student loan debt relief company whose ceo is in hot water with the federal trade commission as well as the fbi. >> the employee believed they were helping people and he is frustrated to be out of a job. >> "abc 7 news" reporter melanie woodrow is in the newsroom with a story you will only see on abc 7. >> reporter: ama and larry, student loan debt is the second largest class of consumer debt in the united states. last year the federal trade commission began tracking down on student loan debt relief scams. they called it operation game of loans. two weeks ago the ftc filed an injunction, schultihutting down sonoma county company. last week they arrested brandon freyer at sfo as he was boarding a flight to mexico. tonight he is out of jail on house arrest. an employee who rose in the ranks from sales rep to operations training is speaking

out. >> i didn't think that we were hurting anybody. >> reporter: ethan laurie says he joined ameritech financial around june of 2017 first as a sales rep, enrolling clients who received mailers advertising student loan payment reduction and forgiveness, who would then call the company. according to a criminal complaint, the clients paid ameritech 600 to $800 up front for the company to prepare and submit documents to enroll them in alternative repayment plans. >> people that signed up with ameritech understand their payments wereareiloan. >> i would say the vast majority of people did understand that. i know there were quite a few people that probably didn't understand that. >> reporter: the complaint also sa says ameritech financial charged monthly fees ranging from $49 to $99 for a financial program. >> reporter: was it made clear it was an additional monthly fee?

>> in my experience in customer service, it was often times unclear with the client that is what that fee was for. >> reporter: larry says he did tell clients they needed to keep paying their student loans, that the money they were paying to ameritech financial wasn't going towards them, but often the loans were placed in forbearance while the client's application for an alternative plan was pending. during forbearance clients could stop making payments but interest continued to accrue. that's something larry says he only told clients if they asked. >> reporter: how would clients know to ask that question? >> i don't know. >> reporter: he says the interest would have been for given anyway once clients qualified for an alternative repayment plan. the government has a different take on ameritech financial. according to the criminal complaint, sales techs among other misleading tactics, encouraged clients to inflate the number of family members they had to qualify for the alternative perhaps. >> i heard it. i never did it. >> reporter: the criminal

complaint says ceo brandon frere operated the scheme from 2014 to 2018 taking in about $28 million. investigators say he moved millions of dollars from company accounts to his personal accounts and offshore accounts. he is now facing a wire fraud charge. according to the criminal complaint, some ameritech financial clients are further in debt due to interests on their loans. >> i believe we were helping people. i believe the people i worked with were helping people. >> reporter: larry has not been paid for his last two weeks of work before that injunction shutting the company down. brandon frere's attorney told "abc 7 news" he had no comment beyond what he had said at court. during his initial appearance on monday, he said the ceo contacted the ftc in 2016 to make sure what he was doing was legit and got no response from the ftc. if you are somebody that signed up with ameritech financial, we would like the hear from you. you can e-mail me at

melanie.woodrow @abc.com or contact me in the newsroom. melanie woodrow, "abc 7 news." >> thank you for the report. flags at the state capital will be flown at half staff to honor william newsom who passed away at his san francisco home. he was a former judge for the state court of appeal. in 2004 william swore in his son gavin as mayor of san francisco, something he would do again when his son was later elected lieutenant governor. william went to st. ignatius with the sons of j. paul getty. he attended the university of san francisco and stanford law school. he worked as a financial adviser for the getty clan. a statement was released reading, justice newsom was a proud, lifelong californian, a public servant of profound accomplishment and a powerful voice for individual rights and environmental protection.

william newsom was 84. san francisco's police chief wants his officers to be more humane in their treatment of detainees. he wants to avoid having them placed -- placing suspects on the ground during encounters with police. "abc 7 news" reporter vic lee live at police headquarters with the story. vic. >> reporter: well, larry, this may look strange, but this is exactly what we're talking about, being placed on the ground, in this case on the curb while being detained. it is an old police practice, but it may go away soon. you've probably seen this before in movies or real life, suspects sitting on the curb while being detained. police chief william scott would like his officers to stop using the practice. this policy draft says seating any handcuffed or unhandcuffed detained subject on the ground or sidewalk during an encounter should be avoided. dan lawson, a former san francisco police captain who was

in charge of the academy explains why. >> they feel it to be demeaning, being sat down on the concrete, people walking by, and it almost is as if they're treated like an animal. >> reporter: lawson says many departments across the country changed old policies like this one and for good reason. >> that oven decreased tension. the individual felt they were being treated with respect and valued even though they may have been a subject of an investigation. >> reporter: officially sitting someone on the ground, having them take a seat with handcuffs, that's part of academy training take has been taught in the past. sean perdom oo iso iso is member of the police association. the police union says it has received feedback from the membership asking why change the policy now, what effect will it have on police safety, will it create more paperwork for officers who have to document their encounters. perdomo says it is complicated.

