good morning. thank you so much for joining us. i'm laura garcia-cannon. >> i'm brent cannon. we begin with christina and your forecast. man, winter is back. >> yeah. old man winter is banging down our door this morning with temperatures in the 30s. 33 degrees in santa rosa. 34 in fairfield. it is really chilly. i think that a lot of these temperatures that are in the low 30s will drop into the upper 20s before all is said and done this morning. as we head throughout this afternoon we are going to gradually rise up into the 50s. a lot of sunshine on tap for today. but the big weather story is an approaching system that's going to bring our snow levels down to 500 feet as we head into saturday morning. we'll talk more about that all morning long. but we want to talk about the word of the day. and this morning the secret word is "casablanca."

one word today for you. now that you know the secret word, log on to nbcbayarea.com. enter that word and you will be entered to win one of three fabulous prizes, a trip to tribeca in new york, the dallas film festival or the los angeles film festival. and that's not all. we are also giving away a pack, two packs of tickets to cinequest in san jose. you can win those, it is really easy. we'll do this every day this week. "casablanca." good movie. i bet brent and laura have watched it together. let's check on the roads with mike. my buddy, rick, that's his favorite movie. he did reports on it in high school. he knows it well. i just know the sam guy. he plays it again. we are talking about fog that's back again. this is along the san mateo coast. 280 near crystal springs, chp reports dense fog really tough to see. if you are coming down 280 use that as a word of caution, but a

light volume of traffic keeps you moving smoothly through the area. 101 also approaching 92, very nice flow as well. we'll take a look over here moving north of there into the city, no major delays. we'll see a heavier volume of traffic heading into san francisco from the peninsula as well as around the east bay, but right now an easy flow of traffic here as well. so we'll follow this as things build over the course of the morning. right now no major incidents on chp. back to you. thanks a lot, mike. rescue and cleanup crews are still searching the rubble in new zealand this morning after a powerful earthquake. the prime minister calls it utter devastation. some new video from near where the earthquake hit, 6.3 hit in the city of christchurch in the middle of the workweek. many are still trapped in the collapsed buildings. fires are burning as well and power is out. one man describes what it has been like since the quake hit. >> the ceiling just came down in

a spot about three feet and that was it. luckily we were on the edge of the building. if we were two meters in we would have been squashed. >> this is the second major earthquake to hit christchurch in the past few months. there was another quake back in september. that one was actually more powerful. however, it caused less damage and nobody was killed in that one. it is 5:03 right now. facebook founder mark zuckerberg is having trouble de-friending one of his facebook followers. and now a hearing is set for this morning in a santa clara courtroom. the 31-year-old man has been ordered to stay 300 yards away from zuckerberg. his sister and his girlfriend as well. the restraining order says the milpitas man tried to contact zuckerberg and used language threatening to his personal safety. in the past month he showed up on the steps of zuckerberg's home and sent him flowers. a local man says he was

sexually abused years ago by a catholic priest and this morning he's going to trial for attacking that priest. will lynch is charged for beating father gerald lindor last year. he said he and his brother were molested a several years ago. if convicted lynch could face four years in prison. the city of san jose has a new definition of racial profiling that could help the strained relationship between police and ethnic communities. san jose police investigated about 150 racial profiling cases over the past three years and not a single xlanlt was sustained. so a new definition is in place this morning. it is now considered a violation for an officer to show any biased behavior at any time during an encounter with the public. san jose's new police chief chris moore plans to take a closer look at these claims of racial profiling. it could be a tough day on

tap as students head back to class for the first time since hearing of two of their classmates dying over the weekend. 16-year-old matthew miller and 17-year-old gavin powell died in a tragic drowning accident in walnut creek. marla tellez is live at las lomas high school where the boys were juniors. good morning to you, marla. >> reporter: good morning. instead of returning to school for another week rested and ready to go, it is safe to say they will be returning to campus with heavy hearts. but grief counselors will be on hand to greet them this morning to help them deal with the tragic loss of two of their classmates. as you mentioned, matthew miller and gavin powell. they were juniors at this high school. and they were best friend. and this morning autopsy results show they confirm the pair drowned to death after trying to navigate the powerful flow of a rushing creek on saturday. with all the rain we have been having, although they were

