capital firm, he says the company will benefit from his being mayor. >> as the mayor, i have taken a leave of absence, the mayor is not allowed to have any employment. >> reporter: interim mayor mark ferrell says that he's taken a leave of absence from his technology company. in further proof that he means it, ferrell signed this agreement initiated by his firm and sent to the city attorney, that he was officially on leave, he would not receive any compensation and he would not perform any job duties. but now this letter has surfaced, a confidential letter written by the company's director. for rel's 4 1/2 years of mayor will inyour to the long-term

benefit of the company. we spoke to some who wondered if this was a conflict of interest? >> the first thing i thought is that there should be an investigation into the validity of what was outlined. >> reporter: we asked mayor ferrell if he had seen the letter before it was sent? >> i didn't see it before it was sent. i understand why it was sent, my partner said it was to assure our investors that after i am no longer mayor returning. >> traperhaps it was a poor cho of words. >> reporter: the letter does not look good, but it is no smoking gun. vic lee, abc7 news. >> so far fayette ventures have not returned your calls requesting an interview. house leader nancy pelosi made history on the house floor today giving the longest address

in that body all in the name of dreamers. >> give us a chance, mr. speaker, give us a chance, treat this house with the dignity it deserves so that we can represent -- >> pelosi took the floor just after 10:00 pacific time, to ask for a promise for a vote on daca. reading letters written by dozens of them. she ended eight hours and seven minutes later to a standing ovation from her colleagues. >> first of all let us thank and acknowledge the dreamers for their courage, their optimism, their inspiration to make america more american. >> now at this point, house speaker paul ryan has not considered whether he will consider pelosi's plea. the #gonancygo is trending on twitter right now. several bay area representatives

support pelosi's attempt on the house floor today. the gop's twitter page took advantage of the #noseriouslygonancygo. >> what got a lot of people's attention, is that pelosi stood for eight hours in four-inchnchh heels. pelosi tweeted this out, the daca and dreamers are well worth it. this is not the first time that food wear has been used in politics. investigators now say the flooding and closure of dmv office -- its dmv office in oakland resulted from an overnight theft of copper from the roof of the building. workers arrived at the dmv office this morning to find it awash in water.

laura anthony has the story. >> reporter: all for $50 in copper tubing, that's what investigators say prompted the destructive flooding at this dmv office, called the coliseum branch on oakland's 85th avenue. employees arrived this morning to find the office flooded, after less than 40 feet of tubing was stolen from the roof, causing water to cascade through the ceiling. >> if somebody came up on to the roof and kicked the copper tubing off and just took it for the recycling value is what we're assuming and caused all this damage. >> reporter: workers were stationed in front of the office all day notifying arriving customers that the building was closed and explaining their options. >> they said the building was flooded and they don't know when it was going to be open again, that i could go to hayward on o some other place. >> reporter: claremont had a

line out the door. so are you in it for the long haul? >> i am. i need to get a new license, so you got to do what you got to do. >> it's going to cost tens of thousands for the cleanup and it's inconveniencing hundreds of people every day who just want to take care of their dmv work. >> reporter: they will still be doing driving tests at this location, but all other issues need to be handled online or on location. they're hoping to reopen next monday. in oakland, laura anthony, abc7 news. 150 people plan to sue san jose and the san jose water district after -- it accuses public officials of failing to protect residents from flooding. the flooding victims also claimed they were warned too late about last february's impending disaster. water officials now say they

have taken steps to prevent future flooding. an injured sea lion was seen near the hyde street pier and the dolphin club where several swimmers have recently been bitten by sea lions as we reported to you. wayne freedman is live with the very latest. wayne? >> reporter: good afternoon, dan, it's been a bit of a drama here, and in a very public place, yes, a sea lion who appears to be injured by a shark. let's take a look at sky 7 at what we saw earlier today. the sea lion appears to be suffering from a shark bite which is not uncommon this time of year. witnesses say the sea lion beached itself and then went back in the water, and then came back awho a who arshore and too under the dock. we asked the staff veterinarian

