>> good morning, everybody. i'm jon kelly. well, we can tell you a plan to make bay area roadways greener could ultimately force drivers to cough up more green per mile. today the bay's marla tellez is live in the south bay with an update on a proposal to tax commuters. marla, how you rolling out there? >> reporter: jon, so far i think we're not even to the speed limit yet. we're just getting on to 101, heading south in san jose, heading towards south san jose right now. yeah, the story that we're talking about is called the vehicle miles traveled tax, and this could become a reality right here in the bay area for most drivers, throughout the nine-county bay area. here's how it would be be worked. drivers would be taxed up to ten cents a mile for each mile they drive, whether it's to the store, to school, to work, on freeways or city streets. the miles would be tracked by a gps device that the drivers would have to install on their vehicle. now, if you do the math using a dime per mile, if you have a 30-mile commute to work, for

instance, that would cost you an extra three bucks. to drive from san jose state to at&t park in san francisco would cost $4.95. a trip from jack london square in oakland to the golden gate would run $1.66. not a lot of money, but still, we're getting some feedback from a few bay area drivers this morning and not one thinks this is a good idea. >> that's ridiculous. that's -- that's too much money! gas is already expensive, and that would be way too much money. >> you're kidding? it's already bad enough with gas prices and wear and tear on the car, so i've never heard of anything like that. it just seems like out of the ordinary. >> reporter: well, the metropolitan transportation commission, which is based in oakland, is spearheading the plan to get this proposal before voters. it has a long way to go, though. in fact, according to the "mercury news," the ntc is set to authorize a study of this proposal tomorrow.

so it's still just in the study phase. now, the idea here behind this proposal is to reduce traffic and pollution, and then also motivate drivers to hop on public transit, and the money that would be raised if this does actually go into effect in the bay area, that money would go towards fixing our roads and filling potholes and that sort of thing. reporting from 101 in san jose, i'm marla tellez, tod"today in ba bay". 5:03. a 2-year-old girl is found dead in her central valley home and now officers say her mother may be to blame. 25-year-old brandi lee rose divine will make her first court appearance today. divine has been held without bail since monday when officers were called to her turlock home. three other children who were home at the time are now in protective custody. so far, investigators are not saying how the little girl died. and in the south bay, more questions than answers in the tragic shooting death of a san jose police officer's young son. investigators are keeping details of the case under wraps, but now they tell us more

details will be released by the end of the week. 3-year-old preston orlando died from a gunshot wound july 5th in his gilroy home. police are not yet confirming if he actually shot himself. the boy's father is a nine-year veteran of the san jose police department. and new this morning, just a wild scene, a particular six-alarm fire in the bronx near yankee stadium injures dozens of firefighters. arriving crews found heavy fire in a unit on the top floor of the six-story building. those flames spread to two other apartments and eventually just collapsed the roof. more than 200 firefighters battling that blaze in hot and humid conditions. residents there say it was very smokey inside the building, but nobody panicked while getting out. some say, hey, they department even hear an alarm. >> what i heard was the banging on the window in the hallway. so i looked out my window and i saw, and i went and saw, yeah, we've got to go.

there's a fire. we looked up and all we could see was the red amber on the ceiling. >> no shocker, this one was a tough one to battle. it took crews three hours to finally bring the fire under control. all of the injuries, we're happy to report, are minor. sheriff's deputies are weeding out a massive pot operation in the foothills of eastern santa clarita county. look at these photos taken by investigators. deputies tell us between 10,000 and 15,000 marijuana plants with were being grown illegally up on mt. hamilton. deputies and state agents is searched that site yesterday. one suspect was bitten by a fish and game canine during that search. a suspect is still on the loose. more cases of the west nile virus popping up in the east bay. two dead crows infected with the disease were found in pleasant hill and in nigknightson, near brentwood. two other cases were also reported near that same area.

so far, no one has been infected this year, but the county is urging residents to check their property for any standing water, because that is where mosquitos hatch. mexico is sending its best and brightest federal agents to learn a thing or two from the oakland police department. two federal agents from mexico city will ride along with oakland police today to learn more about opd crime-fighting strategies and technology. the federales will sit in on oakland's morning lineup and then go out on patrol with seasoned officers. so why did they choose oakland for their training? stephanie trong will ride along as they go out on their ride. and students dressed as z zombies will descend as uc regents meet on the potential for future tuition hikes. today in l.a.'s bob redell is live with the very latest on

this very unusual demonstration. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, jon. expected to within a few hours to protest what they believe will be the death of higher education. the students dressed up at zombies, protesting outside the uc boards of regents meeting here later this morning at the mission bay campus. their concern is the board could eventually raise tuitions at uc schools by as much as 20%. we spoke with uc. interestingl the board is not voting to raise tuition this morning. rather, they're expected to temporarily freeze the amount students pay to uc, keeping its status quo. if they do that, the state as promised an additional $125 million in funding next year, the board is also expected to endorse governor brown's tax initiative. proposition 30 would temporarily raise the sales tax and increase income tax on those making over $250,000. that tax proposal could bring in another $250 million for the school system. so why are protesters upset?