warned by one of their parents not to do it, the two took an inflatable raft into a drainage canal in walnut creek. they were wearing helmets but they were not wearing life preservers. the force of the water was just too much to handle. and they were found about a mile apart from each other in concord on sunday. as fellow students head back to class this morning, no doubt, they will be thinking of matthew and gavin. >> i wasn't really shocked. i was kind of surprised because why would you go out in the rain. and i know they are smarter than that. they are nice, they are smart, they are intelligent, they get good grades. they both wanted to go to college. they had high expectancies of themselves. they were both vail motivated. >> reporter: a candlelight vigil is scheduled for tomorrow night for both teens from 6:00 to 8:00 at the southerland open space. a memorial service is planned

for matthew miller at 2:00 on sunday afternoon at congregation benet here in walnut creek. again, for students, teachers and staff returning to class on this tuesday morning, they will be greeted by grief counselors if they would like to consult with them. live in walnut creek this morning, marla tellez, "today in the bay." >> just lost so young. thank you very much, marla. well, this morning one san jose assembly member has a bill on tap that will set a higher standard for california drinking water. nora compost plans to introduce the bill today to combat the amount of kroneium, a carcinogen in the water. at 10:00 the case will be made at the state capitol in sacramento. we want to check in with christina. we still have snow on our peaks

and could see them on our yards pretty soon. >> maybe. maybe. let's not overdo it now. hey, poler alert. we are expecting snow later on in the week. mostly towards the weekend, saturday morning would be the best chance for that valley snow. and right now i do think we will see snow levels fall to about 500 feet. livermore, for instance, is about 400 feet. so you'll probably get a little dusting of snow as we head into this weekend. snow in san francisco. now, i'm not going to call for that. that is very unlikely. there's a chance, but i'm not going to call for it. 42 degrees in oakland and hayward. it is chilly in the north bay where we have temperatures in the low 30s, probably falling into the upper 20s before we hit our lows this morning. the coldest point of the day is typically right before sunrise. so some time around 7:15 in the morning is when we see the coldest temperatures. here's the system that brought us the rain showers. yesterday they affected southern california. today we are not expecting rain, just the aftermath of the

leftover moisture. this morning we have dense fog developing along the peninsula. and that will keep your temperatures a little bit more mild today. 54 degrees in san francisco. 55 in los gatos. 55 degrees in san jose. 55 for concord. not too bad. a little bit on the mild side. you will need the jacket all day long. and temperatures will continue to fall as we head through the next few days. we'll talk more about that approaching system and the low snow levels, but let's find out right now, can people get up to mount hamilton, mike? not this morning, christina. they have the closure going through 8:00 a.m. we'll keep that in mind if you want to get to the snowy mountain tops of san jose. just look at them. we'll show you views as well. a look over here through some of the east bay hills, the traffic is flowing nicely here. you did show the temperatures through the east bay and further north through san rosa and wine country, close to freezing. watch for black ice on the roads. livermore, no problems out of the altamonte pass. we'll see slowing here at 5:30. we'll look at the san mateo

bridge traveling over the water through the peninsula on the east bay. a nice easy drive right now, but on the peninsula side of the san mateo bridge, 92 approaching 280 has reports of dense fog through the area. duran bridge, that's the bridge that hovers over the area by crystal springs, keep in mind the dense fog advisory issued by chp a few hours ago that's still in place. christina talked about the fog getting thicker throughout the course of the morning. moving south along the peninsula, no delays for 101 or 280 down to san jose. we have a concert, lincoln park is playing at h.p. pavilion tonight. over off to the right side of the screen, if you have a widescreen tv, you can see the closure at mount hamilton we talked about. a dry commute this morning, but we'll see metering lights. we did not see those yesterday. >> that's right, folks are heading back to work. it is 5:10. snow in the midwest is causing flight trouble. we'll see if bay area airports are affected this morning. people in santa clara are fighting with their landlords over trees. the city has stepped in but the cease-fire may not last for

long. plus, the moves today to help guarantee that the south bay can get their own professional football team. we'll tell you what's going to happen to make sure that the funding is still there. a live look outside, the beautiful bay bridge this morning. very cold start to the morning. find the heater in the car, maybe grab some gloves before you head out the door, or stick around. that's what we would like. 5:11 right now. switching to progressive could mean hundreds more in your wallet year after year. feed me! saving you money -- now, that's progressive. call or click today.

