mayeda with a look at our microcast forecast. >> we have fog in the forecast that means head. right now, 50s and 60s outside. speaking of san francisco, first pitch coming up tonight, 6:05, should be in the low 70s. that will be away from the 80s we saw during the day yesterday. also gilroy garlic festival going on this afternoon. that will be one of the hotter spots. mid to upper 90s as we go through the weekend. we'll be watching the sea breeze, pushing in low clouds around the peninsula and coastline this morning. as we head toward the afternoon, we'll change from the 60s to nind to san jose. san francisco, mid-70s today. we'll talk about cooler changes in the seven day forecast and perhaps a return of monsoon moisture. >> flip the six to the nine and that's what we've got. >> indeed. >> thank you. we turn to breaking news this morning. flames destroy a building overnight in the south bay.

firefighters just mopping up right now. the fire broke out about 3:30 this morning on the 1500 block of seventh street. that's near spartan stadium and shark ice in downtown san jose. fire officials say two warehouses are involved. the flames have badly damaged at least one of those structures. check out this video. you can see large flames shooting out from pallet boxes and trucks in an area in front of the building. one person was critically injured in this fire. triple digit temperatures hit some cities around the bay area. antioch and livermore got the brunt of it, but everyone is feeling the heat. at 4:45 yesterday afternoon, it was 103 degrees in walnut creek. hot, hot, hot. the coolest place to be, inside your air conditioned car, inside a ac building. people admitting defeat as they moved inside. >> we don't have air conditioning, so we wanted to move inside to get some air.

>> but you didn't want to go inside? >> well, i haven't been outside, so -- with this, i haven't been outside much, so i wanted some sunshine. but i'm with a big party, so i got vetoed. >> majority rules. this is one way to beat the heat. a nice, cool dip in a pool or a run down with the hose there, man's best friend. keep your pets inside during the heat and put out plenty of water for your pups. a video of a house fire in east bay that sparked a two-acre brush fire. the blaze erupted in the garage of this home in monticello road. two people got out safely, along with their dogs. but the fire caught dry brush in a nearby valley. firefighters had a slight break this time. the lack of wind prevented the fire from spreading further. nbc bay area first broke the story on thursday night. now we have more details. government added racketeering charges in the corruption case

against suspended state senator leland yee and chinatown gangster raymond chow. chow's lawyer says it shows the government doesn't much of a case. >> one conviction of one count of racketeering carries a potential sentence of 20 years. >> for them to come out with a superseding indictment is essentially alleging the same facts as the original indictment is a sign of weakness in the prosecution. >> the racketeering charge not only ups the ante in terms of potential sentences, it also widens the scope of evidence that prosecutors can bring in. nearly 30 defendants are named in this corruption case. some of those people could end up taking a plea deal and end up testifying for the government. rolling out the red carpet for public transit in san francisco. the sfmta is making the transit-only lanes red. right now only the bus and taxi lanes are marked but drivers are still using them all the time. the sfmta is hoping red pavement

will send a message to drivers to steer clear. getting cars out of the transit lane is expected to get muni moving faster on san francisco's main boulevard. muni says 63,000 people travel on market street on public transportation every day. drivers are dreading this change, while muni riders hope the plan works. >> i think it will be gradual, people will get used to it, more will come and hopefully it will be something people in the city knows, don't go in red lane. >> for people like me, muni will prosper. >> a pilot program on church street is showing promise. the agency says transit lines there are moving faster, about 20% in some cases. but drivers say shifting all cars and bikes into one lane causes traffic backups and close calls. the first stretch of red lanes on market street will be complete by this morning. they will eventually run from fifth to 12th street. don't try it, because there are some cameras on muni buses as well, so you can get a citation

