hi, are you feeling ok? with capella university's game-changing flexpath format, you can earn your nursing degree without putting life on hold. imagine your future differently with capella university. good morning. it is sunday, december 17th, 7:00. and this live look outside from san bruno mountain. our storm ranger getting ready to get to work ahead of a series of storms moving into the bay area. thank you so much for starting your sunday morning with us. i'm kira klapper. cinthia pimentel has a look at our microclimate forecast. a lot to get to, but right now we're looking a little calm. >> yeah. pretty much in the bay area, calm. there are some showers too in

the north, but look behind me here. the main system is still off to the ocean. we're picking up on cloud cover and some lightning strikes and some light rain early this morning. so we'll kick it into high gear here under a weather alert, because there is the potential for heavier spots later this afternoon and into the start of your workweek. we can see that activity has pushed on through to the north bay. from point marina just west of santa rosa down to bodega bay and parts of marin county. light rain here, the rest of us dry for now, but there is the potential for heavier rain later this afternoon. we have temperatures in the 40s and 50s around the bay area. hour by hour for you, there could be some heavier spots for today. we'll talk about that coming up in 15 minutes. >> cinthia, thank you. we are going to stick with the forecast and take you to the north bay where the sonoma county water agency has had an

idea to help minimize impacts of the incoming storms. tomorrow, it will begin to deflate the rubber dam on the russian river near forestville. the dam is inflated in the spring or summer to hold more water when water demand incrosses. and then that pool of water raises water well levels in the area. but when water levels are high, and the dam fills up, the rubber dam can be damaged. so they will start deflating that tomorrow. in san francisco, people in the marina district were loading up sand bags yesterday in anticipation of another deluge similar to last winter. last new year's eve brought damaging storms and catastrophic flooding in the bay area. in other parts of the city, hardware stores were busy as people were proactively protecting their homes. >> for the roofs and windows. so caulking for the windows, henry's wet patch for the roof.

you know, a lot of rain suits. a lot of people -- once it starts pouring, they'll get the water barriers. >> the san francisco public utilities commission is not anticipating flooding this time around. crews are clearing storm drains and keeping a close watch on areas previously prone to flooding. we have made it easy for you to track the storm, even when we are not on the air. just download our free nbc bay area app. that's where you'll get access to our storm rangers exclusive mobile doppler radar and weather alerts and forecasts specific to your neighborhood. new this morning, an overnight crash in the east bay leaves one child dead and another in critical condition. it happened around midnight on highway 4 in martinez. the chp tells us this mangled car went off the highway, plunging down an embankment near the morella avenue off ramp.

a witness says she stopped and helped pull two babies from the wreckage. when the chp respond, they performed cpr on both children. we are told one died, the other is in critical condition. >> kind of surreal. kind of devastating, you know. life is really short. >> i just encourage people to follow the speed limit, wear your seat belts, and just drive with caution. >> it is suspected that the children's mother was the one driving. she also was injured. the chp says she will be tested for impairment. new video of brazen thieves in the mort bay. you can see them trying to pull open the locked doors of this 7/eleven in vallejo. when they couldn't get in, one backed the car into the door and shattering the windows. that was how the impact looked and sounded from a camera inside

the 7/eleven. thieves stole cigarettes among other things, making several trips to their car before dropping off. the manager tells us police have not made any arrests. we reached out to police for comment. now, a followup to a storey we brought to you as breaking news last night. san francisco firefighters have put out a large fire at baker beach. it sparked around 10:00 p.m. last night near the lower baker beach parking lot. firefighters are investigating what sparked that fire. on the peninsula, the search is on for a driver involved in a hit and run crash that left a victim fighting for his life. it happened around 11:15 friday night in belmont. a car going north bound on el camino real hit a 64-year-old man. paramedics rushed him to the hospital where at last check he remains in critical condition. police are searching for the driver who they say was driving

