live from the kgo tv broadcast center, this is abc 7 news. >> good afternoon, everybody. the islamic terrorist group isis claims it has executed a second american journalist. steven sotloff was kidnapped in syria august of last year. the video apparently shows him being executed. officials are trying to determine if the video is authentic. >> reporter: reports today that another american journalist may have been executed by isis. a video posted online this

afternoon appears to show 31-year-old steven sotloff, a freelance journalist who was captured in syria a year ago calmly addressing the camera saying obama, your foreign policy of intervention in iraq was supposed to be for preservation of american lives and interests. so why is it that i am paying the price of your interference with my life. sotloff's apparent death comes just two weeks after journalist james foley was beheaded by isis. in that video militants threatened sotloff would be next. his mother making a failed video plea to the terrorists. >> i ask you to please release my child. as a mother i ask your justice to be merciful and not punish my son for matters he has no control over. >> reporter: in the still unauthenticated video, a militant says he is back in response to u.s. air strikes in iraq threatening to claim more lives as president obama makes his way to europe in part to

talk to nato allies about taking action against isis. the white house spokesperson speaking today on the president's behalf extended sympathy and said extensive efforts were made to rescue sotloff. >> our thoughts and prayers first and foremost are with mr. sotloff and his family and those who worked with him. >> reporter: in the video the militant threatens that a british captive would be killed next. and abc news has learned officials believe isis is holding at least two other americans. marcy gonzalez, abc news, new york. the state has slapped pg&e with a fine for the san bruno pipeline disaster. dozens of homes were zroid. two cpuc judges said they committed 3800 violations over several years leading up to the explosion. this would be the largest safety penalty ever leveled by the

commission. the mayor of san bruno had this reaction a short time ago. >> we are asking that cpuc deliver justice to the victims of this horrific tragedy by strengthening and improving this penalty and requiring that more funds be reinvested back into a safer pipeline system for the benefit of communities statewide. >> pg&e released this statement. we are accountable and fully accept that a penalty is appropriate. we have respectfully asked the commission ensure that the penalty is reasonable and proportionate and takes into consideration the investments and actions to improve safety. the city is no longer funding crossing guards at major intersections near elementary schools. laura anthony is live outside monte gardens elementary. >> reporter: hi, larry. here at monte gardens with b they told me they're covered in front of the school by staff and parent volunteers when it comes to crossing guards. the issue is really a few blocks

away from here. a busy intersection that used to be staffed by the city. for the past two years we have had crossing guards. parents of children going to concord elementary says it cost cost them big time. >> it's something that should be afforded to us without us having to sit there and make noise about the situation. >> reporter: the busy intersection is just a few blocks from woodside elementary. and it's a trouble spot even without young children in the mix. >> there are different things that we're looking at doing. we have volunteers who will patrol the front. we have parent volunteers who have volunteered to walk students. >> reporter: the district has also talked to concord police about stationing patrol officers in the dangerous areas. until the students pass through safely. in concord, laurie anthony, abc 7 news. 49ers defensive end ray

mcdonald was back at practice this morning just two days after being arrested on suspicion of felony domestic violence. the 49ers have not decided if he's going to play on sunday in the regular season opener. neither has gm trent baalke. he says they'll let the investigation play out. coach harbaugh made a similar statement on the radio today. he said if players are found guilty of domestic abuse, he does not want them around. >> someone physically abuses a woman and/or physically or mentally abuses or hurts a child, then there's no understanding. there's no tolerance for that. >> macdonald was arrested early sunday morning at his home in san jose's silver creek neighborhood. we show the home where a party was being thrown for his birthday. macdonald is accused of getting into a fight with his fiance who is ten weeks pregnant. and police saw visible injuries on her.

