in the news this sunday morning, december 19th, more wet and windy weather is on the way as pg&e crews try to keep falling trees from knocking the lights out. yesterday's heavy rain created some freeway flooding just as people were trying to get their holiday shopping wrapped up. and even more wet snow is piling up in the high sierra with no let-up in sight. good morning, everyone. thanks for joining us. i'm carolyn tyler. let's get right to it checking out the weather, our meteorologist lisa argen standing by. good morning, lisa. >> good morning, carolyn. a steady stream of moisture continues to be pumped in across

the bay area with moderate to heavy rain right through san francisco, the peninsula and in through the east bay. lighter returns in the north bay. a pretty good cell going through petaluma and novato. take a look at these returns. from the peninsula down through half moon bay. we're looking at the rain, the heart of it beginning to push on through. so throughout the next hour we'll continue to see this heavy ban of rain push through the east of us. hour delays at the airport. a more showery regimen this afternoon. little break, more rain headed our way early in the week. i'll detail that forecast for you coming up. >> look forward to that. thank you, lisa. pg&e has restored power to more than 4,000 customers affected by on outage in half moon bay. the lights went out yesterday afternoon and electricity was restored by 10:00 last night. so far this morning we are not hearing about any new outages in the bay area. another 500 customers lost power

briefly yesterday afternoon in pittsburgh and bay point. this was caused by a car running into a power pole. and in redwood city and belmont, service is back to normal following two separate outages caused by downed trees on friday night. and here is an example of the storm-related problems that pg&e is facing. in oakland winds knocked down a tree at quickly street near 580. oakland firefighters and pg&e crews were dispatched to the scene after the tree fell on a power line leading to one home. the house was damaged, too, and the tree also hit a car that was parked nearby. well, despite the rain, a lot of folks are counting on this weekend. they've gotta try to finish up their holiday shopping. lisa amin gulezian shows us what shoppers are dealing with. >> merchants are trying their hardest to lure in shoppers with sales and signs of the season.

retailers' last-minute push before christmas and it's a soggy one. >> the rain is definitely affecting things. increase in business but it isn't what it would be if it were even sort of moderate weather. >> in a time when customers are extra conscious of spending. >> we have no money. we're poor. well, enough to pay for our bills and put food on the table but trying to cut back on the spending. >> this is the last thing small business owners need. the heavy downpour started yesterday. it caused flooding on interstate 880 in oakland. caltran's crews started clearing storm drains. the debris backed up in seven spots near haginberger and the problems underground caused this backup aboveground. a total of four lanes were closed for hours. >> it's just -- just an irritant. >> the rain is making things more challenging than usual

everywhere. traffic isn't the only concern. homeowners are worried about leaks and water damage. the city of oakland is offering up to 20 free sandbags and plastic tarps to residents. >> i'm gonna just put 'em around the foundation outside to keep water from going into the basement. sometimes when it rains really hard, then the basement seems to kind of take on a leak. >> sandbags are available at oakland's service center and 14 of the city's fire stations. in oakland, lisa amin gulezian, abc 7 news. >> so take a look. this is a live look at sfo where the wet weather is already delaying inbound flights by about an hour. passengers have endured delays and a few cancelled flights all weekend. the east coast is used to weather delays but this weekend most of the affected airports are west of denver. four of yesterday's flights from

london never made it to san francisco because of heavy snowfall in england. that weather also stranded people heading from sfo to london aboard british airways and virgin atlantic. if you'd like up to the minute information on your flights as well as wait times at security checkpoints, take a look at our flight tracker on the front page of our website abc7news.com. the storms sweeping california may be the largest weather system to hit the state in a decade. here in northern california officials are expecting at least 5 inches of rain this weekend, perhaps as much as 15 inches in the sierra. that's on top of the snow already there. rain, wind and more snow are making for tough driving conditions in the mountains. the power's been knocked out to at least a hundred homes in the sierra as snow accumulates on power lines. caltrain set up train controls on interstate 80 and highway 50

