us. i'm kira klapper and anthony slaughter has a look at that forecast. >> tomorrow, we'll see an even better day, because we have rain in the forecast. we really could use this rain. it is quite a treat coming in the middle of summer. it's all because of this tropical storm, delores, still sitting down near baja, but it is spreading showers this way. in fact, showers today, for southern california, for us, it's still going to be a dry day, but you can see, showers are going to push right up against san diego and los angeles. they have flash flood watches posted down there for palm springs, up through las vegas and arizona. for us, it's going to be a dry day, but if you are doing travel to the central coast, down towards socal, even las vegas, expect to see some rain. here at home, a dry day today. 84 for the north bay. 70 for san francisco. a little fog there. 86 for the south bay and 90 for the tri-valley today. so, kira, we'll be watching tropical storm delores. we have a chance for showers.

we'll detail that in a bit. >> we'll stay tuned. anthony, thanks. we begin with a developing story. 1,000 firefighters are battling a massive fire in southern california. this is video from our nbc chopper. the fire has burned more than 3,500 acres along interstate 15. the fire caused heavy traffic since it ignited yesterday afternoon. flames jumped across the freeway, destroying at least four homes, 20 cars, and two big rigs. at least two people have been hurt. as helicopters were making water drops, firefighters helped to lead some drivers away from the fire. others were told to stay in their cars. still, others ran, completely abandoned their cars. the chp called nearby tow companies to help clear the freeway of those abandoned cars. about 75 were left behind. >> we just left the cars and took off running. you could just see cars burning. i guess power lines popping. it was scary.

>> i 15 is expected to remain closed until later this morning. nearby homes also have been evacuated. we want to mention, this is in the baldy mesa community near victorville, about 80 miles northeast of downtown los angeles. the fire is just 5% contained. 300 homes are threatened. and that fire in southern california has many people concerned that a big one could spark anytime, here in the bay area, and it's raising the question of whether drones are helpful or hurtful in battling wildfires. authorities say drones in no-fly zones can make it dangerous for them to do their jobs. soon after the fire ignited yesterday, a firefighter re-tweeted this cal fire tweet, saying, if you are flying in the area, we can't fly, meaning they can't fight that fire. for at least ten uncomfortable minutes, air tankers were unable to launch because of drone activity. the delayed action allowed the brush fire to spread quickly from the cajon pass to interstate 15, because air tankers carrying fire retardant or water could not get in there

to put out the flames. a drone enthusiast has told us he knows how important it is to follow those rules. >> once in a while, you get this small percentage of people who does break the rules and it does make headlines. but the majority of the industry and the hobby community respects safety and it is our number one concern. >> lawmakers are working on legacy to create regulations for drones. and you can keep following the fire on our nbc bay area app. you can also stay updated on our twitter and facebook pages. back here in the bay area, police continue to search for three men who attacked a teen in a possible hate crime in downtown palo alto. police released these sketches of two of the three men. the attack happened wednesday night in a parking garage on bryant street near university after. police say a 19-year-old hispanic man was walking to his car in this garage after work. he told police, three white men approached him, saying things like "you don't belong here" and

then they stabbed him in the thigh with a screwdriver. the attack is sending shock waves through downtown palo alto, typically a very safe place. >> i was born and raised here and i've never really got any racially charged comment. >> again, these are sketches of just two of the three attackers. police describe all three men as thin, white, and in their 20s. now to a developing story. we have learned that a fifth person, a navy petty officer has died in the chattanooga deadly shooting. he is the fifth service member killed in the attack. yesterday, in a quiet neighborhood outside chattanooga, fbi agents removed evidence from the home where 24-year-old mohammad abdulazeez lives with his mom and sister. he was the man who opened fire and killed, at the time, four marines, now that death toll is five. investigators said he didn't have a big online presence, but they did find a recent blog and

