>> in the news, a jet fuel leak force the evacuation of hundreds of passengers from a lane. and san leandro police investigate a shooting outside a popular restaurant. >> a few more clouds. slower clearing today and rainy tonight. >> good morning, lisa and good morning, everyone. thanks for joining us. i'm caroline tyler. a pacific flight is still grounded at sfo after it began leaking fuel before it's scheduled departure last night. it was asia bound for multiple destinationings. there were about 350 passengers onboard. work he is were unable to immediately stem the flow of fuel so the passengers were asked to get off and go back inside the terminal. it took about 45 minutes to stop the leak. there is no ward yet whether

that flight will leave today or if the passengers will wet for another plane to be flown into san francisco. the federal aviation administration plans to rework schedules for air-traffic controllers so no one else fall a sleep on the job. several people have nodded off in the past months raising concerns about air travel safety. abc7 went to sfo for some local perspective. >> there are about 4,000 aircraft in the skies over the u.s. at any given time, according to the faa. air-traffic controllers keep the planes from flying into each other and assuring they land safely. news another flight controller was asleep at the job, concerns many concerns. >> flying is always a risk. you can't think flying is totally safe, but it's a worry and i guess it comes down to whether they are overworked and getting enough breaks. >> it would definitely make me

feel more unsafe knowing that people are controlling the err sleeping while they are supposed to be controlling the air. >> the faa confirms that 7 air-traffic controllers have fallen asleep on the job in the last month. paul is the president of the air-traffic controllers association. >> we have a fatigue issue. we have a high stress occupation that works around the clock, 24 hours, 7 days a week. >> today the faa started adjusting schedules. while no serious incidences have been reported due to sleeping controllers,abc analyst ron wilson said that's because the controllers have managed to operate within their difficult schedules for years. >> the working controllers on a night shift for three weeks and then they go to day shift for three weeks and then they go to swing shift for three weeks. some of that overlap boils down to sleep deprivation. wilson said lack of sleep can affect their abilities the same way alcohol affects drivers.

they said we are taking important steps that will that are making a real difference in fighting air-traffic controller fatigue but we know we need to do more. this is just the beginning. one major change is where only one overnight duty is on duty in a tower, another will be added as a backup. wilson said there is no need to fear the skies. >> i don't consider them unsafe because pilots are aware of this, they train for it obviously. along with schedule changes they might consider letting controllers nap during their breaks, which is now a firing offense. >> on monday the head of the faa and air-traffic controllers association will be traveling nationwide to visit controllers throughout the country. they will be talking to them about performance and safety. this morning police are investigating a shooting that occurred in the parking lot of a san leandro restaurant late last night. the victim was taken to eden hospital in castro valley where he was underknowing surgery this morning for multiple gunshot

wounds. police say the victim was eating dinner in the restaurant and then left to go it to his car where he was attacked in what may have ban robbery attempt. when they arrived they found the man in the parking lot outside chili's restaurant. >> he had been eating in restaurant. shortly after he exited he was approached by the assailant and an altercation took place and the assailant shot the victim several times. >> police are still looking for a suspect.. >> new developments in weekend in the case of a serial killer. he is accused of murdering four women between 1977 and 1994. detectives say he lived in an part meant building on this street in san francisco's mission neighborhood back in 1981. they say he filled three notebooks describing how he wanted to torture 23-year-old margaret frisco who lived

downstairs with her husband. according to investigators, he also kept a to do list of women he wanted to kill. she was number 10 on that list. show moved away in 1982 and said she and her husband called noss is o crazy joe. he is due back in court in two weeks. >> a vallejo police officer under investigation for trying to take away a man's cellphone and putting him in handcuffs for refuse to go hand it over. the man used the phone to record video of police aroasting young people in front of his home. we have more on the civil rights dispute. mr. du chien said he and a friend were working in the garage of his home when they heard sirens. >> me and my buddy open the garage and noticed the the police officers were getting some juveniles out at gunpoint. >> du chien turned his cellphone camera toward several police officers ordering four young

