see some of the flames. and certainly that huge column of smoke that is rising. flames have burned about 40 acres so far next to the detail that and the water. the fire's location is making it hard for crews to get to the scene. the flames are getting very close to a nearby cannabis farm so, they are watching that. and firefighters want to stop the flames before they reach the crop. we'll continue to bring you updates as we get more information. and with that, good evening and thanks for joining us. i'm dion lim. >> and i'm kristen sze. now to our other top story today. wednesday's strong winds that are coming may force it to shut power off to 15 county, including sonoma, napa and san mateo. owners, residents and business owners are furious. >> melanie woodrow joins us live at sonoma plaza with more on this story. melanie? >> kristen andy on, this area really is the heart of sonoma. we're surrounded by businesses. city hall is just behind me. and this area lost power for about two days earlier this

month, creating a large economic dent for residents and businesses. the historic swiss hotel has been in hank marione's family for decades, but he can't seem to recall anything like this happening in years past. for the second time this month his business could lose power. >> you're talking about thousands of dollars a day. >> during the first public safety power shutoff, he had to throw out meat, fish and poultry. marione lost his home in the tubbs fire two years ago. he says he gets it, but questions why pg&e officials shut off power as broadly as they did. >> i don't really have a problem with them shutting down up in the hills where the winds were 40, 50 miles an hour. but in town i don't believe there is a lot that can burn. >> pg&e has said its transmission grid is so complicated, it can't isolate smaller areas. sonoma county first district supervisor susan goren. >> they should have been on this from decades ago, undergrounding

lines, setting the transition grid as they have been doing in southern california where. have they been? >> instead, pg&e says its meteorologists are monitoring weather conditions 24/7, their eyes fixed on this wednesday and thursday in particular. >> is expected to have dry, hot and windy weather. >> the utility company announcing today this round of potential shutoffs would be significantly smaller. pg&e hasn't called for the shutoff yet, but officials say they want to make sure customers are prepared as possible. still, we found residents who had no idea. >> can't believe it. not again. >> don del carlo describes the most recent shutoff as radical. did it feel warranted? >> no, i didn't feel so. >> he plans to buy a generator. >> it's going to be the new reality. i think that's what it's going to be. so we have to really -- we can't count on pg&e anymore like we used to. >> supervisor gorin also lost her home in the fire a couple of

years ago, so she says she also gets it. but as you heard her say just a moment ago, she believes that pg&e should have resolved these issues decades ago. live in sonoma, melanie woodrow, abc7 news. >> thank you. during the last shutoff, pg&e said it dealt with more than 100 cases of damage or hazards due to high winds. that included problems like downed power lines and tree branches falling on lines. pg&e says any of these hazards could have sparked a fire. pg&e plans to open more fully staff community resource centers for those affected by the possible public safety power shutoff. those centers will have rest rooms, bottled water, electronic device charging, and air conditioning. pg&e says its resource centers didn't meet people's needs during the last shutoff. locations will be posted at abc7news.com. you do want to take a look from our mount tam cam. you often see the effects of the wind from this spot. abc7 news meteorologist sandhya patel joining us with a look at the forecast. you can't tell from that

picture, but the wind will pick up. >> absolutely. it's going to be the midweek time period where the winds are going to be the strongest. so a fire weather watch has been issued for the north and east bay hills and the santa cruz mountains wednesday afternoon in the north bay. evening for the rest of the area. through thursday evening. north-northeast wind gusts 30 to 60 miles per hour. very low humidity means fires that do develop will spread rapidly. take a look at one of the biggest factors. wednesday night, the winds are beginning to increase. 10:00 p.m., 35 miles an hour around knoxville, middletown. the strongest winds expected in the north bay in the wee hours of thursday morning, over 35-mile-per-hour winds. and the gusty winds continue into thursday morning, keeping us in a critical fire weather condition mode. be back with the rest of the forecast coming up, dion? >> sounds good. thanks. meantime, we are getting a look attests detailing the level of toxins spread in the air by last week's fire at an energy facility in crockett. that fire at nustar energy did send high levels of smoke particles into nearby

neighborhoods. however, contra costa health officials said today the smoke did not contain unusually high levels of toxins. experts believe the fire's heat and weather conditions reduced the smoke's impact. the cause of that fire is still unknown. in san jose, a nonprofit group finds itself the victim of a string of burglaries. its name, good karma reflects its efforts to give bikes to the homeless and help others repair bikes for basic transportation. david louie talks about the founder about how this streak of bad luck won't change the company's faith in people. >> the name good karma gives you a clue what this organization is all about. but the 10-year-old nonprofit has been falling victim to a series of costly break-ins. despite lots of locks and steel cables securing the doors and an an lamar system, thieves found a vulnerability. good karma ceo jim gardner pointed it out. >> you can see there is about a one-foot gap between the sheet metal stud and the wall where there is no chain-link fence.