>> there are definite reasons to place someone in the back of a police car and to have them on the sidewalk. that's why this policy needs to be vetted out. >> reporter: well, the department issued a statement which says in part, the policy is still in draft form. it is aligned with 21st century policing, our department's values and commitment to providing safety with respect for everyone. again, it is in draft form. the chief needs to talk to the union about this proposal. vic lee, "abc 7 news." >> thank you, vic. we have a better picture today of just how much financial damage was caused by the recent wildfires in northern and southern california. "abc 7 news" anchor kristen sze is here with new numbers today from the state insurance commissioner as well as new details about the camp fire's origin. kristen. >> ama, $9 billion, that is the total amount of insurance claims to date from the camp, woolsey and hill fires. that includes losses for

commercial and residential coverage, personal and commercial vehicles and agriculture. meantime today, we have the letter pg&e just sent to state regulators. it offers a look at how the utility's equipment may have started the kafcamp fire. that morning, november 8th, an employee reported a fire near where investigators think the blaze began. an inspection showed a transformer separated. later, an employee found a downed electrical pole with bullets and bullet holes at the break point. as the investigation continues, cleaning up the paradise area could take a year. >> in paradise, the challenge, of course, is you have limited roadways in and out and the community itself has small roads. you can only get so many resources safely into an area that we can. >> the state office of emergency services just opened a new processing center in butte county to help residents deal with the paperwork for debris removal, but, as you just heard,

it is a long and difficult process. larry and ama. >> kristen, thank you. tonight, the state of hawaii officials are revealing new details about a psychiatric patient's escape to san jose last year. we first reported this story last november when randall seito escaped from hawaii state hospital. after escaping the building, he took a taxi to the maui airport and booked a commercial flight to san jose using an alias. he was arrested in stockton three days after his escape. the investigation into his escape was just completed. now, this evening hawaii state officials are saying no one person was at fault, he had two fake driver's licenses with his photo but different names. on the day of the escape he taped door locks to allow him to change into a set of clothes hidden in a garbage bag and opened a combination lock to get out of the building. officials still don't know how he got the code. he was acquitted of murder by reason of insanity in a 1979 killing. >> unbelievable. you've heard of the phrase

smooth criminal? tonight we have the story of a slick suspect. a man got stuck in a restaurant grease vent in san lorenzo. he was there two days. look at how he looked when firefighters found him this morning. the suspected would-be burglar was discovered by the owner of neighboring businesses who heard his muffled cries for help. "abc 7 news" reporter laura anthony live in san lorenzo with quite a story here. laura. >> reporter: well, hi, larry. that neighboring business owner who discovered the man said the man told him that he fell asleep on the roof of this restaurant and somehow fell into the vent. the sheriffs believe he was actually trying to break into the building to steal copper wire. in any case, it didn't work out the way the suspect planned. >> i kept hearing this uh, uh, uh. i'm like, well, i'm like, who could it be. >> reporter: he said it is a sound he kept hearing for two days. >> and then i continue to hear, uh, uh. >> reporter: until this morning

when he finally went to investigate, and this is what he found. a man covered in grease, stuck in an exhaust vent at the business next door. >> and then i started asking questions, like, what is your name? it is like, oh, you know, just please help me, get me out of here. i'm like, okay, what is your name, what are you doing here? please don't hurt me. i'm not trying to hurt you, i'm trying to help you. >> reporter: he called 911. when first responders arrived, all they could see from below was the man's leg and foot. >> apparently he jumped into the ventilation for the cooking area. he's definitely stuck. >> they saw a foot. >> reporter: in order to free the man, alameda county firefighters had to dismantle the vent. >> he was in a fetal position, basically on his knees with his head and his upper body, his shoulders still stuck in the vent system itself, with the lower portion, hips and below, sitting down here above the vent system on the stove, unable to move. he couldn't go up, he couldn't get down. >> reporter: once the suspect was freed, he was loaded into an

