: building a 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 of those counties. good morning, everybody, it's saturday, december 5th. i'm liz kreutz. thank you for joining us, and we are joining you now instead of gma because we are bringing you college football on abc at 9:00 a.m. now, we have much more on the news restrictions that go into effect tomorrow and how businesses are dealing with these changes. first, though, let's start with a quick look at the weather. dry conditions out there with meteorologist lisa argen. hey, lisa. >> hey, liz, good morning to you. unfortunately the air quality is not going to improve today.

second half of the weekend does look better as we look at live doppler 7. no clouds to speak of but there is haze and pollutants trapped underneath this lid of high pressure with light winds and smoke out there. sensitive groups be aware in san jose, the air quality is less than moderate, elsewhere from oakland through santa rosa and fairfield, we have moderate air quality, good elsewhere, but as we go through the afternoon you can see here from our east bay hills camera, the haze out there. it is 46 in oakland, good morning, san jose, 42 for you and from the beach in santa cruz, 46. low 60s today, still just in the 30s from our north and east bay. so throughout the day we'll climb through the 40s first and then near 60 by noontime. numbers held down due to the clouds, and we'll talk about the wind shift bringing in elevated fire danger through sunday and monday. liz? >> all right, lisa, thank you. new numbers from the state released late last night shows icu capacity in the san joaquin

valley and southern california regions have officially dipped below a 15%. if these numbers remain the same by this afternoon the regions will have 24 hours to implement the stay at home order. the bay area's icu capacity is down to 21.2% from 25.3% on thursday. and starting tomorrow millions in the bay area will be under strict new stay at home orders. five bay area counties have agreed to enact the new restrictions preemptively. this order will go into effect at 10:00 p.m. sunday for san francisco, santa clara and contra costa countys. two hours later it will happen in alameda county and in marin county, at noon, this is taking place at noon on tuesday, health officers in those counties say if they wait until the state enacts its order it will be too late. so, a reminder, here's what's changing, outdoor dining will be prohibited. any establishments offering meal service can only operate for takeout or delivery.

hair and nail salons must close completely and cannot offer outdoor services and hotels can only accept reservations from essential workers or to support isolation and quarantine purpose, all retail stores can remain open but at 20% capacity. outdoor gym activities and outdoor fitness classes can continue but with restrictions. private gatherings of any size are banned. 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: 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 toim. 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 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 7 news. we asked abc 7 news contributor phil matier why he thinks these counties pulled 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 san mateo, but as matt boone explains one san mateo politician worries this may backfire. >> the numbers might be different here in san mateo county, but remember the virus

doesn't know the difference between county lines. >> reporter: county supervisor david canepa says he disagrees on his public health department's decision, urging them to join in with the other five counties. >> 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 on a friday or saturday night 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. and that includes roughly 6,800 in napa county, and 1,800 in sonoma county. cal fire tells us it has pre-positioned a fire engine strike teem on the border of santa clara and alameda counties just in case. but of course that does raise concerns about fires, but you said no red flag warning, lisa. >> no, not yet. we usually wait until 24 hours,

or the weather service does, when we're 24 hours from the event. so maybe by today there will be some official warnings. as we look live outside emeryville looks pretty nice. you can see the haze out there. 45 right now, going for a high in the mid-60s, three to four degrees cooler than yesterday. we've got the haze, those offshore winds to contend with. i'll be back with the details next. >> thanks, lisa. also ahead a new warning from the cdc about the pandemic, why it says the u.s. has entered a high transmission phase. calling for san francisco public schools to reopen, the problems parents say

all right new developments in what was supposed to in this case ex-and nasa's saturday mission to send a rocket into space it's now delayed until tomorrow due to poor weather inn cape canaveral. teams were contending with rain showers and possible thunderstorms earlier.

the falcon 9 launch is now rescheduled 8:17 a.m. our time tomorrow. it will be carrying new supplies and science experiments for the crew of astronauts currently at the international space station. the cdc is out with a warning that the u.s. has now entered a new phase. what they're calling high-level transmission. whit johnson reports the nation's hospitals, including ones here in the bay area, fear that they'll 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, nurses 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 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 this. they say a playground may be the only opportunity for some families to get outdoors as advised for physical and mental health. and the new stay at home order means two local zoos will also have to close for at least a month. both the oakland and san

francisco zoos had 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 the 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 these 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.

