own though it's new year's eve, it doesn't feel like it's new year's eve. >> right now at 5:00, good morning on the first day of 2021. new year's eve 2020 in the history books. did all the pleas from health leaders keep people at home? we take a look at how the bay area rang in 2021. well, we know a few hundred people in san diego weren't listening. a stage collapses at an underground new year's eve party. we'll tell you what investigators are saying about those scary moments. plus, dub nation has a reason to start celebrating 2021. the warriors return to the chase

center for their home opener. live with how the team is looking as they hit the stands with no fans in the stands. "today in the bay" starts right now. so here we go. our first newscast of 2021, starting the year right here with us. thanks for joining us. happy new year. i'm laura garcia. >> and i'm scott mcgrew in for marcus washington. rob mayeda is in for weather. the first day of the first year. chilly starts in terms of temperatures. we have numbers in the 30s and 40s outside right now. not too much in the way of patchy fog. as we get to the afternoon increasing clouds. that's part of the forecast today. a little bit breezy. later this evening we'll see our first chance of some rain making a comeback as we get back into the bay area. storm ranger not seeing much.

that will change as clouds increase heading into the afternoon. first check of your morning traffic for the year 2021 looks good so far. no slowing on the golden gate bridge for anyone who is up extra early on this friday. let's send it back to you. >> that's right. maybe they're just going to bed. well, there was no official fireworks show last night but the skies were lit up for new year's eve. jean elle tweeting this video last night. i know i heard some in my enabled. new year's eve was very different as we were asked to stay home. public events canceled. >> "today in the bay's" kris sanchez joins us live from downtown san jose with a look at the odd new year's eve. good morning. >> reporter: it's funny you mentioned the fireworks. that's the only thing i noticed. it was out of the ordinary because there were not supposed to be fireworks, but it was ordinary because people like to light them up on new year's eve

although there were no public gatherings of any sort. san jose police were breaking up an unlawful gathering when members of the crowd turned on themselves, turned on someone who wasn't with them. that happened at north 15th and washington. we asked police in anye was hurt but haven't gotten an answer on that just yet. police were monitoring the usual spots where people like to gather including union square and the embarcadero where the famed fireworks show was canceled. >> yes, we're all here. it feels like we're on an island, very isolated. even though it's new year's eve, it doesn't feel like it's new year's eve. >> reporter: vendors told us they did have customers but nowhere near the number of people they usually see. a lot of restaurants filled a lot of takeout orders as they celebrated quietly at home. back here in san jose i talked with a firefighter who is

working a fire that's out now just down the street. he tells me they have responded to a number of little fires around the city. they don't know whether they are warming fires or whether this could be a potential case of arson. i will tell you more about that at 5:30. kris sanchez, "today in the bay." the state's winter covid surge is showing signs of slowing down slightly, but we still haven't seen the full impact of the holidays. the state says 27,000 californians tested positive yesterday. for some perspective about half the new daily cases we saw at the height of the surge two weeks ago. then again still double the number of cases we saw during the summer surge back in july. even more troubling the state is reporting 428 new deaths in a single day. that's almost as many as wednesday, and that was the deadliest day in the state since the pandemic began. nationally it's a grim milestone to start 2021. the u.s. has surpassed 20

million coronavirus cases today. moving fast, we hit 19 million cases less than a week ago. nearly 346,000 americans have perished. for updates on the pandemic including cases and vaccine rollouts check out nbcbayarea.com. we are learning more about a deadly hit-and-run in san francisco. police say the driver who hit two pedestrians was on parole and driving a stolen car. it happened near mission and second streets yesterday. a look at the scene from nbc bay area sky ranger. police say both victims were crossing the street when they were struck. this is video from our citizen app of the driver being taken into custody. the driver got out of the car, took off running. officers ended up catching up with him a few blocks away and eventually he was arrested. it's 5:05 on your new year's day. new this morning, five more women claim that bay area based lyft failed to protect them from

sexual assault from drivers. a claim in august of 2019 when 20 women made that same claim. the east bay times reports five new claimants have been added to the case. lyft says it adds new features and policies to protect people. 2021 already getting more expensive. pg&e says your electric bill will rise by an average of $5.15 starting today. pg&e says the increase is to help pay for upgrades to the electricity system. the gas bill is going down. it will decrease by 98 cents a month. a stage collapsed in a warehouse during an underground new year's eve party in san diego. guests say hundreds of people were at the party when an upper floor collapsed under the weight of the crowd. san diego police say three people were injured.

