bay area. the snow is flying at the central sierra snow lab and rain is falling across the bay area, both associated with the same powerful winter storm system. i'm tracking the rain, wind and snow in the first alert forecast. you'll be locked in. >> blizzard-like conditions set to bury mountain communities in several feet of snow. >> the wind is something else right now. >> the drive to tahoe, downright treacherous, the impact for ski resorts, our water supply, and the locals getting ready to hunker down. >> if you don't like the snow, go home before it starts. after more than a year without a police chief, the people of oakland are about to meet the top finalists for the job. >> we need to make decisions. we cannot keep wasting time and leaving the city unsafe. >> why the mayor is against getting the public involved. a heated debate over rent control on the ballot, we dive into the measure that's

dividing north bay tenants and landlords. >> this is intolerable. i have to do something about this. this is cbs news bay area with juliette goodrich. >> good evening. it is a powerful winter storm bringing rain to the bay area and blizzard conditions to the sierra and it's ramping up. it's a mess in the sierra and it's expected to last for a few days. we're talking the potential for a historic amount of snowfall by sunday. some of the highest elevations could get more than ten feet. we are right in the window for some of the heaviest snow and strongest winds, a combo creating dangerous whiteout conditions and zero visibility. this is what it looks like on interstate 80 and highway 50 just in the last hour. caltrans says you do not want to be traveling unless it is an emergency. problems on 80 started this morning. a big rig overturned near donner lake and

blocked eastbound lanes for hours before it was cleared by noon. we will have a report from the sierra in just a couple minutes. as we head closer to home, check out this picture of a waterspout off land's end. one of our viewers said it stayed well offshore before dissipating. you can expect some on-and-off showers around the bay area for the evening commute with more cold weather to come. let's get right to chief meteorologist paul heggen. we knew it was coming and it's here. this winter storm has squeezed out almost an inch of rain in the santa cruz mountains around ben lomond while the rest of the bay area has seen more light to moderate rain in general. the snow is picking up in intensity. the next four hours or so they'll see snowfall rates in the sierra, especially above 6,000 feet in elevation, 2 to 3 inches per hour. the heaviest snow occurs late tomorrow into top night. let's talk about the bay area. we have a band of

heavier rain moving farther east. the fact it's moving is part of why we aren't concerned about flooding on a widespread basis. localized flooding we always have to watch out for, some heavier downpours around fremont up towards livermore and back across the santa cruz mountains and off the coast, even a marine warning in effect for coastal parts of santa cruz county. there's another batch of showers moving into the north bay, but there are gaps in between these waves of mostly light to moderate rain. that remains the trend. the gaps in between combined with the fact of the heaviest downpours moving along will help us avoid widespread flooding. we have a wind advisory along the coast and higher elevations of the bay area from friday midday to 10:00 on saturday, not strong enough for significant stress on the power grid, but sporadic power outages a possibility. a high surf advisory is in effect from 10:00 tomorrow through 4:00 saturday and, of course, the blizzard warning continues

in the sierra through 10:00 a.m. on sunday. conditions already deteriorating and they are going to be basically impassable the next few days. we'll talk about the timing of when this all winds down coming up in the full forecast in a few minutes. let's get back to the sierra and show you video of the snow that's picking up in truckee as we speak. this afternoon madisen keavy was up there, spent the day following all of the travel troubles and trouble spots going up there, talking to locals who are preparing to hunker down. >> reporter: the snow and wind have picked up in truckee and conditions are set to get worse. when we talk about the wind, whip out my handy anemometer to give an idea what these gusts are already at, this one about 5 miles an hour. conditions are expected to get worse into tonight. a lucky drive escaped from a tangled metal mess after a snowy big rig crash on i-80. this is how

the day started and conditions have only gotten worse. traffic was held multiple times throughout the day on i-80 and overnight conditions are forecasted to deteriorate. roads in and around truckee were slick, as snow dumped most of the afternoon. still just warm enough for it to melt quickly, which gave locals just enough time to prepare. >> i got snacks, pizza, chicken nuggets, you know, the staples, i guess, for staying in during a snowy weekend. >> i'm stocking up. it's my second time here today. >> try not to drive too many places. >> reporter: that's what caltrans and chp advise, no mountain travel. this isn't the worst of it. >> we'll be snowed in the next couple days. might as well have fun on the sleds. >> i'm about the cabin life sometimes. >> reporter: people we talked to around truckee today said they know the window to get