ambulance and a taken to a local hospital. >> we can confirm this gentleman was not santa claus and did not have legal authority to be here. >> reporter: alameda county sheriff spokesman said he's not sure yet what charges the 29-year old will face. >> right now he is looking at misdemeanor charges of trespassing and there was vandalism that occurred as a result of him breaking into the shaft. >> i feel lucky that he's okay. pretty much i believe i saved his life, because i believe today or tomorrow it could be a lot worse. >> reporter: now, tonight we learned the suspect has been treated and released from a local hospital. he was not arrested, but i'm told sheriffs could get a warrant for his arrest once they determine what the charges are. in san lorenzo, laura anthony, "abc 7 news." >> thank you, laura. that is a long two days stuck in there. >> awful. coming up, texting and taxes. it could happen next year, but it might not make your overall phone bill go up. i'm meteorologist sandhya

patel. live doppler 7 tracking two storms. i'll let you know when they will arrive and you will need your umbrellas, coming right up. i'm michael finney. the "7 on your side" help line is open. give us a

sky 7 flew over levi stadium theolgeall nta clara, home to month, but something is missing. volunteers. local organizers are making a final push for help. "abc 7 news" reporter chris wynn has the story. >> reporter: we're less than a month away from the culmination of the college football playoff, and in san jose excitement continues to build. >> to bring something like that

here to san jose, kind of brings a bigger spotlight. hopefully, maybe it attracts other people to want to come here and do things. >> reporter: the cfp national championship will be held at levi stadium in santa clara on january 7th, but leading up to it the pregame festivities, including the marquee concerts take place in san jose and volunteers are still needed. >> being greeters at hotels, at the airport. we have courtesy car drivers we're in need of for vips. >> reporter: the bay area host committee halfway to its goal of recruiting just over 1,000 volunteers to staff the major event. if chosen, that he expected to put in three four-hour shifts at minimum. >> we hope our bay area residents can feel proud of our region and act as great ambassadors. >> reporter: here is a look at some of the swag for volunteers. the more hours they put in, the more freebies they get. they say a successfully organized event could lead to more down the road.

>> the way they know san jose is the community we have and the way they step up to events, especially sporting events. >> reporter: volunteer orientation takes place this weekend. go to our website, abc7news.com for more information on how to apply. in the south bay, i'm chris wynn, "abc 7 news." get ready. texting could soon be tax. the california public utilities commission is set to vote next month on a proposal to add a surcharge for text messages. now, the way this is written, this wouldn't necessarily be a tax for services like apple i message or facebook messenger, but for text messages sent on your cellphone. it would be a flat fee, not a charge per text. state regulators say the money would be used to support phone service to the poor and create continuity among carriers. in a statement to "abc 7 news", cpuc say some wireless carriers assess surcharges for texting, other carriers don't. this proceeding seeks to clarify the rules on whether texting revenues are surchargeable or

not. did you get all of that? if more surcharge revenue comes from texting services, less would need to come from voice services. opponents question if a text tax is even legal. >> the constitution of california makes it very clear new taxes need a vote of the legislature, two-thirds vote. if the legislature wants to go down this road and take the political heat for it, that's one thing, but certainly it is not appropriate for a bureaucrat agency like the public utilities commission to impose this tax. >> now, our media partners at the san jose mercury news are reporting a decision today by the fcc could put the brakes on this whole proposal. today's decision classifies text messages as information services like e-mail, not telecommunication services. the surcharge is a really tough sale unless texts are classified as a telecommunication services. the cpuc will take up the issue next month. there will be a test on this. it is so confusing. >> very confusing. >> i think i pe for the universe when i say nobody wants to pay

