still in place, but there is hope tonight. my story up next. >> he has the obligation to protect consumers, and he is simply not doing it. >> seven on your side investigates. what will the state's insurance commissioner do about california's homeowners insurance crisis? >> always live abc seven news starts right now. >> it has been a week straight of southern california wildfires. what feels like a never ending disaster has people both weary and wary of what more high winds could bring in the next 24 hours. >> it's. i never expected this. i think it's a nightmare. i think, what am i going to wake up? >> if only? good evening. >> i'm ama daetz and i'm dan ashley. thanks for joining us. windy conditions in southern california are expected to intensify overnight, leading to a particularly dangerous situation and escalation to the already serious red flag warning we have abc seven

news reporter j.r. >> stone joining us live from the palisades fire tonight. first though, let's hear from abc seven news meteorologist sandhya patel about the conditions. sandhya. >> yeah. and ama and dan stg santa ana winds are expected overnight tonight going into tomorrow. let's take a look at the current wind gusts. can. camp nine is at 45 miles an hour. malibu 36. these winds have not been nearly as strong as the weather service had predicted. that all changes as we head into the overnight hours. so that red flag warning is going until 6 p.m. tomorrow. northeast to east. wind gusts 40 to 70 miles an hour. relative humidity 8 to 15%. that warning becomes a particularly dangerous situation. warning from 3 a.m. to 3 p.m. wednesday. we are still talking about extreme fire risk for parts of southern california. looking at the hourly winds. simi valley 30 miles an hour. in the next hour you will notice 36 at acton later on tonight. still gusty. heading into tomorrow morning. simi valley up to

40 miles an hour. even stronger winds at the higher elevations. we go into the afternoon and this dry wind with low relative humidity really continues until tomorrow evening. that's when winds begin to back off. i'll be back with the full look at the forecast coming right up. ama. >> all right, sandhya, thank you so much. there are four active wildfires, but the focus is really just on two of them. the palisades and eden fires. between them. they're responsible for 25 lives lost. the biggest is the palisades fire. more than 23,000 acres burned near malibu and just 17% contained. the eaton fire is burning near pasadena. it is more than 14,000 acres and currently 35% contained. the other fires, the hurst and auto fires are much smaller and are not spreading. today, two fema disaster recovery centers opened up to help people recover. people can go there to apply for fema assistance and get help. president biden has already declared the fires a major disaster and has made additional money available, so the federal government

will cover 100% of the cost for the first six months. thousands of emergency persl are working in the pacific palisades area right now, which has been so devastated, as you know. >> and that's where abc seven news reporter j.r. stone is live for us tonight. j.r. what is the feeling out there today as youhe walk around and talk with folks. >> well a feeling of hope and optimism i do want to talk about some of the conditions first dan and ama because we heard all about the wind and some of those wind predictions right now in pacific palisades. we're not dealing with that strong wind, at least in our location. a slight breeze at that, but the damage has already been done to so many of these locations, and you can see that debris just scattered every which way. when we drove around through some of the neighborhoods in this area, it was home after home. the damage is just so extensive. when you're on the ground and you can see burned out houses for as far as you can see at that. but we talk about that hope and optimism, and that is

certainly alive. burned out cars and property all across pacific palisades. but crews now actively working and doing what they can to bring the area back. >> right now, it doesn't look like any of us are going to be able to go back for, i would say, at least a year, to be completely honest with you, because you look at the devastation there and how many buildings were destroyed and it would be almost impossible to go back and have a good quality of life. >> i spoke with sarah silver as i was standing near the main strip in pacific palisades, a burned out building on one side of me. california national guard across the street, the mirror image of me standing near the building was eye opening to sarah. >> it's really hard to see that. >> i feel like the worst part of my days are the mornings, because you wake up and you just kind of reality sets in and you realize that, you know, it wasn't just a dream.

