California's population grew by almost 300,000 last year to nearly 38 million people, with the San Francisco Bay Area leading the growth, the state Department of Finance reported Wednesday.

Homeless people would be allowed to sit, sleep and panhandle in public under a bill that passed a legislative committee on Tuesday, even as some lawmakers cited concerns about its potential effect on local governments.

California lawmakers have rejected a bill that would have permitted bartenders to serve drinks until 4 a.m., two hours later than the current last call for alcohol.

The top 10 cities include three ZIP codes in Stockton, three in Fresno and one in Bakersfield, all Central Valley areas routinely listed among the most polluted in the state. In Southern California, East Los Angeles, Vernon, and Baldwin Park are also in the top 10.

California safety officials on Monday called for heightened vigilance and the activation of a statewide threat assessment system in response to explosions at the finish line of the Boston Marathon.

A teacher accused of sexual encounters with a number of students entered a plea Friday in Kern County court. Amber Failla was arrested last year at her Tehachapi home. The California City High School math teacher allegedly performed oral sex on boys...

Police in a far Northern California city are asking for the public's help in identifying the suspect in a botched burglary. But if the man is wearing the same bright pants and jacket seen in surveillance footage, they may not need it.

A federal appeals court says members of a Southern California city council can open their meetings with a prayer.

Lawyers for the California city of Stockton said Monday it has cut its budget and services to the bone and has no choice about becoming the most populous U.S. city to enter bankruptcy.

A judge declared a mistrial Thursday on dozens of remaining counts against five former elected officials accused of misappropriating public funds in a working-class California city.

A California woman and her two sons are back together after the boys were kidnapped and held for ransom in Mexico for more than a year.

Five former elected officials of the small, blue-collar California city of Bell were convicted Wednesday of multiple counts of misappropriating public funds by paying themselves huge salaries while raising taxes on residents.

Last call at California restaurants, bars and nightclubs could come later under legislation proposed by a state senator from San Francisco.