rubber stamping a plan to have volunteers replace librarians who are checking out. and turf war. santa clara launches a home grown campaign to keep the 49ers' home field in san francisco. >> and here's a live look in san francisco at the golden gate bridge on this thursday, december 22nd. this is "today in the bay."

hello. good morning to you. it's 4:30. >> i'm laura garcia-cannon. let's check the forecast with meteorologist christina loren. good morning. >> good morning to you, ladies. what a difference a day makes when it comes to your temperatures. even the 50s in some places. 43 in san mateo. you might be in the 30s. you might be in the 50s. it's all dependent on the winds. we'll talk about that and take you through your holiday weekend forecast. first let's check your drive with mike inouye. >> you're getting transitioned onto northbound 280. that connector ramp is closed by overnight maintenance and construction work. that will remain closed until

7:00 a.m. just loop around on 92 or 280 from the opposite direction. get off the freeway and back on. then you're okay. we have other spots to notify you about. i'll give you the notifications coming up. we look forward to it. thank you very much. this morning one of the longest standing occupy sites in the bay area is now dismantled. damien trujillo joins us live from berkeley where police forced protesters out overnight. >> good morning. >> reporter: good morning. they tried to force them out. but the protesters didn't go anywhere. they were served an eviction notice by the city saying they had to be out as of 10:00 p.m. yesterday evening. apparently there were a few clashes with police. the protesters are still here.

we're counting about 75 of them. reports again of clashes with police. we haven't been able to speak with berkeley police at this point, but the protesters say they came in from different directions. a lot of the tents are still up he here. they asked how long they plan to stay here. they plan to stay for the duration. we haven't seen patrol units anywhere in the location. that's when things deescalated between the protesters and police. >> thank you for bringing us the latest, damien. a growing number of state

lawmakers wants to stop police officers from buying restricted weapons for personal use. reports show more than 7,600 assault weapons were purchased by officers. lawmakers are questioning whether officers should have access to weapons the public is restricted from owning. police departments say the weapons are bought for emergency situations. it is 4:34. in one south san francisco neighborhood, a heavy police presence will be at the scene of the one-year anniversary of a deadly gang shooting. three young adult gang members were gunned down. they are seizing weapons and more than 100 gang members. two gang members behind bars charged with the beating and

robbery of a man at the markham nature park. the victim and two friends were walking in the park when several men approached them and demanded money. the suspects beat the man who managed to escape with minor injuries. they caught the suspects and book them in jail. >> local law enforcement agencies are getting an influx in cash. it's coming out of the pockets of criminal. the money was seized in money laundering and drug operation. it will be held in the federal building in oakland at 11:00 this morning. >> the state's high speed rail project, which is facing increased scrutiny over the ballooning budget may be promising something it can't deliver. they report the actual number of jobs it's supposed to create is only a fraction of the million

promised between 20,000 to 60,000 would be employeed a year. only a few thousand are permanent positions. critics of the $100 billion project says the numbers were bloated to gain support. san jose's budget leaders is forcing them to cut costs. the idea to use volunteers wouldn't mean layoffs, but would freeze vacant library positions and future positions. the city addresses the plan on january 4th. the city of santa clara wants the 49ers to call it their new home turf in the form of a new $1 billion state of the art stadium.

the grass roots group, santa clara plays fair. the group wants to create a ballot measure designed to reject a contract to develop 68,000 seat stadium next to great america. last week the city managers unanimously approved plans to use an $850 million loan to finance it. want to check the forecast with meteorologist christina loren. >> some cities are actually 20 degrees warmer. we're in the 50s. highs end up in the mid-50s in the city of san francisco. 53 right now. just a short trip across the bay bridge, and you are close to the freezing mark. 36 in oakland. 32 in concord. 49 in fairfield. so the temperatures where you see the mid-50s, that's where we're seeing the strongest wind

this morning. we have winds sustained at 29 miles per hour this morning. 39 miles per hour in fairfield and santa rosa. these winds in the bay area, although they are gusty, they are keeping things nice. temperatures in the mid-60s in some cities. i'll take you through the forecast coming up. first we want to check your drive with mike inouye. >> let's get a live look out there. we see the flashing lights. folks in the northbound direction are getting nudged left because the offramp is closed for construction. back to the maps we'll show you

more construction. this is at 60. the offramp is closed. there's construction nearby. no slowing in either direction through santa rosa and danville. we'll sends it back to you. coming up, putting the brrr in december. our own bob redell is braving the cold. an exclusive look at santa's workshop is just ahead. and burgers and beer. which fast food chain could add alcohol to the menu. >> sounds like breakfast. for all the news, weather and traffic updates, check us out on facebook. and here's a live look athe. all running just fine there.

