i'm kelsi thorud.e latest on the bay area storms with first alert meteorologist darren peck. >> kelsi, we have first alert doppler up live. we are watching the showers come on shore as we speak. watch it bring it ahead to the last frame. we will stop at 6:30. you can see a good line of showers about to move across the bay. so, the way to think about this morning, you got to step out the door for the next few hours, plan on some rain. it won't be like yesterday. that was impressive widespread steady rain. what we have for the morning is on again, off again showers. things will be damp. you will have plenty of opportunities to be on the road without being in a steady downpour of rain. on again, off again showers. things change by the second half of today. by the time we get into early and late afternoon, here is the next system. widespread rain will pick up again for much of the bay for the second half of today through the evening. we will track that in a lot more detail in the complete forecast. there i

i'm kelsi thorud. we have a wet weekend ahead. let's get to first alert meteorologist darren peck in the studio. >> kelsi, good morning. >> the real show in terms of rainfall is coming in for the second half of today, later tonight. take a look at where the rain is. we have a few light showers across marin. follow it up and down 101 from the city to the bridge up to marin. this is fairly light stuff. in the futurecast, you will see for now until 1:00, 2:00 in the afternoon it stays like this. plenty of times when you don't get rain on but an occasional shower can't be ruled out. look how different it gets by the time get to the 5:00 hour. a separate system arrives. this is the one that gives us the more widespread steady rain for the second half an issue for the niners game today. we will look at that in more detail in a bit in the complete forecast. in is an issue for the rest of saturday night for the overwhelming majority of us. some of the best rain will come in between, say, 7:00 and midnight toni

now, paul, these are conditions that kelsi and her photographer, jim h to deal with tonight as they headough tahoe. the video is sped up, obviously. so much snow piled up there, you can barely see the snow level. it was a beautiful live shot. obviously as we heard, the snowstorms can pose risks. >> yes, if you are with us during the first segment you saw kelsi reporting from the site. they made it there safely. we have been saying there, travel strongly discouraged today and even tonight. it will be until tomorrow before the road crews get a chance to catch up. it is a rainmaker for the bay area. adding up the totals, they range from over half an inch around the mountains. one third of an inch from downtown san francisco and a little less in other locations, under 1/10th of an inch of rain, under achieving just a little bit. not done with the rain chances just yet. short term, we will get to dry out. chilly skies, dry break tomorrow and again on friday and the next rainmaker arrives on saturday. we are back to a mix of clouds and sunshine for the second half of the weekend. push outdoor

now, paul, these are conditions that kelsi and her photographer, jim h to deal with tonight as they head through tahoe. the video is sped up, obviously. so much snow piled up there, you can barely see the snow level. it was a beautiful live shot. obviously as we heard, the snowstorms can pose risks. >> yes, if you are with us during the first segment you saw kelsi reporting from the site. they made it there safely. we have been saying there, travel strongly discouraged today and even tonight. it will be until tomorrow before the road crews get a chance to catch up. it is a rainmaker for the bay area. adding up the totals, they range from over half an inch around the mountains. one third of an inch from downtown san francisco and a little less in other locations, under 1/10th of an inch of rain, under achieving just a little bit. not done with the rain chances just yet. short term, we will get to dry out. chilly skies, dry break tomorrow and again on friday and the next rainmaker arrives on saturday. we are back to a mix of clouds and sunshine for the second half of the weekend. push outd

our kelsi thourd is outside of the perimeter with more on how it start. >> reporter: law enforcementicials say they are confident the shooter is surrounded inside of a business here in this industrial park. but now nine hours into the standoff, whoever is inside won't come out. it all started around 1:30 wednesday afternoon when two alameda county sheriff deputies went to serve some sort of eviction notice at an industrial park. shots were fired and a law enforcement source tells kpix one deputy was hit in the arm. >> one deputy was struck and has been transported to a local trauma center for treatment of injuries. >> reporter: so far it is unclear if the deputies returned fire. law enforcement swarmed the area, locking down the entire block. they believe at least one suspect is still there and there could be as many as three. around 8:30 we heard several flash bangs go off. it apparently still was not enough to convince the suspect or suspects to surrender. >> we don't fully know what we have. and that is why we are still out there investigating. it is a dangerous situation. >> repo