if you are riding in those red lanes. off to a multimillion grant to protect b.a.r.t. transbay tube against terrorism. yesterday east bay congressman falwell announced b.a.r.t. will get $17.4 million grant from the department of homeland security. the money will be used to secure the tube that connects the east bay and san francisco. falwell is a mechanic mber of a homeland security subcommittee. this was the scene in vallejo. a limo driver narrowly escaped injury in this fire. firefighters responded to a call about 10:30 yesterday morning near the solano county fairgrounds. the car was engulfed in flames and gutted in a matter of minutes. fortunately, the manager of -- the driver managed to escape. no passengers on board. the company that owns the car say they've never had problems before. they say the limo had just been upgraded and it was due to take

four people on a tour of wine country. >> central for people survivivi that is very little. >> we take care of our vehicles. we'll make sure to make sure everything was done properly. we'll definitely do our own investigation. like i said, nothing like this has happened to us before. >> this is the third recent limo fire in the bay area. last year five women died after the limo they were riding in caught fire on the san mateo bridge. a month later, several elderly women barely escaped when a limo caught fire in walnut creek. as a result of last year's deadly accident on the san mateo bridge, a new california law has passed requiring additional emergency exits. all new limos must have extra passenger exits starting next summer. older vehicles will have another 2 1/2 years to make the changes. much more ahead on "today in

the bay." coming up -- outrage over how the nfl handled this incident involving one of its stars and caught on cell phone camera. does the punishment fit the crime? and this bay area teen was on his way to being a high school dropout until he was introduced to an ancient practice. how it saved his life. nbc bay area wants to help local nonprofits build stronger communities. that's why we're launching 21st century solutions. our annual grant challenge for new and innovative programs to earn up to $50,000. visit nbcbayarea.com to apply.

good morning. 7:09. take a look at fremont from our sky camera network. it's going to be a hot one. 60s to 90s in some places. the port of san francisco. the embarcadero there.

much cooler today than yesterday in the city. the exchange was egregious, punishment was outrageous, that's the take by many of the two-game suspension of the nfl star accused of domestic violence. ray rice was caught on tape drag his then-fiancee, now wife, out of an elevator. he entered a pretrial intervention program. advocate groups say the light sentence sends the wrong message to kids who look up to athletes. >> if they think that's part of being the man they should be, based on him and his actions and that he only got a two-game suspension, what does that say? >> they also think the suspension is too light as the nfl has -- has suspended other players for four games for marijuana possession. he was heading down the wrong path in life. an east bay teenager says doing drugs was his way to pass the time, but he was saved by a county prosecutor and yoga.

here's "today in the bay" cheryl hurd. >> my name is stacey james, from oakland, california. >> reporter: for an 18-year-old african-american teenager, surviving in oakland isn't always easy. >> where i'm from it's a lot of ways to get caught up. like, drugs, gangs. i could easily get guns. >> reporter: stacey's been robbed at gunpoint and was just about to throw his life away when alameda county district attorney nancy o'malley heard his story during a speech. she got him a job at the alameda county family justice center. his boss quickly discovered he was different, when she asked him for some office advice. >> now that you've been here for a few weeks, what do you think the clients need? this is really stressful for the

clients that come here. i think they need a wellness program where they can learn how to do yoga. >> reporter: that's right. yoga. >> i wanted yoga because i was, like, stressed, depressed, traumatized and hurt. like, i was just messed up. i was a messed up kid. >> reporter: stacey says his introduction to yoga in high school changed his life. he does it at home before work. sometimes during breaks. and in the evenings. and without yoga -- >> i would be somewhere messed up. probably gone, out of my mind. >> reporter: now stacey is centered and ready to take on the world one pose at a time. >> >> reporter: in oakland, cheryl hurd, nbc bay area news. much more ahead on "today in the bay." coming up levi stadium opens

next week. some key issues still need to be worked out. another stadium, at&t park, the sea breeze trying to come back. what it means for that inland valley heat in our forecast when we come right back.

