just like what we have been seeing. afternoon hours, hazy sun, warm in the inland valleys even though we was ended summer. the unofficial end comes on september 22. we have a little ways to go before we start to see the fall air push into the bay area. by the evening, fog and drizzle returns, but highs are comfortable, 73 in san francisco, 76 oakland, and down the inner bay, 80 degrees, south bay and north bay, warmest weather with the tri-valley, temperatures in the mid to upper 80s. a good day to go to the park, sunscreen, and little ones, drink water. as we have told you, fall is around the corner, 17 days away, we'll see if there's rain in the long term forecast in a bit. >> thank you. new details about the bus crash that left 11 people hurt including the driver. he swerved to avoid a car and

crashed into a home in rich jmond, inching within a three month old baby inside. it happened at the intersection of 18 th street and burbank avenue blocks north of the station. it was a terrifying night for passenger on the bus and family inside the home you see there. police say they identified the driver of the stolen car that caused the crash, still on the run this morning. investigators say richard is responsible for the collision that injured those 11 people including the bus driver. he lived in richmond currently on probation for multiple stolen vehicle charges. officers say he ran from the scene, and he was driving 25 miles per hour when he tried to swerve, avoid hitting the car. ortega was inside the home with her two children. >> i was in the room with my daughter, and he was on the floor in the chair, and all the sudden i hear a big boom, and i see the bus coming through the living room. >> i come outside, and there's

people screaming and coming out of the bus, and i couldn't find my dog, and i was really scared. >> the bus ran over a gas line connected to the home, but the crews capped the leak quickly. witnesses saw him get out of the stolen car and run away. the police are asking for the public's help in finding him. alarming story in the south bay. out of jail, on the streets. are former inmates attacking their guards? there's been three assaults since june with the latest yesterday morning in the alley of a restaurant in san jose. an off duty corrections officer was atooked by three men sending the officer to the hospital. top officials say he thinks the recent attacks are related to changes from ab 18 0 that shifted the types of criminals now being sent to county jail. >> basically, individuals that were going to spend time in the state prison system are now spending time in the county jail. >> the last two attacks were physical confrontations, but the

first incident, a former inmate showed up at a correction officer's home, knocked on the door and said, i know where you live. police say people were not shopping for the fashion, but coming for the crack cocaine. this week, officers arrested the owner of for you clothing on east santa clara street finding six grams of crack inside the store and $3500 in cash. the store owner, felix, acushioned of selling crack to a steady stream of buyers, and a shop owner next door said he had no clue what was going on. >> i wouldn't initially identify it as drug abusers, just to mean seemed like a heavy home group of homeless people. they surveyed the store before moving into, and to top it off, he's facing charges of selling counterfeit clothes.

demolition cited for the san francisco building destroyed by a massive fire. luggage and other debris strewn about. cleanup will take some time. thursday's fire sent thick black smoke in the air. before it's torn down, investigators want to see what caused the fire. right now, firefighters say the building is too unstable. >> the steel beams that support the building have been compromised due to the eat of the building, will not sustain the weight. the roof has failed. >> the fire wiped out a retail store, and fire, smoke, and water damaged several neighboring businesses. a controversial issue stemming from the unrest in missouri. police departments using military-style tactics and equipment at the local level. they fill the streets in the east bay, sending a message to the militarization of local police agencies.

first responders from the around the world are in oak lan this weekend, here to take part in the disaster exercise called urban shield. this video from urban shield shows officers training for emergencies and responding with military gear, assault weapon, and armored vehicles. outside the hotel, hundreds of protesters shut down broadway and 7th street speaking out against the militarization of the police. >> these military weapons should not be used in a community, as you say you protect and serve. >> it's a shame we have to have equipment like this. we'd rather not have a bullet proof vest on when we go to work, but three weeks after last year, some whack job goes in lax and shoots up the place. >> the federal government picks up the $1 million tab for the event in its eighth year, the largest first responder event in the world. left unconscious in the middle of the busy park. someone knocked out a 70-year-old man while people in

a nearby party continued celebrating. it happened last sunday in kennedy park. he was collecting cans and exchanged words with someone at the party. other party goers walked up and hit or pushed him. no one stopped to call for help. >> if it was an attack, somebody's going to see something, and in the fact there's hundreds of people at the park that day and nobody accountanted to call the police, disturbing. an hour later, someone called 911, police have not yet made an arrest. 49ers in dlas preparing to open the season against the cowboys tomorrow afternoon before leaving the bay area. the head coach confirms ray mcdonald will play in the game. >> feel like that the way the facts are and what's known that

he has the liberty to play in the game. >> mcdonald practiced with the team all week including a run through yesterday. police arrested him last sunday. he faces one felony charge of domestic abuse. this comes just as the nfl gets tough on domestic abuse with longer does pension. it is drawing criticism from a legend that says the team should bench mcdonald saying, quote, everybody has rules, all i can tell you is next man up, that's what my dad would say, that's kind of 5 lott rule, nothing towards mcdonald or the situation. it's next man up, and the reason is there's certain things we can't do or put ourselves in certain situations. well, much more ahead on "today in the bay," how drones help to rebuild nasa following the earthquake. a mad dash for iphone owners ahead of the expected release of the iphone6 next week.

plus, are blue jeans fading? the new threat to an american fashion staple. we'll be right back in two minutes. got a tip for nbc bay area's investigative unit? call 1-888-966-tips or e-mail and help us hold the powerful accountable.

you're watching "today in the bay." your time now is 7:10, looking live out at freemont, hazy start, and the golden gate bridge, yep, fog, but anthony says it will clear up for nice temperatures ahead. turning to help put the pieces back together. structural engineers are using drones to help people in napa rebill. a research team from san diego launched droeps over the quake-damaged historic billings last week. the team is now generating three

dimensional models that could play a big role in the rebuilding process. >> reporter: as folks work to repair the massive damage caused by last month's earthquake, some unique research is also taking flight. researchers from uc san diego's structural engineering department are using drones to capture unique views of the damage of napa's historic land marks. >> as traj ig as the event, the earthquake, right, it's a powerful learning tool to see how they respondsed to the ground shaking, how they have been damaged. >> reporter: look at the 3-d models the team generated so far. you're looking at the family vineyards's tasting room, a building that too big a big hit. >> it has such heritage, built

in 18 86 as a winery. there's not a lot of wineries still standing from that time. >> reporter: the family says the images the drone camtured will help them figure out the best approach to take as they rebuild and retrofit. >> so we can get a good sense of what happened to the building. we're doing everything with can to make sure first things first to stabilize it. we're really hoping we have high hopes to restore it. >> reporter: researchers hope the work leads to a better understanding how to retro fit historic sites to withstand the next big one. nbc bay area news. >> how cool is this? that was president obama's response to stonehenge. this is his first visit to the prehistoric monument 80 miles southwest of london, snapped his own photos as he toured the stones. he wrapped up a summit in wales

and told reporters this was on his bucket list. don't miss chuck todd's debut as moderator on "meat of the press" tomorrow morning, featuring an exclusive interview with president obama. todd sits down with the president to discuss the threat of isis, threat of ukraine, and ebola outbreak and midterm election." meet the press" starts at 8:00 a.m. next, what's causing the smart phone sale frenzy? >> fog and clouds this morning, however, we are just 17 days away from the beginning of fall, and we'll let you know if there's rain around the corner coming up in the weekend forecast when we come right back.

four wholesome grains. sugar. only six? six grams of sugar? that's really good. excellent, delicious... and yummy! honey bunches of oats. tasty! yummy!

you're watching "today in the bay." >> you're looking live at san jose, downtown there, a little haze, but skies will be clearing soon.

heading over to san francisco now. looking at willie mays plaza in front of at&t park, will be a nice one out there today. the market for denim is showing signs of wear and tear. sales of jeans apparently fading after decades of steady growth. denim companies reported a 6% drop in sales in the past year. industry experts say yoga pants may be replacing jeans, part of the trend known as athletic leisure. more people, and i'm sure you've seen it, yoga pants are worn because they are versatile and are dressed up or down and are come my. forget about the whipped cream and drizzle. starbucks fuels the simple need for caffeine with new express caves. there's a limited menu so complicated oefrds are a no-go. it's for people on the run allowing them to order on line with the smart phone. they can pay via the starbucks app. the seattle company got the idea of the store after a big jump in

