Unrest in the wake of 'Innocence of Muslims' has shed light on U.S.-based, Arabic-language satellite TV stations whose programming is aimed at converting Muslims to Christianity.Off the 210 Freeway in suburban Duarte, between an International House of Pancakes and a Wal-Mart, sits a nondescript one-story industrial park that has been an unlikely flash point for weeks of global unrest.

An Amnesty International report says conditions in the state's security housing 'breach international standards.' State officials rebut the findings. Many of the suicides occurred in isolation units.For 11 years in California's vast prison system, Alex Machado didn't stand out. Not until the day he was "validated" as a gang member and transferred to Pelican Bay.

Tyrone Freeman, who headed Local 6434 of the Services Employees International Union, pleads not guilty to federal charges that he enriched himself by stealing from low-income workers he represented.The former president of California's biggest union local pleaded not guilty Monday to federal charges that he enriched himself by stealing from the low-income workers he represented.

The city of Los Angeles should continue talks with government officials from the Inland Empire to determine if there is a way to transfer control of the struggling airport to them, the report advises.The city of Los Angeles should continue negotiating with government officials from the Inland Empire to determine if there is a way to transfer control of L.A./Ontario International Airport to them, a...

A new breed of prospectors—banks, insurers, utility companies—are receiving billions in subsidies while taxpayer and ratepayers are paying most of the costs. Critics say it's a rip-off.Driven by the Obama administration's vision of clean power and energy independence, the rush to build large-scale solar plants across the Southwest has created an investors' dream in the desert.

Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney landed at Los Angeles International Airport on Monday morning and was on his way to speak to the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Their network paid up to $7,000 a pound for the horns in the United States and sold them for far more in Vietnam and China, where they fetch higher prices than gold or cocaine, authorities said.The masterminds of an international rhinoceros horn smuggling ring pleaded guilty in a Los Angeles federal court to illegal wildlife trafficking, money laundering and tax evasion.

An operator for part of L.A.'s DASH bus is complicit in Israel's violation of international law, says a protest group. A council panel backs the contract. A routine Los Angeles City Hall meeting Wednesday showed how volatile Middle East politics can erupt in unexpected places and around the most seemingly mundane of issues — awarding a shuttle bus contract.

Gov. Jerry Brown signs bill that sets a 1% tax on lumber sales, relieving logging firms of the cost. Government suits over fire damages are also restricted.SACRAMENTO — California consumers will pay a new tax to fund government oversight of the state's vast timber industry under a bill signed by Gov. Jerry Brown on Tuesday, relieving logging companies of the cost.

The plan would shave $22.4 million off the city's $45.8-million general fund budget deficit, eliminating more than 100 jobs and probably closing all but one library.San Bernardino city officials Tuesday night were weighing a dramatic austerity plan for the insolvent city that would close libraries, slash jobs and contract out some services to the private sector.

A plan that relies on selling L.A.'s old U.S. Courthouse to help fund construction of a new office building doesn't add up for Republicans on a key House committee.The imposing white U.S. Courthouse on Spring Street overlooking the 101 Freeway has hosted some of Los Angeles' most memorable legal dramas.

The bill would place a 1% tax on lumber sales to fund oversight of the timber industry. It also would limit companies' liability for legal damages in cases of wildfires caused by their practices.SACRAMENTO — A proposed tax on timber came back from the dead early Saturday, passing after Gov. Jerry Brown's aides muscled votes in the final minutes of a legislative session that stretched past mi...

A Rand Corp. study finds that the switch from private to public schools has added $1.8 billion to public funding obligations. Charter schools are pulling in so many onetime private school students that they are placing an ever-greater burden on taxpayers, who must fund an already strained public education system, according to research released Tuesday.

The city of Ontario and San Bernardino County plan to establish a new authority for L.A./Ontario International Airport, another step in the effort to wrest control of the facility from Los Angeles.The city of Ontario and San Bernardino County plan to establish a new governing body for L.A./Ontario International Airport — another step in the effort to wrest control of the struggling facility ...

Pension and healthcare costs for police and firefighters are projected to rise from $506 million of the general fund budget this year to $789 million by 2016.Taxpayers in Los Angeles will see retirement costs for police officers and firefighters climb by 56% over the next four years, even after voters approved a March 2011 ballot measure that trimmed the pension benefits paid to new hires, accordi...

