this is cbs news bay area with elizabeth cook . >> the sierra is under a blizzard warning as a powerful winter blast could bring up to 10 feet of snow. we are tracking the storm and the rain across the bay area on this first alert weather day. he is no stranger to political office. now he is eyeing a new role. we are lie with san jose's former mayor. we all know leap years are rare but why it is even more special for this east bay family and their twin boys. it is getting downright dangerous in the sierra right now as one of the strongest snowstorms in the season begins to bear down. this is all part of the same storm system that is bringing rain to the bay area. this is a live look outside. drivers can expect a

dry commute home. the biggest concern today is the mountains. here is a look along the highways. chief meteorologist paul heggen is tracking all of this from our virtual view studio. >> the snow is starting to add up . the conditions around the bay area will be more inconvenient than actually threatening but in the sierra, this will be a major winter weather event. let's talk about how much rain has added up so far. the santa cruz mountains, .75 inches of rain since this morning. other amounts, a quarter inch or less, more modest rainfall totals. we have off and on light to moderate rain showers. this is a major winter storm that will be pin wheeling around the heart of the system and sending more waves of rain across the bay area. first alert doppler is lit up. with the light to moderate rain, some might to heavy downpours making their way into napa county. we have

another band of slightly heavier rain lining up from marin county and then extending offshore. this will sweep through san francisco and the rain continues to fall in the santa cruz mountains but it has not overcome the barrier of the santa cruz mountains. that rain shadow effect is in full force right now. here is look at the loop. you can see the rain surging in from the west. we will see this coming out in the next few days. two asked does show the rain taking a break but it will be a generally wet and progressively colder weather pattern . starting up the day with scattered showers tomorrow, the most widespread and heaviest rain is likely to shape up by friday evening, continuing to friday night. it is something we will watch out for on a localized basis. it

will be a wet day on saturday, giving way to more off and on showers. we will be tracking those off and on showers for the second half of the weekend. let's take a look at how much rain we can expect. we have the rain spaced out over the course of the next 72 hours or so and that helps to mitigate the flooding threat. the winds are gusty right now. 36 miles per hour gusts around fairfield. a lot of 30+ miles per hour, stronger on friday. extending all the way through 4:00 on saturday, a lot of red shade indicating the potential for 30 miles per hour gusts,

some spots even 40 miles per hour wind gusts kicking in. it is not enough for widespread power outages but be prepared for some sporadic power outages. in the sierra, snow is going to continue to add up. we are talking about intense snowfall rates already starting to kick in but the most intense will happen late tomorrow into tomorrow night, continuing into saturday. we are talking about 8 feet of snow on the high end of things. some of the crests could pick up to 12 feet of snow. 140 inches of total snowfall over the course of the next few days. we will switch perspectives here and look at the 7-day outlook which is wet friday and saturday but lingering showers on sunday. we will go for it and say dry weather on monday. a 30% chance of a shower there and then we have more showers on tuesday, more widespread showers on wednesday, giving way to lingering showers on wednesday. a lot going off in the next couple of days. saturday and

sunday, the first weekend in march will feel more like the dead of winter even though spring is getting closer and closer. the calendar says so, even if the weather doesn't. >> you should not try to go up the mountains this weekend. it is not worth it. >> it will be life-threatening, whiteout conditions with wind gusts up to 115 miles per hour . >> stay where you are. the snow is causing problems on i-80. big rig overturned east of donner lake interchange, blocking all these families just -- blocking eastbound lanes for hours. >> let's take a look at tahoe. the resort closed early today. look at the storm going right now. also, caltrans telling drivers to avoid travel to the sierra altogether if you can.

if you absolutely have to, they gave us these tips on what to do if you get stuck. >> it is best just to remain where you are at, especially along the main highway. don't follow the gps or try to go around and use the ultimate route to bypass anything. that could lead to a more dangerous situation. stay on the main line, especially u.s. 50 and i-80. our crews are rotating through. it will not take much time before someone will pass you if you are in need of any assistance. >> the latest snow survey shows an improvement in the snowpack ahead of the storm. state regulators were out at phillips station before the blizzard conditions and they found the snowpack there at 77% of average. last month, they measured the snowpack at around 52% of average. stay with us for more continuing coverage of this major winter storm. we have you