>> a launching train. >> chocolate. >> oh, he wants chocolate. >> dear santa, i want light -- >> reporter: that's a magnet toy. but we also asked kids to read some 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. this is a great thing. members of the san francisco ballet are going to give a special performance of the christmas time classic in the street. so this here is video 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. that is so fantastic. i love how creative people are at getting people into the holiday spirit. >> for sure, trees up, lights out. it's getting festive out there. we've got a cold front that will be moving through the bay area later on today. but unfortunately not looking at any measurable precip. the cloud cover, that's going to increase throughout the day today. maybe some sprinkles in the north bay, but the energy heads north and we get left with a cooler day, and not enough energy, though, to scour out the hazy conditions. that will come with the wind tomorrow. here's a look from our east bay hills camera, you can see the poor air quality, 48 downtown, 46 in oakland, good morning to you, san jose, 42 there, 45 down around mountain view with 37 in

morgan hill. as we look at santa cruz, looks beautiful, doesn't it, with temperatures in the upper 40s, we had the large swell over the past day or so, that has subsided. and now we're looking at pretty good conditions, although the clouds are going to increase here too and it will be cooler today, mid-30s, santa rosa, 37 in novato and livermore, an awfully cold start out there, we talked about the air quality but from north to south it looks worse, and in between just moderate. as we get into your sunday, that cold front moves on through. the wind shifts. it's going to set up a tight pressure gradient behind it and that's going to allow for those gusty winds. we are looking at some changes, and as that happens you'll definitely be able to feel them as we get through the day tomorrow, and then with the warmer weather monday and tuesday. so increasing clouds, possible sprinkles, dry gusty offshore winds, yes for december, late sunday into monday, and then warm for monday and tuesday. here's the hour by hour look,

and so by mid to late afternoon we've got some high cirrus clouds, this holds down the temperatures and you can see the sprinkles mainly offshore there so we'll wake up to more clouds on sunday then more sunshine by the afternoon. looking at temperatures coming up a bit. for your sunday, with more mid to upper 60s, but then into monday here's the real change, with 70s arriving, tuesday still mild, we are looking at the lighter winds, late monday into tuesday, so we certainly are concerned because we are as much as six inches behind in the north bay in terms of our deficit, two inches behind in the south bay. and these are the winds that are coming into play overnight on sunday into monday morning. wind gusts from the upper 30 mile an hour range to mid-40s, so certainly concerned about that. mainly above 1,500 feet and then by late monday things certainly get quieter. looking at the high clouds today, keeping conditions kind of hazy, cloudy out there by the

afternoon. 65 san jose. still above average, though, we should be in the upper 50s for this time of year and the accuweather seven-day forecast, cooler with some clouds later on today. then we'll go in the opposite direction with the clouds and then the sun on sunday, the winds kick up, mount st. helena, mt. diablo, so the base of those hills is where we're looking at the potential, liz, for high fire danger, alameda county and napa, no official word yet from the national weather service but that should be coming later on today if anyone is under red flag warning. >> good to know, thank you, lisa. just ahead the company that is helping bay area residents celebrate the holidays in a more sustainable way.

about the covid-19 virus. it's real. and it's dangerous. so, on behalf of all of us working on the front lines, please take it seriously. and while we don't yet have a cure or a vaccine, we do know how to keep you and your loved ones safe. wear a mask. wash your hands. stay six feet apart. do your best to stay out of crowded spaces.

and get a flu shot, it's even more important this year. we can do this. if we do it together. even with the pandemic this is still a demand for christmas trees, lots of them this year, in fact, there are a variety of options as always. but the question is, 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. >> it's a beautiful way to kind of 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 then we just throw it out and i feel like that's just 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. good to know. still to come on abc 7 mornings, the battle for the control of the u.s. senate. democrats and republicans pull out all the stops in battle for voters in georgia's runoff elections. the heavy hitters, each party is sending in today. make your holidays happen...