new details in the creek fire, the largest single wildfire in california history. officials believe the total cost for damage in fighting the wildfire could top half a billion dollars. the fire started, you'll recall, in september northwest of fresno. it was just declared fully contained last week. more than 800 structures were destroyed. the cause of the creek fire is still under investigation and that could be holding up calculating a big price tag. take you out live to the bay bridge toll plaza. there's a new all electronic toll collection system just went into effect for most of the bay area bridges. "today in the bay's" bob redell live at the plaza right now. bob, are drivers even going to notice the change? >> reporter: most won't but some will. happy new year and good morning to you, scott. this officially marks the end of the human toll takers here in the bay area with the official switch to electronic toll collection system.

people on fastrak or have a license are not going to notice it. if you're not enrolled in either of those programs you will notice a slight change because starting today you will receive a monthly invoice for the toll charges if you use the bay bridge behind me or some of the other bridges in the area. at midnight last night on the first day of the new year seven bridges, antioch, the bay bridge, benicia, martinez, carquinez, the barton, richmond san rafael all switched over to all electronic tolling. this is similar to the system at the golden gate bridge adopted in 2013. all those bay bridges that i mentioned have been collecting tolls electronically without a human toll collector since the start of the pandemic. again today just makes the switch to electronic official. also today it marks the return of the toll payment rules that were temporarily suspended in march. if you do not have a fastrak account and don't use the one-time payment option on line you'll be required to pay within

30 days. otherwise you'll be fined $25. those rules had been suspended but are back in effect starting today on the new year. again, today's official switch over to electronic does not impact fastrak and license plate account holders. you will continue to receive your monthly statement like you always do. reporting live at the bay bridge toll plaza, bob redell, "today in the bay." >> thanks for the details, bob. 5:09. tonight the warriors kick off their 2021 home opener at the chase center. the warriors looking to make it three wins in a row. no fans will be there, but star draymond green is expected to make his season debut after being sidelined by the foot injury. tipoff against the trail blazers is set for 7:30 tonight. all right, 2021. it's nice to say. >> yeah, the forecast for a whole year ahead of hopefully wonderful things. one thing that will certainly help is the talk of rain coming back in the

forecast. the nonstop fire season of 2020. we have more rain coming in later today. right now we'll start you off in concord this morning. a chilly start near 40 degrees. you can see temperatures climbing through the upper 50s today. a day of increasing clouds. but before sundown tonight not likely to see any rain drops at least just yet. you'll notice in the future cast for the north bay once we pass about 6:00 or so you'll begin to see the rain showers moving out of mendocino county and down through the bay area generally after 11:00 tonight. we will have more on how much of that could impact our weekend start for saturday coming up in our forecast in a few minutes. time to check your friday commute. we'll take you outside. this is a view along 880 in oakland, 880 southbound south of 66, the avenue off ramp there. the slow lane, a traffic accident that's been cleared off to the side. given the volume, no problems so

far. we'll keep an eye on it. back to you. >> we appreciate you coming in this new year's day, rob. coming up, a heartwarming story to start your new year. a handwritten plea from a preschooler to help find his favorite toy. how workers at a waste water treatment plant banded together to track it down. plus, a dog does something awesome to save her sister. a rescue caught on camera.

good friday morning at 5:13, right now storm ranger fired up for you this morning. no rain showing up just yet. you can see the satellite view hinting with what's coming our way this evening. the timing on the next round coming up in a few minutes. rob, it was hard enough buying christmas gifts. hopefully you stayed out of the store. but returning may be even more difficult. have you ever wondered what happens to all that stuff we return after the holidays? where does it go? much of it does not go back on the shelf. it goes to auction like this auction of cds and dvds and video games all returned to target. this sunday morning on "press here" we'll talk to someone who collects the returns and resells them. where to school up pretty good bargains as well sunday morning right after "meet the press" sunday morning at 9:00.