his final post was made four days before this shooting, saying, quote, this life is short and bitter and the opportunity to submit to a law may pass you by. officials believe his behavior changed after a visit last year to his father's home country of jordan. congresswoman jackie speier, a member of the house armed services committee, is closely following that investigation. she says terror suspects who act alone are like finding needles in a haystack. >> the fbi is challenged now by so much of the social media that is encrypted, so you can't find those lone wolves. and that's something that we're grapling with right now. >> representative speier says the shooting is an indication that security at u.s. military installations must be tightened. san jose's alum rock park will reopen this morning following a drug bust yesterday. two men remain on the loose. deputies scoured the foothills east of the san jose park, for an illegal row operation yesterday afternoon, and that's

when they ran into two men, who took off running. a third suspect was arrested. the entire 720-acre park was evacuated for the rest of the day, even kids at a summer camp were evacuated. nearly 8,000 marijuana plants were seized. they're worth about $16 million. an east bay family desperate for answers after their 19-year-old son was shot dead by pleasanton police on july 5th. pleasanton police say that bubba demming attacked one of their officers and that officer shot the teen twice, killing him. last night, friends and family gathered to remember the football player and musician. his father, john demming, says the pleasanton police are not telling the truth. he tells us he's getting the runaround about what really happened. >> if you contradict yourself, it's a lie. and that's -- now that we've been presented with lies, we want to know what's going on. >> friends and family who knew demming say he was a gentle person who loved music and his

church youth group. pleasanton police say they're investigating the shooting, even the district attorney's office is conducting their own independent investigation. an east bay man is accused of treating a cancer patient with fake medicine. he says his accuser, though, is just trying to get attention. vincent beg vincent ganl runs the natural treatment center in richmond. police say he gave her dirt and also gave her medication that was expired and then charged her $2,000. gammel spoke with us on the phone and denied prescribing dirt as a cure. he also says he doesn't, quote, treat patients. instead, he says he provides an instructional program which patients can choose to follow. much more ahead on "today in the bay." coming up, an unwanted alarm clock in the middle of the night. the safety test that may lead to

sleepless nights for peninsula residents. also, the latest images from the "new horizon" spacecraft show pluto in a whole new light. it's tougher than ever to be a...

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welcome back to you. it's 7:10 on saturday morning. we're taking a live look outside in downtown willow glen. temperatures across the bay area today, in the 70s and 80s. the tri-valley will even see some 90s. caltrain will begin testing its new system to control trains, making your commute safer. but there is a catch. people living near the tracks will get a rude awakening in the middle of the night. today in the bay's ian cole explains. >> reporter: the roar of the train is part of everyday life for people living near the tracks. even if it's not the most desirable part. >> normally during rush hour, we don't come out here and hang out a lot. >> reporter: in his 22 years in

menlo park, russ peterson says the noise has increased and he's about to hear one more horn in the middle of the night. >> you know, one train a night, sure. more than that or if they have to stay here and test a specific part that's not working, that might be a different story. >> reporter: caltrain will begin testing positive train controls, a signaling system that automatically keeps trains from exceeding the track's speed limits. >> for those people who live near the tracks, they're going to hear more rail activity. >> reporter: the system was mandated by congress after the deadly 2008 metro link crash in southern california, and one that could have prevented the amtrak crash in philadelphia two months ago. >> i think most people understand, this is a really critical safety improvement and we have to test it when we're not in regular revenue service. >> we're just kind of living with it, with what it is. >> the test will run from san jose to redwood city, for several months. some who live near the tracks say the inconvenience is worth it for the safety of the

passengers and themselves. >> it's not going to bother us. we're used to it. >> ian cole, nbc bay area news. for this project, the trains will be tested in off times between midnight to 7:00 a.m., meaning if you live near the tracks, you'll hear the horn at least once a night for several months. starting tonight, the trains will be tested from midnight to 7:00 a.m., between san jose and redwood city. and in a few months, caltrain will shift that and that will affect people living from redwood city to san francisco. attention alameda county transit users. they want you to weigh in on proposed changes that focus on new, expanded, and improved routes and schedules. they're made possible by the voter-approved measure bb. that's the alameda county transportation tax. ac transit will get about $30 million per year for bus service and maintenance.