tight end vernon davis told us probably half of the team was at that party. he said he didn't see what happened, but he supports macdonald. >> everyone on the team knows that. he's a guy of a good integrity, great character. hard worker. as far as the -- what went on, you know, i didn't see anything. i didn't hear anything. >> macdonald's first court hearing is scheduled for september the 15th. one other nfl-related piece of news. suspended coach jim irsay, he has been suspended for the first six games of this season. also fined $500,000 for violating his personal conduct policy. irsay pleaded guilty today to a misdemeanor count of driving under the influence of prescription drugs. would provide additional federal assistance to residents and businesses after the 6.0

earthquake. >> wayne friedman has a look at people trying to rebuild. >> reporter: they'll be able to use that assistance, every penny of that assistance. the good news is in napa there are layers of optimism. in napa today recovery continues with words, all kinds of them on the sides of buildings. simple ones count. >> lpen. >> reporter: for peggy owens, that is a good start. even without her front windows being replaced. >> with everybody that needed glass and all the glass pretty much in the city of napa was destroyed, i think we're doing well. >> reporter: though in these parts well would be a relative term. the county of napa is doing real well in clearing out a main building and moving out 5,000 boxes. what kind of man hours are we talking for this project alone? >> i bet i couldn't tell you. i don't have the slightest idea.

>> reporter: do you want to have the slightest idea? >> absolutely not. >> reporter: just outside, mike would say progress is moving real well on his historic building. they got the roof off this morning. >> it was built in the late 1880s. >> reporter: now it's going to be rebuilt in the -- >> 2014 through 2015. >> reporter: even michelle says she's doing real well considering no doubt you've already seen the collapsed carport outside her apartment house with all of those vehicles still inside. but her apartment is cleaner and that religious medal remains on her wall unmoved by the quake. >> i think i'll leave it. >> reporter: if the quake didn't move it -- >> i'm not moving it. >> reporter: kind of like the people of napa. they're not moving either. in napa, wayne friedman, abc 7 news. several schools that were damaged in last sunday's earthquake resumed classes today. but things aren't completely back to normal. you can still see large cracks in some of the walls at st. john the baptist catholic school. but the building is mostly

ready. workers have built and decorated a construction wall to block the section of the school that's still considered unstable. >> their trusting faces and the families that know we have done everything we can do to keep your children safe. and just to see the kids so excited about being back. you know, absolutely. i am just overjoyed. >> the principal started the day with an earthquake drill. for the time being seventh graders will meet in the library and the eighth grade will hold classes in the art room. an update on the quake recovery efforts in vallejo. a red tag to a yellow tag there. that allows people back inside. bricks still missing here on the corner of the building's roof. construction crews removed three feet of bricks from the bell tower which had separated from the church during the quake. everybody worked together quickly to make sure every mass was held and every free meal was given out to those in need. >> we are very grateful. the city, the police, and the

fire, they were here and they did what needed to be done to make sure it was safe for everyone. >> all eight buildings on captains row are yellow tagged. the chimneys collapsed on most of the former homes for senior officers. the buildings also have cracked walls and water damage now. repair work is fast and furious to try to reopen the building which is frequently rented out for weddings. the tofoundation that runs the park relies on that money. more structures suffered earthquake damage estimated at more than $5 million. let's get a check of the weather. kind of gloomy outside. >> spencer christian is outside with the latest. >> what a difference a day makes. high temperatures near 100 degrees. then today cloudy and 15 degrees cooler in middle eaost spots. you can see the clouds stacked up at the coastline.

in fact, the coast did not clear out at all today. the clouds reach well beyond the coach. what a 24-hour change. santa rosa 24 degrees cooler than at this hour yesterday. 16 degrees cooler in napa and fairfield. all across the bay area, temperatures have plummeted since yesterday because of this. as we look westward from our emoryville camera, stacked up at the coast and beyond. 70 in oakland. san jose 75. 80 morgan hill. clouds over the bay as we see from our exploreium camera. as we look at clouds over sfo, here's our forecast. low clouds and fog extensively this evening. and lingering in the morning hours as well. but tomorrow looking well. mild to warm with highs near 90 degrees. we'll give you a look at the remainder of the week and the weekend in just a few minutes. >> thank you, spencer. still ahead on abc 7 news at