leading to lake tahoe. >> they have all these pull-offs so we can chain up which is fine it's just that it's kinds of ridiculous when we have to chain up that far away from where we need 'em because when we do get to where we need 'em, then we don't have any chains left. so it's kind of a catch 22 but -- >> if this winter storm continues as expected through mid-week, the worst driving conditions may be yet to come in the sierra. in other news this morning, congresswoman jackie spear will be at a town hall meeting this afternoon for residents of san bruno. federal investigators still haven't determined the cause of the blast that killed eight people and destroyed as many as 38 homes back in september. spears says some possible causes have already been ruled out like internal or external corrosion or a preexisting leak. now she says investigators need to explore new possibilities, perhaps metal fatigue in the

pipelining, human your. representatives of the national transportation safety board and pg&e will be at the meeting. it is this afternoon at 2:00. in oakland another demand for action over the fatal police shooting of an unarmed business owner. the family of derrick jones will hold a news conference this afternoon. jones was shot and killed last month when police responded to a domestic disturbance call at his barber shot. he had a small pocket scale when he was shot. relatives are dissatisfied with ongoing police probes. anthony bats, police chief, has asked the f.b.i. to have an independent investigation. president obama will sign a new law to allow gays and lesbians to serve openly in the u.s. military. yesterday's historic senate vote clears the way to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" policy after a long often bitter campaign for change. abc 7's allen wong reports.

>> it was a day to celebrate for members of san francisco's primarily gay and lesbian veterans of american legion post 448. >> i'm living proof that the mere presence of an openly gay person in a unit does not harm. i have stronger bonds after i came out, much stronger than when i was in the closet. >> the yeas 65, the nays 31. the motion to concur is adopted. >> the senate passed the bill repealing the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy. the ban on gays to serve openly in the armed forces. >> this can be done and should be done without posing a serious risk to military readiness. >> opponents went down fighting. >> the middle of a military conflict is not the time do it. >> members of the lbgt defense network community center estimated 66,000 current u.s. military members are gay,

lesbian and bisexual. they believe 1 million living veterans are gay or lesbian. >> i never stopped loving this country and when i pledge allegiance at every meeting and every time i do it with great pride and joy. >> and allen tells us pentagon officials are warning gay service that "don't ask, don't tell" will remain in place while they review the policies. still ahead, suicide bombers attack a bus near kabul during the morning rush hour. we have details on the afghan capital's first major attack in months. and military tensions between north and south korea trigger hphphpbúbúbúbúgs

>> closed captioning brought to you by mancini sleepworld.

taliban militants struck at afghan security forces today in two separate attacks, including an ambush of a bus carrying army officers in the capital. insurgents stormed a recruiting center in a northern province killing three afghan soldiers and two police officers. that attack came just hours before the first major attack in the capital in months. five soldiers were killed, nine others wounded in that incident. the two attacks may mark a shift in taliban's strategy. most of the fighting in afghanistan has been in the south. tensions are high on the korean peninsula again this weekend, so high russia is calling for an emergency session of the united nations security council. south korean military exercises were cancelled yesterday due to bad weather. on friday the north warned that it would strike if the south

went ahead with live fire drills. the bank of america has joined other financial institutions refusing to handle payments for wikileaks. the bank joins mastercard and paypal in severing business relationships with the whistle-blowing organization. those actions come after wikileaks released a flurry of secret u.s. state department cables last month. in addition to the loss of financial relationships, wikileaks founder julian assange is wanted in sweden on rape allegations. as you might know, he was jailed for a week in london on those charges and then released on bail on thursday. lisa argen here now to tell us about the rainy forecast ahead. >> the heavy rain in the east bay right now, condord, livermore, oakland and we're getting the back edge of this front pushing through the peninsula right now. so this will be the heaviest rain this morning, and then tapering showers. but maybe some small stream

flood advisories around the bay before this is all said and done. that's going on. i'll detail the week ahead coming up. >> plus the new bay bridge suspension tower is taking shape. we'll show you

