>> announcer: building the better bay area for a safe and secure future, this is abc 7 news. closing again, five bay area counties have decided to pull the plug early and implement a new strict stay at home order, struggling business owners are reeling from the sudden changes that go into effect starting tomorrow night for four counties good morning, everybody, it is saturday, december 5th, i'm liz kreutz, thank you for joining us and we have a lot to get to and much more on these new restrictions going into effect tomorrow night and how businesses are dealing with the changes, but first let's also start with a quick look at the weather with meteorologist lisa argen. hey, lisa. >> hey, liz, good morning to you, hi, everyone, we are starting out chilly with the clear conditions, live doppler 7 showing you the lack of cloud cover, but the air quality has been a problem, i'm sure you've noticed and that's why we're looking at a spare the air alert today. right now it is cold in the north bay, 36 santa rosa. how about concord and livermore at 37. looking at the low 40s from san

mateo to 46, palo alto, 41 san jose and 39 in half moon bay. that spare the air alert and the poor air quality in the south bay, moderate elsewhere, looking at some hazy conditions but the high clouds will increase throughout the day today and as a result highs will come down anywhere from about five to seven degrees, and as we go towards the afternoon, we could see a few sprinkles up in the north bay, and they could sink down into the south bay, we'll detail that weather system for you and a look at the second half of the weekend and a warm start to next week. liz? >> all right, lisa, thank you. new numbers from the state released late last night, showso icu capacity in the san joaquin valley have dipped below 15%. if the numbers remain the same by this afternoon, the regions will have 24 hours to implement the stay at home order. the bay area ice icu kpasfy is down to 21.2%, down from 25.3% on thufrz.

starting tomorrow millions in the bare area will be under strict new stay at home orders, five bay area counties have agreed to enact the new restrictions preemptively. the order will go into effect at 10:00 p.m. sunday for san francisco, santa clara, and contra costa countys. two hours later in alameda county, and in marin county at noon on tuesday. health officers in those counties stay if they wait until the state enacts its order it will be too late. here's what's changing. outdoor dining will be prohibited. any establishments offering meal service can only operate for takeout or for delivery. hair and nail salons must close completely. and cannot offer outdoor services. hotels can only accept reservations from essential workers or to support isolation and quarantine purposes. all retail stores can remain open but only at 20% capacity. outdoor gym activities and outdoor fitness classes can continue but with restrictions. and private gatherings of any size are banned. and abc 7 news reporter luz pena

spoke to several people in san francisco running their last-minute errands before the order goes into effect tomorrow night. >> it's been super busy. i think people are preparing. >> reporter: one of many preparing, michael duranzo. >> stocking up before sunday, basics, bread, eggs. >> reporter: the city's public health director projects we could run out of icu beds by december 26th. >> we wait one or two more weeks to have these restrictions placed on us, it will just mean our numbers will be higher and harder to bring down. >> reporter: under the order all retail stores can stay open, but limit capacity to 20%. hair salons, barbershop, nail salons, gyms and other personal care services will have to close. devastating news for many business owners who are holding on by a thread as they plan to survive the next five weeks.

>> i'd say about 25 people for appointment for tomorrow. >> reporter: we're going to start seeing changes on sunday after 10:00 p.m. indoor and outdoor dining will not be permitted. restaurants will only be able to do delivery or takeout. >> we knew it was coming. the more difficult part was not knowing. >> reporter: these restrictions will last until january 4th, 2021. some say they needed more time to prepare. >> they have limitations on how i can access different places, and so it just seems like a very quick turnaround. >> reporter: in san francisco, luz pena, abc 7 news. in the south bay businesses are scrambling to deal with the fallout over the regional health officer's decision to implement this stay at home order sooner rather than later. abc 7 news reporter chris nguyen has that part of the story now from san jose. >> reporter: as residents in santa clara county brace for the implementation of the stay at home order sunday evening

business owners are speeding up their plans to pivot. >> going to be a skeleton crew for a while just to get by. >> reporter: sales at sp2 communal bar in san jose are down 80% compared to normally this time of year. despite the struggle they'll adapt once again to offer craft cocktails for takeout. >> we don't know how much time we have to operate. we don't know how much revenue is going to be brought in. so our runway is pretty limited. >> reporter: in campbell sushi confidential spent $15,000 building out this patio for outdoor dining. >> we were hoping to get a couple more weeks out of this with all the projections. >> reporter: now the owner says he'll have to lay off the majority of his staff, something he desperately wanted to avoid during the holidays but to keep some folks on the payroll, he'll soon launch a new happy hour menu as part of a ramped up takeout program and has already created a new sushi making kit to encourage customers to try something different while sheltering in place. >> whether this lasts for three weeks or three months this could be the nail in the coffin for a lot of restaurants.