welcome back. we're taking you north to the north pole. we'll check in with our own bob redell braving temperatures at minus 4 degrees at 4:42. suddenly the holidays are looking gloomy for people who are hit by flash floods from a devastating typhoon. this morning people are still picking up the pieces left behind by the storm a week ago that killed more than 1,000

people. authorities say they lost count of the missing. grieving families have begun burying the dead. this is one of the worst disasters to hit that region. the utility running the fukushima daiichi plant says it has to raise rates to stay afloat. the utility has not said how much rates will be increased. back in the u.s., power plants are being told to clean up their act. u all the coal fired plants must comply. most of the 1200 plants are in the midwest.

they switched to cleaner natural gas or shut down. >> 4:43. good news to report when it comes to the nation's economy. some analysts are ruling out another recession. they say the job market is healthier. many analysts believe the rate will grow. that's the fastest pace since pring spring of last year. let's turn to jackie deangeles, live at cnbc world headquarters. >> the futures are higher following a mixed session with the markets closing off the worth levels of the day. they missed the forecast for the first time in a decade. europe is higher.

in the u.s., investors will be inundated. we'll get reports for new filing on unemployment, consumer sentiment and the final estimate on gdp. or how much the economy did or didn't grow. the nasdaq to close at 2577. toyota is likely to side the sales crown. it's held the top spot since 2008. the automaker has been hurt by supply disruptions from the earthquake in japan and flooding in thailand. toyota predicts sales will jump 20% next year. and do you want a beer or a glass of merlot? domestic beers will be $3. the move comes as white castle is working on new concepts. it's not clear if white castle will expand the beer and wine sales nationwide. we'll have to wait and see.

back to you. >> thank you very much, jackie. it's hard to imagine going to a burger king. can i get a glass of wine with that? >> what a combo. >> we have an interesting combo out there this morning. some places getting frost. others running 25 degrees higher. there's a big dimpbs between 25 degrees and 50 degrees. in santa rosa, much more mild. this morning is 52 in napa. 49 degrees in fairfield. u how much warmer? just about everywhere we're running warmer. hayward and san jose, 11 degrees warmer at this point. so we're looking like a nice day. i think we'll hit the mid-60s. making this the warmest day of the week so far. temperatures on the mild side

because of the winds. well, it's not going to take too long for the temperatures to drop off. we'll keep watching that for you all morning long. the word of the day is layers. hold onto your hat. 63 in livermore. santa rosa, you might hit 67. if we pick up enough wind, if it sustains for the next few hours, we could see the 70s today. we stay dry. we stay warm and sunny. we have a long show ahead. we'll talk about that all morning. plenty of santa helpers are pulling an all nighter. >> as they always do.

our jolliest elf bob redell joins us live from the north pole where santa is busy loading up the sleigh. >> reporter: north pole. population 2,226. 25 of whom don't even come close to minimum heights requirement. >> who you calling short? >> reporter: then there's the not so tiny reindeer and one very large bowl of jelly that happens to belong to the town's moist famous resident. santa claus was gracious enough to take time out of his extremely busy schedule to give us an extended one-on-one sit down interview. we rolling? santa, you ready for christmas eve? >> yes, i am. >> thanks. >> merry christmas. >> you, too. >> reporter: you can see why he's so busy. 150,000 wish lists have poured into the north pole post office this year alone. >> most kids want a bicycle. i don't know where you would ride it in the north pole.

