Brown Signs Order Establishing Governor’s Tribal Advisor Position

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) -- California Gov. Jerry Brown signed an executive order on Monday establishing the position of Governor’s Tribal Advisor in the Office of the Governor.

Officials say the tribal advisor will serve as a direct link between the governor's office and tribal governments across the state, regarding matters such as legislation, policies and regulations.

The governor signed the order while attending the TASIN All California Tribes Meeting in Sacramento.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Federal Judge Unseals Digital Recordings of Prop 8 Trial

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) -- A federal judge in California has unsealed the digital recordings of the Prop 8 trial in California held in 2010.

Defenders of Prop 8 did not want the tapes released in part because they believed that it would have a “chilling effect” on expert witnesses who testified about the controversial ballot measure that defined marriage as being between a man and a woman. Transcripts of the court proceedings had been publicly available.

At trial, Judge Vaughn Walker, who has since retired, ordered the digital recording, but did not release the tapes. The judge later struck down Prop 8, and the ruling is currently on appeal.

In ordering the release of the digital recordings, Judge James Ware of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California said,  “Foremost among the aspects of the federal judicial system that foster public confidence in the fairness and integrity of the process are public access to trials and public access to the record of judicial proceedings.”

Ware noted that there had to be “compelling reasons” for keeping such a record of judicial proceedings secret. His decision is stayed for September 30 to give parties a chance to appeal.

Chad Griffin, the board president of The American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER), a group challenging Prop 8, released a statement praising the decision: “This is a significant victory for the American people, who will soon be able to see the evidence put forward by both sides in this historic federal trial.”

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Airplane Lands Safely after Note Threatening Bomb Found Onboard

(OAKLAND, Calif.) -- Alaska Air Flight 342 landed safely at Oakland International Airport Monday morning after a threatening note was found onboard.

The plane from Seattle landed around 8 a.m. and taxied to a remote location.

Law enforcement met the plane and performed a clean sweep of the aircraft for any suspicious findings.

Passengers were rescreened with negative findings.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

DMV Conducts Statewide Sting Operation on Unlicensed Car Dealers

(HUNTINGTON PARK, Calif.) -- Unlicensed car dealers who are defrauding customers or using false documents were fined in a statewide sting operation by the Department of Motor Vehicles.

According to ABC News affiliate KABC-TV, more than 120 citations were issued and dealers received thousands of dollars in fines for instances of fraud including selling cars which were unsafe to drive.

Dep. Chief Vito Scattaglia told KABC-TV that some of the cars being sold by the unlicensed dealers do not pass emissions tests and therefore drivers cannot register their vehicles and in turn the DMV loses thousands in revenue.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

California and Nevada Top Nation's Jobless Rates

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) -- California's jobless rate increased for the second month in a row from 12 percent in July to 12.1 percent in August.

According to data released by the Employment Development Department on Friday, 8,400 jobs were lost in the state last month.  California has gained 171,100 jobs since August 2010.

California is second only to Nevada in having the highest unemployment rate in the country with Nevada's rate increasing from 12.9 percent in July to 13.4 percent in August. Nevada's unemployment rate rose for the third consecutive month. The national unemployment rate is 9.1 percent.

Copyright 201 ABC News Radio

Hillary Clinton Speaks at APEC Women and the Economy Summit

(SAN FRANCISCO) -- Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was in San Francisco on Friday, speaking at the APEC Women and the Economy Summit, ABC News San Francisco affiliate KGO-TV reports.

The keynote speaker told the crowd that the success of national economies depends on women.

Clinton also outlined important goals, including a commitment to give women access to capital and for the support of women in politics and business.

The Women and Economy Summit is designed to help women advance in the business world in the Asia-Pacific region.

Women from as far away as Indonesia attended the event.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

San Francisco School Named to Blue Ribbon List

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) -- One San Francisco school is among the 20 California public schools named by the U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan as National Blue Ribbon Schools for 2010-11.

The bay area school that made the list is Ulloa Elementary.

The Blue Ribbon Schools Program honors public and private schools that have students who achieve at high levels, or have made progress in their schoolwork and helped closed gaps in achievement.

A total of 305 schools from across the country make up this year's list.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

California Border Crossing Closed Due to Falling Scaffolding

(SAN DIEGO, Calif.) -- Several U.S.-bound lanes at the San Ysidro crossing between San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico, remained closed on Thursday, a day after 11 people were injured after scaffolding fell from a construction site.

On Wednesday, 24 lanes were closed after the scaffolding fell on 15 cars, leaving metal debris along lanes and near vehicle inspection booths.  After eight hours of closures, 13 lanes were reopened at midnight, easing Thursday traffic along the crossing.

The accident remains under investigation and it is unclear when the remaining lanes will open.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

New Text-Messaging Service Helps Make City Parking Easier

(SAN FRANCISCO) -- Finding a parking space in San Francisco just got easier thanks to a new text-messaging service that delivers real-time information on space availability to smart phones.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the service—the newest component of San Francisco's experimental program SFpark—will be available at 14 public garage lots.

The garages are equipped with their own codes which, when texted to with the message “877877,” will reply with detailed information about the garage—including address, hours, prices and spaces.

To find a garage’s code, smartphone users should send a text to 877877 with the message "SFpark" to receive a list of all the codes in return.

Regular text-messaging rates apply.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

California Man Sentenced for Taking 13-Year-Old to Las Vegas for Sex

(RIVERSIDE, Calif.) -- A 23-year-old California man has been sentenced to seven years in federal prison for taking a13-year-old girl to Las Vegas to have sex.

Ivan Lopez received the sentence late Monday, the FBI said, with the judge also adding that once the sentence is served, Lopez will be on supervised release for the rest of his life and will be required to register as a sex offender.

In June, Lopez pleaded guilty to a charge of traveling with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct. Officials say Lopez has admitted to traveling to Nevada with the teenage girl, who is from San Bernardino County. He reportedly developed an online relationship with the victim over the course of six months.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio