CALIFORNIA

Victoria Kolakowski became the first elected transgender judge in United States by defeating deputy district attorney John Creighton in a fiercely contested race for Alameda County Superior Court.

Swiss pharma giant Roche said it plans to cut 4,800 jobs worldwide over the next two years due to mounting cost pressures in healthcare -particularly in the US and Europe - and increasing hurdles for the approval and pricing of new medicines.

The Manhattan Supreme Court has dismissed a petition by Diandra Douglas, the former wife of Michael Douglas, putting to a halt to her bid of receiving a share of profit from the blockbuster movie sequel Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.

Ford Motors has announced the list of cities, which shall receive the first all-electric passenger car Focus Electric, which debuts in late 2011.

The US Department of Energy has set up an expert committee to report on its activities in energy efficiency and renewables to the Energy Secretary.

American entrepreneur and renowned wine critic Mark Oldman has released his new book 'Brave New World of Wine' published by New York-based W.W.Norton & Company. Through this book, the author aims to inspire readers to drink bravely.

The stage is set for another wave of mergers and acquisitions in the U.S. technology sector as the big players, who are flush with cash and looking to expand their horizon, are acquiring aggressively in quest for new products and technology.

Standpoint Research has initiated coverage on Cisco Systems with a 'buy' rating and a price target of $24 and analyst Ronnie Moas said the market has overreacted to the company's weak outlook.

The top pre-market NASDAQ stock market gainers are: Bucyrus International, Isilon Systems, Mediacom Communications, Telestone Technologies, Heartware International, GTSI, Amtech Systems, EDAP TMS, LJ International, and Joy Global.

At the recent custody case of Mel Gibson and Oksana Grigorieva the Los Angeles court judge ordered Mel to pay child support for his daughter.

Home foreclosures in the U.S. in October fell by 9 percent primarily because some major banks temporarily froze foreclosure proceedings and delayed sales of foreclosed properties nationwide after being criticized for shoddy paperwork, according to real estate data company RealtyTrac.

FBR Capital Markets raised its profit estimate and price target of Nvidia (NVDA), a day after the graphics chip maker reported third quarter earnings that topped Wall Street estimates.

After a long gap, the trial of Ingmar Guandique, who has been accused of murdering federal intern Chandra Levy, resumed on Wednesday and took a sudden turn with the prosecutors resting their case after abruptly dropping two charges against Guandique because a prison inmate has refused to testify against him, even as a FBI forensic expert claimed he had found former Congressman Gary Condit's DNA on Levy's underwear.

The California Energy Commission has awarded more than $9.6 million in state funding to make components and biofuels required for manufacturing electric vehicles.

Italian shoe designer Salvatore Ferragamo presented its Spring 2011 Collection at the 9th Annual Celebration of Dreams held under the aegis of Dream Foundation in California last Saturday.

The SAP-Oracle trial has taken some interesting twists and the end result could be damaging to both companies.

Sixty-four percent of Americans support death penalty for those convicted of murder while one of two Americans feels death penalty is not imposed often enough, Gallup's annual Crime Survey has revealed.

Michael Yoshikami, president and chief investment officer of YCMNET Advisors in Walnut Creek, Calif. discusses what exactly QE is, why it may be needed and its potential impact.

Drug legalization could reduce government costs and raise tax revenues, but opponents worry over health and social ills

The number of U.S. homes listed for sale in September rose from the previous month for the 9th straight month, according to data released by real estate brokerage ZipRealty.

U.S. private employers unexpectedly shed jobs in September, reinforcing the belief that the U.S. Federal Reserve will embark on another round of monetary policy stimulus to support the economic recovery as early as next month.