if voters do not pass prop 30 in november, the uc system will lose both the $125 and the $250, putting it in the hole for almost $375 million. to make up that difference, the board might then have to consider a 20.3% increase in tuition during the middle of the school year. reporting live here in san francisco, bob redell, "today in the bay". >> thanks, bob. in the meantime, the csu system is struggling with its own budget problems and warning of dire consequence ifs the governor's tax initiative fails in november. the board says it would likely mean higher tuition and reduced enrollment. still, the board just approved salary hikes for three campus presidents, including leslie wonk at san francisco state. wonk will now make $325,000 a year, along with a car and housing allowance. 5:08 right now. we check back in with meteorologist christina loren.

a crisp start today, but the temperatures will keep going up and up toward the weekend. >> they are. but some people are sick of this cooler an average summer we've been experiencing. that's good news, especially if you're waking up with us in san francisco, where the winds have substantially relaxed. you can see that, old glory not getting any pickup out there and as a result we're expecting some calm winds. pretty strong wind in fairfield, out of the southwest at 15 miles per hour. today, works out like this. we'll climb from the 50s and 60s into the 70s, even a couple of low 80s out there, in the warmest cities across the bay. so your day part tells the story for today. 71 degrees at noon inland and we'll round out the day at about 79 degrees. coming up in my next report, i'll help you make those weekend plans. because we do have some significant changes that are going to be dictated by the microclimate that you live in. stay tuned for that. it's in my next report, 5:09 first. here's mike and the drive. >> we'll take you to the maze and revisit some slowing and an earlier accident.

top of your screen at san pablo, we had an accident in your commute direction that cleared from the embankment. now all lanes are cleared westbound. and eastbound heading away from the bridge. and around gilman we had a construction crew that should be clearing about now. and over the 15 minutes, i saw a good amount of slowing that's started to clear. and bottom of your screen, more construction southbound, 880 out of oakland, that's been extended until 6:00 a.m., between fifth and fruitvale. expect at least two lanes to be closed. but likely you'll have two lanes open by the time 5:30 rolls around. eastbound 4, there is some slowing, a crew also scheduled to clear here in the next few minutes. you were routed off and back on, but looks like you're okay now at the off-ramp. it's the slowing as the crew clears from highway 4. south of there, looking at livermore and a smooth drive westbound, and a live look outside. we'll see how things are across the golden gate bridge. no problems, but calm winds, so

that fog will develop this morning. back to you. >> thank you so much, mike. it is 5:10. still ahead, how about this? recession road rage. we'll tell you how the economy is turning everyday drivers into salty road warriors. is. and a look at the challenges ahead for marissa mayer in yahoo!. and traffic already weaving through the curves there. we'll check the morning commute with mike. >> and for the latest news and traffic and also weather, check us out on facebook. got all sorts of good things. just search nbc bay area. we're back in a matter of minutes. -10. with the strongest, nonprescription itch medicine for fast relief. and seven moisturizers. cortizone-10. feel the heal.

welcome back, everyone. taking a beautiful live look outside. the palace of fine arts, all lit

up, waiting for the sun's arrival this morning. we'll have a look at the full forecast. 5:13. it is a national debate being debated right here in the bay area. a high-profile ceo and her maternity leave. shortly after announcing her appointment as yahoo!'s ceo, marissa mayer also announced she's expecting a son in october. this announcement setting off a storm of online controversy, but some experts say this could be a turning point when it comes to how women and their families are seen in that executive suite. >> demonstrate your commitment does not mean sacrifice your family or the other elements of your life. >> mayer is yahoo!'s fifth ceo in five years and only the search second woman to lead that company, though scott mcgrew point outs, for a high-tech company, that's a lot. >> it's really a lot. it's hard for me to have a ton of perspective on this, women in the ceo chairs, i'm neither a

woman nor a ceo. but if you ignore if fact that the interims ceos at yahoo! there were a lot of them, and just look at the total number of ceos, two out of the six of the ceo's yahoo! are women. that's much higher than just about any company in the world. and yahoo! reported its profits to investors and analysts on tuesday afternoon. neither ceo marissa mayer nor former interim ceo ross levenson joined the conference call. instead, another former interim ceo, tim morris, took charge, reporting that yahoo! made more money than expected, but that mayer will have plenty of challenges ahead. here's a strange one for you, a double-secret ipo. you recall recent changes to financial laws dubbed the jobs act allow company to radically change the way they file for initial public offerings. they don't have to file all the public paperwork they used to. well, reuters reports workday in pleasanton has filed for one of these ipos, a secret ipo.

