we're going to change the white house and get america back on track. >> mitt romney walks away with a narrow victory in the iowa caucuses. how last night's close race could influence the rest of the primaries. >> reporter: new this morning, a vallejo police are searching for the suspect who shot a police officer. now some homeowners in vallejo are saying they want to get paid for damage caused in that search. i'm christie smith. i'll tell you how much they want coming up in a live report. a wild carjacking leaves a police officer in a hospital.

the charges the suspect is facing this morning. a live look outside golden gate bridge. look, you can make it out a little better. fog clearing. we'll see what's on the horizon on this wednesday, january 4th. this is "today in the bay." very good morning everyone. the time is 4:31. i'm jon kelley. >> i'm laura garcia-cannon. lots to get to this morning. let's check the forecast with meteorologist christina loren. >> good morning to you. what a difference a day makes. we have good visibility right now all across the board. we are expecting some of that patchy fog to develop. the big weather story today is 70 degrees-plus possibly inland. first let's find out how your drive is shaping up. more people i see. >> starting yesterday. we saw the return with many slowdowns this morning. a lighter commute continues to build for the next couple days. we have road crews back to work.

construction through the san ramon valley northbound and southbound between el costa and sycamore valley road. light traffic through the area. no slowing here. i'll show you more spots that i have my eye on. back to you. >> thank you. a financially strapped east bay city could soon be facing more money problems if a long list of homeowners get their way in court. >> "today in the bay's" christie smith live where homeowners are asking the city to pay up for damages caused in a police chase. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. the question is how much is too much when searching for a suspect. three claims have been filed against the city by homeowners who say that vallejo police caused damage to their property when they were searching for the person suspected of shooting officer jim kapoo in november. officers were looking for the shooter and suspected bank

robber. video shows that s.w.a.t. teams were breaking down fences an going through back yards. the claims, though, total nearly 11 grand including emotional distress. our sister station in sacramento tried to talk with the city and police but said they couldn't talk about it while it was under review. we did speak with one of the homeowners and a former sheriff. he says the risk far outweighed the cost. >> it was scary when i saw them coming through and they all had weapons opened at me. >> dealing with a time factor. you look at the need to capture the offender versus the cost, the inconvenience of somebody's fence. >> now, he thinks that the city should probably pick up the bill. police did arrest henry albert smith, junior. he's accused of murder and has a readiness conference at the end of the month. the city should decide within the next two weeks whether or not to pay up on these claims. reporting live in vallejo, i'm christie smith. jon and laura, back to you.

thank you, christie. eight votes, that's all that separated mitt romney and rick santorum in a nail-biting finish at the iowa caucuses. >> the smallest margin of victory in history. >> congratulations to governor mitt romney, winner of the 2012 iowa caucuses. >> reporter: hours after the candidates spoke, iowa republicans called it. mitt romney wins by just eight votes. >> this is a campaign night where america wins. senator john mccain is expected to endorse romney in new hampshire today. >> thank you so much, iowa. >> reporter: it's a big win, too, for rick santorum who got 25% after polling in single digits just a few weeks ago. >> we will be in new hampshire. we'll leave tomorrow. we'll spend our time there. and with your help and god's grace, we'll have another fun night a week from now. >> reporter: ron paul came in third and thanked an

enthusiastic crowd of supporters. >> we will go on. we will raise the money. >> reporter: but romney's biggest challenge may come from newt gingrich who vowed to fight negative ads by attacking romney's record. >> that he's negative may be more a comment on his record than it is on politics. >> reporter: coming in next to last, rick perry announced he's suspending his campaign. >> with the voters' decision tonight in iowa, i've decided to return to texas, assess the results of tonight's caucus, determine whether there is a path forward for myself in this race. >> reporter: michele bachmann came in dead last but gave no indication she's quitting. >> i believe i am that true conservative who can and who will defeat barack obama in 2012. >> reporter: republicans moving on to new hampshire with a virtual tie at the top. the other big story here, a 25% win in these caucuses is the

smallest win in at least three decades. tracie potts, des moines, iowa. >> thank you very much, tracie. that makes it even harder than usual to predict what iowa's results will mean in november. political watchers say if romney captured the electorate a little more convincingly, he may have prompted some of his closer opponents to quit. some pundits predict that ron paul and rick santorum will double their efforts to slow romney down. stay tuned. debates and other primaries are set for new hampshire next weekend. different states holding primaries and caucuses nearly every week up until super tuesday which is march 6th. this year super tuesday isn't as super. instead of 24 states like we had in 2008, just ten states will hold their primaries on super tuesday this year. california's primaries happen later on in the game on june 5th. for continuing election

coverage, check out nbcbayarea.com and click on our special political aek shun, prop zero. a san jose police officer recovering in the hospital this morning after his patrol car was rammed by a car jacker on the run. police arresting 27-year-old alejandro gonzalez after he rammed into another patrol car as they chased after him. a total of six officers were hurt during the pursuit. gonzalez allegedly stole a 68-year-old man's suv at a gas station. a mechanic working nearby saw it all. >> he put a key in and he run. we could not stop him anymore. he took off very fast. >> that chase ended when police used their cause to trap gonzalez inside the suv. officers had to use tasers and a restraining wrap to try to get him under control. gonzalez now facing carjacking assault on a peace officer and resisting arrest. a disabled oakland man facing foreclosure will stay in his home at least for now. leonard wilson allowed to stay