>> it's always routine in our household, scott. well, this is not quite a new year's miracle but may feel that way for a 5-year-old boy in san mateo. he lost something very important to him and he wanted it back. thanks to some caring adults, he got that toy back. and as garvin thomas shows us, this lesson in kindness. >> reporter: it is the one time of year kids actually sit down to write letters. almost all, of course, to the very same place. this story, though, isn't about a letter to the north pole. it's to somewhere much closer to home, a place that doesn't smell anything like gingerbread. >> hey, larry -- >> reporter: gina cooper is the city of san mateo waste water treatment plant administrative assistant. >> this is what it came in. >> reporter: she's the one who opens the mail and recently got a letter unlike any other. >> it was dear waste water treatment plant --

>> reporter: from a boy who lost his lego down the bathtub drain and asked if they could send it back. he included a picture of it, if that could help. >> it was a crayon thing. oh, my god, this is the best day ever. we never get action like this. so, yeah, it was awesome. >> reporter: so did the staff go to work scouring the treatment plant for kenzo's lost lego? of course not. >> no, doesn't quite work that way. >> reporter: brad underwood is san mateo's public works director. >> it's really difficult to find things so it would be like a need until a haystack. we don't really srch for things like th. >> reporter: what they did do, though, for a boy who brought a smile to their faces was to bring one to his. after some searching gina tracked down kenzo's family and invited them to the treatment plant for a tour. >> this is a little lego set for you. >> reporter: and to give kenzo some new legos.

>> we got a kick out of the letter. it brightened our day in this time we're all struggling and dealing with different things. >> it just kind of transformed everything. it kind of gave us a reset button. >> reporter: now the moral of the story is not that san mateo public works will replace what you lost down the drain -- >> all that water comes to us. >> reporter: it's that in a year that seems dominated by the grinch, santa did show up in the most unexpected of places. garvin thomas, nbc bay area news. >> i love it and good for him trying to get that lego back. >> isn't that wonderful? i love the picture of it as well. we have more good news for you, a sweet moment caught on camera. a dog rescuing her blind sister who fell into a pool by accident. >> it all happened in argentina just about two weeks ago. the owner says luna, a 14-year-old blind pit bull, was disoriented when she fell in. but her sister immediately

jumped in saving luna from drowning. she manages to lead luna to the other side of the pool to the steps, grabs her collar, pulls her out of the pool. the owner says these two are inseparable twhmt she knew her friend was in danger, she leapt in to help. isn't that amazing? i love to see that. >> just wonderful. rob mayeda with legos and cute dogs, we've set a pretty high bar for you. >> not anywhere close to that. we have some good news in the weather department, some rain coming our way later on. right now the story of the morning, well, increasing clouds with those rain chances returning to the north bay as we head towards the evening and what could be a pretty rainy pattern ahead as you're about to see. some of the temperatures we're waking up to on the start of this new year. 48 degrees currently in san francisco. walnut creek a chilly 40 degrees

and also some chilly temperatures around the south bay. you can see that around san jose down to 39 degrees. so a few high clouds out there today. we'll see increasing clouds heading through the afternoon. high temperatures generally a spread of about 57 degrees to about 62 depending on where you are around the bay area. most everyone seeing about the same temperatures except along the coast. half moon bay running a little bit cooler. highs closer to 56 degrees. our incoming storm really not packing a big punch as you can see here. the rain totals most places picking up less than a tenth of an inch of rain and this storm will weaken on approach. in the hour by hour future cast as we move through the day increasing clouds 9:00 at night. you see the rain in the north bay passing to the south should wrap up by early saturday morning. so we're not expecting a big weekend impact in terms of those rain chances. you notice here our second event that comes rolling in on monday has a little bit more moisture to work with. i want to fast forward now to sunday night into monday and

