news starts right now. >> a live look outside for you right now. very gray, although still calm, still dry. but conditions are about to take a dramatic turn. a strong level

three storm will bring us a dose of heavy rain, strong winds and dangerous surf. good afternoon. thanks for joining us i'm kristen z. and we're joined by abc seven news weather anchor spencer christian. spencer you have a breakdown of when this rain will start and when it's really going to get very strong. >> that's right kristen. it's not far away and the strongest parts of it will be felt before this evening is over. here's a look at the satellite radar composite image. you can see a little bit of a warm front lifting into the bay area, so temperatures tonight will be a bit milder than they have been of late. but as you can see behind that front, looking farther out to sea, there is a long plume of moisture here. come on, clicker, you got to be working. all right. stay with me. this happens so often here. i may have to move these manually if the clickers aren't working. so try one more time here and it's not. so i'll move it manually. behind that is a long plume of moisture. and it does even look like the computer over here is working right now. so we better get engineering down here because we're not able to move. these graphics are

finally there's a movement okay. so you can see a long plume of moisture headed our way. the storm the bigger storm is riding that atmospheric river. it's a level three storm on the exclusive abc seven storm impact scale. so for starting tonight and then into tomorrow, we're talking about periods of heavy downpours, flooding, likely localized flooding. damaging winds will develop gusts up to 60mph or higher, and dangerous surf. now here's the forecast animation starting at 5:00 this afternoon. notice by seven 8:00 we'll see that system moving onshore. and it's going to hit all parts of the bay area during the nighttime hours. so those colors of orange and red and yellow indicate where we'll have the heaviest downpours going into the late night and overnight hours and explosive expansion of this storm between midnight and about 3 a.m. so the morning commute is likely to be really challenging. but then by about 730 or so, we might see a little bit of a break between the surges of the storm. but another surge comes in late morning to midday that continues into tomorrow afternoon and tomorrow evening. once again,

we're talking about periods of heavy downpours and strong, gusty winds. rainfall totals by friday morning will range from generally from two to about three inches. but down in the santa cruz mountains around ben lomond, we'll see higher totals of four, 4.5in or even higher. so we have a flood watch in effect for the entire bay area from 10:00 tonight to 10:00 saturday night. will, we're talking about flooding on roadways and streams and rivers. shallow landslides may occur, and we have a high wind warning in effect for the coastal areas of the bay area from 3 a.m. tomorrow to 10 a.m. friday. but a high wind advisory for the remainder of the bay area. so we're all under this advisory or the warning because the winds are going to be powerful out of the southwest, sustained winds at 25 to 35mph, gusts at 60 to 80mph, especially in the higher elevations. obviously, the possibility of downed trees and power lines and power outages. so on we go. now to the high

surf warning that's in effect from 3 p.m. thursday. that's tomorrow to 3 a.m. saturday. large breakers may reach heights of 20 to 30ft generally, but it's possible we could see dangerous waves up to about 45ft. obviously dangerous, life threatening conditions along the coast over in the sierra. winter storm warning in effect from 10:00 tonight, 10:00 friday night. 2 to 5ft of snow above 6000ft. that's a lot of snow. as you can see, accumulations are going to be well and donner up to 75in by 11:00 friday night. getting back to the bay area here right now, we have winds beginning to increase just a bit. they're not very gusty yet, up to maybe 2020 one miles per hour. so current conditions. temperatures are generally in the low to mid 50s across all bay area locations right now. looking up to the north bay, a little bit cooler in petaluma where we've got 48 degrees with most other locations around 5152 degrees. and as we look at overnight lows, see, it's going to be so much milder than the last few nights with that warm front, i showed you this surging into our area. so overnight lows

will be mainly in the mid to upper 40s. some locations won't get below 50 degrees and then tomorrow's highs a little bit milder. it will be windy at the coast of course. highs generally in the low 60s except in the north bay where we'll see only upper 50s. and here's the accuweather seven day forecast. that level three storm tomorrow, level one on friday with just showers. valentine's day will be a little damp, but the good news is that we expect dry conditions for the chinese new year parade on saturday morning. a little bit later. kristen. >> so happy to hear that. spencer. thank you. but we got a lot to get through. and as the next storm moves into the bay area, you can track it using the same live doppler seven that spencer uses. it's available right now on the abc seven bay area app. download it now for the latest forecast and updates on the conditions where you live. san francisco police are investigating a shooting in the sunnydale district that happened right where a p-g-and-e's crew was working. it happened at the intersection of sunnydale avenue and sawyer street. sky seven was over the scene here. police say

