inspection at the martinez refinery, now at 5:00. we're hearing from neighbors fed up with the laundry list of issues at the facility. plus they are all small local businesses. >> they're a big part of the community. a dozen local businesses now in ruins. >> how shop owners in los altos are planning to move forward after a destroyed christmas morning fire. >> far and away, the pandemic was our biggest challenge. >> after helping the city with its biggest challenge, he says. it is time to close out his career. we're getting perspective from a man who spent nearly two decades showcasing san francisco at its best and golden gate fields celebrating its final opening day. how longtime fans of the track are

reacting to the decision to shut down in. good morning everybody. it's wednesday. happy to be with us that you are with us. happy that we are with you, too. let's say the 27th. yeah right. >> it's that week where you're like, what day is today? what's the date of a dead week exactly? >> come on. where are we? >> it is a quiet start, but today, expect showers to move in later on, and they'll be on and off throughout much of the afternoon. so here's a live look from the exploratorium camera right now we are dry, but here's our next storm system live doppler seven. along with satellite. you can see the cold front approaching our coastline right now. here's the showers. the front itself has brought cloud cover to the region this morning. and then after the sun gets up here, we'll see thatrillionain moving through. isolated downpours are possible on the abc seven storm impact scale. level one today for scattered showers. some gusty south winds and the combo will lead to slick and a little bit slower travel later on today. here's how the day breaks down. the best chance of a shower. first thing this morning at 9

a.m. lies in the north bay and then around noon into the afternoon, everybody's fair game for those scattered showers. it is mild in the upper 50s to the lower 60s. we'll go hour by hour in future weather. show you this front coming up in eight minutes, but let's check in with sue and see how we're doing on the roads this morning. quite >> it drew very quiet. usually the chp has about 20 incidents on its accident and incident log . and this morning not a so we'll take a look at the san mateo bridge. you're in some quiet company there. it's moving along at a nice clip at the limit on the san mateo bridge, and we'll take a look at the golden gate bridge. no issues. here it is. fog free, three lanes in your southbound direction. they possibly will move into four lanes later this morning, depending on the volume, but most likely not. we had an earlier stall in the richmond san rafael bridge eastbound. the reverse commute that's been cleared kumasi. >> all right. thank you. sue. neighbors living in martinez say they have had enough of the flare ups, the rains of polluted ash and rotting smells from a nearby refinery. and now it appears the health department

has had it as well. health inspectors with contra costa county conducted a surprise check in at the martinez refining company. it has been at the center of numerous health threatening incidents for more than a year now. abc seven news % morning with the very latest on this. >> good morning. >> good morning. kumasi. we know that health officials started their surprise investigation here at or their surprise inspection here at the refinery yesterday afternoon. and officials say it's expected to last for a few days to even a few weeks, because they say they want to do a deep dive on this refinery. health officials were joined by the bay area air quality management district for the inspection. they looked at maintenance records and reviewed staff training and procedures. authorities say they're concerned about the frequency of flaring incidents and hazardous material spills at the refinery, and they also accuse the refinery of not being transparent with some of the flavorings. >> we can say that the frequency of incidents at pbf is not normal. ppb has experienced

multiple serious incidents that affected the surrounding community there in the last three weeks. >> have just been crazy. so and you can smell it. we smell it all the time. it's so bad. we have to close the windows. >> county health officials say the refinery has used the community warning system to report flaring at a rate of nearly once a week. throughout this past year, two county supervisors are expected to meet with the refinery's corporate leadership tomorrow on site at the refinery to discuss their concerns about how the refinery operates live in martinez. lena howland, abc seven news thank you lena, a group of small business owners in los altos will be kicking off 2024 on a stressful note and vestigators are still trying to figure out what caused that fire that tore through a strip mall on christmas morning. >> they say the rest of the building will have to come down before that happens. abc seven news south bay reporter lauren martinez shows us how groups from around the country are now

rallying behind these businesses in need of support after a christmas morning fire destroyed a commercial building in los altos, crews continued to respond to some flare ups on tuesday as. >> the deputy chief with santa clara county fire said the building has been redtagged and investigators are waiting for water to be pumped out of the sublevel before they can go inside. one of the small businesses in impacted is a beloved dance studio described bay area dance school as her second home for the past 11 years, but she created a gofundme that is receiving donations from around the country. new york city dance alliance donated $5,000. lila boissonade opened the dance school in 2012. >> i was in there on the 24th, working with a student who has a competition coming up. i have students that, um, have auditions this week for

