starts right now.

>> a sunny, mild day as we look outside right now, but big changes are coming in just a few hours. we are expecting rain days of it to drench parts of the bay area. good afternoon, i'm kristen z. let's get you prepared for the wet weather. we are on storm watch right now, and abc7 weather anchor spencer christian has been tracking the storms for days. spencer, when will the showers start for us? >> well, light winds may start in the wee hours of the morning. kristen just before the morning commute begins, but the heavy activity will come in the afternoon. it will be a very different day from today. here's a look at the satellite radar image. you can see you can ignore that storm. well, don't ignore it, but that storm down in southern california has no bearing on our weather. what does have a bearing on us is this advancing cold front that's going to sweep through overnight and tomorrow and bring us some pretty stormy weather? right now, things are relatively calm considering the storm we're expecting, but we have wind gusts right now, well over 20mph in many locations, including nearly 30 mile per hour gusts at sfo right now. but as you look

across the embarcadero at the blue sky from our rooftop camera, it's hard to believe that a very stormy pattern is shaping up for tomorrow. 61 degrees in san francisco right now, mid 60s in oakland, hayward, san jose, redwood city at 57 at half moon bay. here's a view from mount tam. you see a few light puffy clouds moving in, but nothing storm like. it's 62 degrees in santa rosa at this hour. 59 petaluma napa. 61 mid to upper 60s at fairfield, concord and livermore and looking at mainly blue sky over the golden gate. these are our forecast headlines for the remainder of today into this evening. we'll have mostly sunny skies. it will be mild and dry, wet and windy. wednesday will bring us a level two storm with heavy downpours and strong, gusty winds gusting up to 50mph at times. and there will be heavy snow in the sierra. with the storm we have here, it will be a snow storm in the sierra, producing 1 to 4ft of snow in some of the higher elevations. on the exclusive abc seven storm impact scale. once again, this is a level two storm. the heaviest rain tomorrow will occur in the midday and

afternoon hours, which means it's going to be a messy evening commute. strong gusty winds as i mentioned, up to 50mph at times with rough surf. here's the forecast animation by 5:00 tomorrow morning, we'll see those first showers and areas of light rain beginning to push into the north bay and through the central coast there. and then by mid-morning 11 a.m. or so, we'll see heavier, steadier, more widespread rain. it will become even heavier still going into the early to mid afternoon hours between about 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. we should see the heaviest rain, which means of course it will extend into the evening commute. then things will ease up just a bit late tomorrow night as far as winds are concerned. let's check out the wind gusts animation. 10:00 tomorrow morning we'll see gusts up to and maybe even above 40mph near the coast, 40 to over 50mph by 1 p.m, getting into the late afternoon hours and early evening tomorrow, we'll see the winds beginning to taper off a bit. rainfall totals by 11:00 tomorrow night, ranging from half an inch to an inch and a half. in the wettest locations. we have a winter storm warning and in effect for the sierra from 11:00 tonight to 11:00

thursday night, above 4000ft, up to 18in, but up to four feet in the highest peaks. tonight's lows mainly upper 40s to low 50s. tomorrow's highs only in the mid to upper 50s. and here's the accuweather seven day forecast notice. even after tomorrow, we have a level one storm activity on thursday and friday, probably getting a fairly dry break on saturday, but rain returns on sunday and monday. we are in a very wet pattern. >> wow. all right. by the end of that hour, rain totals will be pretty good. they will. all right. thank you spencer. and of course, you can track the rain any time by downloading the abc seven bay area app. you can get the latest forecast and access the same live doppler seven that spencer uses. download it wherever you stream. all right. developing news from washington. abc news has learned mass layoffs are expected to start any minute now at the department of education. sources say nearly half of the department will be eliminated in another sweeping action by the trump administration. abc news has

learned employees were told their offices within the capital region will be closed tomorrow for security reasons. they will reopen on thursday. president trump campaigned on a promise of returning education systems to individual states. just fyi. most educational curriculum is controlled locally by the districts. all right. happening now. day two of the transit workers strike in santa clara county. and the valley transportation authority took legal action today to end the strike. vta filed a legal complaint and released a statement saying in part, quote, vta is an integral part of the transportation network for santa clara county and the region overall. getting our busses and trains rolling is imperative. vta says the union violated a no strike clause in their collective bargaining agreement. the union has yet to respond to our request for comment. abc seven news reporter lena howland has the latest from the picket line. >> we don't get respect. shut it down. >> the atu international

president john costa, joining vta bus and light rail operators, maintenance staff, dispatchers, fare inspectors and customer service representatives on the picket line as their strike moves into day two. he says this isn't only about wages, but also an arbitration agreement. >> this is about our contract, our protections, our right to due process that we've had historically in our contract here and in many places in the atu. >> raj singh, president of atu local two, 65, says they're getting mixed messages from the transit authority. >> because on one hand, you got an ego saying that you disagree with some of our positions, but they're still going to, you know, sit down. they won't give us time. >> with no agreement reached, some city and county leaders are showing their support for the workers, including san jose city council member domingo candelas, who sits on the vta board of directors. >> it took me 45 minutes to get here from evergreen 40. why?