last minute items is closing fast. we've seen snowplows on i-80 today as this snow is starting to stick. another reporter, ashley sharp, heading up to kirkwood resort showing how quickly it turned to near whiteout conditions. look at that. light snowfall started on highway 88 this morning, but after they passed the chain control checkpoint outside kirkwood, snow covered the roads and the wind picked up. kirkwood shut down around 2:00 this afternoon. sierra at tahoe resort will be closed tomorrow with up to five feet of snow expected there over the next 36 hours. some lifts are also closed at heavenly and palisades tahoe because of the winds. the storm is also increasing danger for avalanches. in fact, an avalanche watch is in effect for tomorrow morning through sunday evening for the central sierra backcountry, including the lake tahoe area. the third snow survey of the season was moved up to this

morning to get ahead of the blizzard. state water regulators measured the snowpack at phillips station at about 77% of average, a considerable improvement from last month when it was around 58% at that location. and the storm is also forcing yosemite national park to shut down and stay closed until at least sunday at noon. the national weather service is predicting several feet of snow and strong winds throughout the park. visitors were told to leave yosemite by noon tomorrow at the very latest. so stay with us for the latest on the storms impacting the sierra and right here in the bay area. we will have updates on air and online at kpix.com and streaming on cbs news bay area. turning to other news now, in less than half an hour people in oakland will get to learn more about the four new candidates for police chief at a public forum. the police commission's finalists include

former san leandro police chief abdul pridgen who was put on leave in december for allegedly violating department policy. the others are former lubbock, texas police chief floyd mitchell, cincinnati assistant chief lisa davis and louie molina, a former nypd detective who now works under the mayor. the city has been searching for a new chief since the mayor fired leronne armstrong a year ago. the mayor is ultimately in charge of hiring a chief, but won't be at the forum tonight. jose martinez reports there's some disagreement over getting the public involved in this part of the process. >> reporter: all eyes are on the oakland police commission as they keep showcasing police chief candidates, especially in places like this restaurant that has been broken into 22 times in less than seven years.

look at these guys smashing into an oakland restaurant in the middle of the night. >> they break the doors. they break the locks. they get into the restaurant. >> reporter: roberto sanchez is one of many oakland residents paying close attention to the public forum being held to help the city of oakland select a new chief of police. >> we cannot wait more time, you know. we're just wasting time and trying to make a decision and be on top of that, the city's unsafe. >> reporter: and bishop bob jackson, co-founder of gospel church in oakland, believes something needs to be done to control the surge of crime happening in the city. >> the crux of the matter is we have to make public safety priority one. i mean the trash and all that, i get it. the abandoned cars being stripped and chopped, i get it. all the things you see, i get it, but i think all of that is predicated upon the crime that we've been having too much of in the city

of oakland. >> reporter: the person that will not be present will be mayor sheng thao. in a letter to the police commission, she declined the invitation saying a forum identifying candidates places those individuals at unnecessary risk with their current employers. she also said that it might force oakland into a premature bidding war. in fact, candidates will withdraw their names when presented with a public forum, but bishop jackson says having a police chief is a matter of urgency. >> california highway patrol, the b.a.r.t. police, the oakland housing authority police, all of those different agencies are trying to collaborate so they can -- because none of them have enough police officers to police, but oakland is not even at the table and we have the worst crime than any city in alameda county. >> reporter: oswaldo said he's frustrated with this back and forth and says enough is enough. >> all i want is just support again from the police

department, mayor, government, whoever it is because we need support. we need to be secure. businesses around need to be secure. >> reporter: so he tells me he hopes tonight's forum could put pressure on the mayor to appoint a chief as soon as possible. >> so the forum starts at 6:30 at oakland city hall. back in december mayor thao rejected the police commission's original list of candidates. that list included former chief leronne armstrong. he did not make the cut this time around. the man accused in a mass shooting at two farms in half moon bay pleaded not guilty today at his arraignment. chunli zhao denied all allegations against him. e faces first degree murder charges. the 67-year-old is suspected of gunning down seven co-workers last year. he remains in custody on a no-bail status. in san francisco new video from the united states postal inspection service shows a suspect in a hoodie opening up

collection boxes and stealing mail. it happened at the 18th street station post office sunday night. the suspect starts to run away after postal inspectors show up. you can see the driver of the getaway car trying to get away. both suspects were arrested. still ahead, it would be the largest ever safe parking site for rvs in san jose, but there's a hefty price tag standing in the way, how the city is rethinking the plan. a move to keep renters from getting priced out in the north bay has become a heated battle on the ballot, what's at stake for tenants and landlords? what do i see in peter dixon? i see my husband... the father of our girls. i see a public servant. a man who served under secretary clinton in the state department... where he took on the epidemic of violence against women in the congo. i see a fighter, a tenacious problem-solver... who will go to congress and protect abortion rights and our democracy.

because he sees a better future for all of us. i'm peter dixon and i approved this message. i launched our campaign at this union hall. 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. "overflowing with ideas and energy." that's the san francisco chronicle endorsing democrat katie porter for senate over all other options. porter is "easily the most impressive candidate." "known for her grilling of corporate executives." with "deep policy knowledge." katie porter's housing plan has "bipartisan-friendly ideas to bring homebuilding costs down." and the chronicle praises "her ideas to end soft corruption in politics."