one man was shot. he's now at the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. p-g-and-e's says the victim may be one of their contractors. san francisco police say the investigation is active. they have not given out any other information. building a better bay area focuses on strengthening our neighborhoods and supporting our unhoused community, and several bay area cities are considering new ways to do that. in fremont, they're moving forward with a controversial ordinance that makes it even tougher for homeless residents to live out there on the streets. abc seven news reporter lena howland tells us about the late night city council meeting to pass this first of its kind measure. >> this was the lengthy line of people just waiting to get inside of the fremont city council meeting tuesday night. fired up over a proposed homeless camping ban. >> like many others, i have felt unsafe and experienced dangerous situations while going to my grocery store and local atm. >> this is not a solution. we

have no solution with this. all we are doing is moving them around. >> after five hours of public comment, questions and deliberations, the council voted to make it illegal to camp anywhere on public property. >> so now here in fremont, we have the most restrictive camping ban in the state. >> vivian juan is ceo of abode services, a homeless and housing services agency. she's concerned because the ordinance still includes a clause prohibiting anyone from aiding or abetting a homeless encampment. >> honestly, sometimes we do hand out tents when it's raining and again, health and safety. there's not shelter beds. there's not anywhere else to go. >> she says there are 111 shelter beds in fremont year round, but as of the last count, about 800 people are living outside. >> so we'll be working over the next several weeks with our attorneys and the city attorney to make sure that what we do every day with the people we

serve continues to be considered lawful. >> the first time first reading, i voted no and did a lot of research, met with a lot of people, visited a lot of places. >> council member kathy kimberlin had a change of heart after her first no vote back in december. >> tents would be okay. sleeping bags okay. things that sustain people's lives is fine. what's not fine is building treehouses near waterways, building structures out of cardboard and plywood. that could be a fire hazard. >> council member kimberlin claims there will not be homeless sweeps as a result of this ordinance, but any violations may result in up to a $1,000 fine, a misdemeanor, and up to six months in jail. this will take effect in 30 days. in fremont, lena howland abc seven news. >> fremont is not the only bay area city ramping up efforts to curtail long term living in the streets. in san francisco, they say those efforts are making a difference. since the supreme court ruling to uphold local laws that ban camping on public

property. the number of encampments in the city has gone down when that ruling passed in june. san francisco officials said it would make it easier for police to do their jobs and clear out certain areas. in the last few years, the city has also increased the number of shelter beds and supportive housing units. and in the south bay, the valley water district is now enforcing an ordinance to clear homeless encampments near creeks and rivers. the utility passed the ordinance in december to clean up 300 miles of waterways in santa clara county. people living in encampments have 72 hours to relocate after they've given notice or they're giving notice. those who don't face a misdemeanor charge with a fine. enforcement of the ordinance started in early january. developing news a significant shift in u.s. support for ukraine. following conversations today between president trump and both the russian and ukrainian presidents. abc news reporter christiane cordero has details. >> in his efforts to broker a deal to end the war in ukraine.

today, president trump spoke with his russian and ukrainian counterparts. >> these negotiations are ongoing, but i think as deals in the past have come to fruition, the president has proven one of the things that makes him a very effective negotiator is not revealing what he's anticipating from both sides. >> the negotiations come with a significant shift in u.s. support for ukraine. the u.s. insisting in order to end the war, ukraine would permanently cede territory to russia. >> returning to ukraine's pre 2014 borders is an unrealistic objective. >> defense secretary pete hegseth today also said the u.s. can't be ukraine's primary protector, citing the ramped up efforts on the u.s. southern border and ukraine. zelenskyy has long demanded his country's membership into nato as part of a security guarantee. the trump administration says that's not happening. >> the united states does not believe that nato membership for ukraine is a realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement.

>> the white house announcing a series of prisoner releases held in the war torn region. marc fogel, a 63 year old teacher from pennsylvania, was classified as wrongfully detained last year. he was three and a half years into a 14 year sentence for carrying a small amount of medical marijuana through a russian airport, according to his family. he returned last night. in exchange, the u.s. is releasing cyber criminal alexander vinnik, accused of laundering $4 billion with suspected ties to the russian hackers who targeted the 2016 elections. and the white house announced. belarus released four prisoners, including one american. officials are adamant there was no exchange or swap. belarus is a strong ally of russia. christiane cordero, abc news, washington. >> we are hearing for the first time from former 40 niner dana stubblefield since his release from prison. >> there was a long nights when i sat in my cell, an innocent man wondering if things would ever be be right.

