a spiritual show of support today for the family of the oakland police officer killed in the line of duty a week ago. good evening. i'm ama daetz and i'm dan ashley. >> thank you for joining us. a somber crowd of well-wishers joining oakland leaders and beat cops this morning to remember officer tuan lay at a chinatown

vigil. >> buddhist monks led the crowd in prayer and song. the traditional bell ringing ceremony helped memorialize the fallen officer killed on the job a week ago today, carl chan, president of the chinatown chamber of commerce, said that he wanted to organize an in-person vigil as a way to show support for lei's family and colleagues. >> but i want to remind people, you know, the men and women in uniform, and every time when they leave home, they may say goodbye. i'll see you later. that see you later may not happen. >> mourners filled a memorial book with their messages of respect and condolence. lay was 36 years old and has served in opd for four years. >> the official law enforcement memorial service for officer lay is on wednesday. it will be held at 10 a.m. at the three crosses church in castro valley. the public is invited to attend. now the lake tahoe area is in for a drastic change this weekend. to be sure that's true, an approaching storm is expected to dump some much needed snow on

the area and really couldn't come at a better time. abc seven news reporter dustin dawsey shows you how much snow the sierra will get this weekend, and what it means for the community. >> a cold winter rainstorm in the bay area means snow in the sierra, and the thought on the mind of every tahoe resident, including kevin coop cooper, is the same. finally we we're not even talking a lot of snow, right? >> we're talking, you know, 18 to 24in. but it does raise what i like to call a stoke level up pretty darn good. >> saturday will bring the snow. sunday will bring the cold with low temps in the single digits. two things that residents haven't seen a lot this season. the first sierra snowpack survey of the year only showed a few inches quite a bit of difference compared to this time in 2023. it's a tale of two winters, right? >> last year we were talking about 32ft of snow. right now we just finished up a huge set of systems that came through. are events that just left us with six, eight, ten feet of snow. this is like 91 slow start and we've just got to work with it. something ski resorts across

tahoe have been doing to the best of their abilities. >> heavenly and northstar have 70 and 65% of their terrain closed. kirkwood doesn't have the backside lift operational, just about 55% total open. kirkwood vice president general manager ricky newberry hopes this storm starts off what will be anything but a dry january in tahoe. >> it's a thin base, but this mountain ski is so fun and this snow level, lots of terrain to play with. and yeah, i think, you know, getting getting the backside and chair for going uh- this weekend, this sunday ideally, um, we'll be set up for the rest of the season ahead. >> the snow level is expected to be down to 2000ft saturday into sunday, meaning this storm will offer more than just good skiing and snowboarding. >> we're seeing lake level snow, so all the different types of activities that you can do outside cross country skiing, snowshoeing, the snowmobile tours will start firing up again and that's down at the lake level. so anybody that's going to be coming up to the basin, they're going to be able to do a lot more out there. >> driving could be difficult to

impossible saturday, but starting sunday it appears tahoe will hopefully be open for full winter mode from here on out. dustin dawsey abc seven news and here is a live look at the conditions right now at zephyr cove in lake tahoe. >> it's gorgeous right? as you just heard much colder conditions are expected this weekend. >> we could stare at that all night. yeah we could. beautiful all right. abc seven news meteorologist sandhya patel is here with more on that in the forecast. >> yeah, and dan and emma, that looks like a postcard. but now imagine it with feet of snow. i mean, it's going to look beautiful. so let's take a look at the winter storm warning that is going to go up 4 a.m. tomorrow until 4 a.m. sunday. heavy snow is coming 1 to 2ft, possibly higher over the highest peaks. and those snow levels between 2 to 3000ft. but by sunday morning, lowering to a thousand and foot elevation, snow rates as much as two inches per hour is possible. with those gusty winds, i would get out of town now if i were you, because travel may be difficult to impossible tomorrow. so here's a look at the tahoe forecast. heavy snow and windy conditions

tomorrow. looking at mostly sunny for sunday. a slight chance of a few showers and then monday is mostly cloudy. a live view from our santa cruz camera. the other thing we are tracking are the waves. the wave heights currently 17 footers at point arena beach hazards statement until 10 p.m. tonight. large breakers, of course bringing the risk of sneaker waves. so be careful. it's a level one storm that's coming in that we are tracking and that's going to bring rain tonight. you're okay if you have friday night plans. 40s 50s at 8 p.m. tomorrow morning is when that rain gets in here and it spreads by around 130. you'll see it crossing many parts of the bay area. it's a level one light to moderate rain. expecting the rough surf, breezy conditions and slick roadways. i'll be back with a full look at the other concerns that are coming up, plus a frost advisory in just a few minutes. dan and emma. all right. >> thank you so much, sandhya. >> san quentin could soon be transformed from a prison into a rehabilitation space. a high level advisory council was tasked with coming up with ways to change california's oldest

