announcer: building a better bay area. moving forward, finding solutions. this is abc7 news. >> the sunshine wabs out across the bay area -- was out across the bay area. but despite the break from rainstorm-related problems plagued the area including a mudslide that ruined the day for some ace train commuters. and street closures in the hills because of downed trees and power lines. good evening. i'm ama daetz. dan: and i'm dan ashley. thanks for joining us. we'll have the very latest on the mudslides in the east bay in just a moment. ama: first, though, we begin with abc7 news weather anchor spencer christian. tracking more weather on the way. >> example put a damp in our happy -- it will put a damp in our happy spirits. the 20 of the last 24 days we've seen rain here in the bay area. starting with christmas day, look at the calendar there. and now you can see we're about to start a string of sunny days

that will be briefly abrupted by this approaching -- interrupted by this approaching storm. on the -- this approaching storm is a level one. storm of light intensity coming in tomorrow evening it will be a fast-moving system producing light rain and brief downpours. most locations will receive less than half an inch of rain from this storm. early tomorrow morning we'll see clouds getting thicker and more widespread. and then late afternoon into the early evening hours, this frontal system will sweep through, bringing again light rain and some brief downpours but it will quickly move out of the bay area by 10:00 or 11:00 tomorrow night. that leads into thursday which will begin a string of many, many sunny days coming our way. once again a quick look at the rainfall totals. not a lot coming our way. but in the sierra, more snow is going to fall and that winter weather advisory is in effect there until 4:00 a.m. thursday. dan and ama? dan: spencer, thanks very much. more problems developing in the east bay hills tonight with storm-related mudslides causing several major road closures. and abc7 news reporter leslie brinkley talked with state insurance officials about coverage which is usually a loss

for the home owner unless -- live from oakland with more. leslie. dan: it appears as though grizzly peake boulevard has been closed all day, dan, for traffic in both directions from where we are at the steam trains, down to fish ravage road. it appears as though the road in the last 10 minutes has just reopened. a lot of problems up here in the hills today. grizzly peak, a major road that cuts along the cops. -- the tops of the oakland berkeley mills closed between the steam trains and fish ravage road. an early morning accident on slick roads ended up taking out a power pull and downing major transmission lines as crews worked to repair the damage. c.h.p. also closed down the ramp from highway 24 at fish ravage road for several hours -- ranch road for several hours ausmus and debris easied on the roadway. the travel difficulties after a treacherous mudslide slammed

into this berkeley hills home monday morning. the homeowners escaped and four other homes down hill of the slide were also red tagged. there are still worries about the slide advancing with more potential rain on the way. >> you know, you just finish remodel the house so it's hard to see it all go. and we'll have to start again. reporter: but that's what makes it hard for homeowners who deal with mudslides. homeowners policies generally exclude some kinds of earth movement and specialty brokers offering mudslide coverage are sometimes difficult to find. >> if you live in an area like the berkeley hills, an area that could have land slides, it may not be covered by your flood insurance. or your homeowners insurance. we encourage people to look at -- buy the flood insurance which may have some coverage for a landslide. reporter: so check with your

insurance carrier to see if you have coverage, if you're worried about mudslides in your neighborhood. but don't be surprised if you find out for most mudslides, there is no coverage. reporting live in the oakland hills i'm leslie brinkley, abc7 news. ama: good to know. thank you so much, leslie. mudslide is being blamed for delaying 200 ace train passengers nearly four hours today. abc7 news reporter zach fuentes explains what happened and talked to some really frustrated passengers. he joins us whiff from san jose. -- joins us live from san jose. reporter: we're actually at the station where the train was supposed to have come but of course it didn't get here as scheduled. now, first and foremost, nobody was injured as a result of what happened today. that is most important. but with that said passengers tell me that their commute and a majority of their day turned out to be a nightmare. >> i'm just disgusted because i just wasted a whole day. you know, sitting on that train and potentially, you know, we

could have been in jeopardy. reporter: after a series of storms many on the ace 05 train were hoping a day free of rain would bring some normalcy. instead, their commute was brought to an hours long stand still thanks to this mudslide. >> you can hear the bump of the rocks in the train. reporter: the morning interruption happened off niels canyon road in -- between the pleasantton and fremont stations. >> and niels canyon, this has been an area that's been very impacted by the floods and the storms within last couple of weeks. reporter: niels canyon road only recently opened following a previous slide. ace says the morning events that closed the road and halted the train happened around 8:20. that's when the train carrying more than 220 people encountered the mudslide and brought their commute to a stop. >> i usually take a nap in the morning on the way. because it's early. and all i heard was a loud noise and felt a little rumble. reporter: ace says union pacific owns the tracks the train was on and sent a crew out to clean up the mudslide and inspect the

