shake up the process for buyers and sellers. this is cbs news bay area with juliette goodrich. >> good evening. you know by now san francisco has been having a rough time adjusting to its post pandemic reality. the rise of remote and hybrid work has just emptied out parts of downtown and it's having a ripple effect across the city. the office vacancy rate in san francisco was up to more than 36% in the first quarter of the year and that's an all time high. mayor london breed was at the state capitol today along with mayors from other major california cities touting some of the steps the city is taking to help revitalize downtown. >> department stores in union square that is being converted to office, housing, but will also have retail. it's an

incredible way to provide mixed use for a project of that nature. >> the mayor is also advocating for a number of bills to help the recovery. one would create a so-called downtown revitalization zone in san francisco. this would last for ten years and would streamline approvals for various projects like student housing, entertainment venues, and other commercial renovations. another bill would provide financial incentives for office to housing conversions. experts say the city has a lot of potential to bounce back this year, but in the meantime our kelsi thorud shows us business as usual just isn't cutting it for small businesses downtown. >> reporter: saj mediterranean has been here at the corner of pine and beldin in the financial district since 2018. the manager said when they first snagged this location, they were ecstatic. >> this was store number four.

so it was pretty busy. >> reporter: nancy says they would have lines out the door during the weekday lunch rush, but then, of course, the pandemic hit. >> it's definitely not the same as before. >> reporter: nancy says even all these years later since the peak of covid, the crowds just aren't coming back. >> out of the five days we might have two good days. >> reporter: saj isn't alone. so many businesses continue to struggle, especially those downtown. the trend towards work from home has gutted many high rises in the area, taking away a huge chunk of these restaurants' clientele. that is why mayor breed and several other city officials are pushing the state to pass laws that will make it easier to turn those vacant spaces into housing or other mixed-use venues. president and ceo of the san francisco chamber of commerce rodney fong says he's fully on board with the mayor's vision. >> i think covid taught us not

to necessarily put all of our eggs in one basket. san francisco has the luxury of being able to try to diversify itself, which i think the mayor by going to sacramento is trying to do by expedite and create incentives for people to take chance and be creative in this great downtown. >> reporter: back at saj nancy told me she, too, likes the idea of getting more people back into downtown. she just hopes those people will visit her restaurant as much as those did before. >> improving either housing or more work, offices around the area will improve our business a lot. >> reporter: even with all of these different initiatives that the mayor's office is pushing, the folks here tell me they still think it is going to be a long time before downtown is fully revitalized. they're expecting years, if not more. >> thank you. san francisco has seen a handful of major office investments this year. in the last few days we learned tech startup rippling will soon move

into this nine-story office space in downtown. the company has about 500 local employees and says they plan on hiring hundreds more. then this past october openai, the company behind chatgpt, agreed to lease nearly 500,000 square feet from uber's mission bay headquarters. mayor breed's vacant to vibrant program launched last year, helping small businesses move into empty storefront spaces as pop-up locations and this year many of those business owners are renewing leases at these spaces. ♪ today millions of people across the country stopped what they were doing to witness this rare celestial spectacle in our sky, a total solar eclipse. the moon completely blocked out the sun for several minutes. this was the moment it reached

totality over arkansas. then there's this time lapse that shows the moment the eclipse reached totality in buffalo, turning the middle of the day, well, into darkness and then cloudy skies didn't stop this crowd from watching the total eclipse at niagra falls. many spectators were left in awe as they gazed up at the sky wearing solar eclipse glasses to get the full viewing experience. >> our family was sending us pictures from atlanta. we're like man, we traveled all the way over here, but just seeing how it got dark was an experience that was unforgettable. >> it will be another 21 years before the u.s. sees another total solar eclipse on this scale. here in the bay area we only got a partial eclipse, but it still was a pretty impressive sight. our mary lee was at stanford's eclipse watch party where students were just fascinated by this celestial show. >> reporter: what an incredible day. we are at the stanford oval where hundreds of students, staff, as well as

