Off the Marin County coast, it's a sighting that has stirred excitement among scientists... after one of the world's rarest whales was spotted on Friday. Photos of the North Pacific right whale seen just three miles west of Point Reyes taken by researchers aboard the NOAA ship,

Marin County, with its rugged beaches and pristine lands, has put a hard cap on short-term rentals, setting off furious debate: Are vacation rentals ruining California's coastal towns? Or opening up the coast to people who can't afford to live there?

In an extraordinary sighting, a critically endangered North Pacific right whale was spotted off the Marin County coast on Friday, thrilling scientists.