nor were these elves. but if you were among those who did come here expecting reindeer and residual cheer -- [ chanting ] >> reporter: -- you got a bonus of sorts. >> racism is a disease that perpetuates our institutions and our minds and our communities. trying to get a disease out isn't always a pleasant process. >> reporter: to date, that process utilized free speech in a public arena. zealous demonstrators protesting police violence against african americans to a ready-made crowd. but was this ready-made crowd ready for this? here, today? >> i only have a few days off out of the year. this is one of my days off. so i think i would rather not have a demonstration. christmas should be sacred. >> every 28 hours a black person is killed by a police officer. is that sacred? >> i think it should be sacred. i don't think we should have demonstrations today. >> reporter: a wish is not a command. we should note that as demonstrations go, this one remained orderly and respectful. the only destruction, if any, to

those warm remnants of christmas feelings. mission accomplished, the protesters told us. >> this is a small tarnishing compared to a body of a loved one laying in the street for four and a half hours. >> reporter: there you have it. the day after christmas in union square. you can't always get what you want. even when someone else insists it's really what you need. >> a huge point of this movement is to disrupt. >> reporter: can a cause and christmas co-exist? >> not really. >> reporter: from union square, wayne freedman, abc 7 news. the wife of a police officer in the bay area is taking to facebook saying she fears protesters will attack her or her family. kgo radio reports she posted you thug, we are ready for you, bought thousands of rounds this weekend. she wants to remain anonymous. >> we are all on heightened awareness. i now have a guard dog in my yard. i have my own gun. our alarm system, our lighting on the exterior of our home, are

all things we now pay very close attention to. i am perfectly comfortable with a firearm and i will use it if my life is threatened or i have a strong perception of the fact that my life is being threatened. >> her threats are similar to what's going on right now in san jose. police are investigating officer phil white. city activists are demanding he be fired after they say he appeared to threaten protesters on twitter. a mountain lion sighting has people in hillsborough on high alert today. residents heard screeching outside their home at 1:00 this morning on el cerrito avenue less than two blocks from an elementary school. when officers checked it out at 8:00 a.m., they found a mauled deer carcass on a property next to san mateo creek. homeowners say they were awakened the moment the big cat attacked. >> we heard a very large thump on our roof. >> then all of a sudden, we heard this loud screechy-scream, high-pitched screech-scream, very shattering. >> it was a mauling of sorts.

we could hear that something was in peril. >> animal control and wildlife officials have been contacted. happening now in san francisco, police are clearing out a building that was home to an illegal marijuana growing operation. the building near eighth in the south of market area. this bust started as a trespassing call. the owner of the vacant building was there and called police when he heard someone inside. officers have removed some 300 plants. they tell us the growers had illegally patched into the power supply. in san rafael, one person is hurt after their car crashed into a vacant building. the san rafael fire department posted this picture of the crash on twitter. here's a look at the damage from the other side. the car has now been towed away but you can see all the damage left behind. it was a real mess. happened about 2:00 this afternoon at third and brooks street not far from the kaiser permanente medical center. witnesses tell us they think the

driver accidentally hit the gas instead of the brakes. we are learning just how expensive yesterday's fire in san francisco was. the fire in protrero hill destroyed two homes just after 6:30 christmas morning on mississippi street near 18th. it took four hours to contain the fire. investigators today say the total damage estimate is $2.6 million. >> sonoma county is issuing a code blue. officials are asking homeless agencies to expand beds and open warming facilities because of the cold temperatures coming. abc 7 news meteorologist drew tt tuma has more on this. drew? >> temperatures will get very close to the freezing mark tonight. live doppler 7 hd will show you we are not tracking any weather worries in the form of precipitation. it's a clear sky overhead. but the clear sky will really help to cool us off rapidly overnight. cold night on the way. you see a frost advisory in effect including fairfield and