professional programs, boissonade said. >> she's now focused on finding temporary locations for her 80 students and seven staff members. so many of her students consider the studio as a safe space. they had during and after the pandemic. >> like the people that this place has provided me with the support, the comfort, just the space to be able to express myself and do what i love. it has meant everything to me. >> they could only pick one space to go to and for many of these kids, this was the space that they picked and i think for a lot of them, that's still very clear in their memory. boissonade said. >> the amount of support she's received to rebuild and move forward is incredible. >> people all over the peninsula who are offering space, who are offering costumes, who are offering time and an ear, even just to say, hey, you might just need a place to just step back. >> the cause of the fire is still under investigation. officials say demolition could take anywhere from 2 to 3 weeks. in los altos. lauren martinez abc seven news. police are

investigating another smash-and-grab in oakland using a car. >> investigators say burglars drove through the front of a liquor store to steal. that happened in the middle of the night sunday at eddie's liquors on college avenue near taft. oakland police officers got there within ten minutes of the alarm going off by that time, though, the thieves were gone. store owner says that the thieves were able to smash and grab everything in less than five minutes. a group of guys came in and broke into. >> they slammed the door with their van. they got inside. obviously. they grabbed a lot of liquors, secrets. the money we have in the registers. this one is our third time in less than two months. >> the owner suspects these thieves are the same people who stole from this store in the past. the beginning of the end. tuesday was opening day at golden gate fields and the last opening day for the racetrack back in july, owners announced the track is set to close in

june of 2024. since the closure of san mateo's bay meadows in 2008, golden gate fields has been the only major thoroughbred racing venue in northern california. spectators say the racetrack has been an east bay landmark for decades, as it will be odd to see it not there anymore. >> driving by. so i've had i've had good times there though, and our friends have had some fun, fun times there on fun, you know, sunday activity. >> trainers say the closing of the track will hurt california's horse racing industry. they say it likely means many horses and trainers will leave the state. san francisco's longtime tourism chief, joe d'alessandro, is retiring this month, coming nearly two decades after bringing events, conventions and tourists to the city. he helped bring super bowl 50 to the bay area in 2016 and spearheaded a $500 million renovation of the moscone center in 2020. the pandemic put a stop to 11 years of record breaking tourism growth. he says the

post-pandemic recovery is still happening. >> it's going to take us a few more years to get back to where we were before, and what's unfortunate about that is it hurts the very businesses that we love so much as san franciscans, scott beck from toronto joined sf travel back in october and he will be taking over as sf travel ceo once the allessandro retires. >> time now for watching. 509 this morning we do have a wind advisory in effect along the marin and sonoma county coastline for the day today. we could see winds anywhere from 30 to 50mph here. as our storm system comes onshore. here's future weather we expect in the morning. later on the showers to first be focused in the north bay, and then after lunchtime and into the evening, the showers become more widely spread in nature, with some isolated downpours moving through. so let's break it down region by region. we'll start along the coast where we start to see our rain chances increase later this morning, but it's really the afternoon. you can see you have your highestrillionain chances right

around 3 p.m. with temperatures in the upper 50s to near 60 degrees. looking at the bay shoreline the next 24 hours, we're pretty dry this morning, and then after lunchtime there you can see the rain chances really increase. and for a lot of us, it's the afternoon and the evening that will find those showers really crossing our neighborhoods. as we take a look at inland, the last area to really see the showers. your rain chances really increase around 3 p.m. with temperatures in the upper 50s to near 60 degrees, so the umbrella take it with you if you'll be out all day today, you'll need it later on, especially after lunchtime. highs today ahead of this cold front. we do have a mild south wind, so we will see those temperatures in the upper 50s to lower 60. not only winds and rain, but also some dangerous surf coming our way. kumasi we'll show you that coming up in about nine minutes. >> all right. thank you. julia, how are you planning to ring in the new year? coming up, we have a few suggestions here in the bay area, including the free rides that will be available taking true crime to a whole new level. how a youtuber was able to crack a decades old cold case all on his own, and new

information about a bay area fault line. why seismology artists say it's more dangerous than originally thought

in san francisco, going into the wood chippers, the city's annual christmas tree recycling program. it starts january 2nd and it runs for almost two weeks. residents just need to put need to put their tree stripped of any decorations next to their recycling bin for pickup, and then those trees will be turned into mulch. well, time is running out to get the floats ready for the rose parade on new year's day, reporter christiane cordero from our sister station in los angeles, shows us the volunteers who are putting in that hard work inside this irwindale warehouse. >> thousands of people will spend the next week bringing the next lineup of rose parade floats to life. when people think of a rose parade float, they just think roses and flowers. but there's so much