this storm, the second storm certainly packing a bigger punch for parts of the bay area could see more than an inch of rain in the north bay and santa cruz mountains. that storm likely not arriving until after 11:00 on sunday. so the good news for your weekend plans for the first weekend of 2021 should be relatively dry. maybe just a brief light shower early on saturday. but i do think we'll get clearing skies for most areas inland saturday into sunday and then stay tuned next week, monday, and again on wednesday, stronger storms packing a bigger punch as we try to make up for the rainfall deficit that we're still carrying over from last year. so that's how things are looking and we will continue to see the rain chances every two to three days as we move forward and here is a view as we take a look across the bridges. the san mateo bridge and bay bridge, travel times looking pretty good so far this morning. no fog or any rain. that's helping out with your very early friday morning commute.

back to you. >> if any at all. thanks so much, rob. up next on "today in the bay," nbc bay area responds. >> reporter: a look back at 12 months of saving you money. i'm chris chmura, nbc bay area responds next. you know our team is always on social media. bob redell posting a throwback clip on facebook. he sat down with a psychic ahead of the year 2000. she made one very accurate pro-dix about the future of one a-list hollywood couple. you can follow bob to find out what it is. make sure you do that. while you're at it check out his twitter and instagram as well. all there on your screen. you're watching "today in the bay."

welcome back. 5:24 right now. held up, delayed, families had more than half a million dollars lost in limbo in 2020. >> they turned to our responds team for help freeing up that cash. let's turn to consumer investigator chris chmura with a look back at a full year's worth of credits and refunds. >> reporter: good morning and happy new year. in 2020 you kept us busy. we received a total of 3,349 complaints, close to ten per day. that number is up 7% from 2019. much of that spike in march and april as the pandemic took hold. when we take action we often get results you can take to the

bath. our first win of 2020 was on january 3rd for stephanie in south san jose. she had an overbilling dispute with a subscription service. after we intervened stephanie got $224 back. our most recent success story is a case we just closed on tuesday for hector in san jose. he says a furniture store delivered a brand-new tv stand that was broken. we stepped in and hector got $961 back. between stephanie, hector and everyone else we helped in 2020, our team recovered $664,770. you can share your complaint at nbcbayarea.com. just go to the main menu and click the responds option, or can you call us. the number is 888-996-tips. have a great day and happy new year. >> thank you, chris. the new strain of covid-19 from the uk now starting to show up in more states. florida health leaders say they have their first patient infected with the new strain. and closer to home san diego county health leaders say three

more people have the mutant strain bringing the total number of cases to four. the first case was a 30-year-old man with no history of travel. they were all men. none have known contact with one another or the first case. authorities are worried the new strain is more widespread than before. >> the case has no history of travel so we know there's more. we don't know how many. >> health leaders say the new strain is up to 70% more contagious and did not appear to make people sicker or the illness deadlier. the vaccine does protect against the new strain. it's 5:26. a pharmacist in wisconsin arrested and fired, accused of intentionally -- intentionally -- leaving covid-19 vaccines out of refrigerated storage. the employee allegedly removed more than 50 vials of the moderna vaccines from one of the refrigerators at the facility where he worked.

that employee told officials the act was an accident originally but then later admitted it was intentional. worse, 57 people were given that vaccine, which health officials are assuming was rendered ineffective. >> it is 5:26 right now. coming up, the top stories we're following today including lake tahoe officials frustrated when it comes to the pandemic. the reason the tourists thought the order was extended. several new laws that went into effect at the stroke of midnight. we'll tell you how a few could affect your work place in 2021. you're watching "today in the bay."