4:00, the staggering number of calls coming into the water racers hotline and what the agency is doing about it. also the intruder at the indonesian consulate in san francisco and what exactly he was doing there. and new at 4:30, the grateful dead legend trying to release a water park in the north bay. why some are singing a different tune. our first live check of the afternoon commute. this is a look at the san matteo bridge. headed from the peninsula back towards hayward. heavier than on the right side going toward the peninsula. still more to come at 4:00.

police are investigating an odd break in at the indonesian consulate in san francisco. happened around 3:30 this morning at the consulate on columbus avenue between san francisco and jones streets. police found the trespasser sleeping inside the building. he appeared to be intoxicated. they said he didn't steal anything, so they're not sure why he broke into the consulate. he was booked on suspicion of vandalism and trespassing. lake tenascal has officially reopened after being closed for more than a month. it was shut down on july 18th because of an unusually high level of toxins found in blue-green algae. usually the algae only hangs around a few days, but it hung around longer this summer. it has been dissipating for a few weeks now. officials have now deemed the

swimming hole save once again. if you're using too much water, you could feel the heat from your neighbors. don't be surprised if someone knocks on your door and asks about your water wasting days if you were wasting water. >> right. those same neighbors probably turned you in. nick schmidt is in alameda this afternoon with such visits to suspected water wasters were being made today. >> reporter: you know, larry, alma, i'll have to tell you this. we were going around the neighborhood and following to speak to customers. this turf is good enough to tell harbaugh about. but turf is a good way for homeowners to acknowledge the fact that there is a drought. they can also use drought-tolerant plants and irrigation systems like that. what we're encouraging people to do is cut down on their water usage. there's a hotline set up for neighbo

neighbors to tattle on others. camil camille's front yard is how to maintain a good yard during the water ban. >> little by little we've taken it and foliage and plants. >> reporter: that's what the people at east bay mud want to hear. >> i was calling up to follow up on a water waste that officers received about your house. >> reporter: this woman is in control of their water wasters hotline. in january, east bay mud averaged 20 water waste complaints a month. in august there were 419. it is her job to record complaints and then hit the streets to investigate. >> most of our water waste reported are coming from single family homes where the report is that people have been over-watering their lawns. >> reporter: today we watched as she identified those areas of possible water waste. wet pavement, water-saturated lawns, and heavy runoff that was

enough to pool and create puddles. >> no, we are definitely not the water police. >> reporter: jolene says her job is not to complain. first she calls. then they send a letter. next is the on-site visit from jolene. >> anything now is going to put us in a better position for the future. >> reporter: routine violators could receive a warning letter and then restricted water use. steps that may not need to be used if they follow camille's lead. >> there'll be another plot of land that has these plants. i think it's working. >> reporter: abc 7 news. time to get a check on our weather which it looks like it could rain, but probably not. >> spencer, earlier you used the term drizzlets.

is that bigger than a droplet? >> you've got drizzlets that are smaller than droplets. right now it's a good day for getting the frizzies. which i welcome because it looks like i have more hair. you can see we've got a dense layer of low clouds and fog at the coast and beyond. and it is misty out here and a bit drizzly. and that condition may continue during the overnight hours. let's look at our september almanac for san francisco. september 1st average high temperature is 70 degrees. notice by the end of the month it averages only a couple degrees even warmer. the highest september temperature ever in san francisco, 101 degrees. average rainfall .21 of an inch. but in 1904, the heaviest september rain ever recorded in san francisco. 5.07 inches. by the way, this september will see a full moon on the 8th of

september. golden gats bridge right now looking a bit foggy and dreary. we'll see widespread fog overnight. mild to warm tomorrow. and this steady pattern -- we will have a steady pattern into the weekend. look at the cloud pattern today. it never moved away from the coast. it brought a cooling sea breeze felt all over the area. and our forecast animation overnight shows spotty drizzle across the coast and bay. so there could be damp spots early tomorrow morning for early morning commuters. overnight lows in the upper 50s. little bit cooler in the 50s. and highs in the low to mid-80s. 82 san jose. 85 at morgan hill. on the peninsula we'll see mid to upper 70s for the most part. 79 at redwood city. and perhaps 80 at los altos.