le santa clara water district recommend residents water no more than two to three times a week before 5 a.m. adjust sprinklers so there's no run-off onto the sidewalk. select plants that use less water and use wood chips to preserve moisture. schedule a free water wise house call for water use evaluation and learn about the santa claire water district's many rebate programs. it's important for all of us to take action and conserve water today. >> visit save20gallons.org to

find more water saving tips and rebates today. you're looking live at san rafael. beautiful palm trees fluttering in the sky. it's going to be a hot one, so pack the sunscreen if you're headed out. you want to get the activities done early today. taking you down to san jose. it will be hot. if you're here for the convention, welcome. the first game at levi's stadium and yesterday the first big test -- traffic. some say it was a mess. the city of santa clara and 49ers fans are hoping this is not a sign of things to come. "today in the bay" derek shore

reports. >> great stadium. nice stadium. >> reporter: the 49er faithful pack paing in to take a glance at the new levi stadium. but outside, well, it was testing their faith. >> this is packed. it was just -- basically like a parking lot, you could say. >> reporter: sounds like lous noticed thick traffic on great america parkway and the 101. >> the way you see it, it's barely moving. >> reporter: we took a ride from sunnyvale to the stadium before rush hour took effect. it's 4:08 and we're at the matilda exit. we'll head from sunnyvale to the stadium and see how long it takes us. we got on 101. while it never stopped, it was thick. 20 minutes later -- it's 4:30 and we're just arriving at the stadium but we're sitting here in traffic to try to get into a parking lot. >> reporter: this is really where the issues were. parking lots closed, everyone forced to u-turn and confusion.

>> we had red lot one and it was showing blue lot. we never did find red lot 1. >> reporter: so the time now, 4:41. we went about four miles from sun sun sunnyvale so that took us 30 minutes. as great america parkway packed in, reginald king helped direct traffic. >> traffic is very, very, very tough right now. this is actually my first time directing traffic. >> reporter: the first for home but likely not the last time traffic piles up here. still team pride shines through. >> first time everybody wants to come to levi's stadium. they want to see what it's about. that's right, niners! >> sticker shock for niner fans. they found out how much they have to pay for gourmet concessions. a 20-ounce bottle of water is more than 5 bucks. garlic fries, almost $9.

first sporting event at levi's stadium is san jose earthquakes match on august 2nd. preseason game against broncos with 49ers. let's take it over to rob mayeda with a look at your weekend forecast. >> a mild start around the bay area. 60s in san jose where you have sunshine there. mostly clear skies right now as we can see the sun is out. around san francisco, you see 62 degrees there out by at&t park. first pitch today will be coming up this evening at 6:05. should still be in the 70s. sea breeze will be running a little longer. places like san francisco, the coast, should see temperatures dropping off a little bit. perhaps the reach of the sea breeze not felt as strongly in gilroy. that's the other extreme we'll see summer valleys again making a run at the upper 90s and may be close to 100. especially out toward antioch and pleasanton, we'll see hot temperatures continue again

today. winds are turning onshore. we're seeing a slight hint of a south breeze in san jose. that's important this time of year because you could be waking up to the smell of garlic in santa clara valley due to the garlic festival. right now we have low clouds west of downtown san francisco. down the coast, pretty thick fog. marine layer starting to creep up above 1,000 feet, which is another sign we should see some cooling a little later on. we're watching the low clouds on the coast. later this weekend, mid and high level clouds streaming up from south to north that could bring a chance certainly for some thunder out toward the sierra this weekend. watch out for that. we'll also watch for maybe some moisture coming in as you approach sunday. as we go through the afternoon today, mostly sunny skies. notice what happens late in the day. you're starting to see some high clouds there coming up out of the south. that's part of that monsoon moisture we'll be watching closely as we finish off the weekend. so, if you head out to the coast, it's interesting. offshore, the water temperatures not as warm as they were earlier