sales from the drive-through windows. the first starbucks express store set to open in new york next year. purge before you buy. apple unveiling the iphone6 tuesday, that has iphone 4 and 5 users ditching the older models. is it the most anticipated model ever? why some resale companies say yes. >> reporter: as the world awaits apple's announcement from the mysterious structure at the end of college, some ditch their iphone days before in anticipation. >> the frenzy building towards the iphone launch is starting to happen. >> consumers selling off phones on sites like ebay to prepare to buy a new one. >> this will be a big launch for apple, a great opportunity for our customers. >> reporter: the saw a 30% increase in olds iphone sales in the last week. average sales price for aa5s

iphone? 433. >> you have customers on other phones, looking to trade up. >> reporter: the company so confidence you can sell your old device, they guarantee it. >> if you list your phone on ebay, take pricing guidance, and you try to sell your phone on ebay, if that phone does not sell, it's a hundred dollar ebay gift certificate. >> reporter: other companies see three times the amount of visitors to the website and eco-atm allows you to trade the phone in a kiosk and get cash in return on-site. >> the uptick happens not on the announcement, but when they ship, two to three to four weeks after. >> reporter: all companies say trade in now before it's too late. >> as we approach launch, what'll happen is prices come down as more folks trade their

phones. >> sales of the old phones prove the new iphone is the most anticipated ever, and now the world awaits. in san jose, ian cole, nbc bay area news. >> do you have a smart phone? >> i have the samsung. putting it out there. i had the iphone forever, but i wanted something different. i lived in boston, and now i want to live here. >> not in line at the apple store, but you'll tell us about the weather and probably nice out there for folks who, no doubt, will be lined up around the block. >> definitely. temperatures similar this time of year, average, comfortable condition, and like we see now, the fog that we're used to seeing this morning made its way all the way into sacramento, so, yeah, we have a strong push of ocean air, so once you step outside, you'll feel a nip in the air. in the afternoon, oh, it'll will really warm, highs in the tri-valley that could be close to 90 degrees. i want to show you this onshore flow. as i mentioned, the wind pushed

all the cloud cover all the way over to sacramento, san jose, portions of 10 1, morgan hill as well, and the clearing, it'll probably come at 10:00 or 11:00 at the coastline, earlier in the valleys, but the fog retreats later on this afternoon and leaves us with plenty of sun. nothing like what we see across boston where i'm from, talked about that earlier. san francisco, 73 later on this afternoon, the shore, 76 degrees, and south bay, plenty of sun this afternoon. temperatures will be nice, looking for things to do at this morning, the art and wine festival kicks off in mountain view this week, and it will be spectacular. a lot of things to do there and plenty of blue skies at 10:00 all the way through 6:00 p.m., temperatures in the mid to upper 70s, topping out at 80 degrees

at 3:00. i want to show you the span today, again, the sought bay, hazy sun, and peninsula with fog in the morning, sun in the afternoon, and building breeze kicks in in san francisco. north bay, fog in the east shore, pleasant conditions there, temperatures at 76 degrees, and tri-valley, abundant sunshine with temperatures at 90 degrees, warmest location. of course, it is september, month of transition. the days get shorter every day. september 1, sunrise at 6:40, and by the end of the month, it's 7:05. you'll get a more darkness in the morning, but more sunshine in the earlier part of the day. you'll notice the sunset starts to drift off towards 6:55. overall, bottom line, we lose an hour and ten minutes this month. thicks are going to cool off as we countdown to fall. first day of fall in the area is

september 22, and the leaves change color because the days are shorter, don't get the chlorophyll, but as we get closer and closer to the beginning of fall, we are just hoping and praying that we get shower activity because the first rain typically occurs by the end of this month. we are all standing by, on guard, ready for the shower activity on that forecast. unfortunately, not this week, not this week, and it's not going to come, that sweet september stride, temperatures the same every day as we head through the next five to seven days. the thing i was talking about, vicki, earlier, long range forecast, september 21st, last year, first rain, and september 14th, there's a storm system on the coast. we'll watch closely. back to you. >> you'll let us know. fingers crossed. thank you, anthony. still ahead on "today in the bay," broken, but not heart broken. unique way a bay area woman

helps her friend salvage shattered belongings after the south napa quake. within their community. of the stores capay valley puts some of the most beautiful heirloom tomatoes in the box and we get those to the store on the next day. it's a really great relationship when you can buy fresh, flavorful, outstanding products from your neighbor. it's our passion for produce, combined with our strong sense of community. and we're able to deliver that experience by living local. ♪ ♪ [ barks ] whoo! mmm! ♪ ♪ oh, yeah [ whistling ] [ male announcer ] discover your new orleans. start exploring at followyournola.com.

