we need to get our act together to make sure we have the personnel and the leadership present to bring back a safe and clean community. >> right now at 5:00, putting

safety first. the drastic new plea one oakland leader is making to mayor sheng thao, after the death of a police officer in the line of duty. and up in flames. a suspected arsonist terrorizing one neighborhood on new year's eve. we have surveillance video neighbors hope can lead to an arrest. and a live look outside. this is pacifica. you can hear it. after a wet night, another high surf advisory in place. meteorologist kari hall is tracking how high those swells will come over that fence. this is "today in the bay." good morning, everyone. it's wednesday. i'm scott mcgrew. >> it's hard to know. >> i had yesterday off. >> good to see you back. i'm kira klapper. laura and marcus are still off this morning. let's start with a look at the forecast. meteorologist kari hall is fresh as a daisy. we got that weather, you told us. >> yes, we got a fresh round of

rain and we're starting out this morning with lingering showers. but the heavier rain has moved off toward the south and east. you can still see there's a lot of activity on the radar. we've been tracking with stormranger, it's right over marin county into san francisco, and parts of the north bay still getting a lot of steady rain this morning. as we get a closer look, even a few pockets of heavier downpours crossing the bay and heading toward richmond, then we'll see light rain continuing in fremont, as well as around menlo park. as we go hour-by-hour, by 6:30 to 7:00, we're still seeing rain, and then going into the rest of the day we'll gradually see it clearing out. noon, we're looking nice and sunny. and then going into later today, we'll continue to see the sunshine continue. additional rainfall may be just a few hundredths of an inch of rain. we've had decent rainfall totals. we'll take a look at that, as well as what's ahead for the next round of rain in a few minutes.

cinthia has been tracking the road. we have a problem in sunol. >> this just popped up. good morning. it is southbound 680 at 84 where they connect. maybe you're coming from livermore, tracy. just be careful, there is some traffic control because there's a boulder in some of the lanes. i'm going to work to get more details on that and see how long this could possibly impact your commute. we are having an issue with our clicker waking up this morning, but i can tell you the roadways, you can see their shades of green around the bay area, there is some localized flooding. we'll be back with another traffic report in just a little bit. >> thank you. making it in the bay is going to be more expensive in this new year. >> "today in the bay"'s bob redell joins us live from the east bay. pg&e already hiked its rates. now we're learning the state's largest home insurer is going to do the same. >> reporter: unfortunately, you are correct. good morning to you, scott and kira. state farm, which insures about one in every ten to eleven homes here in the bay area and

throughout the state of california, has been improved by the state's department of insurance to raise rates on average 20% later this year. in a statement to us, state farm wrote, quote, these rate changes are driven by increased costs and risks and are necessary for state farm mutual automobile insurance company and state farm general insurance company to deliver on the promises the companies make every day to their customers. we continue to look for ways to maintain competitive rates and help our customers manage their risk, unquote. the new rates go into effect march 15th. you might recall last year state farm actually stopped writing new policies in the state, in part due to the risks and losses of wildfires. now, pg&e's latest rate hike kicks in this week, which means we are paying more for power than anyone else in the state of california, and we could see another rate hike later this year. our investigative unit reviewed documents that show pg&e overspent on cutting trees near power lines and other efforts to

reduce the chance of parking wildfires between 2020 and 202, they spent $1.9 billion more than was authorized. pg&e could request customers to reimburse them, hence why we could see another rate increase. the rate increase improved will increase the bill by approximately $43. they're asking for another increase in march. if that's approved, the average bill could go up by another $24. pg&e could ask for another hike of around $43 a month. that brings the total to $100 more for the average monthly bill. we spoke to the executive director of turn, the consumer watchdog group. >> the public utilities commission is in charge of reviewing every application for a rate increase, and

unfortunately they have repeatedly taken the side of wall street investors over the side of everyday customers, and that's why the bills have skyrocketed so much these past few years. in a statement, pg&e writes every day pg&e is making the electric system safer and stronger for your customers in response to evolving climate challenges. that work includes important safety work directed by our regulators, including repeated inspections of some parts of the system each year. reporting live in dublin, bob redell, "today in the bay." >> all right, bob. no wonder people are leaving california. >> getting expensive. >> bob, thanks. we have new developments in the death of an oakland police officer. there is a push for the mayor to call for a state of emergency. officer tuan le was shot and killed last friday while working a burglary operation. officers have arrested multiple suspects out of san francisco, livermore and sacramento.

in the wake of that shooting, and other incidents, the council member will meet today with oakland mayor sheng thao, he's asking her to declare a state of emergency, which would allow the mayor to fast track the selection of a new police chief. >> i appreciate the work our police officers are doing, but we do need outside support and the mayor needs to declare an emergency. >> oakland has been without a chief for nearly one year. the police commission presented the mayor with a list of three finalists to fill that chief role. she rejected the options, one of which was former chief leronne armstrong. she had fired him last february. the commission has a new deadline of march 1st to give the mayor a new list of finalists. police in san francisco are searching for a suspected new year's eve arsonist caught on camera. surveillance video shows a man walking with a gas can in bernal

heights, shortly after four cars went up in flames. the neighbors say the same man targeted a nearby home filled with people waiting until midnight. but the home never caught fire. >> the truck was driving by to put out the fires on the cars and the arsonist was lying in wait, waited for the fire truck to pass and then lit the fire outside of the garage the children were in. incredibly disturbing. >> no injuries that we're aware of, but if the man in that video we just showed looks familiar, you can contact san francisco police. the biden administration is set to reopen four points of entry into the u.s. after closing them early last month, saying they are anticipating a lighter flow of migrants at the southern border. those locations will include the opening near san diego, lukeville and nogales in arizona, and eagle pass in texas. as we've reported yesterday morning, border patrol agents say they encountered a record number of migrants last month,

surging past 300,000. now they're seeing a drop because of increased enforcement in mexico, coupled with the holidays behind us. and the migrant caravan farther south, we are told, is now slowing and scaling back in numbers, as it moves toward the border. 5:08 on your wednesday morning. let's go live to pacifica. beachgoers should be on guard today. a high surf advisory is issued and we've seen those waves come up over those walls, because they've been as high as 23 feet, or they will be. do not get close. do not turn your back. the last advisory will last until 4:00 a.m. tomorrow. kari hall is here. we've got some spotty rain, too. >> yeah, we do still have lingering rain and that will continue for the next few hours. but all of this with the high winds that kicked up yesterday is really building high waves along the coastline, and there's more storms out in the pacific that will be coming in. as we get a look at stormranger, still quite a bit of wet weather

in pacifica, as well as san francisco and parts of the north bay as you get ready to head off for work. we'll see the waves continuing to build. at 10:00 a.m., the high surf advisory will be in effect and then that continues into early tomorrow morning, possibly some of those breakers could reach 23 feet. we're currently seeing them at 15 feet and the water is very cold. so make sure that if you do go there to keep an eye on what's going on, you're watching everyone around you as well as pets. we'll be talking more about the next storm coming in in a few minutes. cinthia is tracking gas prices. >> good morning. well, maybe people are heading back to work or school. time to get things moving. we want to help move you forward with the cheapest gas prices thanks to drivers who report them on gasbuddy.com. we'll start with $3.95 in concord at the diamond gas and mart on oak grove road and stay in the east bay and go over to hayward, $4.05 at on hesperian

boulevard. you'll find $4.17 in foster city at the valero on foster city boulevard. so all of those gas prices for you. let's go to the roadways. the commute is still pretty light but there is an issue i'm keeping an eye on. it is a traffic control request for the chp to watch out for this boulder that apparently went into the lanes right there as you make your way down the sunol grade. that's southbound 680 and 84, so we'll keep an eye on that, as well as the wet roadways and the impact on the commute. >> cinthia, thanks. leaning into ai. next on "today in the bay," the smartphone maker announcing plans to launch its new phone with built-in artificial intelligence features. ♪♪ ♪♪ are you tired of riding the love coaster? well, we have a day that will be perfect for you to make that special love connection. keep it here. we're back in two.

with the freestyle libre 3 system... know your glucose levels no fingersticks needed. all with the world's smallest and thinnest sensor. manage your diabetes with more confidence and lower your a1c. try it for free at freestylelibre.us. look mom, i found one. oh, yeah, you did. but we need an atm from our bank unless you want to spend a small fortune in fees. uh, no, thank you. banking with us means more fee-free atms than the two largest us banks combined. well, that would be convenient but there is no b-m-o here. ah, you can just call us bee-mo, and there is now. you know what else is convenient? mobile banking that makes it easy to track your goals and manage your money get out of town. but we... just got here. when a bank helps you get and stay ahead. that's the bmo effect. ♪ bmo ♪

[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 january 31st at coveredca.com. good wednesday morning to you. right now at 5:14, as you get ready to head out, we're still dealing with wet weather and we'll see off and on rain in fremont, until at least the 9:00 hour. after that it clears up and our temperatures go from upper 40s to mid-50s. overall it's going to be a cool day. we'll talk about what's ahead with some more rain in our forecast coming up in a few

minutes. and we're staying in the east bay. 580, richmond-san rafael bridge toll plaza, it is very slick. the rain is fogging up the lens, as well as on the bay bridge. do be careful. we'll talk about the rain and commute building up coming up. good morning. i'm silvana hanao from cnbc. wall street is set to open in the red after a mostly negative session yesterday. the nasdaq dropping more than 1.5% for its worst day since october. dragged down by mega cap tech stocks and a nearly 4% decline for apple because barclays cut its rating on the company to a sell on expectations for slower iphone sales this year. the s&p 500 slipping more than half a percent, but the dow did manage to eek out a small gain. samsung is leaning into ai this year. the smartphone maker announcing

plans to launch its next flagship device, likely the galaxy s-24. they promise galaxy ai is coming. data estimates more than a billion phones with built-in generative ai features are expected to be shipped by the end of 2027. chatgpt, which generates text or images based on user prompts is at the forefront of the ai wave that's swept across the tech space. and warn buffet and nike founder are among the top charity donors from last year, buffet topping the annual list with his $541 million gift to the susan thompson buffet foundation named for his first wife. the list of gifts from individuals or their foundations topped $3.5 billion, eight of the top donors on the list are multibillionaires and their combined net worth is $305 billion, guys. >> that's incredible. >> wow, i can't even fathom. >> good for them.

>> that's really nice to hear. >> yeah. >> that they're sharing it, sharing the wealth. silvana, thanks. good to see you. trending this morning, if you're looking for love in 2024, apparently you will not be alone. >> i guess this sunday is known as dating sunday. tinder senior vice president of global marketing says it's the app's biggest day of the year, based on last year's number. they report the number of messages on tinder surges about 22% on the first sunday in january, the number of likes increases by 18%. the website tells the "new york post" close to 2,300 photos are expected to be added to profiles every minute as people update their profiles, 58.7 million more likes, 11.4 million more messages will likely be sent as compared to the rest of the year. so happy swiping. i guess that makes sense. if you're single, you've got to do all the family and the parents and all that on

christmas and hanukkah and whatnot. that's over, it's done, you can get back to yourself. >> yourself, and you're already, what, going to diet, exercise, all of the things to improve life. >> kari, aren't you glad we don't have to do any of this? [ laughter ] >> absolutely. >> you're lucky in love. >> i hear it's really hard out there. let's get started this morning. we are seeing temperatures in the upper 40s. it is a cold start and in some spots it's still raining, so not only do you need the umbrella, you also need layers today. looking at the rainfall totals we had, some of us really got a good downpour. mount tam, over an inch and a half, santa rosa measuring over an inch of rainfall, and over three-quarters of an inch of rain in hayward. most of us the rest of us had rainfall totals like san jose and san francisco, around the half inch of rain or less. but we still have a chance of measuring a little more with

this storm system winding down, pushing off toward the east and still lingering showers that makes the morning commute very sloppy as you get ready to head out, especially for us early risers. we're seeing the rain moving through novato and vallejo, and still some light showers in napa this morning, starting to pick up a little in oakland right now. and then, also, the steady rain continues in san francisco, down to menlo park, and off and on rain will continue. we're still going to see that activity through about 9:00. after that, we're seeing much more sunshine and it's going to be a nice afternoon, but still chilly. and then we are getting ready for more rain in the forecast. so what we'll see over the next few hours will be just a few more hundredths of an inch of rain, but the main story for us, along with rain chances, will be the cold temperatures that will settle in as the set stream takes a dive to the south and cold air will be coming from the north. our mornings will be very cold, but that will help out with the sierra snow. the snow levels coming down a

lot lower, even with the rain in the bay area, we're going to see it all coming down as snow as you go up above 4,000 feet. so that's going to be really great for the snowpack that we know has been so low. then the active weather pattern continues. we are going to have a chance to dry out this afternoon and we do have a couple of days of dry conditions. but look at those temperatures, in the early mornings we're going to see mid to upper 30s to start, and highs only reaching into the 50s. our next chance of rain comes in on saturday, but clears out by sunday. we'll be watching out for more rain ahead. san francisco also will be chilly. layer up today and make sure you have those layers for the next few days. cinthia, now you're tracking a crash in the east bay. >> yeah, we are going to go to westbound 80. so as you're making your way down into richmond, el cerrito and albany, there is a crash that looks to be just one car involved. but now all the lanes are blocked. we can see the sensors turning

to red and orange, backing up the commute a little bit. and, also, with the green in the background, rain could be an issue. so just watch out for this. it will be a little slow. we need to watch out for speeds on the roadways. we're going to stay in the east bay watching the build from the altamont pass into other parts of the greater bay, and just keeping note, it's not on the board anymore, but chp did temporarily have to go out to the 680/84 change right there in sunol to watch out for a boulder that was blocking some of the lanes. otherwise, the rest of the bay area is still pretty smooth. we've just got to watch out for rain. i'll see what's happening on the peninsula. as we take a look at mass transit this morning, there is some wet weather impacts on b.a.r.t. they are running at slower speeds and they're asking everybody to be careful on the stairs and getting up to the platform. back to you. >> cinthia, thanks so much. next on "today in the bay," nbc bay area responds. >> our energy bills are up. we want to help you bring them back down. i'

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welcome back. as we've been reporting this morning as well, pg&e rates will hike in this new year, and amid the chilly weather folks might be sweating about paying those energy bills. >> we asked our consumer team to find ways to cut energy costs. consumer investigator chris chmura shows us how. >> unfortunately, the best way to cut your energy cost is to use less energy, but that

doesn't necessarily mean you have to be uncomfortable. let's start with your thermostat. pg&e says each degree you lower your thermostat can save you 2%. drop it 5 degrees at night and you might save 10%. if you're able to, pg&e recommends 68 or lower. blankets to the rescue. when you reach your home, try to keep the warm air inside. close those curtains, shades and blinds. then pg&e says set the thermostat to 56 while you're away. the department of energy recommends a look at your water heater. many are set to 140 degrees by default. consider 120 instead. if 120 is warm enough for your showers and doing the dishes, uncle sam says you might save 22%. pg&e says you can save roughly another 10% on your bills if your attic, walls, doors and windows are sealed nicely. caulk is cheap and it easily fills those gaps where warm air can escape or cool air weasels

in. if you qualify as low income or receive government assistance, click this qr code. you might be eligible for savings of 20% to 35%. >> i have to rewind and get that qr code. thanks, chris. up next, the top stories we're following, including a warning for you and your pets. the harmful algae lurking in one east bay lake and the reason you should avoid the water. and big news out of oakland. arrests in the killing of that undercover oakland police officer, and also movement on the search for a new police ief. i'll tchel

take that up a little bit higher. you should feel that, like, right back here. oh, yeah, i felt that! good, that is so much better than last week.

thanks, i've been doing 'em every night while i'm watching tv. - oh, what are you watching? it's a mystery. high quality care that meets you where you are. right now at 5:30, calling for action. a new plea being made in oakland, as safety concerns boil over following the shooting death of a police officer. a six figure 800-pound sculpture swiped from a south bay driverway. why the artist says he's frustrated with the police response. and a live look -- can you tell what that is? the bay bridge. most places still soaked following overnight rain. meteorologist kari hall told us this was coming, monitoring the continued rain in the forecast and the outlook for your neighborhood. this is "today in the bay." good wednesday morning. thank you so much for starting it with us. i'm kira klapper. >> i'm scott mcgrew. marcus and laura have the week

off. let's start with a look at the forecast. meteorologist kari hall tracking what we can expect. >> we're starting out with the wet weather, but it won't end that way. we'll see this moving out over the next couple of hours, and still some lingering showers, though, affecting your morning commute. and we get a closer look with stormranger tracking all of the wet weather, we're seeing a lot of green here in parts of the north bay, as well as san francisco, down to the peninsula. elsewhere it is fairly spotty. but the rain has picked up quite a bit in novato, and that will be tapering off in the next few minutes. we're also looking at a lot of puddles and wet weather in san francisco, down to menlo park. we're also seeing the rain picking up in oakland and in the oakland hills. so just watching out for that as you get ready to drive to work. slow it down, allow some extra time to get there. here we are at 9:30 and we're seeing much less activity. that will be the trend as we go throughout today. and it's going to be cooler. yesterday we made it in some spots into the low 60s.

today we're staying in the 50s. and may only reach up to about 55 in livermore and dublin, 59 in san francisco, and, also, upper 50s in much of the north bay. we also have cold nights ahead. i'll talk about that in our next round of rain. cinthia, are you still tracking the crash in the east bay? >> this is for people making their way from san pablo toward el cerrito and toward the bay bridge. so far, it's only been one car involved in this, all the lanes are temporarily blocked as they work to get chp on scene, a tow truck on scene, and move everything off to carlson. even if you're coming in from 580, you're going to be met with people who have just passed this and they're making their way through parts of oakland. i promised i would check in with what was going on in the peninsula. we do have not many details, but it is northbound 101 after the peninsula avenue off-ramp there, we'll continue to check on that and see if more details come up. otherwise, as kari was saying, take it slow. there is a lot of rain in the

sensors. i'll be tracking what's going on with the commute coming up. 5:31. new developments in oakland after that shooting rocked the city, a police officer died in the line of duty. >> a suspect is now in custody, but that's hardly easing concerns. "today in the bay"'s kris sanchez is here with a state of emergency declaration being requested by one leader. hi, kris. >> reporter: hi, there. the councilman proposing the state of emergency says it would give oakland mayor sheng thao the ability to move forward toward choosing a police chief. councilman gallo will meet with her today to push her to make good on her threat over the statement of emergency over delivering the slate of candidates from which to choose a police chief. as you may know, thao fired former police chief leronne armstrong last february and the city has been without a permanent leader ever since, and it has been a very difficult

year for the people of oakland. robberies went up 38%, there were 32% more burglaries, a whopping 44% increase in motor vehicle thefts, and 126 people were killed on the streets of oakland. one of them, as you likely know, as oakland police officer tuan le, shot and killed last friday while working an undercover burglary operation. >> someone has the audacity to attack an oakland police officer, they're attacking every resident of oakland. >> as the officer's family and the city of oakland mourn his loss, opd and other law enforcement officers pored over physical and electronic evidence. the suspects were arrested in san francisco, livermore. it happened within 100 hours of the officer's killing along the 400 block of embarcadero. back to the state of emergency, without that in place, the process plays out, that means

the commission has until march to get the mayor a new list of finalists. you might remember the mayor rejected the last slate of finalists. so mayor thao and councilman gallo will meet today. the oakland state of emergency would also open up the budget so that everything is once again on the table. >> march is a long time. i realize there's an interim leader there. >> interim is fine, but we've all had interim leaders and it's not the same as having your leader that's going to take you through the next phase. and i think -- i mean, there's been more than ten interim leaders since february. >> thank you. 5:33 right now. a break in the case of a capitola woman missing for exactly one month. police have arrested her boyfriend in the wake of what they say is new evidence and the discovery of human remains in berkeley. 61-year-old alice herrmann was last seen december 3rd in santa cruz. authorities later found her car parked in front of her boyfriend's home in el cerrito.

yesterday they arrested him in santa cruz county. investigators say a tip led them to human remains in tilden park. those are now in the process of being identified. 5:34. san mateo police revealing the first details about a chaotic incident in november that nearly injured an officer. new images shared by police show that aftermath. a truck ended up in san mateo creek, police say it had been stolen. during the pursuit, the suspect tried to run over an officer. he got out of the way after the crash. the suspect got away as well. they just were able to identify him, issue warrants and arrested him this week in modesto. that suspect facing multiple charges. a renowned bay area artist is asking for help, after a thief stole his valuable work from right outside his studio. surveillance video shows what happened monday afternoon. you can see a white truck pulling up to the studio in san jose, someone loading the

800-pound steel sculpture into the truck bed before driving off. the artist, edo rosenberg, says he was finishing the final touches on the piece, which he expected to sell for up to $100,000. he says the work was bolted down in the driveway. he also says police are not helping as much as they could. he's insisting that they insist he first file a report online. >> they said if someone was interested, someone would call me afterwards. >> edo went on to say the work took two months for him to complete. nbc bay area did reach out to the police department yesterday for a comment. we have not yet heard back. happening now, a warning for those in alameda county. the department of water resources alerting visitors to a local lake to keep themselves and their pets away from the algae bloom. these blooms contain toxins which could be harmful for people and pets. exposure can cause eye, nose and throat irritation, headaches, skin rashes, and cold and

flu-like symptoms. >> i guess the good news is it's so cold outside, we're staying away from the water already. now to a live look in pacifica, high surf advisories in place, 23 foot waves expected, dangerous swimming conditions. that advisory will last until 4:00 a.m. tomorrow. >> kari hall has been watching all of that. we've been waiting for a big wave to come over that fence. >> we saw it come up just enough to where we could see it, but it didn't come over. i don't think these waves will be as big as last week, but still pretty high and very dangerous. we have a lot of storms out there that have been churning up the water, and as we take a look at what we are seeing as the rain still lingers this morning, i wanted to widen out the view to show you there's another storm coming in, another atmospheric river that's headed now off towards the north, and eventually will make its way closer to the bay area before the weekend. but all of this activity making those waves very dangerous. right now they're up to about 14

feet and will head up to 23 feet later today and into early tomorrow morning. so we will continue with the high surf advisory. just stay well away from the water because those sneaker waves come up a lot higher and you can't tell until it's a little too late. as we look at the rain we're going to see in concord and parts of the east bay, that rain will be off and on through about 10:00. still partly cloudy through noon and eventually clearing out today. you'll notice it's going to be a lot cooler. and as we take it hour-by-hour, still some widespread rain, at least up until about 8:00 to 9:00, lingering rain up until noon. but then we do clear out and, once again, it will be a cooler day as that sunshine comes back. we'll be tracking more rain in the forecast coming up. and cinthia, you've been watching the rain on the sensors and also what's ahead for drivers. >> you can see behind me, aside from the sensors still being pretty much clear at this hour as people are still on holiday break, there is the rain that we have to watch on the roadways.

i did want to tell you about b.a.r.t. if you do have to head back to school or work. there is some wet weather impacts. so trains running at slower speeds and also just caution on the stairs to the platform. tomorrow chase center, maybe the first game of the year, warriors and nuggets at 7:00 in the afternoon, so just watching for buildup as you make your way off 280 or people going over the bay bridge. in san jose there is a sharks and jets game also tomorrow, 7:30. so you could get traffic on the alameda, people making their way into downtown san jose. and we'll keep it here in the south bay for levi's stadium this sunday, 49ers and the l.a. rams, 1:25 kickoff. you could be seeing traffic in and around the great america parkway there as people make their way around 237 and down 101. so we'll keep an eye on that. the morning commute is building up. we'll send it back to you. >> all that green looks good. making good on his promise

to appeal. coming up on "today in the bay," donald trump makes a new request in his ongoing primary ballot battle. also, preventing snow related sports injuries. we have expert advice you should consider before hitting the slopes. do it all over, he would do it all the same. do you know he's never once said that he regrets hiroshima? he would do it all over. why? because it made him the most important man who ever lived. >> the mouse house officially dethroned. the new king of the box office the new king of the box office and films that led to a look mom, i found one. oh, yeah, you did.

but we need an atm from our bank unless you want to spend a small fortune in fees. uh, no, thank you. banking with us means more fee-free atms than the two largest us banks combined. well, that would be convenient but there is no b-m-o here. ah, you can just call us bee-mo, and there is now. you know what else is convenient? mobile banking that makes it easy to track your goals and manage your money get out of town. but we... just got here. when a bank helps you get and stay ahead. that's the bmo effect. ♪ bmo ♪

[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 january 31st at coveredca.com.

good wednesday morning. it is now 5:42. we are seeing the wet conditions in san francisco, lingering rain this morning. by 8:00, it is drying out. we're mostly cloudy, but seeing more sunshine later today, but staying cool, with highs in the upper 50s. we do have some more cold mornings ahead and eventually more rain. i'll have more on that coming up in a few minutes. before making it into san francisco, a wet and slick commute approaching the bay bridge toll plaza. i don't think the metering lights have been turned on, but at this time of the morning is when they usually do. let's go a little ways back to the tri-valley drive times, just over a 25-minute commute going from grant line to 680. there was a previous issue with a boulder in the sunol area, so

that's just a bit over a ten minute commute. we'll show you all of the impacts coming up. former president donald trump is hoping a new appeal will offset the latest decision to try to keep his name from appearing on an upcoming primary ballot. the new appeal surrounds the decision in maine that bars him from the primary ballot. top election leaders there citing the same constitutional clause tied to insurrection being cited in other states. trump's attorneys argue the clause does not apply to presidents and judges are expected to make that ruling by january 17th. to developments in the middle east. a live look at southern israel toward the gaza border. palestinian health leaders now report more than 22,000 deaths in gaza since the start of the war with israel nearly three months ago.

this as the violence expands to lebanon where one of the top hamas leaders has been killed in a drone strike. while israel is not claiming responsibility officially, it is bracing for retaliation. as "today in the bay"'s drew petrimoulx explains, this is the latest sign the violence may expand to other countries. [ sirens ] >> reporter: this morning, fears of war escalation in the middle east after the assassination of a top hamas official in lebanon. saleh al arouri, the deputy head of hamas' military, killed in a drone strike in a beruit suburb. so far, israeli officials are not taking responsibility for the attack. >> who does it benefit? it benefits the israelis to kill him and they did so, almost certainly. hard to imagine anybody else. >> reporter: with protests erupting in the west bank, israel is bracing for retaliation, not just from hamas, but also from hezbollah. and now iran reportedly sending a warship to the red sea, where

ten iranian-backed houthi rebels were killed over the weekend during a fire fight with u.s. military helicopters. >> tensions are rising, it's a more significant risk of a wider war. >> reporter: in gaza the suffering continues. the health ministry says more than 22,000 people have been killed since the war started. this 15-year-old spoke last month at the u.n. about the plight of children in gaza. now he pleased for help from a hospital bed. >> i am just like half a million boys and girls, having pain and all the fear here in gaza. >> reporter: israel says it will pull back some troops in the coming days to keep pace for a long-term conflict. the new year failing to produce any prospects for an end to the bloodshed. drew petrimoulx, nbc news, washington. a new urgency in japan, western japan, as teams scramble

to rescue trapped earthquake survivors. there are now concerns this morning about freezing rain and potential landslides in the area surrounding the epicenter. the number of confirmed deaths from monday's quake is now up to 64. dozens more people are seriously injured. at least 100 people are still believed to be trapped in collapsed buildings. meanwhile, there's still a lot of unanswered questions after that japanese airliner collided with a japanese coast guard earthquake relief airplane at tokyo's haneda airport, leading to a panicked escape for passengers. maybe you watched the story develop yesterday morning on "today in the bay." surveillance cameras captured the moment of impact. five people onboard that coast guard plane died. the pilot is the only survivor and is now in critical condition. everyone onboard the passenger jet did escape safely. nearly 400 of them.

one aviation expert tells "today" the larger jet had been cleared to land, raising questions as to why a second plane was even on the same runway. >> runway incursions are very serious. this is a worst case scenario where you have two airplanes on the same runway at the same time. it has been decades since we have had one of these. in the last few years we've had some near misses, some close calls. but this one, to have the airplane actually land and strike the other one, this reinforces the ntsb's concern about runway incursions. >> and this is video from inside that jet, terrified people, 379 in all, saw flames outside, smoke rolling in through the cabin. once the plane came to a stop, they quickly evacuated down two chutes. the plane emptied in a matter of minutes. a live look at palisades tahoe's camera where officials conducted the sierra's first

snow survey. you see some coming down. but it was lackluster, nonetheless. the water content of the statewide snowpack, 25% of the average to date. so there's been disappointing snow season for winter sports lovers. when the snow starts to increase, so will ski and snowboard injuries. people often think the skier's thumb is the most common injury when your thumb gets bent back too far. doctors at the stone clinic in san francisco say a lot of skiers come in for knee, shoulder and ankle injuries. injury prevention begins before the season starts with overall fitness and strength and agility. but dr. kevin stone says some prevention means keeping your head in the game. >> meaning your mind just wasn't in the game. you were thinking about other distractions or work or your phone or -- pick your distraction. you almost always hear from the athlete, i knew i shouldn't have done that move or i shouldn't have been going that fast or i shouldn't have reached out at

that moment. almost always the mind knows the error that's about to happen. >> dr. stone also says go to the doctor as soon as possible. get an accurate diagnosis quickly so you know what you did wrong. >> yeah, exactly. well, trending this morning, there's a new king of the hollywood box office. >> after the first time in eight months, it's not disney. ♪♪ >> really? >> go on, eat it. >> this has to be a mushroom? because i just hate mushrooms. okay, okay. are you sure there's not like -- >> down the hatch. >> so super mario brothers helped propel universal to the record ticket sales in 2023, $5 billion, slightly more than half of the overall global take. that movie alone that you're seeing took in more than a billion. the other one, of course,

"oppenheimer," with $950 million gross. we should mention, by the way, universal is part of comcast's nbcuniversal umbrella. >> sort of a feather in our cap to have this for the first time in eight years. >> that's pretty cool. >> my kids watched that mario movie like a thousand times, that peaches, peaches, peaches. >> nope, no idea. kari has young children as well. maybe your kids saw it. save me, kari, from this awkward -- >> they were not interested. i haven't seen it. >> it's cute. >> all right, well, a rainy day is a good time to watch and catch up on some movies. but we also caught up on our rainfall deficits that really got a lot of progress yesterday with that rain coming in. santa rosa now at a slight surplus for rainfall. but other areas not so lucky, like oakland we still need over 3 1/2 inches of rain fall. we'll be watching possibly additional rainfall this morning that could help us out.