dr. cara field if she could make a prognosis. >> it's impossible to know without getting a really good look at it. many times as the shark is going to attack, the sea lion senses it and is able to get away so it could be a superficial wou wou sea lions have a fast healing time. >> the sea lion is swimming, it's blowing bubbles, we're told those are all very good signs, as of late this afternoon, an even better sign, the sea lion appears to have moved away from this area, where? we don't know. one other bit of good news, if you're a swimmer here at aquatic park and you worry that the same shark that got the sea lion might get you, don't. we're told this probably happened at sea beyond the golden gate. > that make sense. wayne, thanks very much.

a former youth sports coach at two peninsulas elementary school will spend the next 50 years in prison for sexual assaulting four boys, julio ortiz pleaded no contest to avoid a life sentence. ortiz was caught by chp officers back in 2015 while engaging in a sex act with a 14-year-old boy. the year before that, he was fired from his position at boys coach at clifford elementary school and solby lane elementary school where he was later arrested for giving alcohol to a minor. a san quentin inmate sued after she said a staff member made her a sex slave. staff members are on the hook for paying $60 million to williams cordoba, cordoba said that -- the chronicle reports the woman promised cordoba that she would get him a lawyer to get him released from prison.

cordoba is serving a life sentence, the instruct for no longer works for san quentin. san diego has been awarded $10 million to build its next two navigation centers. the city will negotiate with caltrans to open centers like this one on state property. one location on fifth and bryant streets would accommodate 80 homeless people, another one on south van ness would hold 1 w4 t people. >> places that didn't have homelessness a couple of years ago, all of a sudden they're fighting to get services because people are popping up on their doorsteps, on their streets, in their parks and they're looking for help. >> navigation centers help homeless people get off the streets and into housing. a lot more to come here, the battle over offshore drillinlif. by harley davidson says

100,000 of its motorcycles should be taken off the road. as a boy, that's always what i dreamed of. >> excitement over national signing day, the future looks awfully bright for some bay area students. and it's awfully bright outside, seventh day of record sorry. i can't make it. it's just my eczema again, but it's fine. yeah, it's fine. you ok? eczema. it's fine. hey! hi! aren't you hot? eczema again? it's fine. i saw something the other day. eczema exposed. your eczema could be something called atopic dermatitis, which can be caused by inflammation under your skin. maybe you should ask your doctor? go to eczemaexposed.com to learn more.

a state official has planned to block president trump eat plan to open new oil leases off the coastline. the california state lands commission sent a letter to the bureau of ocean energy management urging the agency to withdraw it's proposal claiming the public did not have an adequate opportunity to provide input. one public hearing is scheduled tomorrow in sacramento. gavin newsom wrote in the letter, president trump's

offshore oil drilling plan is a step backward in titititititi ener energy- it was not a case of workplace harassment. ruby whitman getny was the wife of newsom's campaign manager when the affair began. some are seeing the relationship under a new lens under the me too movement. but ruby whitman said yes i was a subordinate, but i was also a free thinking adult mother. i can't blame anyone for my part in this ugly episode. harley davidson is recalling almost 100,000 motorcycles because of concerns the brakes could fail. >> michael finney is here to tell us more about that. >> more than 30 models.

that's a lot of motorcycles. they were manufactured between 2008 and 2011. harley says deposits can form on the brake parts if fluid isn't change d every two years. the national highway traffic association started the its investigation with the bike in 2016 after 43 complaints, there were reports of three crashes and two injuries as well. documents show that harley wanted to do an informational campaign for its customers but the government insisted on the recall. harley owners can also check their vin number on our website. some going out of business sales are going to start tonight. they will start at 170 stores across the country.

