A wildfire near one of LA's best-known cultural landmarks and one of its busiest freeways proved more dramatic than destructive, as an aggressive ground and sky attack turned orange flame to white smoke within a few hours.

A suspended Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy has been sentenced to 90 days in jail for having sexual relations with a teenage girl.

The number of police officers walking their beats on the Oakland streets has fallen to its lowest level in more than a decade, just as the city's embattled department is facing a spike in violent crime.

A fugitive wanted in connection with the 2008 stabbing of a patron at a Riverside County casino has been arrested in Mexico and extradited to the United States.

One of the main arrival runways at San Francisco International Airport is closed this weekend and will shut down again over two more weekends later this month.