people out after white car. >> the vallejo police, making sure they don't shoot anybody. >> get your hands up. >> suddenly from the right of the frame a police officer demands his phone. >> what's up? >> i'm going to take your phone because it could be evidence. >> the officer drove up and basically said he was taking my phone for evidence. i'm like, well, why? >> rather than give it to the officer, du chien handed the phone to the friend, who took it into the house. the officer then put du chien in handcuffs. >> i don't think that he had probable cause to arrest me, but he did. >> du chien was cited for interfering with a police officer the performance of his duties and released. he never did give police his phone but he did post the video on youtube. >> this is wrong on so many different levels. there's an egregious violation of the fourth amendment here. there is certainly first

amendment implications. and there is a common misconception among police officers. >> vallejo police spokesman, jeff bassett, cold abc7, quote, on the surface of things we do have some concerns about what we saw. we are currently conducting an internal inquiry into the incident. we are prepared to take appropriate or corrective action , if necessary. ". >> as a citizen, a law-abiding citizen, i'm a notary, i'm a mental health administrator, and i feel like that i was very much violated. >> vallejo police told me it's unlikely they will file formal charges against du chien. it turns out the young people the police stopped were not the robbery suspects they were looking for. they, too, were released. in vallejo, laura anthony, abc7 news. >> up next it will take longer

than first thought to get japan's leaking nuclear power plant under control. word this morning on just how long it could be. and tomorrow marks 105 years since san francisco's great earthquake. next how one of the last remaining survivors plans to mark the 1906 quake anniversary. [ female announcer ] it's monday, some people will stick with their old way of getting vitamins and minerals. others will try total raisin bran

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>> closed captioning brought to you by mancini sleepworld. in japan the tokyo electric company announced it will take six to nine months to get the nuclear power plant under control. the reports show high levels of radioactive sea level near the plant. according to samples they have taken, the radioactive iodine spiked to 600 times the legal limit. officials say this could mean there are new leaks at that site. >> there was a special moment in japan town's peace plaza yesterday afternoon in san francisco. a 300-foot flag was unfurled and photographed from the sky to raise money and awareness for relief efforts in japan. organizers hope to inspire other cities to raise the flag at five

events. >> in 1906 the biggest catastrophy happened in san francisco, and japan was the single biggest constage went that actually donated more money to san francisco than any other nation. >> the event was held in conjunction with the ongoing cherry blossom festival. they hope to raise $100,000 for earthquake relief. they are also holding a 1,000-a-plate dinner in san francisco and in the citied to san francisco is remembering the 1906 earthquake. it's the 105th anniversary. there will be a series of activities early tomorrow morning starting with the laying of a relief at lata fountain at 5:00 a.m. that's where messages and information were relayed to survivors. today one of the last three no one survivors will speak at the annual luncheon. bill is 105 years old. this year the ceremonies will be dedicated to japanese quake

victims. so he was just a baby, bury bet he can talk about how the city had to rebuild. >> yeah, very interesting. >> yeah. >> pretty interesting late season weather systems head our way. i don't want to say storms because we will look at light rain by tonight. what about the rest of the weekend and the week ahead? another opportunity. we will talk about it next. >> i know you have been watching this, the tornadoes and severe thunderstorms that continue to leave a path of death and destruction. we will show you the new damage

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hundreds more in your wallet year after year. feed me! saving you money -- now, that's progressive. call or click today. at least 25 people are dead in six states as killer storms continue a rampage that began in the midwest on thursday, moved through the deep south, and then into the carolinas this weekend. that's where a store manager is being credited with saving the lives of 100 workers by rushing them to the back of the store ahead of a tornado. this is what is left of the hardware store in north carolina. thousands of people are without electricity two to downed power lines and fallen trees. is this the season for forecasters? >> you can see tornadoes every

month of the year, but april is a busy time with the warm air from the south and cool air and they doan mix. he are looking at some cooler weather coming our way. widespread low clouds this morning. pretty much everyone is cloudy except for fair field. looking at conditions there, not as cloudy. with that we are looking at mild numbers in the 50s this morning. good morning, mountain view. 56 in san jose with 53 in napa. so low clouds this morning. some slower clearing this afternoon. so we will call it partly to mostly cloudy and then the light rain, well, that's going to arrive tonight. stay with us throughout the afternoon. tomorrow scattered showers. the water vapor imagery shows the moist flow, the zonal flow from west to east, and that will allow for a few clouds. then area of low pressure to eventually could drop south. that's what is going to bring us the showers. you will notice a few more clouds around today. in fact all across the state we