>> emotions running high. yes. sarah was renting this home that survived the fires here in the palisades, but she lost her nearby home that she owned. this video shows that home burning last week. >> and all of that heat is pushing across. right? look at that. look at that. >> you can see it was a total loss. but even with all of this rubble and destruction, there is hope among those who live here who say this is their community. >> we really are a huge family, and that's what breaks my heart the most, is it's not just me going through this. all of us are going through this. >> and optimism. among those, like sarah silver, whose words speak for that special community. >> honestly, i think the main thing that keeps coming up is just i'm so overwhelmed and i'm in shock still, and i'm very sad. and i'm also hopeful. every day i'm feeling more hopeful despite all of the chaos that's

going in all of our heads. i do feel that we're going to end up okay. >> and we certainly hope so. back out here. live in pacific palisades, you can see the total destruction of this building directly behind me. this is a full city block. and on the other side of this building, it was actually a bank you'd never know from just looking at it at this angle. on the other side, you can see some of the burned out atms that are out here just talking with sarah. she said, you know, she's got an 11 year old daughter who has now been through a global pandemic and this catastrophic fire, but she is proud of her for staying so strong. reporting live in pacific palisades, j.r stone abc seven news. >> yeah j.r. we are seeing so much strength from so many people. and you know as reporters we're used to asking people in very difficult situations about what's going on with them and their reactions. but this is not easy at all. people have lost everything. tell us a little bit about your

encounters and your conversations with people you're meeting down there. >> yeah, great question there, dan, at the hotel and we're out in glendale, so we're around an hour or so from this location because of some of the closed roads and the traffic just to get out here. but i was up early and people kept coming up to me before we went out and they said, are you evacuated to? and i said, no, i'm down here telling people's stories and showing what it looks like out here. and there was one man who told me and he lives in altadena. he said that he watched as those embers came closer and closer, and he said at one point he said, i got to get my parents out of here. they're both 80 years old. he woke them up. the evacuation didn't come for another hour, he said. had he waited for that evacuation, it might have been a different scenario. he thinks his home burned before that evacuation happened, but they were able to get out safe there in that hotel, that where we're staying and said they don't know what's next, but they're just happy that they got out.

>> well, thank goodness they got out in. so many did. and it's day by day now for them. sarah, thanks very much. >> and a big weapon in the fight against the fires is back in the air today. this canadian firefighting plane, known as a super scooper, had been grounded since being hit by a drone last week. now that it is flying once again, some are asking, should california buy one of these planes? as abc seven news anchor dion lim found, there are drawbacks that may explain why we don't. >> this vivid streak of red is just one illustration of the aerial fire fight continuing in southern california, as hundreds of gallons of fire retardant are dropped onto the palisades, eton and hearst fires. crews across the country and from canada and mexico have stepped into the fight. but it's the cl 415 aircraft, also known as the super scooper, that's making headlines after an unauthorized drone punctured a wing of one of the state's leased planes, helping in the palisade's fight over the weekend. the fbi is now investigating. >> it was pretty lucky,

honestly, that it hit the wing and not a propeller or the wind or the windshield. >> neil sweeney, ceo of the canadian company dehavilland, which manufactures the super scooper, says the planes are being used in europe and australia, and their efficacy in utilizing ocean water is driving demand across the globe. >> it can scoop 6000l. i'm not sure what that conversion is, but 6000l of water in 12 seconds. and depending on how close the fire is to the water source, you can be dropping. you can be dropping, scooping and dropping again in a sequence in between 8 to 10 minutes. >> for 31 years, l.a. county has been leasing two of these super scoopers. so would adding more of these aircraft be helpful in fighting wildfires? not necessarily. according to experts who say each fire is different, requiring different tools. >> in our helicopters, they're able to quickly access water and drop it into an area that they can access that the aircraft. the planes may not be able to. >> according to michael gardner of the uc berkeley fire research lab, there's also an

environmental impact to using ocean water to fight fires. >> the difference is more what happens to the ground after you're going to increase the salinity. you may have trouble growing plants. the other thing that you have issues with, of course, is that salt water is very corrosive. and so any kind of pumps, anything else this is putting it in it could cause long term damage and problems. >> in fact, cal fire says there are benefits to using pumped water mixed with retardant. the agency currently has 23 air tankers across the state, which can carry 1200 gallons. >> it also has a fertilizer base. so and so that, you know, often aids or plays a part in, in the regeneration of that area. >> in san francisco, dion lim, abc seven news california's insurance commissioner, has enacted a one year moratorium to protect people from having policies dropped in the affected areas in southern california. >> that's encouraging. but what about everyone else? tonight, seven on your side. stephanie sierra investigates how we will all be affected here. stephanie. >> yeah, we've been digging into

