back in court in a matter of hours. the evidence appears to be stacked against him but legal experts say this is far from an open and shut case. >> cutting credit for students in the south bay. the plan to wipe out electives at san jose high school. >> a live look outside, things are quiet and calm but another round of wet weather headed our way. it's monday, march 31, this is "today in the bay." good morning everyone. i'm scott mcgrew. >> i'm peggy bunker. laura garcia-cannon has the morning off. lots to get to but first up we want to check in on the forecast

with miss christina loren. boy, a storm coming. >> look at this monster storm behind me, peggy and scott. it's well organized and you'll notice here a couple things about this system. some spotty clouds out here off in the distance. that's an indication of a very cold air mass. it's going to collide with a very warm and moist air mass today. therefore, we have a chance for thunderstorms. the best chance so far all year i'm going to show you who has the best opportunity, when the rain will arrive and we've got strong wind headed toward the bay area as well. lots to go over. first, let's check your drive, say good morning monday, hi, mike. >> good morning. we're looking to the bay bridge. there was a crash a few minutes ago cleared. so once again pass that ramp it's a smooth drive. there is also construction on the old span but one lane blocked eastbound.

typical there. we see the yellow down to 60 miles per hour. not a real concern. this is a concern, a closure on isabelle approaching stanley. keep that in mind through livermore and pleasanton. road work is not uncommon, they often do that approaching so you have the reroute. the tri-valley freeways moving as are the rest of the freeways around the bay. we see a yellow blip into palo alto. the headlights, light volume. it may be a slow-moving truck or two. back to you. >> thanks. in a few hours suspended state senator leland yee should be back in federal court. yee has yet to enter a plea in charges of krup tun, bribery and gun trafficking though we haven't heard a lot of evidence against yee, legal experts say it's far from open and shut case. prosecutors have to prove yee's intent when it comes to making

promises in exchange for campaign contributions. >> they have to prove that the money was given in exchange for an explicit promise by the public official to do certain official acts. >> johnson points out the case of former san jose mayor ron gonzalez indicted on several felony bribery charges, a judge dismissed the entire case saying there was no indication a crime occurred. in court raymond chow other wise known as shrimp boy, he was arrested last week in the same massive fbi raid. chow still without a defense attorney, as he sits in jail. he was denied bail after a judge declared him a flight risk and danger to the public. the former gangster is accused of money laundering and other charges. our coverage of the scandal continues, our christie smith will have a live report in the next half hour and any time we're not on air you can check out our website, nbcbayarea.com.

>> at 4:33, heavy rain in washington state are expected to clear this week but now searchers in the mudslide area deal with more problems like chemicals and sewage. they are dealing with septic tanks and gasoline and propane containers when they leave the area they are hosed down by hazmat crews. the number confirmed dead now stands at 21 people after four bodies were found yesterday. another 30 people are still missing. crews say they will not give up but the search is taking a toll on volunteers. >> sometimes we have to say you're tired, time to take a break. they want to push through because they are committed to this community. >> crews have managed to finish a makeshift road linking one side of the debris field to the other. a huge task. this is expected to significantly help recovery efforts. >> valero has agreed to pay

$183,000 fine to settle air quality. according to a spokesman it will cover seven violations from 2010 t problems stem from the refinery's fluid catalytic cracking unit. it sent pollution in the air over a 10-day period. >> a community meeting tonight to talk about lowering the number of credits needed to graduate high school. the school district is considering eliminating three years of electives, this means the students only need 210 credits compared to the current requirement of 240. the district officials who support the plan say this will give students more time to focus on core classes. the school board is set to vote on that next month. if you would like to weigh in do so tonight at the gunderson high school library. that begins at 6:30 p.m. >> state offices closed in honor of cesar chavez. there was a bilingual mass

