seven news starts right now. >> we see destruction like in capitola, but this is next level damage assessment, part of the santa cruz wharf, now washed up on the shore following a partial collapse due to huge waves. >> the coastal city now says

this is a symptom of a new reality for the area. good evening and thanks for joining us i'm j.r. >> stone and i'm karina nova. a community still in shock in an iconic coastline filled with dangerous debris. this just 24 hours since a portion of the santa cruz wharf crashed into the ocean. >> today, officials gave an update as they worked to create a path forward. abc seven news reporter zach fuentes has followed the story from the start, and has more on how things are looking out there today. zach. >> yeah, we're on seabright beach right now. you see the wharf behind me, and we're also seeing a lot of debris still here on this stretch of coastline. some residents actually telling me that more of it came ashore overnight. now the city is working on a plan to clear this debris, but that's just some of the work they have to do to make this stretch of coastline better for the short term and also the long term. high surf monday sent danger throughout santa cruz, including

the city's harbor. but it's what the high surf did at the santa cruz municipal wharf that's captured nationwide attention, 150ft at the end of the wharf collapsed into the ocean. the area that collapsed had already been closed for construction because of storm damage from years before. >> we did have two project managers inspecting that space, really for work progress and also for incident reporting. when the wharf went down, three people fell into the water. >> two were rescued, one got out of the water on their own. a restroom facility that was once on the wharf was swept away to a spot nowhere close to where it stood for years, and just to see a toilet, you know, a bathroom right at the river mouth. >> it's surreal. i can't believe it. >> so right now, the concern from officials is the debris in the water, including the restroom facility behind me that's now resting against the cliff, but also how to move forward and to protect this area against the escalating impacts of climate change. >> what happens when you are a

jurisdiction on the edge of the continent? in a world of climate change, do you simply say that was that and we're going to put everything back and see how it goes? i'm not as sanguine about that. meaning i think we need to take time outside of the context of the heat of the moment and understand what it is we're going to do. >> federal assistance may be on the way. congressman jimmy panetta toured the damage tuesday. >> my job is to make sure we pull all the strings when it comes to our bureaucracy, when it comes to our federal resources, to ensure that the wharf is repaired and we move on in a resilient fashion in the short term, locals and businesses near the wharf say they're concerned for those who make their living on the wharf. >> the restaurants down there, their employees and, you know, a city landmark. what what happens next to keep that safe and be able to, you know, keep keep the wharf, as we all know and love.

>> now the city is working with engineers to get data over the coming days that better assesses the structural integrity of the wharf, so that they can get a better picture of how the rest of it is doing. but for right now, the wharf is still closed indefinitely. live in santa cruz zach fuentes, abc seven news. >> zach, thanks so much. now to your accuweather forecast. after all that fog, we saw some downpours overnight with a wet start to the day. but will the rest of our holiday be dry? abc seven news meteorologist sandhya patel has the answer, along with the latest on our high surf warning. some serious stuff out there, sandhya. >> yeah, absolutely. and so we do need to take precaution if we are going to be at the coastline, that's for sure. j.r. let me show you some live pictures. things have really quieted down here. seeing some lovely views right now from our tower cameras. but we are watching the showers that have moved out of our area from this afternoon. the sierra is still seeing rain, snow, and even some

thunderstorms around the sacramento valley area. a flood advisory remains up for parts of the north bay until 730 tonight. that rain takes a while to run off. as you know, we had downpours and tonight things are calming down as the front has passed as we check out the high surf advisory warning. it is in effect until 6 p.m. tonight. watch out those large breakers between 25 and 35ft. life threatening swimming and surfing. conditions expected. i'll be back with the holiday forecast, which is dry for tomorrow. coming right up, karina. all right. sandhya. thank you. we'll be looking forward to that. a hayward toy store owner is facing thousands of dollars in losses and damages after his business was hit by burglars twice in just two hours. both break-ins left the inside of brick by brick toys in shambles. the first happened at about 530 this morning. the owner says he got a call from his alarm company telling him about the burglary. >> we checked the cameras and we saw that somebody had reversed