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and this is a live look outside at a very cold start across the bay area today. old man winter is back. it is 5:14 right now. >> police in east palo alto are trying to take steps to build relationships with community leaders. police chief ronald davis is going to host his first chat with the chief for the year. he wants to talk about the progress that the department has made and look at the challenges that are still ahead. there were four murders and 40 shootings last year, so overall crime dropped 22% in palo alto, east palo alto. chief davis will also talk about

his department's work with the community on crime prevention. and that meeting will happen tonight at 6:00 in the east palo alto city hall. the santa clara city council is holding a meeting to save money set aside for a new 49ers stadium. it plans on memorializing the $40 million bond measure approved by santa clara voters last night. city leaders want to remind governor jerry brown the project has been in place long before his plan to phase out redevelopment agencies. the governor wants to funnel money from the agencies back to the state. redwood trees are at the center of a dispute at a santa clara apartment complex, and right now they are safe this morning, but we don't know for how long. once the la park apartment complex gets the required permits to cut down six redwood trees the city says work can continue. apartment managers say the trees have to go because they are affecting the underground pipes and the building's foundation. but people who live in the complex say they moved there because of the trees and they are outraged that the apartment

management has ignored their protest. >> they are just going to continue on because they are determined to cut them. >> a manager for the complex would not comment on the redwood trees. the midwest is digging out this morning after another major storm. we've got a look at what it looked like in minnesota yesterday. more than a foot and a half of snow in some parts of the state. folks had to get out there to dig their cars out. the minneapolis/st. paul airport says operations will return to normal this morning. the storm is now headed east expected to hid hit the midatlantic and possibly cause travel delays there. we checked with local airport this is morning and so far no word of any flight cancellations out of sfo, oakland or san jose. we'll update you if anything changes. you can see plenty of salt water fish off the coast of florida. however, this time of year thousands of sharks have come there for the winter. like clockwork every year these black-tip sharks migrate south to find the warmer waters.

beach goers should not worry. the sharks are not interested in humans and they do not pose a threat. but just to play it safe, a lot of people say they still have big teeth and jaws and are staying out of the water. >> yeah, no kidding. play it safe. they are fine, they are our friend. 5:17 right now. christina loren has a look at the forecast. bundle up before you head out the door. right? maybe she's bundling up right now. >> perhaps. she can't find her gloves. well, okay. >> she can't hear us. let's move on. have you heard about this? 94 years young. she keeps going. what an inspiration. she's a north texas mayor that won't run for re-election but she's not retiring either. >> no, after 38 years as mayor of shady shores, kind of a cool place to live, i think, and ten years on the city council, olive stevens says it is time to mass the torch. however, stepping down won't keep her from helping the town

she loves. >> if my legs don't go out on me i'm planning on doing things until my last breath. >> olive plans to volunteer at the local library. she says she is most proud of the fact that the city is out of debt and has money in the bank ever since she's been mayor. >> look at that front page of the paper, spring cleaning there in shady shores. >> you have to love it. it sound like a made for tv movie. now let's check in with christina. were you looking for your gloves because it is so cold? >> i was looking for my gloves. only mine you can put on and snap like that. good morning to you. we are looking pretty good across the bay area this morning. it is cold out there. 35 degrees in fairfield. 33 in napa. and 31 degrees right now in santa rosa. so chilly conditions, especially in the agricultural and outlying areas of the city. grab a jacket, but you won't need the umbrella today. rain showers we saw yesterday

morning have now skirted to the south with this system of low pressure right here now only impacting the coast of los angeles. this thing will fizzle out heading throughout the day today. now for us high pressure firmly in control. that's going to bring our temperatures up into the 50s later on today. a lot of sunshine, but it will be kind of the deceitful sunshine when you look out your window and see it is beautiful. you will walk outside and be freezing. make sure you grab the jacket and keep it handy. 55 degrees in oakland today. 55 in san jose. and 58 degrees in almaden valley. now, what's to come? another system of low pressure. another round of rain, a cold system is headed towards the bay area as we head into the latter part of thursday, friday and saturday. we are expecting showers. and when the coldest air arrives on saturday morning we could see snow levels drop to 500 feet. that means snow flurries possible on the valley floor. we'll go into detail as to when that's expected coming up. right now, though, i'm going to send it back to you. thank you very much. 5:19 right now. we have a free look at an

oscar-nominated documentary. we'll tell you where to go to see it tonight. and teachers in wisconsin continue to fight to save their union and some bay area unions are now stepping in to show their support. we will tell you how. of course, they have their own troubles here. and trouble on the stock market as oil prices hit new highs. business news is just ahead. ♪ leftover desserts, boardroom, now. and hurry before the interns get here. thanks but i already have some yummy black forest cake. black forest cake? ♪ so? [ female announcer ] need a guilt free treat? try yoplait light. and i've lost weight. [ female announcer ] with 30 delicious flavors, all around 100 calories each. yoplait. it is so good. the yoplait you love, now in a 4-pack. try it today.

