WOMAN'S DEATH DUE TO DOG MAULING: SAN DIEGO (AP) — San Diego County sheriff's officials have determined that one or more American bulldogs were responsible for the death of a woman whose bloodied body was found in a backyard of a home where she was working.
Lt. Glenn Giannantonio says eight American bulldogs were loose in the Fallbrook backyard where the 30-year-old was found on Sunday.
The woman had been hired to clean the house while the residents were out of town. She was discovered by a family member who came to pick her up.
An autopsy revealed the woman had been mauled by at least one dog, causing her death.
Animal control officers have impounded the animals, and will investigate to determine whether criminal charges should be filed against the homeowners.
The homeowners will also be investigated for having 24 marijuana plants.
10 CHARGED IN CALIF FOR GROWING POT ON PUBLIC LAND: SAN DIEGO (AP) — Federal law enforcement officials say ten people have been charged with growing marijuana on public land in Southern California.
Six of the ten were arrested Tuesday, and the other four are being sought as part of an investigation dubbed Operation Mountain High.
The Los Angeles Times reports agents searched 15 locations in El Cajon, Lakeside and Valley Center in San Diego County, as well as Temecula, Perris and Hemet in Riverside County. Of the ten people charged, nine are from Riverside County and one is from San Diego County.
Sites used for growing included locations in the Cleveland National Forest and Palomar Mountain in San Diego County.
CITY PROPOSES CITIZENS' WELL-BEING STUDY: SANTA MONICA (AP) — Once referred to as the "people's republic of Santa Monica" because of its socially conscious government, the Los Angeles coastal suburb now wants to find out whether its citizens are feeling groovy.
Santa Monica officials are seeking a grant to create the nation's first municipal well-being index.
City officials and Rand Corp. researchers propose tracking the physical health, social connectedness and community resilience of residents.
Santa Monica made the proposal in hopes of winning a $5 million Bloomberg Philanthropies grant. It's one of 20 Mayors Challenge finalists named last week.
The city has already completed a youth well-being study that found most students were healthy and felt safe at school.
GUARD DOG BUSINESSMAN FACES ANIMAL CRUELTY CHARGES: LOS ANGELES (AP) — The owner of a Southern California guard dog rental business has been arrested after dead and malnourished animals were found on his property.
The Torrance Daily Breeze says 51-year-old Charles Ferguson was arrested Tuesday.
He was charged with three felony and nine misdemeanor counts following an investigation by Los Angeles humane society officers.
If convicted, he could be sentenced to nearly 14 years in prison and fined $240,000.
Authorities say an anonymous tip led humane officers to Ferguson's J.R. Ewing Guard Dogs Inc. in the unincorporated Athens area near Gardena.
Investigators found dead dogs and several animals that appeared to be malnourished.
HOMELESS OC BANK ROBBERY SUSPECT SOUGHT ARREST: WESTMINSTER (AP) — A homeless man who tried to stick up a Southern California bank is getting what he really came for — not money, but a place to stay.
Authorities say James Lannon told officers who arrested him at a Wells Fargo bank in Westminster on Tuesday that he was homeless and seeking shelter. He added that he also needed heart medication he could no longer afford, and figured if he was in jail they'd provide it for him.
The events leading to his arrest began Tuesday morning when authorities say Lannon, 55, walked into the bank and handed a teller a robbery note.
"The teller turned around and said, 'We're being robbed,'" FBI agent Chris Gicking told City News Service.
As people ducked for cover, Lannon walked to the lobby, sat down and waited for police to arrive.
SAN DIEGO TO PAY $675,000 OVER POLICE SEX CASE: SAN DIEGO (AP) — San Diego will pay $675,000 to a woman who claimed she was groped by a former police officer.
U-T San Diego says the City Council approved the payment on Tuesday.
The woman claimed Anthony Arevalos touched her breasts after he stopped her on suspicion of drunken driving two years ago.
Arevalos was convicted last year of soliciting sexual favors from women he stopped in return for letting them go.
He's serving a nearly nine-year sentence for sexual battery, bribery and other crimes.
UNARMED MINUTEMAN 3 MISSILE REACHES TARGET AREA: VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE (AP) — An unarmed intercontinental ballistic missile blasted from a silo at the West Coast's Vandenberg Air Force Base early Wednesday and successfully reached a target area 4,200 miles away in the Pacific Ocean, the Air Force said.
The Minuteman 3 missile with a simulated re-entry vehicle was launched at 3:07 a.m. Wednesday and it reached the Kwajalein Atoll about 30 minutes later, said Col. Brent McArthur, vice commander of Vandenberg's 30th Space Wing.
The launch was initiated by an aircraft crew employing the Airborne Launch Control System.
The military conducts several Minuteman 3 tests each year at the Santa Barbara County base to determine the weapon system's accuracy and reliability.
Vandenberg's 576th Flight Test Squadron installs tracking, telemetry and command destruct systems for the missions.
CSU SEEKS $372M MORE FROM STATE IN $4.5B BUDGET: LOS ANGELES (AP) — The California State University board of trustees has approved a $4.5 billion budget for 2013-14 that includes a request for $372 million in additional state funds.
The board on Wednesday approved the spending plan that calls for increasing enrollment by 5 percent, or 20,000 students, as well as funding additional courses for current students.
Robert Turnage, the assistant vice chancellor for budget, says the budget strikes a reasonable balance between the state's fiscal realities and student demand at Cal State, which serves 427,000 students at 23 campuses.
Increasing enrollment will cost about $156 million, and will generate about $70 million in revenue.
The budget also includes $86.3 million to give 3 percent raises to faculty and staff, subject to labor contracts, and $50 million for urgent maintenance needs.