>> reporter: in los gatos this outdoor dining tent at flights restaurant is being disassembled this weekend but will soon be replaced with a winter wonderland retail experience to include groceries, meal kits and drive-by visits with santa. >> one day you're excited and you have a new idea, try to do something. then the next day you're empty and broken, and broke. >> reporter: the entrepreneurial spirit of the south bay being tested in more ways than one. >> i'm losing hope for what's going to happen if we don't get help. >> reporter: in santa clara county, chris nguyen, abc news. yolo county has joined the bay area in shutting down although outdoor dining will be allowed. we asked phil matier why he thinks these counties decided to pull the trigger early. >> reporter: think they going in before the state mandate might allow them to come out before three weeks, in other words, if

they manage to keep it from hitting the 15% mark then they can, on their own, say okay we can come out of this. >> you can read phil's column in the "san francisco chronicle" on sundays and wednesdays. and not all of the bay area counties are implementing this preemptive order, including napa, sonoma, solano, and santa mateo, but as matt boone explains one san mateo politician worries this wait and see approach is going to backfire. >> reporter: the numbers might be different in san mateo county but the virus doesn't know the difference between county lines. >> reporter: san mateo county supervisor david canepa says he disagrees. with the public health department's decision. >> we have to take pause and that's going to require additional sacrifice. >> reporter: in a statement about why they did not join the other counties san mateo county health officer dr. scott morrow wrote the measures we are taking

emphasize individual and collective responsibility, with the vaccine coming soon, now more than ever, this is a critical time to stay focused on the key behaviors that protect our communities. here at domenico winery in san carlos, their business will be able to stay open for a little bit longer but it's already been drastically impacted. normally this large event space would be full with an event. now the owner worries if they lose their outdoor dining and wine tasting too, it will be very difficult to stay afloat. >> we're just -- how do you say it? trying to keep the losses as low as possible. just by staying open. >> reporter: the owner says the next few weeks are usually some of the busiest of the year. while he says he's grateful he doesn't have to shut down by sunday night he knows that news could come any day. >> it's like waiting for one shoe to drop type feel. >> reporter: in san carlos, matt boone, abc 7 news. developing news, pg&e is warning about likely power

shutoffs on monday for more than 130,000 customers across northern california because of high fire danger. the utility says more than 8,500 customers in the bay area could be affected. that includes roughly 6,800 in napa county and 1,800 in sonoma county. cal fire tells us it's pre-positioned a fire engine strike teem on the border of santa clara and alameda counties just in case. but of course that fire danger is so dry, lisa. and it's a little unusual, a lot unusual for december to have the offshore winds and the continued above average temperatures. but active weather in the pacific, here's a live look over our east bay hills camera. so wondering if that activity can move into the bay area. well, we'll talk about a weak system tonight, and the look ahead as we talk about this chilly morning coming up next. >> thanks, lisa. also ahead a new warning from the cdc about the pandemic, why it says the u.s. has entered a high-level transmission phase. plus parents are calling for

san francisco public schools to reopen. the problems they say remote learning are causing for their

all right, the cdc is out with a warning that the u.s. has now entered a new phase of high level transmission. as abc news reporter whit johnson reports the nation's hospitals, including ones here in the bay area, fear they're going to be overwhelmed. >> reporter: bracing for the worst of the pandemic the cdc warning in a new report the u.s. has entered a phase of high level transmission. >> we have not yet seen the post thanksgiving peak, that's the concerning thing because the numbers in and of themselves are alarming. >> reporter: that impact coming right before christmas, after daily covid cases nearly doubled in just over a month, from 100,000 on october 30th to 196,000 december 2nd, many hospitals on the brink.

>> you can have a huge hospital, but if you don't have the manpower i cannot save your life. >> reporter: josephina larios, a nurse manager in santa clara county worries there are not enough doctors or beds to treat the sick. >> we're running out of icu beds. we know that once you go to icu, your chances are minimal. >> reporter: you'll remember this moving photo. dr. joseph farrone embracing an emotional covid patient alone on thanksgiving telling us that man is now out of the hospital. >> he's doing fantastic. he was discharged yesterday morning to the care of his wife. >> reporter: the cdc is out with a new warning urging universal mask use. that means always wearing a mask indoors whenever you leave your home and sometimes in your own home if someone there may have been exposed. whit johnson, abc news, new york. happening today a group of parents and students will be rallying to reopen san francisco public schools, this group is calling for the district to open schools for face to face

