warehouse that killed 30 people. let's go to laura anthony live at city hall with new revelations about what happened in the days leading up to the fire. laura? >> reporter: kristen, hi. we'll get to that in a moment. like many cities, oakland was hard hit during the recession. many positions were left unfilled. but now that the funding has returned, despite that, many of those positions, especially in fire prevention, are still vacant. it was a tragedy waiting to happen, say several people who have been inside narrow staircases that did not lead to access. 52 pianos, a building the oakland fire department did not regularly inspect, even though the ghost ship was a commercial building and those inspections were required by law. >> i don't have an answer to

that. that's why we have to look at what happened. >> reporter: oakland hasn't had a full-time fire marshal in the last five years. >> we need to examine our system and we're rebuilding and now we will continue to do that good work thoughtfully and prioritize the divisions that are necessary to ensure health and safety of the our citizens. >> reporter: with the atf and local fire officials trying to isolate the cause. >> we have a team coming in tomorrow that is going to do the very detailed computer sized diagram so we'll at least be phere for another few days. >> reporter: in the meantime, we continue to hear from people who lived and worked inside the

warehouse. tonight at 6:00, you'll hear from a man who said as recently as last week, a county agency was inside the coast ship and there was a small fire inside that building that he helped put out. in oakland, laura anthony, abc 77 news. >> laura, thank you. last night, some of the survivors had dinner with the artist collective founder, derick almena and his wife. they gathered at the denny's in oakland. the group reportedly went to the red cross to pick up clothes after eating. >> an investigation into the ghost ship fire continues. >> several spoke at a city council committee meeting on illegal living spaces. >> eric thomas is live outside of san francisco's museum of modern art with the story. eric?

>> tonight from 6:00 to 9:00, they expect a considerable number of oakland artist communities, grieving artists to attend tonight. meantime, some of the same artists today were trying to make sure that a backlash doesn't occur and leave them without a place to live. >> the evictions that are happening to those need to stop today. >> we need to put a moratorium on red tagging and need to provide amnesty for building owners and landlords so they are not so worried. >> but worry is what is facing artists right now. matt ran for city council in the last election and says the ghost ship disaster weighs on them all. >> we are heartbroken and don't have a chance to grieve because

our homes are at stake. >> reporter: he was invited to the ill-fated party but couldn't go because of back problems. he lost five friends in the deadly fire but the loss is causing him and others to launch an effort to make such places safer. >> collecting money for fire extinguishers, for alarms, for our exit signs and giving a few walk-throughs as we speak to ensure people's safety. >> a converted warehouse with the unfortunate name death trap in oakland to make sure it doesn't live up to that name. meantime, the city will have to beef up its regulation. >> we have dropped the ball when it comes to safety on the street as well as safety in your living quarters. >> reporter: his ultimate goal, recover that fumble. eric thomas, abc 7 news.

there was tremendous grief during a vigil today at uc berkeley honoring the fire victim who is had ties to the cal community. four victims worked at the campus radio station and today the university came together to console those affected by this tragedy. >> i didn't know if i could speak at this vigil but i felt that i had to, to honor my daughter and what she means to me. >> she went to the ghost ship with her roommate 20-year-old jennifer morris from foster city. she also died. >> stories of love and light are shining through. >> sometimes miracles do happen. >> reporter: she was looking for a facebook miracle, a picture of her with boyfriend griffin

madden, a treasured memory from a trip to times square. madden did not survive the ghost ship fire. days after her heartfelt plea, a message of hope from the photographer who took this picture. he posted it to her page writing, miracles happen. he said he remembered the pretzel in her hand, the lipstick on his cheek. she remembered it this way, writing on facebook, the lights filled my heart with excitement. the massive number of people energized every fiber of my being and right beside me was my best friend, my brightest love. saya loved griffin openly and endlessly from the moment she laid her eyes on him as a freshman at uc berkeley. a love captured in these pictures. >> it's going to take a while. it really is. >> reporter: a co-worker is also taking solace in his memories. >> his reputation preceded him coming into the store and when he finally showed up, it's all