there's no transit running. there's no there's no busses. there's no light rail. keep fighting. >> you're the backbone of our public infrastructure and public transportation system, so i. yes, let's get a deal. let's move on. let's make sure we get a fair contract and make sure that you can get back to your lives. >> vta saying on monday the union has not shown willingness to move on their demands. >> the kind of wage increase that atu is asking for is just not possible in in a way that we can maintain the service that we're offering our passengers that they need. we would have to make service cuts and possibly job cuts. >> we also reached out to san jose mayor matt mason's office, and he says the union's demand of a 19% raise over the next three years is unreasonable, and he's calling for both parties to get back to the bargaining table and restore service in san jose. lena howland, abc seven news. >> another contender formally

enters into the california governor's race today, former democratic representative katie porter announced her intention to run. porter had represented orange county in the u.s. house for three terms, where she made her mark on social media with her use of whiteboards. you see right there. she ran for the open california senate seat last year, but did not make it out of the primary. porter joins a crowded field now to try to succeed newsom after he's termed out. and joining us live now to talk more about this race. abc seven news insider phil matier. hey, phil. >> it's getting interesting. >> it is. right. so katie porter is a big name. she finished third in the senate primary, but she's got some fans. how big of a splash does her entry make? >> it's pretty significant. basically what it is sending a message out saying that they're everybody is not standing around waiting for things to happen. she's jumping into the race now. as it stands right now, there are about ten democrats who have lined up to run. none of them have a big name recognition in the state. and katie porter,

having run for the senate, and as you pointed out, for her social media and her charges against big business, has a name not only in the state of california, but nationally, i think even bigger nationally than in the state of california. and she's going to use that to get campaign contributions from small donors and supporters and progressives from around the country in order to prop yourself up. now, why is she doing it now? two reasons donald trump's back in power and two, she's not waiting for kamala harris to make up her mind. the former vice president has made it known that she will decide by the end of summer whether or not she's going to get in the governor's race. and since then, everybody stood back. but not katie porter. she's jumping in. >> all right, so you mentioned kamala harris. of course, that's the biggest name. and everybody's kind of waiting on who will she or won't she run for governor. but you mentioned some democrats who have already said i'm in. and who are some of those names? right. lieutenant governor eleni kounalakis. tell us about some of the other ones

and whether they have a real shot. >> well, we have, as you said, the lieutenant governor. we also have secretary of education, the head of the department of superintendent of education, tony thurman. he's in. we have former los angeles mayor antonio villaraigosa. he's in. we have tony atkins, the former state senate president. she's in. but we got to be this is california. this is a huge market. and none of those people really have have the star power that has captivated the entire state. none of them are a gavin newsom or jerry brown or an arnold schwarzenegger. so this race is really just showing that a lot of people have, you know, popularity in the single digits. they're just not known. and that is the dynamic we're working with. >> so let me ask you then. okay. so the people you listed, it's like you know them, but they're not superstars. not yet. so should kamala harris decide to enter? i've heard a lot of chatter. people saying, oh, everybody else will drop out the dems anyway, but should they? i mean, is it do you think she

actually would be a shoo in? >> well, she would be a front runner. and then it becomes a question of who's going to oppose her and on what grounds. there might. i think that most of the people that we have mentioned that are career politicians, they would see the writing on the wall. they would not necessarily take the risk. but kirsten, that opens the whole door outside of the democratic party. remember, the democratic party, you know, represents, you know, they get 60% of the vote in the state, but there's 40% that's conservative and republican. that doesn't necessarily go for it. they're the ones that put arnold schwarzenegger in. so if it's a kamala harris that people like, but a lot of people dislike, is the door for somebody to like an arnold schwarzenegger to come in and say, this is the alternative and take it out of the democratic party's hands. >> and that person is not in the race yet, but we'll keep our eyes open and see if there's that surprise factor. let's talk about the person that they're all trying to replace when he

