Steve Cooley

Officers in scandal-torn Calif. city demand investigation, claim evidence of abusive practices. Leaders of this scandal-ridden city's police union, frustrated by what they see as a lack of urgency to investigate corruption in their own department, are calling for the suspension of a high-ranking police official and an investigation of their ousted former police chief.

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct 22 (Reuters Legal) - California's attorney general asked a state court on Thursday to appoint a monitor to oversee the finances of the city of Bell, California, which has been embroiled in a scandal over the excessive compensation of some of its former top officials.

Attorney general says US will still enforce its marijuana laws even if Calif. voters legalize. The U.S. government will "vigorously enforce" federal laws against marijuana even if voters next month make California the first state to legalize pot, Attorney General Eric Holder says.

Report: Police chief in scandal-plagued Calif city sought deal for tax-free disability pension. The one-time police chief in the corruption-plagued city of Bell declared himself disabled when he took the job last year in a move that could someday earn him a tax-free state pension worth millions of dollars, the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday.

GOP candidates Meg Whitman & Steve Cooley attacked in new ads for supporting Proposition 8. Proponents of gay marriage in California released new ads Wednesday attacking GOP candidates Meg Whitman and Steve Cooley for supporting the state's gay marriage ban, Proposition 8. In the ads, sponsored by California's largest gay rights advocate, Equality California, Whitman, who is running for governor, and Cooley, the GOP's nominee for attorney general, are blasted for saying they would defend the gay marriage ban in court. ?Shame on Meg Whitman? for being willing to spend possibly millions defending Proposition 8 when California is suffering from big budget woes and high unemployment, a male announcer says in one ad. The script is nearly identical in the Cooley ad. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, and Whitman's Democratic rival, Attorney General Jerry Brown, have refused to defend the 2008 voter-approved gay ban, which was ruled unconstitutional last month. In remarks made befo

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The mayor, former city manager and most of the city council in a Los Angeles suburb were arrested on Tuesday and charged with misappropriating $5.5 million in public funds in what a prosecutor said amounted to treating the city's coffers like "their own piggy bank."

Eight officials from an impoverished Californian town were arrested Tuesday on charges of paying themselves vast salaries at the expense of local taxpayers, prosecutors said.

Candidates vying to be California's next attorney general hold opposing views on whether the state should defend its gay marriage ban. ?Candidates vying to be California's next attorney general hold opposing views on whether the state should defend its gay marriage ban. In an email Monday to Equality California (EQCA) members, Democratic nominee Kamala Harris promised to ?never defend the anti-LGBT Proposition 8 in federal court.? Harris has the endorsement of EQCA, the state's largest gay rights advocate. California Attorney General ? and gubernatorial candidate ? Jerry Brown has refused to defend the law in court. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, backed him on that decision. Proposition 8 was ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge on Wednesday. In his ruling, Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker briefly mentioned the case's reliance on a third party to defend the law, but it was not clear whether the government's actions influenced his decision. GOP nominee Steve C

GOP candidate Whitman spends $99M so far in California governor's race; Brown conserves cash. Billionaire Republican Meg Whitman reported Monday that she has spent more than $99 million in her quest to become California's governor, while Democrat Jerry Brown is saving money for what could become the most expensive gubernatorial contest in American history.

American authorities dispute miscommunication about transcript request in Polanski case. American authorities are disputing who was a fault for apparent miscommunication over sealed transcripts requested by Switzerland in the Roman Polanski case ? an issue the Swiss say played a key role in the decision to refuse his extradition.

PARIS/LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The victim in director Roman Polanski's 1977 sex crime case said on Tuesday she hoped the matter would now be closed but Polanski's U.S. legal team called for a full inquiry into allegations of judicial misconduct three decades ago.

The United States expressed disappointment at Switzerland's refusal to extradite Roman Polanski and vowed to pursue the three decade hunt for the Oscar winning director over a child sex case.

LOS ANGELES/GSTAAD, Switzerland (Reuters) - Switzerland on Monday refused to extradite director Roman Polanski to California for sentencing on a 30-year-old sex crime and freed him from house arrest, causing delight in Europe but dismay in the United States.

LOS ANGELES/GSTAAD, Switzerland (Reuters) - Switzerland on Monday refused to extradite director Roman Polanski to California for sentencing on a 30-year-old sex crime and freed him from house arrest, causing delight in Europe but dismay in the United States.

LOS ANGELES/GSTAAD, Switzerland (Reuters) - Switzerland on Monday refused to extradite director Roman Polanski to California for sentencing on a 30-year-old sex crime and freed him from house arrest, causing delight in Europe but dismay in the United States.

Schwarzenegger rejects parole recommendation for Manson follower convicted in 1969 slayings. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has rejected a recommendation to parole a member of Charles Manson's cult who was convicted of taking part in killings more than four decades ago.

Judge denies last-minute attempt to stop shutdown of LA pot dispensaries. Hundreds of medical marijuana dispensaries must close by Monday or face possible civil fines or criminal charges because they don't comply with a new ordinance in Los Angeles.

Prosecutor says insufficient evidence found to charge LA cardinal in clergy abuse scandal. An eight-year investigation into how the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles handled clergy abuse cases suggests "the possibility of criminal culpability" by members of the archdiocese leadership, but investigators don't have enough evidence to file charges, a lead prosecutor wrote in a memo provided Wednesday.

Eric Matuschek has had his share of bumps and bruises as a Hollywood stuntman, but he hasn't quite felt the pain he faces right now.

Los Angeles set to shut down hundreds of pot dispensaries. Eric Matuschek has had his share of bumps and bruises as a Hollywood stuntman, but he hasn't quite felt the pain he faces right now.