a dark toyota tacoma last seen heading north towards harbor boulevard. in the east day, police are pleading for your help to find this woman, alice herman. she was last seen in santa cruz two weeks ago on december 3rd. but investigators later found her car parked in front of her boyfriend's home. that boyfriend, theo langeo, is now a person of interest in her disappearance. investigators say he drove to portland, oregon after alice herman was reported missing. supporters of embattled district attorney pamela price are still rallying for her. the group gathered yesterday at corner stone baptist church in oakland. the rally was organized by protect the win, a group committed to keeping price in her position. price was elected after running on a campaign of police and

justice system reform, but she's now facing a recall by voters who say they believe she is soft on crime. price directly addressed that criticism against her. >> my job as district attorney is to address the access to guns and the level of violence in this community and to hold people accountable without destroying our community, without decimating black and brown families because of the racism that has infected the criminal justice system. >> meanwhile, the recall campaign says it's well on its way to collecting the number of signatures needed to qualify for the ballot. they hope to bring the issue to voters in june. now to a san francisco toy store. it's been around for decades and now at risk of closing for good. this is jeffrey's toy store. you might know it near union square. the owners say they're struggling to stay afloat, but

they're holding out hope that what's left of this holiday shopping season could give them the boost they need. >> reporter: as far as holiday shopping goes, this is crunchtime. this san francisco toy store is making a plea to anyone who hasn't finished their shopping to consider spending their dollars here. >> pretty much the store started in 1938. >> reporter: that's when birdie and her husband, morton, started a variety store in san francisco. after the baby boom from world war ii, the demand for toys grew. >> it was my grandmother that had the idea to open a toy store. >> reporter: matthew lund is the fourth generation to work in the family's toy business. now it's called jeffrey's toys, with a store front on kerney. >> we are nine days from christmas. all this is full. this shouldn't be like that. this should be like down to like

the scraps. >> reporter: you've seen that before? >> oh, yeah. >> reporter: he says if this pattern continues through the holidays, his family will need to close permanently. he thinks fear about crime and more people working from home have led to decline in foot traffic. >> we're one of the oldest family run stores in the city. but all of them are slowly disappearing. >> reporter: the san francisco board of supervisors has been working on initiatives to support small businesses, including new reforms this past week to help fill vacancies and make permitting easier. but he says so far none of that has helped. >> i hope things will change, but i know that we can't just keep covering the loss every month without help from the city. >> reporter: for now, the lund family says whether jeffrey's manages to last another year will depend on whether customers come in to support them during the holiday rush. alyssa gourd, "today in the

bay." coming up, we take you live coming up, we take you live to washington, d.c. for ♪honey baked ham and potatoes au gratin♪ ♪tasty glazed turkeys that won't be forgotten♪ ♪their warm mac and cheese has us feasting like kings♪

♪these are a few of my favorite things♪ every bite is a celebration with the honey baked ham company [narrator] covered california is a free service from the state that's already helped millions of people like you get and pay for health insurance. with financial health to lower the cost of health coverage, you could get a quality health plan for less than $10 a month. every plan covers preventive care, doctor visits, emergency care, and more. if you have questions, we're here to help every step of the way. covered california. this way to health insurance. enroll by december 31 at coveredca.com.

welcome back. on wednesday, the republican controlled house voted to author its impeachment inquiry into joe biden. members of the gop have accused the president of profiting off of his son hunter's business dealings while biden was serving as vice president. this begs the question whether presidential impeachments are becoming the new normal. please join me in welcoming kristen welker, moderator of "meet the press." thank you for joining us this morning. i feel like this leads one to ponder how this will impact joe biden's re-election campaign. you got to sit down with senator lindsey graham, an outspoken critic of joe biden, as well as

