Offramps along Interstate 5, a major north-south artery, were closed as flames raced along hilltops and down into rugged canyons.

A Trump Administration order to investigate and prosecute state and local officials who defy its immigration enforcement policies spurred immediate and defiant pushback from California politicians, lawyers and immigration advocates Wednesday.

In an interview aired Wednesday night, Trump said he may withhold aid to California until the state adjusts how it manages its scarce water resources. He falsely claimed that California’s fish conservation efforts in the northern part of the state are responsible for fire hydrants running dry in urban areas.

The Hughes Fire, reported shortly before 11 a.m. Wednesday near Castaic Lake, prompted evacuation of a 280-square-mile area north of Los Angeles. The map above shows the mandatory evacuation area in red and the approximate perimeter as a black line.

California is looking to Washington for billions in wildfire aid, and Trump’s conditions may be hard to swallow.

ALBANY — A woman escaped an attempt to sexually assault her Tuesday night in the University Village in Albany, University of California police said.

More than 20 Bay Area and NorCal restaurants, chefs, bakers and wine/cocktail specialists have been named semifinalists in the 2025 James Beard Awards competition. “It is an honor to recognize your distinctive talents that enrich America’s culinary landscape,” the awards committee said to the semifinalists in Wednesday’s announcement.

Sonoma State University announced Wednesday that its intercollegiate athletics programs are being discontinued in addition to other severe cuts to address a budget deficit of nearly $24 million.

The Year of the Snake is upon us as communities across the Bay Area celebrate Lunar New Year, Chinese New Year and Tet. Here’s just a sampling of ways to join in the celebrations.

SAN JOSE — Hotel development nosedived in California and the Bay Area in 2024, fresh evidence the statewide lodging market may still be affected by economic conditions following a global pandemic, a new report shows.

That revving you hear from Sacramento is the sound of California’s Democratic leaders preparing to sue the tar out of the Trump administration. We’ve seen this all before. RELATED ...

California was home to an estimated 1.8 million ... law enforcement,” Sheriff Robert Jonsen said in a statement to this news organization. “We believe that by not inquiring about an individual ...