border. >> abc 7 news reporter melanie woodrow is live in the newsroom with where those troops are headed instead. melanie? >> dan and kristen, governor newsom says the changes won't go into -- or rather, will go into effect by the end of march. 100 national guardsmen will be kept behind at the border. governor gavin newsom announcing today that hundreds of national guardsmen will be redeployed after the border who that what he calls more appropriate ven eyes, thing whole border action is manufactured. the crisis on the border is a manufactured crisis. >> the announcement comes as pesident donald trump continues to make his case for a border wall as another government shutdown looms. >> we need a wall. and all of the other things are nice to have, but without a wall, it's not going to work. >> governor newsom says border crossings are the lowest they've been since 1971. >> we're livings in a state and in a nation where people that are here without documentation commit crimes at a substantially

lower level than native born citizens. >> he says approximately 360 troops at the border will be redeployed for fire prevention, and to address the illegal cnnabis grows in northern california. >> i think it's a bad idea. i think we need border security. >> howard epstein is the vice chair of communications for the san francisco republican party. >> i think the governor is trying to prove ha and show to the world that he is the most anti-trump person in the world, or among them, anyway, and that this will help him build his political career further down the line. >> newsom callingre trp's request fo an additional 3750 troops to the border political theater. >> this whole thing is the theater of the absurd. >> governor newsom says the up with hundred national guardsmen kept behind will be primarily but not exclusively at ports of entry. governor newsom also saying being at the border is keeping the national guardsmen from

being prepared to deploy overseas because they can't get the training, skills or time off necessary. melanie woodrow, abc 7 news. >> melanie, thank you. and governor newsom will be giving his first state of the state address tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. in sacramento. abc 7 news is sending a crew. so look for our coverage starting with midday live as well as online at abc7news.com or through the abc 7 news mobile app. it's been six months since a driver on a cell phone killed chp officer kirk griess and another driver during a stop. >> now his widow is on a mission to take distracted drivers off the streets. luis pena spoke with his widow. >> it's been six months, but to carrie grise it feels like gred. >> i'm okay. i can look at pictures and think about him. and there are days i can't. i just have to put him away.

every day i think is this real? is someone going to wake me up? >> officer kirk griess had just made a stop off interstate 80 when a distracted driver struck him, killing him and another man at the scene last august. >> and just knowing that he is not going to be for it ever again, that's a tragedy. >> colleagues called him mr. hollywood because of his good looks and harm. griess left behind three children. hid eldest daughter is following in his footstep. >> and the kids not having their dad. my oldest daughter with her going to the academy and she was so excited. she used to call him and ask him advice. >> to prevent deaths lucky this one, ab 47 was at week. it would add a point to a license of anyone caught on a cell phone while driving, something chp officers see often. >> like maybe putting your

makeup on while you're driving, eating. >> starting this week, highway patrol will be on high alert. >> have the maximum amount of officers out on patrol, enforcing distracted driving and educating the public and what you can and cannot do while you operate a vehicle. >> carrie hopes with her story, less drivers will be distracted. and if approved, ab 47 will turn into effect january 1, 2001. this afternoon, we learned new details about a deadly officer-involved shooting in vallejo over the weekend. police say they did find the handgun at the taco bell where the suspect was killed. today vallejo police say the gun was reported stolen from oregon. it's described as a fully loaded 40 caliber with an extended magazine. officers say they found the man unresponsive in a parked car in the drive-through lane on saturday night, and saw the gun in his lap. officers say the man moved abruptly and reached for the gun. that's when officers opened fire. the suspect's family tells abche

was 21-year-old willie mccoy, and he was a rapper. new developments with the deadly ghost ship warehouse fire case. our media partners at the east bay times report a judge denied a defense request to arrest 14 more people in the case, among those, the lawyers for derick almena and max harris asked to be arrested were members of the fire and police departments, a building inspector. on the peninsula, we learned the names of two young people who were killed in a wrong-way crash over the weekend. tulio degiovanni, and megan alisa gotta died in pacifica early saturday morning. they were both 23 years old. highway patrol officer says they were passengers in a toyota prius that was going southbound on highway 1's northbound lanes, hitting a pickup truck. the prius driver and two people in the pickup all ended up in the hospital. sex workers in california could get more protection from

arrests when reporting violent crimes. abc 7 news was in san francisco where state senator scott wiener introduced a bill that would prohibit the arrest of sex workers when they come forward as a witness or a victim of serious crime. supporter says the bill prioritizes public safety by ensuring everyone is able to report crimes without fear of arrest. >> when we force them to live in fear, it's bad for public safety. it's bad for public health. but most importantly, it's bad for their human rights. >> members of the san francisco police force spoke today in support of the measure, but wiener says he expects some pushback from other law enforcement agencies in the state. all week, as part of our effort to build a better bay area, we are focusing on how bart is performing for the hundeds of thousands of people who depend on it every day. maybe you. today thousands of bart passengers started a new routine due to service changes, and we have a look at how that went. bart moved its start time for