in his home until friday when he's scheduled to go before a judge. wilson id has lived there for 26 years first as a renter and now as a homeowner. having a forensic audit to prove his foreclosure was improper. he's well known for his efforts to raise money for underprivileged children. people in alameda speaking up about a proposed pot club in oakland. they say it is just too close. the proposed club is on tidewater avenue. alameda residents say the pot club is too close to homes and schools and will have a negative impact on the city. they're calling with the alameda city council to work with oakland on the issue. 4:38. time to fire up the weather forecasting machine. >> might be firing up the lemonade machine later today. we'll see comfortable conditions for this time of year. 70 degree weather in some cities. right now we have clear

conditions and we're actually in the heart of a meteor shower. right now it looks like your futurecast will show you, as we head throughout the next couple hours, you'll be able to see those all the way through 5:00. enjoy that. it's going to be pretty spectacular. we'll try to get some of that on video for you. high pressure taking the storm track well to our north. that looks like that will be the case all the way through the end of the week. we don't have good rain chances at all. a little something might sneak in as we start out next week. right now looking pretty dismal in terms of our rain chances. however, on the upside of that, we'll see really comfortable weather today, tomorrow and through the end of the week. comfortable if you want to get outside and take the jacket off. 49 in san francisco, 42 in san jose. in the upper 60s by noon in many cities. we'll tell you if your city is on par to hit 70 degrees. first let's check your drive at 4:39 with mike inouye. >> being 4:39, a light volume of

traffic. we're seeing more folks than yesterday. today a little bump-up in traffic as well. south bay, construction around tulley road for the northbound direction of 101. no major issues. this is the off-ramp at tulley as you're passing through the area. no big slowing through the south bay. that really is the only construction spot there. further north, northbound 101 at embarcader embarcadero. that is scheduled until about 5:30, 6:00 in the morning. again, no slowing through palo alto and menlo park and past the dumbarton bridge. san mateo looks smooth. yesterday most of the morning we had fog impairing our view. a clear flow of traffic. clear is the word for you guys, back to you. san francisco zoo holding on to its reward for the return of banana sam. >> that is because the story of this stolen monkey is starting to sound a little fishy.

a man telling police he found banana sam and coaxed him into his backpack. zoo keepers tell the "san francisco chronicle" that squirrel monkeys aren't the type to willingly hop into a backpack. police at this point haven't identified the man. for now the zoo says it will not be handing out the $5,000 reward for the return of little banana sam. >> the mystery continues. it is 4:41 right now. a piece of bay area history coming down in san bruno. why residents say they are not sad to see it go. >> plus gas prices could be on the rise again. but this time it's not because of oil prices. why a move by congress could have you paying more at the pump. app developers cashing in on the tabloids and smart phones people got for christmas. so muchet so t y' s to a new record. all the details coming up in a matter of minutes.

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welcome back to you and welcome to a look of the golden gate bridge this morning. not a lot of traffic. at least you can see across the span this morning. warmer temperatures on tap as well, jon kelley. 4:44 right now. >> very happy to hear it. a bit of bay area history will meet the wrecking ball. the old san francisco jail

number three in san bruno will be demolished. sheriff mike hennessey made a campaign promise to close that jail more than 30 years ago. he's a man of his word. just a few days before he retires, he'll oversee the beginning of the end that opened back in 1934. people who live near that jail, they say they're happy to see it go. >> it's a very cool building. when it was all lit up at night, very neat to look at. again, it's not safe anymore. >> we've actually been waiting many, many years for this to happen. >> a federal court ruling in 1997 forced the closure when a judge ruled that dilapidated conditions were cruel and unusual punishment. a new jail was opened on the same site in 2006. a man accused of setting dozens of fires in southern california expected in court today. investigators say they have strong evidence linking a 24-year-old german native harry burkhardt to a string of fires. the arsons mainly targeting

vehicles caused millions in damage, the word was $3 million. authorities believe he was upset over his mother's possible expedition for crimes she faces in germany. it is 4:45 right now. wall street started off 2012 with a bang. this morning we'll find out if it's a sign of things to come. for more on that, let's turn to brian shactman live at cnbc world headquarters. good morning, brian. >> good morning. it was a great day yesterday. futures right now are slightly lower after the strong start to the 2012 trading year yesterday. they were up on the back of several better-than-expected reports on manufacturing from all around the world including in the u.s. asian markets were mostly higher overnight. europe is slightly mixed. the dow is down to 12,307. when stocks are positive on the first trading day of the year, historically they end the year higher 70% of the time.

we'll see if this year is part of that 70%. automakers report december sales today. total sales are forecast to raise 8% to 9%. thanks to cheap and available financing, pent-up demand. chrysler, hyundai and kia are expected to pace the gains. how did you spend the week off? a lot of you hunched over your new iphone and smart phone. 1.2 billion apps downloaded last week, a record. an estimated 20 million android devices were activated across the world. the u.s. accounted for 42% of the downloads, followed by china and the united kingdom. that's all we have to do, sell a bunch of apps and we can sit back and relax. >> i'm not telling you my master plan. >> but she shared with us. >> don't share it yet.