this week. still, we're looking at those numbers in the low to mid-60s for those water temperatures still running 5 to 8 degrees above average out on the coast. and for that slow cooling ahead, well, let's show you an example. around the tri-valley, we're going to see those temperatures again today. close to 100 degrees. and then slowly ratcheting down. part of the reason why will be a stronger sea breeze. also increasing clouds coming up a potential of monsoon moisture, which will certainly bring thunder showers up toward the sierra. you'll notice high clouds drifting across the bay area. today's valley still hot. tomorrow we'll see temperatures dropping a couple more degrees. high clouds up out of the south. as we head into sunday night into monday we'll see the chance of some possible showers there for the sierra where the thundershowers will be. also we'll see partly cloudy to mostly cloudy skies at times late tomorrow, as monsoon moisture comes up. deeper moisture stays to the east so we'll leave showers out of the forecast for now. stay tuned. monday we could see changes to

the forecast. today near 92 degrees in san jose. san francisco, 70s to low 80s today. that should be down from the mid and upper 80s we saw in some spots around the peninsula yesterday. you can see the five-day trend starts to bring those temperatures down around san jose. the cooling will probably take longer around the tri-valley. again, highs in the upper 90s for another day. santa rosa up to 93 degrees. the north bay and tri-valley should see those temperatures drop off. but this time around, we're talking about cooler temperatures being in the low 90s. out by livermore. if you notice a difference, obviously, between, let's say, 100 degrees and 92, you will enjoy that cooldown come tuesday and wednesday. you might not like the increased humidity as we head towards tomorrow and early monday. much more ahead on "today in the bay." coming up -- it's a give and take. the bay area swimmer who is proving real winners don't stop, even after they've crossed the finish line. it's a story that will make you

bay area proud.

in this morning's "bay area proud" we meet a champion. one in every sense of the word. one mill valley woman cleaning up at a national competition is just the beginning of the big news. garvin thomas tells us her inspiring story. >> reporter: water, we are told, seeks its own level. always evening out on top. water, it turns out, has been the great equalizer in kim chandler's life as well. the students you see in this mill valley community center swim class where kim volunteers don't know or care about the highs and lows of her life. they only care that when they hit the water -- >> ready, set, go! nice! >> reporter: -- she's there to catch them.

>> i still like it. i like the whole thing. >> reporter: kim was born 38 years ago in thailand, where her family was living. the prognosis for a girl with down syndrome at that time and in that place was not one full of promise. >> yes. the doctor did say, well, maybe -- maybe she'll be able to fit in society. >> reporter: but mom nancy says a mainstream education and two loving older sisters gave kim a great foundation. she says kim's natural ability are what made her a great athlete. >> she learned to swim in thailand with a teacher, young. and was -- that's where her nice strokes and all came from. >> reporter: strokes kim showed off to the country at this year's special olympics usa games at new jersey in june. that is kim in the 100-meter freestyle relay where her team won a gold medal. >> there's silver -- >> reporter: just one of three medals kim won during the game. >> i love to win.

>> i was very proud. yeah. >> reporter: but what makes mom even prouder is how kim chooses to live her life every day. this summer teaching not just swimming, but art to children at the community center. and teaching the rest of us that real winners don't stop, even after crossing the finish line. garvin thomas, "today in the bay." much more ahead on "today in the bay." shaking up the cell phone industry. the power to switch providers. caught on camera. cops storm a canadian plane filled with passengers. what prompted this intense response.

