right now at 4:00, breaking news for you this morning in the race for a vaccine. what the government is saying about the new critical decision in the fight against coronavirus. plus, stricter restrictions may be coming to san francisco and soon the city's mayor announcing new measures could be coming as early as today. why she and other bay area mayors are now under fire. and a heads-up for anyone who loves the slopes. why the state says you might have to say ski you later unless you plan ahead. we'll talk about that. "today in the bay" starts right now.

and a good morning to you on this wednesday, hump day. i'm marcus washington. >> and i'm laura garcia. we will check in with mike in just a moment. but kari has a look at the forecast for us. yes, good morning to you. let's get a look at what to expect for today as we start out again with these cold temperatures. we'll warm up and have a nice afternoon. and we're looking at more of the same tomorrow as this dry weather pattern continues into the weekend. as we take a look at our visibility. not as foggy as yesterday except for santa rosa. i'm seeing the fog rolling right back into parts of the north bay valleys. we'll have to watch that. as well as these chilly temperatures. but a look at where we're headed for today. it'll shape up to be another nice one. we'll talk about any changes ahead in the forecast. that's coming up. mike, are you seeing any issues for the early morning commute?

kari, not as far as slowing, but we do have one closure and i need to talk about that continuing from last night. we continue to follow this in the newsroom. look over on the left side peninsula it's skyline boulevard, highway 35, continues with the closure from highway 92 down towards quail ridge. can you use wood side to get over there and take skyline north back up into the area. there's an ongoing investigation going on over there by the san mateo's sheriff's office. we're continuing to follow that this morning in the newsom. we'll give you an upda cteing up later in the show. back to you, marcus. that breaking news for you this morning in the race for a covid-19 vaccine. the uk has just green lighted pfizer's candidate. the government says it has accepted the recommendation from regulatory agency, the independent agency concludes the pfizer vaccine has met strict standards of safety, quality and effectiveness. it will be made available across the uk beginning next week.

now the u.s. could be making a simila decision next week. and the race for a covid vaccine on the top of the minds of millions of americans right now. lester holt will sit down with the head of pfizer, moderna and johnson & johnson in their first joint interview. an nbc news special report tomorrow night at 10:00 p.m. right here on nbc bay area. well, the news comes as two bay area mayors are in the spotlight with decisions made in the pandemic. we begin with mayor london breed dining out with friends as she urged everyone else not to. at issue a dinner party at the famed french laundry. talking to business owners who say that's not the only reason they're upset. >> reporter: struggling restaurant owners in san francisco say learning mayor london breed dined at the french laundry while they're facing an

uncertain future feels like a slap in the face. >> we have to do what they say but don't do what they do. >> reporter: francisco is following the covid-19 rules san francisco has put in place for restaurants. he says he is more than disappointed to learn mayor london breed disregarded her own guidance and dined out at the french laundry in napa county with people outside of her bubble in november. the same posh restaurant where governor gavin newsom dined with people outside of his household. >> it is really a stressful situation for restaurants. >> reporter: news of mayor breed's dinner comes hours after she announced cases are spiking. >> we are in trouble and we are sounding the alarm. >> reporter: new shutdown orders are coming. >> many restaurants, of course, are naturally concerned as we see a spike and as we see places like l.a. county close outdoor dining entirely. so i want to be clear that, unfortunately, we can't rule it out. >> reporter: he says his restaurant won't survive on just

takeout. closing would have widespread impacts. >> it is not only the owner or employee, it is the seafood company, the wine, the beer. >> reporter: hoping to keep the doors open he has thinned staff and reduced supply orders. he's hoping help will finally come from congress, and he says mayor breed can help by spending money at san francisco restaurants. >> i think the mayor london breed should buy and i will deliver for people in need. >> reporter: jean elle, "today in the bay." >> the mayor of the largest city is apologizing for breaking guidelines. mayor sam liccardo admits he spent thanksgiving with seven other family members from five different households. before thanksgiving the mayor warned the public not to gather together. the mayor's apology comes after our investigative unit first reported on the mayor's get-together that appeared to

break protocol. mayor liccardo says they did get together outdoors in his parent's backyard and wore masks when they weren't eating. he vows to do better going forward. according to all ski lovers, if you want to visit tahoe slopes you'll need to plan ahead. california ski resorts can no longer sell day-of tickets. the state just released those new rules. they also must limit capacity on the mountains due to new covid guidan guidance. parking lots are limited to pass holders or visitors that already have reservations. so of course something to be mindful of. what's the weather looking like, kari? a lot of snow and how is it looking now? >> still no snow so we'll see how that goes with them having to make snow. at least temperatures are cold enough. here in the bay area we started out yesterday morning with some fog. and right now it's all clear across the south bay.

we are looking good as you head out the door and our temperatures are cold. look at the north bay numbers. we are dipping below freezing in ukiah as well as clear lake and very close to napa. we're seeing temperatures mostly in the 40s as you head across parts of the south bay. after this cold start we will have a warm afternoon. we'll talk about that coming up. mike, how is it looking right now for the commute? it's looking clear for most of your freeways, your highways. highway 35 stands out on the left side of the screen. everything else pretty much in the green. as we zoom over there, a reminder that it's closed, continued closure between 92 and quail court. you can get there from wood side, highway 84 cutting through the hills and heading north. it's a longer drive but at least it's open. there's an investigation in the hills and also a crash affecting the sausalito off ramp in the north bay. back to you. >> thanks, mike. coming up on "today in the bay," if you love beer and you've noticed there's less in

the kegs, you're right. why ex prts say this is actually having an impact on the economy. plus, with many things shut down during the pandemic, the new tool google maps is announci announcing.

