the cost of lighting a fire today. unemployment benefits expire for millions of americans. see how many people in the bay area it could affect by the end of the year. and oakland has a plan to keep the as. we'll tell you what that plan includes coming up in a live report. >> it is wednesday, december 1st, "today in the bay." from nbc bay area, reporting what matters to you, this is "today in the bay." good morning to you. 6:00 already. i'm laura garcia-cannon. >> and i'm brent cannon. we want to start right away with rob and your hour-by-hour forecast. it's feeling warm out there. i think at least 2 degrees warmer. >> upper 30s. 20s and 30s the last few days. we're tracking patchy dense fog. mike has an eye on that with an traffic update in a moment. quickly your forecast today, i know it's chilly this morning, but over the next two afternoons at least we'll see some low 60s

at times from san jose southward. also tracking increasing chances of some rain as you approach the weekend. a full look at your seven-day forecast in just a few minutes. back to you. and now time to check in with the morning commute and mike. >> good morning. as rob said there's some fog, a quarter mile visibility at times from novato. this is a little clearer than you'll find it but speeds at the limit all the way from highway 37 out of novato down through central san rafael. that's the point that will show slowing over the next 45 minutes. meanwhile a disabled big rig northbound 101 now reporting clear at the 280 interchange. much better news as the volume into san francisco increases there. then one to watch now in the east bay northbound 880 approaching 238 coming off of the castro valley y. it will get crowded. also reports of an accident, i'm getting an update from the chp, but a minor accident and a big section and we'll show the volume increasing the next 30

minutes as well. thanks very much, mike. when the weather outside is frightful, a fire is so delightful, but today a warm fire could get you in trouble. bob redell is live with a look at the first spare the air day of the winter. good morning, bob. >> reporter: yes, it is the first spare the air day of the winter season, which means you are not allowed, laura, to burn anything in your fireplace, whether it's wood, a manufactured fire log, any of those fuel pellets. if you do, you do risk getting caught by the bay area air quality management district which did call for the spare the air day. believe it or not, the agency does send out inspectors throughout the day and the evening looking for smoke coming out from your chimney. if they see smoke, they will knock on your door and tell you, hey, you've got to turn that thing off, you've got to put out that fire or do whatever you can to dampen it. the first offense is a warning. the second offense is a fine, a $400 fine.

any offense after thark tt, the fines will go up and they are steep eer than the 400. the only exemption is if your fire maplace or stove is your o source of heat in your home. the district called for a spare the air today because today's weather conditions are more conducive to trapping smoke and soot on the ground. what we're experiencing and as rob has been mentioning is the temperature inversion where you have warmer air up top, colder air below and it's hard for small particulate matter like smoke to escape. it just pools around our neighborhoods and gets into our lungs. the 1.4 million fireplaces and wood stoves in the bay area contribute about a third of the harmful soot found in the air in the wintertime, making it the leading cause of pollution this time of the year. reporting live here in san jose, bob redell, "today in the bay. united states. a crime fighting tool or

invasion of your privacy. license plate readers are coming to east palo alto. they hope to install them in two patrol cars by the end of the year. the readers are high-speed cameras with scanners designed to pick out stolen and wanted cars. they'll automatically scan all cars that are near the patrol car. officers say it will help crack down on the number of stolen cars, some neighbors aren't happy but others say it's a good idea. >> they need to do their job, start doing research on people and make a real bust versus sitting here counting every single car and hoping to get a lead. >> i think it's a good idea. i support it because on my street there's been like six break-ins and cars stolen too. so it's a great idea to get some crime off the streets. >> police say license plate readers will help make a dent in the number of stolen cars. car theft is up 13% from a year ago. jobless benefits are running out for millions of out of work americans just in time for the

holidays. kris sanchez joins us now. she is in our newsroom taking a look at how this could affect bay area families. >> reporter: a lot of experts say we will see an impact and very, very soon. for many californians out of work that $300 weekly check isn't making them rich, it's just keeping the lights on and food on the table. in california, 445,000 people will be cut off because congress did not approve the extension. newly unemployed people will only get 26 weeks of benefits max. nationwide more than 1.6 million people will lose benefits by christmas. nearly two million people will lose them by new year's day. the failed bill that would have extended the benefits had a $12 billion price tag. republicans argued that it was time to put that money into making jobs happen instead of helping people out of work, but 33 economists, including five nobel prize winners, signed a