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oakland. a little hazy out there. a great day for the berkeley kite festival, which is happening all weekend long. let's take you over to san francisco. wow. look at that. like, a postcard. thanks so much for joining us this saturday morning. i'm vicky nguyen along with meteorologist rob mayeda with a look at your microclimate forecast. good morning. >> good morning. you have the fog there, west to san francisco, 62 degrees. the view inside at&t park. 65 in san jose. around the peninsula. speaking of at&t park, we have game time 6:05 against dodgers. 72 degrees. a little different weather there, cooler, and hopefully different outcome to the game coming up later on this evening around gilroy temperatures staying hot. mid to upper 90s. a little cooler tomorrow as the sea breeze right now is fairly weak. but the marine layer is building back above 1,000 feet this morning. a sign we should see these temperatures go into the 80s and 90s inland today. tri-valley, though, probably

still close to 100 in the warmest places. cooling trend is on the way. and an increased in monsoon moisture, which could bring thunder to the mountains. we'll talk about that in our full forecast later on in the broadcast. the ocean temperatures are pretty warm. so, it's kind of like there's not a lot of coolant in the a.c. right now but that should prove as we head forward monday. >> thank you, rob. new this morning -- flames destroy a building overnight in the south bay. firefighters just mopping up right now. the fire broke out around 3:30 on the 1500 block of seventh street. that's near spartan stadium and shark's ice in downtown san jose. fire officials say two warehouses were involved in this fire. the flames have badly damaged at least one of those structures. and you request scan see here l flames shooting out from pallet boxes and trucks. firefighters had ladder trucks out there. we not one person was critically

injured in this fire. we have breaking news. the chp officer hit a man running across 101 allen rock before 2:00 this morning. the man struck the right side of the patrol car near the right fender. he was transported to region 58 medical center with major injuries. is it closed and expected to open up around 9:00 this morning. triple digit temperatures hit some cities around the bay area. antioch and livermore got the brunt of that heat. everyone felt it. at 4:45 yesterday afternoon, it was 103 degrees in walnut creek. the coolest place to be, probably inside your air conditioned car or building with some a.c. in danville this is family's

dinner date went from outdoors to indoors quickly as the heat got the better of them. >> going inside to get some air. >> reporter: but you didn't want to go inside. >> i haven't been outside, so -- with this, i haven't been outside much, so i wanted some sunshine, but i'm with a big party, so i got vetoed. >> and here is a great way to beat the heat. a nice, cool dip in the pool with man's best friend or just turn the hose on your pups. remember to keep your pets inside during this heat and make sure you leave plenty of water out for them. a family lost its home in the east bay. the fire started in the garage of the house on monticello road around 6:30 yesterday evening. two people inside got out safely along with their dogs. but the flames burned nearly two acres of wild land in lafayette and destroyed that home. firefighters say the lack of wind helped them knock down the flames before they spread further. nbc bay area first broke the

story on thursday night. now more details. the government added racketeering charges in the corruption case against suspended state senator leland yee and chinatown gangster raymond chow. some call this a savvy legal maneuver. chow's lawyer says the government doesn't have much of a case. >> one conviction of racketeering carries a potential sentence of 20 years. >> for them to come out with a superseding indictment is -- essentially alleging the same facts at indictment is a sign of weakness in the prosecution. >> the racketeering charge widens the scope of evidence that prosecutors can bring in. nearly 30 defendants are named in this corruption case. some of those people could end up taking a plea deal and testifying for the government's case. now, to a developing story in the middle east. a 12-hour humanitarian cease-fire is currently under effect between israeli soldiers and hamas militants in gaza. just minutes before the cease-fire began, though, the israeli military struck gaza

several times this morning. a large explosion rocked gaza shaja'ia neighborhood. the 12-hour cease-fire began at 8 a.m. local time, allowing people there to receive aid and to evacuate to safer areas. so far, nearly 900 palestinians and 40 israelis have been killed. the cease-fire comes after failed efforts by secretary of state john kerry to reach a longer truce. fighting along the gaza strip has been ongoing for nearly three weeks. heads up! heads up! hands down, heads up! hands down, heads up! >> nerve-racking moments on a air canada flight. an unruely passenger prompted the pilots to turn back to canada over u.s. air space. a canadian man allegedly cursed a flight attendant and threatened to blow up the plane. within minutes the pilots made a u-turn. f-16 jets escorted the plane back to canada.