good morning, folks. coming up on 5:23. watch the clock change at the bottom of the screen. no, look at my maps. we have speeds above the limit. remember, 65, that's the legal limit coming through the area. you can, of course, count on pretty light volumes of traffic right now. and count on the backup forming about 6:30 at the toll plaza. we'll see folks back from the presidents' day holiday. continuing opposite of the commute heading to the north bay, the venetian bridge or cartinas bridge, a smooth flow. through santa rosa you could see icier conditions. the potential for black ice. looking at 101 and highway 37, the freeways themselves are all right. no icing up there. it is surface streets we are talking about. a smooth drive down to the golden gate bridge at the limit. a live look shows you things light into the city. we are ready for the morning commute. the copes are aligned, but no major issues here further south. 280 has the issue with fog reported. dense fog coming through san

mateo approaching 92. keep that in mind on the east side of the bay. no major issues taking a live look past the coliseum. northbound with the taillights, so far it is just a mild buildup. we'll see the slowdown building up to the 8:30 peak through the area. back to you, brent. thanks a lot, mike. >> is that how i sound, really? >> keep going. >> california teachers are jumping into the union fight in wisconsin. they are going to hold a candlelight vigil and will be a part of the we are one vigil on the west steps of the capitol building in sacramento tonight. collective bargaining has improved working conditions for school employees and improved the quality of education for students. meantime, the issue is that the teachers in wisconsin continue to protest. they are trying to save their union there. thousands of them are gathering still at the state capitol in washington. the public employee workers union protecting or protesting

governor scott walker's proposal for unions to pay more for benefits and to eliminate their collective bargaining rights. 14 state democrats have left the state so they cannot hold the vote. now state republicans are trying to force a vote and put a deadline on this bill. there are similar protests now in other counties all across the united states because if the wisconsin unions go down with budget problems that could have a ripple effect all across the united states. that's why we are watching that. >> we are seeing it happen across the united states. and california teachers are facing the crisis. that's interesting. you are talking about california teachers trying to show support, solidarity. they have a nightmare here. the math is just not working out on the teachers retirement system in california. it is falling short. each time a school system lays a teacher off the situation here in the state actually gets worse because you have fewer young teachers paying into the system. the mercury news points out this morning that leaves taxpayers with a choice. pay more to help fund the

teachers retirement called cal stars or start breaking past agreements with teachers a bit like wisconsin is doing with its educators. now, based on current money that's going in and the money that's going out, insolvency is not if, it is when. wall street has been seeing a solid 2010 so far for stocks. keep an eye on stocks for yahoo! today. a huge scandal for alibaba in china while america's markets were closed. alibaba says the mess won't affect the income, so perhaps yahoo! stocks with escape punishment. by the time oil prices hit everybody you'll have a bad day on wall street. back to you. meantime, the oscars are this sunday but you can get a free look at a possible academy award winning film today. check out a special screening of "warriors of quigang" in san francisco tonight.

it is nominated for best short documentary. tonight's screaming is at 6:00 at the ninth street film center. 5:26 right now. all eyes on new zealand this morning after a devastating quake. we'll talk to a local man whose trying desperately to get ahold of loved ones this morning. and an east bay school district sets an agenda for budget deficits and looking at what schools may close there. we'll look at that coming up. and a live look outside at the beautiful bay bridge this morning. lots of folks are heading back to work after a nice long weekend. another cold one on tap. when will it warm up? we'll check in with christina at 5:27 right now. switching to progressive could mean hundreds more in your wallet year after year. feed me! saving you money -- now, that's progressive. call or click today.

new this morning, this high school in walnut creek gets ready to welcome back students after losing two of their own in a tragic rafting accident over the weekend. good morning, i'm marla tellez. i'll tell you what's planned for students coming up in a live report. plus, the latest on the search for the california couple kidnapped by somali pirates. we'll tell you what the u.s. is trying to do today to bring them home. and a live look outside. traffic is already picking up on oakland's 880 area. it is tuesday, february 22nd. this is "today in the bay." good morning, everybody. thank you for joining us. i'm brent cannon.