kids, possibly future scientists one day came out to check out the solar eclipse. even though we were not in the path of totality, still that partial eclipse did not disappoint. everyone said it was just an amazing experience to see. they did hand out these special solar eclipse glasses to check out the eclipse safely. we noticed something interesting as a large crowd gathered at sanford to see something rare and unique. both university students and future scientists coming together to watch the sun, moon, and earth align. 9 1/2-year-old ziba came here with her brother and uncle to see the stunning sight in the sky. >> i've never seen eclipse before. this is my first time in person. >> reporter: what do you think? >> i think it's really cool and i'm really excited. >> reporter: how much do you love science? >> a lot. >> reporter: tell me like what do you love about it?

>> well, i think it's really interesting how it works and how many interesting things and theories are about it and how many possibilities there are. it's super cool. >> reporter: it was also riley wells' first time viewing a solar eclipse. >> i love it so much. >> reporter: his mom kelly wanted to give him a science lesson he won't ever forget. >> it looks so cool how the moon is in the sun. you do not see it in the outside, but you see it with these glasses. >> reporter: what do you see right now? >> i see the moon. i see the moon halfway moved. >> i told him about it. he was just like yeah, i want to see that. i want to learn about it and, you know, it's just a difference. you can again read about it, but this is different

seeing it and telling it in person and just you never know what it might spark in a child and what they love to do. >> reporter: that same excitement came from university students who want to make a living studying space. >> it's a blast. again, i have never seen an eclipse before, got my eclipse glasses. it's so exciting to see a couple hundred people out here excited about science as well. i hope people stay excited and want to learn more about the planetary sciences and maybe come work with us someday. >> reporter: everyone who looked up, it sparked curiosity for science and space. in the east east bay at the chabot space and science center some people made foil safety glasses, others making

telescopes out of cereal glasses or used their smartphones. >> feels so powerful and feels magical almost and the aura is really beautiful. >> i just feel lucky to be alive to see all this beautiful stuff in this world. >> we brought you all the excitement from the bay area eclipse viewing parties in a live special on cbs news bay area. if you didn't get to catch it, you can check out the entire special on our youtube page. just search for kpix or cbs news bay area. it is under top stories. we have even more eclipse coverage on our website. you can watch what it looked like in cities along the path of totality. also you can get some advice what to do if you any you may have damaged your eyes looking at it. so all of that is on kpix.com. norah o'donnell was one of the millions that got to take in the full spectacle. here she is. >> reporter: hey, juliette.

we're live from indianapolis where we experienced totality, stunning darkness at 3:00 p.m. tonight we ask bill nye, the science guy, what we can learn from today's rare total eclipse of the sun tonight on the special edition of the cbs evening news. back here at home, probably heard there's a noticeable warm-up coming our way. we will talk about that in detail. some of us are going to the mid-80s, but the way that's going to change is another storm. we'll cool all the way back down again and there is rain heading our way for the weekend, forecast on that specifically coming right up. also we're breaking down the new rules for california realtors, changes to the way commissions could be paid and why one expert says it will not upset the market. >> i think this is going to be ultimately good for innovation. i think it will be good for competition. plus the oakland airport's proposed name change already

sparked outcry from sfo and now san francisco is threatening legal action.

a tiff between two bay area airports is escalating, san francisco threatening legal action if oakland airport decides to add san francis its

name. sf city commissioner david chiu sent a letter urging them to ditch the proposal and said it infringes the sfo trademark and would confuse travelers. port commissioners are expected to vote on the new name thursday. port of oakland said in a statement it would not be confusing since the new name identifies where oakland is, which is on the san francisco bay, and it says it plans to defend its right to use this identifier. coming up at 7:00, we'll hear from san francisco's city attorney about why he thinks it's so important to distance the city from oakland. a change in the way real estate agents get paid commissions has certainly raised big questions about how it will impact the housing market. it's all because the national association of realtors recently settled a historic class action lawsuit. kenny choi explains how the industry is navigating this shift.

