new this morning, rain causing flooding on a popular east by commute route. i'm christie smith live in san leandro. we'll tell you what's going on and when it should be cleared up coming up in a live report. plus, saving underaged girls from prostitution. we ride along with police as they search for the girls and the pumps who put the children at risk. and britney spears canceling her san francisco appearance in the castro. we'll tell you where she plans to perform instead. a live look at a very rainy morning this morning. it is thursday, march 24th. this is "today in the east bay."

good morning, everyone. i'm scott mcgrew. it is 4:30. we have quite a rainy day ahead of us. we'll go to meteorologist christina loren. good morning, christina. good morning to you. we have showers coming down right now, but we expect heavy rain this morning. that will occur between the hours of 7:00 and 10:00. i think you'll be okay if you wake up early in the morning heading off to work. we have a wind advisory in place all day long, so take it easy out there. of course, our grounds are saturated until the later hours. watch out for power lines down around the area. we have a flood watch and that's the case for later on this afternoon. we'll take you through it all and let you know when the rain

is expected to clear coming up. and there's a silver lining to this storm, scott. hold on, we'll get a dry break pretty soon. back to you. in the meantime, be careful heading out the door this morning as the rain is causing major flooding on the east bay roadways. christie smith is live in san leandro where crews are working to clean up one trouble spot. >> reporter: good morning, scott. i just got off the phone with the chp dispatcher who said the problem they are dealing with right now as we speak is that one of the drains here on southbound 880 is still clogged. they are trying to get it clear of debris this morning. this has the number one and number two lanes shut down as williams street right now between davis and marina boulevard. closed for flooding. the first calls came in before 2:00 this morning. one call for flooding. then a second call for a van that spun out and hit the center divide in all the standing water. that's when they divide decided

it was getting dangerous and shut down the two lanes. then another problem. they are telling me the downpours were so heavy that the rain actually kept putting out the emergency flares they had down on the roadway. so they have supervisors here waving people around and officers are carrying lights around to get them out of the way. right now most of the water is clear and things are looking good, but they still have to get one of the danes cleared. the good news right now is we are not in a downpour, it is not raining, so certainly no water adding to it. but it could be before 6:00 until this whole thing is cleared up. so something to keep in mind as you head out this morning. reporting live in san leandro, christie smith, "today in the east bay." thank you much. be careful this morning. more revealing testimony is expected in the barry bonds perjury trial today. equipment manager mike murphy is expected to testify. yesterday bonds listened to testimony from his childhood

friend and former business manager steve hoskins who secretly reported a conversation with bonds' personal trainer greg anderson who allegedly admitted he was injected bonds with steroids. bonds told a grand jury he over knowingly used steroids and that's the crux of this trial. did he lie to a grand jury? other allegations by hoskins, bonds paid a new york mistress, an ex-playboy model, with money fr from. pg&e will be spurred into action today to insure the safety of their pipelines. a proposed fee against pg&e has been proposed for up to a million dollars a day for not giving all the safety records that the california public

safety communications commission requested. this fine would be the toughest yet. the disaster killed eight people in san bruno and after the explosion the agency ordered pg&e to reduce the pressure on several gas lines and started an investigation into the utilities operations. the city of hayward thinking about adopting anti-gang crackdowns. an injunction on members of a 400-strong street gang. the proto sal prevents no gang members from carrying weapons, violating curfew and even hanging out in known gang territory. critic says the plan could be divisive within hayward's communities. the city plans on filing the injunction with the superior court later this year. oakland uses a similar tactic against gangs in its city. saving underaged girls from prostitution. police say there are hundreds of teenager girls working the streets of oakland. cheryl hurd rode along with

officers as they tried to nab the pumps and save the girls. >> we have a female hispanic there as well. >> reporter: oakland police department's child exploitation unit is preparing for a bust. using marked cash the unit is getting ready. the target, teenager prostitutes. >> it's a lot more lucrative than drugs. you have to buy the product, then you have to try to sell the product again. >> reporter: jim has worked in the unit for a decade. >> say, you're my girlfriend, i love you, then they ease them into it. then the girl pump will be gang raped until she agrees to do it. >> reporter: there are hundreds of girls working as prostitutes in oakland and many are doing it against their will. >> all of these are offenders or child predators in some way. whether they molested family