turns out gavin newsom. you know, he started this podcast and the first guest is conservative conservative activist charlie kirk. and newsom sounded kind of different on several topics. listen. >> they say no men and female sports. >> well, i think it's an issue of fairness. i completely agree with you on that. so that's easy to call out the unfairness of that. there's also a humility and grace that, you know, that that these poor people are more likely to commit suicide, have anxiety and depression, and the way that people talk down to vulnerable communities is an issue that i have a hard time with as well. so both things i can hold in my hand. >> okay, so he's trying to sound compassionate, but he also sounded a not so sure about trans girls in sports. let me ask you, is this the same guy who, as san francisco mayor, started issuing marriage licenses to gays before anyone else did, or even thought about it? like, are you seeing a political evolution here? >> well, we're seeing a political evolution. no doubt. gavin newsom has become a has become a star and a superstar within the democratic party and near presidential contender by

being sort of the anti-trump and to the left. but that isn't working anymore. that's not selling. he's trying to move more to the center lane. you're going to be seeing more of that from him in the months to come. and i'd like to point out that this podcast, that guest, that question, that discussion about transgenders in sports was all set up by team newsom. they wanted to launch this podcast, they wanted to make a big splash, and this is how they did it. so they are happy at it. rebranding him, getting him out there and getting people to view and listen to him because they see that as his ticket to redo his image nationally. >> and there would only be one reason, phil, right to do your image nationally. redo. >> that's right. and let's never forget that that is the prize they're all seeking. and gavin is far from over in that race. >> all right. we're talking about the white house, of course. hey, before we let you go, a big conference of democrats is wrapping up today in san francisco, one that connects party movers and shakers with donors. look, this

is a party divided on so many levels right now. what is the scoop coming out of there? what are they doing there? >> well, what they're doing is they're trying to make deals. they're trying to get, you know, consulting contracts. they're trying to get a message is they're trying to do what the democratic party says it needs to do. but i think so far, the message we're getting out from there is that there's not much of a message yet from the democrats, except this. we're back to the number one uniter of democrats. and the number one issue is donald trump. they used it in the past. it worked this last time. it didn't work. they're seeking right now while they're looking at it with the tariffs, with the layoffs at the department of education, with all these different things, they're wondering, could that issue and unify and bring in the money rise again? so once again, we have a democratic party and we have the trump party. and that's pretty much where it stands. >> okay, phil, thank you so much. it was fun talking with you. >> all right. it's never boring in this state. >> it never is. all right.

coming up, president trump's tariff threats today led to a last minute deal with canada. while the tariff tango spins wall street into a tizzy. the deal r

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of tariffs on canadian metals. after ontario suspended an electricity price hike. earlier today, the president threatened to double his planned tariffs on steel and aluminum from 25 to 50%. that followed ontario premiers, placing a 25% duty on electricity. today's drama on tuesday delivered a win for mr. trump, but also amplified concerns about tariffs that have roiled recession risks and tanked the stock market. the tariff tug of war took a toll.

again on wall street, you can see the big board shows the dow closed down 478 points. let's take a look at the big board, the numbers if you dare. the dow ended the day at 41,433, down just over 1%. the nasdaq down 17. or down 32, which is not too big percentage wise. and the s&p 500 is down 42, not 1%. so these are smaller drops than yesterday for sure. today the ntsb released its preliminary report on the investigation into january's deadly mid-air collision at reagan national airport. the crash between a commercial plane and a u.s. army helicopter left 67 people dead. the ntsb report revealed the airport had more than 15,000 near-misses between commercial planes and helicopters in just over a three year period from october 2021 to last december. now, the agency is recommending that the faa ban helicopter

operations near the airport when two of its high traffic runways are in use for takeoff and landing. >> the existing separation distances between helicopter traffic operating on route four and aircraft landing on runway 33 are insufficient and pose an intolerable risk to aviation safety by increasing the chances of a mid-air collision at dca. >> wow. stunning. 15,000 near misses over a three year period. today's report did not identify the probable cause of the crash over the potomac. that is expected to take more than a year. opponents of closing down san francisco's great highway and converting part of it into a park are taking their fight to court.