downtown san francisco will have a high of 68. tomorrow 70 in south san francisco. up in the north bay mainly sunny away from the coast at least with highs in the mid-80s in the inland north bay. east bay highs will be generally in the mid to upper 70s. 74 at oakland. 77 newark. and 79 at fremont. and the inland east bay will bounce back to mid to upper 80s. and look for 88 at livermore. 86 at walnut creek. here's the seven-day forecast. we expect a steady pattern of mild to warm days with lots of sunshine wednesday through tuesday. look for inland highs for the forecast period. around the bay we'll see highs around 80 to 82 degrees. mid-60s on the coast. not much change expected over the next several days. this overcast sky we have today will look a lot different today. not this overcast sky, but the sky tomorrow will not look like this. >> we got it.

>> we get it. thank you, spencer. >> okay. up next, the big honor unveiled in san francisco. the famous names now lined up in the district. and new after 4:30, a multimillion-dollar dog house that's up for sale. why its back story may be the biggest selling point. and taking a live look at your traffic on this tuesday. dreary as the weather here in san francisco. on the right that is traffic heading down towards the peninsula. 101 south on the left side nap is traffic going to the lower deck over to the east bay. not looking very good in either direction. stay with us. we're back after a

♪ do you want to build a snowman ♪ >> the academy award winning movie "frozen" is getting another moment in the light tonight. fans will get a look at the making of the film. they'll hear from the stars,

directors, and see how more than 600 people worked together to bring the movie to life. it's the top animated grossing movie of all time. the story of "frozen" airs tonight on abc 7. disney is the parent company of abc. there's a new sort of walk of fame. the rainbow honor walk was unveiled this morning. >> it honors 20 lbgt leaders and their achievements. 20 bronze plaques are embedded in the sidewalk along castro street. >> each is three feet by three feet. they're dedicated to people like george troy and tom waddell. >> when i had this idea 20 years ago, we were in the depths of the aids crisis. men and women were dying of aids all around us. people needed to know what this had done. >> each plaque cost $5,000.

all paid for with private donations. these are just the first. organizers are already raising money for another 20 plaques they hope to install next year. just ahead at abc 7 news at 4:00, the icon trying to release a city park. but finding the local homeless are anything but grateful. also the dire warning about ebola in west africa from a top health official in the u.s. and why employees are fighting for jobs on one side of the building. ♪ go! go! wow! go power...oats! go! made from oats cheerios! cheerios!

go, go, go! go power oats! go! cheerios! go power! go...power! yayyyy!

in the headlines at 4:30, disturbing video showing the beheading of another american journalist. breaking the news about steven sotloff in that video with a tweet this morning. locally pg&e has been hit with a huge fine today for the deadly san bruno pipeline disaster. the cpuc is fining them $1.4 billion nap is the largest safety-related fine the agency has imposed. we're getting new details about the weekend arrest of 49ers defensive tackle ray macdonald on felony domestic violence charges. tiffany wilson is covering that story today tweeting that the san jose police officers saw the victim with visible injuries.