statement calling for the benefits to be extended boy a year. they say the unemployment dollars help drive the economy because people out of work tend to spend every dollar they get pumping cash into local businesses. if the families already dealing with unemployment are really bracing themselves, so are the aid agencies because they expect a lot of people on the brink may just be pushed other the edge now. it is still possible for congress to retroactively extend those benefits, but a lot of unemployed people say they are not hopeful that will happen. cutting benefits, raising taxes, making people work longer, they're all ideas being discussed as ways to bring down the deficit. >> but none of them are really popular with voters. that's why politicians are having a hard time supporting them. scott mcgrew joins us with more. >> there are really only three buckets you can draw from if you want to reduce the deficit. defense, medicare and social security. those are the three big expenses for government.

president obama's deficit commission, made up of democrats and republicans, has suggested raising the retirement age to 9 69, adding 15 cents to the gas tax, even taking away our mortgage tax deduction. we'll hear more from the commission today on what they're going to recommend. >> there is one clear thread in this complex tapestry of debt, deficit and interest and that is this. america, you have a serious problem. time is short to address it. so we have done our level best in this effort, and meeting the terms of the executive order of the president who created us. >> you can almost hear the defeat in his voice because the commission can only recommend, they can't cut your social security. in fact they may not have enough votes to get out of their own commission and send this

recommendation to congress. if they can, that will come friday. laura, this is a lot like all the resolutions you know you should do and then you don't. that's probably what's going to happen here. well, here's some good news for you this morning. the irs owes many people in the bay area a nice holiday bonus. nearly 2300 bay area taxpayers will collect almost $700,000 in undelivered refund hchecks this year. in san francisco eligible taxpayers are entitled to about $1,256 each n san mateo county it's the about $1,275. most refund checks go undelivered because taxpayers move away and don't update their addresses. statewide, 112,000 taxpayers are eligible for nearly $1500 each. marijuana is helping one california county close its budget gap and save jobs. seven jobs in the mendocino county sheriff's department were saved yesterday due largely to money seized from illegal pot

farms. the more than $250,000 was collected from marijuana busts and the sheriff's office is using that money to offset overtime. county officials say fees collected from legal marijuana, such as medical marijuana co-op could help. how are we looking, mike? >> we're still following an accident. i do have an update on one of the cars involved. there was a coupe and semi truck involved. the coupe has made the transition so there may be activity right at the transition and there you see that yellow car showing speeds around 50 miles per hour just off of 880, the southbound side, right where you should see chp and flashing lights. that's where we're watching the activity. approaching the castro valley y, you see a little slowing in both directions at that y. the bay bridge starting to see more cars lining up in the cash lanes, but no big deal right now. volume off of the east shore

freeway still smoothly, 18 minutes off of the carquinez bridge. that's why the metering lights are off. they may turn on in the next ten minutes. the other side of the bay, no major issues getting into the city on 101 and through the city 101 at 280 we had an earlier stalled big rig but that has cleared as well. we'll send it back to you. we'll check in with rob for a look at the forecast. >> the forecast, mike just showed you the golden gate bridge. we don't have fog there but you'll find it in novato and around san rafael this morning. you notice inland valleys again, some low 30s today. visibility down to a quarter mile in novato. visibility in concord and livermore dropping off a bit. between now and sunrise don't bow surprised to find some patchy fog waiting for you. for today the rain will be mendocino county noth. the rain line will stall out. areas north of santa rosa may see a few showers. late tomorrow and friday we could see a chance of rain

dropping back into the rest of the bay area. today it's patchy fog, hazy sunshine. a few high clouds mainly off to the north. we'll see highs from about 60 and a little warmer southward, upper to mid-50s across the north bay. late tomorrow, increasing clouds and showers, into friday and early saturday. then partly cloudy and cool as we wrap up the weekend. back to you. >> thank you very much, rob. the time now is 6:11. a new law could be coming that could prevent secret government documents from getting leaked in the future. we'll find out how that could work coming up. the founder of wikileaks gets up on a most wanted list. plus find out who wants him assassinated. oakland has big plans for jack london square and they could involve the as. we'll have a live report on that coming up next. gear deli square in p san francisco this morning, always a good time for chocolate, probably hot chocolate this morning. 6:11. reporting what matters to you, you're watching "today in the bay" with laura

garcia-cannon, brent cannon, business and technology with scott mcgrew and traffic with mike inouye.

