Fifteen people were shot during a Juneteenth celebration in Oakland, California. That’s according to Oakland police. The violence broke out Wednesday night during an event at Lake Merritt that was peaceful until a sideshow involving “motorbikes and vehicles” occurred. Police say a fight broke out down the street from the sideshow and a crowd gathered. No suspects have been taken into custody in connection with the shooting. At least one person was taken into custody for assaulting an officer. Police announced the injuries during a news conference Thursday.

The California Supreme Court has removed a measure from the state’s November ballot that would have made it harder to raise taxes. Gov. Gavin Newsom and his Democratic allies in the state Legislature had sued to remove the measure. On Thursday the California Supreme Court sided with them. The initiative would have required voter approval for tax increases passed by the state Legislature. It also would have changed the threshold for voter approval of certain local tax increases. Some local tax hikes now require a simple majority of voters to approve them. The new measure would have required two-thirds of voter support for those.

Police say 15 people were shot during Juneteenth celebration in Oakland, California.

Federal authorities have raided a home belonging to Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao as part of an investigation that included a search of at least two other houses. FBI agents early Thursday carried boxes out of 80 Maiden Lane, a four-bedroom home that property records link to the first-term mayor. The mayor's spokesperson referred inquiries to the FBI, which confirmed only “court-authorized law enforcement activity.” The San Francisco Chronicle reports agents also conducted searches about 3 miles to the south at two homes owned by members of a politically influential family.

Not content with merely taking a victory lap after winning his battle last month against fellow rap superstar Drake, Kendrick Lamar turned his Juneteenth “Pop Out” concert into a celebration of Los Angeles unity. The 37-year-old rapper curated a three-hour livestreamed concert featuring a mix of up-and-coming LA rappers and stars including Dr. Dre and Tyler, The Creator. He performed his Drake diss songs “Euphoria” and “6:16 in LA" and finally “Not Like Us," which he rapped in full four times. The audience of 17,000 people at the Forum in Inglewood, California included The Weeknd, LeBron James, Ayo Edebiri and Rick Ross.

A California man charged with killing a gay University of Pennsylvania student in an alleged hate crime six years ago has taken the stand in his own trial. Samuel Woodward testified on Tuesday about how the two men connected on social media and went to a park. It was the last time the victim was seen. Woodward is charged with murder with an enhancement for a hate crime in the death of 19-year-old gay Jewish college sophomore Blaze Bernstein. Bernstein was home visiting family in Southern California on winter break when he disappeared. Bernstein’s body was found days later buried in a shallow grave in a nearby park.

A California judge has ruled that a man convicted of killing 19-year-old college student Kristin Smart in 1996 must pay just over $350,000 to her family for costs they incurred after her death. Monterey County Superior Court Judge Jennifer O'Keefe ordered Paul Flores to make the payments Monday after a hearing last week. The family told the court about how much they spent on travel, a private investigator, billboards seeking information and other expenses. Smart's family offered to forgo restitution if Flores would tell them where her body is. A defense attorney says they did not know. Flores maintains his innocence.

The California Senate has approved a bill that would ban school districts from requiring teachers to notify parents if their child asks to go by a new pronoun at school. The legislation applies to any policies that require school staff to disclose a student's gender identity or sexual orientation to anyone else without the child's permission. It now heads to the state Assembly. Proponents of the bill say it will help protect students who live in unwelcoming households. But opponents of the proposal say so-called parental notification policies help provide transparency to parents.

Firefighters have increased containment of a large wildfire in mountains north of Los Angeles after a weekend of explosive growth along Interstate 5. The Post Fire is 8% surrounded Monday after scorching more than 24 square miles and forcing the evacuation of at least 1,200 peoples from a recreation area on Saturday. The fire broke out as weather turned hot and windy in a region where grasses spawned by a rainy winter have long since dried out and are ready to burn. Meanwhile in Northern California, a wildfire sparked Sunday near Lake Sonoma is 20% surrounded after charring nearly 2 square miles.

Strong winds are pushing flames from a wildfire through dry brush in mountains along Interstate 5 north of Los Angeles. Officials on Sunday warned residents in the fire’s path to be prepared to leave if the blaze explodes in size again. LA County’s first major wildfire of the year swiftly grew to nearly 23 square miles, one day after it forced the evacuation of at least 1,200 campers, off-roaders and hikers from a recreation area. The blaze, dubbed the Post Fire, was just 2% contained. In Northern California, a small wildfire prompted evacuation orders in a sparsely populated area near Lake Sonoma.

Two people were killed when a vintage airplane crashed and burst into flames near a Southern California airfield during a weekend father's day event hosted by an air museum. The Federal Aviation Administration says the twin-engine Lockheed 12A crashed shortly after 12:30 p.m. Saturday just west of Chino Airport in San Bernardino County. A fire official says firefighters doused the flames within 10 minutes before finding the two people dead inside. The victims' names were not released as of Sunday afternoon. The plane belonged to the Yanks Air Museum, which was hosting its Pops & Props event, although it was not immediately clear whether that plane was part of the show.

