. building a better bay area for a safe and secure future, this is abc 7 news. we can begin to turn millions of americans' hopes into reality. a sigh of relief for so many americans, a vaccine is on the way. the fda has cleared the way for pfizer's covid-19 vaccine, distribution of the doses could start today. among those first to get the shot will be health care workers and those in long term care facilities. good morning, everybody, it's saturday, december 12th, i'm liz kreutz. such good news to wake up to. and just under an hour, the fda will hold a news conference on the first covid-19 vaccine authorization here in the u.s. the fda commissioner and director will be taking questions about the shot. we want to show you the letter here to pfizer that made it

official, saying the fda reviewed the data, and determined the vaccine was safe for emergency use, for people 16 and older. the systems are in motion for distribution to begin. abc 7 news reporter luz pena has more on what could be the beginning of the end of an outbreak that has killed hundreds of thousands of americans. >> reporter: the wait is over. hospitals across the country are gearing up to receive the first batch of the pfizer covid-19 vaccine. president donald trump categorizing this -- >> this is one of the greatest scientific accomplishments in history. >> reporter: according to operation warp speed 3 million doses of pfizer's vaccine are expected in the first shipments nationwide. >> the first vaccine will be add mipsterred in less than 24 hours. the governors decide where the vaccines will go in their state and who will get them first. we want our senior citizens, health care workers and first responders to be first in line. >> reporter: for distribution california created a framework, where health care workers and

nursing home residents will receive the first doses followed by essential workers at risk of exposure to the virus. >> which means there's 327,600 doses of the vaccine on their way to the state of california. >> reporter: the authorization of the pfizer vaccine comes as more than 291,000 americans have died from the virus. according to the cdc. >> together, with other vaccine manufacturers, this collaboration is expected to deliver hundreds of millions of doses to americans by the end of next year. >> reporter: after nearly 44,000 people were part of the clinical trial, the fda found the vaccine is over 90% effective but it's still unclear how long the vaccine protection will last. governor newsom announced on wednesday that california is expecting 672,000 doses of moderna's covid-19 vaccine once authorized. in the newsroom, luz pena, abc 7

news. >> such a sigh of relief for so many. it will be a while, though, of course before most americans are able to get the vaccine but many bay area residents are taking this news as a hopeful sign. >> very excited for it, hoping that people will still follow the precautions even though the vaccine is here. it's going to take a lotime for all of us to get it. >> really happy, excited for it to be available. >> it's two-sided for me because it was kind of quick. the step tick says it's kind of quick, did they go through the proper checks, the proper channels, you know, is it really best for public safety right now? then the second half of me is like, yes, now we can finally begin to slowly reopen, yes, now we have some hope. >> a lot of people feeling these same emotions right now, i'm sure. the state is still determining who will be next in line behind health care workers and nursing

home residents. what's being done to make sure powerful businesses or wealthy people can't buy their spot in line. >> reporter: phase 1 a is first and then phase 1 b, likely essential workers and then a tiered system within that, the makeup of those tiers, though, is still being worked out. >> i think it would be a mistake to pretend that it's completely immune from the potential for political influence. >> reporter: david magnus is a biomedical ethics professor at stanford university. >> we're trying to maximize the amount of benefit, minimize harm. >> reporter: broadly he expects the process in california to be ethical. but what is being done to make sure a powerful perp or industry can't purchase access. >> it helps that at the largest levels these decisions are being made and these recommendations concretely are being made by individuals who are clearly pretty high minded people being motivated by considerations of equity, justice, trying to make sure -- and it's a pretty transparent process. >> reporter: one of those people

helping craft california's vaccine rollout list is dr. louise aaronson. >> the process so far seems incredibly rug rous and thougtful. >> reporter: as the first vaccines make their way to california, their group is currently riding the phase 1b tiers, sh ecan't reveal what that will look like yet but she says they learned a lot from the uneven testing was rolled out. >> that all happened really quickly without much planning and with at least, at the federal level, a government that didn't want to take charge across the nation. >> reporter: she hopes the vaccine rollout is more transparent, though with limited supply for now, she cautions -- >> it's not going to go the way everyone wants. >> reporter: matt boone, abc 7 news. and holiday shipping could be slowed down because of the vaccine, fedex and ups will ship the first wave of covid-19 vaccines across the united states over the next few days. this is expected to disrupt an already busy shipping process. experts say shoppers are making

more online purchases right now, of course, than ever before. they are warning people to ship packages early so that they arrive on time for the holidays. keep in mind the deadline for ground shipping for ups, fedex and the u.s. postal service is december 15th for delivery by christmas. w dedicating next week to bringing you in depth coverage with our team of reporters and medical experts on the vaccine, if you have questions about it, we'll try to get them all answered, you can just head to abc7news.com/vaccine to submit your question for our vaccine watch piece. and monday night at 10:00, a special edition of 20/20, the shot, race for the vaccine, this is going to cover the safety, access and timing of the vaccine monday on abc. >> now, the vaccine news comes just as california, though, is breaking more pandemic records, another sign this isn't over yet. we're not out of the woods. the state reported a whopping

35,468 newly diagnosed cases yesterday, that's a single-day record, the number of deaths is 159. records also were set with hospitalizations, and people in the icu. the bay area saw its icu capacity drop to 16.7%. if it hits 15%, the entire region has to enact a stay at home order. a covid-19 outbreak in santa clara county has been tied to a private youth basketball program that traveled to a tournament in plaster county last month. 79 cases, including 39 players, three coaches and 35 additional contacts. the investigation has revealed 17 more cases in other counties. officials say the program was in violation of local and at a time health orders, and has been cited. and new details this morning about the covid outbreak at golden gate fields in berkeley. likely all of the 445 workers

reportedly had been exposed to the virus. more than 300 people there have tested positive. berkeley's health department ordered nearly 200 employees to have not tested positive to quarantine away from the track for 14 days to stop the surge. the city is assuming that everyone who works there has been exposed. one trainer has died from the virus. it's unclear when the track now is going to reopen. and happening today playgrounds in santa clara will reopen for the first time since the start of the pandemic. earlier this week california updated its stay at home guidelines to allow outdoor playgrounds to stay open. playgrounds to stay open. the state is requiring face ♪ do you recall, not long ago ♪ we would walk on the sidewalk ♪ ♪ all around the wind blows ♪ we would only hold on to let go ♪

♪ blow a kiss into the sun ♪ we need someone to lean on ♪ blow a kiss into the sun ♪ all we needed somebody to lean on ♪ ♪ ♪ the volvo xc90 recharge plug-in hybrid. ♪ ♪ the zodiac killer terrorized the bay area 50 years ago, and the murders remain unsolved. now a major break in the case, the 340 cipher and encoded message the killer sent has finally been solved. i-team reporter dan noyes spoke with members of the international team that cracked it. >> reporter: the zodiac killer is responsible for five murders in the late 60s, usually at lovers lanes around the bay area and a san francisco cab driver. the most compelling piece of evidence, this 340 character cipher sent to the san francisco

chronicle, a puzzle unsolved all that time until now. a programmer from belgium, a mathematician from australia and a cliptologist from the united states crack it had code last weekend. i spoke with david aran check from his home in virginia. >> by saturday morning we had a pretty good idea of what the full message was and i contacted the fbi and within minutes they confirmed the solution to me. >> reporter: one of the first lines that appeared from the cipher was a major clue, that wasn't me on the tv show. someone claiming to be the zodiac had called into the kgo morning show in 1969. >> that's what really stood out and that's when i knew, okay, this has got to be something real, and that's when my heart rate just really shot up. >> reporter: in the rest of the message the zodiac taunts law enforcement saying he's not afraid of the gchamber and i hoe you're having lot of fun trying to catch me. >> an early version of the troll where he's trying to evoke a

response from people by manipulating this persona he's crafted around his crimes. >> reporter: while they've cracked the code he worries about the effect on the victims' families. >> the message that comes out is another one of those -- you don't want to see that, however many years later, after you're trying to process what's been done to your family members. >> reporter: he had to wait several days while the fbi contacted the families. he has made a fascinating video of how they cracked the code, and i'm posting a link to it at abc7news.com. for the i-team, dan noyes, abc 7 news. and abc 7 has been covering the zodiac killer from the very beginning, we went back and pulled several of our stories from the archive. you can see them all right now on our abc 7 bay area app on roku, amazon fire, and apple tv. san francisco is holding a gun buyback event today, it is being put on by gun violence prevention group united playaz.

they hope it will lower fire related crimes in the city. owners can drop off handguns and assault rifles for $200. completely anonymous. they have taken nearly 2,000 guns off the streets of san francisco, the event runs from 8:00 this morning until noon. many bay area cultural institutions are finding ways to connect with people of all ages despite being closed due to covid and for the tech interactive in downtown san jose that includes engaging with visitors online instead of in person. it launched an entirely new website featuring interactive challenges and virtual field trips delivering exhibits to thousands of homes and opening countless minds. >> at the heart of the mission is to make innovators and problem solving skills. when the pandemic hit we had to close our doors that all of the staff put those skills to work. >> it's been wonderful to see the dedication to try to keep the building going. >> reporter: curators have

created a new 5,000 square foot exhibit called solve for earth using technology and other interactive displays to teach about our environment and sustainability. and we have been covering the state of the arts all this past week so if you want to read about more organizations or help out we have information on how you can do that at abc7news.com/betterbayarea. click on statey ar latino community, urged to roll back plans to -- local church leaders in santa clara county are asking the faithful not to gather with others to celebrate the feast day, which marks an appearance of the virgin mary to a young indigenous man on december 12th, 1531. it's a national holiday in mexico. officials say drastic measures are needed to protect the latino community. >> sacrificing today ensures the celebration of many, many years to come so we sacrificed

thanksgiving in order to have many more thanksgivings, we sacrifice how we do our celebration to our beloved lady in order to be able to celebrate -- >> 56% of covid cases in santa clara county are in the latino community. lake tahoe is closed to visitors for at least the next three weeks. it's part of the greater sacramento region which became subject to the state's stay at home order after icu capacity dipped below 15%. among other things that means non-essential travel is off limits. some hotels have been cancelling reservations but we found some people preparing for ski season at sports basement and they are still planning their tripsediatw morning, it will be a much wetter start, by lunchtime, though, we start to taper off into showers, and then the system pushes through and you can see it is bringing snow to the sierra as well. overall rain amounts range from a quarter to three quarters of an inch generally, more rain in

the higher elevations and parts of the north bay. there is a winter weather advisory, if you're heading to the sierra, until 10:00 this morning, so be careful, we could see up to a foot of snow on the peaks and it's going to be very windy. temperatures today will be very mild, near 60 degrees, so even though we'll start to dry on the afternoon we'll have a lot of cloud cover, and that's going to prevent us from warming up further. and overnight lows, again the wet weather returns tonight into tomorrow, temperatures will be in the 40s to near 50 degrees around the bay so a wetter start tomorrow if you want to go out and enjoy the day. today should be pretty good after lunchtime for most areas. here's the accuweather seven-day forecast, so periods of rain today, but, again, we're tapering off right now, tomorrow we'll have steadier rain in the morning. and then it's looking dry through most of the workweek, except there is a chance of rain wednesday night into thursday, so we are keeping track of that

one. at this point, and also we will be keeping track of another system, liz, looking ahead for next weekend. >> we've been asking for rain and it's good to see it finally coming. thanks, francis. just ahead, nearly 1 million californians will lose unemployment benefits unless congress acts quickly. michael finney has more on who ll l make your holidays happen... at ross! surprise! ahhh! yes! i love it! you don't have to spend a lot to give a lot to the ones who mean the most. you've got the holidays, and we've got you, with the best bargains ever... ...at ross. yes for less!

