Rep. Steve Knight (R-Palmdale) told the crowd at his packed town hall in Simi Valley that he figured many of them wanted to talk about North Korea. Then the shouts of "Russia" started.

"We won't talk about North Korea," he said. "OK. Somebody please ask a question about a person who might start a war out there." 

Knight engaged in about an hour of sometimes testy back-and-forth with the largely liberal crowd as they grilled him on his stances on various issues.  

Rep. Duncan Hunter, get ready to meet Duncan Thumper, a giant rabbit.

With two cute ears, a pair of beady eyes and a little white tail, Thumper is the anthropomorphic personification of the Alpine Republican's pet rabbit that took a cross-country flight paid for by the congressman’s political campaign.

Thumper will be the image of a political action committee, Bunny PAC, dedicated to focusing on the campaign finance scandal that has hounded Hunter for the last year.

The state Capitol became a bit more adorable on Tuesday, as backers and opponents of a proposal to impose new restrictions on pet stores trotted out some furry friends to make their cases.

A bill by Assemblyman Patrick O'Donnell (D-Long Beach) would prohibit pet stores in California from selling live dogs, cats or rabbits unless the animal was obtained from a shelter or rescue group.

More than 30 cities, including Los Angeles and Sacramento, already have such ordinances on the books, which are meant to clamp down on "puppy mills" that can lead to exploitative breeding practices.

Celebrity bounty hunters Duane “Dog” and Beth Chapman on Tuesday were among dozens of bounty hunters and bail agents to voice opposition to a state bill that would drastically transform the way judges award criminal defendants bail in California.

The packed hearing before the Assembly Public Safety Committee signals the ramping up of what state lawmakers have predicted will likely be the largest criminal justice battle at the Capitol this legislative session.

As Californians rush to file their personal income taxes before a midnight deadline, budget writers in Sacramento are expecting more than $1 billion in payments on Tuesday to help balance the state's books.

Brown's budget team has projected a total of $14 billion in income tax revenues this month, a slight uptick from actual returns in April of last year. An analysis by the independent Legislative Analyst's Office shows that total collections for the month are currently running about 10% above the same time last year.

The final totals as of April 30 are crucial to crafting both Brown's revised budget plan, which will be presented to the Legislature next month, and the final plan lawmakers must put in place by June 30.

The California Department of Motor Vehicles isn't making sure that people issued placards for disabled parking should actually have them, a state audit released Tuesday found.

Among other problems, the audit found the agency hasn't canceled tens of thousands of the permits issued to people who have died, which has allowed some placards to be misused by their heirs.

The state has 2.9 million placards and disabled license plates in service that are meant to allow motorists with medical disabilities to park in disabled parking spots and curbside in metered spots for free and beyond time restrictions.

Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Turlock) said Monday night that he wouldn't support his party's healthcare legislation unless it left significant parts of Obamacare intact. 

"I've expressed to leadership that I'm a 'no' on the healthcare vote until it is responsive to my community," he said during a town hall meeting with hundreds of voters in his district.

"There are things in the Affordable Care Act we expect to stay," Denham added, such as coverage for pre-existing conditions and expanded Medicaid coverage.

I’m not going to ask the previous president that I served under to show his birth certificate any more than I would ask this president to show his taxes.