it is very dependent on what exactly happens here between police and the suspect. >> all right, kelsi thorud, thank you for that reporting. and also we want to get to the sheriff deputy's condition. a short time ago, we did get video of officers gathered outside eden medical center where that injured officer is said to be getting treatment. again, investigators say his injuries are critical, but not life threatening. we have not received any information or update from medical officials, but the alameda county sheriff department says no matter how serious the injury is, these kinds of incidents will remind everyone of the dangers of the job. >> any time something like this happens, you know, it shakes the agency. it's a dangerous job every single day whether you work in custody or you work patrol or civil. every day could end up like this. we prepare for situations like this, but you never know how it's going to affect you until it actually happens. >> keep in mind this comes just a month after another officer was shot in the line of duty. oakland police officer tuan le was killed whil

our kelsi thourd is outside of the perimeter with more on how it start. >> reporter: law enforcement officials say they are confident the shooter is surrounded inside of a business here in this industrial park. but now nine hours into the standoff, whoever is inside won't come out. it all started around 1:30 wednesday afternoon when two alameda county sheriff deputies went to serve some sort of eviction notice at an industrial park. shots were fired and a law enforcement source tells kpix one deputy was hit in the arm. >> one deputy was struck and has been transported to a local trauma center for treatment of injuries. >> reporter: so far it is unclear if the deputies returned fire. law enforcement swarmed the area, locking down the entire block. they believe at least one suspect is still there and there could be as many as three. around 8:30 we heard several flash bangs go off. it apparently still was not enough to convince the suspect or suspects to surrender. >> we don't fully know what we have. and that is why we are still out there investigating. it is a dangerous situation. >>

i am kelsi thorud. it has been a wet weekend so far and more rain is on the way. let's turn to first alert chief meteorologist paul hagan in the studio. >> another first alert weather day because there is more rain on the way. the heaviest rain that we will see in this parade of storm system will move across the bay area today and into tonight. for the moment we are in a low in the action. one batch of showers moving east to the central valley and there are showers offshore but this is light activity and it is the light off-and-on shower activity we will see for the first half of the day. as we head into the afternoon, things will be more widespread. one batch of light to moderate rain will move through in the afternoon but the main event will take shape as we head into this evening and tonight. this is when the heaviest rainfall rates will occur and we have a flood watch and effect for the north bay through tomorrow evening but the heaviest rain will fall tonight into tomorrow morning. watch out for any poor drainage, flood prone areas and don't drive in any stan

he told our kelsi thorud, the credit goes to everyone in town. >> reporter: police chief jeff lou grew up in palo alto and remembers exactly what his parents used to say about east palo alto. >> my parents always told me don't go to east palo alto. this is the early 80s, early 90s. don't go to east palo alto, it's very dangerous. stay out. >> reporter: during that time, east palo alto was known as the murder capital of the u.s. in 1992, the city of just 24,000 people at the time reported 42 homicides. the most per capita of any city in the country. even now 30 plus years later, it's still hard to shake that reputation. >> even when i'm in different areas of the state, you know, i always say yeah, i work in east palo alto. people would say oh because they think it's dangerous. >> reporter: despite the hurdles, he joined the east palo alto police department 23 years ago. he became chief in 2023. >> after so many years of carrying that label around to reach zero murders for the 2023 year, that's just the hugest community accomplishment possible. >> reporter: chief liu credits the entire c

our kelsi thorud helps us mark her 90th birthday. >> reporter: when dorothy "polka dot" quock walks into room, you notice. >> this would be my winter outfit. >> i love it. >> there are two more pieces to it. this room is an extra special one. it is packed with people here to celebrate her 90th birthday, some traveling across the country just to be here. >> i guess i am a social animal. >> reporter: dorothy was born and raised in san francisco's chinatown. she says she got her nickname for my boss she got as a teenager who had two dorothy's on his staff. >> he finally said you are polkadot and she is giant dot. that is how it got started. >> i feel like you got the better of the two options. >> reporter: dorothy says for most of her life, she lived relatively traditionally. she got married, moved to livermore and became a mother but, then her 60s, she got divorced, moved back to the city and quickly started to gain a following. >> she is a community treasure, a human unicorn and we love her. >> dorothy spent years giving walking tours around chinatown. she met people from around the world