normally this is thing we'd confirm by checking the s.e.c.'s database, but the laws have changed. a pessimistic head of the fed actually helped markets tuesday. bertha coombs takes a look at that. good morning, bertha. >> good morning, scott. yeah, ben bernanke kind of took us away and then he gave us back to the markets. this morning, the futures are looking at a lower start ahead of the open. bernanke will be back on capitol hill on the house side. yesterday, stocks ended up posting decent gains. we did have some good earnings from coca-cola and goldman sachs, or better than expected. the fed chairman gave the senate panel a gloomy outlook on the economy, but he also said that the fed stands ready to act without giving any details as to exactly how or when. asia overnight was lower. europe is higher this morning. ahead of the open, we're going to get some data on housing. and we also have a the fed report on tap this afternoon, the beige book, on economic

conditions across the regions here in the country. also ahead of the open, we've got earnings coming from bank of america, american express, and ibm. the dow ended the day yesterday up 78 points after dipping quite a bit during bernanke's testimony to 1285. the nasdaq up 13 to 2910. and if you've been missing "spongebob square papants," youy have some hope if you're a directv customer. customers have been without several viacom channels now, including nickelodeon and mtv and comedy central for about a week. directv is asking viacom to return those channels while they finish working out the final details. viacom, meantime, has restored free online access to many of the shows they had pulled the plug on, like "the daily show" and "spongebob squarepants." i know a lot of households, spongebob is really critical. something that i imagine marissa

mayer will learn pretty soon. >> yes, i suspect she will. that and "bob the builder." bertha, thank you very much. coming up in just a bit, jon and laura, whether people would be willing to register to vote on facebook. >> interesting. first organ donation, now that. thanks a lot. 5:18 right now. meteorologist christina loren tells us we're going to have a tennis week looking ahead. >> you start out on monday, jon kelly. we're close now. you just to get over the hump today and we're here to help you do so. the weather will make everything a lot more comfortable than that summer heat we're so accustomed to this time of year. take a look at that. we have got a beautiful ship sailing underneath the bay bridge this morning. it's almost like we cued that ship -- somebody, cue the ship! you can see right now, completely clear conditions there. temperatures are going to be on the cool side to start. we are in the 50s and the 60s this morning. so that means in san jose today, you're going to be able to hit the upper 70s, a touch warmer than yesterday. san francisco, dealing with gray skies this morning, all the way

from the top of the peninsula down through the silicon valley, a mostly cloudy start. but temperatures are going to be really, really nice today. and then we start to warm you up substantially. as we head through the upcoming weekend, stopping the clock on your futurecast, at 10:00 p.m. tonight, we're kind of sandwiched between systems. we have fabio, a tropical depression, which is situated just to our south. that's going to fuel some moisture our way, and we also have an area of low pressure, a stubborn area just kind of sitting up there in the pacific northwest. that's going to start to drop to the south as we head throughout the day today. so another round of wind in the afternoon is expected. so take a look at your temperatures for today. they are going to be so comfortable. in the 60s and 70s yet again, mostly for your inland cities, staying about 10 to 15 degrees below average for this time of year. then the 90s return, as we head into this upcoming weekend. i'll detail that for you coming up. here's mike and a look at your drive. >> right now there is a crew for the eastbound direction of the dumbarton bridge. two lanes are blocked, no major

slowing. this is a pretty typical overnight occurrence there, heading over to fremont and newark. also pretty typical, the construction we've been having the last couple of weeks, southbound 285, you'll have a lane or two blocked at times. a bigger concern, on to southbound 85, that transition still closed. but just take the transition on to northbound 85, loop back at homestead, should be no drama, and adding just a couple of minutes to your drive. the rest of the south bay looks just fine. we'll take you to where there is some slowing because of the volume. now heading towards livermore, no surprises and a smooth drive for the interchange. a quick look at the san mateo bridge, and note later on, we'll have the eastbound direction. closing one lane for retrofit work, one lane closes at 1:00 a.m.. >> thanks, mike. right now some interesting and possibly scary findings in a new survey about commuting.

