College baseball player found dead in SoCal creek

A Cal State Long Beach baseball player who disappeared over the weekend has been found dead in a creek. Fullerton police Lt. Alex Bastreri says a search and rescue team found James Wernke around 10 a.m. Tuesday in a steep, rain-swollen creek near where he was last seen walking his girlfriend's dog. Bastreri says rescuers assume Wernke fell into the creek bed. There were no immediate signs of trauma.

Upper Deck says it sticks by Woods

Sports card and memorabilia maker Upper Deck Co. says it will continue its relationship with Tiger Woods. The company, and its Upper Deck Authenticated collectibles division, said the two "look forward to his eventual return to the PGA Tour."

Dodgers ownership won't be decided by Opening Day

An ownership dispute between Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt and his estranged wife will linger through at least a third of the 2010 season after a judge on Tuesday set a hearing for late May. McCourt, mired in a bitter divorce with wife Jamie, had wanted the ownership issue decided by spring training.

6 more charged in SoCal political corruption case

Riverside County prosecutors have charged six more people in a corruption case that contends the mayor of San Jacinto and several council members laundered hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions. The district attorney's office said Tuesday that it's charged the six with conspiracy, campaign contribution violations and perjury. They could face nearly five years in prison if convicted.

Randy Quaid and wife no-show in California court

Arrests warrants have been issued for actor Randy Quaid and his wife after they failed to appear for a court hearing, a prosecutor said Tuesday. The couple didn't show up in a Santa Barbara criminal court Tuesday on a felony charge that they defrauded an innkeeper. The no-show will cost the couple $40,000 in forfeited bail.

Retired Zenyatta to revisit Santa Anita on Dec. 26

Undefeated Zenyatta will visit Santa Anita to be honored on opening day of the track's winter meeting Dec. 26. The recently retired mare will return to the scene of her triumph against the boys in the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic for a final visit before heading to Kentucky to begin her breeding career.

Napa hotels, inns may organize to promote tourism

Napa Valley tourism industry leaders want hotels and bed-and-breakfast inns to contribute toward the cost of promoting tourism for the area. The Napa Valley Destination Council is pushing to create a tourism business improvement district, which would have hotels and inns help pay for promotions. The extra costs would be passed on to visitors.

Post office gets what it wants on busiest day

Carrying two Christmas packages bound for her nephews in Texas and Switzerland, Carolyn Tsai took her place at the end of a line that spilled outside the post office in San Franciscos Noe Valley onto the sidewalk Monday afternoon. Tsai didnt know she was...

W. Contra Costa teachers OK contract

West Contra Costa teachers narrowly approved a new contract Tuesday night, seemingly ending what has been an emotional 18-month process that included a strike vote and a controversial recount. The three-year tentative agreement, which included no pay raises,...

Pumping depletes Central Valley water, data show

Drought, curtailed water exports from the delta and overzealous well pumping during the past six years have depleted Central Valley aquifers by enough to fill Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the nation, according to new satellite data from NASA. The...

Charter amendment would revamp S.F. pensions

San Francisco voters may soon have the opportunity to decide major changes to the citys pension and retiree health care systems - both of which have seen their costs skyrocket as the city grapples with consecutive years of major budget deficits. Supervisor...

Pot advocates claim signatures for ballot issue

Advocates of legalizing marijuana say theyve collected more than enough signatures to have California voters decide next year whether to tax and regulate the drug. The signatures in support of the Tax and Regulate Initiative, which would give local...

Girl, 12, allegedly raped at El Cerrito school

A 14-year-old boy was charged Monday with raping a 12-year-old girl in the stairwell of an El Cerrito middle school, and the principal and vice principal have been placed on administrative leave while police and school officials investigate the alleged crime...

Adobe loses $32 million in Q4
Adobe Systems Inc. lost $32 million in the fourth quarter, compared with a profit of $245.9 million in the same quarter a year earlier. (ADBE)

Post-bankruptcy Vermillion to add to board
Vermillion Inc. said IDEXX Laboratories’ chief scientific officer will join the board of directors if Vermillion’s bankruptcy reorganization plan is confirmed next month. (VRML)

SRI gets patent for ‘needle-free’ drug system
SRI International got a patent for a drug delivery system that uses a gel applied to mucous membranes rather than a needle.

Genentech wants lung cancer drug expanded
The use of Genentech’s lung cancer drug Tarceva could be expanded to more patients, but Food and Drug Administration staff has questioned whether the drug is better than currently available treatments. (OSIP)

Hotels a bright spot in S.F. economy
Even as unemployment remains stubbornly high, some bright spots are starting to appear on San Francisco’s economic landscape.

Oakland port eyes $56M for enviro upgrades
The Port of Oakland is seeking $56 million in federal stimulus funding to increase barge traffic along the delta and cut emissions of ships at anchor.

4 Family Members Found Dead In Upscale SoCal Home
A woman killed herself and three other family members, including two young children, in what may have started as a child custody dispute in an upscale, gated Orange County community, authorities said Tuesday.

Oakland Truckers Protest New Emissions Standards
About 150 truckers were demonstrating in front of Oakland City Hall Tuesday after marching over from the Port of Oakland to protest new emissions standards for trucks.

SF Mayor Backs Radiation Labels For Cell Phones
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is endorsing a proposal that would make his the first city in the country to require radiation labels for cell phones.

No Charges Yet In Incident At UC Chancellor's Home
Alameda County Assistant District Attorney Marty Brown said Tuesday that his office is still reviewing evidence against protesters who were arrested in connection with violence at the home of University of California at Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau Friday night.

Teen Accused Of Rape At El Cerrito School
A 14-year-old boy is facing charges and two school officials are on administrative leave after officials say a 12-year-girl was raped in a stairwell of an El Cerrito school. Police say the girl was attacked at the Portola Middle School around 2:40 p.m. Thursday.

Bay Area Investors Snap Up Central Valley Homes
Prospective home buyers might expect good prices for homes in the Sacramento area in the wake of the foreclosure crisis, but a new trend is emerging: Bay Area investors are sucking up Sacramento real estate and turning them into rentals.