The officer tangled with another driver before shooting himself in the torso, police say. He is in the hospital and is expected to recover.

A red flag warning is in effect for much of Northern California, as high winds and low humidity are expected to combine to create critical fire weather.

Prosecutors in the admissions scandal cases shifted arguments, telling a judge that parents’ behavior — not how much they paid — should determine prison time.

A 22-year-old man was killed when his motorcycle crashed into a raised center median on a Newport Beach street and was run over by a hit-and-run motorist on Sunday, authorities said. The coroner’s office identified the motorcyclist as Ruben Rodriguez Banuelos of Rancho Cucamonga. The crash was just before 2 a.m. Sunday on Irvine Avenue…

A patrol car driven by a Santa Ana police officer collided with another vehicle early Monday, with the officer taken to the hospital. The crash occurred about 1:30 a.m. at Civic Center Drive and Main Street, Santa Ana police Cmdr. M. Moreno said. The officer was hospitalized with stable vital signs, Santa Ana police Cpl….

Tens of thousands of independent contractors apparently don’t feel exploited. And they don’t want anything to do with formal employment or unions.

Plus, a look at the week ahead and the biggest stories shaping California.

Chinatown is about to lose G and G Market as well as Ai Hoa Market, leaving the neighborhood without a full-service Chinese grocery store.

RICHLAND, Texas — A U.S. Marine believed to have left Arizona for California’s Camp Pendleton never arrived, but was found days later at a Texas rest area, unharmed. Lance Cpl. Job Wallace was taken into custody Saturday night by Naval Criminal Investigative Service and other law enforcement officers at a rest area in Navarro County,…

ORANGE – A driver was killed in Orange early Sunday morning when a pickup truck crashed into a fire hydrant and then a pole, police said. The single-vehicle crash occurred at 2:30 a.m. in the area of North Tustin Street and East Vanowen Avenue, creating a geyser and street flooding. The driver, who was alone…