honoring the civil rights and labor leader. other events the mission language and vocational school in san francisco will host a breakfast and award ceremony. at 11:00 students at john f. kennedy university will hear from chavez's grandson and later tonight at 7:00 there will be a screening of caesar chavez, an american hero. >> governor brown will be in sausalito for an environmental conference, he will deliver the key note speech at the council of the states spring meeting. this will start this morning. the three-day event focuses on improving state environmental agencies to protect humans and the environment. >> turning to our microclimate forecast, a live look outside at san francisco and over to the east bay as well for a live look at fremont. things looking relatively calm. that's going to change in the next couple hours. we're talking strong winds and heavy rain. >> we are checking in with

meteorologist christina loren right now who is watching that. happy monday. >> happy monday to you. the good news is all of the activity is going to hold off until after the morning commute which is good news because hey, it's monday after all. mike is watching that. we're going to check with him in a moment. you can see the showers are way north of the bay area but this front is coming in and it's coming in quickly. i stop the clock at 1:00 p.m. you can see here rainbow of colors moving into the bay area with the green being the lighter rain, yellow moderate and heavy rain on the way to the north bay. all of that activity dives south and we're talking about brief heavy downpours at times all the way throughout the afternoon. we'll get clearing by this evening, in addition to the rainfall. we could pick up pretty decent totals to the tune of 3/4 inch in the south bay, upwards of two inches in the north bay and maybe around an inch in san francisco and oakland. hey, we've got wind on the way as well. and some thunderstorms.

the chance of thunderstorms all year long i'm going to show you where we're going to see those, who has the best chance and we have a slight risk of severe weather as well. right now as promised, happy monday. >> happy monday, christina. we promise a happy monday. see if it delivers. looking here this is not so happy for this one truck there in the foreground, after you get past the tassajara off ramp you see the traffic. it is over on the shoulder there past the fog line. it is one stall reported. not reported, we found it with our live camera. this is west 580 through dublin. right about where the arrow is. also circled the closures between vineyard and down toward actually starting at airway so that will be the closure the next few minutes. it's not a big deal as far as the surface street congestion. it's light right now. 580, there is a stalled big rig blocking the slow lane approaching north flynn. that's a different one than i

showed you. we see the slowing eastbound a tad bit. there may be flashing lights that could be a distraction. we'll track the area. the little green screens you see, that's a damp roadway. not that big deal. the south bay, an easy drive northbound routes throughout, that's the commute direction for the morning at speed. 880 at 280. and a smooth drive north of the dumbarton bridge. we'll look at the north bay, southbound side, and a light flow through san rafael out of novato. >> thank you so much. redwood city is looking for help to improve a busy interchange. tonight the city will hold a meeting to address issues for 101 and highway 84. it will cover ways to improve congestion and troubles pedestrians and businesses are facing. the meeting will be at 6:30 tonight. >> still ahead new objects

spotted in the indian ocean. the search for the missing malaysian plane. >> it's deadline day. what you need to know if you have not signed up for health coverage under the affordable care act.

good morning. good monday morning to you as we wake up here taking a live look at the beautiful downtown area. you can see lights twinkling in the distance, all lit up, gorgeous. very nice. australian officials say a cluster of orange objects spotted by a search plane over the indian ocean turned out disappointingly to be fishing equipment. the plane was one of several that was hunting for any trace of malaysian flight 370. more than ten planes and ten ships will scour the ocean. a war ship carrying a u.s. device that detects pings is now slowly making its way to the search area as well. that search area spans about with 100,000 square miles, a mind boggling amount of space. the trip could take four days.