prison. >> and they released their ideas today. >> that would be a profound change. an abc seven news reporter, luz pena, is here with a closer look at the vision for this lose. >> that's right. well, the advisory council is hoping this report provides a template that could be used to reform prisons across the country. they're recommending to retrain guards and replace death row with what they're calling dignified housing. the 150 page reimagining san quentin, a report that breaks down how to turn the maximum security prison into a rehab center, is out. sacramento's mayor, darrell steinberg, co-chaired the council and broke down their priorities. >> is reducing the population in single cells? will then give us a better chance, we believe, to ensure that every resident has a comprehensive rehabilitation and reentry plan from day one, the advisory council recommended aggressively reducing the prison's population by 30% or more, reduce saying the prison's

population will also lead to getting rid of death row. and that could either be remodeling of death row or reconfiguring or tearing it down and replacing it with quality modular housing. >> the human rights organization ella baker center agrees with the report, but would like the state to give those on death row options after the changes. yes, with the with the caveat that some people who are on death row may want to stay at san quentin. >> and we support people's agency and autonomy in where, um, they feel their best path towards rehabilitation lies changing san quentin was one of governor newsom's 2023 budget priorities, and it came with a $360 million price tag that would turn the prison's 81,000 square foot building, called building 38, into an educational center. >> the advisory council said they can do it for less. the. $360 million price tag should be

reduced by at least one third. >> we believe that for, uh approximately $240 million, that they can still build a mini education, vocational training. campus, cat brooks, executive director of the anti-police terror project, doesn't agree with this plan. >> there are a number of flaws, right, with the plan. the first of all, like san quentin is a very old, very violent, very dungeon like, um, place like to transform it into rehabilitative center. um, would require literally tearing it down and building it back up from scratch. >> brooks would like to see more resources also go towards preventing incarcerations. >> there are countries all over europe where they invest in their communities, right? they invest in their people and they don't have the same problems that we have here. >> the report also recommends building two centers outside of san quentin. so people in their last years of sentence can have a clear pathway towards restoring themselves back into

the community. ama and dan okay, louis, thank you very much. >> incarcerated survivors of sexual abuse at the federal women's prison in dublin testified before judge today hearings began this week for the judge to decide whether to appoint a special master to oversee reforms at the prison. a class action lawsuit filed last august accuses correctional officers of rape and sexual abuse. the plaintiffs are demanding that the bureau of prisons make immediate changes, says it's not about just arresting an officer or a staff member for their actions, breaking the policy rules. >> it's about change. don't hire those type of people. >> hearings will continue next week. eight officers at the prison have been charged with sexually abusing incarcerated people. two have pleaded guilty. >> there's a food shortage developing that is going to impact quite a few grocery lists. >> why a number of bay area grocery stores are running low on eggs. >> also, the competition that's brought some aspiring olympians

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more than 40 years ago. its last day will be in early march. safeway officials say there are plans to build a mixed use development project, including both housing and commercial retail space. in its place, the supermarket chain operates 15 other stores in the city. the closest being a mile away in the castro district in the north bay. >> residents say it's no joke. pardon the pun. when it comes to finding a dozen eggs at local grocery stores. it's been challenging. many report empty shelves and low inventory. the egg shortage being blamed on the recent outbreak of bird flu, which has affected millions of egg laying hens. abc seven news reporter cornell bernard explains how grocery chains are

reacting to this, and how small family farms are seeing increased business. i'm not seeing any eggs. michelle fahey from nevada was looking for eggs, but not finding many on her local grocery store shelf inventory running low as i was in here earlier in the week when they were empty. >> there's not an egg on the shelf, just an empty area. >> stores like safeway are posting signs asking customers to limit their egg purchases to two packages per family. we saw the same request posted at this lucky supermarket, all due to a nationwide egg shortage that's largely blamed on the highly contagious avian flu, which has impacted millions of chickens. officials say. 11 commercial farms between marin and sonoma counties had to euthanize their flocks at this point in time. >> uh- over a million birds impacted by the farms are locked down and that we don't let people in and out of the facilities. >> okay, girls, look at here at