Authorities say they have identified a homicide victim whose remains were first found in a Southern California city 41 years ago. The Orange County Sheriff's Department says the victim was a Panamanian native named Maritza Glean Grimmett who was 20 years old at the time of her disappearance. Children first found the victim's human skull while playing in an area in Orange County. The investigation involved a DNA analysis of the victim's remains. The analysis helped authorities discover relatives, they say. The investigation is ongoing.

A Los Angeles County firefighter has been killed after responding to a vehicle fire at a quarry in a desert community north of Los Angeles. L.A. County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone says an explosion occurred shortly after a firefighting crew arrived at the quarry in Littlerock around 2:10 p.m. Friday, killing the 19-year veteran firefighter who was based in the nearby city of Palmdale. Marrone says he doesn't know how the fire in the front end loader started or what exploded. He says the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s office will conduct an investigation. The name of the firefighter has not been released.

A couple hiking in the desert south of Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California has been rescued after running out of water. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office says a man called 911 and reported that his girlfriend was dehydrated and weak. A search and rescue helicopter crew on June 9 found the couple in an area known as Painted Canyon. Temperatures reached triple digits that day. The Sheriff’s Office posted a video online showing the helicopter hovering above the couple lying on the desert floor. The man and women were then hoisted into the helicopter one by one.

California has become a leader in curbing methane emissions from dairy farms, a major source of the greenhouse gas. In recent decades, digesters that convert cow manure and other organic waste into biomethane to create electricity or to fuel vehicles have spread nationally, and the number is expected to grow. But this touted climate solution is controversial: Environmental justice organizations say mostly low-income, Latino communities are dealing with pollution generated by nearby digesters, and they want California to stop providing financial incentives for more. They say policies favor large industrial dairies, entrenching unsustainable animal agriculture and encouraging production of waste.

Two people have been killed in a single-engine plane crash in Northern California. The Alpine County Sheriff’s Office says the crash occurred Thursday, about 10 miles south of South Lake Tahoe. Deputies were notified of an overdue aircraft around 1 a.m. Thursday and the Luscombe 8A aircraft’s GPS transponder showed that the plane was in a mountainous area near Luther Pass. The two occupants were pronounced dead at the scene. Their names have not been made public. The National Transportation Safety Board said it was investigating the crash.

The California Legislature has passed its own version of a state spending plan that rejects many of Gov. Gavin Newsom's budget cuts. Thursday's vote was not really a public rebuke of Newsom. The Legislature had to pass a balanced budget before Saturday in order to keep getting paid while negotiations with the governor continue. The Legislature's proposal outlines their differences with Newsom. The second-term governor had proposed a number of cuts to social service programs. Democrats mostly rejected those cuts. They proposed speeding up a temporary tax increase on some businesses to pay for it. The new fiscal year begins July 1.

Prosecutors say a man charged with taking three people hostage while robbing a Southern California bank last month had been released from prison a day earlier. The 53-year-old was indicted on robbery charges after investigators said he claimed to have a gun, jumped over the teller counter and began stuffing cash in his pockets at a BMO bank in Anaheim on May 8. Officials say the man ordered the bank manager and two other employees into a storage room. He was arrested at the scene. Prosecutors said Wednesday he had been released from San Quentin on May 7.

A kite surfer was rescued after using rocks to spell out the word “HELP” when he became stranded on a Northern California beach last weekend. Cal Fire says the kite surfer got stuck Sunday on a narrow beach at the base of towering bluffs with the tide coming in. His “HELP” sign was spotted by a private helicopter and authorities were alerted. A rescue helicopter hoisted the kite surfer to the top of the cliff and he did not need medical attention. The area about 65 miles south of San Francisco is described as somewhat remote, with beaches that are notorious for strong winds, rip currents and cold water.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to back out of a deal he made last year to pay doctors more money to treat Medicaid patients. It's part of his plan to cover an estimated $45 billion budget deficit this year. But Newsom might not have a choice. Doctors have placed a measure on the November ballot that could force California to pay them more to treat Medicaid patients. It's the latest example of budgeting by the ballot box in California. The Newsom administration has had conversations with stakeholders about potentially pulling this measure from the ballot. The deadline to do so would be June 27.

A state judge has ordered academic workers at the University of California to temporarily halt their weekslong strike over the war in Gaza. An Orange County judge issued the emergency restraining order on Friday after UC officials argued the ongoing strike would cause irreversible harm as students are nearing finals. United Auto Workers Local 4811 represents 48,000 graduate students who work as teaching assistants, researchers and other academic employees on the 10-campus UC system. The union started its strike May 20 to protest campus treatment of members who participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations.