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 higher,

from home insurance to your utility bill. we're breaking down the impact on your bottom line. more rain, high surf in the bay area. meteorologist kari hall is tracking this latest storm and the swells expected to reach the coast. this is "today in the bay." well, good morning, everyone. 6:00 straight up. i'm scott mcgrew. >> and i'm kira klapper. laura and marcus have the week off. we have traffic to get to with cinthia in just a bit as people return to work. first, meteorologist kari hall with this chilly weather, the wet weather. i feel like you and i are dressing for the weather we want. >> we want something more sunny and a little warmer. we're going in the other direction starting this morning. we are seeing quite a bit of some rain that still lingers as you get ready to head out for the morning commute. that will be quickly clearing later on in the next several hours. but we are going to have to deal with this if you're about to head out the door. we've been tracking some of the pockets of heavier rain moving

through parts of the north bay, moving toward vallejo and fairfield, and also picking up just east of richmond and heading over toward concord. we're seeing that rain also across the bay into fremont and approaching hayward in the next few minutes. and then, also, it's going to be picking up around danville, san ramon, as well as concord. in san francisco, light showers for now. we'll continue to see some rain and temperatures holding steady at about 50 degrees, but then after 8:00 we're getting much more sunshine and our temperatures warm up very modestly today. it's going to be chilly out there. we are going to see more rain ahead over the next several days, with the next system coming in on saturday. so i'll be tracking that for you. cinthia has been tracking the commute with an issue in the caldecott tunnel. >> the issues just keep coming for the east bay. this is the commute direction as you're making your way through the caldecott tunnel. there was a car that spun out of control. we are seeing the number one

lane blocked as they work to get into the tunnel and clear things out. we see localized flooding in the east bay as well. and then eastbound 580, after you've passed lake merritt, all the lanes are blocked. we're seeing a build on sensors around the park boulevard off-ramp. we've got two crashes from san pablo into el cerrito. we see slow and go as you make your way past the costco area. the rain continues to be an issue. we'll watch the sensors and commute build. well, making it in the bay is going to be more expensive in the new year. >> "today in the bay"'s bob redell joins us live in the east bay. we've been reporting pg&e already hiked its rates, and now we're learning the state's largest home insurer is about to do the same. >> reporter: unfortunately, you are correct. good morning to you, kira and scott. we're talking about state farm. they are the state's largest insurer. they insure about one in every ten or eleven homes throughout

the state of california. they have just been approved by the state's department of insurance to raise rates on average by 20%. we did reach out to state farm, they released a statement to us that reads in part, these rate changes are driven by increased costs and risks and are necessary by 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. the new rates go into effect march 15th. you might recall early last year, mid last year, state farm stopped writing new policies in the state of california, in part due to the risks and losses associated with wildfires. 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 on other efforts to reduce the chances of sparking wildfires between 2020 and 2022. the utility spent $9.3 billion more than regulators authorized. the rate payer advocacy group t.u.r.n. says pg&e could request customers to reimburse them, which would lead, again, to more rate hikes. now, the rate increase already approved will raise an average pg&e bill by $33, pg&e is separately asking for another increase in march. if that's approved, the average bill could go up again by $24. and pg&e could also ask for another hike of around $43 a month. that would bring the total to $100 more for the average monthly bill. we spoke to the executive director of t.u.r.n., that consumer watchdog group. >> the california 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. >> reporter: in a statement to us, pg&e writes, quote, every day pg&e is making the electric system safer and stronger for our customers in response to evolving climate challenges. that work includes important safety work directed by regulators, including repeated inspections of some parts of the system every year. reporting live here in dublin, bob redell, "today in the bay." >> all right, bob, thanks. it's 6:06 right now. we have new developments in the death of an oakland police officer. there's a new push for the mayor to call for a state of emergency. officer tuan le was shot and killed on friday while working a burglary operation. officers have now arrested

multiple suspects out of san francisco, livermore and sacramento. in the wake of that shooting and other new year's day incidents, council member noel gallo will meet today with oakland mayor sheng thao. he's asking her to declare a state of emergency that would allow the mayor to fasttrack the election 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. thao fired him last february. the commission now has a new deadline of march 1st to give the mayor a new list of finalists. 6:07. police in san francisco are searching for a suspected new year's eve arsonist who has

caught on camera. home security video shows a man walking, he's got a gas can new year's night on the street shortly after four cars went up in flames. neighbors say the man targeted a nearby home filled with people waiting until midnight. but that 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, but if the man in the video looks familiar, certainly contact san francisco police. new at 6:00, a bay area rapper who criticized san francisco mayor london breed is now naming a community leader he says forced him to apologize. rapper and restaurant owner chino yang recently released this song and music video about

san francisco, in which he expressed frustration after he says his business was broken into seven times. his track includes calling mayor london breed a clown. he later apologized, but now says he was forced to by someone high up in the community. he says it was third baptist church reverend amos brown, who also is the head of the san francisco naacp. yang also claims brown threatened him. brown admits to the "chronicle" he spoke with both him and his sister, but he never threatened anyone. 6:09 on your wednesday morning. a live look at pacifica. do be on guard today if you're coming anywhere close to this. man, look at that rain come down. a high surf advisory is there, large waves 23 feet, that's incredibly dangerous. don't turn your back on them and just don't get close. this will last until 4:00 a.m.

tomorrow. kari hall has been watching this. and then you saw that spotty rain. i think we're going to see more of that. >> yeah, over the next few hours we'll continue to see some off and on rain, and all of the storm systems we've had continue to make it very dangerous to be near the coastline, and the waves are very erratic. some of the waves come up a lot higher than others. if you're standing too close, it may be too late to get out of the way. so we're seeing that, as well as more storms out over the pacific that's going to be moving closer in the next few days. as of right now, we're seeing 16 foot waves farther to the north and 13 foot waves closer to the san francisco bay. but it could come up to about 23 feet later this afternoon as that high surf advisory continues into early tomorrow morning. as far as the rain, it will be winding down as we go into the afternoon, becoming mostly sunny. it's going to be much cooler than we've seen recently, so we're settling into a new normal for us for at least the next week, with our mornings starting out in the 30s and highs in the

50s. so we'll talk more about that, as well as our next round of rain. cinthia, hopefully your numbers are coming down as well. >> we hope so. maybe people are heading back to work or school. we want to help move everybody forward with the cheapest gas prices thanks to those drivers who report them on gasbuddy.com. so let's start at $3.95 in concord, if you are around the diamond gas and mart area on oak grove road. into hayward, $4.05 at the valero on hesperian boulevard. and $4.17, you'll find it on foster city boulevard at the valero in foster city. the roadway, it has been a sloppy commute, especially in the east bay. i'll zoom in. the blue you see there is some localized flooding with rain just around the region and there's issues as you make your way from san pablo and make your way into the caldecott tunnel. there was an issue there, some lanes blocked, and over onto

lake merritt, take it slow. hopefully slowing down on the brakes, too, because there have been some spinouts. i'll continue to watch the build as the morning commute goes on. the bay bridge, the metering lights have been turned on as we go into the 6:15 hour. >> we're back to that go to work and commute and holidays are over. >> back to reality. >> look at that. for sure. >> cinthia, thanks. 6:11 right now. still pushing to ban tiktok. coming up, montana is not giving up on its fight to silence the app, despite missing an all-important deadline. we'll tell you about the new move big sky country is taking in the legal battle. surf's up, but in the desert? palm springs, they're hoping it becomes a prime surfing destination nowhere near the

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.

good wednesday morning. the time is 6:14. we're taking a look at union city where we're still tracking some rain. it will be off and on through about 9:00, and then more sunshine for the afternoon. but we only make it into the mid-50s for later today. cool temperatures settling in with more rain ahead. more coming up in the full microclimate forecast. i wanted to check in on the mid bay. san mateo bridge, a few cars have joined the commute, but not so much of that heavy rain.

just watching out for the bay bridge where the rain is heavy over oakland right now. 15 minutes to make it across richmond bridge and the san mateo bridge, just around ten minutes. i have a new issue that popped up south of walnut creek. we'll talk about it coming up. wall street set to open in the red after a negative session yesterday. nasdaq down 1.5%. worst day since october, downed by tech stocks, really apple. 4% to the lower. barclays cutting the company to sell, slower iphones this year, slower sales. dow actually got a small gain. in focus today, data on manufacturing and job openings. montana appealing a decision by a federal judge to block the state from barring anyone from using tiktok. montana's ban had been set to take effect january 1st, but the judge granted a temporary injunction back in november saying that law oversteps the

state power, violates the constitution. tiktok users in montana also filed a lawsuit last year to block the ban. it was approved by state lawmakers, citing concerns about personal data of users and potential spying by china. tiktok's parent company bytedance is based in china. trending this morning, people landlocked in one of the driest deserts in america will soon have the opportunity to hang ten. waves crashing from new generation wave pools for surfers. they're becoming a fixture in palm springs. each uses different technology to generate the waves, all hoping to offer the thrill of the ocean. one developer has this to say to the skeptics. >> what do you say to purists who say, the only way to surf is in the ocean? >> most of the purists i've seen are pretty excited.

>> palm springs isn't the only location seeing these pools pop up. they're also expanding in brazil and australia, and in less familiar surf destinations like south korea and abu dhabi. today's jacob soboroff is putting on his wetsuit and dropping in this morning. you can catch that coming up at 7:00 a.m. i have a girlfriend who goes quite frequently into the central valley where there's a place called surf ranch, famed surfer kelly slater brought the waves there. >> that's cool. meantime, there are big waves in the actual ocean. i think they're pretty scary. >> yeah, i think today is a day you want to try one of those fake wave pools because it will be too dangerous in the ocean today. we've seen quite a bit of rain. let's talk about how much we've measured. as of now, santa rosa catching up to normal, and we've had over 12.5 inches of rain. the numbers will change as we go

throughout the day. there's still a pretty big rainfall deficit in oakland, over 3 inches of rainfall needed there to catch up to normal. other areas i think we're making progress today. we've seen rainfall totals measuring over 1.5 inches for mount tam, in santa rosa over an inch of rainfall over the last 24 hours. hayward, close to an inch of rainfall. we're seeing a lot of totals like san jose and san francisco a little less than a half of an inch of rainfall. as we get started this morning, still soggy with wet weather coming down. we also have more storms developing that will be coming in over the next few days. a closer look still shows that we are seeing a very slop morning drive for a lot of people, parts of the north bay starting to drop out just a bit. around napa and fairfield, the rain will be wrapping up soon. we're also seeing the rain picking up on 680 between concord and san ramon. that may cause a lot more people to have to slow down, and hopefully no issues on the roadways.

as we take a look at our reservoirs statewide, we've seen a lot of these numbers going down quite a bit. but we're only at about 66% of total capacity for our four largest reservoirs across northern california. so we're seeing these numbers still needing the water to fill things up. we do still have a lot more season to go, and of course that sierra snowpack really helps out with the reservoirs. and then as we go into today, we're going to see a chance to dry out. after about 8:00 to 9:00, the rain starts to taper off. later today we're heading back to sunshine, but you'll notice it's going to be a lot cooler, and still that slight chance of a quick passing shower. other than the slight chance of rain, we're going to see it holding off until about saturday, with the next widespread chance of rainfall all across the region, as well as some sierra snow. and then we see dryer conditions for sunday into monday. but then tuesday will be another chance of wet weather and also that low elevation snow as the cold air continues to settle in.

so we're seeing a change in our jet stream that's dipping farther to the south. that basically splits the warm air from the cold air. when we see it dipping farther south, the cold air from canada comes right in, which will help with our sierra snow levels, which as we've seen with the measurement yesterday, we're only at 25% of normal. when we compare that to what we had last year, at this point we were at 185% of normal. so it really hurts to see it this low. and then going into our forecast, we're going to see at least some snow in the forecast. it's not a huge amount. about another 8 to 11 inches. it is still coming down right now. as we take a look at our seven-day forecast, we are going to see much colder temperatures coming in. we're going to have to layer up every single day, with our morning temperatures dipping into the 30s. we'll be close to freezing by early next week in the inland areas, starting out around 33

degrees. highs in the 50s. we'll also see the 50s in san francisco as well. cinthia, you're tracking more issues in the east bay? >> more issues keep on popping up. this is because of the rain, everybody please slow down. this new one after passing walnut creek, it's southbound 680. we have the two right lanes blocked because there was some issues with the drivers and the rain, and backing up into the altamont pass, just after you've passed livermore costco, five to six cars involved. some of them doing pinouts. so please just take it easy this morning. right around the isabelle avenue off-ramp. the issues continue in and around oakland, a lot of those cars spinning out with the wet roadways. we do see shades of blue on your screen and the green rain and localized flooding. this issue around the caldecott tunnel, there was a car that spun out as you make your way into the tunnel, and so some of the lanes are blocked as they work to get the emergency crews under way. and this issue continues, now with some road closures there on park boulevard off-ramp, just

after you've passed lake merritt and grand avenue. all of those lanes are blocked and backing up the traffic there. most of those issues continue to be on the east bay, and i will keep an eye on them. back to you. >> we know you will, cinthia. thank you so much. taking a page from san francisco's playbook. another u.s. city temporarily banning some street vendors. ahead, the big apple with its ahead, the big apple with its new battle aft

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welcome back.

the biden administration is set to reopen four points of entry into the united states, after closing them in early december, saying they are anticipating a lighter flow of migrants at the southern border. those locations include the san yasidro location, lakeville, nogales in arizona, and eagle pass in texas. as we reported yesterday, border patrol agents say they encountered a record number of migrants last month, surging past 300,000. but now there's a drop because of increased enforcement in mexico, coupled with the holidays behind us. and that migrant caravan further south is slowing and scaling back in numbers as it moves towards the border. new at 6:00, san francisco street venders aren't the only ones battles with regulators about where they can set up shop. beginning today, new york city's brooklyn bridge is now off limits. city leaders there cite a spike in pedestrians and bicyclists.

they've been handing out flyers in multiple languages letting them know fines will be handed out and letting them know where they can set up shop instead. in late 2023, san francisco enacted a 90-day ban for vendors in the mission district, intended to cut down on dangerous and illegal activity. vendors are permits have called it unfair, saying they're being impacted. san francisco's ban is expected to be lifted next month. 6:27. success for spacex's latest mission. >> three, two, one, ignition. >> overnight the company sent its falcon 9 into orbit, caring about 20 starlink satellites. it took place at the vandenberg space center on the central coast. >> very cool. 6:27 right now.

we have a lot more ahead on "today in the bay," including more wet weather making its way through the bay area. meteorologist kari hall is tracking conditions where you live and the next major system. and big news out of oakland, where we now know three people have been arrested in the killing of an oakland police officer and there's new pressure for the oakland mayor to declare

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i appreciate the work that our police officers are doing, but we do need outside support. >> right now at 6:30, calling for action. a new plea being made today in oakland, as safety concerns boil over following the shooting death of a police officer in the line of duty. a new landlord takes control of dozens of san francisco properties, making them a major player in the city. the new change for renters already facing an uncertain marketplace. and a live look at the bay bridge toll plaza. so many cars, wet pavement, still soaked following rain overnight. we are tracking the continued rain in the forecast and the impact on your morning commute. 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. laura and marcus have the morning off. apparently nobody else does, based on that bay bridge. >> oh, my gosh.

>> you're going to have to make the commute in the rain. >> yes, it's starting out rainy. i think maybe people didn't go back to work yesterday. so expect some company and you do want to allow some extra time to get there. it's also cold as our temperatures start out in the upper 40s. we're at 50 in san francisco. still some off and on rain that continues from the system that rolled in yesterday evening. we're seeing it taper off just a bit for parts of the north bay, but we're also seeing it pick up in parts of the east bay from fremont to hayward, some moderate rain. but it is really heavy on 680 between concord and san ramon. and also some heavy rain approaching concord. as we go throughout the day, we are going to see the rain ending and the cold air coming in. but at least we do have sunshine for the evening commute. now cinthia, you're seeing more trouble in the east bay. >> as you just pointed out, the rain is heavier there. we'll start at the altamont pass, after people pass that

livermore costco, five to six cars got into it. some of them spun out, causing more issues. we can see the sensors right there. take it easy. we're seeing localized flooding in and around oakland. we'll talk about this one right after you've passed the lake merritt grand avenue area. we can see some cars are blocking the lanes there, some spinouts, hydroplaning going on. and we also have an issue on the caldecott tunnel. there was a solo spinout. crews are working to clear that out. we'll just watch out for rain in and around the bay area. i did want to check in on parts of the north bay. we haven't talked about you guys in a little bit. nearing that 30-minute mark as you make your way westbound 37 from sonoma boulevard to lakeville highway. new developments in oakland this morning. the shooting that rocked the city, that police officer died in the line of duty and now somebody wants to take more action. >> a suspect is now in custody, but it's of little comfort when

so many crimes are on the rise. "today in the bay"'s kris sanchez is here with the push for a state of emergency declaration in oakland and what that could mean in the search for the next police chief. >> reporter: the councilman proposing the state of emergency for oakland says it would give oakland mayor sheng thao the ability to move forward toward choosing a police chief easier. councilman noel gallo will meet with her today to declare a state of emergency over the oakland police commissioner delays in giving her a slate of candidates. as you might 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 even worse, 126 people were killed on the streets of

oakland. one of them, as you likely know, was oakland police officer tuan le, who was shot and killed last friday while working an undercover burglary operation. >> if someone has the audacity to attack an oakland police officer, they're attacking every resident of oakland. >> reporter: as le's family and the city of oakland mourn the loss of the 36-year-old police officer, opd and other law enforcement officers pored over video and electronic and physical evidence from the scene and the suspects were then arrested in san francisco, livermore and in sacramento. they were arrested within 100 hours of officer le's killing along the 400 block of embarcadero. we hope to learn more about who they are. back to the state of emergency, without that in place, the process plays out, which means that the police commission has until march to deliver the new slate of potential police chiefs. you might remember that mayor sheng thao rejected the last

three candidates as well. so thao and councilman noel gallo will meet today. >> that kind of puts more urgency on it. >> reporter: it allows her to bypass the police commission, it would allow her to open up the budget and say, okay, we're not fixing potholes, we're going to hire police officers. it just opens up her ability to also bring in help from other agencies. >> we'll see what happens. we know you'll follow it, kris. thank you so much. it is 6:35. a break in the case of a capitola woman missing for exactly one month. police have arrested the woman's 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 house in el cerrito. yesterday they arrested him in santa cruz county. investigators say a tip led them to human remains in tilden park and those are now in the process of being identified.

a renowned bay area artist is pleading for help after a thief stole his valuable artwork from right outside his studio. we have surveillance video that shows what happened monday evening. you can see the white truck pull up to the studio in san jose and then someone loads the 800-pound steel sculpture into the struck bed before driving off. the artist, edo rosenberg, says he was finishing the final touches of his piece, it was drying outside and was bolted down to the driveway. once finished, he expected to sell it for up to $100,000. he claims police are not helping as much as they could, insisting that he first go online to file a report. >> they said that if someone was interested, someone would call me afterwards. >> he also says the work has taken him two months to complete. nbc bay area, by the way, did reach out to the police department yesterday for a comment. we have not yet heard back. new this morning, dozens of residential real estate holdings have reportedly changed hands,

after a major new deal in san francisco. the "chronicle" reports the canadian conglomerate bookfield has purchased loans to buildings all previously own by veritas which defaulted last year. the buyer formerly owned the new empty westfield mall downtown. this deal is expected to make brookfield perhaps the city's largest landlord. it's not clear how much they paid. neither company is commenting, nor is the loan underwriter, goldman sachs. 6:38 right now. a live look in pacifica this morning. a high surf advisory is in place, 23 foot waves are expected. of course, that means dangerous swimming conditions. the advisory will last until 4:00 tomorrow morning. >> do stay away. meteorologist kari hall has been tracking our forecast. we've got waves and rain. >> yeah, we've got a little bit of everything.

we'll go back to sunshine and then cold temperatures coming in as well. this storm system starts to move its way off toward the east, but it brought us a lot of heavy rain. there's also more storms building up out in the pacific as we continue into this very active storm pattern. that's causing the water to pile up along our coastline and we're seeing the waves as of now between 11 and 15 feet. but look at the water temperature, only 57, 58 degrees. and we are going to see those sneaker waves come up. those are the waves that come up a lot higher with a high surf advisory that goes from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 tomorrow morning. so we're expecting the waves to continue to build up for today, making it very dangerous for anyone along the coastline. as far as the rain, we are going to see it wind down today. by noon we're seeing just a couple of very light spotty showers for parts of the bay area. but mostly sunny elsewhere. we'll be tracking more rain in the forecast as we go toward late friday into saturday. we're going to see the north bay

getting in on some heavier rainfall. i'll be watching that. we'll talk more about what's ahead for the weekend coming up. cinthia, you're seeing this commute this morning, as well as what's ahead for drivers. >> we want to check in on the east bay. for people making their way westbound highway 4 from the antioch bridge to 242, the concord area, it's going to take you about 35 minutes. we see the commute building from there as you make your way westbound, 580 from grant line over the altamont pass into 680. that's building almost to an hour. looking ahead to the first week, some events going on tomorrow afternoon. warriors and nuggets at the chase center. you're going to see some buildup coming off of 280. down into the south bay, we also have a sharks and jets game tomorrow afternoon, so you could see some traffic building in the alameda and around downtown san jose. back to you. >> cinthia, thanks. 6:40. awaiting possible new bombshells

in the case of a sexual predator. a federal judge expected to unseal hundreds of court documents tied to jeffrey epstein, including the names of more than 150 people. but it could mean for those who might get tied to the scandal. locally, a warning for pet owners in the east bay. the park you might want to avoid if you're headed out for a walk this week. and snow in tahoe. much needed boost expected for the snowpack. ke it here. epyo

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good wednesday morning. right now at 6:43, we're getting a look at what to expect in the south bay. rain tapering off over the next couple of hours and saratoga going from 45 to only low 50s today. it's going to be chilly, but at least we do return to sunshine. i'll let you know when the rain comes back in the full microclimate forecast in a few minutes. and we're going over checking in on 880 in oakland. there is the build in the commute and there's also rain in and around the east bay that have caused several spinouts and concerns on the roadways. we'll check in on the east bay drive times. almost a 30-minute commute from highway 4 to the bay bridge. we'll watch for other trouble spots coming up. two developments this morning in the middle east. a live look from southern israel toward the gaza border. palestinian health leaders now say more than 22,000 deaths are in gaza since the start of the

war between hamas and israel nearly three months ago. as violence expands to lebanon. hamas says one of its top leaders was killed in a drone strike. israel not officially claiming responsibility, but bracing for retaliation. the deputy head of hamas' military wing among seven dead, after a drone strike at one of the terrorist group's offices in a beruit suburb. protests are erupting in the west bank. israel bracing for backlash, not just from hamas, but also from lebanon-based hezbollah. meanwhile, in gaza, more victims making pleas for more help from their hospital beds, including one displaced 15-year-old. >> i am just like half a million boys and girls are, having pain and tasting all the fear here in

gaza. >> israel's cabinet yesterday postponed a meeting to discuss a new plan for gaza after the war. one government source tells nbc news the plan involves local gazan chance or tribes handling civilian governance, while israel would control security indefinitely. new at 6:00, a federal judge is expected to release the names of people connected to billionaire sexual predator jeffrey epstein. the disgraced financier never made it to trial. he died by suicide while in jail. court documents are expected to reveal the names of more than 150 people from his victims to his associates. one attorney who advocated to release the names years ago tells "today" those records from a now-settled civil suit had been kept out of the public eye. >> a lot of the court file that should have been open to the public was not. so everything that the court relied on that was in the record that contributed to that summary

judgment has got to be made public. >> the release of those documents could happen as soon as this week. and jimmy kimmel is now threatening to take legal action against jets quarterback aaron rodgers over a comment he made about epstein's list. rodgers was on the pat mcafee show when they began talking about the list. rodgers says he thinks talk show host kimmel is among those who do not want the list released. kimmel posted a response on x, denying all claims his name would be on the list and said the reckless words have put his family in danger and he will take legal action if the comments continue. happening now, a warning for those in alameda county. the department of water resources alerting lake del valle is asking visitors keep away from algae blooms, the water in general. the blooms can contain toxins that can be harmful for people and pets. exposure can cause eye and nose

and throat irritation, headaches, skin rash, and cold and flu-like symptoms. to a live look, palisades ta show. this is this morning. you can barely see anything, whiteout conditions. more snow is falling right now. this is a welcome site after officials conducted the sierra first snow survey just yesterday. it was lackluster. the water content of the statewide snowpack was 25% of the average to date. this has led to a disappointing snow season for winter sports lovers. boreal mountain resort is relying on snow machines. diehard skiers and snowboarders say they have been disappointed with the lack of snow. >> it was a little disheartening for us diehard skiers. seeing it finally dump on new year's, looks like a great start to 2024. >> boreal still isn't 100% open. with more snow falling, it's

hopeful to be 100% open soon. >> we are behind, right? >> we are way behind. it's not worrisome yet because we are still seeing the active weather patterns continue. but up above about 7,000, 8,000 feet, it has been a little higher than we're seeing down low. this is a live look at palisades tahoe. it is so beautiful. nice to see that snow coming down. and we're going to see it changing back and forth from rain to snow based on the temperature. but once again, we do still have more wet weather and the potential of adding more snow. yeah, we were only at 25% of what's normal, and then when we think back to last year at this time, we were at 185% of the normal amount of sierra snow. so it is definitely disappointing compared to last year, with the average snow depth now at about 2.5 inches. that's not a lot at all. we do have a little more coming over the next several days, and the potential of getting about 8 to 10, maybe even 11 inches of

snow, and then higher amounts farther up you go. now, as far as bay area rain, we've seen a decent amount of rainfall, with mount tam nearing 2 inches of rainfall, still coming down. santa rosa measured over an inch of rain in the past 24 hours, with hayward also close to an inch of rainfall, while san jose, san francisco, had more of what most of us saw, around the valleys and some of the other others outside of the higher rainfall totals, less than a half of an inch. we're looking at spotty showers for now. but more rain ahead as this next storm system comes in for the weekend. but a closer look to show you what you're expecting and what you're seeing this morning, as you're stepping out the door our stormranger is tracking another round of rain getting ready to move into marin county. it continues for the east bay, where we're seeing rain picking up for contra costa county. going into the weekend, saturday, if you're making plans, make sure you include the potential of some rain.

it's not only going to be chilly, but we're going to see the off and on showers for the afternoon. sunday is a better day to get outside, but it will be cool, with highs only in the 50s. and then looking ahead to next week once again, we are going to see more rounds of rain and sierra snow coming in. showers taper off after this morning, we're back to the sunshine for the afternoon. look at those temperatures. during the overnight hours, early in the morning, we're dipping into the 30s, with highs in the 50s each day. and we're making plans for rain to come in on saturday, but other than that, we're seeing dry conditions for much of the rest of the near-term forecast. cinthia, you still have all of those issues in the east bay? >> all of those issues, but the good news is that crews are on scene now, they're working to calm all of these situations. we do have the factor of the rain. so we'll go over to livermore, just after you've passed the costco there, westbound 580, there were five to six cars involved. some of them doing spinouts and

just causing more trouble on top of what was already happening. look as we go closer to oakland, as you're making your way into the caldecott tunnel and beyond, there was a solo spinout that had some lanes blocked. we can see the sensors picking up on a lot of heavy traffic there. in the oakland area, also continuing your way over the bay bridge. let's go to the south bay, looks like a pretty smooth commute as you're making your way through 101 or 280, everything looks smooth down here. back to you. it's just shy of 6:52. happening now, city leaders in berkeley are responding to the latest legal challenge keeping the city's gas appliance ban in limbo. with the ordinance now overturned, gas appliances will be allowed to be offered in new berkeley buildings. the ban went into effect in the year 2020 as a means of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. after 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 california,

including in san francisco and san jose. ahead, a look at our top stories, including calls for action. the declaration one oakland leader wants the city's mayor to make coming days after an officer was shot and killed in the line of duty. plus, making it in the bay getting more difficult. the insurance company raising rates and thencreased amount i

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.