[ woman ] and i love new orleans!

you're watching "today in the bay." after a disaster like the earthquake, we hear of stories of neighbors helping each other, none, however, quite as original as the one we're about to meet. an artist helping people, not only picking up pieces, but putting them back together. today in the bay's garvin thomas has this morning's bay area proud. >> reporter: for someone who loves breaking things as much as sherry does, this artist has absolutely no fondness for earthquakes, particularly the one that shook her out of bed last month. >> i think during the earthquake, what i was thinking was let it stop, let it stop, no bigger, let it stop, let it stop.

>> reporter: the quake, of course, did stop. when it did, something else start. a stream of pictures and stories being posted by sherry's friends showing what they lost in the quake. one in particular, by her friend, marie, catching her eye. >> this these absolutely beautiful broken china. >> reporter: in the sadness, she saw an opportunity. what if she could give her friend or anyone who wanted to join, a way to salvage those moment momentos? >> just make a new keepsake out of their precious things that they might have to throw away now. >> everybody have pieces? gather your goodies. >> reporter: the earthquake art party is what she decided to call it, holding it this saturday at the hub, a downtown art events and community center. people brought whatever the earthquake destroyed, and she

helped them create a work of art with it. a brand new piece, carrying with it, cherished old memories. >> it was plate from south dakota with mount rushmore on the front. it was my godmother's, hanging on their dining room wall for as long as i could remember, and when it broke, i was crushed because they are not with us anymore. >> reporter: she led the group on a community piece, a statue that will be covered by pieces destroyed by the earthquake and placed in a community garden for all to share. a symbol showing that the earthquake may have shattered a lot of things, but spirits were not one of them. >> there you go. >> reporter: garvin thomas, today in the bay. still ahead, searching for a private u.s. plane in jamaica

after veering off course. why the officials think the pilot was unconscious. plus -- >> earning travel rewards with public money. i'm the invest gaitive reporter, and coming up, how an invester racked up perks on your dime. ♪ go! go! wow! go power...oats! go! made from oats cheerios! cheerios! go, go, go! go power oats! go! cheerios! go power! go...power! yayyyy!

is. >> that's our sky camera network here at nbc bay area, the east bay, look at the bay bridge. isn't that a beautiful postcard? it's cool this morning, but don't worry, it'll warm up. this is how it starts in the bay area, thank you for joining us, i'm vicky nguyen with anthony with a look at the forecast. we have a lot of separation or things the same? >> right now, clouds everywhere. looking at fog and cloudy sky, but by the afternoon, yeah, the microclimates in full effect. today in the bay, looking at highs near average, starting off

typical with fog and drizzle, this happens every morning with the breeze, but by the afternoon, about 11:00, we'll see full blown sunshine, every single location across the board, warm inland, however, fog and drizzle returns in the evening hours, but not overly warm in san francisco, but nice, breezy, 73 degrees, east shore at 76, peninsula at 76 degrees, and temperatures in the mid 80s, good day to get the kids out for a last day of ice cream, the park, nice with the sprinklers in the ground, but otherwise, we are not talking about any rainfall this weekend, but 17 days away from the start of fall, so we're hoping for rain on the map very, very soon. >> warm today, may be great beach weather, right? >> yeah. >> we were at half-moon bay, did you know there was a redondo

beach in northern california? >> i did not. >> my friends didn't either. >> i want to see it now. >> gorgeous, beautiful cliffs. >> very nice. >> thank you. >> yeah. 11 people hurt after a stolen car clipped a bus forcing it into a home. take a look. the bus ended inches away from a three month old baby inside the apartment complex. this is a duplex at the intersection of 18th street and burbank avenue, a few blocks north of the bart station. a terrifying night for passengers on the bus and the family inside the home. police say they identified the driver of the stolen car that caused the crash. he's still on the run this morning. investigators say richard contrear is responsible for the collision, lives in richmond, but on probation for multiple stolen vehicle charges. reran from the scene. bus driver said he was driving 25 miles per hour when he tried to avoid hitting the stolen car. ashley ortega was inside the

