California – News Stories About California - Page 173

Marijuana Basically
Already Legal
in California

Dec 21, 2012 11:30 AM CST

Marijuana Basically Already Legal in California

Shift in attitudes 'shocking,' says lieutenant governor

(Newser) - Pot may not technically be legal in California, but the stigma against it is already long gone in the state, reports the New York Times . With medical marijuana legal since 1996 and even former a Republican governor—Arnold Schwarzenegger, of course—having decriminalized possession of small amounts of the drug,...

LA Man Threatens
Copycat Shooting

say police

Dec 17, 2012 1:29 PM CST

LA Man Threatens Copycat Shooting

Kyle Bangayan, 24, has since been arrested

(Newser) - A Los Angeles-area 24-year-old was arrested yesterday after allegedly making a Facebook threat to kill young school children. Kyle Bangayan was arrested at his parents' home, a search of which turned up nine guns, all seized by police, the Los Angeles Times reports. Police found "no related evidence" at...

6.3 Quake Strikes
Off California Coast

Dec 14, 2012 8:05 AM CST

6.3 Quake Strikes Off California Coast

No tsunami warning issued

(Newser) - A large earthquake struck in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California and Mexico this morning, according to the US Geological Survey . The quake, with a preliminary magnitude of 6.3, was recorded at 2:36am local time, 163 miles south southwest of the California city of Avalon....

Judge: Victims'
Bodies Can
Prevent Rape

Dec 14, 2012 5:00 AM CST

Judge: Victims' Bodies Can Prevent Rape

Todd Akin all over again?

(Newser) - A Southern California judge is being publicly admonished for saying a rape victim "didn't put up a fight" during her assault and that if someone doesn't want sexual intercourse, the body "will not permit that to happen." Superior Court Judge Derek Johnson, a former prosecutor...

Jerry Brown
Has Prostate
Cancer

Dec 12, 2012 7:12 PM CST

Jerry Brown Has Prostate Cancer

California governor being treated after early-stage diagnosis

(Newser) - California Gov. Jerry Brown is being treated with radiation for early-stage prostate cancer, his office announced today. The 74-year-old Brown is receiving a short course of conventional radiotherapy for "localized prostate cancer," the statement said. Brown's "prognosis is excellent, and there are not expected to be...

5 Dead in Calif. Indian Reservation Shooting

5 Dead in California Indian Reservation Shooting

Dec 10, 2012 1:58 AM CST

5 Dead in California Indian Reservation Shooting

Suspect Hector Celaya shot after killing 4 relatives

(Newser) - The church bell that rings to announce the deaths of tribal members at California's Tule River Indian Reservation tolled repeatedly yesterday after a man killed his daughter, his mother, and her two brothers. Authorities said the suspect, 31-year-old Hector Celaya, died in a shootout with police when he was...

Kidnapped Handyman Is
Forced to Fix House: Cops

Kidnapped Handyman Is Forced to Fix House: Cops

He escapes, and couple is charged

(Newser) - And the crime-blotter gem of the day goes to San Jose, where police have charged a couple with kidnapping a handyman to fix stuff around their house, reports KGO via Gawker . Police say the couple beat up the man when he arrived and threatened him with more if he didn'...

Supreme Court
Will Rule on
Gay Marriage

Dec 7, 2012 2:31 PM CST

Supreme Court Will Rule on Gay Marriage

Justices to hear cases on California's Prop 8 and DOMA

(Newser) - The Supreme Court will take up California's ban on same-sex marriage, a case that could give the justices the chance to rule on whether gay Americans have the same constitutional right to marry as heterosexuals. The justices said today they will review a federal appeals court ruling that struck...

20-Ton Whale
Carcass Rotting
on Malibu Beach

Dec 7, 2012 9:25 AM CST

20-Ton Whale Carcass Rotting on Malibu Beach

Officials not sure what to do, as whale carcass too weak to move

(Newser) - There's something rotten on one of the most exclusive beaches in Malibu—and it looks a lot like a 40,000-pound, 40-foot-long fin whale carcass. The remains are decaying close to homes owned by Barbra Streisand and Bob Dylan, and officials are at a loss about what to do,...

Judges Disagree on
Calif. 'Gay Cure' Ban

Dec 5, 2012 1:20 PM CST

Judges Disagree on Calif. 'Gay Cure' Ban

Higher court will likely have to get involved: expert

(Newser) - Less than 24 hours after a federal judge blocked California's new ban on "gay cures," a second federal judge in a separate case declined to interfere with the law. Both cases involve therapists who want the law banning gay-to-straight "conversion therapy" overturned. The second judge's...