>> i'm laura garcia-cannon. we'll get started with a look at the forecast. another cold start i keep saying. so cold that you'll try to let your parents out, but they will go reluctantly because it is chilly out there. 55 degrees in fairfield. 35 in concord. below freezing in santa rosa. napa, you are now at 33 degrees. if you reach 28, we'll have a new record for this date. it is a chilly start with a lot of sunshine today. and it will be a fairly nice day staying dry. temperatures maxing out in the upper 50s. but there's a big storm on the way to drop our snow levels significantly this weekend. we'll talk about that. let's get you to work on time. it is a short workweek. how are we doing on the roadways this morning, mike? well, you know, christina, yesterday was a holiday for everybody in the bay area as far as schools go. so a lot of parents were off as well. highway 4 didn't show slowing, but right now 34 is showing up. speeds are dipping at 5:30 as is tradition. typically faster than what we

are seeing. most of the schools are back in session, except for san jose unified. no major slowing out of the altamont pass. however, the speed sensor at north flint, speed sensors are dropped and come back up to the speed limit indicating more folks are heading through the area. we will watch this and the toll plaza. things are moving slowly approaching the area. we'll see that over the next hour. back to the desk. students in walnut creek will head back to class this morning for the first time without two of their classmates. the two teens died in a rafting accident and "today in the bay's" marla tellez is live this morning in walnut creek with how the boys are being remembered this morning. marla? good morning, brent. yes, when students head back to school at las lomas high school, they will be greeted by grief counselors to deal with the heartbreaking loss of their two classmates. 16-year-old matthew miller and 17-year-old gavin powell, they were juniors at this high school and were also best friends for years.

now this morning autopsy results confirm the two drowned after trying to navigate the powerful flow of a rushing creek saturday here in walnut creek in an inflatable raft. now they were wearing helmets but were not wearing life jackets. meantime, a memorial is building this morning where the teens entered the creek. it is about a mile from the high school where we are standing today. the friends are leaving signs and flowers in memory of them. we spoke to gavin powell's uncle who says his nephew recently spoke to his mother about a rafting adventure. >> he approached the subject like wouldn't it be cool to maybe raft down the creek. she went ballistic on him and told him that was probably the dumbest thing he could think of. obviously it didn't sink in. >> reporter: if you would like to pay your respects, a candlelight vigil is scheduled for tomorrow night. that's from 6:00 to 8:00 at the

southerland drive to shell ridge open space. also, a memorial service is planned for matthew miller this coming sunday at 2:00 in the afternoon at congress ge grags benet here in walnut creek. also, a reminder that the memorial is building a mile up the way here where the teens entered the creek if you would like to leave something in memory of gavin and matthew. grief counselors are expected to be here on hand when students arrive later this morning. live in walnut creek, marla tellez, "today in the bay." thank you for the update, marla. >> 5:34 right now. rescue and recovery efforts are underway in new zealand this morning. tall buildings and churches were toppled after the 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck yesterday. take a look at the damage. at least 65 people were killed in the city of christchurch and many others are trapped in some of the collapsed buildings. multi-story buildings just collapsed on top of themselves and groups of people had to try to help victims clutch their bleeding wounds and try to get

people to safety. the city's mayor declared a state of emergency. people in the bay area with ties to new zealand are anxiously awaiting word on loved ones who were affected by the quake. and the internet is playing a key role. in berkeley people like todd sully hope for some good news about his friends and family in christchurch. his niece tweeted she's okay. there's already a facebook page up where people can post messages and begin to try to connect with their loved ones. sully teaches karate in the east bay and says his friends have a studio in christchurch. he knows it could be several days before he finds out how everybody is doing. >> hopefully we'll find my family in the near future, but it is going to take a while because they are digging through. >> sully is contacting agencies in new zealand to find the best way to help with donations. so far he's been told the new zealand red cross is a very good place to start. 5:35 right now. the u.s. military continues

their but suit of a yacht hijacked by pirates with four americans onboard. the latest update is that the yacht is two days off the somali coast. the military said yesterday a navy warship and helicopters were trailing the boat. they have not updated the situation since then. onboard are jean and scott adam, two southern californians with family here in the bay area. phyllis mckay is also onboard. the yacht was overtaken by pirates on friday. we don't know how the four americans are doing. today parents, students and teachers in the mount diablo district will find out the future of their schools. earlier this month trustees agreed to close glen brooke middle and holbrooke elementary schools in concord. last week they weighed in on closing either westwood elementary or silverwood elementary in concord to save $1.5 million. tonight's meeting is at 7:30 at the monte gardens elementary in concord. time now is 5:36.