Some campus leaders criticize plans to admit higher-paying out-of-state and international students while barring California residents. The California State University system is embroiled in a controversy over plans to admit higher-paying out-of-state and international students to its undergraduate and graduate programs next spring while barring California residents because of state funding cuts. ...

California legislators demand two audits: of the parks department's hidden $54-million surplus and of an unauthorized vacation cash-out program.SACRAMENTO — California lawmakers ordered an accelerated audit of the embattled parks department on Wednesday, adding to a growing list of probes examining state finances in the wake of an accounting scandal.

L.A. County lawmakers will let voters decide on an additional 30 years for Measure R to fund transportation projects, which would leave it in place until 2069.Los Angeles County supervisors voted Tuesday to put a measure on the November ballot that would extend a half-cent sales tax for transportation projects an additional 30 years.

The city of Santa Clarita gets 10 artists to contribute miniature originals for a vending machine. The proceeds will help fund city-run arts education programs.Santa Clarita city officials are hoping residents might forgo the chips and soda next time they buy from a vending machine and opt instead for something a little more edifying: a piece of art.

Some cities, counties and nonprofits that rallied to keep cash-strapped California parks open want money back after officials found $54 million in a parks fund.When cash-pinched state officials announced last year that they couldn't afford to keep 70 California parks open, residents jumped in to help. Neighbors held bake sales, cities dug into their reserves, and nonprofits rallied big donors. ...

Tense relationship between park conservationists and recreation advocates is further strained by the discovery of a surplus hidden partly in an off-roading fund.SACRAMENTO -- The accounting scandal that forced the ouster of the California state parks director and her chief deputy has highlighted a long-standing rift over off-roading on public land.

A man and a woman have been arrested in connection with an international prostitution ring after officers saw women being paraded around a hotel parking lot for customers in South Los Angeles, authori

Studying the mysterious nocturnal creatures in their forest habitat has become a passion for two scientists.The wind whooshed through the alders, the stars pressed down and the International Space Station swung by on its 90-minute loop around the Earth. Lance Benner snapped speakers to his iPod with a rubber band and pointed the contraption at the trees, emitting a "Toot .... toot .... toot." In t...

The Coalition to Fix LAX Now wants to speed up the ongoing revitalization of Los Angeles International Airport. The initial focus is on a plan to increase the distance between the two northern runways.A variety of powerful business and labor organizations have joined forces to push for the continued modernization of Los Angeles International Airport and a controversial plan to reconfigure the two ...

John E. Larkin will receive $50,000 from the trust fund of an 88-year-old heiress while the FBI probes his handling of her finances. The Los Angeles County probate judge who oversees an elderly heiress' trust fund approved $50,000 in compensation Tuesday for a Kabbalah Centre official who is under criminal investigation for his handling of the woman's financial affairs.

A Texas-based oil and gas services company files two lawsuits to combat an effort to withdraw Mojave groundwater and sell it to urban Southern California.The company that wants to pump large amounts of Mojave Desert groundwater and sell it for a profit to Southern California suburbs has run into opposition from an unexpected quarter: an international corporation that runs industrial salt operation...

9th Circuit Court says Taser International had no reason to advise in 2004 that repeated jolts from its stun guns could cause a condition that raises heart attack risk.A federal appeals court Tuesday upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit against the manufacturer of Tasers, ruling the company had no duty to warn that repeated jolts from the stun guns could trigger death.

An FAA investigation finds no evidence that the LAPD misappropriated millions of dollars it was paid for services at LAX. It does, however, find issues to be corrected.A federal investigation has found no evidence that the Los Angeles Police Department misappropriated millions of dollars it was paid for providing law enforcement services at Los Angeles International Airport, authorities announced ...

The proposed measure includes Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's 'America Fast Forward' initiative to speed expansion of the region's transit system.As he seeks to build a legacy as a big-project transportation mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa on Thursday made gains at home and in Washington in his efforts to speed expansion of the Los Angeles region's transit system.

The governor uses line-item vetoes to eliminate 14,000 children from a care program, reduce Cal Grants college scholarships and trim state park funding.SACRAMENTO — Gov. Jerry Brown sliced $195.7 million from the budget that lawmakers sent him, disappointing fellow Democrats by taking money from child care, college scholarships and state parks and adding more to a rainy-day fund.