Kidnapped Northridge girl was sexually assaulted, police say

Detectives are trying to determine who the 10-year-old girl's attackers were and why they chose her.

Fire ring opponents are blowing smoke

Health concerns are a flimsy rationale for the latest attempt to stamp out a tradition beloved by generations of California beachgoers.

Pope inspires Easter rite at Sylmar juvenile hall

Jesuits repeat one of Christ's acts by washing the feet of inmates, as Pope Francis did for young Italian prisoners rather than for clerics as is the custom.

U.S. report backs bullet train revenue forecasts

The GAO study says that the project's ridership and revenue forecasts are reasonable but it renews concerns about future funding.

L.A. planning panel OKs project to build Hollywood skyscrapers

Councilman Eric Garcetti's intervention fails to stop the approval of the Millennium Partners' project, which would involve 1 million square feet of apartment, office and retail space.

Greuel, Garcetti court black vote with endorsements

Magic Johnson endorses Greuel in the mayor's race, while Garcetti gets backing from former rival Jan Perry.

Panel of L.A. insiders will address budget gap and unemployment

The 12-member L.A. 2020 commission will submit proposals later this year to the new mayor and seven new council members. Meetings will be confidential.

Claim by group backing Trutanich draws fire

An independent group makes calls to Westside voters saying Mike Feuer planned to hire former Councilman Jack Weiss as chief of staff. Both deny the claim.

Jury awards $1.1 million to Palmdale teen shot by deputy

William Fetters, 15 at the time, was shot while holding a toy gun. The jury decided the L.A. County sheriff's deputy used excessive force in the 2009 incident.

Girl who vanished from Valley home is found six miles away

The child, 10, is spotted in a Woodland Hills parking lot hours after she was abducted during the night. Two suspects are sought.

Garcetti, Greuel step gingerly around city labor issues

Though both mayoral candidates have stated that gains made by public employees help the economy, they have signaled they would push benefits downward, if necessary.

Jan Perry to endorse Eric Garcetti in mayoral race

The endorsement of Jan Perry, the strong favorite of African Americans in the March 5 primary, was highly coveted. Perry says Garcetti is the best choice to move the city forward.

Lancaster City Council prayers again ruled constitutional

An appellate court panel upholds a lower court ruling, saying that the prayers were constitutional because the city had invited people of all faiths to lead them.

Low-income California seniors to move into new managed care plan

The 500,000 patients, under Medi-Cal and Medicare, are among state's costliest. Officials hope the Cal MediConnect program will cut spending and improve care.

Ex-girlfriend recounts Rockefeller impostor's paranoia

Christian Gerhartsreiter threw out his trash in public bins and made her walk on the opposite side of the street, the ex-girlfriend testifies. He is on trial in the 1985 slaying of a San Marino man.

Congressman brings common sense to gun control debate

Rep. Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena), a gun owner and hunter, believes reasonable laws are needed to prevent gun violence and keep communities safe.

Toxic waste site near Kettleman City to pay $311,000 in fines

The penalties are part of a settlement capping an investigation into Chemical Waste Management, which failed to report 72 hazmat spills in the last four years.

UC to pay $1.2 million to settle suit targeting UCI Medical Center

The federal whistle-blower suit charges falsification of records and poor supervision of patients by UC Irvine anesthesiologists.

L.A. wants Convention Center alternatives to AEG stadium plan

The city will begin looking at other ways of redeveloping the Convention Center, a primary goal of its stadium deal, because of a management shake-up at AEG.

Feuer accused of improperly obtaining taxpayer matching funds

Activist Laura Lake alleges in a lawsuit that L.A. city attorney candidate Mike Feuer and his political consultant hid the true cost of his campaign.

Supreme Court seems willing to restore gay marriage in California

The sharply divided justices also appear uncomfortable with legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide.

L.A. City Council to consider more budget cuts

Councilman Richard Alarcon, the plan's lone opponent, calls the potential cuts a 'declaration of war' on city workers and business. Possibilities include eliminating the LAPD's three- and four-day work weeks.

Gen. Petraeus raises profile, contrite but confident

At a USC dinner, the former CIA chief apologizes for affair with biographer that led to his resignation and says 'life doesn't stop with such a mistake.'

Taking a crack at California's education system

Michelle Rhee came to prominence as the tough-minded chancellor of Washington, D.C., schools. Now she's in Sacramento, taking on this state's system — and its teachers unions.

Disabled man stuck on Disneyland 'Small World' ride awarded $8,000

The paraplegic man was stuck on the ride for 30 minutes, listening to the famous tune, while others were evacuated. He needed medical aid after being rescued.

LAPD can have Manson-related tapes, judge rules

Manson follower Charles 'Tex' Watson waived attorney-client privilege over the decades-old taped conversations with his lawyer when he allowed them to be sold to a writer, judge rules.

High-speed rail's strongest backers now express reservations

Proponents of the bullet train from L.A. to the Bay Area say political compromises reached to advance the plan undermine legal safeguards and will slow travel.

Wendy Greuel attacks Eric Garcetti's job-growth claims

The controller accuses her rival in the mayor's race of 'fudging' numbers on creating jobs. Garcetti's camp calls the accusation baseless.

Smartphone app speeds up border crossings

A taco run to Rosarito Beach led a UC San Diego team to create 'Best Time to Cross the Border,' which provides real-time data on the length of the wait to come into the United States.

Southland ports could see more tax revenue

The Los Angeles and Long Beach ports would get back more of the funds they raise under a bill sent to the Senate by the Environment and Public Works Committee, chaired by Sen. Barbara Boxer.