>> that's on top of the live requests from kids who sit on his lap each and every day. >> what do you want for christmas? >> alarm clock. >> wow. >> justin bieber. that's nice. what would you like, sweetheart? >> a typewriter. >> a typewriter. my first typewriter. wow. i didn't know kids knew what they were. a couple degrees warmer and we would be in speedoos. >> let's hope it doesn't get any warmer. >> coming up, turning the tables on santa. he's been tracking you all yearlong. now we'll tell you how you can track him. >> plus the so-called geezer

bandit. >> smooth to the bay bridge toll plaza. we'll get a look coming up. hey, your high speed internet here, at home... ...and on the go... ...with some really big news. it's b-i-g -- big. high speed internet from at&t at home... ...includes wi-fi access on the go. woo-hoo! [ together ] it's an unbelievable deal. well, gotta go. but wait -- there's more...

[ female announcer ] go to the website below today and get high speed internet for the unbelievably low price of just 14.95 a month for 12 months with a one-year price guarantee. it's all the speed you need at a great price. you can chill online at a park. here, pidgie, pidgie. [ pigeon coos ] and surf the web at your favorite bookstore. our internet at home includes access to the entire national at&t wi-fi hot spot network on the go. [ female announcer ] go to the website below and get high speed internet for just 14.95 a month for 12 months with a one-year price guarantee. that's all the speed you need at a great price. it's an unbelievable deal. so why wait? act now, act now! like he said... ♪

welcome back, everyone. a live look outside from the

south bay this morning. another cool start to the morning, but a little warmer. the rumor is we could see some pretty warm temperatures today. christina loren monitoring the the forecast for us. 4:52 right now. >> investigators say an elerly looking bank robber dubbed the geezer bandit may not be as old as he appears. the surveillance video of the geezer bandit olding up a bank in san diego. investigators believe he's responsible for 16 bank robberies in the state. several witnesses have reported he appeared to be wearing a mask and gloves. they also say he moved too fast for an elderly man. a $20,000 reward is being offered for information leading to his arrest. it is 4:53. if you need to find the closest marijuana medical club, there's an app for that. the largest medical marijuana advocacy group released the iphone yesterday. i serves as a source of

information for long-term patiences and political newcomers. political battles locally and nationally. >> 4:54. twitter is becoming a force to be reckoned with in the social networking world. a new study reveals information about what we tweet shows we are becoming more sad. the university of vermont researchers examined 46 billion words contained in almost 4.6 billion tweets between 2008 and 2011. okay, happiness scores a sign to more than just 10,000 awards. the word laughter scored high and the word terrorist scored low. last may when the world learned of the death of osama bin laden. >> i use it as news.

a lot of stories are. no reflection on our lives. >> we're happy. >> especially when the morning commute is great. what to you have? >> i'm doing really well. we have construction. i'm wondering if they get any numbers tweeting out cig alert, let me know. they do that frequently as well. happy and sad. probably making you sad. right now hopefully we make you better for folks for 237. we do have construction eastbound as you're heading through easton. from 1st to 880. there's still some lanes blocked by crews. they should be picking up any second now. the rest of south vale is looking good. the commute direction we've had very little of the northbound slowing. even at the heart of the morning commute. we do have overnight construction going on here. a road south of there. one lane in either direction. that is scheduled to pick up on time this morning, unlike yesterday's delays.

our friend erin at the station says very gusty winds. a live look at the golding gate bridge. a smooth drive right now. the flashing lights come crawling north we'll get ready for what morning commute we will have. >> thank you very much, mike. bad weather elsewhere makes the branches scarce. about 60% to 70% of the plants in st state have been wiped out. retailers say it would cost about $5 a sprig and a small markup. and it just doesn't make it worth it. >> well, he tracks you to see if you're naughty or nice. on christmas eve you can return

the favor. for the first time this year, you're also going to follow the jolly old elf on facebook. even google plus. just search@norad santa. there are official norad santa apps. or drom him a line. 1-877-hi-norad will patch you there. >> modern technology. coming up, the police department desperate for donation ls. how you can help just ahead. >> and occupy protesters ordered out of wuchb of the last remaining camp sites in the baye we'll yllou if the protesters did what they were told or stood their ground.