>> building a better bay area, moving forward, finding solutions. this is abc 7 news. >> get police officers in this community now, it will be virtually impossible. and you think that our city is unsafe. it will be terrible for the city and county of san francisco. >> an emotional plea from francisco mayor london breed as she paints a grim picture of how bad public safety could get if the board of supervisors doesn't approve the increase for the police budget. good evening. dan: thank you for joining us. the money would be used to recruit an increase overtime pay for police officers, as well as hire more prosecutors.

ama: the mayor needs the approval of the board of supervisors. >> there are 11 supervisors, and the mayor needs eight of them to sign on to this plan. it's going to be close, but i think people are telling me she may have the votes. much of the focus will be on the tenderloin, but also, attention will be given to those neighborhoods where people say they don't feel safe. what happens in san francisco's tenderloin neighborhood often has repercussions in the rest of the city. at the heart of the problem is the open air drug dealing. >> we are short 541 cops, and we are feeling it. because, as i said, it's not just about showing up and the arrests, it's also about the investigation. >> the mayor is asking supervisors to approve a 27 $1 million budget supplemental defund the police overtime citywide -- a $27 million budget

supplemental to fund the police overtime citywide. since the district attorney took office, the number of cases filed for drug offenses has doubled, but it all comes at a cost. >> i shouldn't have to take prosecutors off of murder cases. i shouldn't have to take prosecutors off of vicious assaults against our elderly community in order to stop these cases. >> of previous district attorney -- the previous district attorney came under fire for failing to prosecute many drug dealers, coming from central america, who he said were themselves victims of drug trafficking. supervisor matt dorsey was heckled by a few protesters who came to defend san francisco's sanctuary city policies at all costs. >> i am fighting for the lives of drug addicts and not the livelihoods of drug dealers. i make no apology for it. >> dorsey supports the overtime pay for officers. noticeably absent, was

supervisor dean preston, who represents the tenderloin district. he did not respond to our request from a statement, but just last week said, "it is preposterous that a department they got bonuses, raises, and a $50 million budget increase last summer would come back seven months later for an additional $27 million." police chief scott says his department is operating at 75% of what has been recommended. >> the only way we temporarily bridge that shortcoming, that gap is through overtime. and we need the funding. that's what the supplemental is all about. >> recruitment has been a challenge, but the police chief says things are beginning to change. since november 2022, four months ago, the number of applications to the police academy has doubled, with nearly 1000 applicants. still, the question is, can they retain them?

in the newsroom, lyanne melendez, abc 7 news. dan: in the east bay, a gardening safety warning went out to residents living near the martinez refinery. the health department advised residents not to eat any produce grown in the soil. officials say the soil could have been exposed to heavy metals from the refinery flareup last thanksgiving. the metals produced an ash-like substance. an advisory will remain in effect until environmental testing is finished. ama: let's take a live look outside. we are on storm watch this week with some showers in the north bay tonight. an atmospheric river expected thursday night. for the details, let's get to sandhya patel. sandhya: we have a powerful storm headed our way later on this week. let me show you live doppler 7 and talk about what's happening right now. really quiet weather across the region. we have some showers heading our

direction, all in association with this area of low pressure you are looking at here. it is a light level one store, certain might into tomorrow -- level one storm, so you will see some snow showers mixing in over the higher peaks. mount hamilton is one of those peaks. towards 9:00 a.m., the showers are exiting the south bay. we are looking at an atmospheric river for thursday evening going into friday. it is a strong atmospheric river that is going to dump heavy rain, bring gusty winds, even the possibility of thunder. we have a flood watch that has already been issued for the entire bay area from 1:00 thursday until 10 a.m. sunday. flooding is going to be a high likelihood. i will be back with a closer look at the timeline, coming up. dan: thank you. we will touch base shortly. as we get ready for this upcoming atmospheric river, the effects from the last round of storms are still being felt by the folks who were hit the hardest. zach fuentes spent the day in