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this morning, a live look in dublin where we are getting clear visibility and another chilly morning. starting out in the 30s and we'll hold steady through 7:00 and then warm up today with some sunshine. we have a lot of sunshine in our forecast. we'll talk about that and where our state reservoir levels stand coming up in a few minutes. and sometimes we have a lot of fog at the golden gate bridge. a live look shows us not the case right now. the off ramp is affected by the crash. i believe they have at least one lane close continuing over there. the light traffic means everything still moves smoothly into the north bay. wall street is set to open lower this morning following a strong start to december. the dow rising 185 points. the nasdaq and s&p 500 closing at new record highs thanks to gains in big technology stocks. investors continue to be hopeful

for covid vaccines and relief from washington. in focus today the adp employment report which tracks hiring in the private sector. brewers are pouring less beer into kegs with bars largely locked down. about 3.7 million barrels were put into kegs in the first half of the year, down about 7.7 million from a year ago. beer that is meant for export and drinking on transportation like flights and cruises, of course, also fell sharply. with more people drinking at home, beer and bottles in cans, though, increased from a year ago. 650,000 jobs are supported by the u.s. beer industry and our forecast will be lost by the end of 2020 including brewing distribution and, of course, retail jobs at restaurants and bars. google maps is introducing a new community fee to keep you informed of all the latest developments in your city. that includes new restaurant opening and service changes. the new feature is in google

maps explore tab. it collects all the latest reviews, photos and posts submitted by local experts and merchants as well as people you know. if you follow a nearby store or restaurant, you'll get updates from them through your feed. google says the feature has helped local businesses better communicate with their customers. with your cnbc morning business report, i'm brian sullivan. coming up next on "today in the bay," fighting back. the new measures one southern california city is doing dining in l.a. county remains at a standstill. plus, the game will go on despite the pandemic. the new blow the baltimore ravens are taking ahead of this afternoon's game against the steelers.

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100% beef and hearty chili. try my $5.99 chili cheeseburger combo. it's pretty delicious. and here we go on this wednesday morning. happy hump day to you all. the san mateo bridge. cars already on the roads this morning getting the day started, and so are we. 4:46 for you that morning. a look at the forecast, it's a cold one again, kari. you've been telling us to get ready to deal with this cold weather for a while. the air is just so dry, so we're not seeing any of that blanket of the clouds or even that humidity that regulates our temperatures. we have these really cold mornings and then some not so bad afternoons. let's get a look at where we're starting as the north bay has had some of the coldest weather.

we're right now in the freezing range with temperatures below freezing in ukiah. very close to napa. check out concord, 37 degrees and 37 in livermore. san jose starting out the morning at 39 degrees. make sure you're wearing extra layers. after that, you're going to see sunshine and warming temperatures reaching into the low 60s for today. we're looking at a high of 63 in oakland and in palo alto 66 degrees today. in clear lake and 67 in morgan hill f. you're going to be heading to the coastline to enjoy some sunshine, we're going to see some pretty big breakers for this afternoon along the coastline especially for our west/northwest facing beaches. we'll have to watch out for the potential that some of those waves will come up pretty high so just be careful there and this is especially true for ocean beach. watching out for that here locally. we're seeing a couple of weather systems moving in.

that's what's churning up those waves. we're not getting much in the way of any rain. so for parts of southern california looking at a high wind event and with the dry conditions that is not good. the winds will be a little bit calmer here, but we're still looking at some dry weather that will raise our concerns especially next week that we are going to have the potential of the fire danger extending into december. when we look at our reservoirs statewide, we're at 82% of capacity and we're doing pretty good statewide for our biggest reservoirs, but here locally we are seeing our reservoir levels really dropping down pretty low with no rain in the forecast and above normal temperatures as we reach into the upper 60s. mike, how is it looking right now for the morning commute? kari, very light commute and we talked about now through the end of the year probably lighter and the early morning commute which we cover here. slowing sensors i found in san francisco heading to the coast. the north side this is the