also, san rafael city council will vote on whether to take over a water park. not everybody is feeling the love for this plan. le i lelyanne melendez has the latest. >> reporter: it has been an eyesore, a headache for the city of san rafael. now officials are grateful to the man who wants to take it over. scott holland likes to camp out at beach park in san rafael. a few of his friends do too. >> because it's out of the way of businesses. and it's -- it's -- like i said, it's away from other people. >> reporter: we saw just one person go through here. while it has a nice view of the canal, the park is surrounded by car dealerships and is next door

to cross roads restaurant. when customers eat outside, they sometimes see things that are, well, not very desirable. >> there are no restrooms there. so that leads to some issues with that. there is drug use and violence. >> reporter: the restaurant is owned by former grateful dead musician phil loesch and his wife. it's also a venue for small concerts. they have agreed to lease the park from the city for $8,000 a year. they must invest $100,000 in improvements. >> what we're looking at is a seven-year lease. and with that, you know, we'll feel confident and to put in quite a bit of money into the park. and beautify it. >> one exception i mentioned, it's pretty sound i think. >> reporter: okay. you think it will pass? >> i think it'll pass. >> reporter: we saw some preliminary drawings of what the park might look like with picnic tables, fire pit, and space to

play bocce ball. people who want to visit the park will have to go through the restaurant and they will have the right to turn people away. >> i think it's a selfish reason they want to take the park. i think they're trying to take more and more. >> reporter: there is one final mandate. the restaurant must open the park for anyone on seven different occasions to be determined later. the restaurant owners have already agreed to that. in san rafael, lyanne melendez. this morning a group of lawyers representing central valley farmers filed a petition with the state supreme court in san francisco over funding for the project. the group contends the state failed to meet requirements of the bond measure by not identifying where all the money will come from. >> that's directly violating what the voters were promised. the voters were promised you won't get money until you know where the money is for that full segment. >> the group represents farmers

who are upset the high speed rail will go through their property. mayor ed lee defended the project. and construction of the system is set to start next year. america's top public health official says the ebola outbreak is worse than i thought and now spiraling out of control. cdc director dr. tom frieden issued this threat only a day after he returned from west africa. he says global leaders need to do more to control the outbreak that has killed so far more than 1500 people. >> we know how to stop ebola. the challenge is to scale it up to the massive levels needed to stop this outbreak. >> meanwhile, a third american working in liberia has now been diagnosed with e bith ebola. they don't know how he became infected. the other two americans who

contracted the disease were flown back to the u.s. and have now recovered. the first human safety trial for an experimental ebola vaccine begins this week. they gave the green light for researchers at the international institu institutes of health to give the vaccine to three healthy volunteers. if it's safe, it will be given to a small group to see it if has a strong response. president obama is headed joer seas for a summit. the president left base andrews this morning. the leaders of the battlic nations that border russia. on thursday the president leads with western leaders in wales to consider a military plan to help the ukrainian government combat the growing threat from russia. >> the united states in cooperation with our allies plans to significantly increase the readiness of a nato response

force to ensure that the alliance is prepared to respond to threats in a timely fashion. >> russian president vladimir putin added to the tension today by reportedly telling a top official he could take kiev in two weeks if he wanted to. the kremlin didn't deny the remark, but denounced him releasing the conversation. against a couple who took their son to spain in hopes of getting a radiation therapy. the parents of the 5-year-old came after the police official who applied for the warrant, described the current situation as not right. spanish police arrested the parents over the weekend following a request by british prosecutors. authorities say the parents will not face any further legal action and should be reunited with their son. a new report from the centers for disease control is touting the benefits of breast-feeding and a healthy diet for children. researchers surveyed 1500

mothers and concluded that children who were breast-fed longer tend to eat more healthily at age 6. the report also says children introduced to healthy foods between 6 months and 1-year-old tend to continue to enjoy a healthier diet later on. the findings provide additional weight. coming up, a stuck bear goes free today. and the bizarre story behind a multimillion-dollar home in los angeles. how a little dog held up its sale until now. and the skies looking dreary. will skies be clearer tomorrow? the answer coming up. much sunnier in the south bay as you look at highway 87. this right here is the exit to your left at julian parkway. julian street i believe where the shark tank is located. right now moving nicely in both

directions. geico's been helping people save money for over 75 years. they've really stood the test of time. much like these majestic rocky mountains. which must be named after the... that would be rocky the flying squirrel, mr. gecko sir. obviously! ahh come on bullwinkle, they're named after... ...first president george rockington! that doesn't even make any sense...mr...uhh...winkle. geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance.