are looking at cooler numbers. in fact, los angeles a good ten degrees cooler. 80 today. 95 in palm springs with rain moving into the sierra nevada. so the snowmelt will be quickening and we will see more in the way of some run off in the next day or so. 58 in tahoe, 72 in yosemite, and partly cloudy in sacramento. le will look for the rain to hold off until late tonight. by 8:00 maybe a chance of showers but it's more likely overnight hours when the rain moves on through. by 9:00 tomorrow the front has not pushed on through so scattered showers with us throughout the afternoon. a cooler day. maybe low to mid-60s tomorrow and then we will see a dry afternoon on tuesday. today the numbers not as warm as yesterday. sunshine, 56 in sunnyvale. you see clouds around the peninsula with 68 redwood city. cool day in pacifica, 68 for you. san francisco about 63 today. we will see the mostly cloudy

sky. in the north bay look for the rain, a few sprinkles, light rain around cloverdale this afternoon, and 68 calistoga. east bay, 56 in union city. in the hills a couple 70s with a few peaks of sun and coming in at 730 and down by the monterey bay look for cooler weather, the on shore flow keeping numbers in the low to mid-60s. 62 monterey, and 70 hollister. mostly in the 60s today with some more cloud cover. east bay, south bay. and then tomorrow scattered showers, afternoon partly cloudy and that will take us through tuesday. then another system wants to bring a threat of rain on wednesday. so definitely not a warm week ahead. temperatures mainly in the 60s. >> kind of temperate, i guess you would call it? >> yeah. >> thank you, lisa. coming upped 7:00, good more than morning. joined live from new york to tell us what is on tap today. good morning.

>> good morning, carolyn. we will be continuing your coverage of weather. a violent string of tornadoes tears through the carolinas and virginia overnight killing dozens of people and many more missing. about 90 were reported in north carolina alone. our team is on the ground where they will show us the massive damage by what is being called one of the deadliest storms in decades. and plus another air-traffic controller is found asleep on the job, putting passengers at risk once again. several controllers have been caught asleep at the switch since the beginning of the year and now the government could announce changes in the way controllers are scheduled as early as today. lisa stark as the latest details. then donald trump fires up a crowd at a tea party rally in florida saturday, while sarah palin has a similar speech in wisconsin. the question we are asking is trump the new pail anyone we will talk to david curly in washington about that. and nicolas cage, this morning

the actor was arrested in new orleans on saturday morning after arguing with his wife and reportedly daring the police to arrest him. well, the cops did just that. you will never believe who bailed him out. carolyn, if that's not a tease, i don't know what is. >> well, all i know that mug shot is not too cute. >> very flattering. that's what happens, you know, when you at the the police in new orleans. i think he's learned a lesson there. >> yep. well, he's going to join that wall of shame, i guess, of the celebrity mug shots. >> that's right. >> all right. we will look for that at 7:00, find out who bails him out, and all the rest of the news. thanks. have a good day. >> have a good day. bye. >> we will check out sports right now. the sharks head to l.a. next for the third game of their series against the king. mike shumann said it was king high at the shark tank last night. >> good morning.

the kings steal one at the tank to even the series at a game a piece. you have to hold serve at home. the first period sharks struggled against the power play. jack johnson son wristed a shot from inside the blue line. nieminen is vend in front. net. can't see it, you can't stop it. 1-0. and this time drew dowdy finds the back of the 2009, 2-0, kings. dowdy wasn't done. in the second from well outside he smoked one past nieminen. dowdy with 4 points. kings up 3-0. and sharks could not solve jason quick. then he is denied with the save. game three, tuesday in l.a. >> i'm disappointed in our team. i think when you look at the game per se, it's hard to find two or three guys that really competed at the level that they needed to. >> we had one. our top centerman out at home. yeah, it's a missed opportunity,