it was great highway park days before the great highway is set

to close a portion of it to cars between lincoln way and sloat boulevard. a group is suing to keep it open. opponents announced the lawsuit this afternoon. the passage of prop k has turned a stretch of the great highway into a park. that is the plan that is proceeding. opponents and supporters were out there clashing this afternoon. >> this is going to be an incredible amenity for the next generation of san franciscans, and it's our pleasure to get to be a part of creating this type of space for san francisco. >> what it is, is it's a road closure to some folks, and those are the folks that need to get around in their cars, need to commute in and out of san francisco. >> thursday is set to be the last day for cars on the highway, unless there is a judge's order in response to today's lawsuit. the new park is set to open april 12th. our media partner, the san francisco standard, has done a deep dive into this lawsuit that claims the great highway closure is illegal. joining us live now to explain standard reporter john lee. hi, john. nice to have you

on. >> hi, kristin. >> okay, so this is the last ditch effort coming just two days before the road is to be closed. on what grounds are the plaintiffs saying the closure and how it was passed was illegal? >> yeah. so this is like the latest episode of this never ending great highway drama, right? so the lawsuit alleges that mostly on three arguments. so the first is state law basically doesn't allow local voters to close the street, right. the second reason is if the street is still needed for traffic, it shouldn't be closed. and the third one is the process of this ballot measure being put on the ballot. it's like the bypassing skipping some california environmental review process. so they said, you know, all these reasons make this ballot measure is like illegal. they should be invalid. >> all right. so all of those reasons will be argued over in court obviously. but explain to us why closing part of the great highway has created so much anger, like who's against it? and if so many people are. why did prop k win?

>> yeah, so prop k was a ballot measure last year. highly controversial. contentious. it basically just trying to close down a two mile stretch of the great highway on the west side of the city. but this highway this this this portion of the road is being used by a lot of commuters, drivers to use the road to go across the city. right. so a lot of driver or commuter, they, they, they feel like they're being ignored. they're being bypassed by, by the city's politics. and also because this highway is located on the west side of the city. a lot of people would think this is a regional issue. it shouldn't be voted on a city wide ballot. so they think they're using the east side of the voters to kind of overweight and dilute the west side of the void. so a lot of people think they're being ignored and disrespected. that makes this controversy has such a massive political energy behind. >> it, right? i mean, and i wonder if this will lead to any

changes in the future with regard to kind of a citywide vote on an issue that pertains mainly to one neighborhood. right. and impacts one neighborhood more than the others. okay. so what are the political fallouts in this case? >> yeah, as as you just mentioned, because this is so controversial, a lot of sunset residents, which is where the gray highway located, a lot of residents there, they feel very strongly about this, about 64% voting no on this. and they think they're district residents. their district supervisor is not representing them because the district supervisor, joe engardio, was the one pushing for this proposition. and they're starting a recall campaign against him right now. >> all right. meantime, what could happen now that this lawsuit today has been filed? what are the judge's options? >> so what's going on right now is they will file the lawsuit and then the court, the judges will hear it. it might be moving forward. it might be just thrown away. we don't know yet. but as

you just mentioned, the gray highway will be closed to car in about two days. so we will see if there's any new updates before that happens. >> all right. john lee, thank you so much. appreciate it. thank you. you can read john's story or check out more of the san francisco standard's other original reporting on their website, standard.com. abc seven will continue to bring you more segments featuring the standard's city focused journalism every week, right here on abc seven news at three. self-driving taxis are expanding service in the bay area next, where people

i'm reggie aqui. >> i'm liane 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 our city better. >> in the south bay, expect to start seeing driverless waymo vehicles on the streets of silicon valley starting today. waymo will offer rides in its self-driving vehicles to a select group of customers in los altos, palo alto, mountain view and parts of sunnyvale. users can hail a waymo vehicle through the waymo one app if their zip code falls in a service area. the company will gradually accept more riders in the area over time, and announce availability increases over the app. in the east bay, an overnight closure on highway 24 to tell you about one westbound bore of the caldecott tunnel will close starting at 10:00 tonight for maintenance work. people are asked to drive with caution through the construction zone and to expect delays. the work is expected to be finished by 430 tomorrow morning. southwest airlines is making a huge change that many of its

loyal customers are not very happy about. starting may 28th, the airline will begin charging passengers to check bags. southwest made free checked bags, two of them part of its identity for years, but airline faces pressure. the airline faces pressure from investors who want to increase revenue. you can still get free checked bags if you have a-list preferred status or a southwest credit card. last year, southwest announced it would begin assigning seats in the near future. like other airlines where you have to pay to get better seats. remember, abc7 news is streaming 24 over seven. get the abc7 bay area app and join us whenever you want, wherever you are. thank you for joining us. world news tonight with david muir starts right now. and i'll see you back here at four. ♪ tonight, several breaking stories as we come on the