congresswoman debbie dingell. biden won her state in 2020, but she noted that hillary clinton was in trouble in michigan in 2016 and she's sounding that same alart for biden, isn't she? >> it was so notable, you're right, that she referenced the fact that she was the one who said democrats are not in strong position in michigan. back in 2015 and 2016. she said they didn't listen to me then, basically they should listen to me now. she's sounding that same alarm. she called for the need for democrats to be in the state for the president, for the vice president, to be there, making their case to michigan voters. the other piece of this, kira, i was in michigan. i had a chance to speak to some democratic voters who supported joe biden, then candidate biden, back in 2020, two out of five of them, all women, are undecided

right now. it doesn't mean they'll vote for the republican nominee. but the question is, would they vote for a third party candidate or sit this one out? so that's really where the key question lies. and that is where you are seeing joe biden's support slip away. in my panel, we're talking about two out of five voters. but multiply that when you are talking about counties and states. and that type of erosion. it might not sound like a lot, but could make a big difference when you talk about these very narrow margins. so there's a lot to unpack with senator lindsay graham, as well as congresswoman debbie dingell. lindsey graham very bullish in terms of the deal that's coming together on capitol hill. they're having discussions about how to get a border deal, which would unlock a broader deal on ukraine and israel. still a lot of sticking points. he says he doesn't think it will get done by the end of the year, but he says there has been progress made.

>> they have a lot to do, especially with the holidays. we look forward to that roundtable, as well. thank you so much for that preview this morning. in fact, if you missed "meet the press" this morning, you can see the exclusive full interviews with representative debbie dingell and senator lindsey graham online, or stream "meet the press" on peacock. normally peacock is on at 8:00. coming up in 30 minutes from now, we'll talk to political analyst larry gerston for our weekly segment. we'll look at the number of election officials who are leaving their jobs and how crucial they are to democracy. thousands of holiday wreaths placed on graves at arlington national cemetery yesterday. for decades, wreaths across america has organized the tribute to service members at military cemeteries nationwide. thousands of volunteers take part placing a wreath at every single headstone.

and yesterday marked the 250th anniversary of the famous boston pea party. the city holding several events, including a re-enactment. actors dumped tea into boston harbor, commemorating the boston tea party from 1773. the seminal event in american history is widely seen as a critical moment leading up to the revolution. yesterday, they threw about 2,000 pounds of tea into the water. back in 1773, it was more than 92,000 pounds. all of that tea that was dumped was donated. every state in the union sent some. so did some foreign countries, including great britain. back here locally, it's a massive effort to ensure that everyone in need is fed this holiday season. yesterday, volunteers in san francisco helped with the operation called feeding 5,000.

it's a pair of community organizations, partnered with the department of public health. their mission is to pack and deliver 5,000 holiday meals. each box comes with a turkey, fresh produce and all the trimmings. organizers say this is just a drop in the bucket when it comes to addressing hunger in san francisco. >> we know the need is great. we know people are hungry in our community, specifically our black, latin x, native american and pacific islander population. >> this temporarily helps the population. this is a call to let them know that people are hungry throughout the year. so this one instance is not enough. >> organizers say they received more than 8200 households requesting those holiday meal boxes. they unfortunately did not have enough resources to meet those needs. the need, as we have seen time and again, is so high. we would like to remind you about our nourishing neighbors food drive.

we have teamed up with safeway for another year in a row to make sure everyone has a meal this holiday season. if you would like to help, donate the next time you're checking out at safway. scan the code and id adds $10 on your receipt. if you are looking for something to do today, mikey has a few ideas in this weekend calendar. >> good morning, kira. to our viewers, we're going to start this week, a new week with a new station. a firestation. firestation number 4 was over 70 years old. after 2 1/2 years of remodel work and expansion, it can now handle more staff, it's energy efficient and they will be giving tours today. first weekend for the new station, last weekend for their toys for tots campaign. to bring an unwrapped toy to donate. next up, a collaboration between cool arts, and oakland a.g. cultural center.