more dry material that goes into it. you know? neal is supervising a float designed by a high school student for the city of torrance. each of the floats is creative and design, and beyond it, beans add detail to baskets. sesame seeds add color. the tree bark is glued to resemble, well, tree bark. >> you have to use anything that is organic, okay? you can't dye anything. you can't change color on anything. >> that challenge is one reason that keeps mike thompson coming back 37 years and counting. i love the people. >> they come here, they decorate with their heart and some decorate with the heart of others. >> ask around and you'll soon learn. every volunteer has a purpose here. jacob pane's purpose is in his nephew malachi, who lived a happy life but didn't get to live enough of it. >> in august of 2011, when he was about 16 months old. um, there was a terrible accident and he was declared brain dead in their grief, jacob's family was tasked with a tough question should they harvest malachi's organs? >> they decided yes, we've

missed out on a lot of opportunities of seeing him grow up, but we know that families might not have had that opportunity had he not been able to donate his organs, knowing his heart beats in a 13 year old's body and his kidney helped give a 60 year old woman a second chance at life, helped heal jacob's wounds to which brings us back here to the gluing and the sifting through it all. what does this do for that? this is cathartic beyond belief. he's one of dozens of people with a similar personal story, one of thousands making something bigger, collaboratively. if we're all working together like little ants, then you take a step back and look and oh my gosh, i made a float. christiane cordero, abc seven news. you can watch the rose parade right here on abc seven monday, new year's day. >> it starts at 8 a.m. and if you are looking to ring in 2024 with some oohs and ahs, you can count on san francisco's annual waterfront fireworks show. it's

15 minutes. it starts at midnight, but you are encouraged to get a spot early along the promenade for the best view. the city is also encouraging people to visit shops and restaurants at pier 39. also, the ferry building, both fabulous places before the show. now, if you don't have to drive on new year's eve, you can get a ride for free on san francisco's busses and trains. sfmta says complimentary service runs from 8 p.m. on new year's eve to 5 a.m. on new year's day, and you won't want to tag your clipper card or your muni mobile tickets during these hours, or they will still charge you. so just keep it mm.hmm keep it to yourself. also, offering free service, ac transit, vta, sam transit, caltrain. again, all of that starts at 8 p.m. now the end of free service varies. you know you can also do you can ring in the new year right here on abc seven. dick clark's new year's rockin eve with ryan seacrest kicks off at 8 p.m. on sunday, followed by a very special

edition of abc seven news at 10 p.m. then we'll take you back to new year's rockin eve at 1030 for all the festivities leading up to the countdown at and the ball drop. you know the question every year, though, is do with the fireworks. can you see that? can we see them? >> and this is always the better one, the better chance, you know, the 4th of july we're stuck with the fog. it's not always that great. this one's looking okay. i think we'll see a good view. we're drying out, but as we head into the weekend, we have more rain to talk about. here's live doppler seven. it is quietrillionight now, but we'll show you the picture outside. we have overcast skies and a lot of regions. here's how the day shapes up. later today we have scattered showers. it turns windy with those winds gusting out of the south. tomorrow we have a surf warning. dangerous waves. you can see breakers up to 25ft along our coastline. and then friday evening into saturday, if you do have friday night plans, be aware we're tracking more rain moving through as you head towards the end of the week. live doppler seven. here's our cold front way back here. it's about to move on shore into the north bay. first this morning and then swing

south into the afternoon and evening and bring us those showers on the abc seven storm impact scale. it is a level one today with scattered showers, some gusty southerly winds. the biggest impact is slick travel today. rainfall totals on the lighter side the north bay. some areas could see a quarter to up to a half of an inch of rain. outside of the north bay, most of us will end up less than a quarter of an inch of rainfall as the storm system moves through, so the showers first in the north bay, later on this morning, and that front slides south across the rest of the region into the afternoon and evening, upper 50s to the lower 60s. we'll start to dry out overnight tonight. we'll hang on to the cloud cover and those overnight lows in the 40s and low 50s. that high surf warning will be in effect tomorrow. this is very dangerous swimming conditions. we'll have those waves up to 30ft possible in spots. so please do not walk close to the coast. even your pets. keep them away from the ocean water because this is a pretty fierce ocean current. here's the accuweather seven day forecast. showers and wind later on. today. partly sunny tomorrow evening. rain on friday lasting to saturday. we start to dry out

for new year's eve on sunday. looks like a dry start to 2024. sue. thank you drew. >> we are quiet on the roads on this wednesday morning. taking a look at the east shore freeway making your way past golden gate fields and berkeley and emeryville and on into the macarthur maze. gaps between the headlights that means everybody is moving at the limit. not crowded this morning at all. in fact, chp has very few incidents on their log past 880. both directions. at the coliseum, you can see north and southbound moving well and a look at some of your drive times along the bridges. golden gate bridge is fog free. bay bridge no delays at the toll plaza will take a look at that when we come back with seven things and about 12 to 13 minutes across the san mateo bridge. kumasi. >> thank you, sue. coming up, the seven things to know this morning a mysterious death investigation in san antonio. why police are confused after finding the bodies of a pregnant teenager and her boyfriend several days after they went missing.