let's shake up the senate. with democrat katie porter. i'm katie porter and i approve this message. when peter dickson led my platoon into combat in afghanistan, he cared about two things: completing the mission, and making sure his marines came home. and we all did. pete's always fought for what he believes in, and i know he'll do the same in congress for affordable housing, the rights of women, and the democracy he swore to protect. because helping people who need it has always been pete's mission. and i know he'll get it done. next generation veteran fund is responsible for the content of this ad. welcome back. san jose leaders say a new redesign for a housing project for the city's homeless will save millions of dollars. that's the safe parking site for north san jose approved last year. it will accommodate dozens of rv dwellers, making it the largest such site in the

city, but after the project's approval mayor matt mahan says he was shocked to learn that it would cost $16 million to build. city officials got to work on a design and mahan says now the price tag has been slashed nearly in half. the housing crisis, a hot topic on ballots across the state for tuesday's primary, and a proposed cap on rent is dividing one marin county community. our kenny choi looks at what's on the line for both sides. >> reporter: freelance photographer michael sexton depends on the rental income from the duplex he owns. >> you're never guaranteed work. it comes and goes. there's nothing consistent. you don't have a consistent paycheck. >> reporter: measure d in larkspur would lower the existing state cap on annual increases to 5% plus consumer price index or 7%, whichever is lower. sexton won't be impacted this time around since

he's an owner occupant in fairfax, but believes this measure, if passed, will eventually lead to more local municipalities implementing tighter restrictions. >> having the consistency of rental income helps stabilize my monthly payments and allows me to live in marin. >> reporter: phillip hallquist has rented his one-bedroom unit in larkspur for nine years. he says new corporate ownership and annual increases growing closer to the state maximum prompted him to fight back. >> i just got fed up. i said this is intolerable. i have to do something about this. >> reporter: the paralegal and other tenants started showing up at city council meetings demanding lower caps on rent hikes. you feel that's pushing people out? >> oh, i know it is. >> reporter: u.s. census bureau data shows more than one-quarter of renters in larkspur spend 50% or more of their income on housing and are considered severely cost burdened. >> it's forced eviction in a sense because people feel like

well, i can't afford another rent increase. i guess i better find another place to live. >> reporter: kelly snyder is an urban planning expert and professor at san jose state. >> we want to open and put the accelerator on building as many new units as possible and rent control measures usually do the opposite. >> reporter: snyder believes changing zoning laws and increasing state grants and tax credits to build subsidized housing have better targeted outcomes for those who need it, but also says those options require massive amounts of funding and tax dollars. rent stabilization can help. >> it is a legal way to help a community that has no other options. >> reporter: hallquist's anger is directed at corporations and the previous equity firms maximizing profit and squeezing the working class struggling to pay rent. >> it's the elderly and disabled and people that have

been here for a long time and really can't go anywhere else because they're on a fixed income or whatever their circumstances might be. >> reporter: you want to be here. >> i do. i love this place. >> reporter: property owners like sexton paying a mortgage make a similar argument. >> it helps me be able to live in marin. it helps me to be able to live in this house. >> reporter: it's a plea from both sides in the midst of a housing crisis extending far beyond the bay area. >> there are several exemptions to these rent caps for certain buildings like single-family homes. the measure requires a simple majority to pass. rain across the bay area has been falling off and on throughout the day. so what does that look like on first alert doppler? you can see it right now, on, off, back on, back off. it's going to

big weather day and obviously a lot of concern in the sierra. paul has been tracking it all here and in the snow. >> there's plenty of snow adding up already. it's going to keep getting lower in elevation. i was looking at some of the cameras on the i-80 network, about 5,000 feet, even up to 6,000 feet roads are mostly wet. go above that, it's deteriorating quickly. let's start with a view from one of the caltrans cameras that is in the sierra on i-80 at donner summit and this is the current view or lack thereof appropriately. you see somebody's taillights receding into the distance, the cameras shaking around because of the winds picking up and the snow will continue to fall over the course of the next few days. here's futurecast. we'll add up the numbers. by sunrise tomorrow morning, we're talking 2 to 3 feet adding up in the higher elevations, close to a foot at lake level. it will continue to intensify as snow levels drop lower heading

through tomorrow night into early saturday morning. by the time we get to sunday morning, we're talking about 8 to 12 feet at the highest elevations. at lake level we're talking 5 to 7 feet of total snowfall. the weight of the new snow compacts it down. it won't be snow drifts as tall as me everywhere, but we're talking a lot of snow in a fairly short amount of time. it's the duration of the system that will intensify the snowfall totals. around the bay area to our north we have a winter storm warning for inland mendocino and lake county, enough to mess up travel conditions, especially going up 101, 1 to 4 inches of snow above 1,000 feet, 5 to 15 inches of snow above 2,500 feet with wind gusts to 50 miles an hour. around the bay area it's just wet. dog walking weather is poor the next few days, sorry to zoe here who looks personally offended by that statement. only low 50s tomorrow in petaluma. it's not only going to be wet, but progressive colder the next few