right now at 5:30, a new year finally here. how the bay area welcomed 2021 differently due to the pandemic. plus, with the new year comes a big change to your morning and evening commute. the new toll system starting today across most local bridges. we'll have a live report next. and rain is on the way to the bay area. that's good news to our drought levels. some wildfire victims say they're nervous about it. "today in the bay" continues right now. welcome to 2021. good morning. thanks for starting it with us. i'm laura garcia. >> and i'm scott mcgrew in for marcus washington. we have rob mayeda in as well as we look at january 1. good morning.

yes, and we'll see more january-like weather as we start off the new year. some chilly temperatures outside. a few things to wake up to this morning, morgan hill also 37 degrees and outside in san jose a few clouds outside. hour by hour forecast takes us to the mid-50s around lunch time and increasing clouds heading to the afternoon. we'll see highs in the upper 60s but the rain should hold off until later this evening. we'll see that approach as we get into the evening hours. storm ranger, not seeing much. we expect that to change tonight. a closer look at the first in the series of storms coming up in a few minutes. time now for a check of your morning commute. we'll show you outside around the bay bridge. a bit of an issue. it's westbound 580 east of the toll plaza, an accident that is

blocking part of the slow lane. westbound 580 east of the toll plaza there this morning. traffic and weather, another update in a few minimum. 5:31. new for you this morning a new fire near the san jose museum of art. this one of several events that happened as the clock struck midnight last night. >> "today in the bay's" kris sanchez is on the scene. kris, what's the latest? >> reporter: they just finished up the investigation. the firefighter said they were very busy overnight. the captain tells me the fire they just put out was outside the san jose museum of art and the person who called it in put out a similar fire at a building just across the street. the captain says those are on top of a number of small fires throughout the city overnight and at this point he says they

could be warming fires or they could be intentionally set. they're trying to figure that out. elsewhere in san jose, police are breaking up an unlawful gathering where members of the crowd turned on someone who wasn't with them. we asked police if anyone was hurt but no answer on that just yet. in san francisco police monitoring a spot where people gather including union square and the embarcadero where the same fireworks show, of course, was a no-go. >> yes, we're all here but we feel like we're on an island, very isolated. though it's new year's eve it doesn't feel like it's new year's eve. >> reporter: vendors told us they did have some customers but nowhere near the numbers they usually see. restaurants said they were doing business in takeout because, of course, indoor and outdoor dining is off the table because of covid restrictions.

let's hope a lot of people stayed home and played it safe. only the numbers will tell as they start to roll in. >> such an important reminder, thank you, kris. danville's first police chief served as police chief and sheriff's deputy from 1965 until '92. his family says he died december 24th at the age of 82. sandy was named their first police chief in 1982 when the town first incorporated. he was there in 1969 when the shell oil pipeline was blown up by a bomb. he was the first on the scene of a school bus crash that killed 29 members of the school choir. sandy leaves behind a wife who is also battling covid-19, and a daughter. tahoe's stay-at-home order is being extended. it was supposed to expire at midnight. for the first time in more than

a week the icu availability has fallen below the state's 15% threshold meaning it's not eligible to loosen any restrictions. new numbers from the state show the greater sacramento region has a 14.4% availability. local officials increasingly frustrated. they say travelers are defying the stay-at-home order and don't seem to be taking the pandemic seriously. taking a live look outside this morning at the san mateo bridge. there's a new all electronic system going into effect for most of our bay area bridges. drivers will probably notice this change. >> reporter: good morning and happy new year to you, laura. we've been electronic since the start of the pandemic, but what's happening today

officially marks the end of the human toll takers, they are now officially electronically connected for the toll collection so if you're fastrak, you won't notice a difference. starting today you will start to receive a monthly invoice. so what happened at midnight, the start of the new year all southern bridges, dumbarton, richmond-san rafael, they have switched over to all electronic tolling. all of these bridges have been collecting tolls without a human toll collector since march. they are just making it official. today marks the return of the toll payment rules that were temporarily suspended back in march. if you do not have a fastrak or license plate account and don't