safety of the tracks. in the meantime, afternoon service to other trains was also impacted while a rescue train was brought to the stranded passengers who had later transferred to buses. >> i'm going to work but i'm going home now. so i'm going to work from home. reporter: ace says they've been working with the rail commission and union pacific to form alternate plans for passengers who use the other trains. >> i think it's unfortunate but the real fortunate part of this is we're not experiencing any -- reporter: still even that positive note there wasn't enough to change the moods of frustrated passengers and bring back the time they lost. >> i'm taking a day vacation because, you know, it's a wasted day thanks to ace. reporter: and the exact circumstances of how this slide delayed the train are still under investigation. for example, we're stillwatering on details if the train hit the slide or the slide hit the train. the latest update from ace came just before 4:00 and tell us the

06 and 08 trains will operate from san jose to stockton. two other trains the 04 and 10 are canceled. they expect operations to be back to normal tomorrow. right now live in san jose, zach fuentes, abc7 news. dan: ok. zach, thanks so much. all over the bay area hundreds of trees some large and some small have come crashing down because of the storms. it's a huge problem. but how can you tell if a tree in your yard or on your street is vulnerable? in danger of falling? abc7 news reporter dustin dorsey got tips today from the experts. reporter: during our recent storms one type of damage seemed constant across the bay area. fallen trees. >> for our clients, it's terrifying. you know, falling on their house is -- wondering if it's going to fall. so that's kept us very busy. reporter: was this storm one of your busiest times ever? >> it was. reporter: robert has been working around the clock recently as a certified arborist for san jose tree services. but his work is not done. >> the sunshine has returned but ththe risk hasn't gone away.

reporter: the ground is stoked from nearly three straight weeks of rain. and robert says owners knowing what to look out for can lower the risk of damage. the first red flag is vic turley issues within your tree. >> so if there's trees that were not growing correctly that had some decay in the trunk or had root damage, those are the first to go. reporter: you can spot this by looking out for bran usman that split off or go in different directions. they can snap where they attach. very common with eucalyptus trees. >> based on their -- the weight of the barrages, most -- branches, branches are so heavy and some weakness in the attachment they will fail. reporter: it doesn't mean you have to live without them. >> don't take every tree out just because you're scared. they don't need to be. and they don't need to be topped, ort, to eliminate wait and -- weight and that's another misconception. they need to be caved for and pruned properly. reporter: full trees can still fall due to saturated soil exposing the other key concern.

root issues. looking out for signs of diseases like mushrooms or knowing if roots have been cut from construction or other factors is a must. but if you're still worried, ask a professional. >> now we're discussing with clients who weren't emergency situations how to make them safe. how to make these trees safe now. and in case more storms return, what do we do to prevent that from happening in a few weeks or months? reporter: that way this doesn't happen to you. in san jose, dustin dorsey, abc7 news. ama: berkeley fire investigators are searching for the cause of a fire that left two people injured at the bayer pharmaceutical campus this morning. for a fighters were called to one of the manufacturing buildings where two contractors were injured and taken to the hospital. their conditions have not been released. they are aware of the fire and have launched an investigation as well. dan: fire crews got a lot more than they bargained for at a house fire in martinez. crews came across more than 70 dogs and cats inside the home on

barbara lane. some of them have gotten out and were running around the neighborhood. >> we initially had a lot of help -- very helpful neighbors all around the firehouse here who helped us to corral the mostly dogs and give them water and keep them attended to. dan: animal control officers helped gather the dogs and the cats into carriers. no animals died in the blaze which started in the garage and spread to the second floor. one of the three residents was treated for smoke inhalation. ama: still ahead, wiping out thousands of criminal records in california. we'll hear from the bay area lawmaker behind the newly implemented fresh start act. dan: plus the golden state warriors honored at the white house in a visit that included serious topics. yes, but moments of levity as well. >> president draymond, i don't know if anybody in this country wants to be president. secretary of defense, though --