this for months now. what's arguably the only incentive for insurers to do business here is the fact that california has the largest insurance market in the country, and the fourth largest in the world. the question is, will insurers actually stay? and if they don't, what will the insurance commissioner do about it? california's insurance crisis is not a new problem. >> it's stuck. >> certainly annoying. >> we don't want our house to burn down. >> nor is the fact that officials lack confidence in the state's ability to address it. >> we don't trust them. i'm very disappointed. >> how do we deal with this? >> he's not doing his job. >> what is new is california is implementing an insurance reform plan this year. it's taking center stage as the destruction unfolds in l.a. county, in what's expected to be the costliest series of wildfires in the country's history, with estimated insured losses up to $30 billion. that's according to estimates from wells fargo and goldman sachs. we are focused, which is why the state's plan is more significant now than ever,

in part because the commissioner made this promise. >> insurance companies, for the first time, are committing to writing 85% of their business in the wildfire distress areas. >> yet, as seven on your side spent months reporting on the fine print of ricardo lara's regulation allows insurers to only increase policies in high risk areas by 5% if they choose to at all. >> so if you start at 0% coverage after two years, you get to 5% coverage. it would take 34 years to get to 85% coverage, which isn't going to work for people. >> insurers have known about the changes for two years, which has raised concern. the commissioner's own regulation may have incentivized insurers to drop policies ahead of its implementation. do you think that's true? >> absolutely. not only his regulations, but his unwillingness to use the power that he has to hold the insurance companies accountable, not just on claims payment, but on writing policies in all parts

of the state of california? >> so what will commissioner lara be doing about it in november? i asked him this again. you have that legal authority to file suit against some of these insurers. >> of course, this is a crisis. >> we're all aware, commissioner. will you do it? >> of course. we're always in litigation with insurance companies that break our rules and break our laws. >> but seven on your side could not find any litigation the state had filed against insurers as it relates to underwriting or rate hikes. latta's office denied having the authority to do so. yet after the 1991 oakland firestorm, congressman john garamendi, who served as california's first elected insurance commissioner, was able to issue a record fine to allstate, got insurers to provide an extra $3 million in coverage for victims and implemented a rate freeze for several years. given what we're seeing in la, do you think the commissioner should implement a rate freeze? >> a rate freeze is a real

possibility, but it would have to follow appropriate hearings that should be taking place immediately, and it should have actually been taking place over the last several months and a couple of years, so that we could understand the nature of the market. >> if the commissioner could hear you, congressman, what would you tell him? >> get off your butt and do your job. >> now, we've asked the commissioner if he has any plans to implement a rate freeze. we did not get a direct answer tonight, but we were told he's focused on getting claims paid fairly and quickly by insurance companies. as for us here in the bay area, we know every county has zip codes that are considered to be high risk, which means many of you watching may have either been dropped or likely know a neighbor who has. so the question will continue to be, what is the commissioner willing to do within his authority to stabilize the market, which, as we've seen in the past, may require putting pressure on insurance companies? >> right? maybe a lot of pressure. that's right. all right. thanks, stephanie. >> of course, the southern california wildfires are adding

new life to smoldering political battles. some could have a lasting impact on governor newsom's future plans. a live update is next. >> and still to come, i'm going to take you on an in-depth tour of the golden gate biosphere. it's a unique and vitally important part of our bay area

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behold! a glorious round table pepperoni pizz... huh? behold, the pepperoni, grilled chicken and bacon pizza from round table! three magnificent toppings. try it at round table pizza! governor newsom is trying to put out some political fires. there is a revamped recall effort about him tonight. abc seven news reporter monica madden is here now. monica, will any of this affect his white house ambitions? that's a question.

>> yeah. time will tell, dan. and while these fires are set to be the worst in california history, let's not forget that the electorate can have a short memory. and political consultants close to newsom consider him to be politically resilient. surviving pr crises throughout his career, whether it was a sordid affair, a pandemic party or a failed recall, governor gavin newsom is something of a phoenix rising from the ashes of political turmoil. >> again and again, gavin newsom was never more popular than when they were trying to recall him. >> this time, the governor is fighting off criticism of his handling of the wildfires ravaging los angeles county. >> i think that gavin is largely incompetent. >> i think he's doing about as good as you can do in this situation. >> political consultant jim ross worked with newsom in his first run for san francisco mayor. if anything, ross speculates, the attacks from the right might bolster the governor's aspirations for higher office. >> a response to a wildfire like this is as close to you can get to a presidential test.

