CALIFORNIA

A U.S. federal judge dismissed on Thursday the first scheduled bellwether case in nationwide litigation alleging Toyota Motor Corp made defective vehicles that accelerated unexpectedly.

The largest U.S. banks, eager to get legal protection after widespread evidence emerged of foreclosure shortcuts, are trying to convince California to be part of a multi-state mortgage settlement and not pursue its own aggressive deal.

Gossip Girl star Leighton Meester purchased a home in Encino, a less glamorous neighborhood outside of Los Angeles, for a reported $1.5 million.

Kraft Foods boss Irene Rosenfeld is the most powerful woman in U.S. business, Fortune magazine said on Thursday, bumping PepsiCo Inc. chief Indra Nooyi into second spot after five years on top.

The latest listeria outbreak has taken at least 16 lives and caused dozens of illnesses in 18 states across the U.S., marking the deadliest food outbreak in over a decade.

As of Sept. 27, 72 people from 18 states have been infected with a rare illness called listeriosis stemming from Listeria monocytogenes bacteria linked to Colorado-grown cantaloupes, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Humboldt Squid continued to invade Southern California beaches last week, giving anglers a unique fishing experience.

People suffering from diabetes mellitus are at greater risk of contracting colorectal cancer, a new study by researchers at the University of California claims.

The group that oversees the power grid serving the Western United States has requested potentially sensitive market information as it investigates the Sept. 8 power outage that left 7 million people in the dark in California and Arizona, the California grid operator said on Wednesday.

In the specialized world of insurance, this one takes the cake -- or perhaps the pie -- a new policy called SLICE specifically designed to protect the owners of pizza parlors.

Tiger Woods will not be the star of the show when he joins the United States team for November's Presidents Cup, three-time Masters champion and former world number one Nick Faldo said on Thursday.

UC Berkeley's provocative bake sale by Republican students, a poke in the eye of the university's politically correct establishment that recalls the school's free speech legacy, has sparked top-down opposition from university officials and student government leaders.

The iPhone5 is an upgrade, not a completely new type of product. So why all the excitement?

Global Equities Research has reduced its profit and estimate of Yahoo Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO), saying the internet firm is still losing advertising dollars on display and search properties to Google and other sites.

Supermodel and wife of English musician, Seal, Heidi Klum was an image of elegance, poise and glamour as she launched her new fragrance Shine at the Mondrian Hotel in California.

Prehypertension, which is blood pressure at the higher end of the normal range, appears to be associated with a greater risk of stroke, according to a meta-analysis.

Internet bargain hunters from Southern California who bought discounted round-trip bus tickets through Groupon and Voice Daily Deals to visit Las Vegas on the cheap were left stranded when the buses never showed up, broke down or were hours late, according to media reports.

A decade-long study of 135,000 men found that those who did not have children had a higher risk of dying from heart disease than those who did, raising new questions over the links between fertility and overall health, U.S. researchers said on Monday.

Bank of America (BAC.N) Merrill Lynch has recruited three former Wells Fargo advisers and one former Morgan Stanley Smith Barney adviser to join its California, Connecticut and Wyoming offices, the firm said late on Monday.

Student Republicans holding a bake sale at UC Berkeley to mock diversity efforts by state legislators were met on Tuesday by about 200 silent, black-clad protesters but little in the way of acrimony.

Student Republicans at the University of California at Berkeley have stirred up the famously left-wing campus with plans for a sale of baked goods priced according to the race and gender of buyers.