. look at this. a young black bear in pennsylvania has kicked the bucket and that's a really good thing. a group of concerned citizens tracked the bear down over the weekend and removed the bucketlike air bag that was stuck on its head. not an air bag like in your car. but it's a device that provides a cushion between a tractor and a trailer. the bear had been roaming the

perry township area for weeks. residents called authorities but they said they couldn't help. next came a save the bucket bear facebook page. it took them 30 to 40 minutes to saw off the air back. he was last seen running off into the woods. >> what's amazing there is they were able to run the bear down pretty easily and then subdue him. maybe the bear was so distressed he was like if you can get this off my head, i'll stay here and not eat you. >> exactly. >> but the whole thing is remarkable there. onto the death of a family pet that's finally prompted the sale of one los angeles home. >> the property was owned by the wife of scientology founder hubbard. she died 12 years ago. >> mary sue hubbard lived in this english tudor for 18 years until she died in 2002. hubbard willed the house to her three children but told them they could not sell it until her dog tzu the shih tzu died. for more than a decade tzu was

living in this gorgeous house along with three caretakers. >> no one anticipated that tzu would outlive mary sue by 11 years. >> i think it annoyed a lot of people that it could be left to a dog. >> well tzu finally died last year. the house is now up for sale. asking price is just under $2.5 million. neighbors say the home is nice, but the notoriety behind it won't be the biggest selling point. >> in my next life i want to come back as tzu. >> i know. incredible. let's go outside to spencer christian. his life is like tzu. pampered and all that. >> i'm really speechless. yes. so why don't we just do the weather, shall we? here's a look at a great time lapse showing you what conditions have been like. this is from our emoryville camera. we started the day with low clouds and fog. we're ending the day with low

clouds and fog. over the coast and over the bay and inland locations across the bay. and this is just showing a wave after wave of low clouds building at the coastline today. as you know we had a cooling sea breeze and temperatures dropped from yesterday's levels. showing low clouds and fog still stacked up at the coastline. continuing to push out over the bay and towards inland locations. that pattern will continue overnight. nationally tomorrow look for two thunderstorms along the mid-atlantic coast and off the atlantic coast of florida. maybe some showers over the gulf coast as well. hot in the southwest. not just the southwest, even denver will have a high of 92 tomorrow. up in the pacific northwest, 71 in seattle. 84 at portland. moving onto conditions across the state of california tomorrow, it will be sunny and warm to hot. once again eureka with a high of 72 tomorrow. that's above the average for eureka. 94 sacramento tomorrow. 107 at palm springs. here in the bay area, we'll see

sunnier skies and it will warm up a bit. mid-60s at the coast to mid to upper 70s around the bay. upper 70s to 80 in the inland locations nap will establish a pattern through the remainder of the week into the weekend. we will see sunnier and warmer days ahead. >> thank you. still ahead on abc 7 news at 4:00, robin williams' daughter fights back against bullies after taking a break from twitter. plus what apple had to say about the hacking scandal over the weekend involving several a-list celebrities. i'm michael finney. today i partner up with consumer reports on the newest trends and wearable technology.

is it the biting? ...we need to break up. cuz i can stop? no! i love you and your show. it's cable. customers are more satisfied with u-verse. switch and we can stay together forever. forever? ow. i'm not gonna lie to you. it's also the biting. break up with cable. choose u-verse tv from $19 a month for 2 years.