use the one-time payment option online you will be required to pay your bill within 30 days or fineded $25. today's official switchover does not impact fastrak and license plate account holders. you will continue to receive your monthly statements like you always do. when you go through the toll it will read your license plate and that one-time bill or enroll in those programs, which are very convenient, by the way. bob redell, "today in the bay." >> thank you, bob. 5:37 on your new year's day. starting today minimum wage goes up to $14 for businesses with 26 or more people and $13 for businesses with 25 or fewer. also new rules when it comes to small business. owners must provide up to 12 weeks unpaid but job protected

leave for serious health problems, the birth of a child or military active duty. a new law to reduce risk. firefighters must reduce vegetation within 100 feet of structures. under the new brush clearance law. you can visit nbcbayarea.com. >> the forecast of heavier rain bringing worries to those living in places hit hard by wildfires over the summer. crews were busy taking down huge trees. fire damage doesn't stop when the fires are put out. rain is expected to wash some of that debris into creeks and rivers and could trigger mud slides. meteorologist rob mayeda joins us this morning in for kari. we're not going to see the heavy

rain today, though, will we? you bring up a good point. the first in a series. rainfall rates are probably not going to cause any, use. later on over my shoulder here the atmospheric river connection we sometimes have to watch. you begin to seep the chances of those heavier rain bands moving through. it's not something we will have to deal with over the next 24 hours. as we head to next monday and wednesday we will see the stronger storms making a comeback. a dry start. temperatures climbing through the day into the upper 50s. increasing clouds today ahead of what will be mainly a light to briefly moderate rain chance after sundown tonight. you can see that band kind of falling apart as it passes through 11:00 to 7:00 a.m. saturday morning. so that is the silver clilining the forecast. between now and the next stronger storm on monday looks like a mostly dry weekend. a little more rain sunday night and more substantial rain for next monday.

a closer look at that coming up in less than five minutes. now for a check of your south bay commute on this friday morning. palo alto, 101, not many folks out this morning. looks like our freeway is staying socially distant. another update in a couple of minutes, back to you. >> thank you, rob. given the history 2020 made, it might be difficult to forget. straight ahead the stories that shaped our world and community last year. >> new year's day tradition returns to nbc bay area. the changes you can expect to see at this year's rose bowl parade.

and a first check of the storm ranger mobile doppler radar here in the year 2021 now. things are relatively quiet for the moment. as we look at the satellite view more rain coming in just after sundown. stronger storms to follow coming up in a few minutes. well, the show still went on in new york's times square last night. of course it's 2020. back then things were a bit different. three, two, one!

>> the tourist destination had very small crowds due to the pandemic. times square was closed to the public. only invited guests and families of essential workers were allowed to attend. and not to be outdone the las vegas strip skies alive with fireworks. despite a plea to celebrate privately tens of thousands of people hit the famous tour's hot spot to celebrate new year's eve. a somewhat scaled back celebration at least by las vegas standards. most clubs are still closed and live entertainment canceled. well, just like everything else the rose bowl parade is going virtual. instead of the typical five-mile-plus parade route involving hundreds of volunteers and thousands of spectators the parade will be smaller and will feature musical performances and floats from years past. >> such an incredible and

enduring tradition. while we wish we could see all those over-the-top clothes and amazing flowers, i'm glad we are still able to celebrate in this new way today. >> the parade is a tradition that dates back to 1891. it's only been canceled three times. during world war ii. the full parade coverage kicks off here on nbc bay area. keeping that tradition going. it's nearly impossible to overstate how truly different the world became in 2020. a global pandemic, of course, connected us to so much tragedy while forcing us to stay apart. a killing caught on tape sent us to the streets and record wildfires offered chilling evidence of a changing climate. >> in all the chaos we found ways to lift each other up and create much-needed hope for a better tomorrow. nbc bay area's joe rosato takes a look back at what a year few

