housing and education which is why the looming strike by oakland teachers is such a big deal. >> we're two days away from thousands of teachers walking out. the district plans to keep schools open on thursday and will bring in substitute teachers but the regular teachers are urging parents not to send their children to class. >> we're worried that there won't be enough supervision at school to keep the kids safe here. >> and the district has said they will start, they will still be able to take care of the kids. the teacher's union is seeking a 12% race. about 36,000 students in oakland unified. >> tonight some parents that don't want to send their kids to school are looking for alternatives. >> some community groups are stepping up to help. >> when teachers go on strike here in oakland, some students may end up here at east bay bible church. >> we're openg doors to them so they can come in and

learn. >> arthur young is an elder at the church. he says teachers contacted them asking to use their space as a way to take pressure off frantic parents looking for a place to send their kids. the church has the space that can serve as classrooms as well as a kitchen and bathrooms for up to 50 students that may be sent here. >> it's not going to be like they're at regular school but at least they'll have a place to go. >> betty mcgee that runs betty's children's academy says she has been getting ten calls a day from parents. she even has three tours scheduled just for today. >> it's just parents in a panic mode or not knowing what to do with their child and they have to go to work. >> mcgee says getting child care on such short notice can be hard since most programs are already full. she will bring on two extra teachers to accommodate the influx on new students. >> it's difficult. it puts a hardship on the parents and us but we try to make it work for everybody. >> but these options don't solve

every parent's problems. her son is too young for off campus programs and they can't afford child care. >> send money here or keep him home and i say keep at home because it's more safe. >> she worries what she will do if the strike drags out over the next couple of >> other resources for family ifs the strike happens, the city of oakland will open 15 recreation centers from 8:00 to 3:00 monday through friday. meals will be provided for students. another option for parents, public libraries. they will be open during regular business hours. >> teachers are asking for a raise. right now, oakland school district salaries range from about 46,000 to $84,000 a year, experienced teachers earn around 64,000. >> teachers say that salary does not allow them to live in the city where they work. according to zillow, the median

rent in oakland is $3,000 a month. a little bit more than that or close to $38,000 a year. that's more than 80% of a starting teachers salary. one of the best ways to stay on top of the oakland teachers strike is through the abc 7 news app. enable push alerts to receive updates. >> former president barrack obama is in oakland and wrapping up the first national convening of his foundations my brother's keeper alliance. right now he is on stage with warrior's star, steph curry. this is an invitation only town hall event before hundreds of young men of color focussing on education, mentoring, and violence prevention. >> you can pull him up on youtube and we used to have everybody from stevie wonder to prince, to beyonce, you name it. it was a pretty good deal. it was almost like your own private concert. very small stage.

just a few seats. but they used to rehearse the day before, and they rehearsed in the east room right below where my office was where i was doing work and i would suddenly hear the bass is coming through the floor and sometimes i'd go down the stairs and i would sit and watch the rehearsals. and it didn't matter how famous, how accomplished these artists were, man, when they were really focussing on the song and watching them collaborate and support each other and teach each other, no, here's how this should sound and here's how we should work this and the generosity that they showed each other, that also taught me something because most great music is not done in isolation. most great music is a

collaboration and learning how to apply those lessons in lifeee where you are great because there is a team that makes you great. >> you're listening to former president barrack obama speaking right now at his foundation my brother's keeper alliance in oakland. he has been speaking for about almost a half hour or 45 minutes now. we're streaming this event at abc 7 news.com and the abc 7 news app as well. kate is there and will have a live report on the news at 6:00 including more of the comments from curry and the former president and also reaction from those in attendance. >> in the north bay, drone view 7 went up today over the mud slide. you can get a clear view of all the debris and the muddy mess. >> it's just terrible as you can see. the homeowners had to get creative today to get back inside tlect some of their

belongings. that must have been something pretty amazing to see. >> creative is a good word. adaptive is a good word for how they got in. we have been talking since last week about how they want to get back in and retrieve their personal items. how those red tagged houses have been dangerous and in some cases they didn't have doors to get in. today they got into one house and they did so in a dramatic fashion. >> is this a circus or a mud slide? if you chose the second, you are correct. they return to their homes by a plank through a window hoping to salvage some of the stuff they left behind. >> jewelry, clothes, shoes, paperwork, passport, checkbooks. >> i know where everything is. i already made a list. >> she and her husband brian had been waiting for this day. they have been living with a friend contemplating the disaster that carried away their carport leaving them stranded