Judge to CA:
You Can't Ban
'Gay Cures'

Dec 4, 2012 10:08 AM CST

Judge to CA: You Can't Ban 'Gay Cures'

Temporary injunction blocks new law from being applied to 3 people

(Newser) - Sorry, California, but you can't ban gay-to-straight "conversion" therapy for minors just yet, a federal judge ruled yesterday. Gov. Jerry Brown signed a law in September prohibiting so-called "gay cures," the first law of its kind in the US. But the judge found that the law,...

Family Swept to Sea While Trying to Rescue Dog

Nov 26, 2012 2:30 PM CST

Family Swept to Sea While Trying to Rescue Dog

Parents die, search for son called off

(Newser) - A Northern California tragedy appears to have claimed the lives of three family members: The Coast Guard ended a search today for a teenager whose parents were killed when the three all tried to rescue their dog from powerful surf Saturday. Powerful, 10-foot waves pulled the dog into the ocean...

States Skip FEC,
Demand IDs of
Nonprofit Donors

Nov 26, 2012 12:55 PM CST

States Skip FEC, Demand IDs of Nonprofit Donors

FEC gridlock prompts action

(Newser) - The Federal Election Commission is stuck in partisan gridlock—so states are taking nonprofit donor disclosure into their own hands. California this month called on an Arizona group to uncover the source of $11 million used for ballot measure fights; recent court cases in Idaho and Minnesota have forced political...

Water Woes
Prompt Exodus From
Erin Brockovich Town

Nov 23, 2012 2:34 PM CST

Water Woes Prompt Exodus From Erin Brockovich Town

Quarter of population has sold homes

(Newser) - Seems Erin Brockovich's heroics weren't enough to end her town's toxin troubles . More than a decade after the eponymous Julia Roberts film about the battle over toxic groundwater, Hinkley, Calif., is in the midst of a new wave of water concerns. The crisis has prompted more than...

California Drivers Prefer
Pot Over Booze

study says

Nov 21, 2012 1:11 PM CST

California Drivers Prefer Pot Over Booze

Study finds drivers twice as likely to have drugs than alcohol in system

(Newser) - In California, driving under the influence of marijuana is more common than driving under the influence of alcohol, a new survey finds. Of 1,300 drivers who were tested on a Friday or Saturday night, 14% had drugs in their systems and, for 7.4%, that drug was marijuana—compared...

4 Californians Planned to
Join al-Qaeda, Kill Americans

says FBI

Nov 20, 2012 6:46 AM CST

4 Californians Planned to Join al-Qaeda, Kill Americans

Plotted attacks in US, overseas: FBI

(Newser) - Four southern California men have been arrested for planning "violent jihad," including terrorist attacks in the US and abroad, the FBI says. The men intended to go to Afghanistan and join al-Qaeda and the Taliban, officials say. Sohiel Omar Kabir, 34, introduced Ralph Deleon, 23, and Miguel Alejandro...

This Year's Nativity Flap:
the 'Atheists Won'

Nov 20, 2012 6:01 AM CST

This Year's Nativity Flap: the 'Atheists Won'

Judge's ruling will likely end 60-year Santa Monica tradition

(Newser) - After almost 60 years of displaying Nativity scenes in a public park, Santa Monica Christians may be out of luck: A judge yesterday tentatively ruled to bar such scenes, and all other seasonal displays, from public spaces. The fight between the Christian groups and atheists began a few years back,...

Calif. 'Frankenfood' Bill in Death Spiral After Ad War

Nov 5, 2012 7:40 AM CST

Calif. 'Frankenfood' Bill in Death Spiral After Ad War

Opponents spend $46M in GMO labeling battle

(Newser) - At first, advocates for California's Proposition 37 seemed to be skipping off to victory—but with the vote approaching, it now appears that opponents have engineered a stunning turnaround. Monsanto, DuPont, and Pepsi have spent some $46 million against the measure, which would require the labeling of genetically-modified food....

Town Fights Back Against Large-Scale Pot Growers

Nov 3, 2012 1:04 PM CDT

Town Fights Back Against Large-Scale Pot Growers

Neighbors weary of industrial-scale grow houses

(Newser) - Happily isolated on California's remote Humboldt County coast, Arcata has long made room in its heart for marijuana. But the mellow days are coming to an end. Even Arcata residents who support legalization of marijuana have become fed up with high-volume indoor growing operations that take over much-needed housing...

Grandma Claims
Lotto Just in Time

Nov 3, 2012 5:42 AM CDT

Grandma Claims Lotto Just in Time

$23M ticket sat in her car for months

(Newser) - For more than five months—while Julie Cervera struggled to pay a $600 electrical bill, feed her family and keep the cable company from shutting off her service because she couldn't pay—she was a millionaire without knowing it. Meanwhile, her $23 million lottery ticket languished forgotten in the...