it really gives them an opportunity to contrast himself against some of these, you know, more conservative and right wing voices. >> the feuding is not new, especially with the incoming president. >> we do have to do management, maintenance. >> but now trump threatens to withhold federal disaster relief to california or make it conditional. republican congressman tom mcclintock says this time that might be warranted. >> that discussion is going to take place, but we've got to change the policies or this is going to happen again. >> slamming policies, he says, have hampered california's ability to clear brush for fire prevention efforts. >> we did these things quite successfully throughout the 20th century. environmental laws that we then passed have made permitting for these practices endlessly time consuming, ultimately cost prohibitive. so we stopped doing them. >> democratic congressman eric swalwell says now is not the time for politics. >> people in the area are still in evacuation zones and are not in their homes. i don't think that's what they want right now. they just they want their

government to do what government is supposed to do, which is respond to a crisis and take care of them. >> hanging in the balance. california's ability to secure much needed fema relief money as the santa ana winds gather pace, threatening to worsen an already dire situation. an adviser for newsom tells abc seven news that the governor is, quote, 100% focused on the fires, ongoing rescue efforts and the recovery process, not politics. live in the studio monica madden, abc seven news. >> at least for the moment. thank you very much, monica. >> all right. and keeping track of the weather conditions in socal, because as we heard, the winds could flare up again today. >> yeah. those wicked santa ana winds. meteorologist sandhya patel is tracking that for us and is here now. sandhya. >> yeah, and dan and ama, those are going to be dangerously high winds that are going to cause some issues, especially with the low humidity. and not only that, the critical fire weather conditions that they are facing. let's talk about the winds, the peak gusts so far. magic mountain trails 74 miles an hour. 73 at marshall peak 62

mill creek camp nine. you can see 51 miles an hour. the setup is high. pressure is building to the north, and low pressure has pushed off to the southwest. the wind flows between the high and the low, and they just funnel down through southern california, where they are seeing the windy conditions. right now, what's ahead is strong, gusty winds, low humidity and critically dry fuels. combining the recipe for what we're looking at a particularly dangerous situation. red flag warning 3 a.m. to 3 p.m. tomorrow. it's a red flag warning for the entire area until 6 p.m. it's the gusty winds and low humidity that are concerning quiet weather here in the bay area. as we look from our pier 39 camera right now at san francisco, a few passing high clouds on live doppler seven, your temperatures anywhere from the 40s to the 60s. once again, it was above average highs today with everybody in the 60s. mount tam cam you can see how clear it is tomorrow morning. clear and chilly. next few days.

sunny, still above average. and for the end of the week we are looking at a cooler pattern with the return of some fog tonight. 40s 50s especially as we head towards 915, those temperatures quickly dropping going into 11:00 tonight. so bundle up. definitely a heater up. temperatures will be coming down into the 30s and 40s by morning and then by afternoon a nice recovery. your morning temperatures down to the mid 30s. santa rosa livermore 36. in concord 40. san jose 42, oakland 43 san francisco. tomorrow afternoon you're looking at 65. in santa rosa. 67, san jose. low 60s from san francisco to oakland to livermore. now, i do want to show you why we're not seeing any rain. high pressure is blocking all the storms from getting here. and as a result of this, a ridge of high pressure is going to keep us dry all the way into next week. right now it is looking like perhaps the end of the month we could see some rain. accuweather seven day forecast. cold morning, milder afternoon. we are looking at sunny skies to

continue into the weekend, but we will see some fog by the weekend and cooler weather heading into martin luther king junior day on the 10th. >> long stretch of dry weat? yeah. >> very dry. and it's not uncommon to see this, but this is going even longer. >> all right. thanks, andy. >> the oakland coliseum sale is a multi-million dollar deal, but is it a done deal? the abc7 news i mean, i know how the fire affected me, and there's always a constant fear that who's to say something like that won't happen again? that's fair. we committed to underground, 10,000 miles of electric line. you look back at where we were 10 years ago and we are in a completely different place today, and it's because of how we need to care for our communities and our customers. i hope that's true. [joe] that's my commitment. [ambient noise]

take that up a little bit higher. you should feel that, [jolike, right back here.t. oh, yeah, i felt that! good, that is so much better than last week. thanks, i've been doing 'em every night while i'm watching tv. - oh, what are you watching? it's a mystery. high quality care that meets you where you are.