kelsi thorud reports. >> reporter: for the first time in the department's history , east palo alto police say they did not record a single murder the entire year of 2023 . it is an accomplishment the police chief shows just how far this community has come since the dark days of the rerter: polic liu grew up in palo alto and remembers what his parents used to say about east palo alto. >> my parents always told me, don't go to east palo alto. it is very dangerous. stay out of east palo alto. >> east palo alto was known as the murder capital of the u.s.. in 1992, the city of 24,000 people at the time reported 42 homicides, the most per capita of any city in the country. the chief says even now, 30+ years later, it is still hard to shake that reputation. >> even when i am in different areas of the state, people think it is dangerous. >> despite the hurdles, the chief joined the east palo alto police department 23 years ago. he became chief in 2023 and the same year, the city accomplished something many thought may never happen. they did not record a single murder the entire year. >> after so

kelsi thorud went along with the chief to show his team getting prepared. >> whenever an avalanche happens in the lake tahoe area, multiple agencies respond and they work together to rescue victims and secure the scene. we spoke with the guides here about how it all works. >> this is a backpack that you should carry in at least the minimum. it shows a shovel and a probe as well. >> this is some of the gear firefighters pack with them when responding to an avalanche. russell barnum is the assistant fire chief of the northlake tahoe fire protection district. he says most all firefighters in the area are trained in avalanche rescue. >> we have a lot of different ways to get back to the patient. >> overall, barnum says avalanches are rare. when they do happen, they usually occur in the back country, not at a ski resort. >> the ski patrols to a lot to mitigate avalanche danger. they use hand chargers. they ski cut. they go in and evaluate. there was a lot of different ways to mitigate avalanches. in the back country, that is not available. >> viewer stuart bloom emailed us, asking what to do if

so, kelsi thorud woke up early this morning to join in the count, and it may seem that they were in a spot that was a little bit unexpected. >> reporter: more than 300 volunteers were seen throughout san mateo county, collecting data on the unsheltered homeless population. i was able to go out with some of those groups today, we went to a location that you might not think of when it comes to unhoused residents, it is at the airport. the homelessness crisis in san mateo county weighs heavily on the minds of many, like francisco valencia. to help, he is volunteering in the 2024 one day homeless count. >> something new that the county started maybe two years ago since our last count, and basically it is a faster way for them to get our numbers, and they can run their data once we are all completed. >> reporter: they are observing an area where individuals are hidden in plain sight, at the san francisco international airport. >> you will see them, like right here, this is a hotspot. when it's time to go, they can get on the bus and head out. >> reporter: the team canvassed throughout the

. >> coming up at 6:00, we'll have our very own kelsi thorud on the scene with updates on this giant tree that once again has fallen. >>> the iowa caucuses underway and former president donald trump is already projected to win. former u.n. ambassador nikki haley and florida's governor ron desantis battling it out to see who will emerge as the leading alternative to donald trump. the caucuses do not leave a lot of flexibility for the weather. voters actually needed to be at their assigned location by 5:00 p.m. our time. >> as anne just mentioned, the first contest could provide insight of what's to come. joining us live is dr. carolyn heldman, professor at occidental college, cbs news projecting former president donald trump the winner, as you just heard. any surprises by that? >> no surprise, but the big question is by what margin because these contests are often not of who actually wins, but who exceeds or underperforms in terms of expectations. the big question is who comes in second place? is it going to be nikki haley, who has been closing in the polls, and desantis. how long wil

kelsi, what do you know? >> reporter: we're right at the intersection of dowe avenue and alvarado niles road. our photographer is closer to the scene. it appears this is happening around an industrial park area here in union city. there is still a ton of police out here, alameda county sheriff deputy. a huge police force out here. now at this point police say it is unknown what type of situation is going on here. they say this all started when at least two deputies showed up to the address to serve an eviction notice at the time. two deputies were at least there to service the notice. and then gunshots were fired. they say one deputy was hit. they say they had non-life threatening injuries, but in critical condition. it's unclear at this time if deputies were returned fire. now multiple agencies have been on scene ever since then. it's unclear at this point if anyone is in custody. but the area is locked down and they believe the suspect is still in the lockdown area. and they also don't know how many suspect