days. let's look at weather headlines as we look outside from the mark hopkins hotel. we have a little break in the showers now in downtown san francisco, but rain with gusty winds tonight, tomorrow and again saturday as temperatures continue to drop, low 50s for highs through the weekend, blizzard conditions continuing in the sierra and still a few lingering showers sunday with unsettled weather again next week. we won't break out of this pattern at least the next seven days. first alert doppler shows heavier downpours working east. this is the first band of steadier rain. it hasn't lasted too long in any particular spot. this will remain the case the next few days. as the first band of rain moves out, more showers take it place this evening and overnight off and on, not raining everywhere all the time. keep the umbrella and rain jacket handy. outdoor plans, have an indoor alternative because even when we're in a break in the showers, the next one won't be too far away. the heaviest rain marchs in tomorrow evening and tomorrow night, locally heavy downpours. they don't last

long in any particular spot. then we're back into our off-and-on shower pattern throughout the day saturday as snow flies in the sierra. saturday night into early sunday morning, that's when we'll start to see the system sputtering and losing its influence. showers should be fewer and farther between as we start sunday. it's still going to be quite a bit of rain over the next three days. here are the three-day rainfall total estimates, around an inch or so on the low end. this is an equal opportunity rain event. between 1 to 1 1/2 inches of rain almost for everybody. the santa cruz mountains likely add up a little bit more, but even there about 2 1/2 inches of rain, but most of the communities around the bay area will pick up the 1 to 1 1/2 inches of total rainfall spaced out over the course of the next about 48 to 72 hours. that's a long enough spacing we should be able to avoid significant flooding threats. let's look at the wind possible of this system, which is something we have to monitor. we had 30 to

40-mile-an-hour gusts earlier today. we'll see more of those. all the red-shaded tile here's from 10:00 tomorrow through 4:00 saturday indicating the potential of 35 to 45-mile-an-hour gusts which may result in sporadic power outages, but shouldn't have anything widespread. let's look at the seven-day forecast and again, things will be a mess in the sierra. it's more of an inconvenient first alert weather event for the bay area with widespread rain continuing into saturday, showers sunday. we'll call monday dry. there's still a 20% chance of rain and then showers back in the forecast tuesday, wednesday, and thursday. looks like wednesday is the wettest day next week. >> to all those folks hunkering in, i wish them safety this weekend. >> batten down. >> thank you. still ahead, it only comes every four years, right? we're talking from

democrats agree. conservative republican steve garvey is the wrong choice for the senate. ...our republican opponent here on this stage has voted for donald trump twice. mr. garvey, you voted for him twice... as your own man, what is your decision? garvey is wrong for california. but garvey's surging in the polls. fox news says garvey would be a boost to republican control of the senate. stop garvey. adam schiff for senate. i'm adam schiff, and i approve this message.

check the calendar. today is leap day, an extra day we get in february that happens only every four years and this rare occasion means special leap year celebrations for marriages and births, even some unique deals. for instance, a circle k in southern california is discounting its gas. the leap day special is 40 cents per gallon off for a few hours. at a courthouse not far from there dozens of couples took

the leap into love. staff there say after valentine's day leap day is their most popular wedding day. >> because it's just the unique date. so we decided to go with it. >> reporter: does that mean you'll celebrate just every four years? >> hopefully. it's more affordable, you know. >> reporter: okay. >> if you're born on leap day, you have the rarest birthday of them. all babies born today at torrance memorial wore knitted green frog gaps -- what do i see in peter dixon? i see my husband... the father of our girls. i see a public servant. a man who served under secretary clinton in the state department... where he took on the epidemic of violence against women in the congo. i see a fighter, a tenacious problem-solver... who will go to congress and protect abortion rights and our democracy. because he sees a better future for all of us. i'm peter dixon and i approved this message.

"overflowing with ideas and energy." that's the san francisco chronicle endorsing democrat katie porter for senate over all other options. porter is "easily the most impressive candidate." "known for her grilling of corporate executives." with "deep policy knowledge." katie porter's housing plan has "bipartisan-friendly ideas to bring homebuilding costs down." and the chronicle praises "her ideas to end soft corruption in politics." let's shake up the senate. with democrat katie porter. i'm katie porter and i approve this message.

>> norah: tonight, showdown at the southern border. >> it's a shame that 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, punishing terrain is enough to stop the determination of these asylum-seekers. >> norah: the "cbs evening news" starts now.