vallejo overnight for 9:00 a.m. tomorrow morning, where temperatures drop into the mid 30s and a freeze warning in effect just to our south. that begins at midnight. temperatures will get to about 32 degrees. i will let you know how high we rebound saturday afternoon when i see you with the full accuweather seven day forecast in a few minutes. >> drew, thanks a lot. this is being called a minor flood. sonoma county officials say damage from a storm that slammed downtown hillsberg earlier this morning pales in comparison to past floods. there is an estimated $9 million in damage, not enough for government assistance. in marin or san mateo county, you can request tax relief from the state board of equalization. we all know how much we need the rain we have been getting. but the runoff it has created has forced the cancellation of an annual post-holiday environmental program. christmas trees have been brought to local lakes and recycled as reefs for fish. the most recent effort to create a tree reef was at quarry lake

regional recreation area in fremont. you can see the lakes here from sky 7 hd. reefs were also created in castro valley. that's where abc 7 news reporter nick smith spent much of the day. >> what we do is use unsold christmas trees that get donated to the parks and we create reefs out of the trees. >> reporter: that's right. dumped christmas trees are a gift for fish and the ecosystem. these pictures are from previous reef buildouts. this year, mother nature has put the brakes on east bay regional parks holiday tradition. >> this year the water level is already so high we didn't need to put in reefs. there actually was very little room to put reefs in. >> reporter: you don't have to look far to see what he's talking about. today made for a perfect day of fishing and reefs put in place over the years are a big reason why. >> the water's coming over reefs that we created years ago that have never even seen water. fish are biting now but it hasn't always been the case. last year, the donation of more than 1,000 unsold christmas trees by east bay tree vendors

was repurposed as reefs. this underwater video shows how the fish quickly took residence among the newly installed christmas trees. making today's catch particularly special for fishermen like dmitry who, with patience and a steady hand, has dinner in the bag. but 5-year-old kate may have to wait awhile. >> sometimes you don't have any fish at all. the point is i come out, enjoy the day, have fun and that's what it's all about. >> what you will see is the most full it's probably been in the last five to six years. >> reporter: this is the view from sky 7 hd. reefs have created the perfect environment for habitat. algae will grow on the tree reefs below, bugs will eat the algae, fish will eat the bugs, bigger fish eat smaller fish, then, well, this. an osprey getting in on the act with a rainbow trout caught in his talons. in castro valley, nick smith, abc 7 news.

>> not crazy about that sweater you got yesterday? today is one of the most popular days to return gifts. the lines were very long at the shopping malls. abc 7 news reporter matt keller was in san jose, where stores opened up earlier than normal. >> reporter: did you get everything you wanted for christmas? your favorite stores are hoping your disappointment turns into their opportunity. retailers are expecting $65 billion worth of returns and exchanges today. >> i'm exchanging some things i bought online. >> reporter: wrong sizes? >> wrong sizes. >> reporter: stores in the south bay opened early this morning. macy's stores opened at 6:00 a.m. the rest of the mall at 8:00 a.m. this year, the day after christmas is expected to be the second busiest shopping day of the year, right behind super saturday. you get everything you wanted for christmas? >> absolutely. >> reporter: why were you here this early in the morning? >> because you got to get extra goodies. you are extra good. you have to get extra stuff. >> reporter: good deals? >> yeah. i got a pair of boots and i got some sheets and they are going to be nice. >> reporter: the number one present under the tree this year, gift cards.

$32 billion worth. with today's big discounts, your money will go further, but not everyone here was shopping for themselves. some today told me they still have some christmas gifts to buy. you waited until the last minute on christmas eve to get presents. >> that's exactly what i did. but the stores were all closed. i didn't get my friend her gift and i feel bad. >> reporter: today you are trying to make up for it? >> i'm making up for it. >> reporter: she doesn't realize you didn't have the gift before christmas? >> unless she's watching abc 7. >> reporter: then it's bad news for you. better be a good gift. >> i hope so. >> reporter: what are the best deals today? forbes.com says you can find the biggest bargains on clothes and housewares. matt keller, abc 7 news. it's been a holly jolly holiday season for retailers. mastercard reports sales jumped 5.5% since black friday compared to last year. sales of women's clothes were especially strong, as were furniture and jewelry. small retailers we talked with

