i did not know that they supported that and i'm glad that they're doing it. >> right now at 4:30, coronavirus and the classroom. the new legal battle now playing out in san francisco. also, need your covid shot? two mega vaccination sites are about to open here in the bay area. plus the new promises coming from the state's new unemployment system leader as it's still reeling from fraud scandals. and bracing for a bumpy ride. the roadblocks muni faces trying to map out an uncertain future and the possibility of job cuts

as "today in the bay" starts right now. here we are, it's thursday morning. thanks for joining us. i'm laura garcia. >> and i'm cierra johnson. marcus washington will join us in an hour. first we're going to take a look at weather, good morning, kari. >> good morning. and we're starting out with cool temperatures, but it's going to warm up and be a really nice day as we're starting out with some 30s and 40s. we are looking at mostly some 60s later today. and we will see our temperatures continuing to warm up, reaching near 70 degrees for the weekend. here's a look at our highs, what you can expect, once again after this cool start. we'll see it reaching up to 64 in napa, 60 in oakland and 60 today in san jose. we'll get a look at all of our microclimates and talk about the warmer weekend coming up. mike, what's going on right now for the early morning commute? >> kari, road conditions are great but we do have a crash that was reported over near the berkeley curve.

it's actually the opposite direction on the map. it's westbound 580 going to eastbound 80 so heading up into emeryville out of oakland and past telegraph. we are showing that crash just cleared from the chp system. you saw no slowing there nor anywhere else around the vicinity of the bay. a smooth drive. in the south bay i have a new crash reported for milpitas. we'll check that out coming up. later this morning san francisco's leaders will give a first look inside the new mass vaccination site opening tomorrow at the musconi center. it's two centers ready to roll. together they'll be able to vaccinate upwardsh day. it will open more access for people in covid's hardest-hit areas. >> equity is the call of this moment. the reason this site was chosen was the framework of making sure

that communities that are often left behind are not left behind, they're prioritized. >> the governor says fema will run the coliseum site. kaiser permanente's site will be by appointment only for those who qualify. a vaccine center is also rolling around in los angeles. l.a. just started a mobile vaccination program to help bring covid-19 vaccines to neighborhoods with the highest rate of the virus. one of the goals of the mobile program, giving shots to seniors who can't walk or drive to the vaccination centers. well, covid-19 infections continue to drop across california. there is something still alarming. the state is now dealing with its highest death rate since the start of the pandemic. on tuesday the department of health reported nearly 7,600 deaths over the past two weeks, that's an average of 542 deaths per day. more than 41,000 californians have died since the start of the pandemic, roughly the same amount of people who live in the

entire city of danville. kaiser permanente is appealing fines. they amount to $100,000. in one case it's at walnut creek's facility. cal osha says they failed to handle or prevent possible worker exposure to covid. in the other caseworkers in san leandro were forced to use defective ppe gear. kaiser calls the issues isolated and early on in the pandemic. they were hit with similar fines at the endof 2020 and also topped $100,000. san francisco schools and labor unions plan to meet just days after the city says it is suing the school district. city attorney dennis herrera says he wants a safe school reopening plan put in place. the district is calling the lawsuit frivolous. the superintendent return plans are still in place but are fluid with no return

dates set. vaccines are a sticking point. >> we don't know what's going on with the vaccines. we're hearing from educators this is the number one tool to return safely to schools and the city is still not moving in that direction in prioritizing us. >> the district is currently negotiating a labor agreement with teachers and other employees. legal analysts say the lawsuit is turning up the heat on those negotiations. students can't get back into the class without an agreement. some parents applaud the effort to push for specifics about when and how in-class learning will resume. a follow-up now, the new director of california's problem-plagued edd promising to clean things up and vowing recent mistakes will not be repeated, and let's hope not. the department is believed to have handed out billions and billions of people who filed bogus jobless claims. yesterday the new director appeared before lawmakers side stepping the specifics about