once on the ground, a s.w.a.t. team rushed onto the plane. >> they stormed in. it was extremely scary. they came in front and back of the plane. and they yelled, hands up, heads down. hands up, heads down. and it was just awful. >> your hands up and everything, men with guns, it was quite scary. >> frightening moments for passengers and cell phone video tells you what happened there. the passenger who caused all this ruckus is now facing charges of uttering threats and endangering the safety of an aircraft. this apparently all started because the man wanted to buy cigarettes from the duty-free cart and he was angry about the price. probably better ways to express that. not a bird, not a plane, but a drone. people in seattle haven't stopped talking about a drone that filmed breathtaking images over a famous landmark. the drone flew so close at one point to the space needle that visitors tried to reach out and touch it. others called police. they tracked the drone to the

hotel room. the operator there, an amazon employee, told officers he bought the drone at a hobby store and launched it right out of his window. the incident raises many more questions about faa rules for how and where drones can be flown. officers later tweeted, space needle still standing after reported drone strike. this was not a test drive of amazon prime air, the drone to door service offering same-day deliveries. so far the faa has not cleared that program for takeoff. president obama's new plan to handle the immigration crisis is raising some eyebrows. mr. obama met with the presidents of guatemala, el salvador and honduras at the white house yesterday. president obama wants to offer formal asylum hearings to undocumented children, but not here in the u.s., in their home countries. he says giving the kids a chance to plead their case at home will prevent them from making the often deadly journey to the u.s.

>> there may be some narrow circumstances in which there is a humanitarian or refugee status that a family might be eligible for. if that were the case, it would be better for them to apply in country. >> republicans say the president needs to focus on a plan to speed up deportations for the tens of thousands of undocumented children already in the u.s. the president and congress have not agreed on a plan. congress begins its summer break next week. if you want to switch cell phone providers, it will soon be easier for you to do that without buying a new phone. congress passed a bill today to legalize cell phone-unlocking software. it's a software that usually restricts cell phones to one carrier but carriers have been afraid to give the code to customers for fear of losing customers. president obama says he plans to sign this bill into law.

much more ahead on "today in the bay." coming up, it is a battle of north versus south. one of the most storied rivalries in baseball hits the bay area this weekend. we'll tell you how game one turned out next.

time now, 7:40 this saturday morning. look at that beautiful view of at&t park. will be a gorgeous day in san francisco. it is one of the biggest rivalries in sports and this weekend it's for first place in the n.l. west. giants came into the game with a game and a half lead over the visiting dodgers. unfortunately for san francisco, that lead is nearly half a game this morning. l.a. was powered by three puig triples on the night. they scored often and early on their way to an 8-1 victory over the giants. the a's in scorching texas heat visiting the rangers.

the green and gold looked a little lethargic on the first game of their road trip, despite coming off a 13-run explosion on thursday. oakland could only muster one run against the rangers. it would not be enough to get the win. texas beats the a's 4-1. much more ahead on "today in the bay." still to come -- taxpayers thought they were paying for fire protection but they may be paying for a private clubhouse instead. we investigate. and a view around the south bay this morning. sunshine and more hot temperatures in the valleys. we'll have the latest in your weekend forecast when we come right back.

good morning. we're seeing mostly sunny skies around the bay area. a mild start in san jose, around palo alto, mid-60s. in san francisco, we do have some fog off to the west. at&t park right now looking pretty good. 62 degrees. we should see those temperatures climbing into the low to mid-70s right around 2:00. cooling around first pitch time,

