starts right now. >> cold and gray across most of the bay area. here's a live look right now from our live camera on mount tam. you can see just how thick the mist and the fog is. as we get ready for the rain to return. it's coming. good

evening. happy holidays. i'm dan ashley. we're already beginning to see wet weather in the north bay. so for the very latest on the conditions and to time out the rain where you live, we want to go to abc seven news meteorologist frances dinglasan. frances. >> hi dan. in fact, we're starting to see the light rain already spread south near the golden gate bridge. we see folks running around with their umbrellas pulling them out, and it's starting to spread south also. so lots of light rain falling all around the bay area. and also we are expecting more rain in the north bay. so there is a flood warning for the russian river near hopland from late tonight through tomorrow afternoon. it's going to exceed the flood stage of 15ft and reach about 15.6ft tomorrow morning. flooding is expected on highway 175. this is a storm level one on our exclusive storm impact scale. tonight through tomorrow morning, we can get anywhere from half an inch, up to an inch, or maybe more in parts of the north bay. widespread rain with some gusty winds overnight. and i'll let

you know if you are heading out in the next few hours. we could see some moderate rainfall through midnight. all of those rain totals for you and when we'll finally get a break. >> dan okay, frances, thanks a lot. we'll touch base in a couple of minutes. well, they're already seeing big waves in santa cruz, where a huge swell on monday caused part of the historic wharf to break off and just fall into the ocean. two lifeguards saw the wharf collapse and helped rescue two workers, who were stuck on some of the floating debris. the wharf is more than 100 years old, which makes it harder to protect against the weather. >> it requires regular maintenance to repair and continue to ensure safety. we've proactively been reinforcing infrastructure with preventative maintenance to withstand future storms. mother nature holds the cards, and we do know that these west swells are continuing to grow in severity. >> the beaches around the wharf are still closed. engineers are still assessing the damage to the wharf to determine if it qualifies for federal disaster assistance. a high surf advisory

is in place for san francisco's ocean beach through sunday, a fire officials say swimming is strongly discouraged because of dangerous rip currents and a heightened risk of being just swept out to sea. the national weather service predicts the bay area will see breaking waves between 20 and 30ft until sunday afternoon, so be warned, you can follow along as the forecast evolves with the abc seven bay area app. it gives you access to the same live doppler seven that our weather team uses every day. will also send you alerts with important updates to keep in touch. well, new developments in the death of a former openai researcher known for being a whistleblower. his parents have now hired an independent investigator to determine his cause of death. that's according to our media partners at the mercury news. back on november 26th, san francisco police found the body of 26 year old suchir balaji in his san francisco apartment after officers were called to do a well-being check. the medical examiner says balaji

died by suicide and there are no signs of foul play. but his parents have their doubts and have hired an expert to perform an independent autopsy. balaji died three months after publicly accusing openai of violating u.s. copyright law while developing chatgpt. his information was expected to play a key part in lawsuits against the company. openai has said all of its work is legal under fair use laws. members of a mosque in san francisco are worried about their safety and security tonight. that's after a man was caught on surveillance camera tearing pages out of the koran. what's more, they say that same man has harassed people who belong to that mosque before. abc seven news reporter suzanne fang has the story. >> the islamic center of san francisco is one of the oldest mosques in the state of california. members say they witnessed a hateful act on december 24th. >> he's thumbing through our holy book, the quran. >> the suspect, someone with a history of harassing mosque

members. >> we've had run ins with him about, i would say, about 3 or 4 times. >> zohaib siddiqui is with the islamic center of san francisco. >> he showed up with religious books, qurans, bibles, and they started standing in the front, tearing pages from the koran, waving from a security camera. looked like a hammer, though i think later it looked like to be a toy hammer and kind of confronting any people coming into the mosque. >> this isn't the first time a mosque in san francisco was targeted this year. in april, video captured a different man using a skateboard to smash six windows at a mosque on sutter street. zahra, below, is executive director of care, council on american-islamic relations, san francisco. >> people are fearful that this is now becoming normal. we've heard more reports of mosques targeting in the city of san francisco this year than in any other year in cair's existence. >> some people worry about the rise of islamophobia as the u.s. changes leadership to the rise in hate that we are seeing is not just about donald trump, but

also about the us backed genocide in palestine. neighbors say targeting any mosque is wrong. >> it's very sad and frustrating, and i really hope people open their hearts and are more welcoming and accepting because we're all immigrants to this country. >> islamic leaders say more needs to be done. >> we are experiencing a 30 year high in anti-muslim and anti-palestinian racism, and our call is specifically to elected officials and to law enforcement to send a very clear message that hate will not be tolerated in san francisco against any community. >> in san francisco, suzanne vaughn, abc seven news. >> a federal court of appeals has overturned the rape conviction of former 40 niner dana stubblefield. stubblefield was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison after a jury found him guilty of raping a woman who was interviewing for a babysitting job. this was in 2015, the woman said.

