Like the lead character in "The Da Vinci Code," Deputy Mark Schlegel, too, looks for symbols in artwork to find the hidden message. But he's not looking at paintings or architecture — he's examining tattoos on arms and legs, and gang drawings.

   Video: Santa Rita Jail gang classification

`Something went terribly wrong' in incident that left two-year veteran injured, canine dead

Residents scrambled down stairs with arms full of possessions and piled them up on the sidewalk this morning as they raced to get out before more of the sandy cliff behind the Esplanade Apartments tumbled into the Pacific Ocean.

n Man says police harassed him, causing emotional and physical distress

A father of four children, Lyndon Balagot, died Thursday morning in a fire at his home near Jefferson Elementary School, his family members said. The blaze reportedly broke out around 2:15 a.m. at the home in the 4000 block of Mera Street. Firefighters arrived minutes later to find the back of the house covered in flames and Balagot's family gathered outside.

AIDS awareness art competitionLamorinda students took the three top spots in an annual HIV/AIDS awareness art competition.Awards for the 2009 "Don't Turn Your Back on AIDS" were presented Dec.

Police notes from Lafayette, Moraga and Orinda

n Neighbor discovered woman's body inside her Alameda Point home on Dec. 11

SCOTTS VALLEY — A semi-truck overturned on Highway 17 yesterday, spilling 39,000 pounds of frozen fish onto the roadway, causing a lengthy traffic backup.

A graduate of the Martinez school may face prison and a fine after attending a reunion in Marine uniform.

El Cerrito and the school board continue to debate a relocation from a seismically unsafe campus.

Clothing, sleeping bags and other essentials will be given away Monday.

The 2010 California governors race, already an entertaining reality show, is exhibiting signs of morphing into an expensive, combative new series - Battle of the Super Rich. Republican state Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner ensured as much this week...

Republican former eBay CEO Meg Whitman, who has spent more than $20 million in her campaign to become Californias next governor, holds commanding leads over her two GOP competitors, while nearly half the partys likely voters are undecided, a new poll shows...

Mayor Gavin Newsom struck a deal Wednesday with the U.S. Navy to transfer Treasure Island to San Francisco for a $55 million guaranteed payment over several years. Additional considerations could make the package worth more than $105 million to the federal...

A state assemblyman is sponsoring legislation that would make it a crime to not report violent attacks, a proposal made in response to the gang rape of a Richmond High School student in October - and reports that 20 witnesses failed to report the assault...

California court leaders, responding to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on judicial conflicts of interest, want to disqualify judges from any case in which they have received at least $1,500 in campaign contributions from either side. The state Judicial Council...

San Franciscos school superintendent has laid down the law when it comes to the use of district-issued credit cards by school board members, issuing an edict that prohibits spending on personal items and limits gratuities to 15 percent. The new policy,...