eight of those stores slated to close are in the bay area, i have a full list of all the closing stores on our website. today a have a finney's wednesday free stuff, one with a long, long lead time. weight watchers is offerig teenagers ages 13 to 17 free memberships this summer. it's part of the company's goal of helping 3 million people adopt healthy happens. consumer reports finds that some smart tvs can be hacked. i'll break down the problem and the solution in an exclusively report right here on abc7 "news at 6:00." today is signing day for thousands of athletes across the country who are planning to attend college. for one school in west oakland, this was a particularly inspiring and emotion m day. >> reporter: a money trig wright, a mccliman's high school

senior knows he has been given a lot and now much is expected of him. >> i know that just anybody can't make it. i came here in three years and i'm very blessed to be in this position, i feel like this was something that was supposed to happen. >> reporter: with his mother and mentors by his side, trig signed with the university of nevada las vegas. his teammates were just as proud of his accomplishment. so why all the hoopla over one student signing with a college football team? well, many in this west oakland community say if one succeeds, they all succeed. >> it gives all the other kids in this stochool, in this community, an opportunity to see they can get out of here and do some positive things and go to school for free. >> some are expected to attend lower division schools. the team won their high school football championship for the third time in a row.

they will be acknowledged by members of the assembly and state senate. today oxford and wait donated a suit and tie to each player. >> i never thought that i would be putting on a suit. suits to me represent business people or successful people, and to see myself wearing one at such a young age is amissing. one of mcclyman's rivals,ri, freemont high also had three of their student s students sign t. antonio will decide tonight if he's going to cal poly or join his teammate. getting a scholarship is just a dream come true for these young

men. >> since i was a baby boy, that's what i dreamed of. >> after going out there for the official visit and having a feel about how everything is out there in houston, i think everything's going to be okay. >> and in just a short time, four skyline football players will sign their letters of intent. >> there certainly is a lot of excitement with national signing day. but some parents are not willing to let go of certain dreams that easily. maybe their dreams. take wide receiver jacob copeland, he maid his decision on live tv between florida, alabama and tennessee. he chose to go to the university of florida. but his mom on the right, wearing an alabama swaerlt and a tenness sweater and tenne beanie and ana

just walked out. >> i have to follow my heart. >> his mom did eventually come back and sign the papers and she gave her son a big hug. hi there, it was warm, warm enough for some records, san jose tied at 76 degrees, that was back in 2016. moffett field 74, gilroy, 79 degrees, it's been so warm, your allergies may be acting 7-. no surprise here with the unusually warm weather. we are seeing the tree pollen coming up. grasses pretty much nonexistent. it's going to be a tough one as that warm weather is going to continue. i do want to show you live doppler 7, yes, we don't have any rain on there, but i did find some fog, okay, it's a start. it's a southerly surge, you'll see that fog creeping up from the south. it's starting to fill in around the monterrey bay, it's starting

to make its way northward. temperatures are dbeginning to slip a few degrees, and we'll be seeing much cooler weather over the weekend. this is our rainfall, percentage of normal since october 1, 64% of oakland, san francisco, 59%, santa rosa 58%. we are expecting the possibility of rain later on this month. even if we do get storms, the rest of winter going into spring, it's highly unlikely that we're going to back up to average this time of year, based on what we have seen in the past, but we'll keep you posted. here are your temperatures, low 70s, san francisco, oakland cool spot is half moon bay at 63. skies are pretty hazy right now, 70 in santa rosa, the haze

showing up here from our mt. tam cam, but so is the breeze, clear overnight, bright morning skies, we are looking at breezy and cooler weather this upcoming weekend. here's a look at your 12-hour planner, you're going to start out in the 50s, quickly warming up to the low to mid 70s. a wide variety of temperatures from the 30s to the 50s, looking at mainly clear skies, but i'm wondering if we might see a patch of fog. temperatures in the low to mid 70s for most of you. a few upper 70s, yes warm again for your thursday, it's going to be bright as well. you can download the accuweather app and check out those temperatures hour by hour and minute by minute. air quality will be moderate for the entire bay area, better air quality is coming this weekend, as the breeze picks up, it will clean out our air. accuweather forecast, it remains warm tonight. cooling begins on the coast on