true. >> reporter: attorney and m.i.t. graduate nick walrath was respected by his friends and colleagues. "in the short time he had been at our firm, nick already had shown himself to be a fine lawyer as well as a good and caring person." >> lovers, family, friends, everybody is torn apart by this. >> reporter: pain eased in part by an outpouring of support and a sincere request fulfilled. melanie woodrow, abc 7 news. >> our coverage continues at abc7news.com and we'll continue to send alerts through the abc 7 news app when new information is released. a shooting killed a 16-year-old boy. an 18-year-old driver lost control of his bmw sedan on the expressway this morning, spun out and slammed into a guardrail. authorities say the driver had

just picked up his 16-year-old after seeing his friend skateboarding in the rain. the driver suffered a head injury but will survive. this blocked a southbound lane and shut down all northbound lanes. twice as many calls about traffic flooding and spinouts have been received on rainy day like this. there was some flooding this morning. chp says if you start to hydroplane, let your vehicle coast until you can regain traction. well, it was hard to stay dry without an umbrella today. abc 7 news was in the civic center plaza as the rain kept coming down. meteorologist sandhya patel has that forecast. >> we're showing you some areas of showers. it's very light. i'll close in on where we are

seeing rain. lafayette, walnut creek, danville boulevard, wet roadways. and around san francisco, sunset district, ocean avenue, you can see spotty showers around half moon bay. we are seeing some wet roadways on main street and as we head up towards the north, really isolated in nature, right around san rafael area, rainfall totals about an inch in san francisco. only the rain shadow in santa cruz and three quarters of an inch. and the storm impact scale is light. scattered light showers, less than a quarter of an inch. no flooding is expected. our hour by hour timeline is coming up next. there was a third sexual battery incident in san jose in the last week. lonni has pictures of what

police want you to see. >> reporter: that's right. one person is tied to two of these attacks. we noticed beefed-up presence in duncan hall where the latest one happened. meantime, students are doing what they can to take precautions by traveling in groups. san jose state students head to class after learning of several sexual battery attacks on campus. three in the past week. a campus official tells us two of the cases have the same suspect. >> my class is at 8:30 i finish but my sister ends at 9:00 so i wait for her. >> reporter: the latest attack happened on wednesday at 1:00 in the afternoon. police say a male suspect sexually battered a female on the stairwell at duncan hall. then ran up the stairs. >> i'll be more alert and also

carry pepper spray. >> a male in his 20 was is the suspect with black, spiky hair. >> this man holding a skateboard is a suspect in another attack on monday afternoon. detectives say he followed a female into the student union and sexually battered her. many of the students we talked to learned of the recent attacks by text alerts or e-mails on their smartphones. >> also texts us, so it's convenient. >> a man was wearing dark clothing and a backpack. in san jose, lonni rivera, abc 7 news. both loosening and tghtening the leash. new dog walking rules could probably frustrate just about everyone. plus, redefining the skyline of san francisco.

the skyscraper some say are creating a gateway to china. plus, sex, flirting and uber. where it can get you banned if you use the ride hailing service. and many of us are cranking up the heat but it may be drying out your skin. i know about that firsthand. there is a stand back, ya hear! breakout the syrup because denny's new fluffier, tastier, better rudolph pancakes are here for the holidays.

officials broke ground today for san francisco's second tallest buildings, dwarfed only by the salesforce tower. it's one block away from the millennium tower but will be spared the controversy. abc 7 news reporter vic lee has the story. >> reporter: oceanwide holdings group is building a smaller hotel residential highrise.

