Overall crime rates fell in San Diego last year, despite a smaller police force. The police chief credits a new method of policing.

A San Diego man faces federal charges for allegedly sending false distress signals to the Coast Guard, on four different occasions.

A coalition of conservation and American Indian groups sued the National Marine Fisheries Service Thursday over the use Navy's use of sonar and other training exercises.

Governor Jerry Brown is wrapped up his second multi-day Thursday was full of meetings and speeches intended to win support for his platform of budget cuts, taxes and pension changes.

Hundreds of miles of new fencing has been built along the U.S.-Mexico Border. But some historic monuments that mark the exact boundary are being left behind the fence, blocking access from the U.S. side.

Andalucía's Moorish heritage sparkles in the historic capitals of Granada and Córdoba. And the pride of the Reconquista and the power of Queen Isabel and King Ferdinand enliven the region's great sights. Tasting the smooth sherry and marveling at prancing stallions, we find the passion in Andalucían culture. And we top it off with fun in the Spanish sun on the Costa del Sol.

The State Senate has rejected the latest effort to create a single-payer health care system in California.

The specifics of the Obama administration’s so-called meaner, leaner military were announced today. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta briefed reporters about his priorities for the fiscal 2013 Pentagon budget, and what kind of cuts are needed to fulfill the president’s future defense strategy he announced earlier this month.

President Obama has authorized several risky military missions in the past year and can claim major successes: the killing of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan; the airstrike that killed terrorism suspect Anwar al-Awlaki in Yemen; and the ongoing drone strikes in Pakistan.

Our weekend preview includes an Asian celebration of the Lunar New Year, a favorite Tijuana pastime of roller-skating, and a Bible interpretation by Oscar Wilde and Richard Strauss.

The Encinitas City Council approved placing the Surfing Madonna at the entrance of Moonlight Beach Park. But there is one more hurdle artist Mark Patterson needs to get through before he brings the mosaic out of storage.

California Community Colleges' apprenticeship programs are strapped for cash as President Obama calls for more support.

One man's search for his severed hand drives the dark comedy of "A Behanding in Spokane," which makes its Southern California premiere at Cygnet Theatre.

The guidelines, known as a forest planning rule, will encourage forest restoration and watershed protection while creating opportunities for the timber industry and those who use the forest for recreation.

Officials today will celebrate the start of construction of a permanent downtown homeless shelter.

The value of Iran's currency — which had been sliding steadily for months — took another plunge this week. Faced with new economic sanctions from the U.S. and Europe, the rial now seems to be in free fall.

The $6 million Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament will begin play today on the Torrey Pines North and South Golf Courses, with Tiger Woods about 8,000 miles away in Abu Dhabi.

A shark warning was in effect for Imperial Beach today after a group of surfers spotted a great white just off the coast.

In a wide-ranging interview with NPR, the GOP presidential candidate talked about everything from civil rights to a graduated tax.

President Obama is in Nevada on Thursday, a state he won with the Latino vote. Enthusiasm for him has waned among this key electorate. But a proposed change to an immigration procedure could raise his popularity among Hispanics.