"Fire crews in California battled on Tuesday to halt the advance of wildfire that has already destroyed about 150 homes, lapped at rural schools and caused power outages that left an evacuation shelter without electricity, authorities said."

"As concerns grow over aging rail infrastructure, earthquake readiness and a dramatic increase in crude oil shipments by train, state railroad regulators are scrambling to hire their first-ever railroad bridge inspectors -- two of them."

"BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- Mile-long trains filled with millions of gallons of flammable crude oil may be rolling through Kern County next year."

"DINUBA — Growing up in Mexico, Maria Rodriguez remembers hauling water from a stream to the shack where her parents and their nine children lived. Indoor plumbing was not an option."

"When a dust storm swept across the desert last month, the wall of churning dust and sand rolled across the Coachella Valley like a colossal wave of floodwater, enveloping everything in a haze that resembled thick smoke."

"Pacific Gas and Electric Co. must pay a record $1.4 billion in fines and other penalties for more than 3,700 violations of pipeline safety laws leading up to the deadly San Bruno natural-gas explosion, two administrative law judges said Tuesday."

"When San Francisco billionaire Tom Steyer speaks, Sacramento listens."

Drought-stricken California has not built any new big dams for decades, for a number of reasons. Now some in the state are trying to launch a new dam-building surge.

"SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The worst drought in a generation has pushed California lawmakers to overhaul the state's longstanding "pump-as-you-please" groundwater policy under a package of bills lawmakers sent Friday to Gov. Jerry Brown."

"The state Senate on Friday gave final legislative approval to a measure that would phase out single-use plastic bags in supermarkets, pharmacies and convenience stores as part of an effort to rid beaches and streets of litter."