their car in through the double doors right behind him, and four people jumped out, went around, grabbed a bunch of stuff. they clearly been inside the store before because they knew exactly where to go. >> the owner says about an hour later, someone crashed a jeep through another store front window, grabbed more merchandise and drove off. that makes three smash and grab robberies at the store since it opened there four months ago. he says his store was also hit on halloween night. >> operation holiday watch, a statewide retail theft crackdown, has led to 117 arrests. that word today from the governor's office. the crackdown happened last friday and netted 767 stolen items, for a total of $38,000 worth of merchandise recovered. the daylong operation involved ten california law enforcement agencies, including the walnut creek, livermore and san ramon police departments. they worked with 56 retail partners and the chp in the north bay. >> that christmas eve storm brought rain and caused some

trees to topple overnight. but the weather isn't stopping. an army of last minute shoppers. abc seven news reporter cornell bernard is live in novato, where it's down to the wire. rain or shine, cornell people got to get their presents, right? >> right. yeah, exactly. karina. hi there. some shoppers are still on a mission tonight looking for that perfect gift. food or drink and vintage oaks here in novato. kind of a last chance destination. but today brought some challenges. wind and rain, which brought damage to one neighborhood. kris mattison shows us the damage done to his lexus. when a large tree fell on beaver lane in santa rosa during an overnight storm. >> cars probably totaled. i mean, it's a ten year old car, but windows out, things broken on the side, trunks dented, roofs dented, both bumpers. >> broken part of the tree falling against this house. >> not the way you want to start your christmas. >> not really, but you know

it'll be fine. i'm just glad we can get out. and it didn't take out the car. we were about to go on a road trip on the storm, delivering significant rain and wind. >> no match for these holiday inflatables in san rafael. frosty and rudolph were down, but not out. >> we come from morgan hill, so we came here. we drove last night and it was pretty, pretty crazy. the fog. we couldn't see anything on the freeway. whoa! >> yeah. freddy pedroza and his family are visiting relatives in novato. but first, a rainy trip to vintage oaks shopping center for some last minute shopping. it's been raining. did that stop you? no. it didn't. >> it could be thunder. and i'm still shopping. >> procrastinated a bit, but finding everything i need here. what are you looking for? mostly presents. like clothes for my brother and dad in santa rosa. >> many chose to get their shopping done indoors at the plaza mall, where santa was waiting patiently. >> why are we coming? because we got to get a last minute gift for mom. >> and you waited till the last

minute? >> of course. why? you know, because life is busy and this is the time. >> and as the storm passed. check it out. a holiday rainbow showed up. and we love to see the rainbows. most stores are closing early tonight for the holiday. this parking lot is definitely thinning out, but we checked. target stores around the bay area are open until 8 p.m. tonight. macy's stores are open until 7 p.m. so, shoppers, you still got a little bit of time. if you need to get out and get what you need. we're live in novato on this christmas eve. cornell, bernard. abc seven news. >> well, after three months of picketing, the strike at several san francisco hotels is now over. the union, representing hundreds of hotel workers, has voted to accept a new agreement with hilton hotels. that agreement comes after the union ratified agreements with hyatt and marriott hotels near union square, all within the last

week. about 650 hotel workers walked off the job back in september, demanding an increase in pay and improved health care options. >> san francisco's transportation agency has decided to keep free two hour street parking in the marina and cow hollow neighborhoods. a plan to add more meters faced significant pushback. abc seven news reporter monica madden spoke to residents who are relieved, but also concerned about congested parking. >> driving in a city is hard, as is. >> parking is an issue in san francisco in general. >> i feel like it sucks all over the city. >> and for residents in the marina and cow hollow neighborhoods, frequent visitors add to the headache, especially after the statewide daylighting law took effect to protect pedestrians and crosswalks, eliminating 14,000 parking spots citywide. >> my coworkers are always like, i can never find parking, and i'm like, thank god i have a permit and can walk, but it takes us like 20 or 30 minutes to park our cars. >> it's why sfmta proposed making the free two hour visitor