that's for sure. >> there is nothing to cry about. we have to go out and win a game in l.a. and that's our focus. we have two days to think about this and be ready for tuesday night's game. >> the giants are finally starting to play like world champions. they are back to face arizona look for their fourth straight win with barry zito on the hill. the top of first, a man on facing joe saunders. see ya. two-run shot to left. second jack of the season. 2-0, g men. but in the second the d-backs answer off zito. one ripped down the right-field line. and game tied at 2. later in the frame. saunders popped up the bunt. watch barry zito. he awkwardly makes the catch but he strains his right foot. he would leave the game. in came mota. he was clutch. striking out four in the process. in the seventh, game tied at 3 and freddy sanchez coming up with a two-out, two - run into

left. 3 rbi night for sanchez and giants win their fourth state. 5-park the final. and oakland they try to snap a skid against the tigers. ryan raburn is swinging. one of his 5k's. the a's lumber comes alive here. down the left-field line. that double scores david dejesus. tied at 1. next batter, matsui rips a double to right. willingham scores. a's go up 2-1. and braden left after five innings with left shoulder stiffness. that's troublesome, but the a's go on to win it 6-2. nabokov playoffs in full swing. of course, the finals on abc7. we tipoff in the west with an intriguing match-up between the blazers and the mavericks. fourth quarter, portland as aldridge with a pretty hook. on the other end novitiesty

spinning, hitting. hits and mavs up 4. the former cal star jason kidd burriss his sixth trey of the game. mark cuban loves it. the mavs pull away for the 89-81 victory. and the magic hosting the clock. dwight howard went off. the alley oop dunk. he had 46 points, 19 boards. magic up 2 but atlanta owned the night. josh smith in transition. one hand thunder. hawks up 13. former warrior, jamal crawford for three. he had 23. hawks take a 1-0 series lead with the ten point victory. the 50-yard indoor war is back. the san jose saber cats have arena's football's best offense. averaging 50 points a game. they are looking to improve 4-2 on the season. second quarter, down 14. but the joe montana are arena football, reeves with the strike. saber cats within 7. in the third, cats now up 3. to good son. share third touchdown hookup of

the night. saber cats complete the comeback with a 42-33 victory. while the san jose earthquakes a 3-0 loser to the new york red bulls. that's the way the ball bounces. i'm mike shumann. see you again tonight at five. have a great day. up next, actor nicolas cage out of jail this morning after being arrested in the new orleans french quarter. we will tell you the charges he faces. four strangers are being honored at their heroic efforts that saved a young woman from a viciouououououououououououououou

welcome back, everyone. this morning police are investigating a shooting. it occur in the parking lot of a san leandro restaurant late last night. the victim was taken to the hospital in castro valley where he is undergoing surgery for multiple gunshot wounds. police say the victim was eating

dinner at a chili's restaurant and left to go to his car where he was attacked in what might have ban robbery attempt. when police arrived, they found the man in the restaurant's parking lot. they are still looking for a suspect. state lawmakers are taking another shot at stopping gun owners from openly carrying weapons in public. last year's version of the bill passed the legislature but never made it to the governor's desk. gun owners promise a constitutional court challenge to the proposed ban. nannette miranda reports. >> the controversy began when open carry advocates started gathering in public places like coffee shops and restaurants around california with their unloaded weapons exposed. while perfectly legal, the protest against gun control laws made some passersby uncomfortable. >> i think you are asking for trouble if you are walking around with an exposed weapon on

your hip. >> they want to make it a maryland punishable by up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. >> it's too close to uncomfort for most california's. it should be in a western movie, not main street california. >> often the open carry protests prompt concerned citizens to call police who say the gathering drain their already-stretched departments. >> a gun in a public setting has to be viewed by a police officer as a threat. and as such, it takes our resources away it deal with that threat. >> but open carry supporters say the ban is unconstitutional, pointing out the second amendment gives them the right to bear arms to protect themselves. >> it is critical during states of emergency that people have the ability to defend themselves when police are not available. >> nicole said she needs a gun to protect herself because attack rates on transgender people are high. >> 911, get you police in