welcome back, everyone. a live look at the white house this morning. take a look at the big red ribbon in commemoration of world aids day today. coming up we'll tell you about some event in the bay area and how some hollywood stars are getting involved. 6:14 right now. the bustling tourist donation in oakland could be the home of the as if some city leaders get their way. christie smith is live at jack london square where tens of thousands of fans could one day be gathering for gameday. >> reporter: good morning, brent. you know, it's certainly got a ring to it. they're calling it victory court ballpark and it would be near jack london square with housing and shops.

but a couple of minutes ago we took a walk from here and have been speaking with lifelong oakland as fans and even a few of them aren't exactly thrilled with the proposed location that we're talking about, which would sit between 4th street and embarcadero near interstate 880. we're talking about a proposed 39,000-seat ballpark. incoming oakland mayor jean quan has thrown her support behind it. others are worried about parking and noise and traffic. the city has been negotiating with a committee appointed by major league baseball to try and determine whether the as should stay in oakland or move down the road to san jose. the team's owners are leaning toward san jose. we just spoke with an as ticket holder and he said the san francisco giants have lifted the bar too high for this plan. >> honestly don't think it's the -- it's not the prettiest place. you know, it just doesn't have that san francisco appeal where, you know, their ballpark is.

it's beautiful, you know, whether you're a giants fan or not, you can enjoy going to a fame just because it's so pretty. >> reporter: he's among those buzzing about this at the produce mart which is in the shadow of the proposed stadium. his idea is to rebuild it at the current site. the city is moving ahead with an environmental impact report because the league wants a new stadium for the as by the year 2015. tonight they're starting public comment. if you're interested, you want to give your opinion, go on down to city hall. the meeting starts at 6:00. reporting live in oakland, christie smith, "today in the bay." >> thank you. 6:16 right now. move it or lose it. parents can now take public schools to court if they don't offer enough physical education. a small survey found less than half of state schools provided the required amount of physical education for kids. state law says elementary schools must offer at least 200 minutes of pe every ten days. in high school, the number

increases to 400 minutes. temperatures are down but the surf is up so the annual maverick surf competition could actually happen at any moment. the famous surf contest could happen any time between today and february 28th. the window is officially open. the newly named jay's at mavericks big wave international is known for 20 to 40-foot waves a half a mile from pillar point harbor. it only takes place when there are ideal conditions for big waves. congress could give government kbhoiys the right to blow the whistle without turning to wikileakss. president obama is expected to sign it if it passes. it's seen as a way to discourage leaks of classified information. right now whistleblowers risk being fired or demoted for informing their superiors about misconduct. the bill keeps that from happening and it sets up a review board for whistle blowing cases. the founder of the wikileaks

website is on interpol's most wanted list. he is wanted for sex crimes. he has denied those accusations. a former chief of staff to stephen harper said he should be assassinated for leaking the documents. former president bill clinton says he is worried about the safety of others. >> i'll be very surprised if some people don't lose their lives over these leaks. >> republican presidential hopeful mike huckabee is calling for an execution for leaks. he said whoever leaks this information from inside the united states government is guilty of treason and anything less than execution is being too kind. an attorney for michael jackson's father, joe jackson, refiled a wrongful death suit. jackson is suing dr. conrad murray, murray's medical clinic and the pharmacy that sold murray the drug that killed

michael jackson. there was a similar lawsuit early in november but that one did not include the pharmacy. a car you've never heard of is about to set the record for the first all-electric car to be sold in the united states for under $100,000. the two-seat wego will go 100 miles per charge. at $33,000 it is about $70,000 cheaper than the only other electric option on the road, and that's the tesla roadster. but with the nissan leaf and chevy volt coming just around the corner, experts advise that you just wait and see before you buy. >> consumers might want to wait a few years to increase their options. we're expecting them from all major car makers in the next two or three years. >> wego said it's going to set itself apart with customer service. it kind of looks like a smart car that's just electric. a technician will fly to your house to set up the car at your

home and then you get the ceo's home number in case you have any questions, or are just lonely and want to talk. the sec will take another proposed run at protecting your internet connection. >> that's been a real source of controversy. even the fed of the fcc can't convince its own commission it should be responsible for protecting the internet. nonetheless we do expect an announcement today that would inhibit internet providers from controlling what data can and cannot go across their network. for instance, slowing down connections to yahoo! and speeding up google or blocking you from using skype. this comes a day after cable internet provider comcast demanded another internet service called level 3 to pay it more money. netflix data has become one of the biggest on the internet and moving those movies has been