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gaza despite us calls for israel to curb civilian casualties and international pressure for a ceasefire. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu said the military was deepening its fighting. number two, sweden is a step closer to joining nato after getting approval from turkey's foreign affairs committee. now it will just need to be approved in the turkish parliament's general assembly. number three, u.s. officials will be meeting with mexico's president today to discuss border policy early this month, as many as 10,000 migrants were arrested every day at the southwest u.s. border. mexican president andres manuel lopez obrador obrador, excuse me, has said he will be willing to help out but wants to see progress in u.s. relations with cuba and venezuela to the top senders of migrants. number four, contra costa county officials held a surprise inspection at a martinez refinery demanding maintenance records and review staff training and procedures. health department officials say

they are concerned over the frequency of flaring incidents at the refinery. health officials have documented 46 flaring incidents in the past 12 months. >> and number five, live doppler seven, is tracking scattered showers on approach for most of us, the rain falls this afternoon and this evening. >> it is a level one on the abc seven storm impact scale. a light storm with scattered showers and gusty winds. your biggest impact slick and slower travel today. >> and number six very light traffic conditions on this holiday week between christmas and new year's. take a look at the bay bridge toll plaza yesterday we did not have any metering lights. i'm expecting the same this morning and number seven traffic in the east bay back to normal after this mass backup. >> this was last night in the caldecott tunnel, a hit and run caused a car to catch fire of tunnel bore two heading from oakland to lafayette bore three heading the opposite direction was also closed so fire crews could reach the car and put the fire out. a youtuber who works

on unsolved cases helped police locate the remains of a man who'd been missing for ten years, donald erwin disappeared near ozark, missouri, in 2013. it just so happened to be near the home of amateur detective james hinkle. hinkle then spent a year searching nearby areas, posting about it on youtube. a few days ago, his drone spotted the missing man's car in a lake. hinkle alerted authorities, who then located the man's apparent remains. the missing man's family says they are grateful for the youtuber's hard work. this morning, a mystery in texas after the family of a pregnant 18 year old girl said that she and her boyfriend were found dead in a car. police haven't yet confirmed the identities of the victims, though savannah soto was last seen near her home on friday. she was nine months pregnant and one week past her due date, her family says she was scheduled to be induced saturday but never showed up. >> when i called her all morning, she wasn't answering. i was going straight to voicemail and we went to the hospital

anyways and she was a no show and that's when i called the cops. she was so excited to have this baby. i mean her, her, the house is already baby ready. she was so excited. she was going to be a mommy. >> police have released few details and have not confirmed how the victims died. officers say the bodies appear to have been inside the car for 3 to 4 days. in today's gma first look, a new twist in the case of disgraced attorney and convicted killer alex murdaugh. a plagiarism scandal involving a south carolina court clerk could impact murdaugh's request for a new trial. here's abc news reporter trevor ault in this morning's gma first look. >> yet another twist and scandal surrounding the trial of convicted murderer alec murdoch, this time centered around the county clerk who read his verdict guilty, guilty, guilty. becky hill co-wrote behind the doors of justice the murdoch murders, in which she details her role in the trial. but she's now accused of plagiarizing a

section of that book. >> i was shocked, i was disappointed, and i was sad, neil gordon is the book's coauthor. >> she said that she felt like she was under a lot of deadline pressure, and she remembered that that particular article was on her email. and coming up at 7 a.m. we have much more on what hill's jury tampering allegations could mean for alec murdoch's chances at a retrial with your gma first look, i'm trevor ault, abc news, new york. >> the war in the middle east spilling over into other parts of that region, including a key shipping lane. i'm liz landers for abc news in washington, with more on how that may be impacting your wallet. >> plus, allegations of deputy gangs in the l.a. county sheriff's office. what the what the former head of the agency is now saying

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into more of the middle east. now at 530. but the u.s. military is doing to ensure american's interests, american interests in the region back here at home, reports of anti-semitism on the rise, keeping jewish communities here in the bay area on edge, plus, i'm glad that they're investigating. >> i think it's about time. i think it's uh- it's a good thing that, you know, they're being held accountable. for. >> a surprise inspection at the martinez refinery, drawing positive reaction from people in that area. the issues health officials want the refinery to address. good morning everybody. it is wednesday, december 27th. we're going to start with a check of our forecast with meteorologist drew tuma. hi, drew. hey. >> good morning kumasi. we'll take you to sfo this morning where it is very quiet out there. we're starting out with overcast skies. we're dry currently, but that is going to