it's just shy of 7:13 right now. we have much more ahead on "today in the bay" coming up. blink and you'll miss it. tesla gets ludicrous. the incredibly fast upgrade for its trendy model-s. looking good out there. we are seeing some fog at the coastline this morning. if you're headed to the coast, keep in mind, you may not see the sunshine right away. we are seeing sunshine across the south and east bay. you can see, we'll talk about this saturday forecast and what it includes. mab some rain by sunday. fremont (adlib)

==kira/cu== forget welcome back at 7:15 on this saturday morning. a live look in fremont. cloudy skies, but the sun is breaking through over the tesla factory. expect temperatures from the 70s all the way to the 90s across the bay area today. and speaking of tesla, forget lamborghini and mcclairin. tesla is now the fastest car on the block. tesla announced a staggering upgrade to its model "s" electric cars.

they call id ludicrous. here's our business and tech reporter, scott budman. >> ludicrous speed! >> sir, you better buckle up! >> ah, buckle this! ludicrous speed! go! >> as if stolen from a movie, tesla is raising the stakes for super-fast cars, unveiling what it calls ludicrous mode. a tweak to the model-s sedan that will send it from 0 to 60 in 2.8 seconds. faster than any production car you'll see on the road today. >> i don't think it's a gimmick. i think it's them simply saying, i'm going to put the fastest car on the road. >> reporter: but the latest news is about more than just speed. the company also says it will deliver the model-s, the suv, to buyers in a few months. >> it opens up a whole new demographic rather than middle-aged men with money who are tech savvy and green, now

you've got everybody. >> the model-x will come with a price tag similar to the model-s, starting at about $70,000. scott budman, nbc bay area news. >>. eye candy is how excited scientists are referring to new images of pluto's frozen plane. they're sum niall sketches sent by the new horizon spacecraft. scientists have unofficially named the plains after sputnik, the first man-made satellite. they say the dwarf planet, pluto, appears to be a relatively young 100 million years old. >> i'm still having to remind myself to take deep breaths. >> i'm a little biased, but i think the solar system saved the best for last. >> it will take 16 months to transmit all the data collected during this week's close encounter. and now for a close encounter with a very interesting microclimate forecast, anthony slaughter joins us. >> we've been tracking a little bit of our own eye candy across

the pacific. this hurricane, one of the most powerful we've seen all season long. a category 4 at its peak, delores, it's weakening now, but it's going to offer some showers to the bay area tomorrow. already seeing showers across southern california. the one thing that we don't see here in the bay area is the humidity. that's going to start to creep up as we head through the day today and tomorrow. today's dew points will be in the 50s and right near 60 degrees. and that's just a measure of atmospheric moisture. and that's why we always joke about talking about, it's going to be a bad hair day, because of, of course, the humidity goes hand in hand with how your hair will look out there. it will be noticeable today. for tomorrow, it goes up just a little bit. it is going to be humid out there tomorrow. keep that in mind, especially if you have a nice day planner or a day date. if you notice, today's forecast looks pretty good. it's going to come down from where our highs have been. 86 for the south bay. 79 for the peninsula today. the east bay will be warm at 86. the tri-valley, hot up to 90 degrees today. san francisco will be right at 70 degrees. of course, i would like to tell you what's happening across the

bay area. today, the 35th annual native american festival happens at point reyes. happens at 10:00 through 4:00, temperatures into the mid-60s by 4:00 p.m. and the minions, can't get enough of this. it is family fun day today in san leandro. starting at noon from 2:00, you can head over to bay fair century 16th theater from san leandro and the first 100 families get in for free. and you can't beat that, right. and you get to check out the minions and see the movie for free. let's talk about what's happening on this weather map. there's the eye candy i was talking about. it's a tropical storm now, but it was a category 4 hurricane at its peak, but it had lost a lot of its intensity. as it moves this way, we are tracking showers. but the other thing, we're tracking a very weak system now. the showers won't be heavy rain, but a few thunderstorms that pop up as we move through the day tomorrow. today is going to be a dry day, no problems here at home. southern california will get drenched today, though. they're expecting about an inch