we want to check in with christina. it is cold this morning. this could be one of the warm days if we get a little snow later on. >> yeah, i don't want to overdo it. i don't want to blow it out of proportion, but snow levels falling to 500 feet. snow on the valley floor, not out of the question. in fact, we are actually going to forecast snow on the valley floor in places like livermore where your elevation is close to 400 feet. but that's not until early saturday morning. we have a few days to forecast in between now and then. so as we get more information as that system gets closer to us we will continue to update you on the chances of snow right here in the bay area on the valley floor. 42 any in hayward. 36 in livermore. 34 in gilroy. temperaturebiz it will climb to 45 in gilroy heading into 8:00 a.m. so i think if you are leaving any time between now and 8:00 a.m. give yourself extra time to get the frost off the windshield. after 8:00 a.m. our temperatures

climb into the 40s. by noon you are taking your lunch break with temperatures in the low 50s. and rounding out the day, i would say 58 degrees in almaden valley. 55 in san jose. 56 in fremont. not too bad. lots of sunshine on tap for us. and in the next system, more rain is on the way late thursday into friday. we'll update you on that coming up. right now, we are going to send it over to you. i'll take it, christina. you are talking about the cold temperatures in the next couple of hours. things will be colder for the north bay with temperatures at freezing or near freezing. black ice could be an issue crossing through wine country. a nice easy drive through the maze. the walnut creek interchange moving to the east is a nice flow as well, concord, san ramon, very cold temperatures. christina is talking about frost if you don't have the carport for your car or the garage. antioch, highway 4 shows it slowing at 35 miles per hour, but slowing now near love ridge. we are spreading out with a slowdown. the rest of the east bay freeways looking all right.

the bottom of the screen, we said 14 minutes last night, now 15 minutes out of the altamont pass in to eastern livermore. the heart of livermore is moving close to the limit to the dublin interchange. here's a live look past castro valley meeting up near 880. the warriors game is tonight affecting traffic flow after work as people head back to work on this tuesday. we'll have traffic past the coliseum for the game. the south bay, a nice smooth flow on 880 down into the south bay at h.p. pavilion with a concert tonight. it sounds like the unified schools are out this week, so there's lighter flows of traffic through the business areas as well. note if you are getting to mt. hamilton, it is still closed through 8:00 a.m. this morning. we'll get a live look out there ending with the san mateo bridge. still foggy on the peninsula around 280. back to you. thank you, mike. >> meantime, 5:39. nascar drefr driver trevor bayne is going to make a stop in the bay area today. we'll tell you where you can meet him coming up.

plus, a new way for thieves to steal your information. why they don't even have to pick your pocket to get that credit card number out of your wallet. hackers take on microsoft. microsoft says go right ahead. business and technology news just ahead. and a live look across the bay bridge this morning. we'll check in with christina and mike all day long because the commute traffic is back. everybody is heading back to work after the holiday. we'll be right back. (announcer) while there are some home disasters you can't avoid,

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[ female announcer ] starbucks via is planted the same... ♪ ...harvested the same... ♪ ...and roasted the same as our other premium coffees. it only makes sense it would taste the same. so, try it for yourself. buy a pack of 100% natural starbucks via ready brew. we promise you'll love it or we'll send you a bag of starbucks coffee. it's the starbucks via taste promise. look for it where you buy groceries. bay area transit agencies could save a combined $100 million just by cutting costs in one key category.

money can be saved by looking at administrative costs that include planning, dispatching and marketing. the bay area's 28 transit agencies spend about 20% of their budgets on these functions, but that's compared to just 15% in this casewide nationwide. with a $2 billion budget that additional 5% comes out to about $100 million. some transit officials recommend merging certain agencies to try to save money. 5:43 right now. budget problems continue to plague states across the country, california is certainly no exception. millions of dollars needs to be trimmed. "today in the bay's" kristen dahlgren is live in washington with a look at where lawmakers stand. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, laura. we are seeing the budget battles at every level, the standoff here in washington and the stalemate going on in wisconsin where we have seen so far the biggest protest in those democratic lawmakers leaving the

states so they didn't have to vote on that governor's plan to end collective bargaining for unions. and we are not seeing any signs they are going to come back today. but we are also seeing similar protests around the country. the issue, really, is the budget shortfalls happening in 45 states and the district of columbia now with a total of 125 billion dollars in shortfalls around the country. california certainly contributing to that with the largest budget shortfall expected in 2012 of any state at $25.4 billion. it is 29.3% of the 2011 budget, so really significant. last year we did see a battle in california over public pension cuts and saw some concessions there. now republican lawmakers are looking for more budget committees in california's senate and assembly and have griffin preliminary approval to

trim spending $12.5 billion and to extend tax increases. but it is uncertain if the future plan will get approved. so we could see protests as well. they are expected really to snowball and see more and more around the country as the belt tight anything happens at the state level. >> everybody is feeling the pinch. thank you, kristen. it is really cold around the bay area this morning. and later on this week you just might see an unusual dusting of snow in a few bay area neighborhoods. >> it is a drop in elevations this week, and not just on the mountain tops that we are used to seeing. bob redell is live in concord the morning. no gloves or nothing. >> reporter: i was talking to this man who drives a cab, he says it is not that bad. he's dressed for the weather. we are in concord because the cold air is coming in through the delta, which is what we have been hearing from christina all