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dan: new developments. santa clara district attorney's office announced a suspect has been charged in a nearly 30-year-old cold kidnapping case at the oak ridge mall. 65-year-old thomas john lejudas is charged in the kidnapping case from 1994. he has been serving a 40-year prison sentence for child sexual abuse since 2012. the d.a.'s cold case unit discovered d.n.a. collected from the crime scene in 1994 and matched it to lajudas. he will be arraigned in court in san jose. ama: thousands of people with criminal records across california could soon get those records cleared. the fresh start act went into effect january 1. abc7 news reporter liz pena spoke to the senator behind this bill who says many will get a chance at a clean slate. reporter: new year, fresh start.

and that's exactly what thousands with criminal records throughout california could get. >> when you look statewide, it's probably many thousands of people who may be for years or decades have been trapped in poverty because they have a criminal record that they can't get cleared. reporter: senator scott weiner is behind the fresh start act which allows for the complete removal of any sign of a criminal conviction. for -- from many people's records. something that in many cases was dependent on paying restitution. >> it says if you've done your time, and you are eligible for having your record cleared for expungement the fact that you owe restitution is not going to be a barrier to that. we're not getting rid of the restitution debt. but we want to help people get their records clear so that they can get a job. reporter: in san francisco, the public defender's office tracked down 1, 300 people who might be eligible for a clean slate. but it won't be easy. >> this is not something where everybody just gets to walk in

and they get a free expungement. there are checks on that. there's checks from the district attorney's office. and from the court to make sure that this person really has been rehabilitated. reporter: at first, the district attorney's office was not onboard. now in a statement, they said in part, moving forward, we will be in full compliance with the fresh start act. and not consider outstanding restitution as we review petitions. the caveat of this law is that a judge still needs to review each case. and ultimately decide if a person's criminal record should be kreider. -- should be cleared. >> some of the more common felony cases that will be eligible for relief may be especially drug possession, there may be some burglary cases. reporter: even though each case will need to be reviewed individually, some crimes won't be erased. >> registration, as a sex offender. those are still not going to be eligible most likely. reporter: in san francisco, liz

kruetz, abc7 news. -- liz pena, abc7 news. >> a very proud daughter of oakland, california -- [cheering] >> it gives me immense personal pride as the vice president of the united states to say dub nation is in the house. dan: the white house. the golden state warriors return to the white house for the first time since 2016 to discuss their excellence. excellence. both on and off the for back pain, i've always been a take two and call in the morning guy. but my new doctor recommended salonpas. without another pill upsetting my stomach, i get powerful, effective and safe relief. salonpas. it's good medicine. business can happen anytime, anywhere. so help yours thrive and stay connected with the i get powerful, effective and safe relief. comcast business complete connectivity solution. it's the largest, fastest, reliable network. advanced gig speed wifi. and cyberthreat protection.

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>> was also very fulfilling for me just a little while ago to take part in a roundtable on gun violence and gun safety. ama: golden state warriors coach steve kerr and reigning finals m.v.p. steph curry took part in the white house press briefing today. before the entire team was honored by president biden and vice president harris.

abc7 news sports anchor chris alvarez is here for more on what went down today. chris. chris: the warriors celebrating their fourth title in the last eight seasons and first trip to the white house since 2016. stephen curry, representativing president biden with a -- presenting president biden with a custom 46 jersey. and kamala harris received the number one jersey and curry talked about vice president harris' oakland roots and support for the dubs. and president biden took a knee to make sure everybody got involved there. that got a good laugh from everybody and an amazing trip for a team that really isn't taking this moment for granted. >> it was amazing to be in the oval office and to visit with the president and to see history, the art on the walls, to hear his stories. >> every time it's just majestic. and it kind of grounds you a little bit. and morals and values what

drives you on a daily basis and your place being a good human being. >> you only dream of seeing the white house and let alone having the opportunity to attend or be celebrated. and so for us to have this opportunity is absolutely incredible. and been an amazing experience and one that never gets old. chris: it never does get old. we have more warriors white house coverage coming up at 6:00 along with coverage on the website, the app, social channels, and maybe i'm not fit to be the president quite yet. i'll send it back to you. ama: steph has to come first. then chris. thank you, chris. dan: time to get a check on the weather. wasn't it nice to see the sun today? ama: oh, glorious, spencer. spencer: thank you. i appreciate the sunshine, too. i want to start by showing you a comparison of two interesting satellite images of the bay area. take a look at this. now, click away from the clear skies here. ok. four months ago, this was a satellite view of california. dry. drought-stricken. brown. now today, the satellite image looks like this. green, lush, snow on the ground,