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really scary. >> reporter: without quick action from washington that lifeline will suddenly drop off. >> the benefits will actually end the day after christmas. and it's a hard cutoff. >> reporter: andrea stetner studies policies the century foundation in washington, he says many don't see what's coming. >> it is kind of a cliff that people were ignoring, they're starting to become aware of it. but i think it's going to hit hard as we get closer to the holidays. >> reporter: benefits will end abruptly on december 26th for workers getting pandemic unemployment assistance and a 13-week extension of benefits. the lifelines known as pua and peuc. >> anyone on any of the programs with a "p" in them, peuc or pua, those benefits will not be available after december 26th. >> reporter: that means benefits end for millions of gig workers, contractors, self-employed. business owners, part-timers and caregivers, groups that were not

covered under traditional unemployment. it also ends a special 13-week extension for those who ran out of the usual 26 weeks of benefits. that goes away even if you didn't use all the extra weeks. >> people are really going to be in a very negative position. we need to underscore. poverty is going to go up. children are going to be hurt. >> reporter: the california policy lab estimated 750,000 californians will lose benefits without a new relief package but that number could easily top 1 million, due to the latest shutdown. however, those on regular state unemployment won't face these cutoffs. at least not yet. they can get a 13-week extension under a program called fed ed which kicks in during periods of hugh unemployment. that will cover most californians until mid-march. but it could still leave millions with no income, and leaders are still bickering. >> why are you fighting? you know? like the rest of us are choking out here.

>> reporter: i'm michael finney, "7 on your side." california's christmas tree is lighting up sacramento, a virtual tree lighting ceremony was held last night with governor newsom and the first partner. this were musical performances, including from the bay area ice michael francey and the interfaith gospel choir. the tree is 65 feet tall, white fir. celebrating golden gate park's 50th anniversary, changing colors in a variety of shapes make up the show called entwined. its creator called entwined a wimz call wonderland of lights. >> i enjoyed the colors. it kind of looked like marshmallows. like playing drums on them. we like how big and tall all the trees were. the different configurations, it was really beautiful. >> social distancing rules are in place, entwined.

private donors are sponsors the show and it runs through february 28th. still to come on abc 7 mornings, a historic moment in the coronavirus pandemic, the fda authorized the first covid-19 vaccine in the u.s. millions of doses will be shipped to hundreds of sites across the country. and dry ice is critical in the delivery of the vaccine. you're going to meet the bay sfx: dog bark ♪ a little taste of home is worth sharing. than a holiday dinner table. gives you more options pick the speed that's right for you,

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building a better bay area for a safe and secure future. this is abc 7 news. good morning again, everybody, a busy saturday as we learn more about the vaccine that is now authorized and on its way to california. but first, before we get to that let's get another check of the weather with francis lawson. good morning, everyone, you'll notice it's wet outside, rain is pushing through. and i want to show you live doppler 7 and show you the rain pattern the past hour.

you'll notice it is starting to move out and tapering off, it's starting to head to the southeast right now. and that trend is going to continue over the next few hours. so here's your day planner, we've got some light rain during your next couple hours, temperatures in the 50s. we'll be drying out by lunchtime. mostly cloudy, but dry this afternoon. temperatures will have a bit of a tough time hitting 60 degrees in some areas, that's where we'll top out because of the cloud cover and then mostly cloudy this evening again as the clouds increase because we have rain arriving later on to tonight, or later on tonight. and it's going to be heavier tomorrow morning so i'll have those details coming up with your accuweather seven-day forecast. liz? >> francis, thank you. shipping of the first covid-19 vaccine could start as early as today, this comes just one day after the fda gave the go ahead for pfizer's vaccine to be distributed in the u.s. ty hernandez has more on the rollout. >> reporter: as early as this morning pfizer is expected to begin shipping the first