of rain from palm springs over to arizona. that's great news, but we really don't need all of that at once. tomorrow, 2:00, a few thunderstorms. weill it will be sunny, there will be a few thunderstorms that pop up here and there, and that could at least provide some decent rainfall for the bay area. there is the tropical storm delores. very weak with winds up to 45 miles per hour. tomorrow, it's going to move right up against the coastline and eventually it's going to make a v-line towards the central coast. by then, it won't have any moisture left with it. we may be tracking showers tomorrow. and after that, back to seeing our sunny and warm pattern. it is going to be a little bit wet from time to time, but we're not going to be talking about an all-day rain. there will be some time for you to get out and enjoy the sunshine. temperatures, though, do start to climb as we head towards monday and tuesday, but not all that bad. back into the low 90s for the east bay valleys. san francisco, same deal, not expecting heavy rain, but you may get a brief shower tomorrow. and temperatures, overall, comfortable for this time of

year, kira, with temperatures 60s and 70s at the coast and 80s and 90s continue for our inland valleys. >> perfect weather for my mother's visit this weekend. we have much more ahead for "today in the bay" coming up. we'll tell you about the act of kindness that connected two complete strangers. our bay area proud series next.

stranger, has now bonded two east bay men for life. once again, as an act of kindness for a complete stranger has now bonded two east bay men for life. the partnership is simple. one man plans to walk a great distance so that the other can one day walk again. today in the bay's garvin thomas has this morning's "bay area proud." >> things were going great for eugene ejuwan a few years ago. he graduated and landed his dream job. but then eugene decided the 9:00 to 5:00 wasn't right for him, at

least not yet. he had places to go and people to help, first. how he is accomplishing both of those goals is at the heart of this "bay area proud." the pacific crest trail has its start in a small town just north of the mexican border. though for eugene ewan, his track along the pcp began somewhere much, much different. >> the idea actually started with ellen degeneres. >> the end of ellen degeneres' show, to be exact. >> she would always end those shows by saying, "be kind to one another." and i took that to heart and said, i want to live my life the way these incredible human beings are doing. >> reporter: so the 28-year-old from castro valley, who had heard of others who had hiked the pcp decided that would be his grand gesture of kindness. but for whose benefit? >> and i want to let you guys know to never give up. well, it was just about that time eugene says, stories about

arthur rentiwiski started showing up in his social media feed. arthur was paralyzed by a robber's bullet eight years ago. through his foundation, life goes on, arthur, and his constant companion, love, counsel kids and visit newly paralyzed patients in the hospital, assuring them that life will, indeed, go on. >> i was inspired by him and all the incredible things that he was doing. and i said, i want to do an act in the community like arthur would do. and that's when i said, you know what, i'm going to be that person for arthur. >> reporter: but just what could eugene do for arthur? well, help him walk again. >> so good to see you. >> reporter: you gene, you see, is hiking to raise $80,000 to purchase an exoskeleton for arthur, one that would help him once again stand and walk. >> eugene is -- i mean, he's an

amazing guy. >> reporter: it was a pledge eugene had made before even meeting arthur in person. a pledge which now that they have become close friends, means even more. >> there's no word to describe this feeling that i get, this feeling of knowing that at the end of this process, someone as amazing and incredible as arthur would be able to walk again. >> reporter: eugene still has a few hundred miles and more than a few thousand dollars left to reach his goal. he says there is nothing, though, that will stop him from finishing what he started. and then, likely, getting startstart started on what's next. >> you start with one person. you start within your own community. you start within your own reach. you start within your own family. you start wherever your own influence is. >> when eugene first set out this hiking fund-raiser, he set his finish line for the oregon border. but now since things are going so well, he thinks he'll keep going all the way to canada.