it's a dance recital, and a youth dance performance will be accompanied by the rendala. arts, politician, healing and belonging. the overall event is from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. across the bay, in san francisco, circus bela from now through the end of the clear presents kaleidoscope 2023, their winter holiday spectacular. under a circus temperature in the heart of san francisco at the crossings at east cut, this is a modern twist on one ring circus overflowing with heart and soul. and whether overflowing or mostly clear, i'm tracking your bay area roadways again tomorrow, with the rest of our team right here on "today in the bay." >> thanks, mike, see you tomorrow. time to check in with cinthia pimentel. lots of changes on the way. >> we'll be here to guide you through all of it. let's start right now with a check of the microclimate forecast. yesterday was a beautiful day.

it felt like late spring. we had some 60s and 70s. today we cool it down a few degrees. 60s in the north bay, upper 60s for the south bay. and some low 60s, and even upper 50s. check out martinez. we'll get a little more moisture in the atmosphere. it will feel a littlemuggy as you step out the door today thanks to this low pressure coming to the bay. this is something i want you to be aware of. you might see this, if you live in the marin county coastline and looking out towards the ocean, there is the potential for waterspouts to develop as the strong winds come in with the possibility of hail. this is off to the waters right now. looking at light rain, even the possibility of you hearing thunder in cloverdale. more rain off from dylan beach down to here. the rest of the bay area still under the heavy cloud cover.

we will get into some of that activity as we go through the mid morning hours. so let's take it hour by hour for you. the potential for heavier rain in the orange and yellow colors, really throughout the bay area. i'm looking at the interior east bay, still staying dry about 8:30, 10:00. check this out, for the south bay as we roll into 12:00, 1:00 this afternoon, the potential for san jose down to gilroy to get in on heavier rain rates. and things will calm down as we go into late evening, into sunday night. but here comes more rain for monday morning's commute. it's going to be heavy at times. give yourself enough time to head out the door. we know how the roadways get when there's rain in the bay area. it will come in through the mid morning hours. here and there spots. but if you are planning ahead for this, make sure that things are running smoothly. clear out the gutters. looking at the rain rates right now through tomorrow, into tuesday and on possibly wednesday, two to three inches

of rain with also some very strong wind gusts coming out of the south as we go into monday, especially near the coastline. look at half moon bay, 33 miles per hour as we go into monday's commute. there is more rain on the way for the first half of the week. it should start clearing out as we go into thursday and friday. very active forecast. we are going to stay under this microclimate weather alert through the next couple of days once we get through the several rounds of rain we have coming. >> several rounds. cinthia, thanks. 7:22 right now. much more ahead on "today in the bay." coming up, steph curry leading the warriors to a much-needed victory over the nets. the message he had four his teammates in dealing with all the recent dra. sports iams

good morning, everyone. the forecast for today calls for showers, but the splash brothers were making it rain last night in the city.

steph curry and klay thompson combined for 61 points against the brocklin nets. the new center taking in his first warriors game. second quarter, klay thompson making a splash from behind the arc. but brooklyn comes back. cam thomas ties the came here. curry takes over in the fourth, scored 16 of his 37 points in the final quarter. the warriors snap their three-game losing streak and win 124-120. before the game, curry had a message to his team and doling with the draymond drama and their struggles. >> i told the team, we have to get lost in the game as much as you can, because with all the stuff that's going on, you can put a little bit too much pressure on yourself or get ahead of yourself without just enjoying the process.

so that was my only message. i got lost in the game tonight. >> the warriors are back on the court today in portland. speaking of today, a win and the 49ers will clinch the nfc west division title for a second year in a row. the niners are in the valley of the sun to take on the cardinals. san francisco is red hot. winners of five in a row. they have already punched their ticket to the postseason. they can sweep the season series against arizona. a victory also keeps them as the number one seed in the nfc. >> so we're happy we're in the tournament. we definitely want to win our division, as a goal always. we don't win this week, then that causes a lot of problems. we look at this game the same way we look at everyone from here on out. it's a playoff game for us. we think they're a big factor and that's why this game is bigger than any other one that we've had so far. let's go bowling.