>> what his attorneys say was wrong with the rape case against him and convicted fraudster elizabeth holmes of theranos talks about life in

spoke publicly for the first time today since he was released from prison, and his 2020 rape conviction was overturned. stubblefield served about four years of a 15 year sentence. his conviction was overturned in december, when an appeals court ruled prosecutors made racially discriminatory statements during his trial. that's a violation of california's recently passed racial justice act. however, stubblefield remained in prison because a lower court judge said he didn't have jurisdiction to grant bail or release. last

week, a judge in santa clara county ordered his release. today, stubblefield spoke about what it means to be free. >> being back home with my family and my four after four long years was is incredible. the time away from my wife and kids was the hardest part. i love you all so much and i want to thank you for standing by me. >> his attorneys also spoke today. they say the judge in this case did not allow the jury to hear certain evidence. >> the trial judge did not allow the fact that she committed perjury on multiple occasions to be heard by the jury. the trial judge also did not allow the jury to know that she had given false police reports prior to ever knowing dana in other matters, so this truth needs to be told. >> well, they might get another chance because the santa clara county district attorney's office has said it plans on refiling the charges against him. convicted theranos founder elizabeth holmes says she plans to get back into health care

technology after her release from prison. holmes was sentenced in 2022 to 11 years in prison for defrauding investors in the former palo alto blood testing startup. she recently did an exclusive interview with people magazine and says she's continuing to write patents for new inventions. holmes earns $0.31 per hour as a reentry clerk, helping women inmates who are slated for release once a week. holmes attends therapy for ptsd, she says advocating for criminal justice reform will be her life's work. holmes is scheduled to be released in 2032. a pageant that first started in 1948 was created to serve as a platform to give chinese american young women an opportunity to celebrate their heritage. today, we're talking live with miss chinatown usa 2024 about how it's more a lot

down to the 2025 san francisco

chinese new year parade. it is now just three days, two hours and change away. it's this saturday. now, one tradition that always happens the night before the new year parade is the miss chinatown usa pageant. and that's because the winner and her court will be waving to fans from their special float during the parade. it's a tradition and honor that the queens never take lightly, as they are ultimately ambassadors for their community and culture. so here with us now, this past year's miss chinatown usa, who will pass on that beautiful crown in just two days? right it is. tara. got that right. tara wong nash, a bay area native who is from foster city, right? >> yes, i am. that pageant wave was pretty good. i should see you in the pageant next year. is there. >> an age requirement? >> let me get back to you on that. okay. >> i'm pretty sure i wouldn't meet that requirement, but thank you. >> thank you. it's pretty good. >> tara, it's so great to see you. >> thank you for having me. >> yeah. you know, you are a

part of something really special because it is tradition. talk about the history of miss chinatown usa, how this came about. it dates back to, what, 1948? >> yeah, it it goes way back. more than my brain can comprehend. how far back it goes. >> especially under camera lights. >> but the miss chinatown pageant and chinatown in general, the history is so rich, it's really rooted in that community. the bringing together of similar mind, similar cultures and sharing that with the rest of the community here in san francisco and across the nation. so the miss chinatown pageant started here in san francisco in the biggest, most historical chinatown across usa. and it brings together women to highlight how strong, beautiful and well-rounded they are. beauty in every light. my i myself. i'm a woman in stem. i love to perform. i love to sing. i love to give back to my community. this morning i was coming from an elementary school down in the sutro district, reading stories to children across different grades. i mean. >> has come a long way involved

since the early days when it was a bathing suit pageant, and now it's about really celebrating your accomplishments, right? what motivated you to enter the pageant last year? you've talked a little bit about feeling unsure at first, feeling like an imposter? almost. >> why is that? oh yes, as many people can relate. imposter syndrome even. i'm sure maybe here on tv is a bit of imposter syndrome, but being mixed and being the first chinese irish miss chinatown usa, i had never seen anyone, at least in my lifetime, that looked like me. and previously the rule was your your father had to be chinese and my mom is from hong kong. they changed it last year. i never even fathomed i could have the opportunity to compete. and then they gave me the chance and obviously i wanted to just do my best. i was not focused on winning. i wanted to make my family proud. and i mean, the scholarship money didn't hurt. yeah, exactly. >> i mean, come on, if you went to berkeley and columbia university, you need some cash for, you know, paying back the student loans and all that. but

yeah, that's an interesting point about being hapa or asian or half asian and chinese and wondering where do you fit in? and i wonder if taking on this role as miss chinatown usa has strengthened your cultural roots and identity. >> oh so much. i mean, there's so many events. as i was reflecting on this past year, it's coming so quickly to an en, just from going to local fashion shows of chinese fashion designers going to galas to celebrate health organizations that are based in community, that speak all the different multiple cultural languages here in the bay is just so many doors i would never even imagine existed. and it's thanks to this pageant. it's thanks to the chinese parade, and i just wouldn't change it for the world that is more priceless than the scholarship. >> absolutely. okay, looking at your big night last year, very soon this friday night, there will be another crop of young women who are going to be up there getting their sashes. so exciting. tell them how it felt last year to be on that float, to be part of the parade, to see the crowds out there. so many