stubblefield held her prisoner, threatening her with a handgun. during the trial, prosecutors said police never searched for the gun in stubblefield's home because he was a famous black man. the appeals court found that statement was racially discriminatory and violated the racial justice act. well, hundreds of new laws go into effect in california just a few days on january 1st. abc seven news anchor karina nova runs through some of them. >> artificial intelligence is becoming a bigger part of our lives, but not all of it in a positive way. several new laws offer some protection against abuse. it's now a crime to create and post a sexually explicit image or video of a real person that was created using artificial intelligence, but made to look real. social media platforms now have to provide mechanisms to report these deepfake videos, and they have to take them down quickly. if you're a victim of doxing when someone posts personal information about you online, like your address or phone number, you can now sue for up

to $30,000 in damages. ever heard of a cannabis cafe? you will in 2025. a new law allows cannabis retailers to prepare and sell food and beverages in newly created lounges. that means customers can buy and use cannabis at a business while they eat a meal or watch a live performance. interested in buying pet insurance? providers now need to tell you whether they base their premiums on the age of your pet or where you live, and if their policies exclude certain preexisting conditions. having trouble keeping track of your online subscriptions? service providers have to get clear consent for automatic renewals or continuing service, and they have to send you annual reminders of what you signed up for. the law also makes it easier to cancel automatic renewals if you need to take paid family leave to care for a sick family member or a new baby. your employer can no longer require you to take vacation time. first, if you're a freelance worker, employers

now must provide a contract in writing indicating that work will be performed and how much and when you'll be paid. california is expanding its protections against racial discrimination to include traits such as hairstyles or textures that are associated with certain races, and the minimum wage is going up to 1650 per hour. fast food workers have a higher minimum wage. karina nova abc, seven news. >> and we've compiled a more extensive list of the new california laws on our website. check them out at abc7 news.com. all right. coming up here, helping those in need while bringing life to empty storefronts. we'll tell you about the effort that started as a holiday collection and is now being expanded. plus, here's another live look outside at the conditions right now as the wet weather returns to the bay area, we'll check back in with meteorologist frances dinglasan in just a bit for the full forecast. stay with us.

their toys, clothing and home goods for those in need at christmas. is growing into what could be a year round effort. abc seven news reporter melanie woodrow has the story of one woman who is building a better bay area with the help of her community. >> maya. mr. smith has spent her life working in the nonprofit space, one of her family's favorite holiday traditions, the do gooder garage, where she'd invite her friends to her home garage to make urine donations and meet her favorite local organizations. >> but this year felt a little different. >> wanting to grow beyond her garage, enista smith set out to find an empty space that could hold an even bigger dream. >> and i think i honestly expected by the end of the day to have people be like, yeah, here you go, maya. and i was surprised that i was met with much more resistance than i had expected. >> that is, until she met marissa smith, a local realtor

within casa homes. >> she had such an amazing story. i just looked at her and i said, some way, somehow we're going to make this a yes no matter what. >> with maya enista smith's will, marissa smith found a way. this unused space in lafayette, owned by diamond construction builders. the smiths met just before thanksgiving, and by december 7th, the store was open. >> so it was one of the quickest, most urgent labors of love that we've ever put together. >> families and those in need were welcomed in every language. there often brand new items gift wrapped. >> i invited the community in lamorinda to give and i was blown away by the response. it's been the best thing i've ever done in my life. >> so much so, she decided to keep it going. >> the needs that we helped families meet don't go away. if anything, they get exacerbated. >> operating out of the space on oak hill road for as long as they can. >> she is truly an angel. like she's. i just feel so lucky that i even got to meet her. >> and highlighting the opportunity for people around the bay area to utilize other

empty spaces to serve the community. >> there's nothing special about me. there's nothing special about lafayette. anybody everywhere can do it. >> melanie woodrow, abc seven news. >> well, it is special. she's doing a wonderful thing. well, coming up, the effort to renovate and reopen the park theater in lafayette ramps up. why? organizers of the project say the best time to donate is

making an iconic art deco theater the centerpiece of lafayette. an anonymous family is willing to match donations dollar for dollar to fund the park theater's renovation, but only now through the end of the year. so just a few days left. abc seven news reporter anser hassan has the story. >> the marquee of the lafayette park theater is a standout in the city's downtown. >> it was built in 1941. it's a very central part of lafayette.