members or friends all the way to pumps who have put children on the streets of oakland. >> reporter: the department is throwing a lot of resources and money at the problem. >> the days of being able to tell that a girl is being exploited by the way that she's dressed or the way she looks are over. people drive past girls being exploited every single day. >> reporter: oakland police officer holly josey worked in the unit for three years. >> if we can take one pump off the street, we look at that saving at least ten underaged girls per year. >> reporter: on this night two women were arrested at la paradise spa on park avenue. no underaged girls at this place, but the unit knows they are out there. >> cheryl hurd there was reporting. we are told underaged prostitutes can make $1,000 a day tax free. oakland's district attorney is looking at other ways to get rid of this huge problem. other problems in oakland.

there's raw sewage floating through some the city's most notable neighborhoods. more than 350,000 gallons of the stuff spilled into the socill street after someone loaded a manhole with rocks causing the pipes to burst. oakland's public works was able to pump most of it out, but 84,000 gallons ended downstream. stay clear of the creek. so far there are no arrests. it is going to be a terrible weather day, at least starting at 7:00. we'll go to meteorologist christina loren. >> i love when you pay attention to me, scott mcgrew. good morning to you. we have showers coming in right now but nothing like what we are anticipating to move in later on this morning. as you can see right now, the east bay is seeing most of the moisture leftover. but this is the front coming in creating light scattered shower activity all across northern california. that's now starting to spread into the east bay. we are really going to watch that for you this morning. we have some intense rain headed our way. take a look at all the green on

your radar. that's the front coming in. your futurecast shows you by 9:00 a.m. we are looking to moderate and heavy rain coming down across the bay area. this is definitely one of the mornings to give yourself extra time and make sure you are alert before you leave the house and that you'll be driving through very dangerous conditions. especially if you have to get the little ones to school this morning. there's going to be a lot of rain and wind. so we are also concerned about the potential for downed trees and power lines. as you know, you'll see this when you walk out the front door, our grounds are saturated with ponding out there. just the guy to tell us where the big trouble spots are is mike inouye. the maps show what to expect later in the commute. getting started with the flooding christie smith reported, this is the location. the car is floating in the water. that's a dramatic icon. it is not that bad, but two lanes near southbound 880 at williams street near marina and davis are being cleared.

the crews will continue. maybe 6:00 a.m. until that clears. then we'll likely see more flooding throughout the oakland area throughout the course of the morning. the maze and the approach to the bay bridge is moving smoothly as far as the speeds go. here's a live look at the toll plaza. the big puddles we expected have been sticking around since yesterday. use caution and lower the speeds. make sure the wipers are in good condition before you leave the house as well. here's is the san mateo bridge. the camera is shaking here. as the morning continues, the wind will pick up in my spots. we'll check back in with you, thank you. when you really need help, should you head to urgent care or the emergency room? the decision to help you save time and money. and last-minute changes for britney spears' performance in san francisco. and it is the winning gown the world is waiting to see. it could already be in california. you are looking at a live picture of a wet 880. it is 4:40. we are back in a second. 3q

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welcome back. it is 4:43. you are looking at a live picture of the bay bridge. both mike and christina say 7:00 will be really tough. if you can get out the door

early you should do it this morning. when you are sick you want help fast, and if your regular doctor is not an option where should you go. the e.r. or urgent care? this morning how to make the smart choice for your health and your budget. "today in the east bay's" garvin thomas takes us in depth. >> reporter: whenever possible most people want to avoid a choice to the e.r. >> the wait was a big concern for me. >> reporter: but it is not just the wait, it is the price tag, too. >> the idea of getting a looming medical bill was absolutely terrifying. >> reporter: last summer wilson went to a bay area urgent care clinic with back pain. she was sent home with some over-the-counter medication. but when the pain didn't go away wilson dragged herself to the e.r. where she was shocked to learn she needed emergency surgery. >> getting there and realizing something had been going on as serious as it was, it was very eye-opening for me.