garvin thomas, nbc bay area news. >> what a beautiful story. if you know of someone doing something nice for others, garvin would love to hear from you, just go to our website, nbcbayarea.com and search "bay area proud." much more ahead on "today in the bay." coming up, we continue to follow a developing story out of southern california. a devastating and terrifying wildfire that's left cars and homes in ruins and people running for their lives. plus -- >> what does that add up to, to you? >> that's definitely something that the public needs to know about. >> an emergency drought solution leads to a controversy over a possible con flick of interest. we investigate, next.

willow glen (adlib) kira/2shot good morning, thanks for joining us. i'm k good saturday morning to you. we're taking a live look outside in willow glen, as the sun shines.

we expect sunshine across the bay area today. temperatures in the 70s and 80s. good morning. thanks so much for joining us. i'm kira klapper. anthony slaughter has a look at that microclimate forecast. >> from that shot in willow glen, i've always wanted to live in will ow glen. >> who wouldn't want to live there? >> that is beautiful this morning. >> so charming. >> kind of a little sleepy town. but it's not. >> and if you lived there, it would not be sleepy. >> let's talk about this. this is a tropical storm here. in fact, tropical storm delores. we've been talking about it all week. it's finally making its way this way and starting to bring showers to southern california. some great news for that fire burning. of course, they'll continue to see showers today, that's why they have a flash flood watch in effect for places like palm springs, over towards las vegas, and even arizona. they're expecting about 1 to 2 inches of rain there. sew cal will be drenched later on today. for us, a dry day with temperatures where they should be. 70s and 80s for most of us. the tri-valley will still reach 90 degrees.

but 76 for the east bay. 70 for san francisco. a little breezy there. hazy sunshine for the south bay at 86 degrees. that storm we were just talking about, delores, is expected to move this way tomorrow and we could see some showers of our own. >> wow, two very different days. >> very different. >> stay tuned for your forecast. anthony, thanks. >> yep. >> we begin now with a developing story. 1,000 firefighters are battling a massive fire in southern california and we have video from our nbc chopper. the fire has burned more than 3,500 acres along interstate 15. it's the main freeway from l.a. to las vegas. the fire caused heavy traffic since it ignited yesterday afternoon. flames jumped across the freeway, destroying at least four homes. 20 cars, and two big rigs. at least two people have been injured. as helicopters were making water drops, firefighters helped lead some drivers away from the fire. others were ordered to stay in their cars and others completely abandoned their cars, running for safety. the chp called nearby tow companies to help clear the

freeway of those abandoned cars. about 75 cars were left behind. >> we just left the car and took off running. >> you could just see cars burning. i guess power lines popping. it was scary. >> i-15 is expected to remain closed until later this morning. nearby homes also have been evacuated. this is in the baldi mesa community near victorville, about 80 miles northeast of downtown los angeles. the fire is just 5% contained. 300 homes remain threatened. and you can keep following the latest on the fire on our nbc bay area app or stay updated on our twitter and facebook pages. morgan hill police are asking for your help to track down a bike thief. only the bike frames are shown here in these photos. the white frame was part of a fully built bicycle when it was stolen and the black frame was taken as shown. contact the morgan hill police department if you have any information. another effort to put a stop to our state's new vaccine law.

critics are hoping to do that by getting voters involved. the new law that requires all children to be vaccinated before going to school would go into effect this coming new year's day. but if there are enough signatures gathered, the issue could end up on the november 2016 ballot. that would mean the law wouldn't go into effect until after that vote. >> they're right, they want to try to do a referendum, but polls have showned that two-thirds of californians agrees that children should be immunized before they go to school. >> supporters of that referendum need more than 365,000 signatures within 90 days to get the vote on the ballot. new this morning, significant changes in the greek government. new ministers were sworn in today during a ceremony at the greek president's office. the government reshuffle comes in the midst of predictions that elections may be called before the end of the year. a political analyst says the

goal is to achieve cohesion of the government for the next two or three-month period. >> this was a move that was forced, because a very large number of members of parliament which belong to the governing party voted against the rescue plan, which includes harsh austerity measures. >> the eurozone's leaders reached a broad agreement on monday. discussions are expected to focus on economic targets and necessary reforms in return for an anticipated $93 billion over three years. an historic nuclear deal with world powers won't change iran's policy towards the u.s. that's according to iran's supreme leader. eye tollla ali kmany says they will continue to support those in the southeast. he also says iran's direct talks with washington were limited to the nuclear issue, although

