California relies heavily on PHOS-CHEK fire retardant to battle wildfires. But as toxic metals are found in the drops, and lawsuits mount, questions are being asked about what’s really in the red mist.

The state Senate Public Safety Committee also voted Tuesday on a bill that would expand an existing law allowing certain victims to ask a court to vacate their conviction.

California is deploying highly skilled urban search and rescue teams to Texas to assist with search and rescue efforts following severe flooding, the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services said on Monday.

Texas officials say 161 people are still considered missing after devastating July 4 floods. But the count of the missing may not be very precise.

After 27 years of planning and providing educational programs for youngsters, Marianne Bird, 4-H youth development advisor, retired from University of California Cooperative Extension in Sacramento County on July 1.

Half a dozen homes were threatened when a wildfire broke out on Corning Road at Maette Drive near Freeman Schoolhouse Road about five miles west of Corning on July 7.

A new wildfire was reported 2:45 a.m. May 29 in Siskiyou County, California. The wildfire has been active for two years.

The CHP reports it was abandoned on the shoulder of the highway before the flames broke out that could have spread to nearby vegetation.