>> reporter: wilson is fine now and although her case is rare it does raise the question of knowing when your illness is serious enough to go to the e.r. >> i don't expect most patients to really understand and know instingively how ill they are. >> reporter: here are some guidelines. go to the e.r. with difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, sudden or severe pain, pain in your chest or upper abdomen or uncontrolled bleeding. >> but the majority of patients who have trauma or who have a cold and cough don't fall into those categories. >> reporter: here's what an urgent care center says is a good option. after hours or on the weekend when your regular have's office is closed. when you have a non-life-threatening problem like a minor broken bone or cold systems that won't go away. urgent care will almost always be cheaper than the e.r. >> an e. r. visit is already on the scale of thousands of dollars versus

ambulatory care/clinic bill which is in the hundreds of dollars. >> reporter: if you have to go to the e.r., expect a long wait. up to eight hours depending on your illness. both doctors we talked to recommend using a primary care physician as your first line of defense. >> i think the best bet is to find a family practice, a general practice doctor you feel safe with and that you trust. >> reporter: it will ultimately save you time and money when you're sick. garvin thomas, nbc bay area news. 4:46 now. despite the earthquake and tsunami damage in japan, the uprisings and conflicts in the middle east and financial problems in por which you gal and raising oil prices, world markets have a positive outlook this morning. always optimistic, nicole lapin is here from cnbc headquarters. >> reporter: scott, you have a great job. you should stay right where you are, but you should come and work with us because you just laid out exactly what the markets are doing. this is so stunning to me. exactly why futures are higher

this morning after everything you just listed. wall street also ended higher yesterday thanks to a nice late-day rally. that's optimism there, so it is not just me, i won't take all the credit. this is also despite all the unrest in the middle east. the continued crisis out of japan. we are getting more headlines by the minute this morning. oil prices are still up to $106 a barrel. japanese markets ended flat today. europe is mixed right now but they are also not reacting very much to the portuguese prime minister stepping down. we have a lot of data stateside as well. we have filings for unemployment. we also have demand for durable goods, so that could give us a nice pulse check on the u.s. economy. and from the corporate world best buy, that's a biggie coming up before the opening today. just to recap, the dow is rising 67 points to 12,086. the nasdaq composite adding 14 to 2698. a coupling other news headlines making news this

morning, this is a tale of two auto stories. toyota plans to slow down the production in north america. that's, of course, due to disruption supplies in japan. the company already told dealers and employees that it is too early to determine the duration of the slowdown, but plans in the united states, which is toyota's biggest market, and canada and mexico are being considered. toyota says now it has ample supplies indeed of all products for north america and it still is assuring investors it has enough parts to make sure dealers have enough cars on the lot. here's the other side of the story. this is fascinating to me. most teenagers, this may be as close to the deal of owning a real mercedes, they plan to open up a driving school for teens in the united states later this year. no word yet on the location. it is not a promotional ploy for mercedes. right. parents have to pay up to get

their kids into this class. i don't know about you, scott, but i was far, far away from hanging out in a her say zooez mercedes growing up. >> i grew up in the farris bueller high school and many did drive those mercedes. >> i can wrap my head around that as well as being a cheaper alternative at least to a nice fancy mercedes. >> fair enough. nicole lapin, thank you much. christina loren is joining us. if i took a job at cnbc i couldn't work with you. >> you are breaking my heart there this morning. good morning to you. if you have a car with a drop top, keep it up this morning. we have a lot of wind and rain on the morning. you can see the blue here.