australia's prime minister said today that the search for wreckage will continue indefinitely. >> if you haven't signed up for a health insurance plan you have until midnight tonight. to at least start the process or you pay a fine. there has been a surge in applications on the covered california website over the weekend the obama administration says the federal enrollment site set a new record with more than 1 million people visiting healthcare.gov. lawmakers are sticking with positions. >> in the last few days there were 500,000 people on the call centers on friday and a million and a half on the website. >> once all this is said and done what kind of insurance will those people have? will they be able to keep the doctor that they want? >> if you are a californian you do not have health insurance then use covered california. as long as you begin your application before tonight's deadline you have until april 15th to finish it. if you don't you will pay fines. obviously if you have health

insurance through work or school, and you signed up for it you have nothing to worry about. covered california will hold sign-up events today. free health fairs at the oakland asian cultural center tonight and then the bay area rescue mission in richmond from 2:00 to 6:00. >> meanwhile, the fiercest rivalry in the smart phone world is again heading back to court. we're talking about with apple and samsung. let's turn to hampton pearson live at cnbc's washington, d.c. borough. >> good morning. we have jury selection beginning today in the latest round of apple and samsung long running patent fight. apple accusing samsung infringing on patents on newer devices including the galaxy s 3. back in 2012 a jury found samsung did infringe on apple's patents ordering the company to pay about a $900 million fine,

samsung as expected is appealing. futures are higher as the markets go off a mixed week. the nasdaq dragged lower by names like facebook and twitter, as well as the biotech sector. the the dow managed to eek out a small percentage gain, and as we get set to end the first quarter today, the dow and nasdaq are poised to snap their four-quarter winning streak. look for data later today on manufacturing, and fed chair janet yellen, she's speaking to a conference going on in chicago. the dow rising 58 points on friday to close at 16,323, the nasdaq edging up 4 points to close at 4155. there's also a report by congressional investigators probing gm's recall. it says the automaker discussed two fixes for faulty ignition switches back in 2005, but didn't take action because they would take too long and cost too

much. gm's parts supplier delphi is saying that the company approved the switches back in 2002, even though they didn't meet specifications. the households a hearing tomorrow. gm's ceo is expected to testify. back to you, have a great day in the bay area. >> okay, hampton, thank you much. that gm thing is turning out to be very, very serious. >> continues to grow. 4:47. checking back with christina. >> good morning to you. i myself am a big hampton pearson fan. class act. he's a guy who probably opens up the door for a lady. we love you, hampton. taking a live look at your radar, not a lot to show you. i want to tell you right now it's going to get active later on today so grab that umbrella, make sure you have your coat this morning. temps are in the 40s in some cities. and it's feeling like winter out there with a winter storm. very, very close to the bay area

at this point. although we're not feeling the impact yet it's going to come in so quickly. i can tell you that. and the winds are going to be fierce today. this is what we're working with. temperatures mostly in the 50s, we do have quite a few 40s. 48 along the peninsula, north bay this morning waking up with 45 degrees. so today's going to be cool, only climbing into the upper 50s. no 60s on the map. that means you're going to need your coat about all day long. this is a cold system. before the front comes through i stop futurecast at 2:00 p.m. and you want to look at the key. you get the warmer colors, the reds and the pinks, that is some really strong wind. gusting to 30, 40 miles per hour from time to time. it's going to impact the entire bay area. this is going to occur before that rain comes in. now to the rain futurecast, when the showers arrive. mostly 2:00 to 3:00, all of that activity to the north of san

francisco. the second half of the day the front comes in, by 9:00 p.m. it's mostly clear. we have a lot of instability with this system so the chance for thunderstorms across the bay area looking pretty decent today. i can tell you everything that i looked at leads me to believe the best chance of the thunderstorms will be over the higher elevations in san mateo county and santa cruz mountains. we're going to be here all day tracking it. one of those days you don't want to leave the weather center empty-handed. we'll be here for you. making sure everything is safe out there. nothing to worry about for the morning drive. we're going to talk about snow totals. stay tuned for that. back to you, peggy and scott. >> thank you so much. rescue crews along the santa barbara county coast are searching for a man pulled into the surf during a baptism. the pastor says he was baptizing a man when a rogue wave swept away three people. only two of them made it back to shore on their own. the pastor says the missing man was helping his cousin get baptized.