the county has officially approved the oakland coliseum sale. >> dan was listening in on the alameda county board of supervisors meeting. the board unanimously approved the sale and hopes to have final approval within 30 days. >> this is a great opportunity to give us a win. we've had so many circumstances in which people have not necessarily been positive towards us as a city, as a region, as a county, but this is an opportunity for us to deliver that. >> they describe this as a historic opportunity, with two results. the coliseum complex will finally be under control of a sole owner. the african american sports and entertainment group and the county will be out of the sports and entertainment business. >> coming up next, the action local groups are taking to help undocumented people in san mateo county, following border patrol operations in the central valley. >> plus new additions to a local fire station. how they'll help

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today another death, bringingd the total to at least 25. a little bit of improvement on the fire lines. the palisades fire is now 18% contained. it has burned more than 23,000 acres. firefighters continue to make progress on the eaton fire, which has burned more than 14,000 acres and is 35% contained. the big concern right now is you're hearing us discuss tonight are the winds, which create a potentially dangerous situation. there is a red flag warning through tomorrow night. however, there is some optimism after that. >> now, by wednesday evening, wednesday night, i expect the critical conditions to diminish. and then for thursday into the weekend, we're actually get back to more normal weather pattern here for this part of the country. kind of a nice onshore sea breeze during the day, bringing cooler temperatures, higher humidity, which will all help with the firefighting and fire control efforts. >> there is concern, though, about another santa ana wind event next week, so we'll watch that closely. wildfire survivors need a lot of support right now.

go to red cross.org/abc to help the red cross respond to those in need. well, the devastation in southern california has communities throughout the state thinking of what their response could be here. >> locally, one bay area city is hoping that its new investment in resources can bring some comfort to residents. abc seven news reporter zach fuentes has the story from fremont. >> it's my honor and privilege to place truck 56 in service at quarters. >> as bay area cities face massive budget deficits and cut emergency services, fremont is bucking the trend. instead, the fremont fire department is adding 18 members to staff its new company and promoting others to also help support it. a celebration ceremony tuesday comes as wildfires in southern california highlight a critical need for resources. >> we have partners like my former agency, the oakland fire department, who's having to brown out stations, temporarily close stations to address some fiscal challenges as well as

livermore is another partner of mine who's also required to brown out a station. and here we are in fremont, in a position where we can open a 14th company. >> the 14th company is opening its 14 fremont fire department. firefighters are helping on the front lines in southern california. >> we're very blessed that we're able to do that because we have so many firefighters. we have adequate resources here locally and we're not feeling the shortage. >> still, adding the resources has been a process going back 20 years. >> more and more, we're seeing that public safety is under threat, and we need to make sure that we have adequate public safety. >> fremont mayor raj salwan hopes the city's new fire company can serve as a model that helps streamline the process to add future resources. >> i think we have to prove that this model works. i think once people see that we're being much more responsive, our 911 response call is much faster. they feel more safe that they will reinvest in more services, and they'll have more trust of the city. >> government and officials are confident that more resources are on the horizon. >> this is the beginning. we're going to continue, you know, to

leverage technology so that we're making sure that we're efficiently delivering the service that we all agreed to, and is part of our mission as public servants to offer the citizens of fremont. >> in fremont, zack fuentes, abc seven news. >> farm workers across the bay area are fearful after immigration raids in the central valley last week, border patrol agents showed up in unmarked vehicles and arrested 78 undocumented immigrants in fresno and kern counties. agents said their mission was targeted at criminals in pescadero. one nonprofit is assembling a group of attorneys to hold an immigration workshop tomorrow. >> even if you don't have documents, you do still have rights. and so for people to understand their rights, you should not run. that's really important. but you also have the right to stay quiet. you don't you don't have to answer the questions. >> the nonprofit, called puente, is also using an app that sends a text alert in case of a raid. here we are, less than a week away to the inauguration of

donald trump as president. the speaker of the house says that flags at the capitol will fly at full staff on monday, inauguration day. then they will be lowered to half staff again to continue the 30 day mourning period honoring the death of former president jimmy carter. we will have live inauguration coverage on monday, january 20th here on abc seven. and tomorrow, president biden will make a farewell address to the nation. we'll also carry that event live. it is scheduled to start at 5 p.m. tomorrow. >> coming up next, the bad consequences of good weather. climate climatologists warn about the (banker 1) let's hear it! (vo) with wells fargo premier a team can help you plan for your dream. (woman) i have this vacation home... (banker 2) so, like a getaway? (woman) yeah, but... it's also an eco-friendly artist retreat. (banker 3) so, you're expanding your business... (woman) ...and our family! can you help me plan for that? (banker 1) yeah! let's get started. (vo) ready to meet the dream team?

