant’s widow is taking her lawsuit against the Los Angeles County sheriff’s and fire departments to a federal jury seeking compensation for photos deputies shared of the remains of the NBA star, his daughter and seven others killed in a helicopter crash in 2020. Jury selection begins in U.S. District Court on Wednesday in the invasion of privacy case. The county has argued that the photos, which were ordered deleted, have never been in the media, on the internet or otherwise publicly disseminated. Bryant is seeking unspecified millions because she fears the photos may eventually surface.
A single-engine airplane landed and caught fire on a Southern California freeway and the pilot and a passenger were able to escape safely. The Federal Aviation Administration says the Piper PA-32 was flying to Corona Municipal Airport when the pilot reported engine trouble and landed in eastbound lanes of State Route 91 in Riverside County. Local TV news showed footage of the plane upright but engulfed in flames on the freeway near Corona. No injuries were reported. The FAA said it's investigating.
A top Lutheran bishop issued a public apology to a majority Latino congregation in California for how they were treated after their pastor was fired by the denomination's first transgender bishop. Presiding bishop Elizabeth A. Eaton delivered the mea culpa during the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Churchwide Assembly happening in Ohio. Eaton promised to dedicate more denominational resources to diversity and inclusion efforts with the goal of dismantling systemic racism. Members of the California church said they accepted the apology and forgave the church. They also spoke of the pain and trauma they endured after their pastor's removal. The congregation lost financial support and has been worshipping in a parking lot.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to speed up the state's transition to non-carbon electricity sources and accelerate its timeline for lowering greenhouse gas emissions.
The Los Angeles City Council has voted to ban homeless encampments within 500 feet of schools and daycare centers. The council voted Tuesday to broaden an existing ban on sleeping or camping near the facilities. The meeting was recessed after opponents disrupted it and shouted down speakers. Supporters say large camps near schools are a health and safety problem for students, while opponents say the ban criminalizes homelessness. The ban could apply to hundreds of public and private schools. The measure requires a signature by Mayor Eric Garcetti before it takes effect. His office didn't immediately respond to requests seeking comment.
An off-duty Southern California police officer slain in a daytime shooting in a parking lot was a rookie who had just started his field training. Monterey Park Police Chief Kelly Gordon identified the slain officer Tuesday as 26-year-old Gardiel Solorio, who had joined her department as a recruit in January. The chief says Solorio graduated from the Los Angeles County sheriff’s academy on July 22 and started field training with the Monterey Park Police Department on July 25. Solorio was shot Monday afternoon in a parking lot near a fitness center in the city of Downey. Downey police say detectives are following up on several leads but are withholding details.
A former director of private California school has been sentenced to three months of home confinement for his role in the sprawling college admissions bribery scheme. Igor Dvorskiy was ordered to serve one year of supervised release — including the three months of home detention — on Tuesday. The former director of West Hollywood College Preparatory School admitted to allowing cheating on college entrance exams he administered. He pleaded guilty in 2019 to a charge of racketeering conspiracy. Dvorskiy is among more than 50 people convicted in the scandal that revealed a scheme to get the children of rich parents into top schools with rigged test scores and bogus athletic credentials.
The fast-food chain Chipotle Mexican Grill will pay $20 million to current and former workers at its New York City restaurants for violating city labor laws. The settlement between the city and Chipotle was announced Tuesday. It covers about 13,000 employees who worked at the chain’s New York City outlets between 2017 and this year. The $20 million deal is the largest worker protection settlement in New York City history. Scott Boatwright, Chipotle’s chief restaurant officer, said the restaurant chain is pleased to be able to resolve the issues. He said Chipotle has taken steps to improve compliance.
Flood watches are posted for a swath of Southern California deserts and mountains as monsoonal moisture brings the threat of more destructive thunderstorms. The National Weather Service says the threat of flash flooding would last from Tuesday afternoon into the evening. Recent flash floods from thunderstorms have caused extensive damage at Death Valley National Park, the Mojave National Preserve and part of Joshua Tree National Park. Elsewhere, the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway is closed Tuesday for cleanup of mudflows from a downpour on Monday. In the Mojave Desert, the Barstow Unified School District canceled Tuesday’s classes at all of its schools due to power outages caused by thunderstorms.