a marie peterson keeping a close watch on her small flock of chickens and roosters at her family farm in petaluma. >> she sells the eggs to customers and is having trouble keeping up with demand. >> oh, it's crazy they come in if i i'm surprised this uh- i'm surprised there's any eggs in the refrigerator. >> in a statement, save mart stores tells abc seven news, in part, the save mart companies has a list of suppliers that are working to provide safe, quality products so that we can continue to serve the needs of our shoppers at a time when the industry is trying to recover all all the egg industry is really hurting every which direction you can think of in the north bay. cornell, bernard. abc seven news. >> a new bill is being introduced to allow amsterdam style cannabis cafes in california. last year, governor newsom vetoed the measure that would have let local governments license cannabis shops to offer food and drinks and sell tickets to live performances. san

francisco assembly member matt haney is behind the legislation. he says it would help both struggling cannabis businesses and empty downtown d

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the most marginalized and oppressed species of life, and that they spend most of their life going from garbage can to garbage can, finding it locked due to selfish, heartless human beings. tahoe bear experts say the information in the flier is false, and if people take them seriously, it could cause long terme damage to the bear population. they say feeding bears human food will cause harm to both bears and people. >> all right, all right, let's turn back to the weather forecast. chilly days coming and maybe some rain. that's right. >> so hope you got outside today, sandia. >> today was a good day to be outside and soak up the sun. yes. ama and dan. let me show you some live views right now from our tower cameras. you're still all right if you want to get out and about, because

you'll notice there are just some high, thin, wispy clouds on our santa cruz camera and our emeryville camera. but be careful, the surf is still rough by the way, the high temperatures just came in san rafael hit 67 uh. yeah pretty mild 64. in concord. got up to that same temperature in oakland and san jose. so just a beautiful day. and right now it is still pretty comfortable. most areas are in the upper 50s to the low 60s, 58 in san francisco right now, 57 in oakland and 60 in san jose. here is live doppler seven. the storm system that is going to bring us rain right now. the energy is aimed at the pacific northwest, but it does drop down here tomorrow, though, and that's when we will see some rain behind that system. the concern is frost as we are expecting very chilly conditions. interior areas will be going under a frost advisory from midnight out until 10 a.m. sunday. so this is the time to prepare. bring your any sensitive plants inside and don't forget about your pets. and of course there could be

some frost damage, so just keep that in mind. here's a look at the golden gate bridge and it's a lovely view. large breakers today a beach hazard statement is up a level. one storm moves in with rain coming in tomorrow, and we do have frosty areas with cold mornings, sunday and monday. so here's a look at the storm impact scale on our exclusive abc seven news storm impact scale. it's a level one for tomorrow. light to moderate rain, slick roadways, breezy conditions and the rough surf is going to continue, so i wouldn't be surprised if that beach hazard statement got extended. here's a look at the hourly forecast. 10:00 most of the rain is concentrated in the north bay, but you're seeing some showers in the east bay as well. as we head into 1:00, the rain is crossing many parts of the bay area other than the south bay, and by 3 p.m, south bay is starting to get their share. there will be pockets of moderate rain, so maybe if you have outdoor activities, keep that in mind. if you have outdoor events, that's something to also have a backup plan. just in case. saturday night, 5 p.m. most of those showers are still

in the southern part of our viewing area and then really isolated by 7 p.m. rainfall estimates with this system will generally be between a 10th of an inch and a third of an inch, but there will be places up to the north that will pick up a little bit more than that morning temperatures tomorrow in the mid 30s to the upper 40s. consider this balmy, because what's coming is going to be low 30s for your temperatures sunday. and monday mornings. all right. at least for the coldest spots tomorrow afternoon, upper 40s to upper 50s. it's going to be a cooler day, a wet one and a breezy one. the accuweather seven day forecast level one for tomorrow. so that's when we're expecting that rain. the cool breezy conditions, cold sunday and monday mornings, and then another system bringing us showers tuesday. more rain wednesday and another storm coming in on friday with a level one again. so every possible aspect of winter in this seven day forecast. and i'm yeah an array. >> thanks, andrea. >> remembrances are coming in for a legendary bay area swim coach and former u.s. olympian