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to talk health care. she is the keynote speaker today at a conference by fiercebiotech, which coincides with the larger j.p. morgan healthcare conference. doctor biden spoke about the importance of advancing women's health research, part of a white house initiative on the subject. >> we invested over $1 billion in one year. so joe brought together, you know, medical experts and researchers and people from government to try and address some of the questions and really dedicated put money in for the first time to change women's health.

>> thanks for coming. the first lady also addressed the fire disaster unfolding in southern california, offering support and praising the first responders working to contain the fires. the j.p. morgan healthcare conference is the city's first major convention of the year. about 8000 people are expected to attend events. the conference, which runs through thursday, is expected to generate about $92 million for the city's economy. that is according to sf travel association. >> happening now a community meeting for people affected by the palisades fire. it started at 630, so just 7 or 8 minutes ago. one firefighter says he flew over the fire zone today and saw no active flames in the palisades. but officially it's only 18% contained and there are still concerns about hotspots and flare ups, especially with the high winds expected tonight and tomorrow after a wet december. it's been an exceptionally dry and warm january, and that could disrupt the water supply for the state this year. abc seven news reporter leslie brinkley talked with several climatologists

today about what's happening and what may lie ahead. >> a group of retired weather and water officials walking around lafayette reservoir enjoy the weather, yet commiseratedjoy about it. >> i think we have to be worried that we could have a drought, just as they are have having the consequences of that terrible drought in the los angeles area. >> if the snow survey on january 2nd was encouraging, no rain now for weeks means the statistics are dropping this week, while reservoirs are at 120% of normal, the snowpack stands at just 41% of normal, with groundwater supplies at just 31%. warm temperatures mean the snow isn't sticking and there's no rain in the forecast. >> we've seen this pattern before. both in 2013 and more recently in 2022, where we got off to a strong start only to see the new year roll around and really hit a

dry patch. >> when this happens at the extreme, where you go from an extremely wet season like we saw last year, to an extremely dry season like we're seeing now, particularly in southern california, then that's known as kind of a major whiplash event, effectively going from wet to dry very rapidly. and that has implications when it comes to fire in particular. >> the experts say these whiplash events are becoming more common in california. after all, december, january, february are our three wettest months. and here we are with january almost completely dry. that wipes out a third of the rainy season moisture needed to recharge our water supply. >> what we're really looking for, hoping for here is at least 3 or 4 big atmospheric river events, big storms to come through in order to put us at a level where we're comfortable about getting into this summer season. >> there are some hints that the high pressure will be disrupted, and we'll see a return of precipitation as early as the end of this month, but that does leave

us then, with a whole uh- for january to try and dig out of in the east bay. >> i'm leslie brinkley, abc seven news. >> a chilly start and sunny skies. that's what the weather holds for us this week. see the details in sandhya seven-day forecast plus, the biosphere provides an incredibly unique and impactful opportunity. >> you'll go on an in-depth look at a vital part of the bay area. it's called the

well, this news is for you. the cdc now recommends you get vaccinated against pneumococcal pneumonia. why? if you're 50 or older even if you're healthy... you're 6 times more likely to be hospitalized. so, schedule at vaxassist.com. means stepping back and looking at the bigger picture. when it comes to the bay area's diverse landscapes, that can take some doing. and now a project involving nearly two dozen different agencies is tying the environmental challenges and opportunities together in a unique way by analyzing an area known as the golden gate biosphere. from the sand dunes of the presidio to our coastal shoreline to the towering redwoods of marin county, the bay area's ecosystems are so spectacular, they are recognized by the united nations, linked together as a single treasure

known as a biosphere, and a shared responsibility for the men and women taking care of it all. >> we are in the middle of this un designated golden gate biosphere, and it's places around the globe that have both really unique biodiversity, incredible biodiversity and sustainable human use. >> so the golden gate biosphere network is just that. it's a network that is aiming to conserve this incredibly productive and diverse biosphere, from forests all the way to the open ocean. >> to understand the concept of why a golden gate biosphere matters, we took a whirlwind tour, starting with a newly released study detailing the plants, animals and ecosystems most at risk and how to protect them. from blue whales migrating off our coast to salmon in our streams and the redwoods that surround them, dozens of categories in all. lew stringer manages restoration for the