cal in shreveport, louisiana to take on texas tech. mendoza hits young for a 25-yard score. cal 14-7 after one. but after that, it was all red raiders. texas tech wins 34-14. that's a look at your sports. >> thanks, anthony. 7:27 right now. much more ahead on "today in the bay." a live look across the bay area this morning. our nbc bay area storm ranger is scanning on san bruno mountain. we have a round of storms headed our way. coming up, cinthia pimentel will tell us how much rain we're expecting. plus, preparations cities are making before thdeluge are making before thdeluge are ri

♪honey baked ham and potatoes au gratin♪ ♪tasty glazed turkeys that won't be forgotten♪ ♪their warm mac and cheese has us feasting like kings♪ ♪these are a few of my favorite things♪ every bite is a celebration with the honey baked ham company

good morning. it is sunday, december 17th, 7:29. this is a look at golden gate bridge and that american flag

flopping in the wind. it is cool and we are expecting the rain to return. thank you so much for starting your sunday morning with us. i'm kira klapper. cinthia pimentel has a quick look at our microclimate forecast. there's some activity already this morning, but the worst is yet to come. >> exactly right. good morning, everyone. we have been looking at this system already pumping some rain out there. mostly offshore and some thunderstorm activity. the main low is still off into the pacific, but it is bringing, of course, some stronger winds out towards the ocean, especially out towards the marin county waterline. look at the cluster of lightning strikes out there, pushing in that moisture to the land, especially if you are near point marina. hopland with lightning strikes up there. if you hear thunder roar, go indoors. we just want you to be safe this morning. the rest of us looking at light range in marin county. we're just blanketed under the

cloud cover, as we prepare for heavier rain at times. look at the hour by hour outlook. the mid morning looks wet for just about even. heavier rain over the diablo rake as we go into 12:00, 1:00 this afternoon. we'll take you through this hour by hour outlook through the rest of the day, coming up in about ten minutes. >> as if mondays aren't bad enough. cinthia, thanks. in san francisco, people in the marina district were loading up sandbags yesterday in anticipation of another damaging storm, similar to last winter. you likely recall last new year's eve brought storms, flooding across the bay area. and in other parts of the city, we found hardware stores busy as people were proactively protecting their homes. >> for the roofs and windows. so caulking for the windows, henry's wet patch for the roof. you know, a lot of rain suits. but a lot of people -- once it

starts pouring, they'll get the water barriers. >> the san francisco public utilities commission tells us it is not anticipating flooding this time around. it has crews clearing storm drains and keeping a close watch on areas prone to flooding. in the north bay. sonoma water has plans to minimize the impacts of the incoming storms. tomorrow, it will begin to deplate the rubber dam on the russian river. the dam is inflated in the spring when water demand raises. but when water levels are high and the dam fills up, the rubber dam can get damaged from high flows, so they'll start deflating that tomorrow. and a live look for you at sfx -- sfo form where storms could

cause travel delays this week. the chances of rain today will pick up overnight into tomorrow morning, lasting through the middle of this week. and the entire east coast is bracing for a massive storm expected to hit florida all the way up through maine. that's putting a damper on holiday shopping and travel for people back east or heading there this week. airport officials and the tsa are urging travelers to check their flight status before heading to the airport. they're also suggesting that all passengers to arrive two to three hours before their flight. and a reminder, you can download our free nbc bay area app. that's where you can track the storm, even when we're not on the air. you'll get exclusive access to our storm arranger mobile doppler radar and weather alerts and forecasts specific to your neighborhood. new this morning, an overnight crash in the east bay leaves one child dead and another in critical condition.