>> nearly 4,000 people completed an online survey from careerbuilder an their commute to work. almost 60% say they've experienced road rage and nearly one in ten have got into a fight with another commuter. experts say the recession may be to blame, because people are taking jobs with longer commutes, adding to frustration and short tempers. i think the weather could have something to do it too. when it's hot, people are grumpy. >> i like that. coming up, a salmon standoff. the deal that would send striking fishermen back to their boats. plus, happy trails. a san francisco police veteran is put out to pasture. good morning! wow.

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welcome back, everybody. it is 5:23. a bay area salmon fishermen are

heading back to work. they just ended a week-long strike after agreeing to a brand-new deal with local processing plants. fishermen will now net $3.50 for a pound of salmon. this is 75 cents more than just last week's offer, but it's still half of what fishermen got at the beginning of the salmon season. an increased salmon population has been driving that price down. today a special retirement party for a police veteran who's been on the force for 12 years. not talking about the officer you see here in the saddle, we're talking about the horse she's actually riding. san francisco patrol horse  riddler will saddle up for the last time. riddler has served in the unit since 2000. today's ceremony will be held at lefty o'dool's near union square. a horseshoe will be hung above the restaurant's front door in honor of riddler. cool! go check it out. >> riddler's earned that retirement and that big gold horseshoe. 5:24 right now.

let's check in with christina loren to see what's going on outside. >> that is quite an honor, the golden horseshoe. we've got a golden forecast today. hanging on to the upper 70s nand and the low 70s bayside. as we come through the upcoming weekend, we have changes on the way. those low clouds, which are now spanning all the way from the coast through your inland cities, we're going to lose those and that means much warmer weather. stay tuned for that. 5:25, first, we want see how well we're doing in the traffic department. >> some of the stuff is kind of on schedule, which is not great for the speeds on 580, but we look at the slowing we typically see out of the altamont pass, that's on the right. and a new accident will make things worse over near the dublin interchange. this is westbound 580 at darty. we have an accident that may be in lanes right now. it does sound like most of this activity now off to the shoulder, but watch for activity in the center divide as well, and i see the slowing showing up on our sensors. we have a couple of lanes blocked, but no slowing there, and the eastbound slowing has

cleared for antioch. now you see that 55, and where it's yellow, the speeds are in the 40s. a lot of pressure for that morning commute. we have the westbound commute coming off the bridge guys. >> sorry, mike. just a random thought. >> i like you being there, john. >> appreciate it. it's 5:26 right now. still ahead, a whole lot of static. the glitch in oakland's police radio system that could affect your safety, even if you don't live in the east bay. hey, also, we're talking about this crucial testimony that's coming up. the bruise that left a black eye on the san francisco sheriff's department. why the victim in the case is coming forward to defend the man that left that mark. right now you we take you outside live. we'll double your pleasure. first up, that is the lovely bay bridge. the lights sparkling all over. looks like a smooth commute so far, and how about you help me

out and go to the south bay on this next one. >> absolutely, maybe not quite as picturesque, but the lights are glowing, waiting for the sun's arrival on this wednesday morning. here you go little man.

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good morning, everybody. i'm marla tellez live on the road in the south bay. we're talking about a plan to tax drivers up to 10 cents for every mile they drive, right here in the bay area. that story is coming up. >> reporter: good morning. i'm bob redell. we'll take you live to san francisco to show you why this morning's board of regents meeting is developing so much interest. >> kind of a creeper behind crow. bob, good morning. a great-looking forecast yet again today. that means the 70s inland, the 60s bayside, upper 50s at the coast. much warmer weather in just 72 hours. your full forecast in moments. >> checking over my shoulder

too? the san mateo bridge, the toll plaza, i have a note about this bridge and i just learned about a full freeway closure in the valley. it is a big concern for some, so i'll let you know exactly what's going on with the flooding coming up. >> right now we take you outside. a live look at san francisco, some clouds in the distance. beautiful lights in the foreground on this wednesday, july 18th, tod"today in the ba." good morning, everybody. thank you very much for joining us. the time now is 5:30. i'm jon kelly. >> and i'm laura garcia-cannon. it is an unusual idea, paying for the right to use the road. it's an idea being floated by some bay area transportation leaders. tod"today in the bay's" marla tellez is live with a look at how it would all work. good morning, marla. >> reporter: laura, good morning. if this goes into effect in the bay area, we would become the first place in the country to adopt something like this.