learning by january 4th. parents say the ongoing decision to stick to remote learning is causing repercussions of isolation and missed social development for their kids. they'll be marching with masks on at noon from the san francisco board of education office across the street to city hall. and a similar rally is also happening in the east bay today, a peaceful and socially distanced reopen our schools demonstration in berkeley as planned from 10:00 a.m. to noon at martin luther king jr. park, this group is pushing for berkeley unified to reopen for in-person classes as soon as health officials allow it. it's open to any supporters, but masks, of course, are mandatory. and public playgrounds will shut down in five counties under the new stay at home order. several state lawmakers sent a letter to governor newsom urging him to reconsider the closure which is in the regional stay at home orders he announced earlier this week. they say a playground may be the only opportunity for families to get outdoors as advised for physical and mental health.

and the new stay at home orders means two local zoos will also have to close for at least a month, both the oakland and san francisco zoos have reopened to a limited number of visitors. now with no visitors both zoos still face the cost of caring for their animals. despite the financial hardship the head of the oakland zoo supports this new shutdown. >> it's that things are so severe, we're caught up in it. maybe as things let up as far as the number of cases, maybe we'll be the first ones to be allowed to reopen. >> the oakland zoo will host glow-fari today and tomorrow, both nights are sold out but it will delay other dates for the holiday lights show until at least january. this christmas kids' wishes for santa are a bit different than in years past, maybe because of the pandemic. abc 7 news anchor dion lim shares with us how the usps is going digital to make more of those wishes come true. dear santa -- >> reporter: as we spoke to kids

about what gifts they're asking santa for this christmas their answers ran the gamut. >> chocolate. >> oh, he wants chocolate. >> dear santa, i want light -- >> reporter: that's a magnet toy. we asked kids to read letters from around the country, sent to the north pole collected by the usps as part of operation santa. >> i would like 20 feet aboveground pool with a four seater batmobile. >> reporter: for 108 years the usps has been gathering these letters and friday is the first day of the season the letters are available for adoption. meaning anybody can volunteer to make the child and their families' wish come true and send it through the mail. this year, as the program goes nationwide, and all digital, the requests are a bit different.

add in the pandemic, and we saw many letters like this one. reading things have not been great. and my family hasn't been able to afford to buy me things. >> certainly this year i expect families are really going to be impacted, they could probably really use that extra attention. >> reporter: that christmas wish came true. by midday the operation santa website showed all the letters had been adopted, more will be added each day until december 15th. meantime, here are our favorite requests for the man in red. >> if we work together we can make the world a better place so let's just put our masks over our mouth, and our nose. >> i didn't really make my list yet but i'd like a gaming headset. but most of all i just -- i'd really like for this pandemic to end. >> reporter: in san francisco, dion lim, abc 7 news. and today you can watch a world class performance of the nutcracker by just stepping outside in hayes valley. members of the san francisco

ballet are going to give a special performance of the christmas time classic in the street. very cool. this is video in a you're watching now of the orchestra performing for free as they sometimes have recently due to the pandemic they can't perform, of course, inside the war memorial opera house. today's nutcracker show will be in the street on the corner of hayes and goff from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. what a perfect way to enswren joy this holiday tradition, is a. we are looking at haze and pollutants trapped at the surface due to normal everyday pollution and add in wood smoke and our current weather regime that has been cap and a lid of high pressure that has allowed for very little mixing. so there we go towards another day of some hazy conditions but clo clouds will be on the increase. live doppler 7, will it lead to any rain?

the tail end could bring sprinkles for some of us late today and into tomorrow. overall the clouds pushing into this ridge of high pressure, being deflected up into the pacific northwest, and they're going to see storm after storm as we go through the next seven to ten days, eventually some of it is going to have to slip into the bay area, say midmonth. that's what we're hoping. here's a look at our current air quality where today in the north bay, and the santa clara valley it is currently poor here, moderate elsewhere, we get a wind shift today, southerly winds and then offshore winds for your sunday and monday, and the atmosphere gets mixed up a little bit but with all the dry conditions, we've got elevated fire danger as a concern as well. it's 39 in foster city, redwood city checking in at 35, good morning to you, 45 in oakland, a mild 50 in san francisco, even 44 up in san rafael. it's a cooler spot. mid-30s in napa, 39 in half moon bay. fremont, 41, good morning to you