6:05. west-northwest winds 10 to 20. temperatures by tomorrow will cool off a little more. still plenty hot into gilroy. we'll see those temperatures today out at gilroy garlic festival in mid-90s. cooler as we wrap up the weekend in gilroy. we have a bit of a sea breeze this morning, which will try to push fog through the golden gate bridge and around the coastal areas. some thick fog at times for the morning. we should see clearing skies moving into the afternoon, south of pillar point. you see the low clouds on the coast. santa cruz will see sunshine later on today and highs close to 80 degrees. we have the low clouds for now that are the weather story out on the coast, but later on we'll start to see these high clouds coming up out of southern california that could bring some cooling tomorrow and possibly some thunder out toward the sierra as we wrap up the weekend. mostly sunny to start the day. notice late in the day, you got those clouds coming up out of the south. there will be a bigger impact, i think, on the sunday forecast

where that monsoon moisture is concerned. so, if you head out to the coast today, water temperatures warm. earlier in the week we had a record high water temperature off monterrey bay. only up to 65 degrees. these temperatures still running quite a few degrees above where they should for this time of year. that is one of the reasons why the sea breeze is kind of lacking its punch. sea surface temperatures running a bit warmer than they should for us by our standards. one of the things we'll see through the weekend will be those inland valley temperatures cooling, but very slowly. you see those temperatures dropping off around pleasanton, eventually mid-90s by monday. and then low 90s as we approach wednesday and then the other item to watch, especially if your plans include yosemite or south lake tahoe, tomorrow the next wave of monsoon moisture coming up out of the south. some high clouds starting to come in. sierra thundershowers possible. the moisture not just staying over the sierra.

some will sweep over the bay area and block some of the sun. it will increase the humidity as we head toward monday. 892 around san jose today. san francisco, 70s. south of downtown. we'll still see 80s around. antioch and livermore, near 100 degrees today. cooling a few degrees tomorrow around livermore. only dropping off with that cooling trend in the low 90s around the tri-valley as we approach wednesday. vicky? >> rob, thank you. stay with us on "today in the bay." coming up, plans for a special tax district. money to help build a private clubhouse, but can taxpayers stop it? we investigate the plan and what it means for anyone living in a special tax district here in california. good morning. there's lots to do today in the bay. this week the comic book world has its summit at san diego's comic-con. in san francisco they're observing #notatcomiccon.

they have patterns to make action figures and finger puppets. you need to bring your own super power. if you like superman, have you no sidekick and you came from another planet, so if you wanted to catch a glimpse of that home, join hall's astronomical group for star-gazing fun and facts. super smart volunteers will have telescopes set up to look into the night's sky and they'll ask your astronomical list of questions. sunset at 8:00, gazing at 8:30. campsite 22. or space age not your thing, how about keeping it more down to earth. wheels on the ground at oakland's jack lemon square for pedal fest. showcasing what makes cycling a great activity for the whole family. pedal powered sound stage with live music and daredevil stunts, a kids' bike rodeo and pedal-powered food, whatever that is. while biking to work is a great option for some, it's not for

all. covering your roads and rails, i'll be here with your monday morning commute right back here on "today in the bay."

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it was public money meant for fire protection. this morning we investigate why those funds were going to a private clubhouse instead. it's a story unfolding right now in one local community. we expose a controversial project. >> reporter: take a look around. next to the recently renovated exclusive swimming pool, the sleepy hollow homes association clubhouse, built in the 1950s, is showing its age. >> it's in dire need of changing. >> it's almost falling apart. >> reporter: while almost all of these people agree this clubhouse needs replacing, they disagree about how to pay for it. >> i just don't think that's proper use of taxpayer funsdz. >> these tax dollars are going

to build an emergency facility. >> reporter: tax dollars from the sleepy hollow fire district. the 2100 residents in the district pay 17% of their base property tax to cover fire and emergency services. the fire district's three-member board is now considering using $2 million of its tax reserves to help build a new, already planned, $2.5 million clubhouse to replace the old one. but while everybody has to pay the fire tax, not everyone is a member of the homes association. and that means they don't have full access to the clubhouse or the pool. >> private citizens, we've raised about $500,000. >> reporter: john grubb sefshdz as chairman of the sleepy hollow charitable organization. >> that will be matched with $2 million from fire protection district. >> reporter: how critical is the $2 million to your project? >> to this project, as it currently stands, it's very critical. >> reporter: so critical, in fact, that the charitable