dialogue over other issues may be possible in the future. you might remember, iran and world powers reached a landmark deal on tuesday. the deal curbed iran's nuclear program in return for a list of sanctions. much more ahead on "today in the bay." coming up, baseball is back. the second half got underway last night for the giants and the a's. we'll have all the highlights, next. their usual second half push for

the post season. rnlgs welcome back. the giants are looking to make that you are usual second-half push for the post-season. last night they were in arizona, taking on the diamondbacks. it was a game you could only see right here on nbc bay area and this one turned into a marathon. we didn't even have our 11:00 news. hunter pence hits a two-run shot to right to tie the game. that's how it would stay until the 12th. a ground ball to short. the throw to the plate is low and the giants take the lead and the game, 6-5.

the a's hosting the twins at o.co coliseum. first hitter of the game goes deep. the score would stay 1-0 until the sixth. bases load for minnesota's trevor and he hits a grand slam to the left. sunny gives up five runs. the twins blank the a's, 5-0. we have much more ahead on "today in the bay." coming up, an emergency water deal that's raising a few eyebrows. we investigate how public money is being spent on the drought. and we're waking up to some clouds this morning, especially across the inner bay and the coastline. we'll see some sunshine and lots of it today, even tomorrow. but we do have a chance of thunderstorms in the forecast by the end of this weekend. details, straight ahead. now that there's foster farms simply raised, it's tougher than ever to be a foster farms chicken. but foster farms simply raised chicken is 100 percent natural with no antibiotics. well you're an herbalist. help us to be natural.

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welcome back on this saturday. want to get you up to speed with the saturday forecast. what we're tracking is tropical storm delores. we've been talking about it all week. hits off the coast of baja.

it will continue to make its way up the coastline and eventually bring some showers to us here tomorrow. this morning, showers are starting to fall on southern california, los angeles, san diego seeing some showers and thunderstorms. and that fire is burning right about there, so these showers are expected to move right over that burn zone, which is some great news, unfortunately, it's going to be a lot of rain. so they have a flash flood watch posted for southern california. temperatures this morning, nice and comfortable. 60s for the most part. 69 in santa rosa. but we're seeing sunshine right now and that marine layer off in the distance across the foothills. we are expecting to see a nice bright day across the bay area, for everyone, from the north bay down toward the south bay. san francisco, you have some clouds right now, 70 degrees. a pleasant afternoon with some sunshine. north bay, we'll be in the mid-80s this afternoon. same deal for the east bay. we'll have some clouds now, but later on, temperatures in the mid-70s with some sunshine. the south bay up to 86 today. there's the storm system i was telling you about. it will continue to weaken and fizzle out as it moves this way. we're not expecting a torrential

amount of rain tomorrow. from time to time, we may get lightning strikes in the air. you'll notice as we move this through the day tomorrow, we're expecting to see a few thunderstorms pop up. you'll see how they fizzle through the day. we'll still see some sunshine, but it will be a little humid out there. now, delores is a very weak tro tropical storm. it was a category 4 hurricane. a very powerful hurricane earlier this week. it will fizzle out. it will make its way up the coastline, moving to cooler waters. as it moves this way by monday, it will still be off the coastline, as a remnant low spinning off the coast. it will continue to weaken, not expecting much rain, nonetheless, any of that wind they had with the hurricane. as it moves this way tomorrow, we'll see a few showers and thunderstorms pop up. but it is still going to be sunny for most of the day tomorrow and the evening hours, the best chance of seeing showers and thunderstorms. as we move through this upcoming week, unfortunately, no more rain chances for us, and temperatures will stay warm for san jose. you'll notice that temperature trend staying in the low 80s for