this happened along highway 1 about 20 miles south of pismo beach. a pit bull fell 200 feet and survived. crews thought the dog was dead after it landed on a pile of rocks a few miles north of rodeo beach yesterday. the lucky pit bull was reunited with his owner now recovering at the humane society. >> it's likely the end of an era for an iconic building in the south bay. >> last night san jose century dome theaters on winchester boulevard showed its final film. big night for a lot of folks who love that spot. the crowd watched "raiders of the lost ark," the film opened at century 21 in 1981. the owners of the land across the street they want to use that for redevelopment. there is a push from the community to preserve the oldest of the three domes. >> we don't expect you to preserve all of them. but could you see to preserve

one of them and reimagine it into something innovative and exciting. >> i'm here to relive my youth and say good-bye to the rest of it. i've been seeing movies here and now they are tearing it down. >> next month officials neat consider declaring century 21 historic. >> still ahead changes in store for a's fans. >> the giants kick off 2014 on the road. you can cheer them on from at&t park. we'll tell you how. >> a live look out here. fremont moves smoothly. light volume of traffic but i'll take you east to talk about the stall and the closure coming up.

a live look at the home of the oakland a's. tonight thousands of fans will pour into o.co to watch the green and gold kick off the season against the cleveland indians. sunny gray will take the mound for the first pitch at 7:05. fans headed to the game may notice changes. there's new food at the concession stands, polynesian bowl, wraps and salads not to mention 20 kinds of micro and craft beers.

the locker rooms upgraded. the press box has been outfitted with new flat screen tvs, the coliseum authority made the changes in hopes of enhancing the experience for players and fans and the media. one thing the same, the sewage. rain from over the weekend caused the showers to back up again. the mayers dealt with that last fall. new tvs and new beers but the sewage will be the same. >> super fancy except for where it matters. the giants, they are opening up on the road against the diamondbacks. thousands of fans will still flood the fans at at&t park. >> hosting the authentic opening day at the ballpark. fans can watch madison bumgarner's start on the scoreboard. >> the world series trophy will

be there. right now we do want to check in with mike inouye watching the roads for you on this monday morning. it's monday, mike. >> it is monday. you know, i went to the giants last spring games on friday so that was good stuff. wonderful time. looking forward to the real stuff. over across from the bay the real commute, very light, no problems westbound coming off of the high rise. you see the camera moving. christina talked about the wind bringing in the next system. a little breeze over the high rise. not a concern by chp. we're looking at the map, the bay looks pleasant including 92 in the middle, the rest of the bay the yellow blips below the speed limit. there was a full closure over there in the city of pleasanton. isabelle should start opening in complete stretch. the crews are still moving. we did have a stall, now the slowing approaching the slow

lane 580 at north flynn. the bulk of the commute coming in off the merge and that's why we have slowing as you are restricted by one lane. that will present a benefit for folks in livermore and dublin. a smooth drive to the bay bridge with no major concerns. back to you. >> still ahead on "today in the bay," a warning from a bay area hospital as hundreds may have been exposed to life threatening diseases including hiv. >> suspended state senator leland yee expected back in court this morning. why prosecutors may not have enough to put him behind bars.

back in court suspended state senator leland yee expected in court to answer a number of charges including gun trafficking. >> take a look at this monster storm moving into the bay area. it is a big one, it's going to bring some really gusty winds, thunderstorms, and heavy rain at

times today. i'll have your full forecast in moments. >> plus, how the rain could cause trouble during tonight's home opener at the oakland coliseum. we're not just talking about with weather delays. >> but i am talking about with traffic delays, west 580 slows into livermore and through livermore we also have closures which are in transition now. we'll give you the latest. >> a live look outside at o.co, it's monday, march 31, and this is "today in the bay." good morning everyone. thank you for joining us. i'm scott mcgrew. >> and i'm peggy bunker. laura garcia-cannon is off this morning. >> we are taking a live look at san francisco, you may not be able to tell but winds are going to pick up all over the bay area, that's going to push rain in. >> our team tracking the storm. let's check in with meteorologist christina loren. good morning. >> hey, good morning to you.