that morning. >> it was like opening the door to the matrix. it was just black. there was nothing there. >> and yet the residents of 412 are fortunate because right next door that same slide took the house that susan gordon lived in. somehow she survived but the aftermath has not been easy. >> why? why was i saved? why am i alive? >> susan watched this morning as land lords david johnson and winston hired a contractor to help their tenants retrieve those essentials. >> we're taking care of ourselves in the meantime but the tenants are our first priority. >> in all the emergency plank walk took an hour, a fair well to what had been home sweet home. >> what is the difference in your life between now and three hours ago? >> i feel a lot more certain that i can put my life back together. >> the trauma associated with that night is unbelievable. we're having trouble sleeping. the noise was incredible. just knowing five feet more and

maybe our houshmandzadeh would have been down on top of susan. >> we asked the wilsons if they would ever move back to the hillside duplex. both of them said no. they love their land lord but they don't trust the hill. they want to live in a very flat place on solid ground with nothing above them and nothing below them. wayne freedman, abc 7 news. >> thank you so much. >> rain is once again in our forecast. abc 7 news meteorologist is here to tell us when it's going to arrive. >> as early as tomorrow morning. i want to show you live doppler 7 because it is just some clouds passing through but the picture is going to change as we have a cold system that is diving down. right now it is producing some showers and snow showers across the pacific northwest. so as it heads in our direction, it's a light level one system for tomorrow. spotty light showers. less than .2 inch. snow level dropping 2,500 to 3,000 feet. heres the hour by hour time

line. 5:00 a.m. expect a couple of showers. it's not we are looking at the possibility of snow showers over the highest peaks. i'll be back with a look at your weekend that includes another possibility of rain. >> thank you very much. >> okay. world renowned american conservatory theater in san francisco is being accused by a former actor, director and teacher there that says act discriminated against african americans. >> yeah, abc 7 news reporter is on that story. >> it's shocking to me that a theater community in san francisco is the racest place i have ever worked. >> he's a highly accomplished african american, actor, director and teacher. ten years with the american conservatory theater in san francisco. his claims of discrimination he says include racial profiling, exploitation, racist casting,

and retaliation. he says in his lawsuit there was institutional racism and racial hostility run rampant. he said theater security guards even detained him because he was black. >> i was physically stopped by a security guard and then once i was also stopped in the lobby not able to see some of the students perform it's work. >> he lobbied for more opportunities for african american actors. >> the artistic director said our subscribers don't want to see black plays and black plays don't make any money. >> act management he says brushed his complaints aside. his lawyers say attempts to resolve them were futile. >> included in that proposal was a very exacting programatic relief proposal for change at a.c.t. that they closed the theater door on. >> they issued a statement that says we are deeply saddened by the legal complaint. the board of directors have

taken these concerns very seriously and put efforts in place to ensure that a.c.t. remains fiercely committed to upholding our values. he says he was forced to re-sign in may of last year. >> he says what's happening here is a tragedy and that he's filing this lawsuit to make the a.c.t. a better place, a more inclusive place for students to train and express themselves. >> developing news, the trump administration wants california to refund $2.5 billion the state already received for high speed rail now that that project is being scaled back. last week the governor said the planned line from san francisco to los angeles would cost too much and take too long. he wants to focus on the central valley instead. now they say california needs to return the money because it hasn't provided matching funding. >> we're committed to building a better bay area.

you had lots of questions for us after we put the spotlight on b.a.r.t. last week. today we try to get you answers. >> how do you know what's really under the hood when

there is literally no room. >> as we get more of these new trains into service, it's basically letting us make other trains longer, so if it wasn't ten cars before it will be. >> there's one here from someone saying i don't like that they took out the extra seats. no one wants to stand for 45 minutes to get to work. >> for every person that hates we took out extra seats we have people demanding we take out more seats. a lot of riders just want to fit on the train. >> harvey f. wrote i worry about walking in the garage because a lot of the overheadlights are cleaned out and no one is cleaning the human feces. >> that's unacceptable. that's a safety hazard. >> they said that's the kind of complaint that can be resolved in real time. if you see a light burned out, you see waste, you tell a station agent or report it on the b.a.r.t. app that pings