. >>> take a look at the treacherous conditions that kelsi and her photographer are facing right now. the road is covered in snow. for more now on the conditions in the sierra let's go now to first alert meteorologist paul heggen. >> the snow continues to fly. travel is discouraged along u.s. 50 and i-80. we hope our crew is taking their time getting up there. we want to talk about the background of this tragedy that unfolded this morning, the factors that go into evaluating what causes an avalanche in the first place the first thing we look at is terrain that is more likely to lead to an avalanche to begin with. a steep slope, a 35 degree to 45 degree slope. that is a sharp downhill angle. that is what makes the area so appealing to those expert skiers it is a fast downhill run and tending to accumulate. the wind has a lot to do with that because of the wind is piled up on the downwind side of the mountain. it tops over the peaks of the ridge tops or the mountain tops, a lot of it is deposited over the peak. it adds up more snow than what is snowing in the first place. plenty of new

our kelsi thorud just got to 19th avenue where a tree crushed four cars.t's the latest from the scene? >> reporter: we're standing in the southbound lanes. it's totally closed off. you can see this massive tree is blocking all three lanes of the southbound side of crossover drive. we just saw them tow out one of the last cars stuck under that tree. you could see that car right here. it looks like the tow truck driver is just getting that set. if we come this way, you can see the entire front of the windshield was crushed. now the great thing about what happened here today is that 11 people in total were inside of these four cars. none of them were critically injured. two people were injured with nonlife threatening injuries, but all of the firefighters we spoke with here said that this could have been a much worse scene than it turned out to be, but clearly this is an issue that's going to be happening now for a long time. there is no timeline as to when exactly they will be reopening these lanes. we will bring you any updates as they come in throughout th

. >> all right, kelsi, thank you. stay with us for the latest on the information, we are monitoring the repairs and we will have more starts at 5:00 on our morning edition. >>> after a pleasant start to the new year we got more rain heading into the bay area. our chief meteorologist joins us with a look at what to expect. paul you said the timing of this is not the morning commute but maybe the afternoon commute? >> that is why tomorrow is a first alert weather day. it is not life-threatening weather but it will hurt the commute. it is blank for the first half of the day. the rain will be rolling in tomorrow afternoon. this band on the radar simulation is what we call a narrow cold frontal rainband. that brings in the heaviest rain and the gustiest wind and rolling across the bay area during the afternoon and evening commute. how much rain are we talking about overall? let's look at the numbers with a sense of maybe the low and high end of the range of expectation. in general looking at half an inch to an inch of rain

kelsi thorud spoke to thao supporters who say it is time to stop undermining democracy and throwing tax dollars down the drain. >> reporter: lockett is the executive director of pathways to peace. he told us he organized tuesday's rally to show that mayor sheng thao has supporters. they believe a recall call against her is a waste of time and money. >> the recall would disrupt the process, leading to chaos and dysfunction in our city. that's a cost we cannot afford to pay. >> reporter: launching their signature gathering effort last week. saying the mayor is not doing enough to combat crime. thao supporters say give her a chance. she's only been in office for a short time and this is a problem that will take time to solve. >> we really need the mayor to work with our community. >> reporter: the recall would cost over $4 million. money they believe should go to something productive. >> it makes no sense to have a recall against the district attorney, which is about $4.5 million. and the attempt against the mayor, while the city is in a deficit. and now even more so. these resources need

our kelsi thorud is making the drive up to the sierra shortly. >>> all right, let's get to some other news that are happening today. hundreds of people including local and nationwide law enforcement gathering in castro valley to honor fallen officer tuan le. it started with a procession from oakland to the three crosses church in castro valley, where other officers stood in formation in the cold, windy, and wet conditions for more than an hour to bid farewell to their former colleague. katie nielsen if studio with me with more on how officer le was remembered today. >> reporter: amid all the ceremony and tradition, we also had the chance to hear from officer le's family for the first time. they spoke during the memorial to share stories of his life and pay tribute to an officer who was taken too soon. >> reporter: they sat as the casket was brought in. bag pipes bellowing, honor guards standing at attention. the first of le's family to speak was his cousin, jennifer. >> this was the kind of person tuan was at 7 years old. and at 36 years old, from childhood to now, we will always reme