along san francisco's post street also saw very strong sales. >> we definitely had people coming in buying a lot of higher end items. a lot of our designer purses, a lot of our jewelry. >> we tend to stay busy for christmas. it's almost literally to the first week in january. people seem to get cash for gifts and hopefully they will be here buying jackets. >> interestingly, this year's sales of electronics stayed flat but spending on casual dining and lodging went up. mastercard says that means people prefer to spend money on experiences instead of merchandise. a bay area woman is at the heart of a white house controversy. coming up, the president's recent visit to san francisco and the possible safety threats posed by people behind the wheel in his motorcade. also ahead here, fashion philanthropy and the east bay native leaving a legacy of giving. >> i didn't ever think that it would come this far. roadster retrofit. how elon musk is retooling his

favorite car. the next space flight could be notable for not just the takeoff but for the landing. how this butterfly could get

napa and solano county residents who experienced damage from the quake last august have until 6:00 p.m. monday to register for federal assistance. fema has already served 2500 people in the area. it provides grants for homeowners and renters to pay mortgages and rent, essential home repairs and other disaster related needs not covered by insurance. christmas has come and gone but there is still a great way to give back this holiday season. it's a charity run by teenagers for teenagers.

abc 7 news reporter elissa harrington has more on their mission to help underprivileged youth. >> reporter: 17-year-old riley sorts out shirts and other items of clothing from boxes of donations stacked in her parents' garage. the san ramon valley high school senior runs the nonprofit run closet, a charity that collects gently used clothing for low income teenagers, many in foster homes and homeless shelters. >> we have clothes for every day, mostly, and we also have business professional because part of like giving to these kids that are in need is giving them confidence, especially to go out and get a job or college interview or whatever. it was really sad for me to hear they only get hand-me-down clothes or that little amount of money to spend. that's really not enough these days. >> reporter: laura graham from oakland started the charity with her mom four years ago when she learned many foster children only get $200 a year for clothes. she passed the torch to riley when she went to college. >> there are so many clothes that i don't wear and my friends

don't wear that we can just do small donations and help them one time and it ended up people really wanted to help. i ended up just starting an organization to help. >> reporter: the two girls met while collecting prom dresses at a charity event. both love clothes and the idea of teens helping other teens. since riley took the reins she teamed up with hyatt house which is now the main dropoff site. the response has been so great, things like this come in twice a week. they have collected more than 40,000 garments but there is still plenty of demand. they need boys' clothing and girls' shirts and pants in large sizes. if you can help, head to abc7news.com where there is a link how to get involved. elissa harrington, abc 7 news. authorities in monterey county are looking for a jail inmate who escaped from custody on christmas day. they say 23-year-old freddy swanson climbed a ventilation

duct, punched through a window and jumped to freedom. he may have injured himself in the process. he has been held in the medium security dorm of the county jail. he was in custody for narcotics and firearm related violations and was awaiting sentencing when he got loose. a peninsula lawmaker is calling for ignition locks for all dui offenders in california. state senator jerry hill will introduce that legislation on monday. the device would be installed inside the car and act as a breathalyzer for repeat offenders. the engine will not start if it detects a blood alcohol level exceeding the legal limit. national security concerns tonight involving a 24-year-old oakland woman. natalie tyson drove in president obama's motorcade during his october visit to the bay area. a "new york times" article suggests tyson had no formal training for such a task. she did, however, have a friend working at the white house who requested her help driving some of the president's entourage. tyson posted these photos to her facebook page with a comment

wondering why anyone would trust her with a 15 passenger van full of reporters. the secret service told the "times" it has relied on volunteers since the '80s to drive reporters and staff driving with the president. critics warn this poses a serious safety threat. coming up on "world news tonight with david muir" in half an hour the secret service defends this motorcade practice. here what they told tyson moments before she got behind the wheel. owners of one particular tesla car get an unexpected gift this holiday season. the first 2500 owners of the roadster will soon receive a free upgrade nearly doubling the car's range. tesla founder elon musk say the company plans to test the range by driving it nonstop from san francisco to los angeles early next year. the palo alto based company says its popular model s will receive the mileage upgrade eventually but not any time soon. meantime, tesla founder elon music says his other company, spacex, will attempt a difficult landing in early january.