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welcome back. we are moving you forward with a look at the top stories on "today in the bay," including a new push in oakland to declare a state of emergency. >> it comes in the wake of that deadly shooting of officer tuan le in the line of duty last friday. police say a primary suspect is now in custody and other arrests have been made. but oakland council member noel gallo says more needs to be done, so he plans to ask mayor sheng thao today to declare a state of emergency. among other things, that would allow the mayor to fast track the selection of a permanent police chief, which the city has been without for nearly a year. the commission has been asked to give the mayor a new list of finalists by march 1st. police in san francisco, meantime, are searching for a suspected arsonist caught on

camera. this home security shows a man walking up, gas can in hand, on new year's night on park in bernal heights. the neighbors say the same man targeted a nearby home filled with people waiting to celebrate the stroke of midnight. now, fortunately that home never caught fire. no injuries reported. but if this man who was in that video looks familiar to you, certainly contact san francisco police. making it in the bay is becoming more expensive in this new year. california regulators are giving state farm permission to raise its home insurance rates an average of 20%. that starts march 15th. the home insurer says the changes are being driven by increased costs and risks. you may recall state farm last year stopped writing new policies in california, in part due to the risk of wildfires. also this week, we've been reporting pg&e's new rate hike kicks in. it increases bills by an average

of $33 per month. our investigative unit reviewed documents showing pg&e overspent efforts to reduce the chances of sparking wildfires. between 2020 and 2022, the utility spent $9.3 billion more than regulators had authorized. nbc bay area investigative reporters jaxon van derbeken and others are diving deep into other potential rate hikes that might be on the horizon. you can see his full story by going to nbcbayarea.com and clicking on the investigations tab. 6:57. let's go live to pacifica. we've been watching this, a high surf advisory in place. 23 foot waves expected along the coast. do not get out there, do not get close. this advisory will last until 4:00 tomorrow morning. i think people are so tempted to go out and see what's going on, but we saw over the last few days, it's not worth it. >> yeah. just want to stay away from the water.

some of those sneaker waves come up higher than the other ones. by the time you start to run, it's a little too late. we're seeing active and dangerous conditions along the coastline. for all of us heading out the door, we are seeing lingering rain, and that's making the commute very slippery. we've had a lot of issues in the east bay, the heaviest rain right now moving from concord, and then down closer to dublin. we'll be watching out for that for the next few hours. we'll stay in the concord near, there was a crash south 680 a couple of minutes ago. we want to go to the bay bridge. the metering lights have been on for about an hour and i just saw on the chp log there was an issue building up the commute more. it's right around the mid span just as you're passing the treasure island area, a car fire that could be backing up traffic even further. still in oakland, there has been a heavy commute because of some issues with the rain, with the flooding, in and around 880 and around the lake merritt area. san jose has so far been smooth. we're seeing the clouds moving

out and the rain not being so much of an issue. >> holidays are over and traffic is definitely back. >> back to reality. the "today" show is just ahead. if you stick with us, we're continuing "today in the bay" on roku and other streaming platforms. our 7:00 a.m. newscast is next. you can also see it online at nbcbayarea.com or on our smartphone app. we are anywhere you want to be. >> anywhere. >> my mom watches us from los angeles on her laptop. got to love those moms. that's what's happening "today in the bay." thank you so much for starting your wednesday with us. the "today" show starts now. good wednesday morning we got a good old-fashioned winter storm brewing >> it's going to be felt from coast to coast good mor good wednesday morning we got a gold-old-fashioned winter storm brewing. >> it's going to be felt from coast to coast good morning it's january 3rd, and this is "today". on the move.