in san jose. last a look at the golden gate bridge, increasing clouds, possible sprinkles towards the afternoon. dry, gusty offshore winds sunday into monday and warm for december monday and tuesday. as we look at our hour by hour forecast here come the increasing high cirrus clouds, there's the rain, 7:30 tonight, could pick up a sprinkle, but more likely it's some drizzle into early sunday. we stop this at noon. and the clouds clear out of the south bay, we're left with a sunny day, gusty winds in the upper elevations. so here's a look at the drizzle and light shower activity from .01 in the city, same over in fremont, mountain view a couple hundredths there. slightly milder conditions for sunday. check out monday, this is the warmest day of the week, with low to mid-70s. remember, we have the offshore winds in the upper elevations, tuesday we hold onto some of that warmth and looking at those gusty winds beginning overnight

sunday into monday you can see right here from middletown to calistoga, 30 to 40 mile an hour winds, gusts as high as 50, this is 9:00 monday. the reds indicate the very gusty winds. they begin to lighten up getting towards the second half of your monday afternoon. highs today underneath those higher clouds will be cooler, from the upper 50s half moon bay, about 63 in palo alto in fremont, 62 in richmond and the accuweather seven-day forecast, cooler today, getting cloudier towards the afternoon, maybe a few sprinkles, mist and drizzle tonight, then we're sunny tomorrow afternoon, gusty winds in the hills for high fire danger come monday, december, lasts into tuesday, and we're still dry, that active pacific not busting through that ridge next week, maybe the next week, liz. >> we will see. cross your fingers, all right, lisa, thank you. just ahead the company that is helping bay area residents celebrate the holidays in a more sustainable way. ♪

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happening today spacex and nasa will try and launch a new batch of supplies to its team at the international space station but contending with weather conditions to get the rocket to space. if current trends hold teams at kennedy space center in florida will be fighting rain showers, and possible thunderstorms to get spacex's falcon 9 rocket in the air. it's carrying the cargo dragon, packed with supplies and science experiments for the iss astronauts. the mission must launch exactly on time today at 8:39.38 our time or be pushed to another day. even with the pandemic there's still a demand for christmas trees this year, a really big demand actually. there's a variety of options as always but have you thought about renting a tree instead of buying one. abc 7 news reporter julian glover explores this option in san jose. >> reporter: they come tall and short and our city forest wants

your place to play home for the holiday for these unique trees. >> a way to reinvent the way we view a holiday tree. we're living in a weird time and might as well mix up the trees this year. >> reporter: the holiday rent a tree program is in its sixth year with the goal of getting you to rent a potted tree to decorate for the holidays instead of chopping one down just to discard it a month from now. maggie larson of san jose likes the idea. >> usually we buy a christmas tree and we throw it out and that's a waste of money and resources, just to grow it and throw it away. >> we do have some traditional, not so much spruces but those conifers, evergreens that we love to see around the holidays and then, of course, we do have the non-traditional as well. >> reporter: five gallon trees are worth a $40 tax deductible donation, 15 gallon trees ranging from three to six feet are an $80 donation to the organization, all going to a good cause. >> encourages residents to rent a living tree that will eventually be planted in our county in santa clara county, and it's an effort to reforest, and kind of green the places we live and where we spend 90% of

our lives in urban areas. >> reporter: you can place lights on the tree, you can place garlands too but they ask that you only place light ornaments on it so the trees still come back in good condition. you can come pick up one of those trees from 9:00 a.m. until noon on fridays and saturdays through december the 19th and you'll be able to keep it through the new year and returning it just a few days after that. reporting in san jose, julian glover, abc 7 news. >> you can also email to reserve your tree, but they are not offering delivery. trees can start being returned on january 8th. and in the south bay abc 7 news was at westfield valley fair mall in santa clara where families visited with santa, six feet apart of course and wearing masks but still having a good time. >> we felt safe. we come and see him every year. and we couldn't miss this year. and after looking at all the restrictions, and information about it, we felt comfortable coming. >> last year we tried to get photos and he cried the whole

time. we're grateful he was able to keep it together for a minute and a half. >> santa will be at the mall through christmas eve, reservations are required, and they are still available. you can make a reservation on the mall's website. still to come on abc 7 mornings hospitals are preparing to distribute covid-19 vaccines as soon as they get them later this month. a look inside one facility that's practicing to be a vaccination hub. and bay area hospitals facing a shortage of icu beds, we'll break down what intensive care really means.