multi-stage rockets spend their fuel and dump their lower sections but spacex wants to keep the lower stage of its falcon 9 rocket. that section is 14 stories tall and will be climbing at a speed of nearly a mile per second. now spacex plans to land it standing right up on a barge floating in the ocean. the target is just 30 feet wide. that target will be moving since it's a floating barge, obviously. at best spacex estimates it has a 50/50 shot of pulling off this landing. be the first to collect a winter butterfly and a uc davis professor will spring for a pitcher of beer. the cabbage white species is one of the first to emerge in late winter in sacramento and solano counties. arthur shapiro who works in the department of evolution and ecology is hosting the 42nd annual beer for a butterfly contest to bring attention to the insect. the first person to collect a

live cabbage white in 2015 and bring it to shapiro gets some brew. i will get my net. >> somewhere else on the planet somebody gets a beer. this was a great day outside. little bit chilly to go return holiday shopping. >> let's check in with meteorologist drew tuma. seen any butterflies up there? >> no, but we have something we need to do now. get a free beer. if you're going to be out and about, grab the jacket. the sun has set, the winds are picking up. you see the flags over my shoulder. it's bringing a wind out of the north-northeast. that will bring cool temperatures. live doppler 7 hd is nothing but clear skies, quiet. we will take you live outside the east bay hills camera. this is just a beautiful shot. the golden gate bridge, alcatraz in the foreground, just really nice sunset colors capping off a really quiet week around here. patchy frost overnight, the call from the forecast. seasonably cool days this weekend and that storm door that really opened up for the first

half of december is going to stay shut the next week, really dry conditions on the way. right now, temperature wise, down to 57 in san francisco. 50 in novato. 53 san ramon. 52 livermore. 53 san jose. right now, half moon bay along the coast checking in at 50 degrees. satellite and radar, here's the setup. we are tracking a lot of high pressure around us. when you get high pressure, you get dry quiet conditions but also cooler winds out of the north. it will be cool and dry over the weekend. you see the storm just to the left of your screen. that's well north of the region. it's a quiet pattern into the weekend. the forecast animation will take you into saturday morning. tons of sunshine to start off the day. cool temperatures. as we go into the afternoon, some high clouds will stream in, in and out. call it a veil of cloud cover overhead. plenty of sunshine to start off the weekend. tonight we have clear skies and it will allow us to see a cool image in the sky. the international space station will actually fly over the bay area starting at 6:36 p.m. right on the dot.

it will be visible for five minutes. look to the northwestern sky and what you are going to look for, it looks like a bright star moving very quickly. the international space station actually moves at 18,000 miles per hour. so take a look up to the skies tonight. it will be a cool sight. overnight lows, cold in the north. 33 in napa. 39 san rafael. 39 richmond. dropping to 44 in san francisco. 37 in san jose. 37 in vallejo, where we do have the frost advisory in effect early tomorrow morning. highs for saturday, south bay 58. santa clara, 57. san jose, 58. sunnyvale. 57 san mateo. downtown san francisco, getting to a high of 57 degrees. north bay, 56. petaluma, 53. clear lake, 57. sonoma, 55 for vallejo. 58 in oakland tomorrow afternoon. 57, newark. 58 for fremont. 54 in pittsburg. 56, san ramon. 54 for brentwood. the accuweather seven day forecast, a frosty start tomorrow. cold start and sunny for sunday. monday, you see the pattern

continues. cold and sunny, a bit colder on tuesday as temperatures dip into the low 50s. wednesday, we are dry for new year's eve. welcome to 2015. very seasonable and sunny. the next seven days, we are not tracking any measurable rainfall across the bay area. >> drew, thanks very much. up next, better battery. now that the tech toys are open, michael finney reveals which batteries last the longest. a lot of frustrated shoppers today. long lines and questions from the not so techie people who got high tech gifts.

b.a.r.t. is extending service until 3:00 a.m. on new year's eve. trains will run every 20 minutes after midnight. there will also be extra trains in downtown san francisco after the fireworks show. new year's eve revelers can ride free on sam trans. free rides will begin at 8:00 p.m. and last until 5:00 a.m.