>> our vision for real estate development is creating a new urban life. >> reporter: the project at first and mission stands like a glass building. mayor ed lee negotiated with the developers for much more than the center itself. >> the developers agreed to provide over $140 million worth of housing. immediately within the mile of this project site. >> reporter: plus, a third of all the units and the residential complex itself will be affordable housing. the ocean wide center is near millennium tower, the high rise which has unexpectedly sunk two inches. a supervisor's committee voted to ask the board to subpoena a berkeley engineer who reviewed the tower's design before it was deemed structurally safe. >> during the investigations that we have done to date, knowing what he knew is key to

this investigation. >> reporter: the millennium towers foundation are built into dense sand but not into bedrock. the new oceanwide center will go all the way into bedrock. >> in fact, i think it will be the deepest of all of the bedrock to make sure it's stable. >> reporter: completion date of the 2 million square foot complex, 2019. vic lee, abc 7 news. tesla now has the green light to move ahead on a major expansion. fremont's mayor signed a resolution allowing tesla to almost double the size of the already giant factory to nearly 10 million square feet, if you can believe it. tesla says it needed more space after receiving reservations for the sports sedan earlier this year. a reprieve for now for an iconic gay bar in san franciso. a new collective will take ownership and it's received a new two-year lease.

they have stepped forward to take over after the owner announced his plans to close it. they are now working to solidify a new home with a long-term lease for this venue. uber is sending a message today to its passengrs, follow rules or get banned. there are a list of guidelines which spell out what uber considers good and bad behavior. the list is raising eyebrows, among other things, it tells passengers it's not cool to have sex or vomit in the back of a car. here are a few other notable behaviors. vandalizing the car, not good. representing the driver, good. flipping the bird, not good. and carrying a gun, you can probably guess that. not good. >> these seem more universal than just applying to uber. >> commonsense, pretty much. well, our cold weather has folks thinking about buying a humidifier. >> oh, yes. 7 on your side michael finney is

here with what works. i'm getting so many paper cuts because i'm so dry. >> colder air brings chapped lips and dry skin. a humidifier might help but there are a lot of choices. consumer reports looked at humidifiers and here are the ratings. every year, as colder weather hits, alex joyce breaks out several humidifiers. >> it would bring it to a more comfortable humidity in the room and i'd wake up in the morning and not have dry sinuses and dry lips. >> reporter: consumer reports just tested more than tie wi humidifiers. there is an ultra sonic and vaporizr types which emit steam. >> winter comes, you put your heating system on, the air dries out. you want to know how much humidity you can put back into the room. >> reporter: test results also looked at features, noise levels

and how easy it is to clean. consumer reports tests found bacteria can grow in every type of humidifier but some are better than others at keeping it out of the air. >> reporter: we found that the evaporative type will not put the bacteria back into the air. this one at wall greens is a good choice for a medium size room and costs just $32. keep in mind, they are noisier because of the fan. if you would prefer a quieter humidifier, consider an ultra sonic. this cvs brand is just $30. now, no matter which type you choose, the safe approach is to rinse and dry it out every day. and follow the manufacturer's instructions on how to disinfect the tank. every year, we have problems with this. so --

>> uh-huh. maybe water your plants or something like that. >> there you go. >> it won't go to waste. and speaking of the cold and the rain -- >> yeah, let's talk to meteorologist sandhya patel. the rain came down. >> it did indeed. at times this morning, it was just downpours. as you look at live doppler 7, the rain has eased up but it's still wet. let's close in on san francisco. you'll notice very light showers around the richmond district and also around the bay shore. we're looking at the east bay street level radar is wet as we head towards the san mateo coast and around half moon bay. you'll notice main street and take it easy. visibility is low which makes it rough for the evening commute. this is what you'll encounter if you step out to run errands.