right now we're live on the road, 101 heading northbound in san jose, just to give you an idea of our whereabouts this morning. now, it's called the vehicle miles traveled tax. all drivers in the bay area, except for those deemed low income, would be taxed up to 10 cents a mile for every mile on the road. okay, how would this work? you would have to install a gps device on your vehicle and then pay a monthly bill, for instance. to give you an idea, the average u.s. driver clocks 13,500 miles a year, so that would equal $1,350 a year in payment. now, we spoke to commuters this morning. one guy says he commutes daily from redwood city to san jose, about 45 miles round-trip. so for a 45-mile commute, that would equal just like over $4 more. >> yeah, yeah, $4 more. and that's, you know, me spending -- that's my lunch every day on my break, you know, extra on gas. so that's a lot of money that in

a month that i'm spending that wouldn't be very easy for me. >> no way. why? i mean, that's not right. it's not fair. >> reporter: now, we've talked to probably ten people this morning. not one likes this idea. the plan is still very much in the early phases, though, according to the "mercury news," the metropolitan transportation commission, the mtc, is set to authorize a study of this proposal tomorrow. the mtc is, in fact, spearheading this whole project. the idea is to reduce traffic and pollution and the money raised would go toward fixing our bay area roads. again, if this is adopted in the bay area, we would be the first place in the nation to adopt something like this. now, i have put in a call and an e-mail, in fact, into the mtc, waiting for comment, and i am, indeed still waiting to hear back. live on the road in the south bay, marla tellez, "today in the bay." it is a bruise that could ultimately cost her husband his

job. today eliana lopez expected to testify on behalf of her husband, suspended san francisco sheriff, ross mirkarimi. the mayor has accused the sheriff of official misconduct after he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor domestic abuse charge, stemming from a new year's eve argument that left lopez with a bruised arm. a bay area couple accused of killing their daughter's could be released from jail today. they will appear before a san francisco judge for a bail hearing this morning. all four are charged in connection with the shooting death of 22-year-old calvin sneed near candlestick park last month. the couple says that sneed used their 17-year-old daughter as a sex worker in los angeles. the couple insists they are not guilty. three south bay men now charged with gunning down a teenager in front of a san jose

apartment complex. 20-year-old noe hernandez and 19-year-old andy gomez along with 18-year-old jose gonzalez are all behind bars this morning in connection with the killing. officers say the men shot 18-year-old hanzel sacuedo. all three are charged with murder and accused of also being gang means. more dpliglitches with oakls police radio system. it's supposed to help them commute with agencies in other cities. but a new report yesterday found that radio system has poor reception, unclear audio, and speaker problems. oakland has long had radio issues. it's an old analog system, had a lot of dead spots and the city says cables and towers for the new digital system are insufficient for the technology. well, laura, let's just say it's about to get a little

freaky on campus. students planning a zombie protest at ucf this morning. this as uc regents meet on the potential for future division hikes. this morning, bob redell was brave enough to go out there and go to the mission bay campus with more on this undead demonstration. bob, are you doing all right there, pal? >> reporter: i am. good morning to you, john. the uc board of regents meeting takes place a little bit later this morning here at the mission bay campus, and you're expected to have several students dress like charlie eaton. why the zombie makeup, charlie? >> well, the uc regents have been killing students with these tuition increases, 300% in the last two years. it's a deabt sentence. we're coming back from the debt and back from the dead to say, no more tuition increases, no matter what happens this year. >> reporter: the board or the finance committee is expected to vote for a possible 5% increase on the professional degree programs. as far as the 20% across the board, they're not voting on that today. that's something that could happen down the line.

do you sympathize with the board, given how bad the economy is right now and all the budget cuts? >> no. i mean, the professional degree tuition increases shows that the board of regents is really closer to wall street than they are to most californians. they don't care about affordability. these tuition increases hurt working students and it doesn't even help financial aid, these tuition increases that they're doing. >> reporter: all right, charlie eaton, thank you very much for being up early this morning. what the board will be voting on today is a freeze of tuition hikes. in exchange -- or a freeze of tuition. in exchange, they get $125 million from the state. they're also expected to endorse governor brown's tax initiative, which would bring in another $250 million. here's the catch. if that tax initiative fails in november, all that money, they don't get anymore. that puts them in the hole, and that's why there's fears of a 20.3% tuition increase that would take some time during the midyear. reporting live here in san

francisco, bob redell, "today in the bay". >> okay, bob. thank you very much. i want to check in with meteorologist christina loren. she's got a look at our forecast right now, see how you're feeling before you head out the door. >> good morning to you. we'll start with this live look over san francisco, i want to show you just how deep that marine larry yer is this mornin. so keep that in mind if you're waking up in san francisco or getting ready to fly out of sfo. check ahead with your carrier until about 11:00 today. 60 degrees, right now in san jose, a comfortable morning out there and an even more comfortable afternoon. the temperatures warm up into the 70s. we're talking about room-temperature readings in oaktown today, going to be very comfortable along the east shore. looks like that's where we're going to get the best weather as we head throughout the day today. but we do have a solid block of low clouds overhead, and that's all the way from your coastal communities through the tri-valley and the silicon valley this morning. we do have those 90s ahead, so enjoy the 70s while they last. 79 degrees at 4:00 p.m. inland.