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for a safe and secure future. this is abc 7 news. good morning, again, everybody, we're going to start this half hour with a look at the weather with meteorologist lisa argen. >> good morning to you, liz, good morning, everyone, we're starting with air quality. you see the greens and yellows on the map, indicating the moderate air quality from the south bay there, also around livermore, and fairfield, oakland and san rafael. so we've got the high pressure ridge, the light winds and some of the pollutants trapped here at the surface, and as a result the poor air quality, the spare the air alert today and look at that pretty picture, that division of thirds from emeryville, the blue sky with clouds and water below, 48 san francisco, 42 in san jose, and there's the haze down in the south bay, looking at numbers still awfully chilly in the mid to upper 30s from santa rosa to

livermore, gaining ten degrees in the next hour by the delta, then low 60s and the increasing clouds after about 2:00. will it lead to any measurable rain? well, the short answer you probably know but the winds will affect us, we'll talk about that offshore component coming up. liz? >> all right, lisa, thank you, now to the very latest with the devastating covid-19 emergency in the u.s. cases and hospitalizations continually hit record highs per day. every region in the u.s. is seeing a rapid increase through the holidays, as much as the bay area enters itself into a stay at home sunday night. trevor alt details how fast the virus is spreading. >> reporter: this morning the united states reeling from coronavirus as a cdc report warns covid has entered a phase of high-level transmission, 120 americans testing positive every minute. the agency reiterating masks need to be worn indoors everywhere except your home because the consequences could be life or death.

>> it's very hard to see someone's loved one trying to breathe and seeing them suffocating, trying to gasp for air. we know that once you go to icu your chances are minimal. >> reporter: southern california and six bay area jurisdictions, including san francisco, are now enacting regional stay at home orders. shutting down restaurant dining and hair salons and reducing retail to 20% capacity. but across the country some of the hardest hit areas right now are rural towns. >> when we started planning months ago for worst case scenario, we're now living it. >> reporter: in reno county, kansas the positivity rate has soared to nearly 50%. while in ohio it's topped 10,000 new cases friday, health officials are pleading with residents to only leave home if it's absolutely necessary. >> more than one out of every two patients in the two rural regions of our zone that are in the icu have covid.

that's not sustainable. >> reporter: as new mexico records a record high daily death count doctors with the navajo nation say their hospitals are at a point of crisis. >> this projection says that this virus will be worse four to five times more than what we faced in may. >> reporter: heading into that anticipated surge hospital staffing is already a significant nationwide concern, because of demand, burnout, and health risks. texas doctor carlos arajo battled covid on the front lines only to succumb to the virus himself. >> he was like i'm not going to not go to work because i'm afraid, i need to go to go to work because i want to help other people who are afraid. >> reporter: new jersey recording nears they haven't seen since may, governor phil murphy reacting to video showing a new york young republicans event in jersey, where people appeared to violate social

distancing and mask rules. the governor saying law enforcement is investigating, calling the apparent guest of honor florida congressman matt gates a fool. >> i hope you're watching, matt, you are not welcome in new jersey, and frankly i don't ever want you back in this state. >> reporter: congressman gates firing back murphy will regret this tweet when he a moves to florida like the rest of new jersey. for the health care workers enduring this historic fight, the victories are carrying them forward. dr. joseph farrone seen hugging a lonely covid patient in a viral photo from thanksgiving says that man is finally heading home. >> he's doing fantastic. he was discharged yesterday morning to the care of his wife, and he is doing quite well. finally he has his wish of being with his wife. >> reporter: trevor alt, abc news, new york. 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

high-risk health care workers will be top priority. the state has politthem into three tiers, tier one workers in acute care facilities, skilled nursing facilities and dialysis centers. then comes immediate 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 eventually the general public. abc 7 news has assembled a vaccine team to track the latest developments. reporters case larson and luz pena, and "7 on your side's" michael finney. follow on our website abc7news.com/coronavirus. happening today president trump and former president obama will get back on the campaign trail, hosting duelling stump speeches down in georgia. instead of fighting for the white house they're throwing their political weight behind