one cent more for sending a text. >> never. >> absolutely not. all right. we want to turn to our weather because we have a couple of numbers, a couple of storm impact numbers on our seven day. >> here is sandhya patel. >> want to take a guess as to what the numbers are? >> ones and twos? >> that's right. larry and ama, let's look at live doppler 7 and talk about what is happening right now. we have clouds overhead. we will be tracking more than clouds later on in the week. right now, a lovely view from our kgo roof camera, all decked out in san francisco ready for the holidays. 57 in the city. 56 in san jose. 54, half moon bay and oakland. another live shot from our "abc 7 news" exploratorium camera looking towards the bay lights there. 53, napa. 54 in santa rosa. mild in san rafael, 57 in concord. now, the high temperatures in the low to upper 60s. it was a really mild day considering we had some dense fog and some mist this morning. this is a gorgeous view from our san jose camera looking at the "shark tank". chilly morning with patchy,

dense fog tomorrow. sunny and mild in the afternoon, and we're looking at two storms between friday and monday. since we're on the topic of friday through monday, let's look at the weekend forecast. saturday we have a level one. it is just a chance of showers. it starts on friday, and then sunday it is a moderate-strength storm. it will be wet and windy beginning sunday night and continuing into early monday morning. so that storm system does look like it will bring us a little more rain. i do want to show you the temperatures first thing in the morning. they will start off in the mid 30s to the mid 40s. bundle up. watch out for some patches of frost and even some fog in our valleys. it will be thick in spots. tomorrow afternoon, sunshine and temperatures in the low to mid 60s. pretty nice-looking day as you will notice just about everywhere. temperatures above normal for this time of year. much-needed rain coming. friday afternoon into saturday, light level one, mainly light rain, .05 to half an inch for most of you. it will be breezy at times.

12:00 p.m. friday, spotty, light showers beginning to develop. the main band comes through 3:00 p.m. on friday. in the north bay, 6:00 p.m. across the central bay and falls apart, but lingering moisture into saturday morning. saturday is just a chance of showers. not everyone will see it. that's your day to get outside if you have outdoor plans. sunday is the day we will see some rain developing by late afternoon/evening. here is a look at the rainfall totals through saturday morning, up to .4 for the wettest spots. here is the preview for sunday. in the morning you are fine. you have early plans, you still have to do holiday shopping, most of your sunday is fine until sunday evening when the rain line starts to move in. the winds will pick up out of the south ahead of this storm and we will see some rough surf developing. so mavericks could be happening as early add monday morning. you will notice scattered showers for the monday morning commute and some snow in the sierra nevada with that system. that storm will bring in a good i a mount of moisture. take a look at the rainfall totals. this is one computer model going with some areas pick ining up o

an inch. accuweather seven-day forecast, morning chill and dense fog giving way to a mild day. you want rain? you got it. friday night into saturday morning. the best type of rain is the type that falls in the nighttime hours, but sunday's storm looks stronger. we will keep you posted on that. ama and larry. >> thank you, sandhya. michael finney is a busy man today. >> yes. let's check up on michael. >> do you need health insurance? do you know about covered california? our hotline is open right now to get you health insurance. you can be on the facebook page or dial

♪thisi'm gonna let it shine. ♪ it's energy saving time, ♪ i'm gonna reduce mine. ♪ californians all align ♪ to let our great state shine. ♪ let it shine, ♪ the power's ours to let it shine! ♪

"7 on your side" helping everything get ready for next year. if you want health insurance coverage to begin january 1st, you have to sign up through covered california by saturday. >> today michael finney and a panel of experts are taking your questions and providing answers as well. how is it going? >> hey, it is going great. we are getting a lot of people calling and asking about it. there's been a lot of confusion over the past year, is the affordable care act still here. the answer is yes. we want to help you get signed up if you need health insurance. over my shoulder, if it is not there now -- yes, there it is. we can take your question in chinese, farsi, english, spanish. if your language -- chinese as well. if your language is not listed

there, still give us a call and we'll find somebody and we will hook you up to make sure you get information. monica track is a certified insurance agent here, and she wants to talk about how it is affordable. it is not just getting insurance, it is getting insurance you can afford, right? >> yes, exactly. people are very confused these days. they don't know if they qualify or not. you should be -- you are going to be very, very surprised that it is so easy just to find out if your income is within the limits. you will be surprised, they can help you pay for your premium every month. so let's say you have $40,000 income, you can qualify maybe for health care for maybe $200 for your premium. that's a big savings. if your premium -- all of the hospitals are very pricey, so $200 will help you for your bill, it is amazing. >> and it is a sliding scale, right? >> yes, yes, yes. >> i want to make the point -- thank you very much. >> no problem. >> i want to make the point you no longer have to buy health