maintenance. they'll even board a train to take care of a problem. as for san bruno, it will be resolved tonight. >> please tell us about the new b.a.r.t. stations that are going to have the appropriate gates that don't allow people to just jump over them. >> we're looking at retrofits that would make it difficult to brace yourself on the top and then jump over. >> what will they look like? recommendations on modifying gates will be unveiled on march 28th. abc 7 news. >> now we definitely want to hear your thoughts about b.a.r.t. or anything else we can do to help keep building a better bay area. head to abc 7 news.com and search better bay area. write us with comments, concerns and suggestions. on twitter use the #better bay area and on facebook join our better bay area group as we work on finding solutions together. >> looking for some wheels? before you buy a used car, how can you find out the real history behind it? >> oh, boy, michael has some tips to finding out.

michael. >> buying a good used car is more important than the price you pay. it actually is. here's why. a bad one can cost you money for years and years to come. so it's important to note as much as possible about your potential new ride. >> john bought his used ford taurus 14 years ago for $12,000. with 9,000 miles on it, john thought it was a steal but the car began to rust raising his suspicion that there may have been more to the car's past than he knew. >> i would try to touch up rusting areas. >> consumer reports was able to check the history of his car by using the vin or vehicle identification number through car fax. an online service that provides information about used cars. john's suspicion was correct. the car fax report said his ford had, in fact, been a rental car for 7 months before he bought

it. all information john says he wished he had known. >> >> so the 9,000 miles on it when i bought the car were rental car miles. >> when you're buying used, it's important to know what the history is. was it in a flood. was it a rental car? important details that may change your mind about buying it or not. >> consumer reports also says it's a good idea to get any used car inspected by an independent mechanic before you buy it. >> they can be a better indicator of the car's history and where it's at today. >> john says he definitely won't buy used again without checking the car's history and he considers himself lucky. >> it could have been worse for me. mechanically, the car has been a terrific car. it really has. >> now in addition, consumers can use auto check to look up their vehicle history. they charge about $30. now for free, you can get a vin check from the national

insurance crime bureau. there you can find out if the car is reported stolen or salvaged and also for free you can check for recalls on safer car.com. >> that's good to know. >> thanks, michael. >> on to the weather. >> all right. hi there. time to get the umbrellas out and chekeep them handy in case need them tomorrow. clouds around but no rain just yet. a lovely view from our tower camera. hope you had a chance to get out and enjoy sunshine. temperatures in the low 50s. san francisco, oakland, san jose and the view looking from out of town enjoying the sea lions and the sunshine it looks like. it is 56 in fairfield. 53 degrees in livermore and 57 in concord. so we do have rain coming but it's not something that you're going to have to write home about if you will. the amounts are going to be very

light. and this is tomorrow. about two tenths. it is a gorgeous view right now. a mix of sun and clouds. here's another equally stunning view from our camera and a look at our forecast. spotty wintry mix is coming your way tomorrow. bright and breezy thursday-friday and there is a chance of showers this weekend. so first thing in the morning, temperatures will be in the 30s and 40s and there will be some areas of damp roadways so just prepare for it will be a cooler day as this is a cold system coming in. 56 oakland, san francisco, santa rosa and in san jose. narrow range of temperatures. it's a light level one system for tomorrow. spotty light showers expected. rainfall less than .2 and the snow level will be dropping between 2500 and 3,000

midnight to tomorrow looking at clouds. 5:00 a.m., a few showers begin to develop as we go into 9:00 a.m. notice some of those are skirting the 11:30 tomorrow morning looking at showers. some of you will see sunshine and clouds and it's a very minimal impact system. 5:00 p.m. still a few showers and 8:00 p.m. this is when mount hamilton starts to see a little snow. this is not looking like a major event like we have seen in days past where there's quite a bit of snow. most of you will be to about a tenth of an inch. it does turn to a few inches of snow in the mountains. winter weather advisory tomorrow, 4:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.. above 4,000 feet expecting 3 to 7 inches of snow.