rich thornton died yesterday as he stepped into the ocean in santa cruz county, preparing to go surfing. abc seven news reporter ryan curry has more on what he meant to everyone. he crossed paths with. >> swimmers and surfers are mourning the loss of a beloved member. richard thornton died thursday morning at the hook in santa cruz. as he was about to go surfing. >> he was following his buddy down the steps and his buddy jumped in the water, looked up for richard and richard was just standing there kind of at peace, not clutching his heart or anything, and then he just collapsed into the water. >> his brother mark spoke to him the day before he passed. he says richard was excited to serve some of the big waves. while his exact cause of death is unknown, richard battled multiple myeloma. his family says the cancer wouldn't stop him from surfing since childhood . the water was richard's best friend. he grew up with rob and greg warner, who say richard was always either at the pool or at the beach. >> i remember him telling me in between meets or after meets and after the season we're like,

let's go surfing. he was an anchor. he you knew you were going to get a great performance out of him, and you knew if you were going to beat him, you had to be pretty good. >> richard's father, naught, was the longtime coach of the cal swim team, where richard also swam. he qualified for the 1980s national team that boycotted the moscow olympics. rob remembers the moment richard made the team. he had one thing on his mind, so i yelled from the stands. >> after he'd won, richard said, what are you going to do now? and he kind of goes like this. like in a surfing stance. he wanted to go surfing. that was his thing, man. >> up until he died, he was the coach of san ramon valley aquatics. he guided other swimmers, helping them reach their olympic dreams, according to managers here at the pool, richard sat on this bench every day while waiting for practice to start. his friends and family say he loved mentoring young people and doing anything to help them improve their swimming skills. he he looked to be a mentor from day one, whether it was with the younger swimmers, whether it was as a coach taking a younger coach, his family says

they knew his cancer would be difficult to treat as time went on, as they mourn his death, they find solace knowing he died doing something he loved and he could be in a hospital bed for six months with, uh, oxygen tube and drooling on himself and losing weight and everything else. >> and so what a way to go for someone that loves, loved uh- the beach and being in the water in the east bay. >> ryan curry abc seven news. so many nice things being said about him. >> well, hundreds of athletes are chasing their olympic dreams in the south bay this weekend. >> yes, the competition that's brought together some of the world's best but his vision dimmed with age. he had amd. i didn't know it then, but it can progress to ga, an advanced form of the disease.

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plus, ask how to get up to $1000 prepaid card with qualifying internet. switch today. four candidates running for the seat of the late senator dianne feinstein, democrat representatives adam schiff, katie porter, barbara lee and republican steve garvey qualified for the first debate of california's us senate race, hosted by politico. they'll face off on january 22nd, daetz days before californians begin getting their ballots in the mail. final day to vote in the primary is march 5th. the top two will advance to the november runoff. >> this weekend, the country's

top fencers are in san jose competing for a spot at the 202,024 paris olympics. yes, the usa fencing 2024 north american cup is being held at san jose's mcenery convention center. >> participants from age 12, all the way up to 86, are showcasing their skills. >> fencers competing at the highest level are vying for points that could qualify for the team usa at the 24 olympics. the event is free and open to the public through sunday. >> um, if folks come out, they're going to still see a lot of fast paced, kind of high octane action. um, the fencers here again in the division one categories in particular, have a lot on the line when it comes to the points and the team selection. we've got a few of our potential olympic team members here, as well as several of our national team members across the different age groups. >> as the high stakes tournament is expecting over 2300 fencers, that looks like i've always wanted to try fencing. it's fascinating. it is. >> all right. we still have much more news ahead. >> let's go to abc seven news

anchor karina nova for a look at what's coming up at 530. karina >> thanks, dan. and today, concerned citizens held a demonstration and press conference at oakland city hall. there calling out the failed leadership and policies of city leaders and now a push to recall mayor shang tao. we'll dig into the issues facing oakland with abc seven news insider phil matier. plus the winter storm warnings for the sierra this weekend. the dangerous conditions traveling to and from tahoe meteorologist sandhya patel will time out. the snowfall and the cold weather moving into the bay area. join us for those stories and more at 530 on abc seven bay area streaming tv. dan and emma. >> it's sure chilly in the mornings these days. karina, thanks so much and you can download the abc seven app or head to abc seven news.com and join karina in two minutes. and if you're watching us on tv world news tonight with david muir is next for sandyha patel. all of us, we appreciate your time. >> i'm dan ashley and i am ama daetz. we will see you again at 6:00.

♪ tonight, breaking news just in from the supreme court involving donald trump. also the massive fire burning near newark airport, the flames and passenger planes landing through heavy smoke. and a major winter storm set to slam the east. news from the supreme court just in, what they're now saying about donald trump's appeal about being taken off the ballot in some states. and the supreme court tonight on another major case. can a state make it a crime to perform or assist in an abortion in an emergetu