change as the day goes on. here's live doppler seven along with satellite a lot of cloud cover on satellite. now you can see some rain. this is the cold front that is approaching us this morning. and for a lot of us we'll bring showers later on this afternoon. and this evening on the abc seven storm impact scale. it is a level one today, a light storm for scattered showers, some gusty southerly winds, and it will lead to slick travel, especially later on today into the afternoon. we'll take a look at the day planner first thing this morning at 9 a.m. the best chance of a shower is likely in the north bay, but for most of us, it's between noon and 4 p.m. that those showers move through. we'll have those temperatures in the upper 50s to the lower 60s. let's see how we're doing with the commute this morning. and sue, good morning. very light. >> drew. pardon me. very light. yeah it's that dead week between christmas and new year's. and we're seeing it on the roads very light traffic as you make your way towards the toll plaza at the richmond-san rafael bridge. no backup. 530 this wednesday morning. and we'll also take a look at san rafael. no problems here. taillights headed southbound past the civic

center and on into central san rafael. in fact, all the way to the golden gate bridge is looking great this morning. elsewhere where we've got green even out of the central valley. so if you have to be up at 530 on a wednesday morning, at least the drive is no problem free. >> kumasi thank you sue. developing news in the middle east. experts say oil and gas prices are going up from the conflicts in the region. it's coming as president biden authorized a retaliatory strike on targets in iraq after u.s. troops were hurt during a drone attack. abc news reporter liz landers has the details. >> this morning, the u.s. strikes back at iranian backed militants in iraq as tensions from the israeli hamas war continue to spill into the middle east. president joe biden authorized the move after christmas day drone attack on u.s. troops in northern iraq struck three, leaving one critically injured. here's some of the damage from the three locations hit in the u.s. retaliated. three strikes, which was condemned by the iraqi prime

minister in a statement. >> this is very prevalent amongst the iranians. it's how they conduct business and it's very messy because they're using forces that sometimes don't actually take direct orders. but ultimately it's to push back against the influence of the united states. >> there's still about 3500 us troops in iraq and syria to prevent a resurgence of isis. and the pentagon estimates more than 100 attacks against u.s. personnel in the region since the start of the israel-hamas war. in a statement, secretary of defense lloyd austin saying he and president biden, quote, will not hesitate to take necessary action to defend the united states. our troops and our interests. there is no higher priority. it comes as a key shipping route in the red sea has also been attacked for at least the 16th time, despite the recent formation of a new american led naval patrol group in the region. the u.s. blames yemen's houthi rebels backed by iran for these continued attacks. meanwhile investors are

keeping a close eye on oil and gas prices. now on the rise, as are shipping costs. oil prices are up more than 2% in the last 24 hours, and in the last week. gas prices are up $0.06 per gallon nationwide. but up as much as $0.16 in florida. still prices at the pump are down nearly $2 over last summer's peak, according to triple a to show the extent of the problem, u.s. forces in the red sea say they shot down 17 drones and missiles fired by rebels in yemen yesterday alone in washington. liz landers abc news rapper ye, formerly known as kanye west, posted a statement on instagram apologizing to the jewish community for his anti-semitic remarks. >> the post was written in hebrew, but ye wrote that he, quote, deeply regrets any pain he may have caused. he also added that he's learning from his experience and hopes to engage with greater sensitive and understanding. the apology comes more than a year after he

posted he would go, quote, death con three on jewish people, end quote, and semitic incidents at two los altos schools, schools this month are shining a light on an undercurrent of fear in jewish communities, prompting some to hide their heritage. abc seven news south bay reporter dustin dorsey shows us a new survey explaining how widespread the fear is across the bay area. >> hateful graffiti in san francisco, oakland's largest menorah smashed anti-semitic incidents are on the rise and members of the jewish community do not feel safe. but it's not just a big city problem in los altos. >> i have never been more proud to be jewish. >> i've never been more vulnerable to be jewish, though. at the same time, this jewish resident of los altos, who wished to remain anonymous, says this fear is sadly not something new for her community. >> she and her family are trying to maintain pride in their heritage, but she knows many others who are fearful as israel continues its military campaign in gaza in retribution for the october seventh attack by hamas militants. i know so many people who have taken great efforts to

maybe not speak hebrew in public , taking down their mezuzah, which is a clear indication that that is a jewish household wearing jewish jewelry to identify themselves. similar messages have flooded los altos council member pete daley's office, including concern for the safety of children. after at least two anti-semitic incidents took place at local middle schools. swastika ties were drawn on lockers at one school and students yelled jews must die in another. according to daley, who we spoke with on the phone tuesday, you can just sense it when you're talking to them, how scared they are and how much they question society and leadership and values around them, and wonder whether they're in the right place, a safe place to raise their families. the struggles of the jewish community here in los altos represent a microcosm of a bigger issue anti-semitism is felt throughout the bay area and beyond. we're seeing a big spike in reports jewish community relations council of the bay area ceo tyler gregory says his organization is hearing about anti-semitism by community members daily. a recent report