will remember fondly, but nobody is ever going to forget. >> reporter: it's, of course, customary to ring in the new year with fireworks and cheers. >> happy new year. >> reporter: but when 2020 rolled in january 1st, few had any idea the real fireworks were yet to come. and a january that seems like another lifetime -- >> trump and the president of ukraine -- >> reporter: headlines dominated with president trump's impeachment hearings. ♪ >> reporter: the san francisco 49ers clawed their way into super bowl liv only to lose to the kansas city chiefs. we were thinking about the upcoming summer olympics in tokyo, known for bringing people together under the flag of competition, soaking in the promise of a new year, a clean start. but as we went about our lives heading to jobs, gathering with family and friends, a story about an emerging virus in a place called wuhan, china, began to make its way from the back

pages of newspapers to the front. >> an unprecedented morning in the coronavirus crisis. >> plans under way to get passengers and coronavirus patients off the grand princess. >> and we have never faced anything like this before, something that we'll all get through together. >> reporter: the covid-19 virus spread around the world slowly and then quickly making its way to the u.s. >> a lot of concerns and questions. >> reporter: the unthinkable, cities began to close up, ordering people to stay home to stop the spread. >> the order, stay at home for three weeks. >> police departments are stepping up patrols. >> reporter: schools, churches emptied and hospitals filled. >> as we cope with the new reality of social distancing. >> reporter: we lined up at grocery stores to find empty shelves. windows disappeared hyped boards. life and learning increasingly zoomed into the virtual world.

we learned new terms, social distancing, bending the curve, herd immunity and the newest fashion accessory, a mask. >> i never thought it would be an essential thing to do. >> reporter: we saw people rising up, pitching in to make masks, hand sanitizer, electricians delivering groceries. >> it feels good to help people. >> reporter: drive-by birthday parties and graduation. with the virus spreading the number of sick rose and the number of deaths crept into the thousands. it was the single death of a much different kind that would change the cotry.un on may 25th in minneapolis, minnesota, george floyd died after a police officer used his knee to restrain him at the neck for 8:46. >> his death energized a movement. >> reporter: his death touched off a nationwide soul-searching over racial injustice and police brutality.

statues many found offensive toppled, calls to defund police became a reality in parts of the bay area and beyond. schools like uc berkeley began to rename some buildings. demonstrators united behind three words. >> black lives matter. >> reporter: but the flames of outrage weren't the only ones fanned. lightning strikes create add ring of fire around the bay area leaving a path of devastation in their wake. a month later the glass fire erupted destroying 1,600 buildings including more than 300 homes. >> it's getting to be too much to bear. >> reporter: the orange, dirty smoke -- >> reporter: blazes so big and smoky we woke up to what looked like burning sky. >> no matter where you look in the bay area, orange, other worldly haze. >> reporter: soon after the smoke cleared the bay area and

the nation headed to the polls or more often to the local ballot box in an unprecedented election. we watched as the east bay's own kamala harris became the first black woman to be elected vice president in an election that drew record number of voters even during a pandemic. >> normal it will not be. >> reporter: we learned to navigate the covid times. restaurants built kiosks and dining moved outdoors. some students returned to classrooms learning behind plexiglas and masks. >> we're in it together. >> reporter: but in a time we normally give thanks the weeks after thanksgiving exploded with hospitalizations with the virus and the nationwide pandemic death toll passed 300,000. as hospital icus threaten to burst at the seams hope arrived in the form of a new vaccine. in mid-december the first sleeves were rolled up as vaccinations rolled out.