something else. abc news reporter rachel scott breaks down the special senate elections and the attempt at a new federal stimulus bill this morning. >> reporter: with coronavirus cases on the rise and federal aid almost out president-elect joe biden warned the country will be in dire trouble if congress does not act. >> if we don't act now the future will be very bleak. americans need help, and they need it now. and they need more to come earlier next year. >> reporter: as lawmakers try to find common ground on a stimulus package president trump will be back out on the campaign trail to rally support for kelly loeffler and david perdue in two senate runoffs. >> all eyes in this country are on georgia. >> reporter: those races will decide control of the senate. >> it would be a shame if come january 5th you did not exercise that power, are you ready to stand up one more time? >> reporter: some republicans fear the president's repeated false claims that the presidential election was rigged will backfire.

>> they don't want to lose the trump supporters, by acting this way, they're going to lose another trump supporter, potentially, a box they can't get out of. >> well, hello, georgia. >> reporter: vice president mike pence urging their base to vote. >> i know we've all got our doubts about the last election and i actually hear some people saying just don't vote. my fellow americans, if you don't vote, they win. >> reporter: that message, a sharp contrast to what this conservative lawyer said to a large crowd in georgia days earlier. >> why would you go back and vote in another rigged election? >> reporter: democrats are hoping voters who turned out for biden in record numbers will show up again, for raphael warnock and jon ossof, bringing out their fire power, former president barack obama. >> the promise rests in part on their ability to have a cooperative posture with

congress. >> reporter: it will be the first time that president trump will be headlining a campaign rally since losing the election. president-elect joe biden is expected to campaign in georgia as well. those critical runoffs you just one month away on january 5th. rachel scott, abc news, washington. still ahead on abc 7 # mornings, beautiful kicks with a celebrity following. these are more than just tasteky treats, they're raising money for social justice, the story behind them. live look outside at the golden gate bridge, so pretty this saturday morning. it's 49 degrees in the city. grab your coats, going to be a little chilly today. we'll check in with lisa when we get back. now more than ever it's important to keep yourself and your community safe. stay at home. if you must go out, wear a mask. we'll get through this together. we have the power to harness california's abundant wind and solar energy, but it's not available all day long. use less from 4 to 9 pm and we can protect california

for generations to come.

>> happening today 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 morning 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. it should be a nice clear day, no rain, lisa, not at all. no rain, but a little bit of haze out there. we have a spare the air alert. this is the view from mt. tam, where it is 56 degrees. that sounds mild. we have a south wind. those winds in combination with high cirrus clouds keeping us above average, but not as warm, i'll have the full accuweather seven-day forecast, next. >> thank you, lisa. also next, the nba releases the schedule for the first half of the regular season. we'll highlight the big warriors matchu budget, i lead the charge.

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welcome back, let's talk sports. all three bay area college football teams 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. dons led by 13 at recess. second half. down by 13 at half. taavi jurkatamm, two hand, now dons win 88-60, now 4-2. send it back to you. get a check of the weather with lisa argen. where's the rain? where is it? >> i know, we are up to about six inches deficit from the

north bay in santa rosa and over two inches in the south bay so, yes, we are falling way behind. but from this perspective you see some haze and we've had that over the past several days because of that high pressure lid that is over the bay area. so poor air quality north bay, santa clara region, the aqi right now at about 97. that's why you're looking at all the hazy conditions in emeryville, some sunlight there, above the clouds. so looking like a pretty picture, but you kind of know better in your neighborhood, i'm sure you can see that haze at the surface. east bay hills camera, looking like a summer view, right, 48 downtown, 46 in oakland, 47 in mountain view with low 40s in morgan hill and from our exploratorium camera, it's a nicer picture, cooler day, increasing high clouds and then we have the spare the air alert, 35 santa rosa, 37 in livermore, concord is at 39, and finally, from our sutro tower camera,

this is certainly what we've been dealing with die after day. increase the high clouds, the high cirrus clouds made up of ice crystals, well above in the atmosphere. that could lead to a few sprinkles but then behind that system, dry gusty offshore winds and looking at a warm start to the workweek. as we look at our highs tomorrow, when we get behind the system, the winds are going to come in, they'll be mainly above 1,500 feet, back into milder air with more sunshine towards the afternoon. this is the warmest day of the week, with upper 60s downtown, to mid-70s for some of you. so monday, way too warm, tuesday, holding onto some of that warmth and this is when the winds come into play. that was 9:00 tomorrow night. through the overnight hours, look at how the winds are gusting, right here, mount sint helena, even into mt. diablo, the base of the mountains is what we're concerned about for perhaps the high fire danger warnings that haven't come out yet but they may and we're awfully dry.