parking paid in the area. but the idea quickly backfired. >> and i think the resident parking permit and the two hour limitations works the way it is, and i don't think we should pay for to park like in front of our house. and i think it encourages people to come shop and then move. >> and residents called it a money grab for muni, which faces a two year deficit of $1 billion. >> it's another way to get more revenue, which i understand, but we've got paid parking lots that are very close by. >> this was not going to be a net revenue generator. >> newly appointed supervisor stephen sherrill applauds muni's decision. >> residents were upset. they were confused. they were hurt. they felt blindsided. they came forward. they listened. they understood that residents did not understand what was happening. >> while some residents say they're happy about the free parking decision, they say that they're still really concerned about the congested parking issue in their neighborhood and want leaders to look for more creative solutions going forward. >> expansion of bus lines like better bus service in this area because it's what just like the

just the 30 and like the 28 up on union to need a car. if you're not just interacting with the immediate vicinity. >> sherrill says the challenges are great, but proposed fixes have to consider each community's needs. >> if you're not working with the community, if you're not working with residents, if you're not working with merchants, we're going to have cookie cutter solutions that don't apply to specific neighborhoods. >> a christmas wish that some consider a long shot. >> honestly, if someone's always going to be unhappy in san francisco. >> monica madden, abc seven news. >> get going. we'll find out why some people waited until the last minute to travel for the holidays and the unexpected delays some of them experienced. >> and a holiday meal delivered. we'll see how a bay area nonprofit is ready to bring a taste of the season

sfo or some holiday travelers

today dealt with a delay due to an airlines technical glitch. abc seven news reporter gloria rodriguez talked with travelers. >> sfo is expecting 156,000 people to travel in and out of the airport this christmas eve. many hoping to make it to family just in time for christmas. that's the case for bill ebbs and angelo. they're traveling to jacksonville, florida to visit family for a few days. >> well, this is what works out for our schedules in terms of our work commitments and also our family. my family is there in jacksonville. works out for them. >> you want to get there for the presents and then, you know, not much babysitting time. >> nearly 8 million americans are flying to their destinations for the holidays. christmas eve travel got a little more frustrating for some american airlines fliers. after a ground stop was issued early in the morning after a technical issue, but the faa lifted it after about an hour. rosalind mines volunteered at the uso center at sfo christmas eve morning. it's a special place for members of

the armed forces traveling for the holidays. >> they're away from home, but we give them a little comfort here so. and they can do, you know, they can rest, have a little snack and then be on their way. yeah. and all are so appreciative. they're so appreciative of our services. it's incredible to see that come through. >> and while it's busy today, sfo is expecting it to taper off for the rest of the week and then pick back up for the new year holiday at sfo. gloria rodriguez, abc seven news. >> thanks, gloria. building a better bay area means providing help to those in need. hundreds of christmas meals are being prepared by an organization known for lending a helping hand. volunteers with project open hand spent the day making meals for critically ill neighbors and seniors. project open hand expects to provide christmas meals to about 1200 people in san francisco, alameda and contra costa counties. >> if you have plans to go out for new year's eve, local

transit agencies are making it easier to get a ride. muni is offering free rides on december 31st from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. muni will also be providing extra service during those hours. samtrans service will be free starting at 8 p.m. on new year's eve. that's the same for caltrain, which will run extra trains between san jose and san francisco, and bart will also provide additional service, though it won't be free. >> well, while santas reindeer prepare for their big journey, saint nick got a different kind of lift. >> do you want to say thank you, santa? thank you santa. >> oh, next, a really heartwarming moment. the story behind santa's special stop today here i

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so you can start new traditions for years to come. get 1.9% apr for up to 60 months, plus $1,000 retail bonus cash on specially tagged 2025 sportage and sorento vehicles. managed to find time in his schedule for some kids who won't be home for the holidays. he flew into stanford's lucile packard children's hospital this morning, not by sleigh, but by

helicopter. santa visited with patients and their families, bringing the magic of christmas directly to their hospital rooms. >> are you excited for christmas? i'm excited for christmas, too. do you know what i'm most excited about? all of the cookies. ho ho ho! >> i love all of the cookies. each year at christmas time, the stanford medicine life flight crew makes a special trip to the north pole to pick up santa so he can provide a little normalcy to sick kids who have to spend christmas in the hospital. so nice that he makes that very special visit for them. >> what a wonderful story and the fact that he was able to fly in, in what looked like beautiful weather on there. >> oh, yes. >> it looks like it dried up, so that's good. let's see how the rest of christmas week looks with sandhya patel. sandhya? yes. so tomorrow is dry for the holidays, karina and j.r. but after that, we're going to bring that wet weather back into the forecast. let's talk about a white christmas. why don't we look how gorgeous this is from