we are live at the scene where we heard from a driver who was in her car when the tree came down, kelsi it is hard to imagine what was going through her mind at that moment. >> reporter: yes, sara, there were 11 people involved in this accident and all of them were not expecting something like this to happen today. you can see the scene just how massive this tree is. there are three lanes of traffic here. they cut the top of the tree off. it is still laying over the two lanes of traffic, as you said it is a really popular road. it connects the golden gate bridge to san francisco. and, this happened just after 4:00 as you said, four cars involved. this tree came crashing down, luckily no one was seriously injured. this is what it looked like earlier today from above. that really just shows how massive of a tree it is. crews have been working all afternoon to try to clean it up. like you said, all of the people that were involved in this really shaken up. we spoke with one woman who was in one of the cars. hear what she described it was like the moments this tree fell down >> it is slow m

kelsi thorud takes us to the party for the woman known as polkadot who became a fashion icon in the neighborhood reporter: when dorothy polkadot walks into the room, you notice. >> this would be my winter outfit. and there's still two more pieces to it. >> reporter: this room is extra special, just for dorothy, it is packed with people here to celebrate her 90th birthday, some traveling across the country just to be here. >> i guess i'm just a social animal, as they say. >> reporter: dorothy was born and raised in chinatown, she got her nickname when she was a teenager, when her boss had two dorothy's on the staff. >> so he said, you are dorothy and you are polkadot. >> reporter: dorothy said for most of her life, she lived relatively traditionally, she got married, moved to livermore and became a mother. in her 60s, she got divorced, moved back to the city and quickly started to gain a following. >> she is a community treasure. a human unicorn, and we absolutely love her. >> reporter: dorothy spent years giving tours around chinatown, she met people from around the world and in 2014, filmmaker,

. >> all right, kelsi, thank you. with us for the latest on the information, we are monitoring the repairs and we will have more starts at 5:00 on our morning edition. >>> after a pleasant start to the new year we got more rain heading into the bay area. our chief meteorologist joins us with a look at what to expect. paul you said the timing of this is not the morning commute but maybe the afternoon commute? >> that is why tomorrow is a first alert weather day. it is not life-threatening weather but it will hurt the commute. it is blank for the first half of the day. the rain will be rolling in tomorrow afternoon. this band on the radar simulation is what we call a narrow cold frontal rainband. that brings in the heaviest rain and the gustiest wind and rolling across the bay area during the afternoon and evening commute. how much rain are we talking about overall? let's look at the numbers with a sense of maybe the low and high end of the range of expectation. in general looking at half an inch to an inch of rainfall

we are live at the scene where we heard from a driver who was in her car when the tree came down, kelsi reporter: yes, sara, there were 11 people involved in this accident an

. >> let's go to kelsi thorud live in san jose.g all day kind of really nervous about this one. congrats! >> reporter: i know. it's amazing, right? i was so nervous coming into it like every other fan. we're at san pedro square in san jose. these fans are pumped. we were all very nervous in the first half. you can see the party here is just getting started. i have a feeling it's not going to end until the early, early morning hours out here. this is something that all of these fans have been wanting this so bad. it's something we were so close to getting last year and we're finally going to see it. i do want to introduce you quickly to vinny, a lifelong 49ers fan. so is this girl right here. vinny, how does it make you feel to finally see your team in the super bowl? >> i'm a fan since 1978 before montana even started, waiting 29 years for the last super bowl win. 1995, 2024's going to be our year. >> reporter: we're all rooting for them. we'll toss it back to you guys. we'll talk to a lot more fans the rest of the night. >> we'll

kelsi thorud caught up with one young fan whose patience paid off. >> reporter: he has been coming toium almost every day, for the last few months, all for a chance to catch 49ers players leaving practice and ask them to sign his helmet. >> i have a son, seven years old, and he is a niners fan, and he loves it. one day he can inherit everything i collect for him. >> reporter: so far, he has been pretty lucky, his helmet is covered in signatures and he has been able to meet some big names. his favorite -- >> george kittle. a very humble guy, i love you, george kittle. >> reporter: but, he has his eye on getting the signature of. quarterback, brock purdy. >> all you need to do is be patient and be respectful, waive at them and hopefully they stop. >> reporter: his son came straight from school to join his dad on today's mission. >> anybody come out yet? >> reporter: aidan must have been good luck because 30 minutes later, look who walked out. >> yay! >> so excited, his autograph, my hat is complete now. >> reporter: it is a day they will never forget, and one they hope will be a sign of