insurance. up until this year you would be fined if you didn't when you filed your income tax. you don't have to do that. you can't be fined anymore. still, why wouldn't you want insurance? so give us a call, see if it will work for you, see if the price point is there. 415-954-7621 or go on my facebook page and we'll answer your question there too. reporting live from the "7 on your side" office, i'm michael finney. >> thank you, michael. time and money. michael cohen's crimes are going to cost him both. >> next, details on the fate of president trump's former personal lawyer. . i'm wayne freedman in antioch. a car like this, it looks beyond redemption. it looks totaled. how it

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live where you live, this is "abc 7 news". ♪ michael cohen, the former long-time personal attorney for donald trump, was sentenced today. he's been ordered to serve three years in prison. >> cohen pleaded guilty to a laundry list of charges stemming from both federal prosecutors in new york and special counsel robert mueller's office in washington. abc's linda lopez has the story. >> reporter: michael cohen

departed federal court in manhattan wednesday without addressing the crush of reporters and cameras. minutes before, an emotional cohen apologized, pleading for leniency. he said his former boss, donald trump, caused him to, follow a path of darkness rather than light and cover up his dirty deeds. he pled guilty to eight felony charges brought by the southern district of new york including campaign violations related to hush money payments cohen allegedly arranged to two women during the campaign. he said he arranged the payments at the direction of candidate trump. he pled guilty to a charge brought by special counsel robert mueller who praised his cooperation. the judge sentenced him to 36 months. >> the fact he is getting 36 months i think is a win. keep in mind, in the federal system that means he would have to serve at least 85% of that time even with good behavior.

>> reporter: judge william pauley saying cohen, quote, lost his moral compass and as a lawyer mr. cohen should have known better. despite president trump insisting he is in no legal jeopardy, lanny davis, cohen's legal adviser, suggests cohen has more information to tell prosecutors about president trump. >> michael cohen is released to tell the full truth. >> reporter: he is required to report to prison on march 6, '20 not. he is facing to the court. he also is facing an additional $50,000 fine for lying to congressa lopez, abc news, new . british prime minister theresa may has survived a confidence vote by her own party. it was a secret ballot today. conservative party lawmakers backed her 200-117. her critics say she failed to deliver on brexit and negotiate

with the european union. the prime minister said she is grateful for the support she received to keep her at party leader. political strategist donna brazile is in town to speak about her new book. it is called ""for colored girls how have considered politics"." she offers a roadmap for a new generation of women. she joined us for "abc 7 news" at 4:00 to talk about how far women have come. >> 50 years, she was the first african-american woman elected to congress. now this year we have over 124 women in the house and the united states senate. are we there yet? no. women are still underrepresented in government, but we are making tremendous strides. i do believe in the next decade we are going to see more and more women enter the political pipeline and begin to take their seats at the table. >> when senator kamala harris was sworn in last year, she became just the second african-american elected to the u.s. senate. >> facing financial issues, oakland unified school district is considering consolidating or

closing some schools. while the district has yet to identify exactly which schools would close, some parents are launching a preemptive strike to make sure their kids are guaranteed a high-performing school. that is up for discussion before the board. "abc 7 news" reporter lyanne melendez has the story. >> reporter: oakland unified knows it has too many schools and not enough students. >> we have too many schools, and so we have to get ourselves to a right size that we can more efficiently, more effectively serve all of our students and our staff. >> reporter: as families continue to move to more affordable cities, the district believes the most sensible thing to do is to close those that have low enrollment. >> i know that the education could be better, but for some parents this is the only place they have to go so it would be a tragedy if it closed. >> reporter: while the district has no closure or consolidation list, some parents believe the schools in the flatlands will be targeted, mainly those families living in underserved communities. so groups like the oakland reach are behind a proposal that would

give these families something called an opportunity ticket. >> if the district does merge, consolidate and/or close schools, that those closed campuses, the students on those closed campuses get an opportunity ticket to choose any district or charter school that they like. >> reporter: the district says it would do its best the accommodate these students. >> the idea right now is to guarantee that they get into a school that is performing better than the school that is closing. >> reporter: any changes to the enrollment policy would be decided by the members of the school board. the school district is expected to have some kind of financial plan by february. in oakland, lyanne melendez, "abc 7 news." coming up next, it is the feel-good event of every year. meet the people who are receiving these gift-wrapped cars. >> that is great. remember, the "7 on your side" hotline is open now and they're taking your calls about health insurance.