>> get rid of the fog, warmer temperatures, is that what you're working on? >> what a difference a day will make. that fog yesterday took a while to get out, even in san jose we had to wait until 1:00, even 2:00 in some spots of the city. through the morning hours, we'll see the sunshine right at about 6:30 this morning. the sun will start to come up and we'll warm up. it's going to be a really comfortable day. unseasonably warm with temperatures in the 70s and 70 plus in some cities. right now let's show you what's happening out there. high pressure is still firmly in control of our weather pattern. taking the storm track way to the north, even in the northern portion of the pacific northwest. as we head toward the beginning of next week, it looks like we could see light rain, but not much. the storm track stays way to our north. it's clear out there this morning. right now our temperatures are a little cooler than this point yesterday. 41 in oakland, 39 in napa and 36

in fairfield. take a look. all that yellow on this contour map indicates substantial warming. by noon we stop the clock only your futurecast. up to 63 in san jose as you break for lunch. 64 by noon in santa rosa. hard to believe it's the first week of january. we'll round out the day looking something like this, 70 in los gatos, 69 for san jose. up to 72 in gilroy and 71 in fairfield. just to put it into perspective for you, this is near record warmth. we could be breaking temperature records this morning. we'll be talking about that and then let's get to the forecast because there is that slight chance of rain. we'll have to wait for it. it looks like monday into tuesday, a few showers arrive in the north bay and we'll keep the rain chance, a very slight one in place all the way through tuesday. guys, back to you. >> christina, appreciate it. gas prices could soon go up again, but not because of oil prices. congress refusing to renew a 30-year-old subsidy for ethanol which is used in most

gasoline-based fuels. that means gas prices could go up 4.5 cents per gallon as early as next week. they're saying kids in day care centers are getting less exercise. a new study suggests that marnts might be part of the problem. researchers say many parents actually ask the centers to limit physical activity because of injury concerns. child care centers provide pressure from parents and state mandates to focus on academics. this actually shortens the time they say allowed for play time. troubles have also prevented some day care centers from installing enough playground equipment. i don't know. i say get them active. it's good for their health and it makes them tired. >> wear them out and they sleep well at night. >> say us moms and dads, right? >> 4:50 right now. still ahead, tuition is rising, but university of california campuses still earning very high marks for affordability. find out which campuses made that top ten. pulling the brakes on high-speed rail.

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a good wednesday morning to you. halfway through your workweek. a live look outside at the east bay in oakland. we'll have a look at the morning commute. looks like there are things going on out there. california's high-speed rail projects hit another roadblock just as the 2012 legislative session has begun. a peer review group urging the legislature to put the brakes on this project. the group says the problem is the piece meal funding the plan has in place could leave the $99 billion project onlily partially completed when money runs out. lawmakers have to decide whether or not to move forward with the project by the end of the legislative session in june. it is 4:54 right now. university of california has endured dozens of protests over steep tuition increases. kipp ling jer's personal finance ranks uc berkeley, ucla and uc san diego in the top ten values

in public colleges for 2011-2012. schools were ranked based on total cost of attendance including tuition, fees and room and board. this is the first time in three years that any california school made to it the top ten. >> well done. nicely done. i like that. it is 4:55 right now. i'm no traffic expert. i see a flaming truck, mike inouye. >> let me take you to this dramatic animation of a truck on fire and explain what is going on. this is the logo that i have. let's calm it down. get a wider view. in 2d it doesn't look so bad. it's just a smoking truck so far that we know about. that's not to say there's nothing going on. chp has not clarified exactly what the details are. this is in dixon. i wanted to let folks know it is over on the shoulder, reports of smoke. it is filed as a car fire in chp reports. hopefully nothing as dramatic as

the animation. meanwhile, interstate 80 crossing the bay, the bay bridge toll plaza, definitely no drama. we've seen the volume of traffic increase yesterday and today likely. it will build until monday when we should be back to normal. we'll send it back to you. >> thank you for calming us all down. >> you got it. voters in iowa participated in yesterday's caucuses. we talked about that at the top of the show. the kids were holding a caucus of their own. >> students at an elementary school in des moines held a cookie caucus. chocolate chip, sugar and m &m cookies. it was a way to introduce kids to the electoral process. teachers say it worked great and the fact that the candidates are edible doesn't hurt. >> i'm curious as to see who

i -- narrow margin. >> i'm crushed the oatmeal cookies didn't make the ballot. 4:56. still ahead on today in the xba, we'll take you live to des moines to find out how the candidates are responding to the nail biting results. >> place book might be facing a lawsuit from angry neighbors. why leaders in east palo alto hel ocia ornetw gkieng after the sl ia. ianetworking giant. nt

>> reporter: it was noech and police were searching for a man who shot vallejo police officer. now homeowners have filed a claim. i'll tell you what that want in a live report. possible changes in store for san jose's new pot club policy. >> reporter: it just moved into its new