covered on-air and online on www.kpix.com and streaming on cbs news bay area. other news headlines . the suspect in the mass shooting and two forms and half moon bay pleaded not guilty today at his arraignment. chunli zhao denied all allegations against him. prosecutors say he killed seven coworkers in january of last year. he faces first-degree murder charges and he remains in custody and is being held without bail. bay area faith leaders are rallying to support alameda county da pamela price . this comes as price faces a recall campaign. among those leaders, bishop kevin barnes who heads up a church in oakland. he says that price leadership is bringing hope. >> the acronym for hope is just helping other people excel, even if they got in trouble. we have to learn how to pick them up. we think -- we praise god for you and we continue to support you. >> the recall campaign blames price for crime problems and

alameda county. they have until next tuesday to gather enough signatures to qualify for the ballot. san jose city leaders are claiming a win after they say they managed to cut down the cost for a planned safe parking site for rv dwellers in north san jose. the site was approved last year but then san jose mayor matt mahan says he was shocked to learn that it would cost $16 million to build out. now he says that price has been cut in half due to redesign work. >> we have fought tooth and nail at city hall over the last year to go against the status quo thinking that says the only solution to homelessness are solutions that take five or six years to build and cost $1 million a door. >> the plan has faced pushback from residents who oppose its location. a new welcome center opened up in east oakland, providing support for housing and job development. the center is run

by rise east, an organization dedicated to empowering black children and families in east oakland. the space will also be opened up to people who are homeless or formally incarcerated. there is a new school anatomy county designed to help young parents. educators held a ribbon cutting ceremony today for the carolyn hobbs academy. the school will provide on-site childcare services as well as parenting and life skills classes. students will also have access to college and career counseling. we are talking one-on-one with another candidate in the running for a bay area congressional seat and you might recognize him. we are live with former san jose mayor sam liccardo to ask about his priorities in the - temperatures cooling down as we head into the weekend and stronger onshore... ah, i stepped off the coast again. - the winds are really picking up. - fog spreading farther inland. - and in the north bay, you're gonna get soaked. (water splashing)

- [narrator] presenting the bay area's only virtual weather studio. next level weather. - as i lift this, you can actually see... - [narrator] on kpix and pix+. (wind blowing) it's that real. (water splashing) - let's move on to the seven-day now.

i launched our campaign at this union hall. it's that real. let's go win this thing! then we hit the road and never stopped. you shared with me your frustration at working harder to barely get by and afford a place to live. your fears for our democracy and freedoms and your dreams for yourself, your family, and the future. it is not too late to realize those dreams. i'm adam schiff, and i approve this message because together we can still get big things done.

welcome back to cbs news bay area on this wet first alert weather day. we had some heavier downpours beginning to make their way in from the west. even the heaviest downpours are not likely to result in any significant flooding threat . maybe a little bit of standing water. any flood prone intersections you might encounter on your way

home, be watching out for those. this is the kind of rain we will see. the orientation of the winds and the way the moisture is coming in is just setting up to maximize the snow potential. there is heavy snow falling and the heaviest snow is in the forecast for them tomorrow night and into saturday. we are talking about 5 to 12 feet plus. there could be plenty of snow all the way down to 2500 feet in elevation. i will be back with another check of the weather at the end of the newscast. >> i can't believe we are talking about up to 12 feet of snow. that is unbelievable. here is something we can only say once every four years. today is february 29. for an east bay family, today's date is even more special. one of their twins was born on the 29th. the other is just hours before on the 28th.

they are celebrating now but those first few days were full of uncertainty. >> the anson household looks like a lot of families trying to start their day before work and school. >> morningstar chaos. >> their sons wake up with so much energy that shooting hoops in the kitchen and jumping around on the backyard does not slow them down. >> begging them to a breakfast before school, reminding them to brush their teeth and get dressed about 10 to 12 times. >> these twins keep sommer and ryan erickson busy but the boys seem to think it all works out each day. >> we get dressed. we play with our dog and we also ate breakfast. >> that is miles, the slightly older twin who was born in the final minute of february 28. he turned eight on wednesday. is

barely younger brother walter was born just 10 minutes later early into february 29. walter also turning eight this year but he sees it differently. >> it is part of the fun now, years later but this week is not just about celebrating. it is a time to show their appreciation. >> this was the scariest time in their lives. >> the boys were born at 26 weeks and spent 69 days in the nicu in berkeley. >> we promised ourselves in the nicu, when things are harrowing and uncertain, that if we were able to bring them home that we would celebrate and express our gratitude every four years.

