California law bans former state lawmakers from becoming lobbyists until they’ve been out of office for a year. But public interest groups say many firms find a way to employ ex-lawmakers anyway.

The University of San Diego's index of leading economic indicators continues to show slow but steady economic growth in the coming year.

The director of a new shelter for homeless women and children in North County died unexpectedly on New Year’s Day, two weeks before the project is due to open.

The new U.S. Congress has more Latinos than ever before.

MARKET WARRIORS head to Walnut, Iowa, to the Walnut Antique Show, with a new competitor in the mix. The target assignment is gold, and Mark L. Walberg injects some quick wit when one of the pickers goes for a broad interpretation the others aren’t buying. Some key finds include a Herman Miller chair, an aluminum plane and a piece of tramp art (a woodcutting style that involves layers of whittled pieces).

Today’s approval is conditional, based mostly on the state's ability to meet federal guidelines and satisfy conditions of its own plans for the new marketplace.

In Corpus Christi, Texas, ANTIQUES ROADSHOW discovers a million-dollar item when a guest brings in a Diego Rivera oil painting created in 1904 when the artist was just 18 years old! Other highlights include a 1967 painting by Alexander Calder; a Japanese bronze depicting a mythical figure; and a giant Fisk “Tire Boy” sign valued at $8,000 to $12,000.

As Americans continue to sort out the contents of the fiscal cliff legislative package passed by Congress Tuesday, they are finding elements they like and some they hate.

Avis is leaping into the car-sharing service business by buying Zipcar for $491.2 million, aiming to capture a new type of customer and technology that will vastly expand its car rental options.

Two new members of San Diego's congressional delegation were sworn in by House Speaker John Boehner today.

It may be more famous now than any time in its 1,300-year history as the setting of “Downton Abbey,” but England’s Highclere Castle has its own stories to tell. In its heyday, Highclere was the social epicenter of Edwardian England. See how all the inhabitants of Highclere lived, from the aristocrats who enjoyed a life of luxury to the army of servants toiling “below stairs.” Also find out how the current inhabitants, Lord and Lady Carnarvon, spend their $1 million in annual upkeep funds and what life in a fairytale castle is like today.

Transocean, the owner of the Deepwater Horizon rig where 11 men died in April 2010, has agreed to pay $1.4 billion in criminal and civil penalties to resolve Justice Department allegations over its role in the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

A perfect storm of unusual election events may keep some residents of the newly redistricted San Diego City Council District 4 from being able to vote for their own City Council representative.

Austin City Limits presents the evolution of electric guitar music with Sonic Youth and The Black Keys. Sonic Youth showcases the avant-garde rock of its latest album "The Eternal," while The Black Keys highlights the classic blues rock of its recent record "Brothers."

Filmmaker Katie Norris got one step closer today to making a documentary about the life of Staff Sgt. Travis Mills, one of only five quadruple amputees to survive the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. She hit her Kickstarter goal of $12,000 this morning - and that dollar amount continues to climb.

It's a new year, which is the perfect excuse to try something new. From free nature walks to free live music, here are some suggestions for your weekend to-do list.

Students at San Diego Second Chance--the homeless, the jobless, the under-educated, even those with a criminal record--can become productive members of society if they can learn to follow the rules.

The 113th Congress is now in session. The gavels have been dropped in both the House and Senate. So, work on the People's Business has begun.

A Texas prosecutor says a grand jury will consider the case involving a train collision that killed four veterans who were riding on a parade float.

By letting the House take up the Senate's fiscal cliff-dodging legislation that raises income tax rates on the wealthiest earners, Speaker John Boehner answered affirmatively a question that had been on many minds: Would he allow an up-or-down floor vote on a bill opposed by most fellow House Republicans?

President Barack Obama signed a $633 billion defense bill for next year despite serious concerns about the limits Congress imposed on his handling of terror suspects and lawmakers' unwillingness to back the cost-saving retirement of aging ships and aircraft.

A panel of appellate court justices in Santa Ana have ruled that lower court judges erred when they took primary custody of his son away from a Camp Pendleton-based Marine while he was on a tour of duty in Afghanistan, according to records obtained this week.

A federal judge has ruled that President Barack Obama's administration doesn't have to publicly disclose its legal justification for the drone attacks and other methods it has used to kill terrorism suspects overseas.

California wind energy supporters are pleased that Congress turned back conservative headwinds and approved a one-year extension of tax credits for their industry.

These days the majority of babies in Mexico are born in hospitals, but that hasn't helped reduce the number of maternal deaths. So health officials are now betting a new kind of midwife, one trained in a clinical setting, may be a solution.

Landmark Theatres presents a two-week long retrospective of Japanese animation called The Studio Ghibli Collection, and it offers a great opportunity to see the works of master animator and storyteller Hayao Miyazaki on the big screen.