by the jcrc shows about 61% of bay area jewish residents feel less safe living daily lives since october 7th, and 36% say they have experienced anti-semitism personally, gregory says more needs to be done to educate americans and stop hate before it grows. >> we want to make sure that in the same way that acts of racism and sexism and homophobia are addressed by institutions, so too should anti-jewish. you know, hate be addressed in the same way from different types of leaders in the hopes that everyone can live peacefully without fear in their community in the south bay, dustin dorsey, abc seven news the company that's planning to build a new city in solano county, has less than a year to convince voters to allow the project to move forward, according to the chronicle. >> california forever forever is planning to unveil the ballot initiative next month. the company spent $900 million to acquire land near travis air force base. the grassroots group solano together opposes the plan, arguing that housing

should be built in existing cities where infrastructure already exists. developing news in the east bay, health officials say a surprise inspection at the martinez refinery could go on for days or even weeks. it comes after a dozen of flaring incidents over the last year. odor complaints and thick white ash raining down on nearby neighborhoods. abc seven news reporter lena howland in martinez with more on this unannounced visit. lena contra costa county health officials said they were there to observe the reliability, the operations and the safety programs of this refinery. >> after a series of flaring incidents. daetz they say the refinery has used the community warning system to report to report flaring at a rate of nearly once a week throughout the year. that's why health officials were also joined by the bay area air quality management district for the surprise inspection yesterday afternoon. they looked at maintenance records and reviews, reviewed staff training and procedures. authorities say they're concerned about the frequency of flaring incidents

and hazardous material spills at the refinery. we checked in with mark ross, who serves as both a martinez city council member and as director of the bay area air quality management district. >> they're our neighbor. we have learned to coexist with previous owners of the refinery, but they have definitely kind of crossed the line a little bit with the recent series of events in the past year, but it seems to be a pattern that is not tolerable to me or the community. >> the county's deputy health director also said this investigation is still in its very early stages. so he says it's too early to speculate on what the findings are and what the consequences may or may not be. and he says this investigation is expected to last a few days, if not weeks, because they are hoping to do a deep dive on this refinery. and a spokesperson for the refinery says that they are cooperating with all agencies and investigations related to their refinery, and will continue to do so live in martinez. lena howland abc seven news thank

you, lena, women robbed in state prison. >> still ahead, the effort to help survivors recovering from california and. isolation stay and cautious at the coast. the warning you need to know about if you're planning to visit the water soon. first, though, checking in with drew for a look at our forecast. yeah kumasi a lot of us may be traveling later on today, so take a look at the travel forecast and the two areas we're watching are both the west coast and the east coast, especially seattle. >> today we're going to see some heavy rain at times. low 50s thatrillionain is the same front that will move through the bay area this afternoon. new york is also an area that's likely going to see heavy rain this afternoon. temperatures and the upper 40s. but chicago, denver, atlanta, dallas all looking just fine and quiet temperatures. right now we're in the 40s and in the 50s from hayward to sfo delivered more in the north bay a little bit warmer than we were this time yesterday. 54, in mill valley. we're at 49 in santa rosa. rain arrives later on today. we'll look at the coast first, some scattered showers

possible around 10 a.m, but the heaviestrillionain is going to hold off until the afternoon. for a lot of us, the afternoon we'll see some isolated downpours. temperatures in the upper 50s along the coast, around the bay shoreline. we're starting out this morning with mostly cloudy skies. we'll get through the morning dry, but after lunchtime and into the afternoon and evening there you see our rain chances really ramp up and our temperatures in low 60s thanks to a mild south wind inland. today, what you'll notice is a lot of cloud cover. first thing, temps in the 40s and again this afternoon. this evening. there you can see those rain chances are elevated with our level one storm on the abc seven storm impact scale. if you're out all day today, take the umbrella with you. you'll need it this afternoon and this evening. temperatures in the upper 50s to the lower 60s. we have more rain on the seven day forecast. we'll show you

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in california prisons. moonlight polito was one of those women. she was in prison when a doctor told her that she needed to get a tumor removed. but in reality, the doctor removed her uterus without her knowledge. >> this man stole that gift from me because he didn't ask me. he never even gave me an inclination that he was going to do anything wrong close to that. and so i felt robbed. i felt like i had been tied up and stolen from him. >> the center for investigate reporting found that between 2006 and 2010, at least 132 women were forced sterilized while in prisons in california. two years ago, the state approved a program to compensate these women. it includes women sterilized under california's eugenics law until 1979, and