friday. 60s coast side instead of the 70s. and then the breezy cooler weather continues to spread across all areas over the weekend, by sunday, everyone into the 60s, on monday, low to mid 60s. it is going to be a sweet day next wednesday for valentine's. >> is that next wednesday? >> it's next wednesday, just to remind you. >> i know you got something for your wife already. >> boxing out business know how, the next generation of entrepreneurs are in a neighborhood near you, that story next. then at 5:30 on world news with davis muir. >> coming up the growing nightmare, freezing rain has

we have one to two fires a day and when you respond together and you put your lives on the line, you do have to surround yourself with experts. and for us the expert in gas and electric is pg&e. we run about 2,500/2,800 fire calls a year

and on almost every one of those calls pg&e is responding to that call as well. and so when we show up to a fire and pg&e shows up with us it makes a tremendous team during a moment of crisis. i rely on them, the firefighters in this department rely on them, and so we have to practice safety everyday. utilizing pg&e's talent and expertise in that area trains our firefighters on the gas or electric aspect of a fire and when we have an emergency situation we are going to be much more skilled and prepared to mitigate that emergency for all concerned. the things we do every single day that puts ourselves in harm's way, and to have a partner that is so skilled at what they do is indispensable, and i couldn't ask for a better partner. deputies in

county its unclear they were flying so low. one landed at a high school baseball field and one landed in an orange grove. police are reaching out to the faa now. a new survey finds fewer drivers are holding cell phones behind the wheel. the state's office of traffic safety says less than 4% of drivers are picking up and using their devices, that's down half from a year ago. part of the reason of course is a recent law prohibiting drivers from holding cell phones on the road for any reason. another is the psas that are running on air and online about the dangers of distracted driving. and also more of us are using hands free technology. this is the time of year when girl scout cookies are being offloaded for sale all over the bay area. learning valuable experience in

the process. >> reporter: there's nothing like girl scout cookies, just ask michaela johnson who's on a mission to get thin mints and lemonades in your hands. >> how you describe them make people want to buy more. >> reporter: michaela is trying to sell 1,000 boxes this season. she's already getting help from the girl scouts. the organization has changed their business philosophy this season. >> people do not want to wait, they do not want to sit and wait for their thin mints to arrive in town, they really want to order them and have them within two seconds. >> once girl scouts got the cookies they could get them right to customers like the old days. >> buyers can actually use their cookie finder app to find out where the closest lemonades or caramel delights are. >> send out pitches to new customers via email, they're

really learning strategies that you need to have in business. >> as for michaela, she knows her next sale is only a pin away. >> they're so delicious. a smile that grabbed a multibillion-dollar company and beat out 40,000 other contest tan ant's nec. share your pictures with us with the

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coming up tonight on abc7 news "news at 6:00," we look at

local connections of an illegal immigrant that caused the death of an nfl player. tonight we look at the next step in the new space race with some bay area ties. did your favorite make the cut? check out the newest emojis coming soon to a smart phone near you. all of that coming up on abc7 "news at 6:00." finally the gerber baby is a much loved tradition. >> it evolved into a nationwide contest to find the perfect baby to fill the role. >> for the first time ever, the company chose a baby with downs syndrome. >> lucas warren is a 1-year-old from dalton, georgia, he will be featured on all packaging for the year. lucas's smile just grabbed their heart. so sweet. >> and the bow tie, so adorable. >> "world news tonight" with

david muir is coming up next. >> appreciate your time, we'll see you in half an hour. tonight, the commuter nightmare. the storm, heavy snow, ice and blinding rain from texas, all the way up to the northeast tonight. the major bridge shut down outside new york city. the passenger plane skidding on a taxiway. hundreds of flights canceled or delayed. the ripple effect coast to coast. and the new storm watches are already up tonight. the white house shakeup. the senior white house official to resign, following allegations made by two of his ex-wives, detailing alleged abuse. also tonight, after the president said, let's have a shutdown several different ways, tonight, senate leaders come up with their own plan to avert it. the deadly police shooting playing out on a major highway. the suspect opening fire, then speeding down the wrong way of the highway, leading to multiple collisions. the manhunt at this hour. a suspected serial shooter already killing several people.