it happened around midnight on highway 4 in martinez. the chp tells us this car went off the highway, plunging down an embankment near the off ramp. we spoke with a witness who tells us she stopped and helped pull two babies from the wreckage. when the chp responded, they performed cpr on both children. we are told one died, the other is in critical condition. >> kind of surreal. kind of devastating, you know, life is really short. >> i just encourage people to follow the speed limit, wear your seat belts, and just drive with caution. >> it is suspected that the children's mother was driving. she also was injured. the chp tells us she will be tested for impairment. also new this morning, late-night sideshows once again across the bay area.

the first in vallejo around 2:00 a.m. people also set a christmas tree on fire. they moved to oakland to 7th and grand avenue. around 4:00 a.m., the same group made it across the bay to san francisco. police were seen in the area. no word on any arrests. but sideshows are illegal. hundreds of people took to the streets of tel aviv yesterday to demand for the release of hostages still being held captive by hamas. streets in tel aviv filled with those protestors chanting, holding signs, israeli flags, calling on prime minister benjamin netanyahu's war cabinet to present a proposal to free the dozens of people still being held by hamas. this coming after the israeli military mistakenly killed three hostages in gaza. they reportedly had a -- an

investigation has been launched into the death of those hostages. netanyahu said he's open to negotiations, even as israeli troops advance military operations sunday. hundreds of union members rallied in oakland yesterday for a cease-fire in gaza. the large rally included members of 14 labor unions from across the bay area. they gathered at oakland city hall, calling for that permanent cease-fire and an end to u.s. military aid to israel. and an end to israel's occupation. organizers say the rally marks a growing trend to collaborate across unions in the bay area and beyond. happening today, people are rallying outside of nancy pelosi's home in san francisco, calling once again for a cease-fire in gaza. the group, code pink, is organizing the event. it's calling on pelosi to call for an immediate and permanent cease-fire to stop funding in

israel and to halt the violence against palestinians. the rally will start at 9:00 a.m. supporters of embattled district attorney pamela price held a rally for her in alameda county. they gathered yesterday at corner stone baptist church in oakland. the group protects the win, and they're committing to keeping price in her d.a. position. voters who are upset because they believe she is soft on crime. price directly addressed those criticisms. >> my job as district attorney is to address the access to guns and the level of violence in this community, and to hold people accountable without destroying our community, without decimating black and brown families because of the racism that has infected the criminal justice system. >> the recall campaign says it's

well on its way to collecting the number of signatures needed to qualify it for the ballot. they hope to bring that recall issue to voters in june. well, christmas is a week from tomorrow. it's crunchtime for the nation's shipping companies. the last few years have not been without problems, so are they ready this year? nbc's steve patterson reports. >> reporter: inside this massive facility swirls the eye of the holiday gift giving storm. an incredible crush that will see more than 3 billion parcels delivered by the end of the season. how does this year compare to previous years? >> this is one of the busiest peak seasons i've ever seen, and i've been here 3030 years. >> daniel manages 3,000 employees here. the uspc distribution center in l.a. >> right here in the heart of los angeles, this is the largest

postal distribution center in the country, 1.7 million square feet, 29 football fields. right now they're doing a million packages every day. >> the race to deliver is on. >> reporter: last year, many of the major shipping companies ran into a delivery disaster. >> you had massive congestion in 2022, less trucks are to move the product. you had backups of containerships. so everything was truncated and clogged. >> reporter: this year, the postal service says they're ready. they've added more staff and new technology. what are we looking at right here? >> this is the brand new high outprocessing sorter. we can sort 10,000 packages per hour. it reads the package. as we go down, it will sort it to the right destination. >> reporter: the machines helping workers to up capacity to 70 million packages a day nationwide, up from 60 million last year.