kelsi thorud caught up with one fan who was out there for many many hours, whose patience paid off. >> today is my off day, so i can stay here five or six hours. >> reporter: he has been coming to levi's stadium almost every day, all for a chance to catch 49ers players, leading practice and ask them to sign his helmet. >> i have a son who is a niners fan, and he loves it. whatever i can do, one day i can collect everything for him. >> reporter: so far, he has been lucky, he has been able to meet some big names. his favorite -- >> george kittle, a very humble guy, i love you, george kittle. >> reporter: but this friday, he has his eye on getting the signature of one player in one player only. quarterback, brock purdy. >> all you need to do is be patient and be respectful, waved at them and hopefully they stop. >> reporter: his son came straight from school to join his dad on today's mission. >> anybody come out yet? hopefully brock purdy will come out today. >> reporter: 30 minutes later, look who walked out. >> yay! >> we are so excited, see, we got his autograph now. >> reporter: thi

our kelsi thorud spoke with one of the woman's heroes and rescuers from the alameda county fire stationd one very important thing the woman did that probably saved her life. watch. >> reporter: well, you can see that overturned truck still out here behind me stuck in these flood waters. first responders say the driver of that truck balanced on top of it for close to 15 hours much of which was in the pitch black of darkness. just waiting and hoping for someone to find her and call for help. harrowing video shot from an above rescue helicopter shows the moment first responders lifted a woman to safety after she spent the entire night trapped on top of her overturned truck. >> it could have had a whole different outcome. she could have been swept downstream. but strong enough to get up on top of the vehicle. >> reporter: the alameda county fire department says the woman underestimated the water's depth when she tried to cross a flooded road in a remote area of the valley campground in livermore around 7:30 monday night. the force of the rushing water was so strong it pushed her truck off t

here's more from kelsi thorud in tahoe. >> reporter: officials here in palisades tahoe have identifiedthe victim who was killed in that avalanche. they say he was 66-year-old kenneth kidd and he's from both point reyes as well as the truckee area. now snow like this has been coming down all day ever since this avalanche happened. a terrifying moment on the slopes caught on camera. skiers calling for help, attempting to dig out multiple people buried in a 150-foot wide avalanche at the palisades tahoe ski resort. fellow skiers unable yet to help, filming the scene from the above ski lift. >> i saw it when i was going up the chair and then as i came around, anybody that was off the chair, we just all got asked to help. >> reporter: jen winklepleck is the one who shot that ski lift video. she says immediately after, she joined in on the search and rescue. >> start probing. and start trying to just find people. >> reporter: officials say four people were caught in the slide and two were pulled out by other skiers and the other two buried beneath the snow. >> our hearts are out to -- and co

mayor thao's supporters tell our kelsi thorud it's time to stop undermining democracy and throwing taxain. [ chanting ] >> reporter: saabir lockett is the executive director of pathways to peace. he told us he organized tuesday's rally to show that mayor sheng thao has supporters. and they believe a recall campaign against her is a waste of time and money. >> a recall would disrupt the process and could lead to an extended period of chaos and dysfunction within our city. there's -- that is a cost that we just cannot afford to pay. >> reporter: the mayor's opponents launched their signature gathering effort last week, saying the mayor is not doing enough to combat crime. thao's supporters say give her a chance. she's only been in office for a short time and this is a problem that will take time to solve. >> governing is not an easy task. and we really need co-governing where we have a mayor that can work with our community to make oakland better. >> reporter: thao's supporters say a recall would cost over $4 million in taxpayer money. money they believe should go to something productive