>> we are going to invite all of our nurses and doctors and friends and family. >> before the big gathering, a few other special plans for these two on each of their birthdays. they get to choose dinner and dessert. while their older brother bruce has been a constant in their lives, helping them to have fun around the house at all hours, just last week, their family got a little bigger and they welcomed bagel, their new puppy into their home. walter suggested the idea ahead of their birthday. >> i really wanted a puppy . they are cute and fun to play with. >> since they have separate birthdays with all the festivities coming around every four years, these two have been looking forward to this week for the past 12 months. >> they are pretty good at sharing. they definitely don't miss out on the opportunity to have their own thing on the

beer. >> a time for the family to reflect on all they went through and all they can be thankful for in the years since, while encouraging them to leap ahead to adventures and excitement that awaits them in four more years when they will get to do it all over again. >> aren't they cute? they look like little puppies. >> when it is not a leap year, the brothers celebrate together on the 28th. as part of that

just five days from now, voters will hit the polls across the bay area and california. one big primary races the contest to replace retiring congresswoman anna eshoo in district 16 which covers parts of san mateo county in the south bay. 11 candidates are vying for the position. a recent poll sponsored by san jose spotlight found former san jose mayor sam liccardo leading the race with 16%. santa clara county supervisor joe samiti and with 15% and others following

shortly behind. we are continuing our conversations with the candidates. joining me live is former san jose mayor sam liccardo. thank you so much for joining us. >> what are your priorities if we are now going to start calling you congressman liccardo? >> i would like to see congress leaning in on the great challenges our families are struggling with, starting with the incredibly high cost of living. i put a plan together to talk about how we can get congressional action reaching across the aisle to get things done to reduce very high costs of utilities and childcare and housing but it will require a congress that is paying attention to these many challenges they often regard as being local issues. around homelessness, the high cost of housing, crime, we really need a congress that recognizes these local issues are national challenges. i wrote a plan on my website about the specific ideas that i think we can get bipartisan support for.

>> a lot of talk about the need for new faces versus longtime politicians. you have been in this game a long time. what is your response to that? >> i have had a few different roles. i was a criminal prosecutor here in santa clara county for many years. i have also served my community in other ways on housing boards and others. fundamentally, this is not amateur hour. this is a very serious moment for our country. we need people who are experienced who have spent the many hours i have spent at the white house and on capitol hill grappling with these major challenges. you have to be in washington and you need to learn to understand it and that is a experience that i got in my eight years as mayor . what i saw was, frankly, a dysfunctional congress that desperately needs a mayor that understands how to get things

done. we don't have the luxury of simply pointing the finger at the other party and saying it is the other parties fault. we want to be responsive and accountable to the challenges in front of us. >> one of the major issues facing congress right now is the israel-hamas war. a lot of activism across the bay area and a lot of pressure on politicians like yourself to take a stance. can you tell us about your position? >> it is critically important that the negotiations are leading right now with israel and egypt and qatar and hamas. we have to have those succeed. it is critically important that we stop the fighting and get the hostages released and get aid to the palestinians that are suffering mightily right now. we have to stop the fighting before we have, what i think is likely to happen with the israeli army going in. that could result in thousands more

casualties. it is important that we get the parties to the table right away. two things can be true here. october 7 was horrific. israel has a right to respond with military force when it is attacked in that way. at the same time, we have a very desperate humanitarian situation right now with hundreds of thousands of palestinians that are facing starvation and we need to do everything we can to get them aid. >> sam liccardo, thank you so much. >> it has been a pleasure being with you. another longtime politician is in the running, santa clara county supervisor. are candidates who are newer to the scene like evan low. we have spoken to them live here on the news that 3:00. you can watch all of those interviews on our youtube page at cbs sf. let's take another look outside on this first alert weather day. white out

conditions up

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one more check of the forecast on this first alert weather day. the rain continues to fall. this is an inconvenient weather event. it will be rainy and progressively colder but we are looking at the very limited flooding threat. the heaviest rain is approaching san francisco right now, making its way across the golden gate . it will sweep across the city within the next 45 minutes but that heaviest rain will not lead to any significant flooding potential even with more rain on the way but it will be wet. floor plans are not a go ahead for those next several days. also, it will be windy tomorrow afternoon. some gusts up to 50 miles per hour. be prepared for sporadic power outages.

coming up tonight, we drill down into one of the most consequential propositions on the california primary ballot. proposition one and what it would mean for funding to fight the crisis of mental illness and homelessness. the cbs evening news is next on kpix. local news continues on our streaming service, cbs news bay area. i will see you at 5:00. >> norah: tonight, showdown at the southern border. >> it's a shame this whole thing has become politicized. >> norah: president biden and former president trump travel to texas and blame each other for the immigration crisis, as thousands of migrants, not just% from central and south america, but india, china, and africa, continue to cross into the u.s. every day. >> neither the wall nor this rugged crushing terrain is enough to stop the determinatioe