2.9 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine to more than 600 locations across the u.s. this after the fda authorized the country's first vaccine for people aged 16 and over late friday. president trump praising the effort. >> we are deeply grateful to every person who has round the clock on this monumental national project to save lives. >> reporter: health and human services secretary alex azar calling the authorization nothing short of a miracle. the fda saying it is not sacrificed scientific standards but adds it's unclear how long immunity will last after a person receives both doses. among the first to get immunized will be health care workers, and those in long-term care facilities, pfizer which produced the vaccine alongside german company biontech will ship the doses from its michigan warehouse directly to sites preselected by governors and local health officials. >> we could be seeing people getting vaccinated, monday, tuesday of next week. >> reporter: the cdc projects

the u.s. death toll could reach 362,000 by january 2nd, nearly 70,000 americans in just three weeks. >> we are in the time frame now that probably for the next 60 to 90 days we're going to have more deaths per day than we had in 9/11 or pearl harbor. >> reporter: ty hernandez, abc news, new york. the vaccine's authorization is promming a huge demand for dry ice, needed to pack millions of doses for shipments around the world. abc 7 news reporter cornell barnard toured the bay area company ready for the challenge. >> reporter: so you can see here these are the 5/8 inch pel lets here. a big chill of pacific dry ice, where thousands of frozen pellets and blocks are standing by. >> all hands on deck with the covid-19 vaccine. >> reporter: the operations manager says his crew and manufacturing plant are gearing up to produce enough dry ice needed to pack covid-19 vaccine

doses for shipment across the bay area and west coast. the pfizer vaccine must be kept at 94 degrees below zero fahrenheit. >> try ice is at minus 109, which is the main reason why dry ice is a great product to use to keep the vaccine cold. >> reporter: manager tim ramos is getting a lot of calls. >> we're getting ready to help people out. got a call today from napa county looking for ice. >> reporter: dry ice, once a fun prop for halloween is now playing a critical role in the pandemic. >> dry ice is just solid co 2, carbon dioxide. >> reporter: its shelf life is short but it's constantly fogging itself back into gas, ten pounds can disappear within 24 hours. so the more dry ice the better to keep vaccines safe during transport. >> it's going up in smoke as we speak. >> reporter: but supplies of the gas used to make dry ice may not keep up with demand.

>> overall there is a finite supply of co 2. >> reporter: no shortages yet and for now destinations are unknown. this company like others across the country are ready to roll and freeze to help a country in need. >> it's great to be part of the solution and to play our part in getting it from, you know, manufacturer to distribution to, you know, the folks that need it. >> reporter: cornell barnard, abc 7 news. the bay area could be vaccinating health care workers as early as next week, bay area counties like marin are receiving vaccines from state stockpiles with modifications based on the number of hospitals. marin county is going to receive nearly 2,000 doses of the pfizer vaccine, meantime kaiser permanente sells abc 7 news it's applied to be a vaccine provider in every market it operates and will offer it to those who meet the criteria in each phase of the process. this morning we're learning multiple records were broken in

2020 election, excuse me here in california, we're getting the new numbers from the secretary of state's office, more than 22 million people registered to vote prior to the october 19th deadline. more than 17 million californians voted in the general election. that is 3 more than the previous record set in 2016. and of those, more than 15 million voted by mail. that is the largest number of vote by mail ballots cast in any california election. all right, looking for something to do, while hanging out at home this weekend, abc 7 news anchor comaw see aaron has a look at what's streaming online. >> i'm here to talk about what you can watch on the abc 7 bay area app over the weekend. we have some really great stuff. first of all, if you love history, documentaries, and the beatles, you have to watch eyewitness to the death of john len non. >> former beatle john lennon is

