that they know of. there has been a huge number of bank robberies in the past month, 19 to be exact. there always seems to be an upswing during the holiday season. >> overall this year we are actually down from last year. but within the last month, november was a very big month and december so far has been a big month as well. >> reporter: the bandits may need money to buy drugs. these may be hard times for them or they may simply be smitten with the holiday spirit. >> they might be motivated by trying to care for their loved ones or trying to purchase something special for them. >> reporter: that may be why police are seeing so many santas at banks. san francisco police are looking for this one who robbed a bank during the santa-con event several weeks ago, the holiday pub crawl where hundreds are dressed as santa. this different santa claus with a gun told the teller he needed money to pay his elves. the fbi says in 2011 the last year they compiled statistics,

5,000 banks and other financial institutions were robbed. the bandits took $38 million in all. you may be wondering of the $38 million that was stolen from banks in 2011, how much of it was recovered. answer, only about 20%. vic lee, abc 7 news. police in san jose are looking for a man accused in an attempted sexual assault. this is a sketch of the man. investigators say he approached a woman while she was walking, tried to get her to get in his car and physically assault her. it happened monday morning in the area of south 33rd street in east san fernando. the suspect was driving a four-door sedan with a silver grill. happening now, trees slowly sliding down a cliff at a popular walking trail in san francisco. sky 7 hd shows you the damage discovered this morning in land's end at the edge of the richmond district. this comes after all of these storms we've had. abc 7 news reporter wayne freedman is live there tonight

and wayne, federal geeologists are taking a look at what's happening there. >> reporter: the concern is that this ground is not yet saturated yet and still, it began to slide. that's over my shoulder, you will see the yellow police tape right there. nobody is calling this the end of the world at land's end but there is certainly a new very large crack in it. it finally happened. a sunny break from this rainy december. a chance to walk along the coast at land's end except for one very large problem. this landslide directly beneath the walkway. >> this is a pre-existing condition. >> reporter: dr. jonathan stock of the united states geological survey was an educated bystander at the golden gate recreational area as it closed off 1500 feet of trail due to the slide and danger from an overhanging tree. >> we are concerned the tree could potentially fall across the trail. >> reporter: an old trail, at that, one on which sutro once built a railroad here on the side of a ledge with a long

geologic history of sliding. >> there is a possibility they will see this small landslide migrate into the older bigger landslide. >> reporter: there is a detour from the other entrance. most visitors took it in stride, so to speak. >> i would say that they probably know what they're talking about. >> reporter: this section of trail will remain closed through the weekend. the park service says it will reassess after that. wayne freedman, abc 7 news. a second day of the so-called king tides bringing dangerous surf and rip currents to the bay area. san francisco saw its highest tides of the day this morning. king tides happen when the earth aligns with the moon and the sun and the oceans are pulled to the opposite sides of the earth. >> this comes on a day of recordbreaking holiday weather across the bay area. you know it's warm. the 67 degree high in san jose made for perfect conditions to visit christmas in the park. an hour away in san rafael,

another record. some folks took to wearing shorts. others just happy to be out and about in the warm weather doing that last minute shopping without rain. now to a live look outside. this is from the exploratorium camera. it's still warm out there in some places, just a few minutes ago, the beginning of the beautiful sunset. how long will the warm weather last? let's check in with abc 7 meteorologist sandhya patel outside checking it out. >> it's really just unbelievable here in the middle of winter, feels like spring. had seven record high temperatures today. let's take a look at live doppler 7 hd right now. you can see that fog and clouds are well away from the bay area and as you take a look at the highs, record highs, everyone there in the yellow with an asterisk is a new record for today. san francisco tied, 68 degrees. livermore with 70. oakland, 71. 69 at moffett field. 67, san rafael. sfo and san jose, 68 degrees.

felt more like spring than winter but we will get a reminder that it is winter starting tomorrow. i will let you know when the rain will move in coming up. cheryl? >> sandhya, thank you. a big change from the food and drug administration. the fda is now recommending an end to the country's three decade ban on blood donations from gay and bisexual men. but there are some conditions. abc 7 news reporter lyanne melendez live in san francisco to explain those restrictions as well as the city's efforts to overturn the ban. >> reporter: the blood centers called it a huge announcement. another organization thrilled by this change, of course, the american red cross, which said given what we know today, this lifetime ban is unwarranted. when people go to donate blood they are asked a series of questions. question number 35 is intended for male donors. it asks from 1977 to the present, have you had sexual

contact with another male, even once. if the answer is yes, the person is not allowed to donate blood. in other words, they are banned for life. but now the testing done in 2014 is so advanced that blood banks have argued there is no need for this blanket deferral. >> when somebody gets infected with hiv we can tell in a very short amount of time after the infection, about 10 to 14 days, that they are infected. >> reporter: some have criticized this policy calling it discriminatory against gays. the blood banks have called it unnecessary. the food and drug administration finally agreed but instead of lifting the ban completely, the revised policy states that gay or bisexual men must wait one year from the time they had sex with another man before they can donate blood. >> that's not reality. so effectively, this continues to ban most gay and bisexual men from donating blood. >> reporter: the new policy won't go into effect immediately.