call 415-954-7621 to be connect with a team of experts that can answer y oh! oh! ♪ ozempic®! ♪ (vo) people with type 2 diabetes are excited about the potential of once-weekly ozempic®. in a study with ozempic®, a majority of adults lowered their blood sugar and reached an a1c of less than seven and maintained it. oh! under seven? (vo) and you may lose weight. in the same one-year study, adults lost on average up to 12 pounds. oh! up to 12 pounds? (vo) a two-year study showed that ozempic® does not increase the risk of major cardiovascular events like heart attack, stroke, or death. oh! no increased risk? ♪ ozempic®! ♪ ozempic® should not be the first medicine for treating diabetes, or for people with type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. do not share needles or pens. don't reuse needles. do not take ozempic® if you have a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer, multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if you are allergic to ozempic®. stop taking ozempic® and get medical help right away

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that sounds so relaxing and beautiful, doesn't it? >> it does. >> happening tonight. >> san francisco ballet opening "the nut cracker" for the season. it is a longstanding tradition. sf ballet produce the first full-length of "the cracker" in 1944. they're not the only ones doing it anymore. ♪ >> yeah, check out one of the videos at the oakland ballet company put together to promote its production of nutcracker. yes, that's a ballet dancer on a scooter riding through oakland. be careful. oakland ballet will perform nutcracker on december 22nd and 23rd at the paramount theater. their dress rehearsal is free to students at low income schools. >> whether skip or scoot. it was a lime scooter, i just saw it. it is one of our favorite stories every year. they worked all year, they were welding, sanding and painting. >> and today all of that hard work paid off for workers at an auto body shop who gave an amazing gift, freedom and

security. >> yes. "abc 7 news" reporter wayne freedman has the emotional story from antioch. >> reporter: a room filled with anxious people. outside, five covered cars with five red ribbons. on this day every year we couldn't have one without the other. >> i mean health wise, not being able to breathe is probably the scariest thing. >> reporter: for allie jenkins of discovery bay, these pictures belong to the past and also define her future. she had been a typical teen, her mom said, until -- >> she just had a stroke in the middle of the night at age 14. >> reporter: since then, three lung transplants. a family in so much debt they can't even afford a car for her. that all changed today. >> lift it off, lift it off! let's go! >> reporter: this, the 18th year that mike's auto body of antioch, has partnered with insurance companies, part suppliers and its own employees to give away cars to needy people at holiday time.

it begins in the wit the nightsd fixing cars that insurance companies had written off as totalled. they perform the holiday miracles 79 times. >> i come from mexico, so, you know, like i understand -- you know, like when somebody needs something, i understand the need. >> whew! >> reporter: for erica quinteros and her daughter jasmine, it means no more bus trims. as she told us, it means security in a tough neighborhood. >> to get home safely is something that we don't have right now. >> reporter: as for allie, she plans to work in the medical field and use the car to help people just like her. when is the last time she had tears of joy like this? >> when i got my transplant. >> reporter: so when we say it is only the second happiest day in her life, it is the context times five. in antioch, wayne freedman, "abc 7 news". >> the amazing things they do to turn those -- turn those families' lives around really. >> how many people can say they

do life-changing work every day and present them for the holidays. that is awesome. mike's auto body, yeah. we want to check in with "7 on your side's" michael finney. >> hey, the "7 on your side" health insurance hotline is open until 8:00 tonight. if you have any questions about the affordable care act, obamacare, or how we do it here in california, it is covered california, give us a sfx: tsfx: feet shufflingc life can change in an instant. be covered when it does... ...with a health plan through covered california. we offer free expert help choosing the best plan for you. and all of our plans include free preventive care. financial help is available, so check for yourself to see what savings you qualify for. for health insurance starting january 1st, enroll by december 15th.

because you never know when life... ...will change. get covered today.