missteps made in the past but promising it will nts that may later this morning. muni is facing yet another budget shortfall, sfmta met twice to try to hammer out a budget agreement for next year. it's facing a $134 million shortfall due to the pandemic and it's unknown where those cuts will come from. the transit system is completely dependent on outside funding. the board's transportation director says pre-pandemic muni service level may not resume fully until next year. it's 4:36, i am looking forward to what i think is going to be a nice day ahead. let's confirm that with kari. >> yeah, it will be a nice day ahead, but we are starting out with some cold temperatures, probably can't tell right now if you were to step out the door. it is freezing right now as we take a look at ukiah as well as clear lake and we're also going

to see these chilly temperatures that we're starting out with shape up to be a really nice day. here's a look at san jose. our temperature trend where we're looking at sunshine and warming air, it's a reach into the upper 50s and low 60s across the bay area which is actually about normal for this time of year. we are going to see that across the bay area. a little warmer in the north bay after getting spotty rain yesterday. we're all clear through the rest of the forecast. we'll talk about that and also those temperatures for your weekend. that's coming up in a few minutes. mike, what's going on right now for the morning commute? >> kari, i've got a correction to make, it's not mill pete as it's the other side of 237. the speed sensors look great right now. we're zooming down to 237 but not at 880, this is over at 101 coming towards sunnyvale and mountain view. northbound side has a crash there and it looks like it just got pushed to the shoulder. very quick work because traffic

is light in the area. on the freeways i do have circled at santa teresa boulevard, there is a deadly crash on the major surface street just south of 101 and 85. we're tracking that and i'll give you any updates as needed. back to you. all right, sounds good, thanks, mike. 4:38. vaccine chasers. still ahead, the drastic measures some californians are taking to try to get covid-19 shots and the help they're getting from social media. plus looking to enter a new market. the new product apple is working on. you're watching "today in the bay."

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right now at 4:40, let's head to walnut creek as you head out the door. it's only going to be 40 degrees. it's a cool start, but we will gradually warm up today. there's going to be a lot of sunshine. make some plans to get outside not only today but the weekend. we'll talk about that forecast coming up in a few minutes. and i look at some slowing that just popped up for 101. that crash in mountain view near 237. so we'll check on that. first a quick look at fremont where the traffic moves nicely and that flag is moving well as well. there's a light breeze but no warnings about the bridges. good morning. i am dominic chu from cnbc global headquarters. wall street is set to open with modest gains this morning as the

markets try to extend a three-day winning streak. the dow and the s&p 500 rising slightly yesterday while the nasdaq slips just a few points as investors react to the strong herbings from amazon and google's parent company, alphabet. energy stocks leading the market gains as oil prices have hit their highest levels in a year. in focus today we have reports on productivity, also factory orders and unemployment, plus earnings reports from merck and ford amongst others. let's swing over to cupertino, california. apple is reportedly close to a deal with hyundai motors to make an electric car. the car is being developed by a team at apple and would go into production at a kia facility in 2024. apple could choose to partner with another automaker either separately or in addition to working with hyundai motors. south korea reports hyundai has received a more than $3 billion

investment from apple to collaborate on the electric vehicles. and lowe's, the home improvement retailer, is betting that couples stuck at home during the virus pandemic want nothing more than a night of lowmance on valentine's day. so they are taking reservations for date night at one of ten select stores across the country, including in san francisco. 50 couples will win an after-hours store experience with splash painting. couples need tree to follow soc distancing and safety protocols. but yes, those are the headlines from cnbc. i'm not sure about you and your significant others but i could do a valentine's night at lowe's with splash painting and everything. >> my man is a handyman but i don't know if i want to check

out the spas on valentine's day. >> i'll take a pass, hard pass. >> thanks, dom. coming up next, 4:43. a nation divided. new video showing just how different our state's mask policies are to others and the warning from experts. we'll be right back.

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i haven't been there in ages because i haven't been anywhere in ages. but we're at the point of this pandemic where i'm just kind of dreaming about where i'm going to go next, you know, in my dreams. but, you know what, we live in one of the most beautiful places on earth and in the bay area, it's gorgeous. today it's a cold start but maybe a warmer finish? >> yes, and we've had some spectacular sunrises and sunsets. i've been loving seeing all of the pictures of the clouds just traveling here around the bay area with our pictures that we've seen posted on social media. thank you, michael, for sending this one, just those clouds dotting the sky. it's been pretty nice even just going out for that afternoon walk to get an escape from just being in the house all day. all right, so let's get a look at what's going on now. everything has cleared out so if you're going to be heading out for outdoor recess today, we're checking out brentwood in our temperature trend and just