new year's day. with all the electronic gizmos these days, christmas presents often mean batteries. consumer reports is partnering exclusively with 7 on your side for a report on which aas last the longest. here's michael finney with the story. >> reporter: want to shine this holiday season? keep your electronics up and running with a hefty supply of batteries. your kids will be your biggest fans. >> we have so many toys with batteries, we are constantly changing batteries all the time. >> reporter: you could spend a bundle on batteries and still wind up with duds so consumer reports put 15 aa batteries to the test. both lithium and alkaline to help you get the most for your money. in the lab, batteries are connected to machines which cycle them on and off over and over, simulating use in toys and flashlights. the most expensive alkaline tested, panasonic digital power, came in last. with the top two performers you get almost two hours more power.

both are lithium. the energizer ultimate lithium and the energizer advanced lithium. but they cost more than $2 per battery. for people who i don'tuse a lot batteries, they found some good less expensive options. >> lithiums last a long time but you will pay a lot more for them. plus, we found some long-lasting alkalines and they cost a lot less. >> reporter: the duracell quantum aa alkaline batteries give you almost the same amount of hours in both flashlights and toys as the top-rated lithiums for about $1 each. the kirkland signature aas from costco are the biggest bargain at just 27 cents each. they kept up with the duracells in toy tests and gave up less than half an hour of use in flashlights. both will keep you rolling along for less. >> to make batteries last longer, store them in a cool dry place. i'm michael finney, 7 on your side. still ahead, the future of

the 49ers and the embattled coach, jim harbaugh. >> what he is saying at what may be his last news conference wearing red and gold. female announcer: during sleep train's hugeom foyear end clearance sale,s! get beautyrest, posturepedic, even tempur-pedic mattress sets at low clearance prices. save even more on floor samples, demonstrators, and closeout inventory. plus, free same-day delivery, set-up, and removal of your old set. why wait for the new models? sleep train's year end clearance sale is on now!

...guaranteed! ♪ your ticket to a better night's sleep ♪

coming up on abc 7 news at 6:00, the holiday hack affecting gamers and its possible connection to that huge sony hack over "the interview" movie. what we have learned tonight. plus the warning from police. what you throw out is just as tempting for thieves as what's left at your front door. and when you have lost your right to sue. the agreements you made you might not be aware of. michael finney has a look at your rights. those stories and more coming up at 6:00. this weekend, the 49ers hope to finish off what many view as a disappointing season with a win. >> yeah. it was kind of a downer. the team hosts the arizona cardinals at levi's stadium sunday afternoon. the first year at the new stadium has been a letdown. >> the niners only have three wins at home this season. for players battling for their

spot on the team next year, sunday's game is important. >> however, coach jim harbaugh today refused to address his own status next year. >> we plowed that ground very thoroughly. what will happen, will happen. what will not happen, won't happen. >> he has one year left on his five-year deal, but jay glazer of fox sports reported last week the team will fire harbaugh 24 to 48 hours after sunday's game. harbaugh's alma mater, michigan, reportedly offered him a six-year, $48 million contract. he will also have no shortage of suitors in the nfl. >> that's true. tomorrow on abc 7, you can watch miami and south carolina in the duck commander independence bowl live from shreveport, louisiana tomorrow afternoon at 12:30 here on abc 7. all leading up to the national championship game on espn january 12th. "world news tonight with david muir" is next. i'm katie marzullo. >> i'm dan ashley. thanks so much for watching.

we appreciate your time. welcome to "world news tonight." fallen hero. a tearful tribute for the police officer ambushed on the job. thousands line the streets as hundreds of cops fly from across the country to bear witness. tonight, the new arrests and the new threats. the comeback, "the interview." the movie that triggered a hack attack on sony. playing to packed houses, and two popular gaming systems under so many christmas trees caught in the cyber crossfire. is this the new battle front? unhappy returns, americans flooding stores with $65 billion worth of unwanted presents. the surprising deals. and why walmart wants your gift cards tonight. and christmas miracle. a mother and child reunion with the hero cops that helped