very expensive. it used to be those providers would forgive each other when things got unbalanced. what it was turning out with comcast, though, was like you take a guy out to lunch and you go to steak lunches when you're paying and you go to mcdonald's when he's paying and comcast said hold on a second, this is getting unfair. i should point out nbc is in a business deal with comcast to create a separate company. that's going through congress right now so there's a slight conflict of interest in that story and i want to point that out. >> full disclosure. >> i thought you were going to take us to lunch. >> steak or mcdonald's. >> with your paycheck, it's going to be steak. >> chuck e cheese, all right. in san francisco you can get your game on as you wait for the bus. yahoo! set up a series of 20 72-inch tall screens for a contest called bus stop derby. after you type in your neighborhood, you choose one of four games to play. you get points based on how well you do.

the winning neighborhood gets tickets to an okay go concert. people say it's fun but a little hard to master. >> it gives you something to do waiting for the bus but also if you don't tell them how to do it, then i guess it's kind of beside the point. >> it provide you with a bit more information about bus times when you were playing, maybe indicate that your bus is here so you don't miss it while you are playing, you'd be fine. >> you might have to take the next one that comes around. the bus stop derby will last through january 28th. northern california dungeoness crab season opens today. our cameraman caught up with a fish fisherman who went out to mendocino last night and dropped his pots at midnight. that's when the season officially started. the bay area season started in november, but the northern california season just started at midnight last night. we're working to get the video. there it is. 45,000 pounds of fresh crab coming in, so get the butter

ready. the season ends june 20th. crabbers do expect a large haul this year. the dungeoness crab population is on the rebound. remember the bay area season was delayed just a few days. they were waiting to make sure they were big and meaty enough. they look like they are and they're getting a lot of them. it looks like it could be a pretty good season. >> i'm allergic, but you know what, it looks worth it. >> have that pen ready. let's see how the roadways are looking. >> we'll take you out to livermore where things are getting a little crowded on the roadway the. we have an 18-minute drive, below 50 miles per hour all the way through livermore and into dublin now. that's typical for your morning commute. word from our friends in sacramento and stockton and tracy tell us there's pretty thick fog at times. if you're headed east out of the area, let them know there's going to be low visibility at times heading out of that tri-valley area. it may in fact affect you coming through livermore as well.

this is clear, not the skies but the roadway itself, northbound 880 and the 238. we had the big rig and the coupe. smooth for 880 and 580 through the maze. the approach to the toll plaza, the toll plaza shows the backup here. we should see the metering lights turned on right about now as the cash lanes are getting crowded. the east shore freeway, 19-minute drive off the carquinez bridge. back to you. >> thanks so much. the bay area is known as the accept -- epicenter in the fight against aids. see how you can take part in this world aids day. for itchy dry skin.

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areas south of san jose actually climbing into the low 60s for the next couple of afternoons. meantime cooler from lakeport northward. the best chance of rain arrives late tomorrow in the north bay, then friday into saturday for the rest of the bay area and clearing and breezy as we wrap up the weekend. the time now 6:27. a big announcement is coming tomorrow that could have a huge impact on the u.s. economy. find out what could have billions of tourism dollars coming into the country. congress just passed a bill that is supposed to make your food a little bit safer to eat. find out how it works coming up in a live report from washington. plus, how world aids day is being marked all around the bay area coming up next. a live shot outside right now, a nice-looking shot. it is another cold start to the day as the sun begins to come up. we will track those chilly morning temperatures for you all [ female announcer ] safeway talks holiday baking. that smells scrumptious. yummy! smells delightful. awesome! i'm not smelling anything.