first, the fda will present a draft guidance and then it will allow the blood banks to comment before the revised recommendations are put out. >> so it will take a period, i guesstimate, over six months or about six months before blood banks can actually change our procedures to allow just a one-year deferral instead of a permanent deferral. >> reporter: the blood centers of the pacific say it hopes the revised policy will eventually bring in more donors. right now, the centers rely on blood from other states to meet the demands of the bay area. lyanne melendez, abc 7 news. governor brown has named a former aide to be the next head of the troubled state public utilities commission. michael picker serves brown as an advisor on renewable energy. his appointment to the puc needs legislative approval still. picker would succeed michael peevey, who is at the center of allegations of back channel dealings between the state commission and pg & e. in san jose, police say

arson is suspected in three separate car fires. they happened within 90 minutes between 11:30 last night and 1:30 this morning. the first happened on baskin avenue. the second was a few blocks away on lee avenue. the third fire broke out on yorba buena road. there are new details tonight in the hunt for the killers of an english teacher in oakland. he was gunned down two days before thanksgiving while on an afternoon walk in huckleberry regional preserve in the oakland hills. at a morning news conference the east bay regional park police announced a reward for finding the killer has been increased to $25,000. a family friend read a message from the widow, nancy. >> david was a warm, kind and gentle man who was a teacher, an education journalist, a leader in his church and west oakland volunteer, helped so many people make better lives through education. >> investigators continue to

look for two people they are calling persons of interest. the man on the right, 6 feet, weighs about 240 pounds. the other man with dreadlocks i think we have the screen mixed up. the dreadlocks person in his late 20s or early 30s. a freeway memorial sign in oakland has been replaced after vandals defaced and tore it down. a restored sign was in memory of police officers killed in 2009. the keller avenue bridge was named for those officers. the chp posted a photo of the sign on facebook. the chp says cal trans worked all weekend to get the sign cleaned up and ready. the community is responding in a big way to help the family of a window washer who fell from the roof of a san francisco building. pedro perez survived an 11-story fall a month ago landing on a car. he's talking and eating but still has a long recovery ahead. his family launched a web page

for donations. ever since the launch they have raised more than $54,000, much of it in just the past 24 hours. they are going to need more so if you would like to help, please visit abc7news.com. holiday donations are down in napa. just ahead, how the august earthquake is affecting one of the largest charitable groups and how you can help. be smart if you buy a smart watch. 7 on your side's michael finney tells you how to get the most bang for your buck. i hope this very simple message from the heart of a mother -- >> the simple act in the bay area to honor victims of violence halfway around the world.

record-setting day for the dow. it finished above 18,000 for the first time. investors love new reports showing the economy expanding by the most in 11 years. this was the fifth day of gains on wall street. >> incredible. new at 5:00, some people who need the most help for the holidays may not get it. >> that's because donations for the salvation army are down in napa. remember august's devastating earthquake damaged homes and businesses and left a lot of folks in need. >> abc 7 news reporter nick smith explains what's being done. >> reporter: michael palmer stands outside this safeway store in napa hoping that by doing this, folks will drop more cash here. >> it's been a tough year because of the earthquake. people kind of have to hold back a little bit. >> reporter: the effects of the quake that hit napa in august are still being felt today. donations to the salvation army's red kettles are down more than $30,000 compared to the same time last year. still, demand for the services the organization provides has grown.

which is why they have let our cameras inside to show us the folks who benefit most when we give even a little. few people know that better than dallas vincent, now here as a volunteer this single mother of seven is just one of the hundreds who have come here at christmas time after having nowhere else to turn. >> it was truly a blessing because they brought toys to my house, they brought bags full of food. it was truly a blessing. >> reporter: overall contributions which include other forms of giving are off more than 18%. the salvation army hands out more than 100 meals to families throughout the year every day with their biggest push coming at christmas time. >> when they did receive those gifts, they were just wow, you know, santa claus is real, mommy. it just warmed my heart. it really did. >> reporter: the salvation army's red kettle program has operated each holiday season for 124 years. this year with fewer sites serving a community with a need as great as ever.