dead. >> our sister station in new york produced this documentary in honor of the 40th anniversary of john lennon's death. they had a crazy perspective because a producer from the station happened to be inside the e.r. when they brought john lennon in and it's incredible stuff, it's something really cool to just sit back and watch. the sf opera is closed but it's not gone. we got a behind the scenes look how they've retooled to stream performances to fans. this is all a part of our building a better bay area state of the arts week. >> our products are mainly inspired by flavors. >> is your mouth watering? mine is. this tasty story is from our localish team and it's about sweet condessa, a taste of the philippines with super special ingredients. all of that and a lot more is in the featured section at the top of the app. if you don't have the app yet, please get it. all you have to do is fire up

your roku, amazon fire, apple tv, and search abc 7 bay area, and you can download it today. happy streaming, friends. all right, still ahead on abc 7 mornings how the bay area's muslim community is helping small restaurants and bridging gaps between communities. lest take a live look outside at our golden gate bridge camera, hard to see out there, not great visibility, and it's good to see we've had a little bit of rain, a little bit more still in the forecast, we'll check in again with francis when we get back. now more than ever it's important to keep yourself and your community safe. stay at home and if you must go out, wear a mask. we'll

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just like you watch over your best friend. another life-changing technology from abbott, so you don't wait for life. you live it. all right, welcome back, here is a live look from our exploratorium camera looking out over the city. it is currently 55 degrees in san francisco. this past week we've really been exploring the state of the arts here in the bay area, with so many arts groups struggling and

shuttering through this pandemic. one of those groups that's trying its best to hang on is a wonderful local nonprofit called performing stars which offers music, theater, dance and art classes to low income children in marin city. tonight is their 30th anniversary gala and it's going virtual. executive director phylicia gaston said they're trying to adapt as best they can, going door to door dropping off baskets with arts and and activities for children. >> as a little girl i wanted to take ballet when i was growing up in georgia it wasn't available because of segregation. today the reason i started performing stars is to provide an opportunity for children to be able to get connected to the arts. because it provides character, discipline, self-esteem, confidence, all of these things which makes you to be a more productive person. >> how has the pandemic sort of changed for you guys, changed how you raise money, changed

what you're able to offer? >> yes, when -- in march when the pandemic hit, automatically we had to -- everything just stopped and so we were not able to provide any of our after school or summer program in the way that we normally would be doing, and especially because we were planning to get ready for our 30-year anniversary. we were planning a big downgala at the jewish community center, people paying $100 a person to support our after school and summer enrichment programs but it became clear in martha we had to refocus and say no, this is going virtual. >> the performing stars 30th anniversary virtual gala is tonight at 6:00. you'll hear from a available on performing

stars.org. let's check the weather now with frances dinglasan. good to see that rain, frances. >> we certainly need the rain. here's a live shot in san jose, where you can still it is still wet out there. san jose got a quarter of an inch over the past 24 hours and it will get another fourth of an inch, but most of that will be falling later tonight into tomorrow morning, i'll have those details and when you can expect today, what you can expect today, and when you can expect the rain, more of it, to return coming up. >> thanks, frances. also next, a historic victory, san jose state advances to the mountain west championship for the first time ever. chris

♪ do you recall, not long ago ♪ we would walk on the sidewalk ♪ ♪ all around the wind blows ♪ we would only hold on to let go ♪ ♪ blow a kiss into the sun ♪ we need someone to lean on ♪ blow a kiss into the sun ♪ all we needed somebody to lean on ♪

