Californians to vote on 7 ballot measures this November

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California voters will weigh in on seven ballot measures this fall, the fewest to appear on a statewide general election ballot since 2014. Thursday was the deadline to qualify measures for the November ballot. Secretary of State Shirley Weber confirmed...

Woman who killed pimp pardoned by California governor

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday pardoned a former inmate who received a life sentence when she was a teenager for killing her former pimp. It's the final step in an official redemption that has spanned more than a decade and three governors of both...

NC budget, immigration bills finalized as session ends

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The North Carolina General Assembly wrapped up its chief work session for the year on Friday by finalizing proposed state budget adjustments for the new fiscal year, crossing off other must-do legislation but leaving some big policy matters unresolved or thwarted. ...

Biden offshore drilling proposal would allow up to 11 sales

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — President Joe Biden's administration on Friday proposed up to 10 oil and gas lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico and one off the Alaska coast over the next five years — going against the Democrat's climate promises but scaling back a Trump-era plan that called for dozens of...

Ex-state senator charged with stealing gun from constituent

BOSTON (AP) — A former Massachusetts state senator and Republican candidate for Congress has been charged after allegedly stealing a gun from an elderly constituent and misleading investigators about what happened, Attorney General Maura Healey said Friday. Investigators said Dean...

NY overhauls handgun rules in effort to preserve some limits

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York lawmakers approved a sweeping overhaul Friday of the state’s handgun licensing rules, seeking to preserve some limits on firearms after the Supreme Court ruled that most people have a right to carry a handgun for personal protection. The measure,...

NY lawmakers endorse proposed abortion rights amendment

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York lawmakers took the first step Friday toward amending the state constitution to enshrine abortion rights following the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade. Both houses of the Democrat-controlled Legislature approved a resolution to begin...

Experts: California lacked safeguards for gun owner info

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Cybersecurity experts say the California Department of Justice apparently failed to follow basic security procedures on its website, exposing the personal information of potentially hundreds of thousands of gun owners. The website was designed to only...

New York lawmakers approve legislation intended to preserve some handgun controls in aftermath of Supreme Court ruling

California will end arrests for loitering for prostitution

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday signed a new state law that will stop police from arresting people for loitering for prostitution, an issue that divided sex workers and advocates during a rare nine-month delay since state lawmakers passed the bill last year. ...