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building a bay area for a safe and secure future, this is abc 7 news. good morning again, everybody, we're going to start this half hour with another look at the weather and really dry conditions we're tracking, lisa. >> the air quality has been impacted. the air quality, the orange out there in the south bay for poor

air quality. the yellow indicate moderate and of course the green good. but throughout the day today it's the north bay and the south bay, which will experience the poorest air quality, so keep that in mind if you are sensitive. and it looks like we're not going to really shake this pattern up in terms of rain. anytime soon. but the wind is going to shift and be with us. here's a look out towards 280, the south bay, 50 downtown, 45 in oakland, 37 in mountain view as well as morgan hill on the coast it's only 39 and from our roof camera, nice and clear to start out in the city, but look at those numbers, mid-30s north bay, almost as cold in concord and livermore and from mt. tam, that's a beauty, isn't it, throughout the day, increasing clouds towards the afternoon, hazy, maybe a few sprinkles, we'll detail that for you and talk about the winds coming into play for the second half of the weekend. liz? >> all right, lisa, thank you. california set three records since the start of the pandemic, the number diagnosed cases yesterday came in at more than 22,000. that is a single day high.

more than 9,000 people are hospitalized with covid-19, that's also a record and of those hospitalized, more than 2,100 are in icu, which is the highest count since the pandemic started. five bay area counties as we mentioned are implementing this new regional stay at home order. sonoma county is not part of it. but there is growing concern over the shortage of icu beds there. abc 7 news reporter cornell barnard explains that intensive care means a lot more than just a bed. it also means a team of skilled staff, some who are reaching their limits. >> nurses have been in this pandemic fight 100% for 11 months now. >> reporter: deborah burger has been part of that covid fight as a registered nurse in santa rosa since 1985. president of national nurses united. with new covid cases surging locally and around the country she's worried about those who may need hospitalization. >> currently there are a shortage of beds in sonoma

county and we are concerned. >> reporter: the state's health department says there are currently 173 hospital beds available countywide. 76 ventilators with a total of 82 icu beds, only four are available. >> you need to understand what icu beds are. >> reporter: burger says it's not a special bed at all. it's highly trained staff who are constantly observing and monitoring ill patients who need special care. >> just the labor alone is a reason that you need to be in an icu setting. >> we're currently have a census of nine covid patients at santa rosa memorial hospital, one of which is in the icu. >> reporter: santa rosa has room to accommodate more patients if needed. >> we do anticipate given the natural course of what's happened over the course of covid to be prepared for potential increase. >> reporter: county health officials now disputing icu numbers from the state, they believe the situation is

actually better than what's being reported. >> currently the numbers show that we have less than 3% capacity. but we do not believe that this represents a true situation within our local hospitals right now, or the capacity of our hospitals to meet an increase in covid-19 cases. >> reporter: nurses and doctors will keep it up on the front lines, meantime they urge everyone to do their part, and help flatten the curve. in santa rosa, cornell barnard, abc 7 news. nationwide covid-19 has claimed the lives of more than 278,000 people, more than 14 million people have been infected. abc news reporter christine sloan has more on the cdc's new warning about the virus. >> this morning the cdc with another warning as the number of covid cases in hospitalizations breaks another record as experts add the worst is likely still ahead. that cdc warning, the virus has entered a phase of high-level transmission, now urging people to wear masks indoors, anywhere you go, and if you're home, and

a loved one's been exposed, wear one too. covid-19 may be the leading cause of reported deaths in the u.s. this week, according to a projection by researchers at the university of washington, topping heart disease and lung cancer. >> i've put an ungodly amount of people in body bags that i wasn't prepared to do and you feel so frustrated that they didn't take it serious. like i can't tell you how many patients that we've had that they contracted it at a ball game, or at a family affair. >> reporter: a vaccine is expected to be authorized in the coming weeks. and distribution centers across the country are getting ready. christine sloan, abc news, new york. now a hospital in phoenix is going through dry runs of the vaccine, they're practicing how to keep the vaccine cold, then how to vaccinate people in their cars and there are new questions about the pfizer vaccine, if it's not kept cold enough what happens to the efficacy? abc news chief national correspondent matt gutman has the details. >> hi there.