♪ ♪ the volvo xc90 recharge plug-in hybrid. ♪ ♪ welcome back, here is a live look from our san mateo camera, you can see it's a little blurry and wet out there so drive slow and safe if you're hitting the road. good to see the rain though. let's talk sports. both cal and stanford wrap up

their pac 12 schedule tonight. can cardinal taking on oregon state at 7:30. watch on espnu, and the golden bears face washington state and pullman at 7:30. last night san jose state tried to remain undefeated against nevada. here's abc 7 sports anchor chrisschris alvarez with the highlights. it's been quite the ride for the san jose spartans. due to covid restrictions the team hit the road. home game in las vegas against nevada, go figure. they win and they're in the mountain west championship. they trailed 27 at the break. but shomar garrett, finds a seam, cuts it back, a lot of grass in front of him. 98 yards to the house and just like that, 20-14 game. the momentum changing. later in the third, wolf pack driving, toa -- fumbles the ball

and san jose recovers, defense makes a huge play, they go on a 12 play 99 yard drive capped by "d," jr. on -- spartans lead at late third. tyler nebbins, 69 yards to the house. 560 yards of total offense, spartans win 30-20, 6-0 on the mountain west championship game but the first time in school history, taking on boise state. st. mary's hoops taking on san jose state, first half, just great ball movement. dan fotu, the triple. he had 15 points shy of his career high. leading by 30 at the break. omari moore, doing his best. team high there, but too much. mountain view logan johnson looking like his brother tyler who plays in the nba for the nets. what a play that was, 96-61, now

6-1 this season. the warriors pre-season opener tonight against denver, first game of any kind since march 10. both draymond green and james wiseman worked out individually friday but no team activities. ramp-up period, boom, we're in the regular season, opening in brooklyn on december 22nd. steve kerr expects stephen curry to play in all pre-season games, including about 20 minutes tonight against denver. >> this year i'm really excited about because even though it's a big challenge, it's a challenge that is exciting. i'm excited to see how this team comes together over the course of the year. that's one of the most fun things to do as a coach and even as a fan to watch a team develop and grow. >> we've got a busy sports saturday for you, the warriors, cal and stanford football. a lot going on. see you later tonight. have a great saturday. >> let's get you back over to frances now for a another check

of the forecast. hey, frances. >> hi, liz, good morning, everyone. we had some periods of rain over the last few hours, fall over the bay area and it was heavy at times. san francisco already got about .4 of an inch, and the rain is tapering off. live doppler 7, it's starting to move towards the south and east, past san jose and it is starting to really dry out. so let me show you what you can expect over the next few hours. we'll still see some light showers south of san francisco. and then they start to decrease rapidly by lunchtime. it's almost all gone. we'll have a mostly dry day today with cloudy weather before our next system arrives late tonight into early tomorrow morning. and i'll show you how that plays out as well. foggy conditions around parts of the bay area, live shot from the exploratorium, downtown san francisco, temperatures are in the 50s. san francisco 55, oakland 59, san jose 52. half moon bay at 54, and very

foggy there as well. you'll find some fog across the golden gate bridge with slick roads around the bay area. and it's cooler in parts of the north bay, like santa rosa 45, novato 48 degrees right now. but milder in monocord, and livermore, mid to upper 50s. abc 7 storm impact scale, the storm is a 1 out of 5. light. we'll see periods of rain throughout the day today and tomorrow mainly light to moderate, it could be heavy at times, and definitely heavier in the hills and mountains. in fact, our next wave of rain will be heavier than what we've seen overnight tonight. so here's how it plays out with the forecast animation. 8:00 tonight, notice, still mostly dry, but the system starts to make its way towards the northern part of the bay area, and then 4:00 tomorrow morning, it will hit parts of -- well, all across the north bay, from ukiah to santa rosa and san francisco. notice the yellow, those are the pockets of heavier rain.

it slides southeast by 8:00, most of the bay area will be under some rain and then it moves out by about lunchtime as well. with some scattered showers lingering throughout the parts of the north bay, and even into the south bay. and you see the white and pink stuff, that is snow in the sierra, where there is a winter weather advisory there as well. so all in all we'll probably get another quart of an inch through tomorrow to up to half an inch in some locations. and if you are headed to the sierra you may want to hold off until 10:00 this morning. we're still expecting lots of snow, and up to a foot of snow on the peaks with very windy driving conditions as you make your way across i-80 or highway 50. highs today will be near 60 degrees, san francisco 60, oakland 61 as well as san jose, but if you want to go outdoors, today will be a day to do it after lunchtime. because of wet weather, returning overnight into tomorrow morning, temperatures will be painly in the 40s, and