the sierra. this is from homewood, a beautiful, snow covered ground. but if you are traveling, it is still snowing in truckee at this hour. and also at blue canyon. there is a winter weather advisory until 7 p.m. tonight, 5 to 10in above 6000ft. we're talking about gusty winds chain controls right now on all roads leading to tahoe except 50. so watch out for that. all right. let's talk about the christmas day forecast. chilly start tomorrow morning around nine. it's not going to be as cold as around seven 730 in the morning. a lovely holiday we're talking about temperatures in the 50s and then mostly cloudy in the afternoon and evening hours going from the 50s to the 40s. so if you do celebrate christmas, merry christmas. and if you celebrate hanukkah tomorrow at sundown, mostly cloudy and cool temperatures in the low to mid 50s. happy hanukkah to those of you who celebrate that holiday looking at live doppler seven. that front came through. brought downpours this morning. we have thunderstorms over parts of the sacramento valley. the sierra is

still seeing that snow activity at this hour. and as far as rain goes, take a look here. san jose 4507 inch. you're picking up 4/10 in san francisco 6/10 oakland. about three quarters of an inch in santa rosa. napa eight hundredths in concord and livermore 6000/700 of an inch. 40s and 50s on your temperatures right now. live view from our east bay hills camera a beautiful one overnight. chilly, patchy morning frost, christmas and hanukkah. nice for the holidays and thursday through sunday, we're going to be talking about periods of rain and showers. it's not going to be a complete washout for the holiday weekend. a frost advisory is going up for the north bay valleys midnight to 9 a.m. it's going to get cold temperatures down to the low 30s and the coldest spots. and that's going to happen first thing in the morning. 31 lakeport 35, santa rosa, 38 in livermore, 43 san jose and 40s for san francisco and oakland. tomorrow afternoon, 40s, 50s. you'll see a lot of cloud cover, but you will get a break from the rain. as you will notice tomorrow morning, some fog out

towards the delta and then thursday at midnight, some showers move in 8 a.m. if you do have plans, prepare for some showers and then a big gap until thursday evening when the most widespread rain comes in going into friday. so as far as thursday's rain goes, here's how it's looking. anywhere from about 1500 seven inch to almost an inch in the northern part of our viewing area. holidays. nice. tomorrow we're talking about dry weather. level one system for thursday. showers return a one for friday, saturday and the last round of rain for the next seven days will be on sunday before we dry out early next week. you know it's all about the day. of course, j.r. and karina, we wouldn't have it any other way. tomorrow is going to be dry. perfect for tomorrow. yeah, and then we get the much needed rain later on. >> love it. thank you so much. twas the night before christmas. and all through the zoo. >> the animals got a little too excited. with presents and special treats too. a look at a holiday celebra

christmas eve. there is plenty of excitement at the oakland zoo. >> the animals at the zoo got to open their gifts a little early. it's one way the oakland zoo is celebrating a great 2020 for nearly 1 million guests visited the zoo this year. >> this year, the zoo also welcomed two new giraffes, as well as the rescue and rehabilitation of several big cats. like lily, she was rescued from a private facility with several bone fractures, but doctors at the zoo helped nurse her back to good health. and that is just amazing to see right there. yes, i initially did a story on lily when she came in and she was in such bad shape, so to see her coming along and playing with toys is wonderful. >> yeah, she's having a great christmas. love to see it. >> well, world news tonight with david muir is next for sandhya patel and all of us here. thanks for joining us i'm j.r. >> stone and i'm karina nova. we'll see you at six.

>> i'm reggie aqui i'm lyanne melendez i'm luz pena i'm tara campbell i'm j.r. >> stone at abc seven news we

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tonight, several developing stories as we come on the air this christmas eve. a holiday winter blast brings the coldest air of the season to parts of the country. new york city hoping for its i first white christmas in 15 years. the new alert about a massive egg recall. what you need to know. and that mega jackpot keeps growing. but first,