minutes and in the meantime you are dead or beaten. >> the proposal heads to the appropriations committee next. a similar proposal last year cleared several committees but failed to get to governor schwarzenegger's desk by the deadline. abc7 news. this weekend family and friends are remembering a young bay area marine who died two weeks ago in afghanistan. abc7's lisa reports from golden gate national cemetery where lance cpl. harry lu was laid to rest. >> lance cpl. harry lu was a son, a friend and a brother to so many. >> he was a blood brother. i know a lot of us consider him as one. our brothers. >> hundreds remembers the man who died in afghanistan april 3rd while on watch duty. his death is still under investigation. >> it's really sad to be here

for this rain. >> lu enlisted a year after graduating from high school. he was deployed in december. he was supposed to return from afghanistan in july. >> it's my first time dealing with any kind of a death with someone i am close with. so it was really hard. i didn't know how to handle it. we both feel he will come home. >> we talk about how we are going to vegas together with our group of friends. i still think that he's coming. >> lu's friends and family see him everywhere and in everything. in these shirts and even in this balloon launch in his honor. >> one, two, three! >> but the smiles quickly faded once the 21-year-old arrived at his final resting site, the national cemetery in san bruno. a long line of mourners, including congressman mike honda and lou's often, congressman

judy chu watched in silence because this meant good-bye. ♪. >> in san bruno, abc7 news. >> oscar winning actor nicolas cage is out of jail this morning after an arrest in new orleans last night. the 47-year-old cage was arrested on charges of domestic abuse and disturbing the peace. this, after police say he got into a violent argument on the street with his wife. the two are in new orleans because cage is filming his latest movie there. the police report says he was drunk. cage caused a problem at a french quarter restaurant last month but was not arrested then. this time cage paid an $11,000 bond pending a court appearance. >> a medical marijuana dispensary right across the street from oakland police headquarters could be shut down. but it's not because of the

location. >> the hearing was over before it began. >> i will recuse myself from this matter. >> dmitri shelton reduced himself from hearing the matter because he once worked for the city attorney's office, and this case pits the city against the operator of the oakland can bus institute. donna frank is the operator of the medical marijuana dispensary. she signed a contract and paid the current owners more than $1 million, but the city says she purposely avoided going through the process to get a permit. >> we are saying she knowingly and the individuals who sold her the transfer knowingly vial -- violated the oakland municipal code. it should make her ineligible to have one of these very limited permits. >> there are only four permits for medical marijuana dispensaries in oakland and the city says any change of ownership has to be approved. but last year a superior court judge sided with frank and

suggested, as her lawyer does, that oakland's rules are confusing. >> they have a permit system in oakland with a lot of unwritten rules. and when somebody wants to transfer that permit, it's very hard to do because there are no written rules. >> this hearing was order bid the judge to determine if the permit should be approved. that decision is now on hold. in the meantime hundreds of patients continue to go to the oakland cannibus institute wishes surprisingly is right across the street from the police department. the mayor has no problem with that location. >> oh, i actually think it's okay because it eliminates the criminal activity that other cities have. well, a date has not been set yet for another hearing. lisa argen here now. we have a date to talk about for the weather. >> we do. it's getting wetter and cooler for the short term. long-term, a little change.

we will keep the on shore flow with us throughout the day. slow clearing today. more 60s than 70s. details on the rest of the forecast coming up. >> also coming up we will show you the effort to help build homes for the needy in oakland this weekend.

? hundreds of volunteers are helping to build homes for the needy in oakland this weekend. the affordable homes will grow from the foundations all the way up to the roof in just four days. the goal is to produce seven 3-bedroom homes for low income families. >> well, coming into work today i noticed a lot of fog. >> and it's going to be with us for a while. in fact, slower clearing today. we saw some 70s yesterday. that was the warmest day that we will see in quite some time. because this morning with the cloud, the stratus, everyone is overcast. numbers are mild to start out. we will see some clearing in