retrofit work on the transbay tube. passengers leaving before 5:00 a.m. took a bus network serving 21 bus stations, and the temporary transbay terminal. the passengers' experience seem to depend on the route. >> i got on at base here, and san leandro. it only took 15 minutes. so it was good. >> there was no line, but it was a lot longer than normal. normally the bart is about ten minutes. this was about 40 or maybe 30. >> evening commuters may have a longer wait for a train. starting at 9:00 p.m., bart says it will be single tracking trains through the transbay tube. so trains that run every 20 minutes will run every 24 minutes now. the changes are expected to last for three and a half years. so we have to get used to this. now we have a list of all the bart scheduled changes on our website. you can find them by going to abc7news.com and searching for bart. a quick update now on the richmond san rafael bridge and the repairs on the upper deng.

caltrans did install a bigger metal plate over the weekend, but it's only a temporary fix. work on a permanent solution is scheduled for next week due to the weather. this means drivers could see lane closures during the overnight hours. you may recall concrete fell on to the lower deck last thursday, hitting at least one car. well, what a difference 24 hours makes. this video was taken yesterday morning on mount tamalpais, and yes, that is snow coming down. >> well, it's gone now. but we are in for some more changes in our weather. here's abc 7 news meteorologist sandhya patel. >> it is a powerful storm that i am tracking right now on doppler 7. what's left of the weekend storm is a few residual showers. very light in the north bay. getting into street level radar, penngrove, rohnert park. it's a little damp, nothing too major. wider perspective showing a long stretch of moisture emanating from the hawaiian island chain. it's an atmospheric riverheading in our direction for wednesday.

it's a strong level 3 on our storm impact scale. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected for most areas. 2 to 3 inches in the north bay. the coastal range 4 to 6 inches. flash flood watch tomorrow night through thursday morning. rock slides, debris flows and flooding is expected. we have a flood watch for lake county, solano county tomorrow morning, wednesday morning to thursday afternoon/evening, and strong winds are expected. so a high wind watch, and a wind advisory for tomorrow night going into wednesday and thursday. so definitely watch out. i'll be back with the timeline coming up. kristen? >> sandhya, thank you so much. live doppler 7 is one of the most popular features on our website and the abc 7 news app. if you want to track the rain, click the blue live bar at the top. you can check the weather conditions where you live and enable push alerts to get the latest news as it happens. in the east bay, the city of oakland is forming a partnership to increase transportation

options for low income residents. it's a 1 million initiative that the city hopes will bridge the equity gap in underserved areas. here is abc 7 news reporter carlos salcedo. >> oakland's mayor libby schaaf met with community leaders who address transportation inequity. >> we hope this sets a precedent for other cities across america, that we in government have wronged low income communities of color by disinvesting in transportation options. >> the $1 million project sponsored by lyft looks at expanding bike sharing options in east oakland. lyft has already tapped into its own bike sharing system. >> we're really partnering with those that know the community best and bringing the tools that we have like rides. we're also funding transit credits and bike credits. >> part of the issue is the ride sharing services are not affordable for everyone, which is why lyft is offering free rides to low income residents.

>> one of the main reasons i don't take it as much is the costs. so it's not tenable depending on where it is. >> roy fitch uses his refurbished bike to get around town. it's one of the partners groups that will use the funds to open up a bike library for people to rent. >> we take the bikes from scratch and refurbish them and create them, put paint on them as duct tape as well. >> while these artistic bikes are fun to watch, are they the solution to the bay area's transit nightmare? . so say there should be more of a focus on mass transit, mass transportation. that being overlooked here? >> no. i think that's all a part of the solution. we have to -- all the transportation solutions have to work together. >> in east oakland, carlos salcedo, abc 7 news. well, where in the world is edna? a cat has taken the san francisco fire department by storm and created controversy at the same time. the question tonight, where is she? and where she will be allowed to

live. >> 7 on your side's michael finley anywill explain why you may be paying a lot more than you have in the past. just when you thought "toy story 3" was gone for gootoys r gone for good, but it may be making a return. a new schedule kicks in. it's part of our effort to build a better bay area. join us what it's like to ride bart now and what track the transit system will take next. >> stay with us. abcnews will be right back. ♪ [baby crib musical mobile] millions are still exposed to the dangers of secondhand smoke. and some of them can't do anything about it. but you can. protect your family.