home with her two children. >> i was in the back room with my daughter, and he was on the floor in the bouncy chair, and all the sudden i hear a big boom, and i see the bus coming through the living room. >> i come outside and there's, like, people screaming, coming out of the bus, and i couldn't find my dog so i was really scare. >> the bus ran over a gas line connected to the home, but crews capped the leak quickly. he got out of the stolen car and took off. police are asking for the public's help this in finding him. the third attack since june prompts questions about whether former inmates retaliate against their guards. the latest assault morning in the alley of a strunt on aborn road in san jose. a off duty officer was attacked by three men sending him to the hospital. a top official says the attacks could be reletted to changes that shifted the types of

criminals now sent to county jails. >> individuals that would be in the state prison system spend time now in the county jail. >> two attacks were physical confrontations, but the first incident, a former inmate actually showed up at a correction offer's home, knocked on the door and told him, i know where you live. a controversial issue stemming from the unrest in ferguson, missouri. police departments using military-style tactics and equipment at the local level. yesterday, hundreds of protesters filled the streets in the east bay, sending a message against the militarization of local police agencies. first responders from around the world are in oakland this weekend. they are here to take part in the disaster exercise called urban shield. this promotional video shows officers training for emergencies and responding with military gear, assault weapons, and armored vehicles. outside the hotel, hundreds of protesters shut down broadway and 7th streets speaking out

against the militarization of the police. >> military weapons should not be used in the community that you say you protect and serve. >> it's a shame we have equipment like this. we'd rather not have the bullet proof vest on when we go to work, but last year, some whack job shoots up lax. >> the federal government picks up the $1 million tab for the four-day event now in the eighth year. it is billed as the largest first responder event in the world. this morning, the u.s. coast guard searches from a flight that set off the international response. early reports indicate the pilot was conscious. the jet was down in the ocean 14 miles away from the jamaica coast. rescuers say they found an oil slick in waters where they suspect the plane crashed. the pilot and his wife took off from new york yesterday headed to florida. the force sent two f-15s to

shadow the plane after losing contact. they could see a man unconscious and slumped over in the cockpit, but broke away as the plane headed towards cuba. the world health organization ended a conference about making decisions on the use of experimental therapies to treat the ebola outbreak that killed nearly 2,000 people in west africa. 150 experts met including groups developing ebola interventions and policymakers from the affected countries. after two days of discussion, they identified several therapeutic and vaccine interventions that could be use possibly to combat the virus. doctors say while it is underway to accelerate vaccines, supplies will be limited for several months. still to come, righting the ship in oakland and giants take part in a marathon. we'll explain, and we're back in two

♪ ♪ i

♪ know i can't deny... ♪ that i got a new feeling ♪ deep inside... ♪ [ female announcer ] with five perfectly sweetened whole grains... you can't help but see the good.

you're watching "today in the bay." 7:38, willie mays plaza, oakland, the coliseum under a blanket of haze and fog, but will be clearing out. sunny blue skies today. a's hoped to put recent woes behind them when the calendar turned from august to september, but so far, more of the saim. the a's host the astros, looking good in the third when north drove in two runs to give the athletics a lead. that lead would disappear in the sixth. former a's player, chris carter, hits a monster shot to left center. houston hangs on to beat the green and gold 0-3, and oakland last zefb of the last eight games. detroit, the giants jumped out to the early lead over the tigers. the two-run double in the third makes it 5-0 san francisco, and

then the rain came, a two hour and 42 minute delay, however, the heavy showers did not stop the starter from throwing a gem going six inings despite the delay and gave up no earned runs. the giants beat detroit 8-2. coming up on "today in the bay," the county paid the travel, but the boss gots perks. public funds used for personal gains. >> fog and drizzle at the coastline, even the inlands valleys. how warm is it this weekend and is there rain on the horizon after this.

