Eight car washes in the state are paying a combined settlement of over $1 million to employees who were underpaid and treated unfairly in the past. The settlement comes as a result of a civil lawsuit filed by Attorney General Kamala D. Harris [...] more ›

Every October, Americans are urged to "think pink" and do their part for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. So how is this a bad thing? more ›

As part of a statewide effort, Attorney General Kamala D. Harris announced today that agents seized 1,209 guns from people who are legally barred from having them, including those who are deemed mentally unstable, people with active restraining orders and known gang members. The sweep was the second of its kind, and netted three times as many weapons as the first effort in 2007. more ›

After rumors ran rampant yesterday with the news that Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was being investigated by the California Attorney General, KABC reports that no such investigation is, or every was, underway: "Sources close to California Attorney General Kamala Harris said no such investigation is under way, and Schwarzenegger's attorney Martin Singer confirmed the news saying, 'The AG's office informed us that there was never any investigation over this tabloid story.'" more ›

Federal Election Day could become a holiday in California, and to get the process going, Secretary of State Debra Bowen announced today that Roy Benson, the proponent of a new initiative, can begin collecting petition signatures for his measure. more ›

While the ultimate fate and legitimacy of California's Propositon 8 remains to be decided, today Attorney General Kamala D. Harris has asked he Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals to dismiss its order prohibiting same-sex marriages until the appeal case is resolved. more ›

This afternoon, Kamala D. Harris became an elected official of many firsts as she took her oath and assumed to office of California Attorney General. "I am deeply humbled by the trust you have placed in me and I will never forget it is you, the People of California, whom I serve," Harris said in her post-oath speech. more ›

It's official, and it's a wrap before Thanksgiving: "Steve Cooley conceded defeat today to Kamala Harris in the political slugfest for California attorney general," the Sacramento Bee is reporting. It took 22 days to reach this point, and, after that many days of ongoing ballot counting, San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris (D) not only was named the victor by media outlets and prominent politicians, but she held on to a slim, but growing, lead over the Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley (R). It took 22 days to reach this point, and, after that many days of ongoing ballot counting, San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris (D) not only was named the victor by media outlets and prominent politicians, but she held on to a slim, but growing lead over the Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley (R). more ›

It seems unlikely that Kamala Harris or Steve Cooley will be able to give thanks at their family table on Thursday for being named California's next Attorney General, since it's looking like the ballot count for the post will go on past Thanksgiving, according to the Sacramento Bee's Capitol Alert. more ›

Estimates from the camp to complete the count in the race for California's Attorney General post indicate that as of yesterday there were around 130,000-220,000 ballots left to count, and San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris (D) remains in the lead This morning, City Council President Eric Garcetti, who has been monitoring the count closely, and keeping a detailed log of the count and contest via a Facebook note, says he is calling it for Harris, and shares the statistical breakdown that is leading him to this proclamation. more ›

Over two weeks since voters went to the polls in California, the state is still laboring over ballots to determine who will become the next Attorney General. Holding on to a slim lead she reclaimed over the weekend, San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris is inching past Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley once again in the slow see-saw tally, according to the Daily News. more ›

Kamala Harris has pulled ahead Saturday morning by a few hundred votes, according to the latest update reported by KTLA. The "see-saw race" for California Attorney General is down to less than 500,000 provisional ballots. more ›

Despite declaring victory early on November 2nd's election night, L.A. Co. DA Steve Cooley (R) still isn't the winner in the race to be California's next Attorney General. "The lead in the attorney general’s race has see-sawed between the two candidates since election night, and with considerably more than 1 million ballots remaining to count, could easily reverse again," notes the Times. This weekend, Cooley pulled ahead, taking away a snug lead enjoyed by San Francisco's Kamala Harris (D) since the wee hours of November 3. The count continues; a winner must be declared by November 30th. more ›

The race for California's Attorney General remains what the Secretary of State's Election site is labeling a "close contest." How close? With 100% of the precincts reporting, Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Steve Cooley are separated by 0.1%. more ›

Last night Jerry Brown was named Governor, Barbara Boxer retained her Senate seat, and Gavin Newsom won the Lt. Governor's race. While who will take Brown's job as Attorney General still remains too tight to call, the rest of the state-level contests have been declared, and, when applicable, in favor of the Democrats. more ›

The lead in the race for California's Attorney General was passed between contenders Kamala Harris (D) and L.A. District Attorney Steve Cooley (R) overnight, and this morning the contest remains too close to call, according to the Sacramento Bee. more ›

It wasn't an easy decision, but the LA Times today endorsed L.A. County's Republican District Attorney Steve Cooley over San Francisco's Democratic D.A. Kamala Harris. Why? It's not his stance on social issues like gay marriage, but he's a centrist who can manage: more ›