visit tobaccofreeca.com. (music throughout) people from around the world are speaking out for a cat here in san francisco. >> yeah, edna, a cat living with first responders as a stress relief animal was kicked out of department 49. >> abc 7 news anchor dion lim

has been working this story for days. this has been really heartbreaking for edna's support family. >> dan and kristen, this has been disappointing for so many thousands of people you. tell not only by edna's instagram here, where she has 22 25,500 followers burk the san francisco fire department have gotten about 4500 e-mails from around the globe who want edna to stay. here is a look back at how this all started and where we are today. edna is a tortoise shell cat who has been living with department 49 for four years. she provides stress relief to firefighters and other employees. the san francisco fire union local tells me an anonymous complaint was made to hr about edna, possibly by someone within the department. after getting wind of this, the chief called for edna to leave and find another home. i spoke with several people who work at station 49, none of whom will go on camera in fears of retaliation. they say since the story blew up

overnight, they're hearing rumors they'll lose their jobs if they talk. after repeated calls and e-mails to the fire department, we received this statement saying the department has had a policy prohibiting animals on property for more than 20 years. edna has gained more than 20,000 followers since our initial story on sunday. she continues to get support from her online community now that she is no longer allowed to live at department 49. become out here live, showing that online community, there is some good news in all of this. edna has been adopted by someone in department 49. also, the spca has offered any first responder in need of some emotional support, they can use their animals at any one of their facilities for some cuddle time. reporting live in san francisco tonight, i'm dion lim, abc 7 news. >> all right, dion, thank you. a new proposal to boost the number of californians buying health insurance might need changes. that's according to a study out today. governor newsom wants to require

california residents to buy health insurance or face fines. the idea is modeled after the individual mandate that the federal government has eliminated from the affordable care act or obamacare. now a nonpartisan report suggests fines should be based on a person's ability to pay them. >> it is a conversation worth having, especially highlighting what populations, especially low income to moderate income populations would be hit harder from a penalty. >> fines would go toward funding state subsidies aimed at lowering the cost of health insurance. it is time apparently to do a couple of things. use the sears gift cards and head to a big box store. >> 7 on your side michael finney is here to explain. >> this is a good time to make a target or costco run. oh, absolutely. right now. for the second year in a row, the companies that make staples like toilet paper and diapers are looking at price hikes. consumer goods like procter & gamble, colegate-palmolive and

color rex say they need to raise prices to keep up with higher costs for raw materials and shipping. they said that last year, and prices went up. so stock up now. you will be saving some money. car shoppers who haven't bought in a few years could be in for a shock when they go to the showroom. according to the car shopping experts at edmonds, the cost of financing a new car has gone way up. last january, the average percentage rate was just under 5%. last month it was more than 6%. that's a 20% increase. tighter money in general and manufacturers offering few financing deals, well, they are to blame. sears has made it through bankruptcy. now what? that's a question going around retail circles this week. cnn reports that the stores staying open in california are in good shape, in part because of the cost of doing business here is so high, it's keeping out much of the competition.

my advice for consumers just because sears made it through process doesn't mean it will not fail again. so if you have any gift cards, use them now. if you plan to buy them as gift, tell them who you give them to that they need to use the cards right away. we know that they had tens of millions of cards out there. >> literally. >> and even a bankruptcy was never in the pick checks, it's still a good idea. >> you can't forget it or lose it. >> i lose them. thanks, michael. >> on to the weather. now your accuweather forecast with sandhya patel. >> michael says go shopping. i'm not arguing there. good evening, everyone. this is your window to get out and shop about the wet weather, except in the north bay as doppler 7 right now is tracking some spotty light showers around calistoga road, heading across highway 101. santa rosa, south santa rosa. i want to sow you a lovely view. gorgeous. low 50s, san francisco, oakland,

san jose, morgan hill. a lovely view from the east bay hills camera. mix of sun and clouds. it's chilly. and petaluma and santa rosa in the upper 40s. one other live picture as we're seeing some leftover clouds over san francisco from our sutro cam. strong storm arrives late tomorrow night. expect heavy wind, gusty rain. widespread showers and breezy conditions on thursday. tomorrow morning here is what you need to know. temperatures will be in the 30s and 40s. not quite as cold this morning as we will see some more cloud cover, some patches of fog. definitely watch out for that fog. tomorrow afternoon, it is going to be a cool day. numbers will be in the 40s, 50s. plenty of cloud cover. some precipitation around lake and mendocino counties. on our exclusive impact scale, this is a strong level 3 for wednesday. 1 to 2 inches of rain for most areas. 2 to 3 inches in the north bay, and the coastal range looking at almost 4 to 6 inches of rain. so about a half a foot of rain. this is why we're expecting problems. gusty winds 45 to 5

hour. hour-by-hour, 8:00 p.m. tuesday night light showers. as we head into 10:30, this is when light showers develop in the north bay. we'll have to wait until after midnight before the rain begins to move. 5:00 a.m. wednesday, it is going to be a stormy ride. you'll be seeing downpours, potential for thunder, 8:00 a.m. it is going to be a rough ride, at 10:00 a.m. as well. do expect some major problems from flooding to downed trees during this time period. noontime it's still going. switch over to more scattered showers for the afternoon/evening commute. the strong level 3 storm is an atmospheric river. i do want to emphasize with this saturated soil now, anyrain we get on top will result in some problems. rainfall total through thursday morning will be in the 1 to 3-inch category. but higher totals are expected in the wettest spots, 4 to 6 inches. wins will be picking up out of the south-southeast, gusting to about 48 miles per hour 5:00 a.m. wednesday along the coast.