>> we do really need the donations. everything totally helps. everything that we receive all goes to the most needy. >> reporter: tomorrow will mark four months since napa was shaken awake by the earthquake. to show that santa is still running around the north bay, they need your donations. you can make a donation at the red kettle behind me at this safeway or you can go to our website, where i posted a link so you can make that tax deductible contribution. nick smith, abc 7 news. >> thank you so much. there's a lot of gratitude tonight to bay area rocker sammy hagar for quietly stepping up to help homeless young people in marin county. the group ambassadors of hope and opportunity told me they want to thank sammy personally on behalf of the mill valley program. the group helped homeless young people get off the streets and into housing, school, jobs and services. sammy made a generous donation which was matched by fellow rocker neil schoen of journey.

he invited other musicians to join him. >> it really touched me in my heart because it will definitely get the visibility that this project needs. >> it's a huge step in getting support from all sorts of different people in the community. >> the fact that they are rallying their musician friends to get behind our work, it's ten years old. this is a dream come true. >> ambassadors of hope and opportunity have to raise $20,000 in the next few weeks in order to have that money matched by two other donors. if you would like to join the effort, please log on to abc7news.com for a link. >> those guys are terrific to do that. you have probably heard the buzz about wearable technology these days, specifically the smart watches. >> are the new gadgets worth all the money? michael finney is here with the story. >> wearable tech. we are hearing about it all the time.

it is a fast-moving market that's constantly evolving. the consumer reports says the timing could be right this holiday season. having a smartphone means you can get calls just about anywhere. having a smart watch lets you see who's calling without even digging out your smartphone. for jesse, that means information at a glance. >> just really easy just to look at the watch and see the notification, see what time it is, see who is calling. >> know someone who likes to wear their data on their sleeves? consumer reports tested six new smart watches. they pair easily to your mobile device by bluetooth and alert you to phone calls and messages. to go beyond the basics, consider a watch that uses the android wear operating system. >> directions to consumer reports test labs. >> android wear is a real game changer. not only can you use voice commands to do searches but it's pushes relevant information to the watch. say you have a calendar appointment you set up. it will tell you what time to leave and how long it will take

to get there. >> reporter: the samsung gear live sells for $200. the easy to use color touch screen displays stock prices, weather and even your heart rate. this $230 lg g-watch is another good choice for android users. the touch screen is just as intuitive and it's rated excellent for scratch resistance. but for ios users, there really isn't an obvious choice in this batch. >> they are harder to operate because they are push button instead of touch screen and they are a little harder to see. i think what everyone is really anticipating is the apple watch. >> reporter: of course, some people are early adopters. the apple watch is due out in early 2015 and costs around $350. no, i do not have one. i'm getting asked on facebook, i'm getting e-mail. do you have one of those yet? no, no. >> why you holding out on us? >> nothing up your sleeve. thank you.

>> michael quelling the rumors. some cool blue skates was all one little girl needed to get around the rink at justin herman plaza in san francisco today. >> that's right. another person seemed to be more interested in his phone. either way, it will be a great day outdoors today. abc 7 meteorologist sandhya patel outside. you have been enjoying that as well. >> i have indeed. it will be hard coming back inside. it's beautiful out here. you can see for miles. fog is not a problem out here. it's really comfortable temperature-wise. let's check out live doppler 7 hd. we are in for some big changes tomorrow. we will talk about that in just a moment. right now, just watching clear skies across the bay area and that's why we don't have any delays to report at any local airports. but there is certainly flight delays back east so if you do have travel plans, keep in mind that weather and low ceilings are causing some delays out there. jfk, 39 minutes. when you take a look at newark,

126 minutes right now. beautiful view from the east bay hills camera. we are just getting the afterglow of the sunset right now. temperatures in the low 60s for san francisco. oakland, san jose. 68 still in redwood city. pretty mild. 57 in half moon bay. here is a clear view from the emeryville camera. temperatures right now in the 50s from napa to fairfield. 64, santa rosa. 61 in livermore. this view is going to look very different tomorrow as the rain moves in. cooler tomorrow afternoon with some showers. breezy to windy for christmas eve. we are looking at a sunny and cool christmas day. when you take a look at the pacific satellite picture, high pressure is what brought us the record warmth today. seven record high temperatures today, one was a tie in san francisco. six were new records for the day. quick burst of showers coming as the cold front slides through and here's a look at the computer animation. tomorrow morning, just patchy valley fog and cloud cover, then as we head towards the afternoon

