By ROBERT LEWIS, Sacramento Bee

The Great Recession may have devastated development across the region, but it has proven a boon for public land trusts, nonprofit groups that use public funds and private donations to buy land for conservation.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Alexis McGee, founder of Foreclosures.com, made a national reputation by helping investors find and buy distressed properties whose owners were struggling to stave off foreclosure.

Now those investors might have an unlikely prize in a large new Craftsman-style home in Fair Oaks, Calif., that's scheduled for sale on the courthouse steps early next month.

Local governments across California are poised to roll back pension benefits for public employees.

Sacramento County officials have had more than a half-dozen meetings with their counterparts in nearby counties and cities as part of a collaborative effort to set more conservative, uniform pension guidelines.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Who is Jeremy Daniel Phillips?

He's the mystery man listed as having approved allegedly fraudulent documents a Roseville, Calif., contractor used to win $3.5 million worth of federal stimulus-funded contracts to install water meters for the city of Sacramento.

When the city of Vallejo filed for bankruptcy protection in May, the logical question was: Is this a sign of things to come?Now two more California cities -- Rio Vista and Isleton -- are considering bankruptcy protection as an option as they face large budget shortfalls and staggering debt.