what is it like working with all this new technology? >> i like it. it can double up the process while getting things out efficiently. >> reporter: fedex and u.p.s. say they're ready, too. this year they will see fewer packages shipped. >> when you compare this season to 2022, it's definitely day and night. >> happy that i'm here to serve the country and to serve our customers. >> reporter: steve patterson, nbc news, los angeles. 7:40. still to come on "today in the bay," with one week to go, one bay area group is doing its best to make sure every local cldhi

at 42 past the hour, let's get a check of the microclimate weather. we have a spare the air alert for one more day. unhealthy for the north bay, and the south bay continues to be in

the moderate category. there are some changes that will push the nasty air out, and we'll get to that in a second. temperatures today will be slightly cooler than what we had on saturday. you might feel a little muggy as we get more moisture coming in. 60s for san francisco. upper 60s down into san martin. we look at the parent low, drawing more of the moisture up from the south, bringing some very gusty winds. where is the rain right now? it's starting to push up into the marin county coastline, and if we stop this timeline right here, just north of cloverdale, you might have heard that thunder roar just a couple minutes ago. seeing some light rain at this hour, and the rest of the bay area is dry but let's take it hour by hour and help you plan your sunday and the start of this workweek, which is going to get very messy.

the mid morning hours, activity hanging on for the north bay. the rest of the bay area, tapping in on some light amounts. before we get to 12:00, 1:00, looking at the diablo range, down through san jose, could be picking up on heavier rain rates. then it quiets down into the evening hours. but do not be taken off guard as we go into monday morning's commute. we will track this rain pushing through for just about everybody for monday into tuesday. it's going to be sloppy. give yourself enough time as we take it through the middle of the week. this rain stays with us. looking at light amounts of snow. it's a warmer storm that will continue to push on through south on thursday, into friday. looks like next weekend, we could be clear. but look at these rain estimates. one to three inches of rain, especially for the north bay mountains. san jose and the santa clara valley could be a little rain shadowed, but with heavier spots

this afternoon, we could be picking up on decent amounts. snow totals, less than a foot for the sierra. it will be an active seven-day forecast for california. rain and wind

welcome back. one group is doing what it can to make sure every child has a gift to open. as marcus washington shows us, you can help. >> reporter: this is the third year of the instagram page known as san jose foods is hosting the toy drive. the founders of that page want to collect 30,000 toys to hand out to kids who otherwise might not receive them. mayor matt mayhan also supports the group. there are many dropoff locations throughout the city. the mayor says they really need the help of the community, as well. >> last year, we distributed 15,000 toys to kids who might not otherwise receive them. i know we can come together as a

community to do even better this year. >> i always feel like giving is very important. it's definitely one of the main things in my life that i like to do all the time, even when i don't have much. it's meant for everyone. it doesn't matter how much money you make, it's meant for everyone to come and for the kids to see that, you know, there's some christmas spirit in the air. >> that there is. so this is the information you need to know. they are giving those toys out now, and it goes until sunday, the 17th. it will happen at the santa clara county fair grounds in san jose. to get more details for you or someone you know who needs a gift this season, go to the website. we'll get you started at 5:00 p.m. on "today in the bay" and watch the news when you want 24/7 on our streaming platforms. kira, back to you.

>> thanks, marcus. on friday, a jury awarded nearly $150 million to two election workers. a mother and daughter. this after they suffered threats they say were the result of remarks from former president trump's lawyer, rudy giuliani. and their experience of death threats and living in fear is not out of the ordinary. election officials are quitting their jobs at soaring rates. a study found that 20% of those who worked in 2020 will be gone in this coming election. it's the highest turnover in recent memory. nbc bay area political analyst larry gerston is here. i want to say a lot of us take election workers for granted. but they are critical to our democracy. >> you're absolutely right. they're the glue, the foundation, if you will, of the whole process. they're the ones who watch the vote, right?