presidio trust, one of a number of agencies contributing to the biosphere's climate vulnerability report. >> so what was that? it was is an important way for us to come together with a bunch of scientists and a bunch of land managers and say, this is what we collectively think is the most vulnerable habitats and species to climate change. >> and lew says many are interconnected with the presidio's recently restored dunes and salt marshes, contributing to the health of migrating species and the san francisco bay itself. >> these salt marshes clean our water and to prevent massive storm surges. and so we need these things and we need to restore them. >> some species, like coho salmon, pass through different parts of the biosphere in their lifetime and depend on all of them to stay healthy. doctor allison forrestal is chief of natural resources and sciences at the golden gate national recreation area, which includes miles of streams running through

protected areas like muir woods. >> so salmon are a species that's a perfect symbol for connecting the marine part of our ecosystems to the terrestrial part of our ecosystems. they spend half their life in the ocean and then half their life in our streams, such as here in muir woods. and they're absolutely vulnerable to climate change. >> the golden gate national recreation area is spearheading creek restoration and salmon releases, while also paying close attention to conditions on the coast and what we can do to move the needle and make sure we preserve our incredible biodiversity into the future. >> this is a type of kelp called pterygophora, and along the shoreline of half moon bay, marine biologist sarah hutto shows us samples from the natural kelp forests that are part of the greater farallones national marine sanctuary and also listed as threatened in the biosphere report. it's also highly vulnerable, and we've really seen that firsthand here on the northern coast of california, where we've lost over 90% of our kelp forests. i

mean, imagine going to your favorite redwood forest and nine out of ten trees are gone. >> she says the kelp are being pressured by climate driven changes in the ocean, as well as other natural factors. but other issues, from plastic pollution to dangerous chemicals, trace back to bay area cities and could provide another opportunity. >> the biosphere provides an incredibly unique and impactful opportunity for agencies to work across boundaries and to look at the system as an interconnected suite of parts that are all dependent upon one another and that people, importantly, are a part of that. >> it's an opportunity that covers 28,000mi■!s and touches e lives of 10 million people, offering a chance to work together across counties, parks and agencies to better protect the bay area's unique environment. the golden gate biosphere was first recognized by a united nations agency, unesco. it's one of more than

700 sites located in roughly 130 countries all around the globe. >> all right. it's fascinating. all right, let's get a last check on the weather. >> yeah. meteorologist sandhya patel tracking the winds down south and the warmth here. sandhya? >> yeah, and dan and ama. those winds will be picking up overnight tonight, going into tomorrow. so it will become a particularly dangerous situation. red flag warning from 3 a.m. to 3 p.m. tomorrow. that warning remains up until 6 p.m. as a general red flag warning. they also have a wind advisory that's going until then. and that is because those gusty, dry santa ana winds with low humidity will keep that fire danger elevated. looking at live doppler seven, we have a few passing high clouds tomorrow afternoon. it is going to be milder than average across the region with low to upper 60s. now, as we get used to this idea, thursday is still mild. look what happens on friday. those temperatures are going down. onshore winds and fog will be back in the picture, so don't get too used to the above average temperatures as far as rain this month, we

haven't had much. as a matter of fact, only two days of measurable rain in san francisco. departure is almost two inches behind. ts puts san francisco in potentially the third spot for the driest january. if this pattern continues with only 19 hundredths of an inch so far. here's a look at the accuweather seven day forecast. right now, i don't see any rain in the forecast, but certainly cooler days by the end of the week. heading into the holiday weekend with at or below average temperatures, and then early next week, a few more clouds and keeping it seasonable. in terms of the numbers. >> ama and dan not a drop. >> nothing. >> yeah. one two weeks of dry weather. we get it. but now we're going into that third week thanks to use it. >> all right. sports director larry beil is here. what we got going on? >> some interesting comments from steph curry with the warriors. just free falling down the standings. they really have to make a trade for an impact player. but steph says you know what. better to make no deal than a

