potential for thunder. this is going to continue for several more hours. it's still not through, 12:00 it starts to shift to the south and east. we have a stronger storm than that coming. this is due in on sunday. i'll have all the details on both those storms. rainfall totals look serious. >> cheryl: rain is moving into sonoma. folks are performing for the possibility of flooding. >> it's just starting to rain here, lightly at the moment, but these folks are not taking any chances. this building is in the middle of a business park but it sits at the lowest spot. what that means for these folks, when the drains clog, the creeks overflow, being here is like being at the bottom of a sink. >> it's a race against the clock in petaluma. a business that has flooded

twice in eight years. >> it all starts to pool and goes under the doors and mud comes through and the floors are covered. sometimes a couple feet. >> with two more wet systems poised to move in over the next three days they are not taking any chances. with a forklift. >> sandbags and plastic they are hoping they can keep their high-tech equipment high and dry. >> bay bridge garage also has sandbags at the ready. hoping to avoid the kind of flooding they saw here in 1998 when water made it inside the building. the issue here is petaluma river which can overflow at high tide. >> once the water comes over the ledge and starts to seep into the office and gets under the doors then we'll probably have a

problem. >> this is just a small example of what they are doing here around this entire building. it's a lot of trouble and expensive but they say they can't afford to have their expensive high-tech equipment ruined again. tonight at 6:00 we'll show you another lows in petaluma. a chronic flooding area at mobile home park where they are also taking precautions as the next systems move in. >> cheryl: stay with us for the very latest storm coverage. storm watch coverage coming up in 15 minutes. sandhya patel will have the full seven-day forecast. we'll bring you are developments throughout the evening and looking at a challenging friday morning commute. wake up to the morning news team beginning at 4:30 to see how this storm will affect your morning commute. >> the stormy weather might have given the final four a dying tree in san francisco's bernal heights neighborhood. its did he meigs shows the

challenge the city is facing, not enough money to maintain them. >> reporter: the experts say trees like these in washington square park in san francisco should be pruned every three to five years. but because of budget constraints, san francisco is pushing for ten to 12 years. combined with rain can be a dangerous kings. >> it was a surprise but not a shock when this tree on the sidewalk gave way. she had been calling the city since may alert them the gentleman jess particular tree was dying and needed care. >> they are not very good about checking it on their own. as a homeowner i take responsibility to tell them to check the tree. it's one of 40,000 trees the city is responsible for. the department of public works it should have been reviewed. there are only three inspectors

to do the job. because of a budget that has been chipped away as dramatically as this tree. >> we have a budget about $3-4 million for street maintenance in san francisco. there was study done just to maintain the trees we need about $25 million. that is a big short fall right there. >> department spokes woman says in the budget process, maintenance of san francisco's urban forest is always a low priority. without enough resources, they are now pushing to turn over the care to more property owners. back in the 1990s, about 65,000 trees on the sidewalk were transferred from the city to residents like ray conrad. >> we're glad to get with it for security reasons. also getting in the way of the wires overhead. >> this time around, the option of chopping down the trees is off the table. the city is notifying hundreds of homeowners they must care for

the foliage. scott weiner says that is not fair. >> one possibility is to have a parcel tax that would require the city to take back all responsibility for tree maintenance. >> unless some revenue stream is found, the city plans to turn over 23,000 trees to property owners in the next seven years. >> developing news in mountain view where two 17-year-old boys and 23-year-old man is accused of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl. they say it happened last night. investigators say they were all drinking when the three young men assaulted the young teenage girl. no word on where the victim lives. >> residents of a palo alto neighborhood are concerned over a fourth sexual assault.

latest attack happened early this morning in an apartment near the stanford shopping center. a man broke in and tried to rape a woman who was sleeping. vic lee is live with the latest on the search. the search for a sexual predator. >> this is apartment building where the attack took place. they say the female resident did everything right sheeclgs screamed and caused her attacker to run. police responded but still could not find him. >> i wanted them to take it seriously. i wanted them to take it deadly seriously. >> they want police to do everything they can that is responsible for the attempted sexual assault. there have been other attacks nearby. >> there is a pattern in this area, not just palo alto but on that cancer corner. >> that corner is a popular walking path. in late september, someone wushd behind a jogger and groped her. they posted two sketches of what

he may have looked like. this happened shortly after 2:00 in a one bedroom unit in this apartment building on the 100 block of hawthorne street. intruder forcibly opened the door that still has the markings of that forced entry. the female resident said to be in her early 20s suddenly woke up to a man standing over her. >> she screamed and he made a command. >> the woman suffered a minor wrist injury during the brief struggle that ended when the assailant ran out the door. the victim then called 911. they canvas add wide area looking for from the man with a help of a canine unit. they are treating it as an isolated incident but not ruling it out that the same assailant may be responsible for one or more assaults in the north end of palo alto. >> they are sexual in nature when it comes to the kind.