welcome back, 7:42, low clouds and fog in the bay, and overnight, the fog moved all the way from the coastline, inland valleys, fairfield, and even from the peninsula over towards pleasanton and stockton and

sacramento, every place socked in with fog, and this morning, clearing out by 11:00 at the coastline, earlier for the inland valleys as the fog retreats to the coastline, a lovely day in the bay area, 73 expected later on in san francisco, and even 79 in peninsula. the room temperatures across the board. inland valleys warm, though, today, 80s there, and the tri-valley, warmer conditions at 90 degrees expected, even near san ramone and danville. warm away from the water, but closer to the water in san francisco, the autumn moon festival occurring, today and tomorrow, temperatures very comfortable, maybe a little light jacket or sweater, but overall, we are talking about lots of sunshine, else after about 11:00 as the fog retreats to the coastline. now, if you're making plans to head to some other places near the water, we have you covered. to santa cruz, ocean beach, widespread 70s for the upcoming

weekend, warmer is 80 degrees. bodega bay, cool, 68 both today and 67 for tomorrow. beautiful weather all across the board. here's the thing, though, about this month, you got to take advantage of the outdoors because this is the month of transition. we start off the month seeing the sunrise at 6:40, but by the end of the month, it's 7:05 and sunset at 6:35 5. we lose an hour of sunlight. days are getting shorter. take advantage with the nice weather here in and across the bay. the count down to fall begins now, about 17 days away because fall begins in the bay area and all across the world on september 22. here's the thing about it, in the bay area, we need the rain, looking at the computer models every day, the long range models for that fact, trying to see when we'll see a first rain,

right now, it's not looking promising, but we typically see on average the first rainfall before september 30th, so that means between now and the 30th, there's a storm system that could dump rain in the bay area, it's not this weekend or next week, but watching close to the sky, and notice the temperatures every day over the next couple day in the low to mid-80s, san francisco, nice weather, cooler tomorrow, but overall, we're not talking about any big fluxuations in temperatures, but we'll watch the skies closely. as i mentioned, the system off the coast by september 14th that could move this way, and that looks more promising than i think anything looked at over the last couple months. we'll watch it and let you know when it happens. back to you. >> thank you. still ahead on "today in the bay" -- >> i don't believe people should personally benefit. >> working for the public, and

why does he get personal perks by using our money? investigate next. >> tlmplgts a lot to do in the bay, starting at the beginnings in santa clara. a play how rhino got its skin, how the kangaroo bounces, just part of the stories starting at 2:00 p.m. brought us the jungle book and he's a pro when it comes to having app malls as the main characters. educational, perhaps, but the disclaimer says it may not be entirely accurate scientifically speaking. the moon goddess this weekend in the legendary china town, rivals the lunar new year on the important holiday schedule so it follows complete with moon cakes, these types of things and good foods, lion dances for good luck and music for good measure. san francisco china town's first autumn moon festival held in 1991 after the earthquake, but the moon festival has been

celebrated for centuries as a thanksgiving in the chinese culture. not a thousand years old, but the moon festival -- three years old, there's a theme for this, the neptune beach community celebration kicks off a weekend long old school carnival with a pet parade, vintage cars, and performances on the unplugged stage. with always as events on the island, free secure bike parking in the area meaning they prefer you leave the car out of the area. of course, come monday morning, you'll jump back into the car and join so many others so join me as i track the commute back here on "today in the bay."

you're watching "today in the bay." you paid for it, but he got the perks. this morning, we expose a public official who's racking up rewards using taxpayer dollars. investive reporter, jenna, joins us now with a look another how a local department director is turning taxpayer conferences

into personal perks. jenna? >> reporter: multiple sources within the department of child support services believes the man in charge uses the position of power for personal gain. the records back it up. now the county opened an investigation into the director's travel spending. >> because the only thing better than bacon is free bacon. >> reporter: look at this promotional video. >> bonus points and free nights. >> reporter: the perks appear endless for those who spend thousands of dollars on travel and have reward cards like these. as hilton honor advertises from free nights to free flights -- >> you'll never have to raid your kid's piggy banks for vacation ever again. >> reporter: what about the public's kig gi bank. >> i can't this has gone on this long. >> reporter: what's been going on? >> request was approved. >> reporter: the director of child support services in santa

clara county, the travel documents tell the story of a director who's gained elite status on your dime. >> what he may have gone from gold status to platinum status, but the problem is most taxpayers now are in mud status. >> reporter: records show john puts tens of thousands of dollars of employee travel on his personal credit card. adding his own personal rewards numbers. allowing him to rack up points for everyone's stay. the kouchb then pays him back while he takes the rewards. >> public's tax dollars uses, so that john can go on vacation. >> reporter: she spent 25 years in the department of child support services retiring in 2010. >> this is conscious. deliberate. and done knowing that somehow he's benefitting from not only his travel, but all the rest of us traveling. >> reporter: she does covered the practice in a conference