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crews have just finished the latest phase of construction on the new eastern span of the bay bridge. they worked around the clock to add the last four mammoth pieces of steel to the suspension tower. the contractors started a day ahead of schedule to try to avoid the wet weather, although they did not have to deal with too much rain. win speeds did reach 50 mph. that tower now stands at 364 feet when the final pieces are added in february, it will reach 525 feet. and it is just really remarkable to me how they do that. >> yeah, that is amazing. good news this morning that it's not a commute morning. it's a sunday. this is happening tomorrow. we we'll would have problems on the roadways. because the rain's coming down pretty heavy in the east bay, peninsula, san francisco. a live look outside our roof camera, the national weather service issued a flight advisory for monterey county.

a pretty good clip right now through the bay area. the winds have not been as strong as we saw yesterday. and live doppler 7 hd shows the returns, the yellows, the red, the orange from the peninsula over into the east bay. lighter returns from napa and american canyon with light rain. but take a look at this from san francisco down to moss beach, san mateo over the san mateo bridge into hayward and union city and up through morgan hill. all the wait down through the dublin area, the san ramon valley. so this will continue to push on to the east. you'll see rain throughout the morning hours but through the 8:00, 9:00 hour it becomes a little lighter. you'll notice here still yellows around the santa cruz mountains but the radar loop shows that the heaviest activity continues to press on to the east and that's when we'll see this move into the sierra nevada. we are seeing a rain/snow mix but l.a. airport it switched to

light snow. if you have plans to go up there, you have to delay them because a heavy wet snow and winter storm warning through tomorrow. 55 mountain view so still pretty mild out there. the steady rain this morning, showers this afternoon, on and off rain all week long. an area of low pressure to the north continues to pump in this stream of moisture. the emphasis shifting a little further to the south. here's the low in the gulf of alaska and that's pulling in that wet plume that extends all the way back into hawaii and beyond. so we'll see minor fluctuations with this stream of moisture from the bay area right over us right now and then it's going to shift a little further south. here we are throughout the rest of the morning hours. 11:00 still rainy out there but a little bit lighter rain. by 3:00, more widespread showers, a bit of a break out there towards the evening hour. some light rain overnight. the morning commute not looking too bad with a few light showers

out there. then by tomorrow night still have the rain around but it's not until tuesday night that our next significant storm system heads our way. although still showers monday afternoon. so another inch and a half in the north bay, up to 3 inches santa cruz mountains. even an inch in the south bay and the east bay with this current system. we're looking at the rain changing over to snow at lake level later on this morning but heavy snow above 7,000 feet through this afternoon. and the temperatures today still mild in the upper 50s with the scattered rain throughout the afternoon. the chance of a storm, too this afternoon and tonight into tomorrow as we get on the back side of this system. so a little break through the first day of winter on tuesday. heavier rain tuesday night and wednesday and a break through christmas eve with a slight chance of rain and the next bigger system looks for christmas day. >> oh, my! >> so by that time could see flooding around here. but the rain started light to

moderate and then soil really getting saturated. saw a tree down by my house yesterday. those roots are really on the surface. >> no time to dry out. >> no. >> that's what's bad about it. thank you. did not mean to interrupt you. >> i can go on and on. >> well, coming up at 7:00, it will be "good morning america." joining us live from new york to tell us what's coming up. good morning, beianna. >> focusing on where you are, those terrible rainstorms. one of our reporters was out there. she was stuck in traffic in the rains. definitely a terrible story for you. but talking about what took place in washington yesterday. a historic vote. the senate has repeeled "don't ask, don't tell." that laws gay members of the military to serve openly for the first time in our nation's history.

advocates are hailing it as a giant step for civil rights. is amanda knots closer to freedom? certain dna evidence which was used to linking her to the crime may not be admissible. we'll talk to her father and mother. one of the biggest shopping weekends of the year. we've got you covered with our shopping showdown. we match two of our saveiest shoppers to see who could find the best deals and the biggest savings. kind of an east coast/west coast battle. >> i'm going with becky. i've met here and she's so computer savvy i think she could go online and find some good bargains. >> they both did find good bargains. >> happy holidays. >> bye. you, too! >> let's check out sports. the warrior's woes continue. the sharks show their winning side. here's mike shumann with your

highlights. >> the warriors are struggling to find their identity. they were in portland and it doesn't help they're missing two of their starters both with sprained ankles. tuesday second quarter. driving, stalking. the warriors trailed by 9 at the half. into the third warriors had 11 but monta ellis took the off-balance shot and won. still a nine-point game after 3. former star pattie mills slaps it home. reggie williams. tough baseline shot. a two-point game. golden state down one. ellis' shot off the mark. the warrior's comeback falls short. 96-95. hard to put a win streak together. last night's win in st. louis they have two straight victories. cannot get along.