we're look at all those. >> this postal carrier and she heard all about the previous incidents and now this. even though she delivers mail in the daytime, she still is careful. >> when i see men coming near me i sometimes want to cross the street. i feel, i am scared. >> reporter: the victim said her attacker is in his 20s. he wore dark clothing but that is about all she could remember. tonight her attacker is still on the loose. >> dan: some tense moments in berkeley after reports of a shot fired at a disability center. it was the ed roberts campus. we were over the scene. officers received the call just before 1:00 this afternoon. police have confirmed to us

there was gun fired in one of campus bathrooms. no one appeared to be injured and no suspects at this time. >> cheryl: police in the east bay busted two smoke shops selling synthetic drugs. they say they bought something called spice along with bath salts. the owner of rocky's smoke shop and the manager of monsters of rock smoke shop have been charged in connection with the sale. the illegal synthetic bath salts are linked to multiple suicides. they have a street value of more than $25,000. the fate of same-sex marriage in california could be decided at a closed-door session at the supreme court tomorrow. the justices will debate to let stand a ruling declaring proposition 8, the ban on gay marriage, unconstitutional. if it lets it stand, same-sex

marriage would be legalize within days. dean johnson says it will not set a national precedent. >> only issue that is really in front of the court is whether or not california's proposition 8 violates equal protection. the issue of same-sex marriage in the broader sense is really not addressed by the prop 8 case. >> it could come tomorrow afternoon with a zbligs they are shutting down an oyster farm. ken salazar announced the closure of drake's bay oyster company. salazar concluded the oyster company should return it to wilderness. senator dianne feinstein says it

was the key part of the area's economy. >> dan: coming up, how online gamers can turn their digital play for toys tos. >> around new water planted, a proposal that might not sit well with santa clara county residents. >> michael finney will show you how people in the bay area rate their cellphone companies. you'll see which ones came out on top. >> cheryl: take a look at live doppler 7. you can see the storm covering the north part heading in the bay area right now. the

san mateo county is battle state of the water recycling plant that could some day make

the dirtiest water drinkable. heather ishimaru joins us live in north san jose with the story. >> reporter: the water recycled here at this new plant will not be for drinking, whether it be for irrigation and industry. it could be that the technology they are using here in 15 years or so could be used to clean any waste water to make it clean enough to drink. >> it is an elaborate and intricate system of pipes and tanks, pumps and valves, designed to produce most basic of our needs. >> water that doesn't make it through or concentrate goes through a second path. >> this is a water district's new advanced water purification center. state of the art three step process will recycle even the dirtiest water. >> recycled water, it's water we can use otherwise that would be

going to bay. we're being wise stewards of the resource. >> it's still under construction but when done, the $65 million center will make up 50s million gallons of highly purified water a day. it involves microfiltration where water is pushed through a meam brains. then reverse osmosis where forced through a membrane with holes so small. water molecules is virtually the only thing getting through. it's then disinfected. >> they are stainless steel shell. inside the shell it contains 40 uv bulbs that run the length of the shell. >> the results should be water many times cleaner than the average tap water now available in santa clara county. don't watch for it coming out your faucet anytime soon. >> is there any water you wouldn't be able to make

drinkable here this? >> will be a test to really help us learn as we treat what are the various challenges we face. how we can overcome through this technology. >> if someone where down the road, it would like to treat sewage to get drinking water, would have to expand this plan. >> dan: a recount over measure b-1 will start on monday. the measure fell short of the two-thirds threshold needed for passage by less than 0.2 of a percentage point. the recount costs $5,000 a day and could take several days to finish. alameda county transportation xhig is on hook for the money. >> cheryl: consumer reports annual survey is out on how people feel about their cellphone service.

we all have an opinion. >> dan: michael finney, with favorite that came out on top. >> we all love our cell carriers. >> not. >> verizon was ranked for several years running. this year is no different. wireless carrier was followed by t-mobile sprint and then at&t. consumers reports based its rankings on certain things even verizon only scored a 72 out of a possible 100. >> you carry your smart phone wherever you go. the chances of something going wrong are probable greater than with other devices you use. >> biggest surprise of the survey, at&t ranked last out of four big carriers but 4-g service ranked high. >> u.s. senate committee voted

that police need to get a search warrant to read your e-mails. the new bill would change and require a warrant to search all e-mails. supporters of the bills there is too many privacy concerns. they want more restrictions on access. now, of course, a u.s. justice department has opposed a new requirement and say it will slow down investigations. >> you have to listen to this and you have to go to our website and then you have to send this to your friends and relatives. if you bought a television or laptop before 2006 you have money coming to you. the deadline to file a claim is next thursday. a class action lawsuit claims ten companies inflight for lcd panels, to make monitors and laptops those companies have agreed to settled the case for $1.1 billion. if you bought a device with an