>> hi. >> what's your name and date of birth? >> reporter: this vaccine dry run is as real as they could make it. >> can i have you roll up your sleeve. >> reporter: sterilization, real syringe, the change of latex gloves. honor health in phoenix, dozen around the country, serving as a vaccination hub for first responders firefighters we rode with in july. >> you're sanitizing. >> i'm sanitizing my hands. >> you're trying to go through the cases -- >> i'm trying to make this as real as it's going to be. >> reporter: they've cycled through 50 cars so far, when they get the real vaccine all of these lanes are going to be open and they hope to get through 1,500 a day. the pfizer vaccine will be stored in these special freezers under tight security. >> the vaccine will be kept in a secured room which is within a secured building which is on a secured location. >> reporter: after each vial of the vaccine is thawed it will be diluted with saline and diluted into five doses to be injected

within an hour. >> the team has put this together created on a lot of unknowns. >> reporter: neal browning got the moderna vaccine nine months ago when he volunteered for the trial. >> i experienced nothing other than a very mild sore arm the next morning after each injection, much like you would have with a typical flu shot. >> reporter: moderna and pfizer say the side effects from both the vaccines have been mild. little is known about long-term side effects but dr. anthony fauci says 90% of adverse effects from vaccines show up in the first six weeks. covid vaccine volunteers have been monitored for at least two months. >> right away they will have captured the overwhelming majority historically of when you see so-called long-term side effects of a vaccine. >> reporter: a new study examined people who received the moderna vaccine and after their second shot they found that they had antibodies in their system three months later. that's very encouraging news, and essentially it mimics the body's immunoresponse to actually having the vaccine,

scientists are still investigating how durable the vaccine, how long the response can fight off the virus. matt gutman, abc news, phoenix. the fda is meeting about pfizer's vaccine next week. if approved governor newsom says california should get the first round by december 15th, with only 327,000 doses to start with though high risk health care workers are top priority. the state has split them into three tiers, tier run include workers in acute care facilities, skilled nursing facilities and dialysis centers and then comes intermediate health care facilities, in home health workers and community health workers and finally lab workers, dental offices and pharmacies. governor newsom says more vaccine doses will arrive between january and march for essential workers, and then eventually the general public. and abc 7 news has assembled a vaccine team to track the latest developments.

it includes dr. patel, reporters kate larson and luz pena, and "7 on your side's" michael finney. follow the latest vaccine on our website abc7news.com/coronavirus. president trump heads down south to campaign in georgia, but this time he'll be rallying for the state's two republican senators in the high profile special runoff election. the president is seeking to boost current gop senators david perdue and kelly loeffler for the evening event. democrats are hoping the two georgia challengers reverend raphael warnock and john osoff will win both races and democrats will secure a slight control of the senate if they do. still ahead on abc 7 mornings, a new documentary series is shining a light on homeless californians. we talked to the filmmaker about the change he hopes the film creates. let's take a live look

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like a diamond in the sky. i'm so glad that your shoulder is feeling better. but, how are you doing? i'm hanging in there... schedule a video visit with your doctor. and get quality care with no copay. kaiser permanente. thrive. a nonprofit on the peninsula is giving away gift cards to thousands of families in need. samaritan house in san mateo is distributing visa gift cards to more than 2,000 registered children this holiday season, this is video from a previous food giveaway. community members and small businesses made donations to make today's event happen. families will be greeted with music, a center stage with santa, and holiday decor in a festive drive-through at the san mateo event center. also today the vta in san jose is holding their annual stuff the bus event to collect toys for kids, you can drop off any new unwrapped toys for children, up to 14 years old.

organizers ask not to bring any plush toys for sanitary reasons. donations will be accepted today from 9:00 to 3:00 at san jose history park. now in the north bay, and maybe more important than ever to donate food and toys for the needy this holiday. marin and sonoma county holding last chance toy and food drives with special offers, with your toys and nonperishables you'll get goodies in return and a chance to climb aboard a holiday decorated smart train. both are clean and covid safe events. the sonoma county dropoff is at railroad scare in santa rosa from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. the dropoff in marin is hamilton from 3:00 to 5:00. lisa, already december. >> santa is getting busy. good morning, everyone, we look live outside, santa cruz, 44 degrees right now, yesterday upper 60s, coming down about six degrees today, and the clouds increase towards about 4:00 this afternoon. so we'll time it out for you,

talk about if there's any rain, or sprinkles, and we've got an offshore wind tomorrow to detail for you, in just a few minutes. >> thanks, lisa. also next the mea releases a schedule for the first half of the regular season, we'll highlight some of the big warriors matchups that you will see right here on abc 7 coming up in sports. health insurance shouldn't be one of them. at covered california, every plan is comprehensive, covering everything from preventive care to mental health. covered california is the only place that offers financial help for health insurance, and now, there's more help for more people. and free assistance from experts to get more californians covered. starting with you. covered california. this way to health insurance.