one woman who escaped told our kelsi thorud what it was like. >> i mean, it's slow motion coming down and then as soon as that tree falls on you, everything goes silent. >> reporter: sandy young says she was enjoying the holiday off with her family heading to the mall for some fun when a massive eucalyptus tree crashed on top of the car. >> it was back-to-back traffic and the next thing you know i was in the back passenger's side and i could see the eucalyptus tree and the light post come crashing down on our car. >> reporter: sandy says her first instinct was to check on her kids and her husband. thankfully, she said everyone was okay. but the front of their car was crushed. >> some gentleman from the car behind us rushed over and opened the car. car door and got us out. and my daughter came after me and then my husband and my son had to climb from the front seat into the backseat to get out. >> reporter: in total, san francisco fire says the tree hit five cars with 11 people inside. miraculously, every single person walked away from the scene. only two had minor injuries. >> i think

kelsi thorud spoke with one of the woman's heroes and rescuers from the alameda county fire station whoy herald one very important thing the woman did that probably saved her life. watch. >> reporter: well, you can see that overturned truck still out here behind me stuck in these flood waters. first responders say the driver of that truck balanced on top of it for close to 15 hours, much of which was in the pitch black of darkness. just waiting and hoping for someone to find her and call for help. harrowing video shot from an above rescue helicopter shows the moment first responders lifted a woman to safety after she spent the entire night trapped on top of her overturned truck. >> it could have had a whole different outcome. she could have been swept downstream. but strong enough to get up on top of the vehicle. >> reporter: the alameda county fire department says the woman underestimated the water's depth when she tried to cross a flooded road in a remote area of the del valle family campground in livermore around 7:30 monday night. the force of the rushing water was so strong, it pus

. >> all right, kelsi thorud, thank you for that report from tahoe. let's remember winter is just getting started so the avalanche risk is real and it will continue for weeks and monthings. stay with us for live reports from the sierra all morning here on kpix. nicole? >>> hundreds of people gathered in the east bay for an emotional memorial service for fallen oakland police officer tuan le. he was remembered by friends and family as a hero. rain fell as a police motorcade drove from oakland to castro valley. and oakland officers in their blues marched in formation when officer le's hearse arrived for yesterday's service. le was shot and killed during a burglary at an oakland cannabis business late last month. ♪ family members say le was a person who loved his pets, the outdoors, and above all, his wife sarah. the two were high school sweethearts who met at oakland high and got married in 2018. through tears, le's cousin talked about his selflessness and love for his family. >> this was the kind of person tuan was. at 7 years old, and at 36 years old.

he's the chief presiding over a department that didn't record a single homicide in 2023 and told our kelsiryone in town. >> reporter: police chief jeff lieu grew up in palo alto and remembers exactly what his parents used to say about east palo alto. >> my parents always told me don't go to east palo alto and it was like the '80s and early '90sment. don't go. it's very dangerous. stay out of east pal aloe. >> reporter: during that time. east pallal toe was known as the murder capital of the u.s. in 1992, the city of just 24,000 people at the time reported 42 homicides. the most per capita of any city in the country. chief lieu says even now, 30 plus years later, it's still hard to shake that reputation. >> even when i'm in different areas of the state, you know, we say yeah, i work in east palo alto. people always say ooh because they think it's dangerous. >> reporter: despite those hurdles, chief lieu joined the east palo alto police department 23 years ago. and he became chief in 2023 and that same year, the city accomplished something many thought may never happen. >> after so many year

now a city leader reports to kelsi thorud it's time for a state of emergency. >> reporter: take a look at this video from inside msm jewelry. just after 10:00 a.m. monday. two suspects burst through the door, guns drawn. the owner of the store says he shot at the suspects and they fired back multiple times. no one was hurt in the store. but the owner says he may have hit one of the suspects. this is just the latest in a string of violent armed robberies in fruitvale. oakland city councilman noel gallo says it's gotten so bad, that local merchants are calling for an emergency meeting with city officials. >> we did assign an officer that reports to the chief. for -- that's there daily. we did a sign ongoing officers on a daily basis. we do have ambassadors through the violence prevention program. >> reporter: but even with all that police presence, councilman gallo says he understands business owners' frustrations. that intersection of international boulevard and 42nd avenue continues to be a target for crime. it's one of the reasons the councilman is advocating oakland declare a state o