watch out, reduced visibility in case your traveling there and the chinese new year parade is happening this saturday in san francisco. increasing clouds. now a slight chance of a few showers. make sure that you have a jacket with you and perhaps, if you will, take your umbrellas with you just in a chance for showers oscar sunday going into monday and tuesday. all are light systems for now. >> that's nice. a little bit of rain but not too heavy. >> that's right. >> we are getting ready for the oscars. >> yes. >> tonight we'll take you inside the theater where they're held. that story is next. and then at 5:30 on world news. >> coming up tobt, breaking news, the passenger jet struck by lightning. the emergency landing as a major storm moves in tonight and tomorrow. 32 states. a dangerous mix of snow, ice and torrential rain and breaking

news in the jussie smollett case, next. >> thank you. we'll see you then. caught on camera, new at 6:00, the vandalism and the sign that may hav even if no one in your home smokes,

secondhand smoke can be closer than you think. secondhand smoke from a neighbor's apartment can enter your home through air vents, through light fixtures and even through cracks in the walls and the floors. secondhand smoke is toxic. especially to children. protect your family. visit tobaccofreeca.com.

>> it's of course the audio company based here in san francisco. >> and they play an instrumental role in most of the movies up for best picture. our sister station in los angeles has more. >> this is one of the first award shows to be broadcast in digital 5.1. so that legacy of technology and support continues to this day. >> on oscar's sunday dolby will be present again inside the dolby theater. it could result in some of these for the nominees. >> they play a part in five of the eight nominations for best picture. >> among this year's nominated

movies with dolby laboratories input, black klansmann, black panther, and roma. >> we have a long history of working with film makers and content creators as far back as the last iteration of a star is born in 1976. it was one of the first movies to come out in dolby stereo. when it comes from the broadcast audio you'll be hearing inside the theater, that's left to the expertise of veteran audio director and his team of experts. >> we want you to hear a performance like a recording and recording but it's also live so we want you to hear the interaction of the audience and what they're doing and how the room sounds. so you get the sensefein the room if we can do that. this is a nice easy pace show. it's about elegance. it's very old school t is. this is a fairly simple show for us in all honesty. it's a little bigger this year because we have gaga coming in

and queen coming in. it's a little bigger this year. >> abc 7 news anchor will be in hollywood for the oscars. this week she will cover the preparations leading up to the big show. dion will be reporting from los angeles starting on friday. you can only watch the oscars here on abc 7. the awards will be handed out this sunday beginning at 5:00 p.m. >> all right. here's a little something to brighten up your day. >> how can you,

georgand a busy day ahead. george has entresto, a heart failure pill that helped keep people alive and out of the hospital. don't take entresto if pregnant; it can cause harm or death to an unborn baby.

don't take entresto with an ace inhibitor or aliskiren, or if you've had angioedema with an ace or arb. the most serious side effects are angioedema, low blood pressure, kidney problems, or high blood potassium. ask your doctor about entresto. ♪ the beat goes on ♪ the beat goes on that was great! the plan san jose city leaders believe would help curb gun violence. and a 7-on-your side follow up on a bizarre story, a southern california man flies to the bay area on a round trip ticket but isn't allowed on his flight home. an industry expert tells michael

where the airline went wrong. all coming up at 6:00. >> we'll see you then. >> before we leave, you have to see this little girl that is a good reminder to savor the joy in life. >> a beyonce song puts her over the top. it's too adorable to miss. ♪ >> this is baylor. she's in utah. she has her groove down while she jams on the kitchen counter. >> mom moving the fan for that wind. giggling and wiggling and keeping a firm grip on that corn dog. >> this video already has nearly 5 5 million more. >> that girl runs the world. >> for all of us here thanks for inviting us into your homes tonight. >> we appreciate your time.

we'll see you again in half an hour. tonight, the passenger jet struck by lightning. the emergency landing as a major storm moves in tonight and tomorrow. 32 states. a dangerous mix of snow, ice and torrential rain. the accidents already mounting. the pickup truck hit by lightning, too. the car trapped under power lines. ginger zee tonight on when this hits and where. also breaking news in the jussie smollett case. after his claims of an attack, federal investigators tonight now asking questions about the letter smollett says was sent to his show, "empire." also, news on those brothers. where they were seen today. tonight, the president responding to "the new york times" report today that he asked his acting attorney general to change the prosecutor in the michael cohen case. did the president want the u.s. attorney that he appointed instead? bernie is back. he will run for president again. president trump responding