your seven-day in any next report. 5:37. let's check the hurry up and wait. here's mike. >> i'm going to take you out of the area first, so stick with me on the map and i'll show you on the tv right here. we're looking at the sacramento region, but just south of the downtown area, right around the sacramento airport, highway 99 is a problem. look at this video we just got in from our sister station, water on the roadway. about 3:00 this morning, a water main reportedly broke and that flooded highway 99 and both directions are currently closed of that state highway. there's the traffic that's backing up. folks are getting routed off of the highway in both directions, again, between about fruitridge and floren, let's say. so you can use 24th or even better, just stay on i-5 as an alternate through the sacramento area. keep that in mind. it's a good alternate, but it might affect you if you're on the east side of the sacramento airport. and we don't know when that will reopen. we'll track this, but of more concern, the local commute, folks coming in and out of sacramento are okay. we'll get back to my maps now

and show you the flow coming in out of the sacramento valley. once you get to this area, you're okay with slowing at altamont pass. the accident at the dublin interchange has cleared and we have antioch for the westbound slow, already down into the 20s passing "g" street. >> thank you very much, mike. it is 5:39. coming up, a crucial countdown. while your job may be in jeopardy if congressional debates don't lead to some decisions. >> plus, hipsters on the high seas. we'll tell you why the coachella music festival is taking sound waves to the ocean. [ male announcer ] now at your neighborhood subway: dinner...is...served. tonight, take it easy and enjoy your favorite soup, salad and hot, hearty sub. like the toasty big hot pastrami melt. get to your local subway for some dinnertime deliciousness tonight. subway. eat fresh.

we have developing news to tell you about out of syria this morning. syria's rebel commander claiming responsibility for an attack that killed the the country's defense minister. syrian state media saying the attack coming a few hours ago on a national security building in damascus. now, this is video of fighting near the presidential palace. reports say the suicide bombing

happened during a high-level meeting and several other senior officials did suffer some injuries. now, this all comes as the u.n. security council prepares to vote on a new syria res lauolut on how to end the violence. much closer to home, just when you thought things couldn't get worse here, another dire warning about the economy. >> indeed. this morning, new concerns the economy could go into a free fall if congress doesn't extend bush tax cuts by the end of this year. >> "today in the bay's" tracie potts joins us live from capitol hill this morning. trac tracie, the real debate seems to be, who should get those tax breaks? >> right, is it the middle class only as president obama and democrats want, or should it include people who make over $250,000 a year? republicans say they're the job creators. you can't let their taxes go up. and now new warnings. an aerospace industry report saying that if congress does nothing, we could be looking at 2 million job losses next year.

vice president dick cheney warning about big spending cuts that could can kikick in this f congress takes no action. he says it could have an affect on the military. they may not be prepared to take care of sudden threats. and then ben bernanke, the federal reserve chair telling congress that job growth has slowed, and if congress doesn't do something about it, we could be looking at trouble here. >> it would probably knock the recovery back into a recession and cost a lot of jobs. >> reporter: he urged congress not just to kick the can down the road and deal with some sort of temporary extension, but to come up with a permanent solution here, a financial solution. of course, that could be really tough during a heated campaign season. >> it will be interesting to watch. thank you very much, trace where i potts, live from washington this morning. meantime, there's a plan to pay some teachers more than others. it is certainly sparking controversy. president obama's s.t.e.m. program would add an additional

$20,000 for teachers who teach math, science, and technology. some educators are critical of the proposal, but not everyone thinks it's a bad idea. >> we know there's a challenge between acquiring teachers, because they compete against industry. they can go be an engineer at a big company like cisco, or they can be a teacher. >> the s.t.e.m. program will start off slowly, rewarding just 50 teachers. it will then expand over the next four years to recognize 10,000 of the instructors. it is 5:44 right now. and it will definitely be a busy day for first lady michelle obama. the first lady will be in philadelphia to meet with mayors from around the country. she's there to announce an expansion on her let's move campaign, promoting healthier lifestyles for children. and after that, the first lady will head off to tuscaloosa, alabama. she will meet with children who were affected by last year's

devastating tornado. she will also get a progress on the ongoing recovery efforts. penn state says it is preparing a response to demands for information in the wake of the jerry sandusky sex abuse scandal. the ncaa a investigating whether penn state violated ethics rules. penalties include a possible shutdown of the football program. it comes in the wake of a report claiming top university administers concealed sandusky's crimes to shield the school from bad publicity. longtime head coach joe paterno was named as one of those top officials involved in that cover-up. in the fallout, the school's famous bronze statue of paterno has become now the target of threats, the latest coming yesterday, where a plane flew over penn state with a simple message -- "take the statue down or we will." well, this past nba season, it took new york by storm and now linsanity, heading to the longhorn state. jeremy lin now a houston rocket.