one woman who escaped told our kelsi thorud what it was like. >> i mean it's slow motion coming down and then as soon as that tree falls on you, everything goes silent. >> reporter: sandy young says she was enjoying the holiday off with her family heading to the mall for some fun when a massive eucalyptus tree crashed on top of the car. >> back-to-back traffic and next thing you know i was in the back passenger's side and i could see the tree and the light post come crashing down on our car. >> reporter: sandy says her first instinct was to check on her kids and her husband. thankfully, she said everyone was okay. but the front of their car was crushed. >> some gentleman from the car behind us rushed over and opened the car. car door and got us out. and my dare came after me and them my husband and my son had to climb from the front seat into the back society to get out. >> reporter: in total san francisco fire says the tree hit five cars with 11 people inside. miraculously every single person walked away where from the scene. only two had minor injury. >> it's important to note that

kelsi thorud takes you to the community celebration for a woman known as polka dot marking her ninth decade. >> there she is. >> reporter: when dorothy "polka dot" quock walks into a room -- you notice. >> this would be sort of my winter outfit. >> reporter: i love it. >> and there's still two more pieces to it. >> reporter: this room is an extra special one. just for dorothy, it's packed with people here to celebrate her 90th birthday. some traveling across the country just to be here. >> i guess i'm a social animal. [ laughter ] as they say. >> reporter: dorothy was born and raised in san francisco's chinatown. she says she got her nickname from a boss she had as a teenager who had two dorothys on his staff. >> he finally said, okay. you're polka dot and she's giant dot. and that's how it got started. >> reporter: i feel like you get the better of the two options. i don't know if i would want to be called giant dot. dorothy said for most of her life, she lived relatively traditionally. she got married, moved to livermore, and became a mother. but then in her 60s, she got divorced a

kelsi thorud went along with tahoe's chief russell barnum to show his team and how they prepare. >> reporter: whenever an avalanche happens, here in the lake tahoe area, multiple agencies respond and they work together to rescue victims and secure the scene. we spoke with the guys here at north lake tahoe fire about how it all works. >> this is a backpack that you should carry in the backcountry at at least a minimum and it carries a shovel and a probe as well. it also has an airbag. >> reporter: this is just some of the gear firefighters pack with them when responding to an avalanche. russell barnum is the assistant fire chief of the north lake tahoe fire protection district. he says most all firefighters in the area are trained in avalanche rescue. >> we have a lot of different ways to get back to the patient. a lot of the times we use snow shoes and it all depends. >> reporter: overall, barnum says avalanches are rare. and when they do happen, they usually occur in the backcountry. not at a ski resort. >> the ski patrols do a lot to mitigate avalanche danger. they do -- they use hand char

her supporters tell kelsi thorud it's time to stop undermining democracy and throwing tax dollars downket is the executive director of pathways to peace. he told us he organized tuesday's rally to show that mayor sheng thao that has supporters. and they believe a recall campaign against her is a waste of time and money. >> a recall would disrupt the process and could lead to an extended period of chaos and dysfunction within our city. there's -- that is a cost that we cannot afford to pay. >> reporter: the mayor's opponents launched their signature gathering effort last week. saying the mayor is not doing enough to combat crime. her supporters say give her a chance. she's only been in office for a short time and this is a problem that will take time to solve. >> governing is not an easy task. and we really need co-governing where we have a mayor that can work with our community to make oakland better. >> reporter: her supporters say a recall would cost over $4 million in tax payer money. money they believe should go to something productive rather than something they see as divisive. >>

kelsi thorud takes you now to the community celebration for the woman known lovingly as polka dot andr 90. watch. >> there she is. >> reporter: when dorothy polka dot clock walks into a room. >> you notice. >> this would be sort of my winter outfit. >> i love it. >> and there's still two more pieces to it. >> reporter: this room is an extra special one. just for dorothy, it's packed with people here to celebrate her 90th birthday. some traveling across the country just to be here. >> i guess i'm a social animal. [ laughter ] as they say. >> reporter: dorothy was born and raised in san francisco's chinatown. she says she got her nickname from a boss she had as a teenager who had two dorothys on his staff. >> he finally said, okay. you are polka dot and she's giant dot. and that's how it got started. >> reporter: i feel like you get the botter of the two options. dorothy said for most of her life, she lived relatively traditionally. she got married, moved to livermore, and became a mother. but then in her 60s, she got divorced and moved back to the city and quickly started to gain a fol