meyers getting the best of winchester. backing up their bite on the power play. sam boyle's shot back of the net. mark edward, blasts one past the net-minder. in with the second. more from couture, again with the deflection off boyle's shot. the two-goal game, team-leading 17th of the year. the sharks go on to a 4-1 victory. the bay area has two high school state championship teams in 2010. palo alto won its first in school history on friday night. as far as facing undefeated anaheim, the open division championship first quarter. that lead only going to grow. lucas dunn takes off, makes a great cut. he's gone. 37 yards, 14-0. more from dunn. bouncing off defenders, he'll score for an open division title record. it's 35-0.

then in the third. this time it's joe taeio getting it done on the ground. bust out with a touchdown run through the mud. day lasalle wins the open division title for the second straight year, 48-8 the final. the cal women reached their first ncaa volleyball championship match in school history in the finals. the bears have not lost a set in the entire tournament but the lions will change that. deep in the corner for the kill. penn state takes the first step 25-20. bears tried to rally in the second. murphy dropping the hammer. cal would have two set points in the second so the bears could not convert. coming up with the big roof. won the second set 27-25. for the third set. providing the exclamation point on the sweep. wing their fourth title in a row. a heartbreak for cal. meanwhile back in berkeley, the

cal men's basketball team hosting cal poly. finds the cut with david hanson. down four later in the half. allen kraft for three from the corner. monte 42-39. missed the follow. he had 15 points and 10 boards. cal goes up 5. shot only 38% from the field. jorge with a dagger from deep but outscored the mustangs 12-2. wasn't pretty but cal 6-4 with a 10-point victory. indianapolis, the stanford men visiting ncaa runner-up butler. kept it close six minutes. gamed tied at 9. stanford with zero assists in the first half. a 20-4 run just before the buzzer. matt howard, andrew smith. howard would open the second half with 10 straight points. the bank is open on this

floater. he has.7. 83-50. the raiders host denver. unfortunately it's blacked out. we'll have all your highlights at 5:00. have a great day. >> up next at 6:30, our stormy weather is extending into southern california where some of the worst flooding is expecteds it and local gay veterans say repealing the "don't ask, don't tell" policy

♪ welcome back, everyone. you probably woke up this morning wondering about the weather. wonder no more. let's check in with lisa argen. >> we have the back edge of this rain pushing through san francisco and the east bay this hour. very heavy rain over into san leandro, castro valley, the san

ramon valley in through oakland, down through alameda. but we are looking at breaking up here in san francisco, daly city. but still some pretty good rain, lighter rain to the north around vallejo. you're getting the back edge of it novato and the peninsula, still heavy rain through the santa cruz mountains where a flood advisory has been issued for monterey county. we'll continue to see is this slide to the east. more showers in your forecast. i'll tell you when the next chance of heavy rain will be coming back, carolyn. >> all right, lisa. pg&e has restored power to more than 4,000 customers affected by an outage in half moon bay. the lights went out yesterday afternoon. electricity finally restored by 10:00 last night. so far this morning no new outages reported anywhere in the bay area. downed trees like this one in oakland have caused some of the outages. in belmont and redwood city downed trees knocked out power last night as well.

in the sierra it is snow, rain and wind in the forecast until at least the middle of the week. driving conditions will continue to remain difficult at best. southern california really getting a steady drenching this morning as the storm reaches out across the rest of the state. around l.a. most areas have gotten at least 2 inches of rain. motorists are being urged to drive cautiously but there has been a number of weather-related accidents already. so far no major floods or slight reported but officials are expecting problems. warnings are being posted in l.a., ventura and santa barbara counties. local gay and lesbian veterans are celebrating the vote to repeal the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy. >> one nation under god indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