snow pack. and of course we have out of that worst category of drought right now. so here's the view from the -- looking out offer san francisco where it's currently 52 degrees and low 50's at oakland, palo alto, santa clara and half moon bay. the view of the golden state where we have blue sky and at the end of this sunny day 54 degrees at santa rosa, nevada 55, 53 at napa. fairfield the mild spot at 59. and low to mid 50's at concord and lehr more. one more live view from our rooftop camera toward the bay bridge and these are our forecast headlines. partly cloudy, challengey overnight especially in to your inland valleys. level one light storm tomorrow evening and then we can expect dry sunny pattern developing or beginning on thursday. the approaching storm on the exclusive abc7 storm impact scale is a level one. a storm of light intensity, tomorrow evening, the fast-moving system will come through bringing us light rain and maybe some brief downpours. most locations can expect less than half an inch of rain from the system. the forecast animation 11:00

tomorrow at which point clouds will be getting thicker and lower in the sky. by about 5:00 in the afternoon, maybe even a little bit before, this front will start swinging through the north bay and swing quickly through the remainder of the bay area in the early evening hours. by about 11:00 tomorrow night, it should be out of here. but it will -- dump some wet weather on us and again, up to maybe half anchorless. over in the sierra some more snow from the storm. winter weather advisory from 6:00 p.m. tomorrow to 4:00 a.m. thursday in the sierra. we're talking about maybe another six to 12 inches of snow and wind gusts up to about 35 miles per hour. but nothing like the whiteout conditions we had in the earlier storms to last week and the weekend. overnight, look for mainly clear skies initially. but see clouds increasing as we get into the early morning hours. overnight lows will drop into the low to mid 30's in parts of the north bay. 33 at santa scioscia, mid 30's in the inland east bay about 36 greaves at concord and livermore down in the south bay mid to upper 30's around the bay

shoreline lows will be in the low 40's. then tomorrow highs under increasingly cloudy skies, we will be mainly in the mid 50's. and here is the accuweather seven-day forecast. and it is going to be a beautiful seven days. a beautiful six days, and we won't count tomorrow. but mainly sunny skies thursday. through the weekend and into early next week. not going to be much of a warm-up but i don't think many people will be complaining about that. and just happen to see the sunshine. but gradual warm-up from low 50's in the inland areas to mid 50's and we can wait for warm weather maybe april or may. ama: as long as we get some sun. dan: still need a coat put'a raincoat. spencer: that's true. you're right about that. ama: thanks, spencer. dan: carrying on the legacy of dr. king. next, you'll meet two women in the east bay celebrated for their service

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>> for you and all of us. >> where did you learn to do what you do? >> this is the moment to build a better bay area. join us. ama: in kosta county the board of -- contra costa county the awards given to a student and an adult recipient who both exemplify the social justice and community commitment values of dr. martin luther king jr. >> as a girl scout we would do community service. this is what we do. so i didn't grow up not knowing what service was. it was what we did. ama: today's event also included performances from bay area students and keynote speech by state superintendent of public instruction tony thurman. dan: all right. we still have a lot more news ahead for you. ama: let's get to abc7 news anchor for a look at the stories coming up at 5:30. >> well, eggs have been a hot topic lately. and that's one of our top stories on our website. from an egg shortage to now the

high prices. at 5:30 the president of california's poultry federation joins us to explain why and when we can see prices finally drop. plus the 49ers are getting ready for their playoff game against the cowboys. we check in with our sports director larry beal for one of our favorite segments. the real deal with larry beil. join us for those stories and more at 5:30 on abc7 bay area streaming tv. ama: all right. thank you. dan: you can download the abc7 app or head to abc7news.com for more local news right now. ama: if you watch us on tv wormed theus tonight with david muir is next. for spencer christian and all of us here i'm ama daetz. thank you for joining us. dan: and i'm dan ashley. we appreciate your time. we'll see you again at 6:00.

tonight, s.w.a.t. teams moving in. police say a candidate who lost the election hired hitmen who opened fire on the homes of four democratic lawmakers. also breaking tonight, the wife and mother of three missing. tonight, the major news coming in on the husband. and the major storm hitting tonight, moving east. the winter storm warnings up at this hour. first tonight, the republican candidate who lost in a landslide now under arrest. seen on home surveillance. authorities say looking for one of his alleged targets. police say he hired those hitmen to fire at the homes of four democratic officials, bullets right through the walls, one into the bedroom of a 10-year-old girl. also the case making national headlines. the wife and mother of three in massachusetts, the husband tonight charged with murder. what turned in this case? the winter storm warnings at this hour sweeping across the country.