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i'm kris sanchez. today is world aids day. we'll talk about what's happening in the bay area, around the world and how far we've come. and bay area commuters get an early holiday gift today. see where traffic could ease up a little bit later on. it's wednesday, the 1st day of december, "today in the bay." from nbc bay area, reporting what matters to you, this is "today in the bay." good morning to you. 6:30 right now. i'm laura garcia-cannon. >> and i'm brent cannon. we want to get started right away with rob mayeda checking your hour-by-hour forecast. we saw the clear skies in that live shot a moment ago, kind of leading to those cold temperatures. >> once again, a few spots this morning 30s outside. look at the numbers by 9:00, 10:00 and 11:00, 50s to near 60 in a few spots, especially san jose southward for the afternoon. so afternoon temperatures will be a little warmer the next couple of days but we're also watching increasing clouds and increasing chance of rain

dropping towards the bay area. a look at those changes coming up in just a few minutes. we want to check the morning commute with mike. >> things are getting slower down the east shore freeway because of the volume of traffic. the metering lights are turned on also because of that volume of traffic. you see that slowing up the incline too. let me give you a live shot from the toll plaza where the whole parking lot is filled in. at the toll plaza itself and around treasure island reports now of a stalled car in the slow lane. the backup could build quickly to grand avenue. mean while further south, 880 moves smoothly past the coliseum but headlights are moving south towards 92 and another accident reported. i'll get the lane information and give that to you in about ten minutes from now. back to you, brent. a live look right now at the white house. besides it being a little foggy there, if you look through the pillars, you can see the front door. they have got a big red ribbon there and that is to kind of get things going for world aids day, helping to commemorate that.

from the white house to the eiffel tower to san francisco city hall, the world is going red, honoring and commemorating and remembering word aids day. kris sanchez has a look at the fight and where we stand against hiv and aids. >> reporter: when the aids epidemic first began in the 1980s, ryan white, a 13-year-old boy, put a face on the virus and the discrimination that came with it. back then aids for him and millions of other aids victims was a death sentence. but today if he was alive, he would be 38 years old and aids would be manageable because of medical advancement. today his mother will receive an award at the national aids memorial grove at golden gate park as part of world aids day. today the united nations is painting two pictures of aids really. in one, there are gains in prevention and anti-viral drugs that have kept people alive since the time of infection. in the other, ryan white's tender age reflects what we could see down the road. he contracted aids through a

blood transfusion but today experts warn of a new wave among young people here in the u.s. and europe. it is the fifth leading cause of death for people age 25 to 44. worldwide about 25 million people have died since the epidemic began. today to raise awareness, some high-profile celebrities will go viral with the virus staging their digital deaths to raise awareness. if you use twitter and facebook you won't see alicia keys, lady gaga, justin timberlake. they're signing off and won't sign on until the keep a child alive charities raises a million dollars. it is estimated that in 2009, 16.6 million children lost parents to hiv and aids. in oakland activists will highlight the goal to make this generation of babies the first to be born aids-free. they say the drugs are available and now it's just a matter of coming up with the funds to prevent mother-to-baby

transmission. special honors are being handed out later on today for several employees of the fairfield police department. a number of officers will receive distinguished service medals for their response to a deadly fire in april in which four children died. other honors include special recognition of newly hired employees, reinstatements, promotions and other things. that ceremony is coming up at 3:30 this afternoon. an east bay man jailed for three and a half years while awaiting for a crime he says he did not commit will have to wait even longer. a hearing to discuss dna evidence in the case was supposed to happen yesterday but it was postponed until january 18th. prosecutors charge dwayne ewing in 2007 for a 1994 kidnap and rape case that happened in the oakland hills. detectives say a condom found at the crime scene lynx ewing to the crime. his mother says her son could have been at the crime scene 16 years ago with his girlfriend. 'tis the season for second chances. today through the end of the

month people with nonviolent misdemeanors and traffic warrants can opt for court dates instead of being booked into the county jail. peep kel go to any santa clara law enforcement agency to get their warrant citations, which will require a promise to appear in court date. operation second chance is directed toward all misdemeanor warrants, no matter what the bail is, including those stamped with no sight and release, no walkover and no bail. california's new attorney general-elect, kamala harris, is getting specific now about her plans to fight crime. during her victory party late last night in san francisco, harris told supporters the state must close the revolving prison door. california may soon have to spend millions of dollars to ship thousands of inmates from overcrowded state prisons to private institutions. harris says it's time for a new plan and she points to the success of the delancy street foundation. it teaches felons job skills so that they can escape a life of crime. >> the system that can be fixed