>> two men believe to be in their 30s wearing hood east stole three bicycles, a cannondale valued about one thousand and two rally bikes around 1500. that's a key to support social service, helping 25,000 clients, doing over 200,000 repairs and giving away 3500 bikes to the homeless. plus, it hold weekly free repair clinics. this is the rack where the bikes were located. good karma does have insurance but the deductible is high and won't cover the loss. thieves appear to find good karma an attractive target. four days earlier they disconnected cables and stole a computer. the stolen bikes will have an impact on its service to the community. >> these are probably, i don't know, maybe 50 bikes less that we can confidence or give away to people in need. >> there is irony, of course, in the organization's name. however, jim gardner expresses concern that the thieves are digging themselves into a deeper

hole. >> karma is our middle name. and karma means actions and effects. that's why my heartbreaks for these people. >> despite this temporary setback, good karma says it is on track to continue its services. in san jose, david louie, abc7 news. berkeley police are searching for possibly two armed robbers who stole at least one laptop at gunpoint from patrons sitting on the patio outside cafe strada near bancroft way. it happened last night around 10:30. the robbers took off in black bmw. this is the same location during a strong arm robbery a little more than week ago. as part of our building a better bay area effort, we're also focused on homelessness and possible solutions to the housing crisis. today the mayor of oakland cut the ribbon on a new transitional facility for women only. abc7 news reporter laura anthony is on this story you'll see only on abc7 news. >> i lost my home after 14 years. and it was a downward spiral

ever since then. >> for joanna, it's a way out of a life that was destroying her. >> the chatter and the chaos and the confusion and the violence for in my head, it wasn't very good. i didn't see any hope. >> two, one! >> now joanne is among the first to move in to turning point, a new residential program in east oakland for single women. >> there really isn't other place in oakland that concentrates on the healing for single women. >> we have to recognize that women live under a unique set of threats to their safety and to their emotional well-being. >> turning point, as it's called, has space for up to 24 women. it's meant to be a long-term solution. not just a place to sleep for days or weeks. residents stay for six to 12 months, and each must be working toward gaining employment or continuing their education.

there's also counseling for domestic violence and substance abuse. >> it's one thing to put someone in another place, a place to shelter them, but it's another thing to give them all the tools they need to succeed in life. >> for joanna, it's about gaining something in life that once seemed loss. do you have hope now? >> tremendous hope. where it's dark at, i just see sunlight right now. honestly, time in the light now. >> in oakland, laura anthony, abc7 news. >> in july the numbers showed oakland's homeless population rose nearly 50% in the last two years. 940 for every 100,000 people. that is higher than san francisco at 906 and berkeley at 898. allegations of a coverup. the journalist who cracked open the harvey weinstein sex scandal. ronan farrow talks with abc7 news about the dramatic downfall of a network anchor. next. also, cutting the cord.

it's going to be more expensive for certain customers. and $100 sure isn't what it used to be, especially here in california. and taking a live look once again at that breaking news coming out of eastern contra costa county. you see there sky 7 still over that fire, burning out of control in brentwood. we'll stay on top of aaddiction. how juuline hooked kids and ignited an public health crisis." other news outlets report- juul took $12.8 billion from big tobacco. markets e-cigarettes with kid friendly flavors and uses

nicotine to addict them. 5 million kids use e-cigarettes. juul is "following big tobacco's playbook." and now, juul is pushing prop c to overturn e-cigarette protections. vote no on juul. no on big tobacco. no on prop c.

pulitzer prize winning artist ronan farrow was with us promoting his book, catch and kill. he told stories of sexual abuse by matt lauer and the cover-up at highest levels of nbc network. he shared his views on having helped spark the me too movement. >> as we left the midday live set, we asked ronan farrow about the me too movement, his reporting on harvey weinstein and sexual harassment helped

spark the conversation around the world. women talk to you in that way and say thank you for the work you're doing. you must feel this is why i went through. >> it's incredibly moving, and i'm so grateful for it. the book makes it clear what a low point some of this reporting was in my own life. and i don't take any of the response in the way people have rallied around the reporting for granted. >> the details he has exposed explosive. we asked him about the rape accusation he reported against former "today" show host matt lauer. >> nbc said they will not hire or do an outside investigation, only an internal investigation. it reminded me of brian williams. different accusations, but only an internal investigation that's never been made public. is that all part of the cover-up? >> i think that one thing is clear, having reporte on a number of these stories at a number of different companies, it is not a real investigation when you do an internal investigation. and having an outside firm rubber stamp things after the fact is not an outside investigation. and i think people are savvy about that. when a company refuses literally