the most part. the east bay valley, temperatures there, upper 80s to low 90s. today will be a hot day. remember that spf, even at the coastline, san francisco today, you'll get rid of morning fog, see temperatures at 70. tomorrow, a brief shower or thunderstorm, and as we start off the next workweek, temperatures nice and comfortable. 73 by monday. not a bad forecast. the rain will come tomorrow. it will be a quick dousing of rain. we're not expecting a big shot of heavy rain, but nonetheless, you are going to be outside. of course, it is the weekend, want to get you up to speed, there will be some rain falling tomorrow. >> help us plan ahead, anthony, thanks. we have much more ahead on "today if the bay." coming up, an emergency water deal to bring water to the south bay. but it could be a conflict of interest. we investigate, next. good morning, folks. i'm mike inouye. there's lots going on today in the bay. i know it's summer break, but let's do a history listen. before marin was marin, it was

coast newak. a village has been pointed created, it's called bear valley. today they'll hold the 35th annual big-time festival, where you can see demos of basket weaving bead making, and you're backing to buy the crafts, but not welcome to bring your dog or alcohol. those are the rules. moving forward in too uh and also toward the east, let's need hayward. today they hold their very popular wine stroll through the downtown area, where dozens of participating businesses open their doors, serving as people pour at stations. register for the event at hayward city hall and then walk it, pour it, tip it, and taste it. there are going to be hors d'oeuvres. you'll see heart displays and live musics, including ramana dejeda. finally, we'll move to san francisco to present a dance party. part of the global float epic silence dance party and it's

only silent for those not in on the whole deal. head over to justin herman plaza, where the crowd will gather before 8:00. you bring your phone so you can download the 90-minute dance mix and hook up your head phones and sync up your dance moves with those there. we'll have the best silent dancers, i'm sure. just like we have the very best drivers. come back monday for your news, weather, and traffic right here on "today in the bay." the use -- or misuse -- of

millions of tax dollars. this morning, we have critical questions about the use or misuse of millions of tax dollars. the money is for our drought, in what many call an emergency decision. this controversy takes us inside the powerful santa clara valley water district. chief investigative reporter to tony kobilinsky met with whistle-blowers and inside sources and has more. >> they are questioning a quick decision on a contract with a possible conflict of interest, questioning the motivation to fast track a process that won't produce any additional water resources for at least five years. there are no questions about varie severity of our current drought. the impact evident with brown grass, serious water restrictions, and parched reservoirs. >> when's the last time that was full? >> about two years ago. >> reporter: but there are questions about decisions made by beau goldie. he's the ceo of the santa clara

water valley district. >> if it was a normal year, we would just move down a normal pathway to be able to address it. but we're not in a normal year we do not know how long this drought will last. >> reporter: a decision to expedite a $10 million contract, without competitive bidding on a drought solution to increase the valley's dwindling ground water supplies. a solution that won't pay water dividends for at least five years. >> $10 million a lot of the public's money. >> reporter: barbara keegan sits on the board of the santa clara valley water district. >> to award it to contractors without any outside scrutiny, um, i think is troubling. >> reporter: she voted against the roam. >> i feel very uncomfortable with how this particular course was handled. >> i think there's been a lack of transparency. >> was this rushed through? >> yes. >> reporter: board chair gary

kremmen also voted against the proposal. >> i think it's a bad idea that shows lack of planning. >> reporter: that's part of the concern. an unusual emergency proposal, no competitive bidding, and a multi-million contract awarded to a company with close connections inside the water district. what does that add up to, to you? >> that's definitely something that the public needs to know about. >> reporter: here's the connections they question. one of the winners of the multi-million dollar contract is a san jose company called rmc water and environment. one of its principal owners is married to a water district director. she's the sixth-highest paid employee. >> i don't believe this has been the most transparent process. so if i don't believe that, it doesn't surprise me that there are people within the organization that feel the same way. >> reporter: in fact, whistle-blowers from inside the water district reached out to nbc bay area, including sending us this letter, reading in part, check recent single-source contract done without