lcd screen you can now file a claim for cash. there is expected to be at least $25 for each device you bought. you don't need a receipt. just send in a form by december 6th. you can't be late. i posted the link and all the information you need at abc7news.com under "7 on your side." we are talking free money here that you deserve because you got ripped off. so get in on this. >> like you said, you deserve it. >> cheryl: agriculture department is prepared to quarantine trees. they are trying to prevent a infestation of asian disease. they have found three of the insects recently including the day before thanksgiving. they carry something called a tree disease. >> it makes the fruit misshapeen

and slowly kills the tree. some people call it the worst citrus disease in the world. >> it was eradicated four years ago in los angeles. >> dan: let's turn our attention and this is powerful storm that is heading our way. >> cheryl: live doppler 7 hd. it's getting closer. >> it is getting closer. on live doppler 7-hd we're seeing the moisture and wind showing up on observations already. let me is how live picture from emeryville camera. winds gusting out of the south-southeast at 20-25 miles an hour. over the higher terrain, gusting over 50 miles an hour. let's get to live doppler 7-hd. most of the rain has been concentrated in the north bay but moisture is now starting to shift down to the south and east. down to street level, san rafael anderson road, paradise drive,

light rainfall around mill valley. it is starting to push in towards the east bay. you can see richmond, berkeley out towards benicia and walnut creek, still very light. hercules, rodeo area, you will likely run into wet rhodes roadways. gary boulevard, ocean avenue light returns. it's only going to get worse. heavy rain and strong winds coming for the morning. rain continues on saturday and stormy weather on sunday. check thought storm. it is very large circulation and it is tapping in into a moisture that stretches all the way back. this sub troll moisture will add to our rainfall totals. we are expecting significant rain. we start computer man makes, it's steady and focused in the north bay but we'll see wet roadways across the bay area. 4:00 a.m. it will be a rough ride. southerly winds gusting and could see thunder. 4:00 a.m. you are see heavy rain

showing up in the north bay. challenging still across the entire bay area at 6:00 a.m. this is still slow going but widespread heavy rainfall across the region. 8:00 a.m. friday, east bay down to the south bay, santa cruz mountains getting pounded by the rain. wind will continue, 10:00 a.m. still getting nasty. the front doesn't move much because it's going to be slow going. rainfall will be tapering later in the day. heading into saturday, still see wet roadways. if you have plans this this is what it looks like. it gets rough with the third system on sunday morning, oranges and yellows indicating the heaviest of the rainfall could see thunder again. rainfall totals are significant. up to a foot of rain north bay mountains, four to eight inches in north bay. up to six inches in santa cruz mountains. wind advisory for these areas, up to 11:00 a.m., gusts up to 70

miles an hour. wind advisory for the north bay mountains, could see downed trees and power lines, flash flood watch begins shortly at 7:00 p.m. smaller streams may overflow their banks. we're looking the urban flooding with significant rain coming. the surf will be picking up. thursday at 6:00 p.m. running through saturday, we are expecting higher waves. it's only going to get worse. stormy for the morning commute. temperatures in the 50s. give yourself plenty of time tomorrow afternoon, temperatures will be in the upper 50s to the low 60s. stormiest weather in the east bay down to the south bay. accu-weather seven-day forecast. heavy rain and wind. chance of thunder, worst of it friday morning. saturday morning it will be raining. sunday, chances of rain and wednesday, winter storm warning

above 7,000 feet until 4:00 p.m. friday, expecting two to three feet of snow. there is a lot going on. it will be rough getting up there. >> dan: here it comes. thank you very much. >> cheryl: still to come. they save another life. an animal trapped in a barn fire. >> working to save a national treasure. the effort to restore the san

a dog is alive thanks to a dog's best friend, in this case a fireman. he ran into a burning barn to rescue mo. he was chained up inside. porter unclipped the dog while another firefighter hosed him

down. and porter is a dog lover himself. very brave. >> dan: san francisco based zynga. for the first time apps like farmville and words for friends is extending the charity arm to benefit toys for tots. they will offer themed items embedded in their games with proceeds to buy gifts for needy children. for a list of toy dra drives in the bay area go to abc7news.com and look under see it on tv. >> live look at live doppler 7-hd. >> you can see a big storm is moving into the bay area. should bring us a fair amount of rain. it is fairly slow moving.

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i'm carolyn johnson. coming up.

be here for sandhya patel's updated forecast. never before heard facts about the chowchilla kidnapping case from one of kidnappers himself. plus, a real fighter. michael finney explains how social media is helping bring new hope to a bay area woman and her battle against cancer. mom and pop strikes back. designed to bring in customers and save you money. that is coming up at this is "world news." tonight, power lunch. what happened when governor mitt romney walked into the white house to see the man who beat him in the presidential race? what we've learned about the lunch everyone was watching. powerball secret. a tiny town of 496 people,