women sterilized in state prisons or correctional facilities thereafter. for stunning allegations out of southern california after years of refusing to take the stand, the former sheriff of los angeles is agreeing to testify over claims of deputy gangs within his ranks. the hearings are looking to get to the bottom of these cliques and gangs within the department. former sheriff alex villanueva, now denies the existence of any of these gangs. however, there are allegations of so-called banditos holding control over the east l.a. station for years in one claim, the banditos allegedly attacked several younger deputies after a department party a few years back. villanueva now says he's ready to set the record straight . >> they painted this false image of the entire department and the men and women who were doing the hard work, keeping the county safe and i think we're just going to have to reiterate the obvious that water is wet. there are no deputy gangs. are there

subgroups or people that somehow occasionally engage in misconduct? of course, there are . >> early next year, villanueva will finally be answering questions under oath. his testimony comes as he's also running for l.a. county supervisor in 2024, a surprising new discovery in the north bay regarding the napa fault. so this fault runs from vallejo to yountville. it's parallel to highway 29. geologists didn't know it existed until it generated a 6.0 magnitude earthquake nine years ago. now, researchers say the fault actually extends nine miles further north past calistoga further than previously thought, so that means it has the potential to generate even more powerful earthquakes. >> it is an active fault. it will have more earthquakes, but it's certainly not as big a player as the san andreas fault or the hayward fault. >> usgs geologists say if the fault ruptures along its entire 37 mile stretch, it has the power to potentially produce a

magnitude seven earthquake. researchers say it's a reminder to always know what to do before an earthquake strikes. get a kit , make a plan, be informed, and if you need any help doing that, go to abc seven news.com slash. prepare norcal. we are seeing some really rough ocean conditions along the coast. this was the scene yesterday at san francisco's fort point. a coastal flooding advisory expired in the afternoon, but we are expecting to see more big waves. the national weather service issued a high surf warning for bay area beaches tomorrow, so waves there could reach 26ft. look at it. so we're advised to stay out of the water along much of the northern california closed line. drew. >> yeah, i mean, this is something we really want to take seriously because these waves are just updated. could go up to 30ft high. so there's a lot of visitors in town, you know, they're not used to our ocean. it's cold. it's very rough at times. and also locals like to take their pets to the ocean. so

it's one of those days. tomorrow you really want to stay away from the ocean water, because that surf is going to be very dangerous, if not deadly. here's a high surf warning. let's talk about it. current wave height. you can see right now our highest points right around ten feet. we do expect this to rapidly increase early tomorrow morning where large breakers up to 30ft are possible. that is very dangerous swimming conditions. we have the risk of very strong rip currents. please just never turn your back towards the ocean. a live look outside our golden gate bridge camera looking lovely. so here's the forecast headlines later today. we have scattered showers moving in the gusty winds as well. we have a wind advisory along the north bay coastline for gusts up to 50mph. that surf warning in effect thursday for those dangerous waves. and then friday night into saturday, we are tracking more rain with another storm system moving through. here's live doppler seven this morning. here's our cold front is just beginning to approach our coastline and it moves through here. for most of us. late this morning into the afternoon today it's a level one on the abc seven storm impact scale. scattered showers later today with some gusty south

winds and slick travel being your biggest impact. not a lot of rain coming our way with our highest totals will be found in the north bay. we'll find up to half of an inch there and then outside of the north bay, those numbers do drop off, so take the umbrella with you if you'll be out all day. you'll need it later on today. upper 50s to the lower 60s with those showers moving through. and then tonight we'll keep the cloud cover overhead. we'll start to dry out with upper 40s to lower 50s. just a quick look at future weather getting into friday evening. this is friday night at 7 p.m. here comes our next front. that will bring us some isolated downpours that will linger into saturday. here's the accuweather seven day forecast. next seven days for you. showers and wind later today evening. rain on friday with those showers into saturday. then we're drying out for new year's eve on sunday and looks like a dry start to the new year. >> sue sounds great drew. all right, we'll take a look for san jose commuters at highway 87 that's headed in the northbound direction towards the airport, and you can see everybody's at the limit. no problems here. we have one cloud in the sky that is, it starts to get a little bit lighter, popping over to

highway 101 underneath highway 880 headlights headed in the northbound direction, usually a pretty busy stretch h this time of the morning. no problems at all, and some of your drive times on the usual suspects up and over the altamont pass, all in the green, as is highway four westbound towards concord. even your drive san rafael to san francisco under 20 minutes kumasi. thank you. >> sue. new at six. the online retailer shocking customers and employees announcing it's going out of business. >> but first, what do you think about this place? >> i just think it's kind of awesome. on the job training. >> also serving a higher purpose. how it's making a difference in people's lives. this is one of our best of 2023 stories about building a better bay area. this is abc 724 s >> in san francisco, live at levi's stadium in san jose. >> live in oakland. yeah you're watching abc seven news live

anytime, anywhere. >> here we are. we are. we are, we are we are we are where you are. >> never miss a moment of the news that matters to you. download our abc seven bay area streaming app. join us and start watching ...thanks to dupixent. dupixent is not for sudden breathing problems. it's an add-on treatment for specific types of moderate-to-severe asthma. and can help improve lung function for better breathing in as little as two weeks. dupixent helps prevent asthma attacks... and can even reduce or eliminate oral steroids. imagine that. dupixent can cause allergic reactions that can be severe.