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welcome back, here is a live look from our emeryville camera this morning looking out over the bay bridge in the city. 47 degrees right now in san francisco. let's talk sports. all three bay area college football teams will be in action today. stanford faces 22nd ranked washington at husky stadium at 1:00 p.m. san jose state battles larry beil's warriors at 3:00 p.m. and number 23 oregon takes on cal at memorial stadium at 4:00 p.m. watch on espn. the warriors are back in action in 17 more days. the dubs first half schedule has

been released. here's chris alvarez with a preview in this morning's sports. good morning, the nba releasing the first half of the regular season schedule. second half is going to come later. the warriors will be prominently featured in big time tv national games including several on abc 7. some of those highlights include starting at brooklyn and followed by a christmas day game in milwaukee on abc 7. the dubs will visit lebron james and the lakers on mlk day on january 18th. look out, back to back saturday night primetime games right here on abc at dallas and hosting kevin durant's brooklyn nets in february. warriors missed the bubble this summer, these games are a long time coming. >> we love playing basketball, all the athletes in the league. i think it's something that is necessary in the world to keep this place, you know, a happy place, although we're in a pandemic, i think basketball brings a smile to some people's faces. i'm blessed to be a part of this great league. >> college hoops, usf, at cal poly.

the outdoor band. it is 2020, socially distanced and safe. jamri slams it home, game high 18. late first half, seconds winding down, look at julian rishwain beats the buzzer. down by 13 at half. taavi jurkatamm, two hand, now 4-2 overall. 49ers host the buffalo bills from arizona on monday night, you'll see it here on abc 7. defensive coordinator robert sala one of the top nfl head coaching candidates this offseason, and already has a vote from a group of michigan state legislators. yes, sala is a michigan native. the detroit lions job is open after the team recently fired matt patricia. espn reports a group from that state sent a letter to the lions owner urging her to hire sala. sala is focused on his current job. and preparing for that bills game. robert sala's defense is getting healthy after sunday's win over the rams.

richard sherman called teammate jimmie ward one of the best safeties in all the nfl. sherman had a first pick -- ward forced two fumbles in the game. the 9ers really knead needed a win. listening to jimmy ward, you can tell he's ready for game time. >> that's how i play too. i play like i talk, i talk how i play. it's just -- it all starts in practice, and i don't know, even just thinking about football right now, i'm starting to get -- feel that fire inside of me. other than that, just get to the next question. i'm fisting like game day right now. >> did you see this? espn reports the nhl is aiming for a 52 or 56 game regular season schedule that would start in mid-january. there are several hurdles, including a potential schedule, protocols, formats and the bargaining agreement. likely to be a realignment including an all canadian division to deal with traveling restrictions. women's college hoops, cal falls to washington 80-53. back to you. >> lisa, let's get a check of

the weather. where do things stand in terms of a potential red flag warning this coming week? >> i don't think we're going to get to that, liz, but we are certainly looking at those gusty upper elevation winds, and warmer temperatures to start the upcoming workweek. but we are looking at parts, perhaps, of the north bay, extreme northern california, looking like they could see some red flag warnings, but the bay area in particular, just kind of on watch duty now with what is going to sort of develop as we get into late tomorrow, and monday. that's the offshore winds, the dry conditions, and we are certainly looking at not only the cooler air this morning, but the poor air quality, and so with that, it's a spare the air alert, the poorest air quality in the north bay and into the south bay and there's a pretty view from our exploratorium camera, clouds bumping into this ridge of high pressure, the storm track for the next several days continues to be up in the pacific northwest, seattle and portland getting some rain in

the next seven days. our roof camera, the flag here, the winds switch around to the south ahead of a weak system to the north of us and then it's the offshore component for your sunday, sound night and monday, 50 in the city, 45 oakland, 36 in mountain view, with upper 30s for you in morgan hill, how about that, 39 half moon bay, here's the shark tank, hazy, the air quality is poor in san jose, 36 in santa rosa, novato, napa with 37 by the delta, concord and livermore. certainly cold out there. emeryville right now and it is looking less than ideal that air quality and it has been for the past week or so. increasing clouds, possible sprinkles this afternoon, drieg gusty offshore winds tonight into monday and then warming up the warmest day of the week monday, still mild for tuesday. there the high cirrus clouds, there's the precip, we'll get into some drizzle, and then by midday tomorrow, we're looking at the sun coming out, and those winds, about 1,500 feet gusting, perhaps, to near 50 miles an