cooler in the north bay. here's the accuweather seven-day forecast, so rain is already tapering off this morning. then we have steadier rain overnight into sunday morning. and it looks brighter by monday. notice temperatures don't fluctuate too much we're near 60 degrees all throughout the week. we are tracking another system heading our way possibly late wednesday into thursday so that's our next chance of rain and then looking ahead, next weekend maybe a bit wet as well. so if you need to do anything outdoors or get that walk in, you should be safe for today, as long as you do it this afternoon, and then get ready for another round of rain which, of course, we need, liz. >> we really do and it does keep it easier to stay inside if it's raining. and keep in lockdown. >> yes. >> i know, all right, frances, thank you. in the east bay, it's the first ever halal restaurant week in the u.s., it's the bay area muslim community's effort to help local restaurants. abc 7 news reporter reporter r

has the story from fremont. >> reporter: in the midst of the pandemic, this owner is expecting a lot of phone orders. his el halal amigos food truck specializes on their take of mexican street food. >> it's nachos and a burrito, big, massive and delicious. >> reporter: the creative menu may be a draw but some of the customers made the trip to fremont as part of halal fest, the first of its kind restaurant week supporting restaurants that serve halal food, similar to jewish kosher food but following islamic -- >> most halal is anti biotic, hormone free, grass fed. >> reporter: these two came out from concord. >> we don't have that many options for halal mexican food in concord, for me, it's worth it. >> reporter: leading the charge is radan, critical to rally the

community to support local restaurants during the pandemic. >> they're getting a lot of exposure and getting new customers as well that are coming in that haven't heard of them before. they're very happy about that. >> it is the first halal restaurant week in the united states, happening in the bay area, i think that's incredible. >> reporter: zoha has been blogging about the event, she says many restaurants are seeing big crowds for takeaway orders. >> by people seeing swarms of people outside a restaurant, i'm sure even non-muslims will wonder what's going on. >> reporter: that's another big draw for hasham, half filipino and muslim. he proudly displays his halal sign. >> bridge that gap and explain to people who don't know what halal is, through tacos, and it's just a great avenue to take. you know, i mean, who doesn't like a great taco? >> in fremont, anser 7 news. that sounds good. hundreds of children in the

south bay will get a special holiday gift courtesy of police officers, we'll tell

today more than 200 underserved san jose third graders will be getting a special holiday gift from police. they will be treated to a covid friendly shopping spree, it is part of the 13th annual shop with a cop event. this is video from a previous event. each child receives $125 gift card from target to spend on gifts and themselves. parents will also be given a gift card to purchase groceries. due to the pandemic, families will drive up to pick up the gifts today. today they will host a virtual fundraiser to celebrate the launch of its new live program. safari west live brings the fun wildlife experience that includes giraffes, rhinos and more to anyone around the world. today's fundraiser is called

romp with the beasts, raising money to expand their new program. the event starts at 5:00 tonight on the safari west website. next on abc 7 mornings, at 6:00 a.m., the fda has given the green light for pfizer's covid-19 vaccine, now the question is, how will it be distributed? the fda commissioner and director will give a live update on the vaccine in just a few minutes at 6:00. hi, everyone, michael finney here, i know many of you are waiting for your unemployment or covid-19 payments. so 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 eligibility. >> 7 on your side got your emails, hundreds of emails all about the edd and you deserve better. that's why i promise to keep asking the tough questions and getting answers.

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we can begin to turn millions of americans' hopes into reality. a sigh of relief for so many a vaccine is on the way. the fda has cleared the way for pfizer's covid-19 vaccine, distribution of the doses could start today. among those first to get the shot will be health care workers and those in long term care facilities. good morning, everybody, it's saturday, december 12th, i'm liz kreutz.