and it will be my mission to do that work. >> harris says she has a transition team in place and she plans to hit the ground running. she did not say who she thinks should take her place as san francisco district attorney. 6:35 right now. the holiday spirit is alive and well across the bay area. tonight nbc bay area's tom sinkovitz will add to the cheer in san francisco. he'll be emceeing the lighting of the ritz carlton christmas tree at 6:00. he'll be joined by christmas choirs, musicians and as always a child will get to throw the switch through the greater bay area make-a-wish foundation. traffic headaches is just about over for a lot of commuters in the north bay. the 580/101 connector ramp in marin county will open today. caltrans has been working to rebuild that since april. now, the original connector that you see here was built in 1956. the new ramp has two lanes and two shoulders and they hope that that will help reduce a lot of congestion in that area. 6:36 right now. the giants getting a new

shortstop. see who's replacing juan uribe. ah, the sounds of soccer could fill the american air coming up in the future. find out who is stepping up this morning to try to bring the world cup back to the united states. oakland fights to keep the as. see what it's doing today about a new stadium for the team. and it's another chilly start around the bay area, though we're seeing increasing chances of rain later on. we'll talk about that and our first wintertime spare the air alert this morning coming up next, "today in the bay." reporting what matters to you, you're watching "today in the bay" with laura garcia-cannon, brent cannon, business and technology with scott mcgrew and traffic with mike inouye.

welcome back at 6:40 this morning. tracking some patchy fog, 30s and 40s around the bay area this morning. in terms of the rain for now, that's going to stay up on the north coast. we'll likely see that dropping a little further south. across the rest of the bay area as we head into friday. so today variable high clouds, temperatures from san jose south not all that bad. in fact finally near 60 for a change. mid-50s, though, up across the north bay. we'll see some extra clouds. ukiah may see scattered showers. the best bet for rain through the next seven days will be friday into saturday.

maybe some showers in the weekend. the showers here in the bay area means our friends over at mammoth mountain will probably see a little more snow later on this week. to give you some details on a special contest worth more than $4,000, we're talking a trip for four to mammoth mountain. to give us a little more on this, we say good morning to joanie lynch from mammoth. this is a fantastic prize package in what has already been an epic start to the ski season. >> that's right. what a great start to the season. we're just closing off the snowiest november in 25 years here at mammoth mountain. the entire mountain was open for the thanksgiving holiday and that's great news for skiers and snowboarders. we're really excited to be offering two daily flights from the bay area, one from sfo and one from san jose into mammoth. they start december 16th. to kick that off, we'll give away a grand prize for four, round trip airfare, lodging, lift tickets, rentals and vip access to some great events over here at mammoth. nbcbayarea.com is where you foe

to sign up. for all the details on mammoth, go to mammothmountain.com. >> we're looking at that package right there. you can see the airfare for four, three-night stay for four, lift tickets, equipment rentals, vip rooftop access. that package is actually worth more than $4,000. outstanding and great timing for it too. the snow out there at mammoth is just awesome. so this is how you're going to enter. go to nbcbayarea.com. type in mammoth and it takes you to the story you see here with some of the details joanie just mentioned. click on that link and that is your entry form. enter to win the more than $4,000 ski package to mammoth. sounds pretty awesome. brent and laura, back to you. >> thanks a lot, rob. 6:42 right now. there are some new rules designed to help keep your food safer. find out how it could affect what's on your table if the president signs it coming up in a live report from washington.

taking a live look outside. the sun coming up across the bay area. maybe warm things up just a little bit. rob has got a great look at our forecast and of course mike ialways taking a look at the morning commute. 6: save $523! 16 minutes could save you 16%! come on... isn't it time an auto insurer gave it to you straight? that's why you should talk to state farm. but not yet. first, talk to any one of the 40 million drivers who already have state farm. 40 million. yeah, that's more than geico and progressive combined. by a lot. 40 million drivers. more savings. and discounts up to 40%. where else you gonna get discounts like that? call an agent at 1-800-state-farm or go online.

good morning, everybody. welcome back. 6:45 right now. a live look outside from the south bay. again, not a cloud in the sky. the warriors host the phoenix suns tomorrow. they are off today. they're going to need it after the beating they took last night from tim cduncan and the spurs. in the golden state's defense, the spurs are the best team in the nba, plus it's hard to beat

a team when duncan was on his game, and he was last night. duncan gets a triple-double. 15 points, 18 rebounds and 11 assists. spurs win it 118-98. the giants have signed former mvp miguel tejada to a contract worth $6.5 million. he will fill the open spot at shortstop when juan uribe signed with the los angeles dodgers on monday. a stalled car could certainly affect traffic. we want to check in with mike. >> good morning, laura and brent. that was on the upper deck. the latest update i had from chp, they said the truck was blocking one of the slow lanes there passing treasure island. since then we've seen things smooth out. we'll update with the bridge crew. it sounds like things should be nicer heading off of that toll plaza but the backup goes into the berkeley curve and coming down off the carquinez bridge, about a 20-minute commute. maybe a little more because of the volume of traffic. the rest of the maze just fine but south of there, 880 slows