they do a number of things, these folks do. it starts with enforcing state and local ballots and laws, all the way from whatever soup to nuts. they manage voter eligibility. are you okay to vote, are you not? they make sure that every vote is counted, it's that simple. all this is done in a nonpartisan manner, despite what some people might think. it's really legit and on the books, by the books. >> it seems that the climate has convinced people it's not nonpartisan, but it seems pretty straightforward. they have to abide by these laus. why do you think there is this growing attrition rate? >> this starts with a political statement. it begins with donald trump in 2016 saying, if i don't win, it's because the election was rigged. well, he won. in 2020, he said the same thing. well, he lost. 62 court cases later at the state and federal level, guess what? he lost. he lost without any substantial

voter irregularities. the chief of staff mark meadows was registered to vote in three places. he wasn't attempted voter fraud. but when he moved, he probably forgot. still, these folks are scared to death. 73% in a recent survey said that they have felt threatened, intimidated. 56% said they were threatened or intimidated by political leaders. this is the kind of environment where they work. >> that's really too bad. what do we do, where do we go? >> well, we start with the fact that there are these kinds of lawsuits we saw. $148 million later, rudy giuliani, you'll see more of these things as these folks who work in the voting areas decide to get tough. you're going to see public interest groups continue to go ahead and press on when they see examples of this kind of activity by people, you know,

questioning the elections for no reason. but at the end of the day, kira, we're talking about institutional knowledge going away. it's going to be very hard in 2024, when we watch and see just how it is that these laws are carried out by people, many of whom don't have the same expertise that we have seen in the past. it's something to watch. >> larry, thanks so much for your insight. good to see you. it's 7:52. up next, a close look at the stories we are following. we are tracking when you'll see the rain in your neighborhood d how long it will lasant.

welcome back. here's a quick look at the top stories we are following on this sunday morning, including a live look in san francisco, where the city is preparing for a series of stops, worried about a repeat of the damaging storms that rolled in at the beginning of last winter. you can see crews here putting up flood barriers overnight at 17th and fulsome. people in the marina district were loading up sandbags yesterday. you likely recall lastier's new year's eve storm brought catastrophic flooding in the bay area. and hardware stores were busy as people were proactively protecting their homes. the san francisco public utilities commission says they are not anticipating flooding,

but yo crews are keeping a clos area on areas. sonoma county water agency has a plan to minimize the impact of the storms. sonoma water will deflate the rubber dam on the russian river. it is inflated to hold more water when demands increases. when water levels are high and the dam fills up, the rubber dam can get damaged, so they'll start reducing that storm. a live look at sfo this morning, where the storms hitting the area and the east coast could cause travel delays this week. chances of rain today will pick up overnight into tomorrow morning, lasting through the middle of the week. airport officials and the tsa urging travelers to check their flight status. they suggest that people get there two to three hours before their flight.

and cinthia has one last book at the forecast before we go. a few days of rain it sounds like. >> and it's already starting, most of it to the ocean right now. but the north bay getting in on some sprinkles. you might have heard some thunder roar near ukiah, hopland. we may have heavier rain rates this afternoon. livermore, san jose, gilroy, i hope this is mostly over the mountains. so just be careful if you have to drive into and out of tracy into the central valley. you could be looking at that. then we calm down into the evening hours before it really picks up into monday morning's commute. we'll tell you all about it over the next couple of days. >> winter officially starts thursday. cinthia, thanks. no 5:00 or 6:00 p.m. news tonight. instead, it's football night in america on nbc bay area. the baltimore ravens against the jacksonville jaguars on sunday night football. we will have a special edition

news cast after the game, and then we are back at 11:00 p.m. until then, stay up to date on nbcbayarea.com. download our free nbc bay area app to keep track of the weather as it comes in overnight into the next few days. and stay safe out there. thank you so much for making us a part of your sunday morning. one last look at storm

this week, the business behind social media influencers. agents, marketing, and of course, money. plus, cozy games. the video game's industry tries a softer approach. and bringing policing into the 21st century, with the ceo of peragon technologies. that's this week on "press: here." good morning, everyone. i'm scott mcgrew. i can't think of any word