In one corner you have Republican Steve Cooley, the current District Attorney for Los Angeles County. In the other is Democrat Kamala Harris, the current District Attorney for San Francisco. The two are vying to be California's next Attorney General, a spot to be vacated by Jerry Brown, who may or may not become the state's next Governor. more ›

State Attorney General Jerry Brown today announced sweeping efforts to curtail highly paid local officials around California. In a series of announcements, the gubernatorial candidate said he was taking filing lawsuits against eight city of Bell officials while serving a subpoena to neighboring city of Vernon where one employee apparently made $1.64 million a year (another highly paid one was recently let go). Meanwhile, Brown, who apparently earns a considerable pension himself, is also looking into sky-high salaries and pensions across the state, from hospital to county administrators. Brown will formally announce his plans at 10 a.m., but the news was given early to the LA Times, which broke the Bell salary scandal story in July. more ›

It wasn't just Los Angeles. The latest stats and figures from the California Department of Justice show that violent crime, once again, went down in 2009. Statewide, every category saw a decline, whether it be homicide (-8.9%), robbery (-8.6%), motor vehicle theft (-15.8%) or arson (-14.3%). more ›

California's U.S. Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein have joined the chorus of lawmakers and others who are urging a federal review of neighboring Arizona's controversial new immigration law. more ›

Attorney General Jerry Brown has revealed the findings of report made on the "doctor shopping" habits of the late actor Corey Haim, whose last month of life included visits to multiple doctors and pharmacies to obtain hundreds of pills. more ›

An initiative backers hope will make a future ballot has the potential to change the state's budget process in big ways. Question is, will the outcomes be good or bad? more ›

In the race for California's Attorney General, one of L.A.'s top politicians has chosen to support San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris. "District Attorney Kamala Harris has a proven record of innovation and success, demonstrating that the best way to keep our communities safe is to be both tough and smart on crime," L.A. City Council President Eric Garcetti said. more ›

Concerned about the dominance LiveNation and Ticketmaster would have if allowed to merge when a plan was announced last year, California Attorney General Jerry Brown and 16 others states initially opposed such an idea. "Without serious competition, concert-goers will inevitably pay more for concert tickets," Brown said today in a statement. "With this merger agreement, we're taking an important step to ensure a more competitive market for concert-ticket sales." more ›

As expected, Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley announced that he has taken formal steps to make a run for California's Attorney General by forming an Exploratory Committee. “Many people from law enforcement and throughout the political spectrum are urging me to run for Attorney General,” he said in a statemetn this morning. “I am proud of my crime fighting record as District Attorney. As a career prosecutor and District Attorney of Los Angeles County I have the experience and drive to be California’s top law enforcement officer." Most recently, however, he's stepped on shaky ground with many liberals, siding with City Attorney Carmen Trutanich on Medical Marijuana, vowing to prosecute medical marijuana dispensaries. more ›

In a major switch from the Bush Administration, Attorney General Eric Holder in a memo today told agencies in 14 states to stop prioritizing raids and cases against those who comply with state medical marijuana laws. It's not a good use of time, the three-page legal memo said, urging that criminals should be the focus of any efforts. more ›

Attorney Jerry Brown tomorrow plans to announce a lawsuit filing against "a Los Angeles based investment adviser who directed hundreds of millions of dollars in clients' investments to Bernard Madoff, while actively concealing the link between the two," according to an advisory. "For decades, this investment adviser claimed to use a proprietary strategy to generate 20 to 25 percent returns. In reality, the high returns were a product of Madoff's massive Ponzi scheme. For his so-called investment expertise, the adviser pocketed over $270 million in fees, charging investors 25 percent fees on profits." more ›

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's mayor's chief ethics officer and legal advisor, Thomas A. Saenz, has been tapped to head up the U.S. Department of Justice's civil rights division: "'I don't think the president or attorney general could make a better selection,' said Mark Rosenbaum, legal director of the ACLU of Southern California. 'He's a throwback to the great civil rights attorney pioneers, like Thurgood Marshall.'" (via Daily Journal per LA Observed). more ›

President-Elect Barack Obama Offered and Eric H. Holder Jr. has accepted. If he passes further investigation, Holder will be the "the first African-American to serve as the nation’s top law enforcement official," the New York Times said earlier today when correctly speculating this afternoon's job offer. "Holder, who was No. 2 in the Justice Department under President Bill Clinton, is a partner at Covington & Burling in Washington, and was co-director of Obama's vice presidential selection team," says MarketWatch. "Holder has been a prosecutor, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, and a D.C. Superior Court judge.. more ›