golden gate bridge and slowing on surface streets. construction on lincoln that may be related to that. another avenue is highway 92. that blob that i circled from 92 down to quail court. the ongoing investigation, san mateo sheriff's office says they may have that closed until noon. the closure there past skyline. so do keep that in mind. even though we have light traffic flowing in fremont both directions past tesla with those lights. back to you. today marks four years since the deadly ghostship warehouse fire in oakland, the deadliest in history. jurors could not reach a verdict in the first manslaughter trial back in 2016. now they did acquit max harris, the co-defendant. just last month the city of

oakland reached a settlement with 12 former tenants without admitting to fault. the deal provides $400,000 to tenants who lost property and suffered emotional distress. a new southern california health order is getting pushback after banning outdoor dining as cases skyrocket. beverly hills city council voted to not follow the health order issued yesterday. under the rule outdoor and indoor dining must stop until december 20th. councilmembers are demanding health leaders change the order by banning outdoor dining in certain areas of l.a. county instead of grouping everyone as a whole. there's still no real sign of letup yet for the baltimore ravens' wide scale covid outbreak. a league source tells mike florio yet another player tested positive yesterday. according to espn it's a rookie reserve player. at least a dozen recent positive tests and the game rescheduled three times since thanksgiving.

today's game against pittsburgh is still a go. it airs at 12:30 here on nbc bay area following our special midday newscast. much more ahead on "today in the bay," the monolith mystery continues. another steel beam popping up thousands of miles away from another pillar we told you about. in both cases investigators remain baffled. why they say the latest one might actually be a crime. and happening now for you oakland is the latest california city to ban natural gas in all new construction. mayor libby schaaf tweeted that news to us. councilmembers say oakland is the 40th city in the state to do so. san jose yesterday widened its natural gas ban to include all new construction, not just low-rise buildings.

all right. first the good news for one bay area family. they are being featured on "the kelly clarkson show" for their amazing backyard quarantine roller coaster. >> they redeveloped a scaled down version of the matter horn. check it out. >> that's real. it looks like so much fun. it even has the yeti monster. what's up, guys? >> so, look, that's jack and shawn. they live in napa valley and now have a taste of disney in their own backyard. they built it during the pandemic and got kelly. the show is being preempted by the football game here on nbc bay area. hopefully they will air soon.

i think you can see it early in the morning, though, right here like 2:00, 3:00 in the morning possibly. we'll check it out. happening today for you an upscale san francisco hotel is bringing back its slice of bay area music history. the funky music city hotel brings the funk and then some. today it's reopening its gallery. the hotel calls the music hall of fame gallery, also it's less about artifacts than photographic images and tributes. this is written byiy bay area writers. a nice one. >> very much so. a mystery that's spreading all over social media. another monolith popped up in roman romania. investigators have no clue how it got there. it appeared first on friday but

disappeared yesterday. police say officers are investigating the case because the metal pillar was illegally installed in a protected archaeological site. a similar pillar was found in the utah desert about two weeks ago. many on social media are wondering if the monolith could have other worldly connections. 4:56. we continue to follow broken news. the development the uk has given the vaccine candidate approval. when the u.s. is expected to make its decision. plus, south bay businesses are fined for violating covid protocols. why many of them are questioning the tactics by santa clara county. you're watching "today in the bay." we have the power to harness california's

abundant wind and solar energy, but it's not available all day long. use less from 4 to 9 pm and we can protect california for generations to come.

breaking now at 5:00, vaccine developments while you were sleeping. the uk approves pfizer's vaccine candidate. why the approval is making history in the fight in the pandemic. plus -- >> they should have had those signs to begin with. >> they're already taking precautions and the government knows about it, there's no point. >> nearly 200 businesses fined as part of santa clara county's covid-19 crackdown. the move costing those businesses hundreds if not thousands of dollars. why some are crying foul. and closer to a deal -- congress moving forward

providing much-needed covid-19 financial stimulus. the move president-elect biden is making to provide more relief as "today in the bay" continues right now. i'm laura garcia. >> and i'm marcus washington. we saw some cars on the road earlier. mike will have that in a bit. first the cold temperatures. meteorologist kari hall has been tracking what we can expect throughout the day. still having to crank up the heater wherever you're heading for today, temperatures feeling very chilly with some 30s. at least it does warm up as we get all of this sunshine and more of the same tomorrow. here is what you'll feel as you step out the door. we're at 37 in concord and livermore. san jose also dipping down to the upper 30s. san francisco is at 49 degrees. we'll talk about what's ahead in the forecast coming up in a few minutes. how is it looking for drivers

heading to work? for most of your commute everything is fine. we know it's active. look at the maps, green sensors everywhere. i've circled on the left what we'll talk about later on. there is an investigation that continues note for the roadways skyline is closed between 92 and quail court to the south. you'll use wood side to get over there and take the roadway north. more about the investigation and why it's there. the rest of the drive is moving smoothly. breaking news this morning health care workers in the united kingdom will be the first to get a vaccine after regulators approved the pfizer vaccine for emergency use. "today in the bay's" kris sanchez has a look at where we are in the process in the u.s. >> reporter: well, you go to sleep for just a few hours and look what happens overnight. the health care workers in the uk will be the first