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but here is a taste of what you can expect from abc seven news reporter luz pena. >> hey, i'm luz pena and one of my favorite stories of 2023 was about a group of bay area adults with disabilities who are making a difference in the robotics

industry. this was one of my favorites because we got to highlight this community, which in many cases is forgotten, and we got to prove with this story that regard of our differences, everyone should be given a chance and it may surprise you. i hope you love it too. at 6 a.m, tim zalewski grabs his safety glasses and is ready to build. >> we're making parts of unit and of course this is the unit and you got to like use this uh- like this wrench. tim showed us around his new job at omron, an electronics company in pleasanton. >> what do you think about this place? >> i just think it's kind of awesome. >> tim got hired a month ago after excelling as an intern here. getting that call is still a bit surreal for him. >> realizing that i got hired for a full timer. >> you never thought that was a possibility? yeah why? well because, uh, because i thought it would be really impossible since omron is a really busy company. he comes to work knowing that his role is vital

to build robots. he is part of a team. >> well, it just feels like that. i'm starting a new adventure. >> and what is the adventure bringing you so far? well, becoming an adult and also working with others. >> it just sort of feels like i'm making friends. i mean, with adult friends. >> one of his friends sits right next to him. joseph carter. >> i do led lights for the top desk. >> joseph is an intern now, but he's inspired by tim's story. do you like your job? >> yes. >> what do you like about it? >> working with people and friends. >> the one who saw potential both in tim and joseph is their mentor. jesse >> i gave him a set of tools he knew what they were. he knew how to handle it. we just kind of kind of grew on that curiosity. we harnessed it. >> pleasanton adult and career education, or pace for short, is an adult school within the pleasanton school district that prepares adults with disabilities for the workforce, paying them to intern at

different companies. in the last five years, about 56 adults with disabilities have learned key skills to find jobs in this community. and this is one of the 25 sites they work with, and we give them three different work experience ages. >> we help them get as many transferable work skills as possible so that they can get a job at the end of the nine month program that matches what they want to do. >> for example, cole right now is learning to take technical orders, but his dream is a bit different. >> become an executive chef and own my own restaurant. >> his mentor understands him. >> it feels pretty good. i actually have two stepsons that are both autistic and in their 20s. turns out imran is one of the first factories to hire people with disabilities. >> over 50 years ago in japan. that factory has more than 50% of the workforce are people with disabilities. and now tim is carrying on that legacy in the u.s. >> can you believe this? >> i can't well, believe it.

>> it's happening. >> i'm so proud of you. thanks. this is so cool. >> in pleasanton, luz pena abc seven news. story. >> building a better bay area best of 2023 is streaming right now on demand. you can stream it on our website at abc seven news.com, or from our abc seven bay area apps on your phone or your tv, which is available for roku, amazon fire, apple tv and google tv. >> we'll take you to live doppler seven this morning. we are tracking a cold front that will bring us rain later today. first, it arrives in the north bay and then those showers will swing south throughout the day. it's also going to kick up our winds. we have a wind advisory in effect for the coastline of marin and sonoma county until 4 p.m. this is one of the areas that could see winds up to 50mph. as that front moves onshore, so future tracker winds showing you to the coast today

that will see those strongest southerly gusts. but it's still pretty breezy around the region. you want to make sure that any decorations you have outside are really strapped down today, because the winds will be with us throughout the afternoon. they'll calm down this evening as that front passes by, but day planner today will show you at 9 a.m. the best chance of a shower is in the north bay. for most of us, it's noon to four. that's when likely see the wet weather move through our neighborhoods. the temperatures today kumasi in the upper 50s to lower 60s. all right. >> thank you. drew new at six. the latest research that shows it's a good idea to get your older relatives a pet and a fast food chain in california, vowing to lay off its delivery drivers as the state is set to raise minimum wage. then, at the end of an era in the east bay, golden gate fields final racing golden gate fields final racing season underway then we are looking for you. we are the peace corps. with volunteers in more than 60 countries. living together. working together.

transforming lives. together. join us.

you could see some gusty to breezy winds as well. drew is tracking this level one event on our storm impact scale. then a business owners plea for help. burglars breaking into an east bay liquor store for the third time in a few months, this time using a car to drive through the front door and a stunt gone wrong. a flying grinch ends up