the palo alto high school grad was just too rich, that contract was, for new york. the knicks did not match -- they chose not to match the rockets' three-year, $25 million offer for the guard. lin is all set to report to houston later on today. and that, ironically, is the team that cut him before the knicks picked him up. and now they're paying him a heck of a lot more money. >> a pretty penny there. a nice couch he'll get. >> he can buy a whole living room set, i can imagine. >> let's check the forecast right now with meteorologist christina loren. >> that's right. hold on, everybody. just because you don't get what you want the first time, doesn't mean you're not going to get it the second. we are getting spoiled this morning across the bay area. a little choppy on the bay. winds overnight have relaxed since then and as a result that fog has not yet settled in. but it's just a matter of time. between 6:00 and 8:00, we are expecting mostly cloudy conditions, that dense fog to settle right to the surface. just a beautiful start this

morning. doesn't even feel like july, but it will. as we head to this upcoming weekend welcome good morning to you in san jose. we're at about 60 degrees this morning, 61 in sunnyvale, 58 in san francisco. and up in wine country, we're enjoying a comfortable 58 degrees in napa and 50 in santa rosa. as we head throughout the day today, we have a really interesting setup today. some fascinating meteorology to show you. an area of low pressure situated just to our south, tropical depression fabio. and then we have an area of low pressure, which is to our north as well. so the two combined are going to create some very interesting weather for us today. we'll see more of that moisture onshore throughout the second half of your day. a mix of sun and clouds today, but a little bit warmer as that sun breaks through by about 3:00 p.m., even at the coast. so that means surfers, if you have been suffering, the gray skies, not been able to get out there, then your sunshine will be back. as we head through today and out in full force tomorrow afternoon into the weekend. for today, works out like this. a little drizzle and then we'll get warm, and some bay area cities, talking about the 80s in

places like fairfield today. 79 for livermore, 72 along the east shore in fremont, and 76 right near in san jose. just unbelievably cool compared to the rest of the nation. by this weekend, we get our warm weather, though. 93 degrees on sunday, and that's when those microclimates really start to separate in terms of temperature. so keep that in mind, great beach weather by this weekend. 5:48, let's check your drive, here's mike. >> we'll take you to the south bay for an update. most of that construction for 85 is clearing from the southbound side, as you're coming down off of 37, you have the transitions off of 280. southbound 85 still closed. take the northbound 85 loop around, homestead, about a half mile north and you're just flying getting down through the area. also over here, we're looking at this. my focus is on the slowing that shows up north of 680 for 101. an increased volume of traffic here, north of tully up through the area, and also for highway 87 coming up in next few minutes. we'll track that south bay slowing. and we're looking at the lower

bay shore. the traffic volume pix up a bit for 101, but no slowing throughout the area up towards san mateo. we have the crew on the east bay area for the dumbarton bridge, but no slowing there. i'll jump up on the maps to the bay bridge. we're looking a to the earlier slowing we saw heading out of berkeley and eastbound, opposite your main commute. that has cleared. westbound, still holding close to the limits and the construction has cleared from the southbound side. now let's get a look at the san mateo bridge. i want to tell you about the flow, first of all. westbound, your commute is just fine. eastbound, one lane closing in just about ten minutes or somewhere around then, just after $6. reports of caltrans closing one of your eastbounds from 6:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. westbound, that's your commute direction. they're closing one lane after the morning commute from 11:00 to 4:00 today. retrofit work going on today, tomorrow and friday as well. we'll track this morning. from the desert to the

ocean, the popular music festival known as coachella heading to the high seas. >> a whole new way to float your boat. some music fans able to set sail in december, so far, as they get their swerve on, there are two trips planned. one heading to the bahamas, do your thing, the other one to jamaica. >> people really do want to take these cruises. to a fan, to a music fan, it's like you can vacation with your favorite rock star for a few days. >> awesome! get your glow sticks and get on the water. how much is this thing going to cost? if you're willing to bunk four to a cabin, it could be as little as $500 a person. the most expensive package going for about $9,000. reservations open up saturday on the coachella concert website. >> it looks like you better not be be claustrophobic on the high seas. >> better not. when are we hitting our bags? we're going to hit that party, right? >> maybe with we can take the show on the road. >> i like that. 5:50. coming up, rent on the rise.