hour. rainfall potential, we'll call it drizzle, .01, richmond and mountain view, so really there's nothing to write home about. we're back to those 60s into your sunday afternoon. into the sunshine. here comes the warm day. look at the 70s for monday, and then by tuesday as those winds lighten up we still have some warm air in place with upper 60s to near 70. here's a look at your sunday night, as the winds, north to northeast, begin to blow from the higher elevations, mt. diablo, mount st. helena, 9:00 monday morning, a gusty start to the day, above 1,500 feet by the afternoon things quiet down and we're looking at that warmer day, as for today it's cooler out there, high cirrus clouds, by the second half of the day, about 60, that's around five degrees cooler today in san francisco. eight to ten degrees cooler elsewhere, 63 in fremont, 65 in san jose and the accuweather seven-day forecast, cooler,

cloudier, late tonight, maybe mift and drizzle, starting out with clouds tomorrow, ending with upper elevation wind, that brings our fire danger to higher than average. and for december we're still going to stay dry, the rest of the workweek we're going to cool off and indications are perhaps by the middle of the month we could see some precip. so let's hope for the that, you know, winter arrives, the 2 1s, 22nd, and so far it's been unusually quiet, you know that. >> yeah, maybe a rainy christmas will be in store for us, let's hope. thanks, lisa. we know how the severity of the bay area's homeless crisis is being multiplied by the ongoing covid crisis. the pandemic threatened to push even more people into a rent spiral, or even worse. this morning abc 7 news reporter david louie gives us an inside look at a new documentary that's hoping to turn the tide.

>> reporter: in the bay area it's a common sight that can lead to a reaction of concern or revulsion. imagine you the homeless feel. >> you don't have a name. nobody wants to look you in the eye. they want to walk by you as quickly as possible. >> reporter: a team led by filmmaker don hardy set out on a mission to address this chronic issue by putting a human face to those living in encampments at our doorsteps. >> it's an epidemic, it's a crisis, the senior citizens are the most vulnerable. >> reporter: it's titled the way home. 76-year-old vernon boyken of oakland among dozens who shared how they lost housing and had no place to go. gathering the stories wasn't as simple as showing up with a camera and a microphone. >> many times we would leave after a full day without actually filming a bit of footage. but we made some relationships that way. >> reporter: stories of bad luck alone don't solve homelessness. the series hopes to spark discussion and support for organizations committed to creating housing. that's why kaiser permanente helped to fund the project as the pandemic threatens to make even more people homeless.

>> we have this twindemic in this country we're dealing with and unless we all step up and really work together to be able to solve for these problems, it's going to be a tough road to recovery. >> homelessness is also a social justice issue. the documentary points out blacks make up 40% in encampments, while only 12% of the state's population. "the way home" is streaming on multiple online sites. david louie, abc 7 news. all right, next, the warriors are kicking off their annual season of giving, how they're helping underserved communities here in the bay area this year.

happening today the golden state warriors get into the holiday spirit themselves the team's kicking off its season of giving today at thrive city at chase center, it's a whole month of holiday giving events to benefit the bay area's underserved communities. this weekend the team will host more than 200 families to pick up a christmas tree and holiday decorations.

thrive city is set for the holiday season, and been transformed into a winter wonderland. all right, final check of your weather now with lisa. it's a little chilly today, you're saying. >> cooler, high clouds here, we also have that haze for spare the air alert today, air quality north bay and south bay, not so great, the rest of us will notice the increasing clouds, say after 2:00. and instead of mid and upper 60s, we're low to mid-60s today, the accuweather seven-day forecast may be a sprinkle tonight, we start out cloudy, we become sunny for your sunday, then the winds in the upper elevations increase, that brings elevated fire danger through monday, with warmer weather monday and tuesday and with all the talk going on about the weather you would think i'd be talking about rain but no, it's other things, so we'll have to keep our fingers crossed. liz? >> all right, lisa, thank you. and thank you all for joining us here on abc 7 mornings. i'm liz kreutz, along with

argen. we're back at 8:00 a.m. "good morning america" is next, see you then. i know many of you are waiting for your unemployment or covid-19 payments. i asked the edd what's going on, why can't our viewers get their money? >> there's a number of different things that could impact someone's good morning, america.

the new phase of the pandemic. the cdc's warning about high level transmission. the alarming rate of positive cases. the plea for you to wear a mask the minute you step outside your door and the new hope for a stimulus bill. >> compromise is within reach. >> there is momentum. plus, the update on this patient who spent thanksgiving in the hospital. trial run. the hospital system testing its plan to distribute a coronavirus vaccine. >> can i have you please roll up your sleeve. >> "gma" getting a firsthand look at the complexities and who might be the first in line to get the vaccine. plus, the maine cdc director, dr. nirav shah, joins us live on the state's plans for distribution. ballot battle. president trump heading to