foundation's website, tracking donatio donations, has already assumed it's getting the $2 million funding. even though it's not been approved yet. >> i think it could be better used. >> reporter: this man does not pay to be a member of the homes association or the pooling yet his tax dollars would go to rebuild the new facility if tax district officials approve the new deal. >> it's taxpayer funds and should be used for taxpayer purposes. not for building somebody's dream clubhouse. >> i think it's a misuse of the taxpayer dollar. >> reporter: neighbor eric has lived in sleepy hollow all his life. he is a dues-paying member of the homes association and the pool. >> there are many more ways we can utilize that money than putting it into a structure that's not going to be used for the fire district. >> reporter: fire district officials call this project, quote, an emergency shelter. they point to these planned pages showing possible emergency uses, including a permanent fire

district office there. >> what your tax dollars are going for, which you have complete use of as a member of the public, is public safety components of this building. >> reporter: treasurer and spokesman for sleepy hollow's three member fire district association. >> this would be for anybody who wants to come for free. >> reporter: there are members who are not members who pay taxes to your tax district, sflit. >> right. >> reporter: why is it appropriate for them to use their tax dollars to rebuild this clubhouse? >> we're not building a clubhouse. >> reporter: but take a look at this. the official plans on marin county's website call it a clubhouse and a community center, not an emergency center. the plans show an elaborate layout, including a library, a coffee bar, a wrap-around porch, even a bochy ball court. off limits to anyone who is not

a do youues-paying member. again, is this an appropriate use of tax dollars? >> it's an appropriate priva private/public partnership to improve the safety of all the members of sleepy hollow residents. >> it's very difficult to distinguish cleanly between private purposes and public purposes. >> reporter: dave teaches tax law at uc-berkeley. he estimates there are 5,000 special tax districts like this in california and there's very little oversight. >> these districts don't answer to the governor or to anybody else in the state directly. >> it's using taxpayer funds for private organizations. >> reporter: some residents maintain even if the new building serves emergency functions once in a while, that's not enough to merit their tax dollars, footing 80% of the construction bill. >> there are many other ways to use the $2 million to better serve the residents, all the residents, of sleepy hollow. >> and that was steven stack

reporting. the fire district board already paid $25,000 for an architect to draw up these plans. the board members insist this isn't a done deal yet. a public hearing is scheduled on this proposal for august 9th. experts say in cases like this, voters only have a few recourses to change things in a special tax district. they can organize a recall election and vote leaders out of office or they can sue. if you have a tip for our investigative unit, give us a call or send us an e-mail to theunit@nbcbayarea.com. much more ahead on "today in the bay." coming up, an east bay city takes on a spanish tradition this weekend. why the celebration is at the center of a lawsuit claiming cruelty.

finally this morning, a slice of pamplona in pleasanton. despite protests from animal

welfare groups, 4,000 people are expected to unwith the bulls at alameda county fairgrounds. there was a lawsuit filed to stop the so-called bull run. they say it's animal abuse. event organizers say the bulls are well cared for and they have never suffered any injuries. >> the bulls are not shocked, deprived of food or water or anything like that. we treat them very, very well because we love our bulls and we use them at every single event nationwide. >> the case remains tied up in the courts. the first of three runs will begin at 11:30 this morning. rob, certainly more dangerous for the people there, 4 th,000 trampled on. >> certainly. we'll watch temperatures in the tri-valley today. watch that event, close to 100 degrees. gilroy garlic festival seeing low in the 90s. >> it's a good weekend to enjoy the garlic if you're a fan. thanks for joining us. we'll have more local news at

5:00, 6:00 and 11:00 and oul day on nbcbayarea.com. have a great morning.

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