Fines

California's political watchdog agency may soon ask state tax officials or a court to seize funds from a state pension board member who has failed to pay two fines for ethics code violations. Garnishing wages or placing a lien on future tax refunds of Priya Mathur, an eight-year veteran of the California Public Employees' Retirement System board, are the next steps the Fair Political Practices Commission would take if she doesn't pay $7,000 in fines, said Roman Porter, the agency's executive director.

Italy has fined Apple 900,000 euros, or about $1.2 million, accusing the tech giant of selling consumers two-year AppleCare warranties when they were entitled to free two-year warranties under Italian law. The Italian Antitrust Authority said in a statement that instead of offering consumers a no-cost, two-year warranty and tech-support plan, Apple offered only a one-year plan and charged consumers an extension fee for the second year in the form...

Eleven California hospitals were fined $25,000 each in administrative penalties Thursday for violations that, in some cases, led to death or serious injury, according to Department of Public Health officials. Most of the hospitals fined were in Southern California, and about half were cited because doctors or hospital staff had left foreign objects in patients after surgery. Coast Plaza Doctors Hospital in Norwalk and Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center were fined for failing to follow proper surgical procedures.

It turns out it wasn't best left undone. NBA Commissioner David Stern said the league fined LeBron James $25,000 for skipping the postgame news conference after Cleveland lost to Orlando in the Eastern Conference finals. James also stormed off the court without shaking hands with any Magic players or coaches. Stern said he spoke with James, who had surgery Tuesday to remove a benign growth near his jaw.

The World Boxing Council has suspended former middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. for an indefinite period and fined him $20,000 for his marijuana use. Chavez tested positive for marijuana in a pre-fight urine test before losing his WBC belt Sept. 15 in a unanimous-decision defeat to Argentina's Sergio Martinez. The Nevada State Athletic Commission has not yet ruled on any punishment for Chavez. Keith Kizer, executive officer of the Nevada commission, said Chavez's promoter has tentatively asked for a hearing in late October.

SACRAMENTO - The campaign committee for Proposition 8, a 2008 ballot measure that banned same-sex marriage in California, faces $49,000 in fines for failing to properly report and handle political contributions it received. The fines are proposed by the enforcement staff of the state Fair Political Practices Commission against the campaign committee ProtectMarriage.com - Yes on 8. The staff found that the group had failed to properly file public reports disclosing late contributions and contributions of more than $5,000, as well as for not properly disclosing an anonymous $10,000 contribution.

The City Ethics Commission issued a $2,000 fine Tuesday to a San Fernando Valley-based campaign committee that for the last year has been under investigation by Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley. In a 3-0 vote, the commission fined Citizens for Dependable and Reliable Leadership, which spent more than $54,000 in the 2005 mayoral election, along with individuals affiliated with the committee -- three of them politicians.

A French court on Tuesday convicted the Church of Scientology here of fraud, fining the branch $888,000 for swindling former members, but stopped short of shutting down the group. French Scientology leader Alain Rosenberg was also convicted of fraud and received a two-year suspended prison sentence and a fine of $44,000. With its judgment, the court warned, "Be careful . . . next time, justice won't let you go if you continue using the same methods," said Olivier Morice, a lawyer for civil parties in the case.

Railroads paid the government $4.46 million in fines for safety violations during the last year, the Federal Railroad Administration has announced. The fines covered problems with track, locomotives, freight cars, signals and operating practices.