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Content by Brand Ave. Studios. The annual Amazon Prime Day is coming July 12 and 13, and per usual will offer discounts on many of your favorite things.
Content by Brand Ave. Studios. The annual Amazon Prime Day is coming July 12 and 13, and per usual will offer discounts on many of your favorite things.
Content by Brand Ave. Studios. The annual Amazon Prime Day is coming July 12 and 13, and per usual will offer discounts on many of your favorite things.
Voters in Southern California's San Bernardino County will soon get to say whether they want the county to potentially secede from the state. The county’s board of supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to put a measure on the November ballot asking voters to decide whether officials should study options to obtain the county’s “fair share of state funding, up to and including secession from the State of California.” It was a second vote in favor of reaching out to voters and required for the county to do so. Officials say they want to ensure the county of 2.2 million people is receiving sufficient state and federal funds.
Wildlife advocates are suing federal officials after they missed a deadline to decide if protections for wolves should be restored across the northern U.S. Rocky Mountains. Republican-led states in the region have made it easier to kill the predators. That's raised worries that wolf numbers could be reduced to unsustainable levels. The Biden administration said in a preliminary finding last September that protections for wolves may need to be restored. A final determination was due June 1. The Humane Society of the United States and Center for Biological Diversity on Tuesday asked a federal judge in Montana to order officials to make a decision.
The driver suspected of causing a fiery crash that killed five people, including a pregnant woman, near Los Angeles has been charged with murder. Nicole Lorraine Linton of Texas also was charged Monday with vehicular manslaughter and was ordered held without bail. She didn't enter a plea Monday at her first court appearance. Prosecutors say her Mercedes-Benz was doing 90 mph last Thursday when it plowed into cars in an intersection in Windsor Hills, setting several on fire. A pregnant mother, her unborn child, 11-month-old son and boyfriend all died in one car. If convicted of all charges, Linton could face up to 90 years to life in prison.
Authorities say a man who forced his way into a Southern California home shot a woman with her own gun and then held her young daughter at gunpoint before surrendering to police. Erin Mauldin, 34, was arrested Sunday in Palmdale, north of Los Angeles. The Sheriff's Department says the man asked to enter an apartment, claiming he was being chased, and when the woman refused he forced his way in, tried to attack her with a hammer, then shot her with a gun she'd procured for protection. Authorities say he was arrested nearby after holding the woman's 10-year-old daughter at gunpoint. The woman is in stable condition at a hospital.
Authorities say a main roadway into Death Valley National Park will remain closed into next week as crews clean up after record-breaking rains damaged the roadway and choked it with mud, rocks and debris. The California Department of Transportation says about 10 miles of State Route 190 remain to be cleared and patched up. Flash flooding in the park last week trapped hundreds of hotel guests and partially buried about 60 cars and trucks in mud. No injuries were reported. More flash flooding on Monday also closed a 5-mile stretch of road in Joshua Tree National Park and prompted evacuation of the southern portion of that park.
A Southwest Airlines flight attendant suffered a compression fracture in her back during a hard landing last month in California. Federal safety investigators say the jolt was so strong that the flight attendant thought the plane had crashed. The National Transportation Safety Board completed its investigation without saying what caused the hard larding. The safety board says none of the other 141 people on board were injured in the incident, which happened July 1 at John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, California. The airport has a relatively short runway. The safety board has not made its documents from the investigation public.
A new report says California delayed or improperly denied unemployment benefits for roughly 6 million people during the pandemic. The report released Monday by the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office says the state does not prioritize getting benefits to workers quickly. The report said California is focused too much on preventing fraud instead of processing payments quickly. The Employment Development Department estimates the state paid about $20 billion in fraudulent benefits during the pandemic. Nearly all of that money came from a federal program aimed at independent contractors and the self-employed. That program has since ended.
Bert Fields, an A-list Hollywood attorney whose clients included Tom Cruise, Michael Jackson, George Lucas and the Beatles, has died at age 93. Fields' law firm announced that he died Sunday at his home in Malibu, California. Fields' famous cases include a $250 million settlement from the Walt Disney Company for former executive Jeffrey Katzenberg and a multi-million dollar judgment for Beatle George Harrison against his former business manager. Fields' clients were often his close friends. Cruise called him “an extraordinary human being.” He was also a colorful character known for his luxury tastes and skills as a scholar and storyteller.