people. >> oh yeah, i heard it was close to half a million. don't quote me on that. but it was unreal. i mean, i still can remember the fireworks, and as i was sitting there in the throne, i was really close to crying, pulled it together and just the pageant itself as soon as i won. i'm not sure if you can tell. i started crying a little bit and also was just so unreal every moment and just knowing that it's rooted in history, rooted in community, and it's just such an honor to continue that tradition that i grew up watching on tv. >> i know that's really, really neat. look, i know that, you know, once you give up your crown, you'll have a little more time back, right? going back to your quote unquote civilian life. so tell people what you do in your civilian life. >> yeah. so my 9 to 5, this would be my 5 to 9, just not today. don't tell my boss my 9 to 5 is i'm a manager of a multi-specialty health clinic. so we do primary care. we do women's health, reproductive health. i manage a huge team of

doctors, medical assistants and nurses, and we make a huge impact. we send medi-cal underinsured patients. i've been learning spanish just from working at the front desk at this job. when i'm hopping in and helping out, and it just really is rooted in my platform to help immigrant health care and health care for those who are underserved. because my mom went through that system, i watched how broken it was for her. so i went to get my master's in public health, and i'm still working on that journey. >> that's amazing. okay, so i take it that was your platform when you ran. yes. but you have a talent that you had to perform. >> oh, goodness. >> ran, right? it was singing. >> wasn't it? i did sing, yes. >> anyway, we can entice you to sing a little bit. >> right now. oh my. favorite songs. oh, i always go to hallelujah. i know it's a little spiritual. i am a theater kid at heart. i think i drank a little tea. let's see. it goes like this. >> the fourth, the fifth, the minor fall, the major lift. the

baffled king composing hallelujah. >> oh my. >> gosh, that was beautiful. >> spencer christian clapping. >> thank you spencer. oh my gosh. >> okay, you killed in the talent competition i'm sure of that. gorgeous. and you do that not as a profession or career, but for fun. >> just for fun. i grew up doing musical theater. i really think that's what brought me out of my box, of being a shy kid, just throwing myself in the bright lights and just putting yourself out there. which is also why i did the pageant, just to put myself out there. any imposter syndrome i felt of like not being chinese enough, not being a woman enough, not being strong enough. i said, what better way to break those barriers than to just perform and do it yourself? that's right. >> you are enough. we are all enough. that's a great message to young women and young men. young kids everywhere. yeah. thank you so much. >> thank you for. >> having me. lovely meeting you. congratulations on your reign. and, folks, you can watch

the new court, right? do their thing on the float this saturday. abc seven is your home for the chinese new year parade in san francisco. if you can't make it in person, you can watch it live right here. coverage starts at 6 p.m. saturday wherever you watch i bought the team! i put it on my chase freedom unlimited card. and i'm gonna cashback on a few other things too... starting with the sound system! curry from deep. that's caaaaaaaaash. i prefer the old intro!

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workforce by 15 to 20% next year or by next year. the company recently moved its headquarters from san ramon to houston, texas. chevron says the layoffs are needed to reduce costs and raise profits. about 9000 employees around the world could be impacted, but it's unclear how many would be here in the bay area. let's talk about inflation. the latest numbers

from the labor department shows it was 3% higher in january compared to a year ago. it's also up from the month before, according to the inflation report. abc news reporter reena roy has a look at how this could impact your wallet. >> an unexpected inflation report out wednesday shows inflation was up 3% in january from last year, higher than economists expected. americans are paying more for most things, from car insurance to rent. >> in terms of what we saw, prices, where we saw prices rise the most, again, rent continues to be the thorn in our side. up nearly half a percent month over month. >> grocery prices also on the rise. eggs especially expensive as the bird flu outbreak spreads amongst animals around the country. prices for eggs now more than 50% higher than last year. the average for a dozen almost $5. these inflation numbers moving further from the federal reserve's target of 2%, signaling a pause on interest rate cuts. >> last year, inflation was 2.6%. so great progress, but we're not quite there yet, so we

want to keep policy restrictive for now. >> president trump, who promised to bring prices down starting on day one of his presidency, responding to the report on social media, posting only, quote, biden inflation up. trump has announced a number of tariffs, which economists say could push prices even higher, including tariffs on steel and aluminum. that could mean more money for things like cars and appliances. reena roy, abc news, new york. >> and that's going to do it for now. thank you for joining us. world news tonight with david muir starts now. we'll see you back here at four. tonight, breaking news as we come on. this major storm hitting right now. treacherous driving and now tornado watches up. snow and rain about to hit the northeast. 125 million americans on alert for this second winter storm, and a third storm now right