you know how far behind we're running with our rainfall totals. do be careful out there. this is the second half of the weekend, today cooler with the high clouds, upper 50s to low 60s, the spare the air alert in the accuweather seven-day forecast, we're sunnier later tomorrow and then it gets windy with elevated fire danger late tomorrow. liz? >> lisa, thank you. just when you think enjoying a piece of cake couldn't get any better we're going to tell you that it can. gnatty cakes in emeryville has created do better cakes and 100% of the proceeds are donated to organizations dedicated to ending racial injustice. ♪ so a couple months back i posted a photo of a black c with a fist in gold. it blue up, went viral, over $400 for the organization, it was pretty wild to see it take off like that. and that's kind of where the do better cakes started.

it feels amazing to be able to take something that i'm so passionate about, and trying to make a difference, step up and be a voice where voices are needed. at natty cakes we specialize in butter cream cakes as well as specialty desserts. we love to make cakes for weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, any milestone event. we are located in berkeley, california. we've been in business since 2012. >> it's about mid-morning, i'm heading in to natty cakes, with once we're in the kitchen our masks stay on the entire time during covid-19. while we're in the middle of coronavirus, and we're also in the middle of racial pandemic as well and at the same time i found out that i was pregnant, and it really put things into perspective for me, dealing with bringing a child into this world, and wanting to make sure that he's raised with the morals

that i believe in, and of course black lives matter. so i was trying to think of how in the world is a baker supposed to kind of jump in here, especially a white woman that has a lot of privilege and that really hasn't dealt with those things kind of head on. then i started realizing that where i can really help was giving money to activist groups and people kind of on the front lines. so we started do better cakes. you're able to order a smaller cake, kind of in the flavor that you would like, we have a couple design options. and 100% of the proceeds go towards an organization of your choice. some of the organizations you can choose from to donate your proceeds to include anti-police terror project. color of change, black visions collective, transgender law center, as well as the national bailout. we have three available designs for the do better cakes. it all started with the black lives matter fist so we have a

black ganache with a live edge, with a gold painted black lives matter fist in the center. we have an end racism design. we write end racism on the front of the cake and paint that in gold as well and our final design is a ganache finish, a chocolate base with a gold painted heart. ever since we launched the do better cakes i've received countless messages on instagram. people are so excited to see a way to support a small business as well as support the black lives matter movement. it's opened so many doors and it's a really created a lot of conversations and it's made it so much easier to speak out. it's not just a trend, it's not just a blip. this is people's lives on the

line and big change needs to be made. you have a talent or a skill set that you want to show the world, and want to make change and kind of do better than just jump in, definitely now is the time. and you can watch more stories like this on localish.com and all the localish social media pages. next, the warriors are kicking off their annual season of giving,

satchel paige was still dominating batters at 59.at 52 celia cruz was still winning grammys at 77 john wheeler illuminated our ideas of the universe at 70 and roger crouch was 56 when he first went into space your best is yet to come 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, before we go, let's get one last check of the weather with lisa argen. >> one last, good morning, everyone, more yellow here on the map than green. that means moderate air quality. the good air quality, well, hard to find here, maybe in napa and fremont. but we've got that ridge of high pressure, the light winds out there, increasing high clouds today in terms of temperatures. 58 half moon bay. 60 downtown. 63 in oakland. 64 in walnut creek. the accuweather seven-day forecast starting with the clouds tomorrow, maybe some morning drizzle, sunny afternoon, the winds kick up in the hills late in the day through monday, milder monday and tuesday. still dry, liz, right through the week. >> all right, lisa, thank you. and thank you, all, for joining us here on abc 7 mornings, i'm liz kreutz, along with lisa argen, a full day of espn college football on abc is