>> reporter: harry ire has been searching to buy a family home for the first time and learning a lot about the process all the way. >> patience and it's kind of terrifying when you see these home prices. you've got to be really strategic how you choose things. >> reporter: ire is working in san francisco and is in tech. he started looking before the new rules are slated to go in effect in july that require a buyer and agent to negotiate and sign a commission rate agreement before the search even begins. >> it just seems like it would put it a higher burden of proof on the realtor to show their potential clients that they're really good before having a chance to walk through the home with them and really show them what it's going to be like and show their abilities at that moment. >> reporter: michael is co-founder of north point real estate and represents ire. he's also listing agent for this telegraph hill condo. the traditional model has been to include 5% to 6% commission to be split between a seller's agent and buyer's agent with the seller paying the cost

after the deal closes. >> the main challenge i'm seeing will be able to communicate the value i provide as a buyer's agent up front. >> reporter: the new model will allow sellers to opt out paying commission for the buyer's agent, but that doesn't mean all realtors will do that. >> having a well represented buyer in a transaction is often at the seller's advantage to getting to the closing table. >> reporter: many including mike anunziata believe offering to pay the buyer's agent even after the new rules kick in could attract new buyers and ultimately help close deals. housing analysts are trying to determine whether these shifts will impact the price of homes. >> it's not going to be a huge change to what folks are paying out of pocket for a home in the bay area. >> reporter: melissa verante is vice president for policy on housing for the bay area council which represents some of the largest employers in the area. >> i think this is going to be ultimately good for innovation,

good for competition, and i think it will be a slight downward pressure on real estate prices, but nothing huge. >> reporter: it's uncertain if future data will paint a clearer picture as housing prices are impacted by numerous factors, including shifts in supply and demand. what is clear for buyers like harry ire is the need for a proven agent well before a commission agreement is signed. >> as a buyer, i'd put more, way more stock into word of mouth and referrals and direct recommendations. >> reporter: his months long search in san francisco could soon be ending. >> i feel i'm a lot more informed now about now i'm going through this thing and when the right home comes along and i know i've got to be patient, at that moment we can move very quickly. >> reporter: the new realtor rule changes are opening new doors in the art of closing a deal. >> so the national association of realtors recently agreed to end landmark antitrust class action lawsuits by paying $418 million in damages and

eliminating rules on commissions. a live look from the kpix rooftop camera. when we come back darren peck looks at this week's warm-up, plus how some of our staffers took in the eclipse from

welcome back. if you looked out at angel island earlier today, you might have noticed some smoke, but don't worry. that is a prescribed burn, an effort to reduce potential fuel in the case of a real brushfire. the air quality management district says the burn will continue through wednesday. all is good. let's get back to that solar eclipse, shall we? only a partial eclipse here in the bay area. this morning some members of our kpix crew actually took it in from the station's rooftop here in san francisco. you just go up a few stairs. we've been up there, right, darren, to check it out? >> yeah, we have. >> what are they looking at? you tell me. >> luckily we had a big supply from the last eclipse of all these protective glasses. just about everybody on the roof had a chance to look safely and they were seeing that view where it looks like someone took a bite out of a cookie on the sun. i think that's exactly what jessica was

saying. >> there's jessica as we speak. i bet she was just flying up there. >> right. there were people who took flights. >> look at that. so this is certainly a science lesson. one of our producer poked pinholes in the bottom of a cup. the person who got the best shot of the eclipse, our weather producer, billy. he took great photos today with a special filter and there you have it. leave it to him. pretty nice. >> another holdover from 2017. he said, "i've used this thing twice now. it's going to be 20 years before i have another chance to use it." >> i'm going to march back over to the east bay? is that where i'm headed? >> right now you're back towards pleasanton. >> i was hoping it was hawaii. take it away, darren. >> we'll see her back on the old school set. big changes are coming our way in the forecast because the temperatures are