>> it offers peace in mind in terms of safety for my family. >> reporter: it was a glimmer of hope offering a reason to believe 2020 could end with a promise of better things ahead. a year few will be sorry to see go but no one will ever forget. with hopes for a better new year, joe rosato jr., nbc bay area news. >> it is something we are going to tell our grandchildren and great-grandchildren about. i've always encouraged my family to take pictures with the mask on because i think it will be so interesting looking back 20 years from now what 2020 and 2021 looked like. >> right. and you look back at the beginning we were in studio and i haven't been in studio since march. >> it feels pretty weird. >> i bet because you've been working from home as well. rob, it's interesting to see

what we've all managed to pull off. in a year with the weather an the fire season, other complex things that we had in 2020, we're hoping to erase some of that off the board here in 2021 as we have more rain in the forecast. maybe not showing up until later on today in the north bay. increasing clouds and eventually a chance of that rain especially after sundown tonight. right now san francisco looking good. not much wind to talk about. look at the temperature there in livermore. down to 35 degrees. that looks like january as you can see with no fog along 580. san jose another spot including to the south. morgan hill and upper 30s to start the new year. for the afternoon increasing high clouds. some of that filtered sunshine we'll see at times today where highs ranging from about 61 degrees in san jose, 59 in san francisco, closer to 60 in oakland. in terms of the rain this storm kind of like the one weep saw

earlier this week is not going to pack a big punch. most of the bay area a tenth or even less around san jose and the tri-valley. it's the storms that follow that will pack the bigger punch. it looks like after 9:00 spilling out of the north bay and for the most part should be wrapping up before sun rise on saturday. we think the weekend forecast looks good. by sunday night on into monday that's when the changes arrive. here is what is different. a strong jet stream will pull up the atmospheric river connection, the first of those real connections get going. followed up by another event on wednesday. so as that moisture gets pulled into that monday storm you're about to see why this is more stig in terms of rainfall. we're expecting a monday morning commute could be pretty messy and average a half an inch of rain into san jose and then there you go. another storm coming in next

wednesday. you get the picture. another storm coming in on friday. the ten-day rain totals for the santa cruz mountains and the north bay could be looking at 2-4 inches of rain. the start of something that is more typical for early january. pretty good for weekend plans. we'll have clouds at times but the next round should hold off late sunday night. let's take you outside for another check of your morning commute. over to dublin near the interchange. we'll be on the lookout for road closures around livermore and some road construction continues but no major incidents around the tri-valley. let's send it back to you. >> all right, rob. today is the very first day of brexit. the first uk goods to france

have to show new clearance documents before loading products through a tunnel. this comes after the split from the european union. the return to customs returns. businesses say the new formality threaten to disrupt the smooth flow of nearly $1 trillion in annual trade. up next on "today in the bay," a south bay man gives us his baseball collection that he gathered for over 20 years. the reason he feels good about who they're going to now. our look at bay area proud is next. you're watching "today in the bay." mom: look at you. no braces,

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this year's wildfire season was devastating. millions of acres burned. thousands of homes were lost. sometimes, though, it's the small pictures that matter like the small pictures on a baseball card. >> bay area proud's garvin thomas and a little baseball fan. >> reporter: let's be honest when a home is surrounded by this many firefighters, chp cruisers and tv news cameras, it is rarely a good thing. today, though, there they all

were outside of kevin's home because of one rare act of generosity. >> i would give anything to see the smile on her face when she receives them. >> reporter: the ballplayer in the middle, 9-year-old reese. she lives in fresno county and was one of hundreds who lost their home last month in what turned out to be the largest fire in california's history, the creek fire. destroyed in recent homes the young baseball fan's collection of baseball cards. it was cal fire fresno county that first heard her story and started spreading the word. asking for donations to replace her lost cards. that message made it all the way to san jose and kevin. >> i got to thinking about it and what i have out here in the garage. you know what, rather than

selling these on ebay, i will donate them. i will donate them all and put a smile on a little girl's face. lester posey card. >> reporter: it's not just that he is donating some baseball cards. he is donating his entire collection from the past 25 years. >> my best guess at this point, and it's probably underrated but probably around 25,000 cards. >> reporter: the chp and cal fire crews were here to carry away the treasure to make it to its intended destination. kevin can only guess at the moment how much this collection would have been worth on the open market. he just knows that in the right hands for the right reason it's absolutely priceless. >> i feel really good about making the choice to do this. >> reporter: garvin thomas, nbc bay area news. >> making a big difference. right now at 6:00, good morning on this 1st day of 2021.