approaching the interchange. two accidents. one is a hit and run just cleared and south of 92 a three-car accident which sounds like it's out of the roadway but the slow lane may be affected. livermore builds up, just the normal volume of traffic and south of there we'll have a live look at sunol where, rob, there's creepy fog going on at the golf course, but you can see that fremont approach over the hill so it is changing out there. >> that's the way the commute is going to be. you'll be driving with clear skies and run into patchy fog. 30s and 40s through at least 8:00 this morning, but lunchtime temperatures not that bad. we'll get hazy sunshine, a few showers north of santa rosa with 50s and low 60s for highs the next couple of days. a chance for showers increase and start to slide south friday into saturday with cool conditions to wrap up the weekend. laura. thanks so much, rob. tracking food from farm to market and eventually to your table just got better. tracie potts is live in washington, d.c., with a look at the new food safety bill

approved by congress that is meant to stop foot borne outbreaks -- food borne outbreaks before they even start. >> reporter: there have been a lot of outbreak in california, 79, more than any other state. now the senate has passed a sweeping food safety legislation. they're hoping to reconcile it with what passed the house more than a year ago. bottom line, if in fact it ends up on the president's desk by the end of this month, as they hope, it will make the food on your plate safer. $1.4 billion to beef up the authority of the fda so they can mandate recalls, make sure manufactures have recalls in place, they are stricter standards and there will be more inspections. we've seen that issue come up a lot in some of the recent recalls involving salmonella, e. coli and other contaminants. as i said, there have been 85 actually in about the last year or so recalls, and this food safety bill is aimed at keeping

food safer and giving the fda the authority to do just that. the big question, though, will congress have time to deal with it. they have got taxes, the s.t.a.r.t. treaty. unemployment insurance benefits to extend and now this food safety bill which is very close to passing, closer than it's ever been, may actually end up on the president's desk. >> we'll see what happens. thanks. oakland is making another pitch trying to keep the as in the east bay. christie smith is live in jack london square with a look at the new plans for a stadium near one of the city's busiest hubs. >> reporter: good morning to you. we're talking about a 39,000-seat stadium right near jack london square that would bring housing and retail. now, you would think that oakland as fans would absolutely love this idea, but we're finding this morning that that's not the case. they're actually quite lukewarm to the proposed location near 4th and embarcadero. incoming oakland mayor jean quan

supports it saying it could actually kick start the area and there are plans for off-sight parking, but neighbors worry about pollution and noise and traffic. the city is negotiating with a committee appointed by major league baseball to try to determine if the as should stay in oakland or move down the road to san jose. but one season ticket holder tells us it's the giants' ballpark that puts a new spin on this. >> whether you're a giants fan or not, you can enjoy going to a game just because it's so pretty, nice to look at, beautiful view of the bridge. over here, there's not much to look at. >> reporter: so then in your opinion where should it be? >> maybe knock down where they're at now and rebuild. >> reporter: workers of buzzing about this at the produce mart where he's working, which is right near the proposed stadium. the city here is paying for this environmental impact report because the league wants a ballpark for the as by opening day 2015. reporting live in oakland,

christie smith, "today in the bay." there's yet another reason to go to fisherman's wharf in san francisco today. giants slugger cody ross is going to hand out autographed baseballs at the cost plus world market on taylor street. the first 300 people who come and bring a minimum of five non-perishable food donations get one of though balls. all of the food that is donated goes to the san francisco food bank. it is december and that means it's time for those best of and the end of the year lists and in 2010 there's a source for yahoo! users. >> yahoo! searches, normally every year since 2001 when they released this list, it's been celebrities and popular tv shows have been all of the top lists. but this year the top search for 2010, drum roll please, bp oil spill. yahoo! says it's the first time a news story has ever topped the list. okay, after that everything gets back to normal. number two is the world cup. i know you will talk more about the world cup in a few minutes. then it's time for celebrities.