the marquee lights up our downtown when illuminated, and it's always been a place of community. >> and now the theater needs the community's help to keep its renovation project on track. an anonymous family is donating a dollar for dollar match up to $25,000, but only between now and new year's eve. >> when they realize that their $5 all of a sudden becomes ten, or their $50 becomes 100, and it goes towards this, you know, really significant, once in a lifetime effort to bring a project like this to the east bay. >> the theater went dark in 2005, around the time when multiplex cinemas were opening up in nearby cities. then came the pandemic, which again changed viewing habits. >> the theater's actually who survived and did well. were these smaller community theaters that offered that could pivot away from just showing movies, but in fact could bring in local performing artists or speakers, as well as show, you know, classic movies or whatever they

could get their hands on. >> one goal of the project is to preserve the building for its architectural and historical contributions to the city. the renovations include adding a second screen that will be space for live music, weddings, and senior and youth programing. the construction fences went up just this week, an indication that the work on the inside is ready to begin. the trust purchased the property for $3 million. they need 9 million to renovate the inside. they have 2 million left to raise. planning and research has been underway since 2021. if the remaining money can be raised, the theater is set to reopen in early 2026. >> every dollar helps. every dollar counts. and we just we're almost there. we need to close it out, and then we're open. >> lafayette, anser hassan abc seven news. >> it's a wonderful old theater. and meantime, our weather forecast has been approved for all audiences as appropriate. meteorologist frances dinglasan is in for sandhya and has more. frances. >> yeah, we are seeing light rainfall all over the bay area now, and we'll see the more heavier rain move through during

the late night hours. so we'll start off with live doppler seven. so you see the areas there of light green. that's the light rain. the yellow there will be the heavier rain moving through in the next few hours. live shot of the golden gate bridge shows you roads are wet right now in san francisco. it's 58, oakland 60, hayward 59. san jose still milder at 63. redwood city 61. half moon bay 55 degrees. and here's a live look at sfo. with the low cloud ceilings and rain. they are reporting one hour and 21 minute average flight delays, so definitely check your airline if you're heading out there to pick someone up. and cooler numbers in the north bay right now. santa rosa 55, petaluma 52. napa in the mid 50s. concord and livermore in the upper 50s at this point. so here's a look at the forecast animation. so by 6:00 this evening, in the next hour, what you'll notice is still lots of areas in the light green mostly light rain, but then the heavier rain, the yellow and orange will be moving through. tonight will be

especially heavy in the north bay during the midnight hours and early morning hours, and we could see some more moderate rainfall through san rafael, oakland and san francisco. and then you'll notice that six in the morning, we'll start to see a lot of break in the rain and more cloud cover will wake up to some possibly dense fog along the coast and in some valleys. and then a bit of a break for friday if you need to get more things done for the holidays, and rainfall estimates through tomorrow night will generally be half an inch up to an inch higher amounts, of course, in the north bay and some of the north bay mountains. ukiah possibly an inch and a half, but san francisco three quarters of an inch and san jose 6/10 of an inch. some areas may only get half an inch or slightly less. you'll notice that the winds were coming from the northwest, and there is also a strong northwest swell, so we could see breakers again. waves up to 30ft. this does make for hazardous swimming and surfing conditions. so high surf

advisory through sunday, 4 p.m. keep that in mind. it's not as strong as what we saw earlier this week. with the rain comes a snow. we could get up to a foot of snow until tomorrow at noon. avoid driving right now. there are chain requirements on 50 and on 80, and tomorrow's lows will generally be in the mid 50s. a little bit cooler in santa rosa and lakeport. tomorrow's highs will be near 60 degrees, so it's going to be mild in terms of temperatures. here's the accuweather seven day forecast. so we have that level one storm moving in tonight through tomorrow morning. and then you'll notice we get a bit of a break friday. during the day saturday not too much rainfall scattered showers mainly in the north bay. but really our next decent round of rain will be early sunday morning before we finally get a little bit of a dry spell. >> dan all right, rainy season is off to a pretty good start. >> yeah, yeah, and we can still use the rain in south bay too. all right.