years of calls to hire outside investigators, usually there is something amiss. >> you've exposed this practice of catching and killing a story that is the name of your book, catch and kill. you've exposed it. do you think you've ended it? >> absolutely not. and the moral of the book is very much the problem goes on. the fight goes on. there are important stories that are vital disclosures for the future of our democracy that are still being withheld by powerful interests. but also, i hope that people close the back cover of this book and feel hopeful, because the other lesson here is that sources are not about to shut up. >> nbc news has denied covering up for lauer. pharaoh, for his part would not say if he believes any executive there's should be fired. in the newsroom, liz kreutz, abc7 news. alameda residents may soon be paying more to help maintain the city's storm drains. property owners in the city have

paid an annual fee of $56 in the last 15 years. a new ballot measure would increase that fee, $78 for a total of $134 a year if the measure passes. alameda storm water fund is running a $1 million deficit, and the system needs about $30 million in upgrades. completed ballots are due november 25th. the new rate would take effect november 2020. questions remain about the collapse of a payroll processing company where the ceo was arrested. >> abc7 news 7 on your side's michael finney joining us with more on this story. mike's michael? >> this could turn out to be a raw deal. more than a month after the collapse of my payroll hr, there are still questions about millions of dollars in tax payments. "the wall street journal" says abou deductions handled by my payroll hr never made it to their destinations. no word on where that leaves consumers or their employers.

at&t's tv now is raising prices substantially. tech crunch is reporting that subscribers who are on the $50 plan will pay $65. those paying 70, will pay 80 for the streaming service. the website tech crunch says the hikes are designed to keep the company profitable even as large numbers of customers drop the service. back in 2016, the service cost $35 per month. what will $100 buy you these days? well, it actuallng to spend the money. the u.s. bureau of economic analysis has been looking at the worth of your cash and the tax foundation has been crunching those numbers and finds the same amount of cash will buy you a lot more in one state than in another. so $100 in oregon is worth 100.50. next door in i'd worth $107.53. over in washington state, still a neighbor, $93.98.

and in california, you got it, $87.11. that's what's $100 is worth. washington, d.c. came in at the lowest at $85.54. we were 48. >> that's great! >> not last! >> that's all that matters. >> that's what we expected to be. >> yeah. >> pretty bad nonetheless. michael, thanks anyway. this may be a good deal for you if you like skiing. mt. rose tahoe plans to kick off the skiing season this friday. the ski resort boasts the highest base elevation of all those resorts in lake tahoe, but it's relying on an extensive snow making system to offer skiers and snowboarders the first runs of the season. mt. rose is also aiming for another six-month plus winter season. >> quite the opposite for us in the bay area. >> that's right. it's going to start to sizzle. let's check things out with sandhya patel. >> we're going to be seeing some 90s here in the bay area later

on this week. i want to show you live doppler 7 right now, and you will notice it is clear from coast to inland. those temperatures today came up compared to 24 hours ago. a good 14 degrees warmer in novato. up 12 in concord. san jose, you felt it. up 10 degrees. take a look at our picture from east bay hills as we see sunshine over mount diablo. 78 in oakland. low 80s around redwood city, san jose. nice weather in san jose as well right now where it is bright and sunny, as we look over the shark tank. 88 in santa rosa, fairfield currently 89 in concord and livermore, you're at 85 degrees. so as you're thinking about the rest of the workweek, wonder wlag the weather is going to be like, well, let's take a look. during the overnight hours, you're going to see clear, starry conditions. it will be cool in the valleys. warm and dry patterns setting up for the workweek. and we will be seeing cooler weather for the weekend. i know some of you are asking this weekend.ing to cool off. golden gate camera showing a

live view. it is sparkling outside with a gentle wind at the lower elevations. higher elevations breezy. skies clear. valleys down to the upper 40s. so yes, it will cool off nicely during the overnight hours. good sleeping weather for you. tomorrow afternoon, it's going to be warm. 89 in the south bay in morgan hill. 84 san jose. 83 sunnyvale. santa cruz 86 degrees. on the peninsula, you're going to be feeling the warmth as well. this is october for you. 84 in redwood city. 73 degrees in pacifica. m pretty nice looking daip d ing . temperatures will go from 70 in sauce sillito to 86 in san rafael. 89, santa rosa. and vallejo in the mid-80s. in the east bay low to mid-80s as you'll notice. 83 in oakland. 84 castro valley, fremont. the temperatures above average for this time of year, even though we do experience the warm fall weather here in the bay area in october. temperatures inland concord, 89

