California News

Lottery fever was sweeping the Southland today, with the jackpot for the multi-state Mega Millions game soaring to $636 million, making it the second-largest lottery prize in U.S. history.

Fire crews work to contain the fire atop Pfeiffer Ridge, Monday, Dec. 16, 2013, in Big Sur, Calif.

A California state court judge stunned the industry earlier this week when he ordered three companies to pay $1.1 billion to help government officials in seven counties and three cities remove lead from an estimated 5 million homes.

A ballot measure submitted by a political consultant for education advocate Michelle Rhee seeks to remove seniority as a factor when California school districts lay off teachers, requiring that they instead base decisions on performance ratings.

A Santa Clara County judge on Monday handed a billion-dollar victory to 10 California cities and counties that sued the paint industry in the interest of cleaning up old lead toxins permeating the walls of millions of homes.

A teacher keeps an eye on her class as she leads them out of the classroom at Greer Elementary in Sacramento.

Lawmakers pressed officials on Monday to improve the speed and efficiency of a state program used to seize guns from Californians prohibited from owning firearms.

Just how bad has crime gotten in San Jose? Once known as America's Safest Big City, the capital of Silicon Valley has a higher crime rate than California or the United States as a whole, while the city's police force is catching half as many criminals as it did just a few years ago.

Billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer said Monday that he will launch a campaign next year urging California lawmakers to approve taxes on companies that extract oil in the state.

If there's one main reason behind the distrust many Californians feel for government and elected officials at all levels, it may be the way special interests regularly pour millions of dollars into election campaigns while managing to hide their identities.

"The Lone Ranger" was awful -- roasted by critics, avoided by audiences. "Pain and Gain," "After Earth" and "R.I.P.D." also stunk up the multiplex.

California Reps. Ami Bera and Raul Ruiz are precisely the kind of Democrats whose government offices Republicans would like to shut down next year.

Blake Prior, center, completes paperwork for the purchase of rifle by customer Alissa Wright, 29, who is buying the rifle as a present for her boyfriend at Auburn Outdoor Sports Wednesday December 11, 2013 in Auburn.

The first time marijuana growers in Mendocino and Humboldt counties gathered to compare crops a decade ago, it was an underground, end-of-harvest celebration open only to a small number of cannabis cognoscenti.

When they do, payments often arrive late. U-T San Diego reported Sunday that the California Department of Social Services has collected only half of the $2.9 million in penalties it levied against facilities statewide since July 2007.

Northern California crab fishermen will begin harvesting Dungeness crab after a stalemate over price kept boats at the dock for nearly two weeks.

The Bakersfield Californian reports the 30-year-old woman was found dead after firefighters put out the fire early Saturday.

U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein's job-approval rating among California voters is at one of its lowest levels since she was elected to the Senate two decades ago, a new Field Poll shows.

Calling all procrastinators: There's still time! Granted, I've wagged my figurative finger in previous columns, warning that Dec. 15 was the deadline to sign up for health insurance from Covered California or the open market if you want it to kick in Jan. 1. But things have changed.

Jack Sommer said he got the idea to seek bitcoin for his 25,000-square-foot mansion from two of his sons, who've been involved in making and trading the currency.