we are under a flood watch and the winds are going to pick up throughout the next couple of hours. we already have the front arrival right now in the north bay. so what we are watching this morning is the possibility of our grounds already being saturated and there could be flooding. a lot of the rain will come down rapidly. so rapidly it doesn't have anywhere to go in this situation. so we have potential flooding situations today. then we also expect thunderstorms this afternoon. as i zoom in right now, waking up in the east bay, you are getting the best of the morning commute. take a look at what's headed towards us. in the next two hours this arrives in concord and danville making for steady rain throughout the day. take a look when the front initially arrives at 9:00 a.m., moderate rain is coming down throughout the bay area. and this will continue. moderate rain is coming down from 9:00 to noon. that means flooding is going to be very, very much a concern heading through the next three hours. we'll continue to update you throughout the morning. but we'll let you know right now

it will be a rough drive. make sure to give yourself plenty of time to get to your destination this morning. of course, we've got two more hours of news to cover this storm for you. we'll be right there with you throughout the whole thing. back to you, scott. speaking of the rain, there's a chain for plans for britney spears. the pop star will no longer perform in san francisco's castro district over the weekend because of the rainy forecast. that's going tos for her to run for cover. instead she'll take the performance to the bill graves civic center on sunday at noon. the free concert coincides with the release of her new album. right now on nbc bay area you can get details on the free concert. just click on the britney story right there on our home page. coming up, a sneak peek of what there etically could be the royal wedding dress. it could be here in california. and with the rain-soaked hillsides and roadways, we are watching interaction between traffic and right now we are following a sig alert through oakland. i'll give you the latest when we

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4:54. mike and christina both say to get out the door early. it will be a messy weather commute once you get past 7:00. we'll check back with them in a second. all the biggest labels in fashion could create a fashion dress for a future queen. now you can add a california name to the list, civil ya.

72-year-old sylvia goriden on a whim decided to mail wedding dress sketches to the royal palace. a few months later she got a letter thanking her for sending those along. >> is there a piece of you that wonders if the minute before she steps out of the carriage that it could be yours? >> no, i don't think i'm that foolish to think that. >> now there's thinking positive. kate middleton will not be walking down the aisle in one of her designs. the dressmaker says her connection to the royal court is helping her drum up business at her shop and getting her on tv as well. we have a lot more coming up on "today in the bay." brent is in the newsroom. good morning, brent. >> thank you, scott. we are seeing a disturbing trend in san jose. a man died overnight after being shot a few hours earlier. it marks the 13th homicide in the city this year, but it is

only march. marla tellez is following the case and the trend with a live report coming up. we are also tracking the rain this morning. the worst of it is just offshore and headed our way. as you mentioned earlier, it is probably going to affect your morning commute. also, the sweet 16 starts today. how are your brackets? we'll tell you who is ahead here coming up in just a bit. yeah, you know, i'll point out both the president and mike picked ucla in the last round. good morning, mike. good morning, scott. i was not elected to anything in high school or afterward. we are looking over to antioch where i'll tell you to elect to leave early if you followed yesterday's weather pattern, same for today. 67 at horizon slowed down earlier than normal before 5:30. and the commute this morning with rain through the area is going to get more severe through the bay area. things will hit us suddenly into the 9:00 hour. we have the sig alert going on for 880 extended potentially

through 6:00 a.m. for the southbound side. christie smith is live out there. her crew, let me check with steve's camera, we have the live shot of 880. earlier two minutes ago i saw a crew with blinking lights. one lane reopened, just the fast lane was closed, but they moved more equipment. christie smith has an update the in a few minutes. coming up, we'll follow-up on the deadly shooting in san jose overnight with a live report.

i was told that i was at risk for sudden cardiac death. i was 23 years old, i wasn't overweight. i never dreamed this would happen to me. when the doctor told me i had three blocked arteries, i felt like i was punched in the gut. i found out that one in three women die from heart disease.

how did i not know that? new this morning, a shooting in the south bay turns deadly. good morning, i'm marla tellez. i'll explain the bizarre circumstances surrounding this homicide investigation coming up in my live report. plus, new worries this morning in japan. two workers are injured at the nuclear power plant and new smoke can be seen coming from a couple reactors. we'll have the details next. i'm bob redell live in san