degrees. 88 pittsburgh. 88 in livermore. 91 in brentwood. now i want to show you what's ahead for wednesday. those temperatures will be up into the low 90s around places like fairfield. 70s right near the coastline. thursday is we're going to hold on to that heat still. temperatures will be continuing in the warm to hot category for your friday. 70s to the 90s. here is a look at the accuweather seven-day forecast, and we're going to go with a mild to warm pattern tomorrow. increasing fire danger as the gusty offshore winds develop wednesday afternoon, going into thursday morning, high fire dangers. still you will notice. and then the temperatures will begin to ease as we head into the weekend, the heat will ease. mid-80s inland. mid-60s coast side. cooling continues on sunday. down to the low 80s inland, and then it's a mix of sun and clouds. monday is looking nice. it's going to be much cooler, low 60s to low the mid-70s. it should nice looking weather, but definitely watch out for the fire danger this week. >> sandhya, thanks.

>> thank you. a california city returns an island to a native american sarah's last tuition payment, sent off. feeling good? oh yeah. now i'm ready to focus on my project. ♪ ♪ this is why we plan. ♪ ♪ you never cease to amaze me, maya. see how investing with a j.p. morgan advisor can help you.

visit your local chase branch. tto harrison, the wine tcollection.. to mateo, my favorite chair. grace, you get the beach house... just don't leave the lights on, okay? to craig, this rock. to jamie, well, let's just say, enjoy the ride. the redwoods to the redheads. the rainbows to the proud. the almonds to walter. the beaches to the bums. and the fog to, who else, karl. i leave these things to my heirs, all 39 million of you, on one condition. that you do everything to preserve and protect them. with love, california.

man in antioch is okay after police rescued him as he was trapped inside a convertible car that roll down a boat ramp into the water. the man was holding his head above the water when officers cut open the convertible top to get the driver's door open and then get him out to safety. a sacred island off the coast of eureka was officially returned to the wyatt tripe today after more than 150 years. settlers decimated the island during a raid in the 1860s, and the tribe has made small efforts to reclaim the lost land. that land is often submerged during high tides. today's handover gives the tribe almost the entirety of the island, just about 200 acres at no cost. the tribe says it will use the land for native plant growth as well as for ceremonies. construction will begin soon to enhance safety along a busy street at fisherman's wharf.

mayor london breed joined other city officials for today's ceremony. they kicked off a $16 million project to widen sidewalks, install landscaping and improve lighting. this is the second phase of upgrades along jefferson street. the current project will focus on jefferson between jones and powell streets. in 2013, similar work took place between jones and hyde. well, still ahead, the victory dance that slid away. we'll be right back. but right now, we want to thank sky-high oakland for this cool aerial shot. wait for it, there it is, looking from oakland towards san francisco. >> totally worth it. make sure to share your photos with us with the #abc7 news now.

coming up on abc7 news at 6:00, we'll be back with team coverage on another possible pg&e power shutoff, including new calls for oversight of the utility. pg&e is planning to make an announcement in a few minutes. you can watch that live right

now at abc7news.com. also -- >> i had an emotional attachment to this house. >> a dream house becomes a rental nightmare. the i team's dan noyes shows us the damage done by some illegal activity. and from 7 on your side, a refrigerator problem leaves a puddle of water in an east bay home and a family improvising to keep their food from spoiling. that's all coming up on abc7 news at 6:00. finally, this is pretty awesome, because the 49ers, they aren't just winning, they're also having a lot of fun doing it. >> check out the end of yesterday's victory over the redskins. nick bosa sacks the quarterback, and he and his teammates use the rain-soaked field as their personal slip and slide. >> why not. the team posted this video of several players celebrating the victory by gliding across that wet turf. coach kyle shanahan and the team have a reason to smile. they are 6-0, alone in first place in the nfc west. >> see, had they lost, they wouldn't have been doing

slipping and sliding. >> "world news t

tonight, emergency evacuations. families running from their homes as flames move in quickly. more than 100 firefighters battling the raging fire in los angeles. and we're live on the scene tonight. the devastating tornadoes and new violent storms today. it's now confirmed an ef-3 tornado touching down in dallas. winds up to 140 miles per hour and tonight, in memphis, the images of passengers running for cover at the memphis airport. ginger zee is standing by. an american airlines jet forced to divert on its way to philadelphia, members of the crew and a passenger overcome with fumes. and the other flight scare, the passenger jet on its way to chicago diverted because of a suspicious cell phone discovered. it did not belong to anyone on the plane. president trump tonight telling republicans to get tougher to protect him against impeachment, as members of his own party, some who have fiercely protected him, signal