morning. and a colder blast of cold air is expected at the end of the week that could bring much lower snow than we have had right now. if you want to see snow in the bay area you still have to drive to the top of places like montana diablo. the road of the mountain top is still closed. the lake observatory said they got six inches up there. now most of the snow has been in elevations of 2,000 feet and above. it is not entirely unusual this time of the year, but come friday night, saturday morning, the levels drop to 1,000 feet, even 500 feet. one forecaster out of monterey says it is possible there could be snow in san francisco. something that's only happened ten times before. the last memorable occasion was back in 1976. speaking with our own meteorologists, snow on the valley floor out here in the east bay is a possibility.

that's assuming the blast of cold air is as advertised. and that the rain coincides with the blast of cold air. bottom line, no one is suggesting you can't make a trip to the sierras to see the real stuff this weekend. reporting live from concord for "today in the bay," bob redell. christina says a blizzard is coming? what was that you were saying? >> i said hold your breath until the snow falls in san francisco. >> oh, i thought you said there was a blizzard. >> silly me and my whiteout conditions. you know what, i think i want to be realistic here. somebody has to grab the handle on this thing. i think that we could see snow at 500 feet. i think that that is a possibility. in fact, it is even likely. snow in san francisco, unlikely. can it happen? yes. will it happen this weekend? probably not. we are going overnight lows in san francisco saturday morning when we are expecting those low snow levels.

i think that they will be around 45 degrees, so that's still too warm for snow in san francisco. it could happen, but i think we'll see more likely some snow in places like livermore where you are already at 400 feet. now as we head throughout the morning it is chilly out there. you might find some of the frost on your windshield. you likely will if you parked in the unprotected area like fairfield and concord where bob redell is at 35 degrees. and it is not even the coldest just yet. we'll drop in temperatures heading through the next hour or so. that's when the lows typically come in. we also have fog out there along the peninsula. so take it easy. watch out for reduced visibility in that neck of the woods. heading through 9:00 a.m. you don't have to worry about the frost any longer with temperatures going to be in the upper 40s. by about 1:00 p.m. temperatures are in the low 50s. then we'll round out the day around 58 degrees in places like oakland. 55 in concord. 55 in livermore. so low snow levels if it does happen. we are expecting it saturday morning. we have a lot of time to forecast between now and then. and we will continue to update

you each and every day. now, i would like it to happen. i think that kind of stuff is cool. but i like to be real, guys. a level head, a level head. back to you. >> wow, snowplows and everything, thanks a lot, christina. the bay area race fans can meet the newest daytona 500 champion today. trevor bayne will be in san francisco's ghirardelli square for an old-fashioned ice cream social. he is going to have a special sundae named in his honor called the trevor bayne sundae sundae sundae! it is complete with all the fixings and fans can get one for free while supplies last. today it starts at 5:30 at ghirardelli square. the warriors are back in action tonight hoping to pick up where they left off before the all-star break. in the first game back golden state is looking for the fourth win in a row. they have to beat the boston celtics to do it. tipoff at 7:30 at oracle arena.

you can see the game on comcast sports net bay area. meanwhile, the sharks are on the road trying to keep the winning streak up. they have won three in a row. they started a tough three-game road trip. they play on comcast sports net california. giants' closer brian wilson could soon add movie consultant to his resumé. charlie sheen is plotting with him to revisit the movie franchise. >> you may remember the movie from 1989 that spawned a few sequels. in it sheen played rick "wild thing" vaughan, an inmate turned closer. >> he says he is flattered just to be asked to consult with sheen. meanwhile, wilson is back in spring training today. he took a few throws yesterday after battling a sore back. he's going to finally face some hitters tomorrow or friday. meanwhile, south bay's pat "the

bat" burrell was exsuzed from yesterday's workout because he had a root canal. justine siegal threw batting practice for the cleveland indians yesterday. she's no stranger to breaking the gender barrier. he's also the first woman to have ever coached first base in men's professional baseball. she did that in an independent league in 2009. very cool. 5:51. i want to check the morning commute with mike. hopefully no curveball out there. >> no, but throwing like a girl is good. that's great. let's look out here at the curvey roadway. we have a little slowdown out of the altamont pass. that's what we are seeing now. buildup into livermore. yes, the commute is on today. much heavier than yesterday. so a lot of folks back from vacation. we do see the slowing and a disabled vehicle reported at evasco that quickly cleared. 16 to 17-minute drive heading eastbound, westbound, sorry, out of the altamont pass. now slowing through antioch.