watch the winds ramping up. over 60 miles per hour says afternoon and gusty wednesday night. definitely the potential is there for seeing some problems. possible power outages as well. winter storm watch for lake county. 4:00 p.m. tomorrow through 4:00 p.m. wednesday. it's for the higher terrain, above 2,000 feet. they're expecting accumulating snow again. the sierra will be seeing the winter storm watch until 4:00 p.m. thursday, above 4,000 feet. initially, snow levels up to 7,000 feet. and then lowering so the snow is expected to accumulate up to 5 feet at the peaks. it's a warm storm coming in. so that is going to be high snow levels eventually dropping. accuweather seven-day forecast. rain by nighttime tomorrow, but mainly north bay. wednesday is your stormy day, a strong level 3. level 2 for thursday morning. widespread showers for valentines. and a level 1 for friday. scattered showers. slight chance saturday. brighter skies as we head towards president's day. but download the accuweather app and track this storm with live doppler 7. kristen and dan.

>> lots to track. >> yes. >> do your kids miss toys r us? >> they do. >> well, the

troop nick arts attempt to challenge a popular game fortnite is paying off, at least on wall street. the redwood shores company has seen its stock pop since last week, and analysts are upping the target price. electronic arts released apex legends and it drew 10 million players during its first three dines the market. ea stock did take a little bit of a dip today, ending its rally. it closed at $97.24. toys r us could be making a comeback for the next holiday season. a former company executive is lookin putting a miniature version inside another store. true kids took over the toys r us, babies r us and geoffrey brands. toys r us went out of business last year in the united states, but there is still about 800

stores in other locations around the world. a self-driving car market is heating up with amazon investing in a startup. aurora has received significant investments from the online retailer, as well as sequoia, which is a menlo park venture capital firm. aurora has already started hiring engineers in palo alto, san francisco, and pittsburgh, pennsylvania. it has partnerships already with volkswagen and hyundai. the food and drug administration is warning supplement makers to stop pushing their products as cures and treatments. dietary supplements are not reviewed by the fda before they hit store shelves, but the agency will get involved if there are misleading claims or if they are found to be dangerous in some way. the fda has already warned some sellers to stop claiming some products can cure alzheimer's disease. the supplement industry is a big business, raking in an estimated $40 billion a year. all right. a california couple experiences a heart-stopping moment during a sunday night of doing housework. >> they sure did. you would too if you found

yourself just inches from this. the story behind a couple's close-up cougar encounter. that's next.

i'm ama daetz. coming up on abc 7 news at 6:00 -- >> we're just devastated. >> the unthinkable at a community farm in vallejo. three alpacas were attacked and killed by neighborhood dogs. other animals were also injured. and -- >> oh my god, i get so many

robocalls so, many. five, six, seven a day. >> oh, everybody hates robocalls. but get this. you may be getting fewer and fewer of them going forward. 7 on your side's michael finney shows us what's going on. all that plus much more in half an hour on abc 7 news at 6:00. kristen, dan? >> half a diaz robocalls today. before we go, a car's engine wasn't the only thing purchasing inide a garage in southern california. >> see for yourself. a mountain lion became trapped inside shauni shlea's garage in san bernardino county. they were doing laundry when they found themselves inches. >> scary. at first he thought it was a children's stuffed toy. wildlife officials picked up the mountain lion. he was brave enough to get a few pictures and a little video of that big cat. >> glad they're okay. "world news tonight" with david muir is coming up next. i'm kristen sze. >> and i'm dan ashley. for all of us here we appreciate your time. we'll see you again in half an hour.

tonight, bracing for a major storm. set to slam the east tonight, and right into tomorrow morning's commute. from d.c. to philly, from new york city to boston. 120 million americans affected already. an out of control driver slamming into police. paramedics stuck, forced to get out and push a patient on a gurney instead. ginger zee has the track and the new timing tonight. dueling rallies tonight. president trump at the border, saying el paso was crime-ridden until they built a wall. beto o'rourke says that's not true. he's planning his own rally tonight. is he planning a run? the urgent manhunt tonight, and this surveillance. authorities say this disbarred lawyer is armed and dangerous. he was supposed to report to jail. tonight, they say he's now killed his own mother and has cut off his ankle monitor. the major decision tonight in the case of the hh