Brian Melley

Associated Press

Light traffic and a mostly empty parking lot is seen along Pacific Coast Highway at the Santa Monica Pier, Monday, March 23, 2020, in Santa Monica, Calif.

Calif. Scrambles for Protection Gear

The state is trying to acquire about 1 billion sets of gloves and hundreds of millions of gowns, surgical masks and face shields.

About 15 people protest Friday, Jan. 24, 2020, in Los Angeles outside the headquarters of the regulatory body for domain names, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. The company that controls the dot-org online universe is putting the registry of domain names up for sale, and the nonprofits that often use the suffix in their websites are raising concerns about the move. ICANN is meeting this weekend and is expected to rule by mid-February on plans by private-equity firm Ethos Capital to buy the Public Interest Registry for $1.1 billion.

Protesters Have Fears Over Dot-Org Sale

Some fear soaring costs if for-profit company is in charge of registering .org websites.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk, second from left, arrives at U.S. District Court Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2019, in Los Angeles. Musk is going on trial for his troublesome tweets in a case pitting the billionaire against a British diver he allegedly dubbed a pedophile.

Cave Explorer Describes Humiliation Following Musk Tweet

He helped rescue a dozen boys and their soccer coach from a flooded cave last year.

In this frame grab from video, Tesla CEO Elon Musk leaves court, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2019, in Los Angeles. Musk denied that he meant to call a British cave diver a pedophile when he dubbed him 'pedo guy' on social media.

Musk Says Insult Provoked ‘Pedo Guy’ Tweet

The Tesla CEO was upset the spelunker had belittled his efforts to build a mini-submarine to transport the boys to safety.

In this March 14, 2019, file photo, Tesla CEO Elon Musk speaks before unveiling the Model Y at Tesla's design studio in Hawthorne, Calif. Musk is going on trial for his troublesome tweets in a case pitting the billionaire against a British diver he allegedly dubbed a pedophile.

Musk Faces Defamation Trial Over Tweet

The case pits the billionaire against a British diver he allegedly branded a pedophile.

In this Oct. 31, 2019, file photo, smoke from a wildfire known as the Maria Fire billows above Santa Paula, Calif. A new technology being tested by California utilities is aimed at diagnosing problems before they could cause power outages or spark wildfires. The technology invented by Texas A&M University was designed to provide greater reliability for utility customers, but its biggest selling point could be its use in preventing disasters.

Technology Could Help Prevent Wildfires

The tool was originally developed to detect power line problems before blackouts and bigger disasters.

Carlos Lama of Bayside Cafe, which was among businesses to lose power due to PG&E's public safety power shutoff, uses an LED lamp and light from his phone at the counter of the restaurant in Sausalito, Calif., Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2019. More than a million people in California were without electricity Wednesday as the state's largest utility pulled the plug to prevent a repeat of the past two years when windblown power lines sparked deadly wildfires that destroyed thousands of homes.

Millions Waiting for Electricity

PG&E has warned that they might have to do without power for days after the winds subside because "every inch" of the power system must be inspected.

In this May 8, 2009 file photo, Liu Zhongtian, the Chinese billionaire chairman of the China Zhongwang Holdings Limited, celebrates at the company's listing ceremony in the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Liu has been charged in Los Angeles in a complex scheme to avoid $1.8 billion in aluminum tariffs, U.S. prosecutors said, Wednesday, July 31, 2019. Liu and the aluminum company he previously headed, were charged with conspiracy, wire fraud and money laundering.

Billionaire Indicted in Import Scheme

It was a complex scheme to avoid $1.8 billion in tariffs.

This file photo shows steamed milk floating atop a cup of coffee at a cafe in Los Angeles. California has officially concluded coffee does not pose a 'significant' cancer risk.

Coffee Cancer Risk Insignificant

Regulators had been forced to issue a ruling due to the presence of acrylamide, which California says can cause cancer. Further research actually found just the opposite.

In this July 21, 2015, file photo, a nearly ready-to-harvest almond is seen in an orchard in Newman, Calif. On Thursday, May 9, 2019, California regulators are recommending new restrictions on a widely used pesticide blamed for harming babies' brains.

CA Bans Pesticide for Impact on Babies

DowDuPont, which produces the pesticide, said it was disappointed with the decision.

In this May 13, 2004 file photo, a foreman watches workers pick fruit in an orchard in Arvin, Calif. California regulators recommended new restrictions Thursday, Nov. 15, 2018, on a widely used pesticide blamed for harming the brains of babies.

CA Recommends New Pesticide Regs

The pesticide is chemically similar to a nerve gas developed by Nazi Germany before World War II.

In this Jan. 16, 2016 file photo, protestors wearing gas masks attend a hearing over a gas leak at the southern California Gas Company's Aliso Canyon Storage Facility near the Porter Ranch section of Los Angeles. A tentative settlement has been reached in litigation stemming from a leak at a Los Angeles storage field where a massive methane release forced thousands from their homes three years ago.

Utility to Pay $120M Over Gas Leak

The settlement aims to mitigate the greenhouse gases that spewed uncontrollably for nearly four months.