As the weather heats up and Southern California drivers head to the pump this month, they may notice a bit of sticker shock. On Thursday, the average price of a gallon of unleaded gas was $5.45 in California compared to a month ago when the statewide average was around $4.90, according to AAA. California’s prices still remain high compared to the national average of $3.67 per gallon. There are several factors causing this disparity, but according to Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, the price hike is mostly due to refinery maintenance and the switch to a summer blend of ..read more

An iconic Southern California desert dweller is now formally recognized by the State of California as endandgered. On Thursday, the California Fish and Game Commission unanimously approved designating the Mojave desert tortoise as endangered, elevating its risk for extinction from its previous designation as threatened. The Mojave desert tortoise has been recognized as a threatened species under the California Endangered Species Act for 35 years, and recognized at the federal level for 34. But despite more than three decades of state and federal protection, tortoise populations have not shown ..read more

Two more insurance companies have announced plans to withdraw from the insurance market in California. According to filings from the state’s Department of Insurance, Tokio Marine America Insurance Co. and Trans Pacific Insurance Co. said they would both withdraw from the homeowners and personal umbrella insurance markets in the Golden State. Both entities are subsidiaries of Tokio Marine Holdings Inc., a Japanese company ..read more

A Los Angeles police officer who unintentionally shot and killed a 14-year-old girl at a Burlington Coat Factory in North Hollywood won't face criminal charges, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced. On Dec. 23, 2021, Los Angeles Police Department officer William Jones Jr. fired three times with a high-powered rifle when he responded to the store following reports of a possible active shooter situation. One of those shots went wayward and hit an innocent bystander who was hiding in a changing room with her mother. Jones was responding to the department store after receiving calls abo ..read more

Multiple Southern California cities were named as the safest spots in the Golden State, according to a report from SafeWise, a home security review website. The company recently released its 10th annual Safest Cities report. Multiple cities named on the list are in Orange County. Cities from San Bernardino and Riverside counties were also named on the list ..read more

An inmate was transported to a Ventura hospital after being found unresponsive at a jail in Santa Paula last week, law enforcement officials announced Thursday. The inmate, identified as Tony Garcia, was at the Todd Road Jail facility awaiting trial when deputies noticed him down in the dayroom area of his assigned housing unit, the Ventura County Sheriff's Office stated in a news release. "Deputies and medical staff immediately rendered first aid to Mr. Garcia," the news release stated. Garcia was taken by ambulance to Ventura County Medical Center for advanced medical care but there was no w ..read more

A bulletproof vest likely saved the life of a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department K-9 struck by gunfire during a search for a suspect in Compton Wednesday. The dog named "K9-Kjeld" but often called "Kid" by his partners was shot as Special Enforcement Bureau (SEB) personnel intervened to help deputies apprehend an assault with a deadly weapon suspect near Spruce Street in Compton, the Sheriff's Department posted on its Facebook page. "During the course of the search, the Suspect discharged his firearm, which struck K9-Kjeld resulting in an injury," the Sheriff's Department stated. “K-9 K ..read more

(KSWB) A state bill to close a loophole in California's single-use plastic bag ban that allows stores to distribute a "recyclable" alternative passed through its first hurdle. Senate Bill 1053, introduced by Sen. Catherine Blakespear (D-Encinitas) and Sen. Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica), was approved by the State Environmental Quality Committee in a 5-2 vote on Wednesday. The bill would remove a provision from the ban allowing stores to use thicker, "reusable" bags made out of recycled plastic film. It would also revise the requirement for stores to only provide paper bags made out of 100 percent ..read more

Police opened fire, striking a suspect as they were conducting a specialized operation at a home in Torrance during the early morning hours on Thursday. The shooting occurred as officers from the LAPD's narcotics and child abuse units were approaching a home in the area of Torrance Boulevard and Anza Avenue, a Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson confirmed to KTLA. The suspect started firing at officers as they came close to the home, the spokesperson said. Officers then returned fire and struck the suspect during the exchange ..read more

Police are searching for whoever opened fire and wounded a person in broad daylight outside an apartment complex in Anaheim on Wednesday. The shooting was reported around 4:15 p.m. in the 2800 block of West Ball Road, Anaheim Police Department Sgt. McClintock said. Police received multiple 911 calls reporting shots fired outside of an apartment complex. Police responded to a shooting in Anaheim on April 17, 2024. (OC Hawk) Arriving officers found a victim suffering from at least one gunshot wound. That person was transported to a local hospital in unknown condition. Witnesses said the victim w ..read more