t a $1,000 with a new volkswagen turbo. reward card obsessed with turbo? because we like giving you power, but we also like giving you fuel efficiency. like the sporty jetta. and the turbocharged passat tdi® clean diesel. okay... and the iconic beetle... and the powerful tiguan... okay you can't forget the cc... guys, this is going to take a while. get a $1,000 reward card on new 2014 turbo models or lease a 2014 jetta se for $159 a month after a $1,000 bonus. ends soon! i'm a kid. and us kids have an important message for our grown ups. three grams daily of beta-glucan... a soluable fiber from whole grain oat foods like cheerios can help lower cholesterol. and where can you find beta-glucan? in oats. and, they're yummy! i'm going back to being a kid now. thank you!

netflix is giving its users a more discreet way to recommend movies and tv shows. the giant says it realizes most people don't want to share their viewing habits with large audiences. the approach discouraged from connecting their accounts with their facebook profiles. in the new system, they will be

able to decide which friends receive recommendations. robin williams' daughter has returned to twitter with an inspiring message after she was taunted online after her dad's death. zelda williams quit twitter and instagram after some users called her names and sent her altered photos of her father. robin williams committed suicide last month at his home. on twitter she wrote thank you with a link to tumblr. it reads never be bullied into silence. never allow yourself to be made a victim. accept no one's definition of your life. define yourself. the quote is from actor harvey firestein. apple confirmed today individual celebrity accounts were deliberately hacked. but it was not a system breach. the company and the fbi are both investigating the attack which resulted in compromising photos

being leaked. hackers claimed the images were taken from the stars' icloud accounts. but apple says there was not a general breach involving its systems including the icloud and find my iphone services. and more trouble for justin bieber again. canadian police say the pop star has now been charged with dangerous driving and assault after a crash that led to an fight in ontario. it happened on friday near bieber's hometown. earlier this month he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges after an arrest at miami beach. he's also charged with assaulting a limo driver. in washington, d.c. chris brown pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault today. the singer is accused of punching a man who tried to get into a picture brown was taking with two women outside of a hotel. a judge sentenced brown to time already served. he had been in jail for two days in this case. consumer reports has partnered exclusively with 7 on your side for a report on

wearable technology. >> and michael finney has the details. >> your cell phone, how many hours do you keep it with you? >> most. >> ama has it glued to her. >> i said pretty much. >> well, you're not alone. 79% of cell phone users keep their phones with them for all but two hours of their waking days. that's according to a new survey by technology research company idc. the tech companies think they have something you'll depend on 24 hours a day. >> you can wear them on your wrist, on your neck, and even on your face. they can help you check your e-mail, check your pulse, and check directions. they're wearable technology. and they're gaining in popularity. but are they the next big thing or just a passing trend? >> wearable tech is still very new, but we think it's going to take off. a lot of big companies are jumping into the game like samsung, lg, motorola, and maybe apple.

>> smart watches are one of the fastest growing categories. users can get e-mails and notifications all on their wrist. >> it allows me to at a glance tell if something's important enough to take care of now or not pay attention to. >> consumer reports is developing tests for wearable devices including smart watches and activity trackers that count steps and track and log calories. so far the highest rated tracker is the $100 fitbit one. it's accurate and allows users to see their progress in realtime without connecting to a computer. wearable tech continues to evolve. >> the first devices we sold were kind of clunky but that's changing. for example this you can wear around your neck, wrist, or ankle. >> popular fashion designers are starting to get in the mix including torry burke who now makes accessories to hold a fitbit. and diane vonn furstenburg for

google glass. checking out this wearable and says it is certainly an innovative product. but starting at $1500, more a novelty than a must have. consumer report says we should expect to see a lot more wearable tech in the run-up to the holidays. already in the works, high-tech socks that track your steps, speed, and running technique. and a ring that can make a phone call or change tv channels with the wave of a hand. >> really? >> you're gone. >> all right. thank you. >> i wish that worked in real life. anyway. no, you i'll keep. up next, the south bay mall divided by two cities. why workers are quitting their jobs to work a few doors down. coming up new at 5:00, a big fight over freebies. the new crack down at facebook and high-tech companies all over