some parts of the bay area. this morning everyone is in the 50s. and 65 in oakland and fremont coming in at 55. 57 in mount view. low clouds this morning with partly to mostly cloudy skies this afternoon. the light rain arrives tonight and stays with us throughout the day tomorrow. so to the north a frontal band has stayed but we have an area of low pressure to the north and west of us. that will allow for the frontal band to sag to the south. as it does, the rain coming into the bay area overnight tonight and staying with us tomorrow. anywhere from a tenth to a quarter inch in the north bay. in the sierra nevada snow levels very high. about a half in in the foothills. 58 today in tahoe. 76 sacramento. the offshore flow winding down in southern california, 80 today in los angeles. here's the timeline on the rain today. partly to mostly cloudy. we will see a few peaks of sun in the east bay and south bay. 8:00 tonight still no rain in

the bay area. just getting closer. closing in on us. through the overnight hours we will see the rain. monday morning commute, be prepared for some slick roadways, scattered showers. here comes the front after 9:00. it will keep us in that unsettled weather pattern throughout the afternoon. so even some scattered showers by 3:00. partly cloudy late in the day. and we will see cooler numbers. today slightly cooler, 69 in campbell with 66 in sunnyvale. the on shore flow keeping the 50s here from half moon bay and pacifica. 57 here. san francisco a couple degrees cooler at 63 today. in the north by you notice a little green to the north. some light showers not out of the question with 67 in cloverdale, as well as vallejo. numbers from 65 in richmond to 67 castro valley. out over the hills more 70s. partly to mostly cloudy skies.

70 in pleasantot. not a huge change today but less in weight of sun. monterey, a little more sun, 71 in morgan hill. the accuweather 7 day forecast. the scattered showers through midday tomorrow and then no rain on tuesday. another chance coming in on wednesday. the numbers trying to rebounds by the end of the week. >> well, you look at what's going on in the rest of the country with those tornadoes, and we have nothing to complain about. >> no, that's true. >> all right. thank you, lisa. a group of strangers who came together to save a life for years ago came together again last week to be honored and to celebrate the life of the young woman they saved. she survived a frightening ordeal. abc7's vic lee as the story. >> among these being honored, a secretary, a lawyer, a financeer and a doctor. these are the good citizens who saved the life of lauren sheller on may 19, 2007. >> as i was backing away he kept

slashing at me. although i had my arms up in front of my face. >> she was 15 when she was attacked at the twin peaks bakery by a violent parolee, scott thomas. he stabbed her repeatedly. the lawyer was in the bakery. he went to lauren's aid, but thomas began stabbing him. >> a stab in the chest up here, and then the one that punctured my lung over on the right-hand side. he left a knife in my ribs. >> financial analyst, jonah, saw him stumble outside with a knife still in him. >> he pulled the knife out. the assailant went for the knife. i kicked the knife away under a car. >> he chased him down the street and flagged down a cop, who made the arrest. sheller almost died when her jugular vein was severed. a doctor happened to be in the bakery. he saved her life by stemming the bleeding.

>> i'm grateful that i had the opportunity to have made a difference in lauren's life. >> the school secretary, beth gray silver, helped chang while calling 911. this the stuff heros are made of. >> how life can change in just one second. you can go -- it can go from being so pleasant and so lovely to so horrific in a snap. >> on that day four years ago, good triumphed over evil. strangers came together to do the right thing. today, four years later, they are more like family to lauren and her parents. >> we had lots and lots of time with them to really get to know them as people. lauren is now enjoying life as a college student. >> life is good? >> ah-ha. very good. >> vic lee, abc7 news. >> remarkable story. still ahead, a long-running perk for state lawmakers finally runs out of gas. and just how high are gas prices

expected to go this summer? we will tell you what the we will tell you what the experts predict. switching to progressive could mean hundreds more in your wallet year after year. feed me! saving you money -- now, that's progressive. call or click today. go! go! completing an atm deposit in record time... that's a step forward. go! go! with deposit friendly atms, you can make ultra fast, secure deposits with no slips or envelopes. take a step forward and chase what matters. ...but my symptoms kept coming back... ...kept coming back. then i found out advair helps prevent symptoms from happening in the first place. advair is for asthma that's not well controlled

