With the Colorado River’s giant reservoirs declining toward critically low levels, negotiators for California, Arizona and Nevada announced a new water-saving plan for the next two years. Representatives of the three states said in a written statement Friday night that their plan aims to “stabilize the Colorado River through 2028.” It will require larger cuts in water use than they had pledged previously in talks with other states and the federal government.

The Los Angeles County Superior Court has launched new programs that seek to facilitate settlements by providing free attorneys to tenants and financial relief to landlords who are owed back rent. These tenants, who rarely come to court with legal representation, will be given a free attorney to guide them though the settlement conferences, as long as they earn less than 125% of the federal poverty level.

(Subscription required) The pass rate on California's February bar exam plummeted to 30.8%, marking a dramatic return from last year's unusual score spike to the usual pattern of high failure rates on the Golden State's annual late winter test. The pass rate is the lowest recorded in the last six years and the second lowest mark in four decades, according to figures released Friday by the state bar.

(Subscription required) Former FTC attorney Faye C. Barnouw brings a consumer protection mindset and a photographer's eye to the bench, handling hundreds of misdemeanor cases each week while focusing on fairness, preparation and rehabilitation.