>> plus, would california's budget be in better shape if they weren't in economic trouble? we'll take a look at that coming up in business news. >> right now we'll take a look live over san francisco. the transamerica building there as the sky turns from dark to light blue, a few clouds out there. christina loren says expect it to get real nice once again. she'll be back with more. 5:51. [ male announcer ] every day, your car takes you to work, school, practice, dance class, shopping, and more. so do something nice for it. chevron with techron. care for your car.

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is ready for you to enjoy. delicious granola bars made with the best ingredients in nature. nature valley, nature at its most delicious. new this morning, bay area rents hitting their highest levels ever. a report just released this morning by real facts says rental prices are being pushed up by demand as the job market

improves. this report also says the lingering housing recession is now motivating people to rent instead of buy. this year alone, in san jose, the average apartment rent jumped about 10% to around $1,800 a month. oakland rent has risen about 14% to $1,835 a month. and in san francisco, rent raising 12%, to get this, about $2,700 per month. supply and demand there. >> very, very steep. a new report says it would be a mistake to blame california's budget mess on the economy. >> scott mcgrew joins us. scott, economists are now saying we'd be in trouble even if the rest of the state were in an economic boom. >> that's the troubling thought. the basic idea is they want you to think the reason the state is in economic trouble is because of this worldwide crisis. when in fact it's because the very same politicians made a mess of the budget before the recession. this according to the report.

a bipartisan study led by former fed chairman, paul volcker, which says growing health care costs, the underfunded pensions, means six states, including california, might not recover, even if the economy continues to get better. now, of all the problems that states face, this report says the federal budget cuts may be t the biggest. there's tremendous pressure in washington, particularly from the tea party, to slash that federal spending. watch for some ipos, including kayak and palo alto networks. ben bernanke continuing his testimony before congress today as well. he was pessimistic about the economy yesterday. that had the weird affect we've talked about before of rallying the markets, because investors think the fed is more likely to ease monetary policy. and would you register to vote on facebook? you can in washington state. the registrar of voters there working with facebook to port an existing online voter register

into the social network. only the state sees personal information. recently, facebook made it possible to sign up to be an organ donor. many like that idea, because it brings the issue to people's attention and then your friends are inspired to sign up as well. jon and laura? >> and in this election year, politicians might as well. >> it is the modern world we are in. let's check in with meteorologist christina loren to find out about the wednesday forecast. good morning. >> good morning to ewe guys. we have such a great-looking day shaping up. one of those days where you don't get outside, you might be regretting it at this time tomorrow, where it will be much warmer, 79 degrees. 4:00 p.m., temperatures will be very comfortable for your outdoor activities. we do heat up this weekend. your seven-day forecast is on the way and we'll take a really close look at fabio. i've been promising it. it's on the way, here's nothing short of fabio, mike inouye, a gentleman

>> and the commute, i can't believe it's not butter. and also slow in the westbound direction, pretty typical patterns here and a live look at the bay bridge toll plaza. the westbound commute direction starts it normal pattern. lower deck, we're watching a stall around treasure island. back to you. >> thank you very much. 5:57. still ahead, walking dead walk the picket line. while zombies are lashing out at the uc system, just ahead. >> plus, getting taxed every time you drive to work. how about that? the pay-per-mile proposal that could turn your commute into a cash crunch. >> and taking a free live look outside, the beautiful bay bridge this morning. gorgeous out there -- no, that's golden gate. [ male announcer ] it would be easy for u.s. olympian meb keflezighi to deposit checks at the nearest citibank branch. ♪ like this one. ♪ or this one. ♪ or, maybe this one. ♪

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new this morning, another tax for bay area drivers? good morning, everybody. i'm marla tellez, live on the

road, 101 in the south bay. we're going to talk about a proposal that's about paying per mile, every mile you drive. stay with us. >> reporter: why this morning's uc board of regents meeting is generating so much interest from zombies. i'm bob redell. we'll explain in a live report from san francisco. plus, a man found living in a secret house, hidden in a wildlife sanctuary. find out what else deputies say was going on there. and another gorgeous day for outdoor activities, everywhere across the bay area, 70s inland, 60s bayside, 50s at the coast and a heat wave on the way. i'll detail that coming up. and we have a beautiful view of the bay bridge, but i'm looking at the lower deck and a stall reported around treasure island. we'll let you know how that stalling and the clearing goes. and right now we take you outside live for a look spanning over san jose as the sun begins to rise and light up the city. guess what? it's wednesday, we're