Sharon McNary

San Bernardino City Council tells city staff to defer paying big bills to free up $12 million for payroll, retirement costs.

To get through September, the city will defer paying rent, bills, continue employee salary cuts, suspend new purchases and construction projects.

The San Bernardino City Council declared Wednesday that it faced a fiscal emergency and voted 5-2 to file for bankruptcy within 30 days.

San Bernardino City Council members are scheduled to vote Wednesday evening on whether to declare a fiscal emergency in the debt-riddled city.

When the giant earthquake and tsunami hit Japan three weeks ago, Angelenos in beach communities started thinking again about the chance that someday a tsunami could inundate our shores. Does Los Angeles have a plan if that happens, and are Angelenos paying attention?

Marchers, musicians, equestrian units and other entertainers in the 122nd Rose Parade played to enthusiastic, but chilly crowds under clear skies Saturday.

Teri Vanderberg of Santa Ana said a year passed between her husband Larry’s first complaint of a swelling in his ear and throat and its diagnosis as lymph node cancer that was spreading through his body. His initial requests for an exam were ignored for four months, according to her and to a summary of his care that Larry Vanderberg wrote.

If you’re even slightly tempted to buy or sell illegal fireworks for this Fourth of July, you might want to listen to what happened to one Lancaster couple first.

Teachers gathered in public protests and distributed leaflets at locations throughout Southern California today in response to layoff notices from budget-stressed school districts. Beyond the noise of rallies and speeches, however, teachers who responded to questions posed by KPCC are re-assessing the stability of their chosen profession.

Friends and family of a woman who died after a police cruiser ran into her car plan to gather in Venice for a vigil and march 6:30 p.m. Thursday as an official police report on the crash is expected next week. They will call for an investigation into whether the police car was speeding without lights at the time of the crash. Police have asserted that the cruiser was responding to an emergency call but was not speeding and that it had its headlights and taillights on.

Friends of a woman who died of injuries she received in a crash with a Los Angeles police patrol car were expected to gather for a vigil at the crash site tonight at 8 p.m.

The past year has been hard on many in Southern California. Here are some personal stories from people in KPCC’s Insight Network of news sources.