(applause) >> members of the lgbt defense network community center estimate at least 66,000 gay, lesbian, and bisexual military members currently serve their country. they also believe there are at least 1 million living vets who are gay or lesbians. >> this allows our military to get the job done finally and kick the taliban ass and resolve this war and bring everyone home. >> after 18 years of working on this, i want an end to the destructive policy. these are tears of joy, i gotta tell ya. >> yesterday's gathering at the san francisco lgbt center on market street included several members of american legion post 448. it is the only legion post made up primarily of gay and lesbian veterans. while gay rights activists are celebrating supporters of the dream act are dealing with disappointment. the senate voted against

legislation that would have given young illegal immigrants a pass to citizenship if they were in college or joined the military. local reaction. >> at st. mary's cathedral, she couldn't help but compare herself to mary and joseph and how they must have felt christmas night. >> it's where mary, joseph and jesus were looking for a place to stay. and this reminds us of dream because we consider this our country, the country we love and want to give back to. >> lee told her story to churchgoers after the reenactment and described her disappointment. she was hoping to go to u.c. berkeley. now she's focussed on her january 19th deportation date. >> i'm worried about getting deported because i was born in peru but i don't know anyone

there. i was brought here when i was nine and i don't have family there or friends. >> the bill's rejection is also bad news for steve lee who also made headlines when he was jailed in september. senator dianne feinstein introduced a private bill temporarily delaying his deportation to peru. without the dream act, his lawyers say he could be deported as early as next year when feinstein's bill expires. but in the debate, critics of the dream act call it a back door to amnesty that would encourage illegal immigration. >> this bill is allowed at its fundamental core, is a reward for illegal activity. >> this is the only country they have ever known. and all they're asking for is a chance to serve this nation. >> on this vote, the yeas are 55, the nays are 41. >> it fell five votes short of the 60 votes needed to pass, a fact that some bay area

activists are actually pointing to as a positive. >> we're taking this majority vote in the senate and our victory in the house into the new year with us as reminders of the power that we've gained. >> 36 republicans and 5 democrats voted against the dream act. president obama called the vote incredibly disappointing. in the news room, amy holyfield, abc 7 news. >> protestors staged across san francisco this weekend against the city's recently passed sit/lie law. the sidewalks are for people. coalition organized the demonstrations including this one on castro street. they passed it last month. it bans sitting or lying on sidewalks between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m.. but opponents of the law have hired a legal team to fight it. >> we think that the majority of san franciscans once they see how this law is enforced in a discriminatory way they will recognize it is unfair and they

will be with us once it is repealed in the courts. >> many neighborhood and merchant groups pushed for passage of the sit/lie law. they believe it gives police another tool to fight panhandling and loitering. oakland is facing another possible legal hurdle in its its to regulate and tax marijuana farms. applications for marijuana growing permits are due on wednesday. the west side california watch obtained a letter sent to mayor elect jane qwan. they warned city officials they could be subject to arrest by federal drug agents if the feds decide oakland is violating california's medical marijuana law. the open city council approved an ordinance allowing marijuana cultivation back in july. a popular san francisco sandwich shop that was kicked off the block after neighborhood complaints about crowds is about

to return. ike's place has a cult following all over the bay area. fans have something to celebrate. upset neighbors, not so much. get ready for a second helping of ike's place. san francisco's planning commission has given a unanimous thumbs up. >> this is the type of business that we're i think looking for to see more of in the city. >> the hugely popular sandwich shop was evicted from its location in the upper market castro neighborhood in september, a victim of its own success. with huge lines, noise and trash. it's now set to reopen right across the street in february. next to gilbert's house. >> when they were over on the other corner, everyone sat on the sidewalk all the time. takes up parking. it's a little bit of a mess. >> some came to city hall to publicly oppose the shop's return to 16th street. >> just new location, same