santa cruz county and joins us live with the story. zach: dan, much of santa cruz county is still recovering from the last atmospheric rivers. they haven't had much of a break since. there's been more rain, snowfall even. much of the ground is still saturated. the county, residents, preparing for the worst and trying to stay hopeful. it's been a brutal 2023 for the people who call santa cruz county home. >> i can't wait for sun, constant sun. warm weather and constant sun. zach: along with the devastation seen in capitola, mountain communities and surrounding areas were also battered by major storms since january. >> it was horrible. zach: crews are taking advantage of calm or whether to finish projects -- calmer weather to finish projects that have been tough to complete. >> we continue seeing impacts on

our roadways. zach: county officials are trying to prepare residents for the new feature -- near future. >> the wind will take out a lot of trees. when the trees come down, they take out power. i would expect power outages, especially if you live up in the mountains. i know residents up there do not want to hear that, but that's been a fact of life the entire winter. zach: though no one is looking forward to those possibilities, many residents tell us they are prepared. >> we have generators, solar panels on our roofs. we have lots of freezers. [laughter] and they're in cold rooms. and we have a lot of gear. we have three cars. they are all gassed, just in case. zach: officials say trying to stay optimistic that the upcoming atmospheric river won't be as bad, but it's not easy. >> given our track record, we

will probably take this one, too. zach: they are ramping up resources ahead of the expected storms. >> we are cleaning up culverts, trying to make sure those systems are functioning and don't lead to additional problems. we are replenishing our sandbag locations. zach: though prepared, many residents say they've had enough of the rough weather. >> if it's 110 this summer, bring it on. zach: i think he is exaggerating slightly, but not by much. officials and residents are ready for this to be the last big weather event they experienced for quite some time. that's something only time will determine. zach fuentes, abc 7 news. ama: thank you so much. it certainly appears that 2023 has been one of the busiest storm seasons the bay area has ever seen. what do the numbers show? dustin dorsey spoke with experts to provide some perspective on how this year compares to others. dustin: when talking about the almost constant storms across

the bay area in 2023, stop me if you've heard someone you know say something like this before. >> this is the worst i've ever seen it. >> 22 years old, i have not seen this much. >> we were expecting a flood, not like this. >> it's never been like this. dustin: we've seen our share of records fall. with one-run -- one month remaining in the season, the sierra snowpack is nearing the all-time record set in 1982-1983. sacramento saw the coldest low since the gold rush. 2022 to 2023 has brought the highest precipitation in winter months in the last decade. the state department professor says it's not quite a never ever kind of year. >> after three or four dry years in a row here, suddenly, it's raining like crazy and people have no idea if that's normal, usual, or what. just looking at the records, it is kind of usual. dustin: what's unusual are some

of the devastating impacts from these storms. we use an exclusive storm impact scale, showcasing what the region will see. our scale has never recorded higher impact numbers than this year, and that may make these communities see these storms as worse than what the records indicate. >> when we have a series of heavy rain like we've had, it causes more flooding, more mudslides, more down freeze. all those impacts that would not happen in a normal winter season. dustin: extreme impacts during extreme weather, characteristics of climate change. that might be what's to blame for this winter season, but we don't know for sure for now. >> if we start to see more frequent occurrence of years like this one, more frequent occurrence of more extreme years, that would point to climate change. dustin: for now, this year shows signs it is not quite over

yet. ama: keep track of weather conditions and access the same live doppler 7 that are weather team uses anytime on demand on the abc 7 bay area news app. dan: wildfires, blackouts, and rate hikes. today, a protest held in the east bay as pg&e officials meet with state regulators. and what the governor's office has to say about it. entresto is the #1 heart failure brand prescribed by cardiologists. it was proven superior at helping people stay alive and out of the hospital. don't take entresto if pregnant; it can cause harm or death to an unborn baby. don't take entresto with an ace inhibitor or aliskiren, or if you've had angioedema with an ace or arb. the most serious side effects are angioedema, low blood pressure, kidney problems, or high blood potassium. ask your doctor about entresto. ♪ alex!