about to warm up in a visually obvious way when we watch this. this is the midlevels of the atmosphere the next four days. it's kind of like every afternoon it seems like the earth is breathing and the temperatures warm up and i just wanted to pause it on wednesday because this is the dramatic point at which you can see. we'll find ourself under a pretty nice bubble of warm air, which is shielding us, pushing all the inclement weather around us. we're going to low to mid-80s when we get here, wednesday and thursday. then as quickly as that warm-up comes, here's another way of visualizing it, the temperatures jumping up to above average from below average where we were over the weekend. average would be upper 60s in general right now if you broad brush the bay. we'll be in the low 80s. just a little bit of review for where we'll be tomorrow because you no doubt noticed today if you were outside at all, it was a gorgeous day. we already started warming up. so the temperatures already started

climbing into the low 70s. if we look where we were and where we'll be tomorrow, these are the daytime highs for tuesday and tuesday's kind of like 80% of the way there. so you're already looking at 78 in san jose, 78 in livermore. when i say 80% of the way there, i'm referring to the peak of this warm-up which really is going to be focused on wednesday and thursday. i think both wednesday and thursday will be almost identical. we'll have a lot of low 80s inland for just about everybody. wednesday might be a degree or two warmer than thursday, but they're generally on the same mark. tomorrow we'll notch up about 5 to 6 degrees from where you were today. you're really going to notice this tomorrow. enjoy this because the change is coming. all we have to do is look into the pacific and see the next series of systems lining up out here, not only to bring us back down below average, but to bring in rain. let's try and get into as much detail of that as we can. the next three days the storm track has to go up and over the long

way. there's our storm. it's going to break through this ridge and by friday we've got this beautifully well developed area of low pressure right off the coast, another one of those rapid development its. friday most likely it's rain late. most of friday we don't have rain in the forecast, light showers perhaps in the evening, but by saturday watch that line come across. saturday's really the day the system is focused on. i know that went fast. it's fairly low resolution in terms of this forecast model because we're a little too far out. if it's monday now, we're looking at a storm coming here saturday. so we're still outside that window of like three to four days where we can really start getting specific. it's a generalized takeaway at this point. saturday you'll have the widespread rain. we'll probably pick up about a half inch of rain. the caveat is since we're still beyond the four or five day stretch, some of the details are likely going to adjust a bit. it could come in a little earlier or stick around a little longer. we might have to talk about friday

having a little more chance for rain than what we've got on here now, which is a few showers in the evening with the real focus saturday. the sunday rain at this point really is just a few leftover showers that shouldn't amount to a whole lot. there shouldn't be much there in terms of rainfall sunday. we're hopeful we can keep that salvageable second half of the weekend. >> my tortoise is so confused whether it's time to hibernate or come out. we'll explain later. i'll get video later. >> you've got a whole menagerie of pets and animals at home and the tortoise is one of them. coming up, there's been a lot of reaction to the total solar eclipse on the internet. nasa's moon account on x blocked nasa's sun account as the eclipse made its way across the u.s. the account said, oops, i did it again. still ahead, unsung heroes from world war ii finally getting their

( ♪♪ ) you made a cow! actually it's a piggy bank. my inspiration to start saving. how about a more solid way to save? i'm listening. well, bmo helps get your savings habit into shape

with a cash reward, every month you save. both: cash reward? and there's a cash bonus when you open a new checking account to get you started. wow. anything you can't do? ( ♪♪ ) mugs. ♪ bmo ♪

finally tonight, a group of real life rosie the riveters from the bay area landed in the nation's capital. they are about to receive a congressional gold medal. united airlines shot this video of a sendoff party this morning at sfo and these are some of the women who worked in factories during world war ii now officially being recognized for their contributions to the

nation's success. the youngest now in their 80s. some are a century old. >> kind of humbling because i'm representing the ones that have died and there are so many of them that, you know, missed being acknowledged. i just am one of the survivors. >> of the millions of women who worked in the factories during the war, only a few dozen have survived long enough to see their work recognized with one of the nation's highest honors. the ceremony is set for wednesday. the cbs evening news with norah o'donnell is next. we're back here in 30 minutes with more news at 7:00. thanks so much for joining us! ♪ ♪ >> norah: there it is! there it is! america looks to the sky with tens of millions experiencing a total solar eclipse. >> this is the moment of