♪thisi'm gonna let it shine. ♪ it's energy saving time, ♪ i'm gonna reduce mine. ♪ californians all align ♪ to let our great state shine. ♪ let it shine, ♪ the power's ours to let it shine! ♪

tonight's "7 on your side" is answering questions when it comes to health insurance. if you want health insurance coverage to begin on january 1st, you have to sign up through covered california by this saturday. it is just a couple of days. >> let's check back in with michael finney and his team of experts. michael. >> we have a ton of experts here answering your question. you can go on facebook right now or give us a call at 415-954-7621. we can handle just about any language right now in house. we have russian, chinese, spanish -- let's see. what else do we have? oh, and farsi. if you don't speak one of those languages, give us a call anyway, if you know somebody who needs help, and we will hook you up and get you answers if not tonight at a later people. james scaleri, that's him, he

is -- close anyway. he is with covered california. you are one of our most important experts here. let's go through the money. >> okay. >> right now. so what does it cost? >> you know, for the average consumer, they spend about $5 a day for their monthly premium on their plan. that's quality coverage from brand name plans here in the bay area that you know and trust. >> so it covers preexisting conditions. now, there's different levels of plans, correct? >> sure. depending on your needs, if you have previous health conditions, you want a higher level of coverage, we offer everything that covers 90% of the cost, 80%, 70%. we break them into what we call metal tears, metal tiers, platinum, gold and bronze. some people less than $50 for their plan, some pay less than $100. it is really easy for consumers to find out what their situation is. it only takes a couple of minutes, and they can find out not only whether or not they qualify for financial help but

they can find out what the plan options are in their area. >> and they do that by -- what is the website? >> it is coveredca.com. they only need to enter a few pieces of information, their zip code, their household income, and the ages of the people that would be covered. just to give you an idea -- >> a quick idea. >> sure. if someone makes less than $48,000, they would qualify for financial help. if you have a family of four th that earns under $100,000, they would qualify for help. >> thank you so much. which is why you need to check it out to find out if you can afford it, to see if you need it. so it is a good time to do that right now. you can go to my facebook page or dill 415-954-7621. reporting live from the "7 on your side" offices, i'm michael finney. >> thank you, michael. anticipation is growing for a possible maverick surf competition as soon as neck week. there -- next week. nothing official, but waves could be as high as 50 feet by

sunday. it would be the first time the contest was held in december. this year women will compete for the first time. not only that, they will be paid the same as men. >> let's get an update on the surf and the weather. here is sandhya. >> yeah. larry and ama, take a look at live doppler 7. there are two storms coming our way, kicking up the surf. that's why mavericks may possibly be happening as you both mentioned. look at the wave heights. sunday afternoon, they start to build. by sunday night, going into monday we are talking about a west/northwest swell with breakers 30 to 40 feet, possibly up to 50 feet. that's why we're watching this carefully. a light level one system friday afternoon into saturday will bring some light rain, about .05 to half an inch to most areas, breezy at times. by noon time, the rain is in mendocino county. 3:00 p.m. it is in the north bay. by 6:00 it starts to slide south but it falls apart. it may not be one of the system where everyone gets rain. it will be showers, 5:00 a.m.

saturday until about 8:30, 10:00, 11:00 saturday morning. the north bay has the best chance of seeing showers. thursday, tomorrow afternoon, it will be a dry, mild day with sunshine. your accuweather seven-day forecast, morning chill with fog followed by mild day, and we have a couple of ones friday, saturday and monday and a level two system on sunday. in between we get the dry days. you can download the accuweather app and track it any time you want. >> thank you. >> i'm in for dan. mindi is handling sports. you have steph, the moon. >> a lot going on. everyone wants to see this matchup, right? it will be the raptors, warriors. is it a preview of the nba finals? we will find out if the beast of the east will get the better or the best out of the west.

now abc 7 sports with mindi bach. warriors, raptors, round two tonight at oracle. klay thompson said he would not be surprised if this match up turns out to be a preview of this year's nba finals. the raptors bring a 22-7 record, t.st in the at the end of november, leonard and company beat the warriors in over time despite a dominating 51-point performance by kevin durant. steph curry and draymond green did not play in toronto. curry and green are back though cue kawhi is out with a hip injury.