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dan: a meeting on wildfire mitigation was met with protests today. members of the group reclaim our power marched to the san ramon conference center where the meeting was being held. they want the state to hold pg&e accountable for the wildfires and blackouts. they want regulators to stop rate hikes, too. >> pg&e is the reason why these

fires have been occurring. they haven't been held accountable, and we are here to say that they should get their license taken away. dan: a spokesperson for the governor's office says the state has passed new safety requirements to try and prevent utility caused wildfires. the state also tied compensation for pg&e executives to the utility's safety record. ama: meta plans to cut thousands more workers in a second round of layoffs. they could come as early as this week. last november, meta laid off 11,000 workers. executives are also trying to downsize office space after their san francisco location was listed for sublease. the tech giant is the parent company to facebook, instagram, and whatsapp. dan: twitter, also under fire in an ongoing investigation into the company. the federal trade commission ordered twitter to turn over internal communication documents. they are seeking files related

to elon musk regarding layoffs and other business decisions. the ftc says it is concerned staff cuts could compromise consumer privacy. a list of the names of journalists who were given access to the company records was also requested. ama: after the break, snowy conditions to the north turn potentially life-threatening after a woman is stranded in her car three nights. the dangerous conditions on the upcoming conce in order for small businesses to thrive, they need to be smart... efficient...

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retinol overnight means... the smoothing benefits of retinol. are now for your whole body. plus, fast-working crepe corrector diminishes wrinkled skin in just two days. gold bond. champion your skin. ama: a favorite food spot in bodega bay has abruptly shut down. employees got a notice on friday about the immediate closure of the restaurant. staffers say they are owed wages and tips. at the restaurant has been operating under different owners and names since 1979. the current owners sent a follow-up email indicating the restaurant could reopen one day. the notice on the door says temporarily closed. dan: parts of mendocino county,

the situation from the recent snowstorms is dire. some residents have been trapped in their homes for days. ama: yesterday, first responders had to rescue a woman who spent three nights trapped in her car after she got stuck in the snow. liz kreutz has the story. liz: this is what it looked like in mendocino county as rescue crews made their way up this road to help three people stranded in the snow. one woman spent three nights trapped in her car. it happened in lakeville -- in laytonville. a woman was attempting to drive to her elderly mother when she got stuck. she had no cell signal and couldn't call for help until more than a day later. >> she was stuck in snowy conditions and had been there since about midnight. liz: because of the treacherous conditions, it wasn't until monday that first responders were able to reach the woman. thankfully, she had food and water in her car.

still, she was very cold and showed signs of dehydration. >> she was nearing the end of that sustainability, had we not been able to get up to her yesterday with all those coordinated efforts. liz: of the woman had driven up with her daughter and her daughter's boyfriend. the young couple decided to seek shelter in an empty home a few miles away. they were also rescued monday. authorities say the incident is one of many scary situations happening in mendocino county from the recent snowstorms. the region has been pummeled by an unprecedented amount of snow, leaving many people trapped in their homes. >> they are not able to get out to get food. some, i've heard from ranchers that have cows up in the hills that they're fearful that the cows are starving. liz: a mendocino county district supervisor is asking governor newsom to include mendocino in the list of counties where he has declared a state of emergency. >> i think the focus needs to be

on our area. liz: the concern is the potentially warm rain that is on the way. it could melt the snow and lead to flooding. >> it's been a very difficult winter for all of us. ama: and it continues. let's check on the on whether -- on the weather. dan: sandhya patel has more. sandhya: this is a storm that's going to be a strong atmospheric river coming in late thursday into friday. let me show you live doppler 7. it is later this week, between thursday afternoon, evening, and friday. it's an area of low pressure that has been sending us waves of showers, and then we have this warm, moist source of air. it's going to be tapping into subtropical moisture, so we are expecting some heavy rain, flooding threat between thursday and friday. it's a slight risk, at least 15% for the bay area, and much of the central portion of california. as we take a look, here are the storm concerns.

heavy when -- winds and strong rains. mudslides and debris flows. you are probably going, what storm? right now, we are in between. we do have a lot of clouds, a few showers up to our north. those will increase later tonight. 40's and 50's for temperatures. a beautiful view from our exploratorium camera. enjoy the blue sky, because it will be a wintry mix late tonight or tomorrow morning. a stronger storm gets here thursday afternoon and evening. heavy rain, st and flooding are the concern. scattered showers. snow over our highest peaks like mount hamilton and a chance of thunder and hail. 6:00 tonight, still up to our north. as we go to 11:00 p.m., light to moderate showers in the north bay. the morning commute will be a little bit tough, especially when you have wet weather moving through the area. and some brief downpours at 8:00