>> thanks, frances, very much. well, today is the first day of the week long celebration of kwanzaa. kwanzaa was created in 1966 as a non-religious way for african americans to reconnect with ancestral roots. it's celebrated every year from december 26th until january 1st. a candle is lighted each night on a seven branched candelabra called the kinara. there's one black candle, three red ones, and three green ones representing the people, the struggle and the future. happy kwanzaa! all right. well, still ahead, some are calling it a year of obsessions. we're taking a look back at the year that was and the pop culture moments that helped define 2024. stay with us. >> i'm reggie aqui, i'm lyanne melendez, i'm luz pena, i'm tara campbell i'm j.r. stone at abc7 news we deliver local stories with real answers to help make

kept me out of the picture. now i have skyrizi. ♪ i've got places to go and i'm feeling free. ♪ ♪ control of my crohn's means everything to me. ♪ ♪ control is everything to me.♪ and now i'm back in the picture. feel significant symptom relief at 4 weeks with skyrizi, including less abdominal pain and fewer bowel movements. skyrizi helped visibly improve damage of the intestinal lining. and with skyrizi, many were in remission at 12 weeks, at 1 year, and even at 2 years. don't use if allergic. serious allergic reactions, increased infections, or lower ability to fight them may occur. before treatment, get checked for infections and tb. tell your doctor about any flu-like symptoms or vaccines. liver problems leading to hospitalization

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beyonce to demure and liquid to pink and green everything, 2024 was a year of obsessions. in tonight's primetime special the year 2024. abc news reporter juju chang taps into our passions of the year. just take a look. >> oh, hello. baby. >> oh, very demure, very mindful. >> demure may be dictionary.com word of the year, but what comes to mind when thinking about our 2024 obsessions? glorious. >> glorious. oh, the year 2024. are you kidding? >> i think we are obsessed with obsessions. >> one of the most important questions in 2024 what kind of summer did you have? >> and you can ask me what? >> brat summer was. charli xcx not only went up the pop charts, she went on the pantone color chart as well. i think the apple is rotten right to the core and back in style. >> 90s fashion. cargo shorts are back. it's my time.

>> i recognize my place in it all, and it is to not go back to wearing capri pants. >> people did go back to movie theaters in 2020 for maximum effort, especially when two of the biggest comic characters joined forces deadpool and wolverine. >> it grossed over at the box office. >> oh come on. i blew it. after all that, the only thing they're going to remember is that godawful dismount. >> if you were to finish the sentence, mona is mona's legacy. >> mona's soul in the just in the dna. >> mona two is a mega hit. >> finally, we're back making a splash and making history with the best thanksgiving opening ever. >> and inside out two with heightened emotions, it should be nothing but smooth sailing from hello, i'm anxiety, where can i put my stuff? and even higher box office numbers,

making it the highest grossing animated movie of all time. >> i will say my butt is in seats to see new hotties in gladiator. >> we're not going to talk about gladiator two and not start with denzel washington. girl girl girl girl girl girl girl girl girl. >> there's a rhino, there's a rhino. >> they flood the colosseum and there's sharks. i'm not even kidding. >> and for anyone that grew up as a theater kid, this is a golden age of cinema. wicked is finally a hollywood film. two, one action. >> can i call you elfie? well, it's a little bit perky, i know, and you can call me glinda. >> that is your name. >> let's not quarrel. >> if last year was barbiecore, this year is pink and green. starbucks, mattel, legos, you name it. there's a wicked collaboration involved. >> oh, wicked flew in with the best opening of any broadway movie adaptation ever, making it

clear this year pop culture defied gravity. >> it's been a pretty good year. a lot of good movies. >> yeah, got a lot to catch up on and nice to see people back in theaters. >> you can watch the year 2024 right here on abc seven at 9:00 tonight. that's this edition of abc seven news at five for francis, dan glass and all of us here. i'm dan ashley. we appreciate your time. world news tonight with david muir is coming up next. we'll see you back here at six.

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