California OKs 'baby bonds' to help combat child poverty

Parenting — that long chain of decisions that hopefully leads to a well-rounded adult — was always a little less stressful for Laura Guerra because her husband, Rigo, was “100% in it” for their daughter, Emilia. But Rigo died from COVID-19 on Christmas Eve in 2020.

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California prepares to dock cruise ship with 21 virus cases

As the U.S. death toll from the new coronavirus reached at least 21, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and the mayor of Oakland sought Sunday to reassure the public that none of the passengers from a ship carrying people with the virus will be released into the public before undergoing a 14-day quarantine. The Grand Princess carrying more than 3,500 people from 54 countries is expected to dock Monday in Oakland, in the east San Francisco Bay, and was idling off the coast Sunday as officials prepared a port site. Those needing acute medical care will come off first.

Hundreds search rubble in California for human remains

Searchers are in a race against time with long-awaited rains expected in the Northern California fire zone where dozens of bodies have been recovered so far. While the rain is good for tamping down the still-burning fire, it will turn the fire zone into a muddy mess and make it more difficult for crews to search.

California man cleared after 40 years in prison gets $21M

The city of Simi Valley, California, has reached a $21 million settlement with a man wrongly imprisoned for nearly 40 years in the killing of his girlfriend and her 4-year-old son. "While no amount of money can make up for what happened to Mr. Coley, settling this case is the right thing to do for Mr. Coley and our community," City Manager Eric Levitt said in a statement. The city will pay about $4.9 million and the rest is expected to be paid by insurance and other sources.