a.m. amount hamilton is -- mount hamilton is getting the snow. gilroy, monterey bay. and then the system is done. you get the opportunity to prepare between tomorrow afternoon and tomorrow night before the next storm comes in, that's going to be a problematic storm. rainfall totals for the current system, tonight, tomorrow morning. about 0.05 to 0.33 rain. an additional 10 to 30 inches of snow, gusty winds, difficult to impossible travel. get your umbrellas. make sure you have a light jacket. afternoon highs in the 40's and 50's, but you do get some sun tomorrow afternoon. the wind picks up as the next storm comes in thursday afternoon, thursday night. over 50 miles an hour, especially along the coastline and over the higher terrain. friday morning is still very windy across the region, which means downed trees, and power lines. here comes that atmospheric river.

thursday afternoon going into friday is when we are expecting the heaviest of the rain. the sierra will see rain and snow falling on top of the snowpack, which is going to lead to flooding concerns. as we check out what's ahead for friday morning, some downpours will continue and scattered showers for the upcoming weekend. in terms of rainfall estimates, this is what's going to be impressive. taking you through sunday, most areas in the 2 to 3.5 inch category of rain. that moment is likely to be one of the problem spots -- ben lomond is likely to be one of the problem spots. winter storm watch for the sierra, 10:00 a.m. thursday till 10:00 a.m. sunday. heavy snow possible. one foot to five feet. combined with gusty winds, travel will be rough to dangerous, so i would hold off. its a -- it's a morning and two thursday. afternoon and evening is when the heaviest comes in. thunder chance.

friday is going to be a stormy start. saturday and oscar sunday, we have some more wet weather. but we drop it to a one towards monday. there could be another atmospheric river, which is a level two. tuesday, a level one. every single day, we have a storm impact scale on there. dan: including the three. sandhya: that's the one that will be problematic now that the ground is so saturated. dan: an arbor day celebration today in oakland. >> i encourage every oaklander to help plant a tree. support our urban forests. and spend some time in our shared backyards. dan: if you are thinking to yourself, arbor day is in april, you are right. but not in california. the state celebrated on march 7 in honor of a horticulturist, luther burbank.

ama: the oscars are this sunday. the ceremony starts at 5:00 p.m., but coverage begins much earlier, at 10:00 a.m. join the party this sunday, march 12. we will be right back. it's okay to feel stressed, anxious, worried or frustrated. calhope can help access, calhope free and secure mental health resources today. call our warm line at 833-317-4673 or livechat at calhope.org

- life is uncertain. with calhope's free and secure mental health resources, it's easy to get the help you and your loved ones need when you need it the most. call our warm line at (833) 317-4673 or live chat at calhope.org today.

ama: a huge basketball game that some are calling the battle of oakland is tipping off soon. it picks oakland high school against open tech -- oakland tech. the winner will play for the division iii state title. interest is so high, the game was moved to laney college. oakland tech's girls team will also play for a chance at the state championship. dan: good luck to all. we have much more news ahead. ama: let's go to karina nova for a look at the stories coming up. karina: the sierra continues to be battered with snow, some places seeing up to 16 feet in the last few weeks and there is more snow on the way tonight into the weekend. we will talk to south lake tahoe's mayor about how they are handling digging out, the impact on local businesses, and what visitors need to know. plus, a new study finds apartment rent prices have dropped in the bay area.

we will break down the findings. join us for those stories and more on abc 7 bay area news app streaming or head to abc 7 news.

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♪ i gotta good feeling about this ♪ ♪ yeah, ♪ ♪ so let's get it ♪ ♪ i'm feeling good vibes ♪ tonight, two americans found dead, shot and killed after being kidnapped in mexico. two more americans surviving in that same home in mexico. we have late reporting. and the developing headline. two small planes colliding outside tampa, going down in a lake. first tonight, the haunting images. those four americans kidnapped at gunpoint, shortly after crossing over the border from texas. one of them being seen tossed into the back of a pickup. two of the victims shot and killed. the two survivors found in that house. their conditions tonight. why it's believed they made that trip into mexico. and news here on their whereabouts. matt rivers in mexico tonight. also this evening, that scene playing out late today, a midair collision in florida outside tampa. those two small planes crashing