hours, at noontime, the showers move into the north bay, sliding south by 2:00 p.m., then really in the south bay by 4:00 p.m., breezy to windy behind that front. in the evening hours, showers are gone. if you have last minute holiday shopping to do, tomorrow morning is your window. then you will have to carry the umbrella for the afternoon. the rain totals don't look impressive. .15 to .33 inch. by tomorrow evening, .10 to .15 inch of rain. if you are traveling to the tahoe area, keep in mind they are going to see some snow in the sierra tomorrow. winter weather advisory noon to 8:00 p.m. combine the snow with gusty winds and you are going to see blowing snow, reduced visibilities. make sure you have your chains and count on travel delays during this time. if i were you, i would head up there sooner. three to six inches at 4,000 feet, up to a foot at the crest. tomorrow morning, temperatures

start out on the cool side. mid 40s to low 50s. if you have to run out and get last minute stuff done, bundle up. for the afternoon, make sure you have your umbrellas. temperatures in the mid 50s to low 60s with showers around. accuweather seven day forecast, santa should have no problems on christmas eve delivering the gifts and on christmas day, bright and sunny. a little breezy. staying cool, 50s, 60s. sunshine for friday and saturday although it is going to be freezing cold in the morning. as we head towards early next week, it still remains dry in the accuweather seven day forecast. i know dan has a new bike coming from santa? >> yeah. bike or skateboard. not sure which it will be. >> you will get a chance to ride either one of those. >> i will be out peddling. no question. some big progress. a look from the air at how things are coming along on apple's new campus. new at 6:00, vandals strike an east bay christmas display. we will show you what some criminals did to several of these holiday figures.

it's been a week following the massacre of 140 children at a school in pakistan. this morning, a group gathered at mission san rafael for a candlelight vigil in honor of those young victims and prayed for peace. >> i hope that this very simple message from the heart of a mother, the simplicity of lighting a candle may bring forth light for children around the world and turn the seeds of terror into seeds of hope. >> she is urging other people across the world to participate. she wants them to keep the candles lit until the end of the year. leaders in afghanistan, rome, israel and gaza are vowing to join the campaign. an oakland man will spend the next 12 years in prison for his role in a home invasion robbery targeting a man who had just won big bucks at a local

casino. police say he and three other men went to the man's house in pleasanton. they had seen him win the money and followed him home. well, at the time, he was sleeping next to his bag of winnings. the other men will be sentenced next year. if you are taking a flight out of san jose tonight, please be prepared for big crowds because today is one of the busiest travel days there. one of the busiest times of the day to fly out is between 6:00 and 9:00 tonight. december 29th, 30th and january 4th are the airport's other three busiest days of the holiday season. good luck. construction is really moving along in cupertino this afternoon. we have video from a drone showing a construction progress at apple's new spaceship campus. you can see the massive parking structure and some other buildings starting to take shape there. a huge amount of work has gone into construction just over the last few months. well, it is a big job and fortunately, a lot of people are volunteering to do it.

>> everybody gets books. >> coming up, we go behind the scenes of the frenzy to get toys to kids who deserve it. hey mom, can i have a hot chocolate? ho ho ho... we'll all have hot cocoa! ma'am, need a strong pot of joe. the all new keurig 2.0.

are you giving out gift cards for the holidays? coming up tonight at 6:00, 7 on your side's michael finney and the gift card girlfriend. she says you don't have to give them to someone else. also, new at 6:00 tonight, some very young central american refugees who have now had their first taste of christmas in america. >> let's open it! and a couple of northern california kids who have become famous for their online toy reviews. that's all coming up in half an hour on abc 7 news at 6:00.

hard to believe christmas is just a couple of days away. but here's the good news. hundreds of san francisco families are getting some help putting little special things under the tree. >> yeah. the san francisco firefighters toy program really now in full swing. the toy program headquarters was packed this morning. families lined up to pick out presents. >> the program is run by the san francisco firefighters union local 798. it serves more than 40,000 disadvantaged families all year round but really busy during the holidays. >> this is why we do it. the smiles on these kids' faces and you know, just to give back to the community. >> there are still 1,000 families on the waiting list for toys so even though gifts are already being distributed for the holidays, donations are still welcome because there is still a couple days left. there is still time to help some of those families. >> you could take it to any fire department, they would take it to the fire station 798. thank you for doing that.

"world news tonight with david muir" is coming up next. >> we appreciate your time. welcome to "world news tonight." and breaking news. the reported tornadoes coming in at this hour. and we've just learned, they've been deadly. also, the interstates backed up in blinding snow in the middle of the country. and now, the new storm hitting the east. two planes colliding on the ground. someone carrying a piece of the plane. plus, a major security breach. the loaded guns smuggled onto planes right beside the passengers. they had no idea. late developments tonight. that movie that angered north korea will be seen here in america after all. the road rage caught on tape. two women in a car, the other driver, a woman in that pickup. and you will see what she's about to do. and the great made in america christmas. viewers to the rescue tonight. your one thing made in america. >> "world news tonight"?