competitive bidding. and wife of key rmc consultant is on leadership team of district. decision not without influence. >> i don't think that that's accurate. >> reporter: which brings us back to the ceo of the santa clara water valley district. insiders and board members say it was his call to expedite this contract without competitive bidding, without including other companies capable of flecomplet this work. there are some that say that you're doing a favor for the husband of a high-paid employee. >> that's flat-out wrong. we're not doing any favor for any individual. we're doing work for the community of silicon valley as a whole. >> reporter: some of the concerns center on this public record. it shows the district's sixth highest paid employee and member of the leadership team currently holds between $100,000 and $1 million in stock in rmc, and her husband, who's listed as a principal in the company, is paid more than $100,000 a year by rmc. >> are you aware of that? >> yes, i'm looking at the form.

>> do you see that as a conflict? >> no. >> reporter: the water district says it has a firewall in place to insulate its high-ranking employee from decisions involving rmc. >> we'll have to single source, we'll have to expedite this whole process. >> reporter: ultimately, the multi-million dollar drought decision passed on a 5-2 vote. the two dissenting board members questioned why the ceo did not disclose the relationship prior to the board's vote. they say the process lacked transparency. >> quite frankly, that's why we're here. >> well, that was a number of years ago, our deputy operating officer ended a relationship with rmc. that was a number of years ago, and that was a dead issue. it was already found that there was not a conflict. >> would you change anything? >> no. >> reporter: but board president gary kremmen has called on the ceo to suspend negotiations until the conclusion of an external investigation. >> are you saying the ceo should put the brake on?

>> yeah. if the ceo doesn't, the board should. i'm going to call on my fellow board members to stop it. >> so here's the takeaway. it will take a new vote by the board to stop the current process. in a statement provided to nbc bay area, the president of rmc said in part, we have always understood that appropriate policies and practices are in place, at the district, to assure that the highest standards of professional integrity are adhered to, in its contracting process, including preventing potential conflicts of interest. now, the water district director whose husband is a partner at rmc also sent a statement, saying she does everything she can to avoid true or perceived conflicts. on the phone, two of the board members voting for the water project said they would support an independent investigation. with the nbc bay area investigative unit, i'm tony cob

levelski. >> if you have a tip, gives a cull at 888-996-tips or send us an e-mail to theunit@nbcbayarea.com. we have much more ahead on the bay. coming up, our friends are here with some kittens. stay tuned. this morning -- some special

guests from pets in need. executive director al mollica is here with these little welcome back. this morning, we have some special guests from pets in need and our favorite executive director al malika is here with a few kittens. they are all ready for new homes. and al, you were telling me during the commercial break just now, it's kitten season. >> right. kitten season, the peak of kitten season, our shelter along with all public shelters, animal shelters in this state and in the country are particularly overwhelmed right now with cats and kittens. we have, obviously, these four little ones and many, many others that are ready for

adoption. >> so, you are asking people, not only to adopt, but also foster them. >> right. this is a time of year when we really need our foster families to come through. we have a limited capacity in our shelter. and we're overwhelmed with cats and kittens and the only way for us to rescue more, save more is to -- >> get some of them out. >> mobilize our foster families and have them end up taking some out of the shelter for us. >> and you know, we mention all the time, you are a no-kill shelter. so you want to ensure that these sweet pets get good homes. but even in the interim, you would appreciate foster homes. >> right. >> and you also have a deal for people willing to give these little kittens a home. >> we do. we've got many, many black kittens at the shelter this week and this month, so we're offering free -- we're waiving the adoption fee for all of our black cats and black kittens,

until the end of the month. anyone interested in a kitten, particularly a black kitten, please come to pets in need. >> and you know, i typically do fall in love with every pet that you bring on this show, but i am allergic to kittens, that's the only reason i'm not holding one. we have three in a crate down here and they are just adorable and of course you're holding one, so that's four, but a lot more back at the shelter. >> we do. >> if you would like to find out more about pets in need, go to their website, petsinneed.org and thanks for coming in on your saturday morning. and thanks to you for making us a part of your morning. we'll have more local news for you tonight at 5:00, 6:00, and 11:00, and all day on nbcbayarea.com. we hope off great day.

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