our rainfall totals around the bay area for most of us were about a half inch of rain or just a little bit less. but then take a look at mount tam where we had over an inch and a half of rainfall, and santa rosa measured over an inch of rainfall, hayward, over three-quarters of an inch of rain. there's still the possibility of getting a little more this morning. still some pockets of heavy rain now crossing the bay and heading over toward the oakland area. and we're also seeing the rain gradually starting to taper off for the north bay. still lingering spotty showers. also, san francisco and much of the peninsula seeing some wet weather for now. and then moving toward richmond, oakland, toward the hills, we're seeing that's going to continue to make its way toward san ramon and over toward concord as well. for walnut creek, we're starting out with our temperatures this morning in the upper 40s. rain tapering off in the next hour. but it will stay mostly cloudy through about 9:00. a little more sunshine for the rest of today. but it is going to be chilly out

there. we're dry for today and tomorrow, but then by saturday another round of rain in the forecast that, unfortunately, comes just in time for saturday evening plans. but sunday is looking like a better day to spend more time outside. just keep in mind that we do have some chilly temperatures, and the active storm pattern continues into next week. as far as the cold air, the reason why we're seeing that, we have a change in our jet stream. it's dipping well far to the south now, and that cold air is just poring down from the north. that should help with the snow and the snow levels we've seen. and some additional light snow, maybe about 8 to 11 inches of snow in the forecast over the next week. for us, we're going to see the a.m. showers continue, afternoon sunshine. look at those temperatures, in the upper 50s and dipping into the 30s tonight. we'll have more of those cold mornings. in fact, it may get close to freezing as we go into the latter part of the weekend into early next week.

but our next chance of rain comes in on saturday. keep that in mind as you make plans. cinthia, you're seeing a new crash in the east bay. >> it seems to be the east bay this morning, with the rain, could be causing a little bit of some problems. this new one is eastbound 580 just after you've passed lake merritt there on the park boulevard off-ramp. all of the lanes are blocked. you can see the sensors picking up on that slow and go. the tow truck has been called, but you are going to have to wait. in the east bay, san pablo, just as you make your way into el cerrito, we did have a crash blocking all of the lanes. it's in the clearing phases. as you make your way around the costco area, we have another crash. all of those lanes have been blocked because there was a spinout. so you really need to watch out for that rain and take it easy. we can see the metering lights have been activated at the bay bridge, so maybe that could help people ease up on speeds this morning. we'll take it down into the south bay, check on how everybody is doing down here. just about a 20-minute commute

as you're making your way northbound 101 from san jose into mountain view. >> looks pretty good. 5:54. happening now, berkeley leaders responding to the latest legal challenge keeping the city's gas supply in limbo, with the ordinance now overturned, gas appliances are allowed in new buildings. a ban went into effect in 2020 as an attempt to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but a panel of judges struck it down. an appeals court declined to hear the city's appeal. the same ruling may invalidate similar bans across the state, including san francisco and san jose. 5:55 on the nose. next on "today in the bay," nbc bay area responds. >> our energy bills are up. we want to help you bring them back down. i'm consumer investigator chris chmura. we'll show you how next. then, all new at 6:00, a san francisco rapper is saying he was forced to apologize to mayor

london breed. we have all new details on who he says demanded it.

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welcome back. you're watching "today in the bay." you could say this chilly weather has a lot of families sweating about paying those energy bills. >> that's right. rates are going up. we asked the consumer team to find ways to cut costs. chris chmura shows us how. >> unfortunately, the best way to cut your energy cost is to use less energy, but that doesn't necessarily mean you have to be uncomfortable. let's start with your thermostat. pg&e says each degree you lower your thermostat can save you 2%. drop it 5 degrees at night and you might save 10%. if you're able to, pg&e recommends 68 or lower. blankets to the rescue. when you leave your home, try to keep the warm air inside. close those curtains, shades and blinds. then pg&e says set the thermostat to 56 while you're away. the department of energy recommends a look at your water heater. many are set to 140 degrees by default. consider 120 instead.

if 120 is warm enough for your showers and doing the dishes, uncle sam says you might save 22%. pg&e says you can save roughly another 10% on your bills if your attic, walls, doors and windows are sealed nicely. caulk is cheap and it easily fills those gaps where warm air can escape or cool air weasels in. if you qualify as low income or receive government assistance, click this qr code. you might be eligible for savings of 20% to 35%. >> thanks, chris, as always. and a quick reminder, nbc bay area is streaming 24/7. you can watch us whenever you want on roku or other streaming platforms. well, right now at 6:00, putting safety first. the drastic new plea one oakland leader is making to mayor sheng too after the death of a police officer in the line of duty. plus, the cost of making it in the bay is only going