ahead. next at 9:00 a.m., number 4, ohio state takes on michigan state, at spartan stadium, 12:30 indiana faces number 16 wisconsin in madison and at 4:30, third ranked clemson tries the clinch a spot in the acc championship game when the tigers battle virginia tech at lane stadium. abc 7 news continues at 8:00 p.m. thanks again for joining us, have a great day, see you tomorrow morning. >> this is the "bay area spotlight," sponsored by united healthcare. >> nothing is more important than our health, and right now, millions of us here in california face a very important deadline, and to talk about that, i'm gonna bring in ken lewis. he is from united healthcare, northern california, and, ken, it's nice to see you. what we're talking about here is enrollment for medicare, and so many of us need to do this, and we don't have that much time, actually, to get it done. >> awesome. well, thanks for having me today. i really appreciate it.

you got it. this is the annual election period between october 15th and december 7th. this is the time of the year that people on medicare get to make a change to their medicare plan for 2021. whatever choice they make between this time period will be the plan they're locked in for 2021, so it's an important time really to look at your current plan, see what the options are available, because they change from year to year. >> okay. so, everyone should be doing at least a little bit of research before they make this decision. and can you help me through looking at those options. >> the best they could do is really look at your current plan and see where you're at. that puts you in the driver's seat to compare that to the options in the market, to say, "okay. great." what benefits did you want to add to your current plan? maybe there was some prescription drugs you'd like to see covered differently than they are now. but on top of that, once you have that position, then you're able to look and make that best decision. we have resources that are available for everybody. our whole goal is to make

medicare easy. so, we have our telephone, website, we could even meet in person with, of course, all the covid precautions and so forth. so we just want to make sure that everybody is in the best position for 2021. >> and you just brought up covid-19. of course, that is top of mind, especially for people who are in their senior years. so, obviously, people are going to want to think about covid-19 as they are making their elections for this upcoming year. >> yeah, it's interesting because -- [ chuckles ] -- 2020, we added the virtual medical visits to all of our medicare advantage plans in 202, having no idea that, come march, that we were gonna be facing this pandemic. we went from 150 doctors that were answering the virtual line and helping people and patients to over 14,000 in about 10 days to meet the demand there. >> yeah, and obviously telemedicine is so important right now, but is the sort of in-person at-home care still happening for those who might need that?

>> absolutely, yeah. when you look at what's happening out there, in-person is definitely happening. i know with doctors, when you go to the doctor's these days, if there's a parking lot, they'll have you wait out in front in your parking lot instead of in the waiting room. and then, you have your masks and so forth and all the protocols are taking place in the medical environment there to keep everybody safe. and certainly, in-home, same precautions are taken, and then, same thing with our representatives that represent united healthcare who meet people in their homes. we, also, of course, masks and everything that you'd expect, social distancing, because we want to make sure -- your health is as important to you as it is to us. >> absolutely. okay. let's talk about medicare advantage, because we hear about that a lot, and it may be something that people want to consider for this next year. >> yeah. it's interesting. when you look at medicare advantage, the growth has gone about 40% over the last five years. we have now one in three folks with medicare choosing a

medicare advantage plan. and really, the reason we see that is because there's a -- first of all, you have hospital, doctor, prescriptions all together on one low-premium plan. but secondly, you have things that are included on a medicare advantage plan that aren't covered on original medicare -- things like a fitness membership, the virtual line that we mentioned for medical visits, and a whole bunch of different ancillary benefits in addition to the normal things that are covered. so it's important to look at those options. and we can see why that has increased so much. the nice thing about united healthcare is, we have our medicare advantage plan, but we also have medicare supplements and prescription-drug plans, because we know that one size doesn't fit all for everybody. >> all right. so, this has all been great information, but it went by very quickly, so for people who want to review this as they are making those elections, what's a good resource for them? >> we can help by phone at 1-800-971-5061.

we also have our website available, where we have a chat feature, which is uhcmedicarehealthplans.com. and as i mentioned, as well, we have representatives in every community in northern california. we can meet in person, taking, of course, into consideration the covid precautions, to make sure you're in the best position possible, because, like i said, our number-one goal is to make medicare easy for everyone. ♪