the bay area. and cracking down on reckless lawn watering. we'll have those stories and

this is pretty interesting now. there's a unique situation going on at the westfield valley mall. employees on one side of the mall are making more money than employees on the other side of the mall. >> the property is actually divided between san jose and santa clara. >> reporter: the dividing line cuts about a quarter of the mall and puts it in santa clara city. some of the employees were very excited about a minimum wage hike back in july. the problem is both cities increased their minimums. at the risk of offending those here, there's nothing extraordinary about the valley field mall. the same food, the same displays, but two different cities. >> when we offer people a job we're like well we got a job at

the mall. >> reporter: manager at shoe palace says the tale of two cities has caused problems they never saw coming. there's nothing marking the dividing line but property records clearly show the mall sits in both san jose and santa clara with different minimum wages. >> we're going to let them know it's $8 over here. they were taken by surprise. like really the mall over there gets paid $10. >> reporter: the dividing line between the two cities is right about here going through the gap and the cosmetics store. both stores bumped up the pay for all their employees just to keep things fair. the wage gap closed a little in july when santa clara upped the minimum wage from $8 to $9 an hour. but san jose went up to $10.15 an hour. the pretzel shop in a unique

area. so they rotate employees. >> a week each. >> reporter: so there is no solution for others on the west side. they'll continue losing employees while having problems hiring more. >> he was working at the same time at the other side of the mall and he quit because he gets paid more over there. before we start the hiring process, we tell them $8 side. >> reporter: some were talking about trying to start a petition to get the increase, but that has not happened yet. in san jose, this side, abc 7 news. >> if it's $8 or $10, go for the $10 probably. >> they should create an exclusion for the mall. we fixed it. >> they should call us. thank you so much for joining us for abc 7 news at 4:00. >> abc 7 news at 5:00 begins right now with cheryl and dan.

we're accountable. >> pg&e gets hit with a record find over the san bruno pipeline blast. but who will pay? shareholders or customers? domestic violence is unacceptable. >> integrity, character. >> for the first time we are hearing from the 49ers about their arrest of ray mcdonald. they're a little apprehensive because of the earthquake situation. >> students are resilient and you will see how. i'm meteorologist sandy patel. cooler and breezier today. we're expecting a cloudy, drizzly start tomorrow. i'll be back with the details coming up. tonight pg&e is slapped with a massive fine over the 2010 explosion that devastated an entire neighborhood in san bruno. it is the largest penalty ever levied by the state utilities.

>> thanks for joining us. san bruno city officials commend the stiff punishment, but they're also criticizing it. we're joined from san bruno city hall. >> reporter: san bruno city officials are happy with the amount of the fine. after all, two years ago they were hoping for only $500 million. but they are not happy with other aspects of this penalty. for one, it does not include an independent monitor who would review and look into what the city of san bruno says is a cozy relationship between cpuc and pg&e. the administrative law judges ruled that over the past several years, pg&e b committed nearly 4,000 violations of state and federal laws and operating its gas pipelines. the two-judge panel decided to penalize pg&e $1.4 billion. the cpuc previously ruled that pg&e will have to pay $635 million.

all of that from its shareholders to make safety improvements in its pipelines. add those together and the total penalty would be just over $2 billion. the $1.5 billion fine most will go into the state's general fund. the rest will be used toward pipeline safety repairs. while praising the amount of the fine, the mayor says he's disappointed most of the money will go to the state. >> this reflects, if you will, a payday for governor jerry brown when we believe this money should instead be directed to a safer pipeline system. >> reporter: the ruling goes into effect 30 days from now unless pg&e or another party to the proceedings files an appeal. the ruling then goes back to the judges. and after their review a vote by the commissioners. it's almost certain the fine will be appealed. the consumer watch dog group told abc 7 news it plans to ask the judges to reconsider