the speed sensors show 34 at horizon lane, but you can see from the indicators the red is showing speeds near 20 from a to g and slow to love ridge. keep that in mind for that portion of your commute. we have a look over at the maze. the rest of the approach has not built up yet. all the folks from the outer reaches are heading to the bay bridge toll plaza. here's a live look at the toll plaza where you see a nice steady flow. no major backups here. and coming from the south along the freeway, 880 is moving smoothly past the coliseum. the warriors will play at the coliseum tonight. after work there will be congestion getting past the coliseum because of that traffic. back to you guys. 5:52 right now. another long-time ruler in the middle east is starting to lose his grip over his country. libya's moammar gadhafi is being condemned for his bloody crackdowns on protesters. reports say hundreds of people have died in seven days of protesting. this is video of the uprising in

libya. it was released on youtube. you can hear what sounded like gunfire and explosions on the streets of tripoli. armed militias and war planes have been trying to intimidate and disperse the crowds. gadhafi has been in power for over 40 years. the son of a prominent opposition leader in iran is in custody this morning. an anti-government website says he was taken into custody on monday. ali karabi is not known as an activist and his detention is viewed as an attempt to get leverage on his father. his father and mother were detained after security forces raided their house. his father did organize a rally last week where at least two people were killed in clashes in tehran. 56r7b89s:53 right now. the san francisco police commission is planning to discuss possible use of tasers by its police force. it will hold a meeting this wednesday night to hear both sides of the issue. some commissioners question the cost and effectiveness of tasers.

san francisco's mayor ed lee backs the idea of tasers but wants to explore other alternatives to lethal force. the commission voted against a taser proposal last year. a livermore fire station that was shut down due to budget problems last july will reopen today. it is on airway boulevard. it was closed to control costs and let the department leaders try to figure out the most effective way to serve the community with limited funds. the closure helps save $1.3 million. no new jobs are being added with the station reopening. the current 16 firefighters in livermore are now being redistributed. a major milestone when the supreme court returns to session today. "the new york times" says justice clarence thomas has not spoken in court in five years. no other justice has gone an entire term without speaking in the past 40 years let alone five years without uttering a word. in the past thomas has said he's self-conscious about the way he speaks. he's also said he's silent to be courteous and sometimes it is hard to get a word in edge wise.

in the past 20 years justices have typically asked 133 questions per hour long arguments. the countdown is underway for the very last launch of the space shuttle "discovery" set to liftoff thursday afternoon and will head to the international space station. that launch should have taken place four months ago but a last-minute hydrogen gas leak postponed it. the mission's lead space walker also had to be replaced because he was hurt in a bicycle accident of all things. so far the weather looks pretty good for thursday's liftoff. thieves are finding new ways to steal your credit card information without having to lay their hands on it. security experts say high-tech thieves use an inexpensive device that fits inside an ipad case. it reads the identification chip found in cards that all major credit card companies offer. but credit experts say the public shouldn't worry too much. companies have layers of protections to prevent electronic pickpocketing from

becoming widespread. >> there's been no reports that we are aware of where people can trace back that a fraudulent transaction occurred when somebody read the account number off of their contact list card. >> how would you know, though? >> because the banks have a way of tracking those types of transactions. >> credit card companies say consumers are also protected by zero liability policies. you get a full refund if you are a victim of fraud. yahoo! being a little tight-lipped about a scandal at its chinese company alibaba. scott mcgrew has been talking about this and all kinds of problems for yahoo! in tie cha. >> for years and careers years the founder of yahoo! was called, immoral pygmy by a congressman after yahoo!'s chinese arm handed over personal information about users to chinese authorities. well, monday we learned alibaba, yahoo!'s half owner, revealed it approved hundreds of vendors who

ripped off users through fraudulent transactions. alibaba sort of works like e-bay. jerry yang sits on that board as well. the ceo, the chief operating officer, and more than 100 employees lost their jobs in the scandal. i asked yahoo! about it, the company says it has no comment. microsoft says it welcomes hackers this morning. lots of smart people have been taking apart the kinect cameras, the xbox device that lets you play without a controller. the hackers make them do all kinds of things like control the lights in the house. microsoft said, sure, go ahead. they will release information on how the kinect works later this year. not all companies see it that way. years ago sony had the robotic dog when people tried to reprogram the dog sony sued saying the company had the right to teach their dogs new tricks. >> roll over, don't play dead. we'll be right back.