>> they're been playing dominant basketball all season, so going to bring the best out of you for sure. >> we're looking forward to seeing how we can build mmentum, especially after the last four wins and see if we can take it into tonight. >> steph curry made it clear he was joking. the warriors star could not believe, stupid, his word, viral reaction on a podcast when he asked, have we ever been to the moon. many thought the mvp believed the moon landing was faked. he said one good thing to come out of the kaezness, he is taking up nasa on the offer to tour the lunar lab. wouldn't be too bad. the nfl announced today the 2020 draft will be held in las vegas, just a few months before the raiders play their first season in their new home. more pressing for the silver and black right now, figuring out where home will be next year. owner mark davis arrived at the owners' meetings in texas today with no idea where the team will play in 2019. davis had said that he won't extend the team's lease at the coliseum if the city of oakland moved forward with a lawsuit against the team in connection

with the relocation. yeah, the city filed suit yesterday. despite the future uncertainty, it is business as usual for jon gruden and the players as they prepare for the bengals. >> it is always something every day here, isn't it? i enjoy seeing you, answering all of these questions. i want to play in oakland and i'm real sensitive, just like, you know, you would expect. it is where i want to play. so we'll see what happens. >> man, that -- that is crazy. to me, that just seems weird. you know, it just seems different to even have to think that way, because i've -- i spent five years playing in this stadium and, you know, we have people talking trash about it and whatever they want, but i love it. you know, it is ours. >> well, nick mullens has only five career starts under his belt but he's established a connection to a hall of fame 49ers quarterback. he mullens has thrown for the highest total for a san

francisco quarterback in back-to-back games since steve young had 761 during the '95 season. mull en mullens is keeping low key about the accomplishment, with reason. >> sure, it is cool. but at the same time i understand that stats don't matter, points do, and the first time we played seattle we did not score enough points. >> today at the winter meetings, a's general manager told "the san francisco chronicle" the team is still confident kyler murray will join the team starting in february. at the same meetings murray's agent would not say that the heisman quarterback won't declare nor the nfl draft. a perfect tie to hit the zoo. they hosted 180 players from the partner schools at the oakland zoo. it includes tours, snake petting -- i don't know what part of holiday cheer includes snake petting. arts and crafts and pictures with santa. this is part of the a's weeklong joy of giving. >> yes. >> snake petting. i like snakes --

>> here is a boa constrictor, here is how it works. >> you put ot a poll question on twitter, asking where should they play. >> they backed themselves in a corner. what are you going to be traveling know mads, week to week? they don't have a good spot to go to. >> they don't. maybe san diego, maybe share with the 49ers at levis. but they said they would keep the team facility in alameda for the next year so it means on the road every week. >> 16 road games. you could see the expression on jon gruden's face like i could have been doing monday night football and wearing makeup every day like some of us. thank you, mindi. be sure to join us at 9:00 on coffkofy tv 20. coming up, police find a baby and handgun in a diaper after chasing down some suspects. what they're accused of doing at 9:00. >> and then on "abc 7 news" at 11:00, a twist for an east bay church usually helping others during the holiday season. see why this year they're the ones that need a hand. coming up tonight on abc 7

at 8:00 it is "the goldbergs" followed by "american housewife" at 8:30, at 9:00 "modern familym and "single parents" at 10:00. stay tuned for "abc 7 news" at 1 1:00. at 1 1:35 it is "jimmy kimmel live". tonight's guest will ferrell and john. that's it for us. for larry,

♪ this is "jeopardy!" please welcome's today's contestants-- a journalist from washington, d.c... an elections administrator from seattle, washington... and our returning champion-- a travel agent from fort wayne, indiana... whose 1-day cash winnings total... and now here is the host of "jeopardy!"--alex trebek! thank you, johnny. thank you, ladies and gentlemen. two big wins in a row on "jeopardy!" that's good leading up to the holiday season. andy and elana, welcome aboard, and good luck to all three of you. here we go into the jeopardy! round.

let's see how much money one of you can earn today with these categories... followed by... speaking of confusing, how about... each clue will be three words. each correct response will be 3 letters only. next, you deal with... and finally... nicole, your choice. okay, 21st century films for $200. nicole. - what is "wall-e"? - "wall-e." loved him. [ giggles ] films for $400. elana. - what is "the matrix reloaded"? - correct. i'll take films for $600.