finding vartanian's name on a room reservation. >> how awkward did it feel? >> tremendously, that's how i found out he was doing this. i contactsed the county human resources, never heard back from them again. >> reporter: we went through thousands of travel documents day-to-daying ba ining -- dating back to 2008, and we found he put more than $55,000 wor of hotel stays and registration fees on his personal card from more than 30 employees like this trip to garden grove, nearly $12,000 on the rewards and starwood business cards and got the hyatt rewards points and paid for employees to go to conferences he did not attend. >> do you believe what he's doing is wrong? >> absolutely. >> reporter: president of the taxpayers association. >> i think from the taxpayers' perspective, people will look at this and have raised eyebrows. according to the policy, frequent flier credit earns

should be applied to future travel. it's a taxable fringe benefit and the county has no intention of providing such benefits. it states employees may use the county issued credit card for travel. if they do not have one. the county pays that person back. records show he even paid for those who do have county credit cards. >> i think i remember saying to the woman at human resources, then why couldn't i use my credit card? why couldn't i do that? because i'm not the person handselling the travel. >> reporter: the department has a travel coordinator, and it's not john vartanian. we found conferences paid for, but look at this, the reward numbers still used to gain the points. >> there's been conferences where he either goes and attends maybe one event, he's there to check all the participants and ren stragss into the room.

>> the department head shouldn't be engaged in this activity. it makes me upset. >> reporter: both work in the department of child support services and asked we conceal the identities for fear of retaliation. >> i think the level is so high at this point and morale so low it's not right. >> reporter: appears racking up points is a skill. there are seminars for it. >> anybody in the room -- >> check out this news video. >> you get a signup bonus. look who is there, john. >> reporter: what's he doing with the points? we wanted to talk to john, but he refused to sit down with us due to the internal investigation into the travel spending. we also wanted an explanation for this, a new line item in an expense report that says paid by j.vartanian. >> adding an actual line to the

voucher. >> oh, my god, no, no, no i have not seen this. >> you don't want a situation where somebody's incentivized to misuse taxpayer dollars, and it's clearly the situation here. >> reporter: he's been with the county for 13 years. he was appointed director by the board of supervisors last year. we retached out to the presiden of the board saying the county is investigating whether any policies have been violated and because the personnel matter, he's unable to elaborate. back to you. thank you, if you have a tip, call us at 888-996-tips or e-mail us. thousands of cars and people cross the gotten gate every day, but what about these guys, the jam that caused a stir on social media. ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ great rates for great rides. geico motorcycle, see how much you could save. choosing is half the fun.. because there's a little something delicious... for everyone. hershey's miniatures, choose your own delicious. ♪ go! go! wow! go power...oats! go! made from oats cheerios! cheerios! go, go, go! go power oats!

go! cheerios! go power! go...power! yayyyy! you're watching "today in the bay."

as traffic snarl on the golden gate bridge like you've never seen. you want to see these pictures. oh, deer. they ran on to the bridge just in time for the evening commute. on northbound lanes clear as the deer headed into marine county, can't blame them for leaving for the weekend. officers tried to respond, but they stuck in traffic. not to worry, the deer made it off the bridge unharmed, and plenty of people capturing the rare sight on their phones as you can imagine, pictures and video of the deer went viral on the internet. no word, anthony, if they used the fast track lanes. another deer story now. we couldn't resist of the this is cell phone showing deputies and firefighters in a backyard trying to free a deer after he was stug in the net. trying to catch his buddies on the bridge. it was tricky because antlers were tangled, but he was not hurt and ran back into the wild, hopefully not towards the bay bridge. >> we need to be on alert, when

app malls act crazy, there's an earthquake coming. >> okay, heard it here first. there's a special 4:00 newscast today. have a good morning.

- if you've come looking for some fun or a chance to be most anyone there's a little shop i know you'll find it on "the chica show" follow me and step inside imagination is your guide pick a costume off you go now you're on "the chica show" cowboys dancers astronauts and much more adventure is the thing we always have in store so join our funny family - and me - and me - and me - and me - the clothes are cool the fun is free so welcome to "the chica show" [children cheering] - oh, bawkity-bawk. glass slippers don't go with water flippers. oh, and where's that other pirate boot? lemme see. [chica squeaking] - oh, argh, matey!