nightmares. >> the new location, the current home of a chocolate store is ten times larger than the old ike's place. supposed to have a better ventilation system, streamline kitchen, some seating and a waiting area inside to cut down on the lines outside. >> very, very, very happy to be able to go back. i assume that the business is going to be just as good if not better at the new location. >> since being evicted, ike has set up temporary shop sharing space with another restaurant on market. the planning department received an overwhelming number of letters, e-mails and signatures of support. >> you say no to this, you're punishing a successful business. that's the bottom line. >> i think that ike has had some bumps in the neighborhood, a little bit of difficulty and has learned from that. >> opponents can appeal to the board of supervisors but supporting ike's place getting the decision reversed is probably going to be an uphill

battle. lisa argen here now with a preview of the accu-weather forecast. she just whispered a little something in my ear. >> i'm going to tell everyone. we have a flood advisory for the entire bay area until 9:30 this morning. flooding that will stay with us even when the rain begins to taper off. so the heaviest rain right now in the east bay. a live look outside, high definition emeryville camera. rain rates of a tenth of an inch an hour, getting some pretty good rain. heaviest rain this morning but we still have a very rainy week ahead. stay tuned. you'll have your forecast. >> alrighty. thank you, lisa. a program to

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well, to get you in the spirit we've been showing you holiday lights from around the bay area. don sent these photos to youreport powered by youtube.com. this display is on quiet wood drive in san rafael if you want to go and check it out. wow! that's quite something. we'd like to see the holiday lights in your neighborhood. can you top that? upload video or pictures to:

and lisa argen here now talking about the saturated ground or flooding possibility? >> that's right. looking at that minor flooding on the roadways now. the urban and small stream flood advisory for 9:30, the entire bay area. also monterey county. very wet out there though the back edge is pushing through the peninsula and the north bay right now. san francisco. also fog everywhere and airport delays over an hour sfo. probably expected that. and we will be looking at the ponding and the rises in the small streams and creeks even after the rain stops. so by about 8:00 we definitely see the rain lighten up or even before that. but still we're going to see that minor nuisance flooding with the drains being clogged and definitely slowing the traffic now and hydroplaning out there so do be careful. live doppler 7 hd, you see the rain more scattered in san francisco and the north bay. take a look at the east bay.

the san ramon valley very heavy rain through livermore looking at the rain. walnut creek and even further south looking at a pretty good clip of rain from fremont, union city and hayward right now. this will continue to press east. redwood city lightening up a little bit as well as san francisco. the santa cruz mountains, you're expecting several more inches of rain and here's a loop of the very heavy rain, the frontal ban pushing on through the bay area this morning. just a little bit of a break here and we'll continue to see the wet weather throughout the date today but this is the heaviest that we'll see throughout your sunday. so that's some good news. 53 oakland, 53 redwood city. napa this morning in the low 50s. we are looking at that urban and small street flight advisory. on and off showers the rest of the week. the emphasis shifting through the south around central california and southern

california. mudslides from those burn areas. dangerous conditions as this area of low pressure continues to sit to the north of us and as it does it's pulling through that plume of military that continues to extend all the way back beyond the hawaiian islands. the subtropical path that will keep us wet through christmas day but we will see breaks on and off. the rest of the day today, the heaviest rain pushing east by 8:00, 9:00. then the scattered showers throughout the day. the very heavy rain in the mountains, the high elevation snow. flight advisory and the lower elevations of the sierra as well. here's our little break. and overnight scattered showers. the morning commute tomorrow just light rain around. not too bad. it's really not until tuesday that we get back into more heavy rain. but you notice we're still in the soup, in the rainy weather on and off throughout your monday. and we're talking about another inch and a half by the time we get through this evening in the

peninsula, up to 3 inches the santa cruz mountains and talking 5 to 10 feet about 7,000 feet. finally a light snow right now at the tahoe valley airport. mid to upper 50s today. still pretty mild out there. the look ahead, well, we're talking a little break but still we're going to see wet weather continue throughout the afternoon and even into monday but the heavier rain coming in late tuesday into wednesday and a bigger break looks like it will happen thursday and into christmas eve. this all changes hour to hour so you have to stay tuned. but right now christmas day looks like it. >> so mild but messy. >> be careful out there the. >> thank you, lisa. the annual bay area law enforcement campaign to crack down on drunk drivers is in full swing. in this assignment 7 report dan ashley has the story of a nonprofit group that wants to make sure you and your car get home safely. >> at chris's new har barbaro in