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>> well, our already sky high gas prices could reach record-shattering territory as soon as memorial day. >> i've seen gas prices go up by a penny a day for the last week or so. all-stars seem to be arraigned right now to have gas prices continue to go up. >> the all-time high for san francisco was set back in june of 2008 $4.62. it's currently $4.25 and going up. a trip to san francisco to seattle and back will cost you $500. that's 125 more than just one year ago. the reason? well, the experts say us stockpiles have dwindle by more than 31 million barrels in just the last 8 weeks. drained by high demand and low production. the free cars used by state lawmakers are soon going to be

history. the state has just put the brakes on a perk that has been costing taxpayers millions every year. capital correspondent nannette miranda has the story from sacramento. reporter: a taxpayer provided car is one of the valued perks that lawmakers have. it comes with an unlimited gas card and free maintenance. but not for long. >> the state is broke. >> the california city compensation commission stripped them of that perk, and instead will give each legislator a $300 a month transportation allowance starting december 1st. the move saved the cash-strapped state more than $2 million over five years. >> i think everybody has to share in the pain, and these are cuts which have to take place. >> car benefits have long angered taxpayers, especially during the tough budget time when the average tab per lawmaker is $7,500 a year. on top of that, the public pays for accidents, too. former state senator carroll migden's 2007 multi-vehicle crash, for instance, cost nearly $400,000 to settle.

>> it's like the taxpayers are always there to clean up the mess from state government. and this is just one more example. >> but for those lawmakers whose districts encompass several counties, a $300 a month allowance doesn't cut it. state senator noreen evans says it takes about 8 hours one way to visit her farthest constituents along the oregon state line. >> if i didn't have a car provided by the state, i would have to visit my constituents less. there's no other way to get around. about two-thirds of lawmakers take advantage of a state vehicle. >> those who don't have the perk, say the perk seems excessive given the times. >> i found it very difficult to be up here and hearing about the sacrifices other people were making. >> some lawmakers tell me the cutbacks are starting to feel punitive. the commission already cut their pay 18% to $95,000 a year and their per diem to $142 a day. in sacramento, nannette miranda, abc7 news.

>> we will be right back.

>> competitors from across the country are climbing into cages and engaging in mortal come want in san mateo this weekend. the contestants, robots. there is more to robo games than meets the eye. >> it looks like fun and games but the cost can run upwards of 2 grand to build a robot, not to mention an engineering team putting in hundreds of hours into design and practice. it's the eighth annual robo games. in this match-up, they won we're the wedge in first-ever competition. gary was advising them along every step. he's competed every year at the robo games. >> they took the time to build it properly. we made sure we got the right parts. they took the time to learn how to drive.

that's a big part of this game. >> veterans say a wedge design tends to be the most stable. but fans love the more daring designs. the teams are from as far away as brazil. each in search of bragging rights that their robot is the best. >> are you hungry for victory? >> yes. i don't see like any enthusiasm in your face. >> yeah. >> mom even flew in from anchorage to take in the competition. >> these are the next engineers of the world right here. they will figure it out for us. >> to win they have to figure out to use aluminum, steal or titanium. even the batteries can make a difference in terms of weight and output. variables from the engineers will need to know in the future as they design cars, bridges, and, yes, even sophisticated robots. >> one can only wonder what the future holds given the changes in robotics and computers. what if you cross a combat robot

with a watson? wow. abc7 news. >> lisa has the final word on the forecast. >> more of an on shore flow today so we will see cooler condition, partly to mostly cloudy today with 66. santa cruz 63 and san francisco. a look ahead, rain tonight and into tomorrow. >> that will do it for us. thank you for joining us. i'm carolyn tyler, along with lisa arjen. our next newscast is at 9:00. have a good [ male announcer ] using frontline plus shows your pet you care... by unleashing a complete killing force against fleas and ticks. and not just adult fleas. what makes frontline plus complete the flea life cycle -- is that it breaks killing adults, eggs, and larvae. and it keeps killing fleas and ticks all month long. that's why it's the #1 choice of vets for their pets, and yours. unleash a complete killing force in every dose of frontline plus.