Los Angeles, California - California voters are less optimistic about the quality of life for the state’s next generation than their own, but by overwhelming margins believe the Golden State is the best place to live, according to the latest results of the USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times Poll.

Davis, California - Are “mute” cicadas really mute? If so, how do they communicate and attract mates?

Stanford, California - The blurring of the boundaries between humanity and technology will shape the future of civilization, a Stanford scholar says.

Fresno, California - A federal grand jury has returned separate indictments against Mikkey Santos, 18; Tyrone Smith, 19; Javier Lamadrid, 33; Humberto Garcia, 23; and Michael Johnson, 35, all of Fresno; and Samuel Zaragoza-Villanueva, 37, of Mexico, for violating federal firearm laws, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced Friday.

Stanford, California - California has experienced more frequent drought years in the last two decades than it has in the past several centuries. That observed uptick is primarily the result of rising temperatures in the region, which have climbed to record highs as a result of climate change, Stanford scientists say.

Los Angeles, California - With its inventive imagery, music and dance, the award-winning Latino Theater Company (LTC) re-imagines the ancient Roman playwright Plautus's comedy Pot of Gold, inspired by the Rumberas films of the golden age of Mexican Cinema. La Olla - Plautus's Pot of Gold, directed by the company’s artistic director José Luis Valenzuela, takes a sharp comedic look at the perils of show business, and how ambition and greed can often line the road to stardom.