upper upper 50s to low 60s. golden gate bridge camera, looks like ornaments on a tree, doesn't it? temperatures mostly in the 50s and 60s although fairfield is at 48 degrees. here's another view from our emeryville camera. the traffic is a mess because of the wet roads and evening mess. next system is friday night into saturday and more storms are coming in next week. first thing tomorrow morning, upper 40s to mid-50s. a comfortable start for the afternoon. scattered showers, mid-50s to the low 60s. we bring in the storm impact scale as we head into saturday. we do have a 1. it's a light system but it will bring early morning downpours. gusts at 25 to 35 miles an hour during the morning hours and scattered afternoon showers. your entire saturday is not going to be a washout. here's your hour by hour look. tonight at 7:00, there will be wet roadways out there. 11:00 p.m., a few showers

continue. morning commute will include scattered showers between 5:00 and 8:00 a.m. nothing like today but it will be wet. as you grab lunch perhaps around noon to 3:00, showers as well for the evening commute. and nthen the next system comes in around 3:00 a.m. on south bay, santa cruz mountains, it's coming down hard. the heaviest rain will be gone. 10:00 a.m., pockets of rain in the south bay. scattered showers for our saturday afternoon into the early evening hours. rainfall totals could be about an inch. and if you're going to the game, jets and niners, it's going to

be dry. bright but cool. 1 on the impact scale for tomorrow. dry on sunday and mostly monday. a couple more systems, tuesday is wet and windy, wet and breezy on wednesday and thursday. it is showing some potential gusty winds you can also track all of the storms. kristen and dan, possible push alerts. >> this looks like a rainy season. >> it does. but it's not a gauge of what is to come. >> that's true. we have a long way to go. >> thank you. since jurassic park

dog owners are disappointed with a new set of rules. they will slash 90% of the area

where they are allowed to walk the dogs without a leash. there is a new on-leash dog walking loop in marine county. the ggrna said something had to be done to address problems, some of which have been dangerous. >> a dog got stranded on a cliff. >> the dog owner went after it and got stranded and a good samaritan went to help so not necessarily a confrontation but it involved a rescue with three law enforcement agencies. >> these rules take effect in 30 days. the scientific world is buzzing about an extraordinary fine. this is a dinosaur tail. a palentoligist says it was the

size of a sparrow and think it got stuck in tree sap and never got out. it's closely related to the t-rex. >> that is fascinating. >> and it's the perfect emcasement. >> that's right. how this skydiver is bringing excitement, joy

of reach for far too long:s have health insurance.that's been out how? they enrolled through covered california. it's the health insurance marketplace where you'll find a range of plans from leading health insurance companies that offer you the best combination of quality, rates, and benefits. and, through covered california, you may get financial help to pay for coverage. to have health insurance starting january 1st, you need to enroll by december 15th.

visit covereca.com today. i'm ama daetz. at 6:00, we'll take you to oakland for an update on the warehouse fire investigation. what you're being asked to do to help the local artist community. a procedure that can take away the effects of a disabling disease in just hours. you'll meet a bay area man and the difference it's made in his life. and classic games, play against your friend and win money without doing anything illegal. that's coming up in half an hour at 6:00. dan, kristen? >> ama, thanks. we'll see you then. a parachuting father is

trying to give his kids a good christmas. >> he and his fellow skydivers were greeted by a cheering crowd of children who used to live in this area before the town was destroyed. santa then proceeded to give each child a gift. >> boy, that's sweet. isn't it? >> yes. finally, holiday lights are shining light at a napa man's home thanks to the help of the police department. >> every year, people would drive by just to see the decorations. this year, the owner was unable to decorate it because of health reasons. >> so the police department dispatchers and families stepped in to put up his decorations for him while he's in the hospital. they are wishing him a speed recovery. >> i'm kristen sze. >> and i'm dan ashley. we appreciate your time. >> our next newscast is at 6:00

p.m. we leave you with these pictures in san francisco. tonight, this country celebrates an american hero. we learned late today, astronaut and senator john glenn has died. >> godspeed, john glenn. >> the first american astronaut to orbit the earth. tonight, in his own words. also breaking tonight, the winter storms hitting now. the driving has turned deadly. the pileups across several states. the images coming in. up to 70 cars involved in just one chain reaction crash. as we come on, new reporting tonight after two police officers are targeted, both of them shot. and now word, the second officer has died. was it excessive force? the student with the knife and the officer who then fired the shot. tonight, some asking, did he have another option? and holiday shoppers, beware tonight. the lawsuit breaking as we come on.