"Firefighters worked to control a wildfire on Tuesday in the Santa Cruz Mountains south of San Francisco Bay area that has forced hundreds of residents to evacuate, despite its relatively small size, officials said."

"The U.S. Coast Guard is now saying it is responding to reports of two oil sheens in San Pablo Bay near the Phillips 66 refinery. Officials have not said how much oil has spilled, and investigators have not determined the source of either spill."

"Chemical manufacturing giant Dow fails to warn people in farming communities throughout California when a potentially dangerous pesticide is applied to nearby fields, health advocates claimed in a lawsuit filed Tuesday."

New research "suggests that massive long-term droughts can hit the region in conjunction with cycles of ocean warming and cooling — and that if these patterns continue to hold, another megadrought could lie in the future."

"Interior Secretary Sally Jewell unveiled a sweeping conservation plan in Palm Desert on Wednesday, promising to protect millions of acres of California desert while encouraging solar and wind farms in limited areas."

"Southern California Gas Co. agreed to pay $4 million to settle criminal charges over the massive gas leak near Porter Ranch last year, but the utility still faces potentially costly civil actions from both residents and regulators."

"Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation Tuesday that will outlaw orca breeding and captivity programs like the one formerly run by SeaWorld theme parks."

"Attorneys representing three households in northeast Fresno have filed a potential class-action lawsuit against the city and others over discoloration and lead in water coming from faucets in their homes."

"California will tighten controls on greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles, factories and public utilities under a pair of bills signed on Thursday by Democratic Governor Jerry Brown."

"In its biggest expansion in decades, Yosemite National Park on Wednesday broadened its western boundary by adding 400 acres of lush meadowlands edged with cedars and ponderosa pines that provide habitat for some of California’s most threatened wildlife."