miley cyrus, kim kardashian and lady gaga. the iphone, by the way, comes in number six. google is tipping its cap this morning to rosa parks. if you go to google you'll see an image of a rainbow of kids and a bus. it's 55 years to the day since ms. parks refused to move to the back of the bus. that's not the first time it had ever been done. in fact there had been a supreme court fight about an earlier case. but parks' refusal led to the famous montgomery bus boycott and that was one of the first major civil rights actions of the '50s. ms. parks died in 2005 in michigan. nothing like cozying up to a warm fire on a cold winter day but don't do it today because that holiday hearth could actually get you in trouble. it's a spare the air day, so they're going to have investigators going out in bay area cities actually looking for smoke coming from your chimney, so consider yourself warned.

in the meantime we want to check in with rob as well because we're talking about that cold weather and, you know, spare the air day. you've got to watch it out there, try to cut back. >> let's take a look at that spare the air alert. what happens this time of year, you get 30s down closer to sea lev level, 40s in the hilltops. that acts like a bowl and you can see the smoke collect at ground level. with light winds this morning, we're seeing precisely that. you'll notice as the city cams start to lighten up, in fact we've got a great shot from san bruno mountain. you can see from the hilltop looking across the bay that we do have low-level haze out across the bay area this morning. you can see the clear skies, but look at all that smoke and haze down at the lower levels, and that is the reason why, even though it's not winter, we have winter-like conditions and our first spare the air advisory for particulate matter pollution. quick check of the forecast, as we go through the rest of the

day after we stop talking about this spare the air advisory, i can show you the forecast. as we go through the rest of the day today, we will see patches of fog also slowing down your commute in a few spots. around lunchtime we should see those temperatures climbing into the mid-50s. 50s and 60s for highs today. showers north of santa rosa today and then as we get into friday and saturday, the rest of the bay area, i think we'll see a little rain around here. hopefully that clears out for that important event sunday morning in san jose. >> a big holiday parade in downtown san jose. >> you know, they have been pretty fortunate. they have had so many sunny days. i don't know that it's ever rained on the parade. >> it's been a little misty. we were talking about spare the air day. we want to check in with bob redell to tell us more about the inspections that are going on today. >> reporter: well, good morning to you. this is the first spare the air day of the winter season. that means that you're not allowed to light up any fires in your fireplace, whether it's wood, manufactured fire logs, fuel pellets, anything along

those lines. if you do, you do run the risk of getting kwaut by the air quality management district. believe it or not, they send out inspectors looking for smoke coming out of chimneys in any of the homes in the nine-county area. if you're caught, the first offense you get off with a warning. second is a $400 fine and the fines go up after that. you are exempt, however, from this rule if your fireplace or stove is your only source of heat in your home. now, the district called for the spare the air day because today's weather conditions are more conducive in keeping smoke and soot trapped near the ground level. what we're experiencing is a temperature inversion. you've got the warmer temps up top, colder down below, combine that with light winds and it's harder for small particulate matter like smoke to escape. it pools around the neighborhoods and gets into our lungs. pie the way, there's an estimated 1.4 million fireplaces and wood-burning stoves here in the bay area.

they do coming the leading cause of pollution around this time of year. reporting live, bob redell, "today in the bay." we want to check the commute one last time with mike. >> and we always encourage folks to use mass transit. we're going to look at travel times and right now approaching the bay bridge, you still just have a 23-minute drive. not so bad but the backup all the way to the berkeley curve gets pretty severe. speeds down toward 10 and 20 miles per hour as you approach the toll plaza. 580 and 680 looking pretty good except for 580 coming through the altamont pass. westbound, typical 22-minute drive. eastbound, if you're heading out of the area, thicker fog as you head towards the central valley. the south bay shows its typical pattern, slowing on 101 around tully. 680 all the way past up the airport with the 40s there as well as highway 85 starting to show slowdown. the peninsula moves pretty nice but the southbound side we get that sunrise slowdown. the sun hits you around 7:30,

8:and that causes visibility issues there. >> i was driving, it was tough the other day. it will be interesting to see if vuvuzelas are popular 12 years from now. sound the vuvuzelas. remember those sounds from the summer's world cup in south africa? well, about this time tomorrow we're going to find out if the u.s. will host the world cup in 2022. fifa, the organization behind the world cup, already took a vote and will make their announcement at 7:00. former president bill clinton, actor morgan freeman and landon donovan all made a pitch. the u.s. hosted the soccer tournament back in 1994. it's really big news because countries that host world cup they get billions of dollars in tourism.

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