belmont, just a friday night, people having fun but while they're partying, bartenders often have to worry about patrons having too much to drink. >> i can see some right now. >> the big problem is when those customers leave the bar and drive away. fortunately there's a service that can get these patrons and their cars home safely. >> we provide safe, courteous, reliable means of transportation for people impaired, too tired or unable to drive for some reason. >> lawrence nickelson knows what it's like to get a dui. he's had two. to prevent others from getting them, he started sober drivers. >> it's a safe ride for you and your vehicle back home. >> drunk drivers are responsible for 30% of the fatalities in the state. legal fees, towing costs and bail make dui a very expensive ticket. the typical cost of a dui is roughly $10,000 and that's why

some people are choosing sober drivers to get home. >> realistically it's easier for me. i don't have to worry about getting pulled over. i don't have to worry about waking up in jail, any of that. >> sober drivers cost $25 for a pickup, then another $4 a mile to get you home. >> wonderful and people really appreciate. when you sponsor sober drivers, then you pay $15 instead of $25 a night. >> two drivers will actually pick you up. one drives you and your car home, the other follows. >> it's been a wonderful service for the community. >> sober drivers currently operates in san francisco, san mateo, and santa clara counties. but hopes to expand to the rest of the bay area soon. >> i would like to be able to set up locations throughout all of california. possibly in a few years all over the united states. >> dan ashley abc 7 news.

>> you can go to our website for

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the i-pad is most expensive from $500 to more than $800. but you get a lot of bang for your buck. you can create documents, browse the web, play plenty of games. the less expensive tablets cost about $100 and consumer report finds you get what you pay for. >> the drawbacks we noticed was you don't get access to android market which is where you get your third-party apps from. that's a pretty big problem. >> another drawback, the touch screens on some are lessenstive so it's hard to get where you want to go. the samsung galaxy pad has a lot to offer. it costs less than the i-pad, from 4 to $650. it's small and lighter too so easier to hold while reading books. and "consumer reports" tests show the screening quality is comparable to the i-pad. while the small screen might

make it less appealing for watches movies and tv, it gives the i-pad some competition. >> your only choices really are the galaxy pad and the apple i-pad. the one you choose depends what's most important to you. >> "consumer reports" battery life tests so the i-pad has more staying power. battery charge lasted ten hours while the galaxy runs for only about seven. >> still ahead, a special visit from santa

♪ leftover desserts, boardroom, now. and rry before the interns get here. thanks but i aeady have some yummy black forest cake. blacforest cake? ♪ so [ female announcer ] need a guilt free treat? try yoplailight. and i've lost weight. [ fele announcer ] with 30 delicious flavors li black forest cake all around 100 calories each. yoplait. it is so good. check out the winning numbers from last night's superlotto plus, 10, 11, 12, 25, 33. meganumber 21. no one got all of those six numbers so the $13 million jacks pot rose to $14 million for wednesday's drawing. a group of local motorcycle riders teamed up with santa clause this weekend to spread

holiday cheer to kids at san mateo county medical center. members of the golden gate south harley owners group escorted an ambulance loaded with toys to the hospital's front door yesterday. there's santa himself personally support vising the unloading of the goodies. some of his harley riding helpers then carried them inside. most go to kids who receive care at the medical center and that help clinics throughout san mateo county. way to go harley guys. a final check of the accu-weather forecast. >> small stream flood advisory for the next two and a half hours. the entire bay area. looking at minor nuisance flooding with ponding on the roadways and the small elevated creeks will rise a little bit. so going to get some runoff for sure. heaviest rain in the east bay. a little breaks in san francisco and the north bay.

but dublin, pleasanton, very heavy rain. moderate rain fremont and union city and the back edge pushing through half moon bay. more showers today on and off through tomorrow. winter begins on tuesday. more heavy rain possibly wednesday and then on christmas day. so still we will see some problems throughout next week. >> all right. well, on that note we are going to leave you. thank you for joining us. i'm carolyn tyler along with lisa argen.