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maximizing the last few years of steph curry's career. it's clearly not working, and there seems to be kind of a sense of resignation. there's no magical, imminent trade to just fix everything. injuries to jonathan kuminga and anthony hamilton really hurt a team that started the season strong. they dropped four of their last five, 17 of their last 24. last night, a

really bad loss to a terrible toronto team. they dropped down to 12th place in the west. the warriors obviously have to make some moves, some trade, but even steph doesn't want the team just to make a panic decision. >> if you have an opportunity where a trade makes sense or even in the summer, free agency makes sense, like you want to continue to get better. nobody wants to be stale or be in a situation where you're passing up opportunities, but it doesn't mean that you're desperate. you know, just flinging assets all around the place just because you want to do something. >> you don't see. steph, that frustrated slam on the chairs there. spring training opens next month. giants pitchers and catchers report february 12th. first full squad workout is five days after that, as abc seven's chris alvarez reports, the giants are hoping that buster posey's presence and an on field resume that is so impressive can help bring the franchise back to prominence. >> i think it's a team that, quite frankly, before buster called me, i wasn't really in my

consideration. in a few short words. >> new giants pitcher and future hall of famer justin verlander said a lot. the buster posey effect is real. new shortstop willy adames was at a loss for words during his intro presser in december. >> buster is a hall of famer, you know, and i don't i don even have i don't even know what to tell you, man. i don't even want to say the wrong words over here. and then i get fired the next day. i just signed the contract. >> posey took the reins as president of baseball operations in october. manager bob melvin is enjoying the partnership. >> getting to know buster here. and you know you know how he operates and how he thinks and how calculating he is and how well thought he is. it's been great. >> the giants face an uphill climb in a division dominated over the last decade by the defending world series champion la dodgers. verlander, for one, is up for the challenge. >> i just think that there's a really good chance that this team can do something special. and from everything that i've heard, the guys, the culture

that's been built in this organization is something special. that's really important for me at this point in my career. i, you know, you want to be part of a team that you can have fun with. and when you win, you know, it really helps gel that. and it's just a magical ride, man, and i want to be part of that. >> chris alvarez, abc seven sports. >> to the sharks and red wings, detroit on a seven game winning streak. but get caught looking at this fantastic pass from william eklund. nico sturm get shorty shorthanded goal two nothing sharks after one. that's worth another look. the backhand pass. look at the poise of sturm. wait wait wait. and then fire. third period. macklin. celebrini rewarding eklund. eklund with a goal and two assists. celebrini had two assists and the sharks go into detroit impressively, winning six three. the power of television. eagles wide receiver a.j. brown was seen on the sidelines of a playoff game on sunday. he was reading the book called inner excellence. well, the book was ranked amazon's list of bestsellers

before brown was spotted reading it. you want to guess where it is right now? come on. number one on amazon. self-help author jim murphy, now the hottest seller on amazon. from to 1. >> that's pretty impressive. i wonder if it helped him on the sidelines. interesting time to read self-help books. >> well, yes. and the deal there is. he only caught one pass. he's their best receiver. and so when he gets frustrated, he reads inner excellence because he gets refocused. >> good for him. yes. >> maybe we should. >> we should be reading something. >> i'm just saying. i'm just saying we need to read something. >> just a random suggestion. thanks, larry. >> all right. tonight on abc seven at eight. watch. will trent at nine. it's high potential. then the rookie at ten. and stay with us for abc seven news at 11. remember that abc seven news is streaming 24 over seven. get the abc seven bay area app so you can join us whenever you want, wherever you are. that's it for this edition of abc seven news. thanks for joining us. >> i'm ama daetz and i'm dan

ashley for sandhya patel, larry tony robbins, bill, we appreciate your time. we'll see you again tonight at 11. >> i'm not much

♪♪ from the alex trebek stage at sony pictures studios, this is... ♪♪ please welcome today's past champions...

a data analytics director from toronto, ontario, canada... an assistant front office manager from montauk, new york... and an actor and filmmaker from provo, utah... [applause] and now here is the host of "jeopardy!"--ken jennings. thank you, johnny, and welcome back to the quarter finals in this year's champions wildcard. in yesterday's game, it was our second chance champion, will yancey, who advanced to the semifinals. and today, davey, stevie and evan are back with us on the alex trebek stage hoping to secure their spot. i wish you all the very best of luck, and i'd like to show you these categories that we have for you in the jeopardy! round. first up... then... we have a little... then we'll head to... we have...