enjoying some fresh hour as our temperatures warm up. you might want to wait until later this afternoon to get much more comfortable air as we reach into the low 60s later today. let's head to the south bay. we're going to see a high reaching 60 degrees in san jose, as warm as 61 degrees today in gilroy. for the east bay, we're looking at some low to mid60s here even reaching 62 in antioch but 59 in livermore. along the coastline mostly upper 50s. daly city reaching 56 degrees, san francisco at 57 downtown. our north bay highs will reach into the 60s. a little bit warmer here, reaching up to 64 today in napa and ukiah. as we go through the forecast, we are going to see this dry weather continuing as high pressure sets up. that causes the air to sink and as it sinks it warms up a bit and that will be the case this weekend. it's also going to block any chances of rain. a lot of those storm systems

will stay well to the north of us even going into the middle of next week so our forecast is all dry. we are going to see a few clouds here and there, especially early next week, but overall it's going to be a great weekend for outdoor activities with inland temperatures in the upper 60s and slightly cooler by the middle of next week. more of the same in san francisco with upper 50s and low 60s into the weekend. as we head over to you, mike, how's it looking right now for the commute? >> well, kari, it looks like that traffic break and the effects of it finally cleared just as you were reporting your weather report. we're looking at the maps and the speed sensors just reported back to green on north 101 at 237. that quick traffic break did lead to about ten minutes of slowing on the sensor reads and no issues on either side of the peninsula, bay or east bay. in the bay bridge area we have a smooth flow of traffic. the feeder routes into the maze and through the maze all move smoothly with no problems across the span.

back to you. >> thank you. governor newsom may have one more challenger of efforts to call a special election are successful. doug o'see is considering it. in an interview he criticized newsom for his vaccine rollout and is pushing to reopen schools as soon as possible. some californians are trying to game the system to get their shots. they're on the prowl and named vaccine hunters who will wait outside vaccine centers to get a leftover shot. it started when an orange county man made a facebook page in louisiana to help people tracking down expiring vaccines. he created a national movement where vaccine hunter pages are now popping up all over the u.s., even in san diego. >> even if it's just one person,

our world, that's a success. >> he's now working with health leaders to better coordinate who receives those leftover vaccines. things look a lot different in other parts of the country than they do here in california. despite a rising number of covid-19 variants spreading across the u.s., many people are still refusing to wear masks. case in point, this video from a grocery store in naples, florida. you can see so many customers and employees not wearing masks, ignoring experts clear messaging that wearing masks can slow the spread of covid-19. >> if one mask serves as a physical barrier, if you put two on, it makes common sense that it certainly can't hurt and might help. but itch the point of an official recommendation from the cdc because of the lack of data. >> unlike california, it's worth

noting that in florida there is no statewide mask mandate. individual cities and counties can impose measures. taking a stand. coming up next on "today in the bay" the all new tribute san francisco 49ers quarterback colin kaepernick in super bowl city. plus the covid concerns mounting ahead of the showdown between the kansas city chiefs and tampa bay buccaneers. the barber who exposed players from one team to the virus. happening now, the president of the tokyo olympic organizing resign, this despite pressure after making derogatory comments earlier in the week about women. the tokyo 2020 president was reported by a japanese newspaper of saying women talk too much in meetings. it's one more problem the postponed tokyo games don't need as organizers on the international olympic committee try to pull off the olympics in the midst of a pandemic. remember, you can only watch the olympics right here on nbc bay area.

use less from 4 to 9 pm and we can protect california for generations to come.

as many count down to kickoff for super bowl, there are some new covid concerns. we've got a live look at tampa, florida. two kansas city chiefs players are now on the reserve covid list. this comes after a barber tested positive. espn is reporting 20 people, including quarterback patrick mahomes, were in line for a haircut but only demarcus robinson and samuel kilgore were deemed to have come in contact with that barber. just a few miles from that site of super bowl lv, a new mural honors the work of colin kaepernick. >> the artist unveiled the mural in old tampa.

itng t-shirts associated with his nonprofit. and klay thompson is still a long way from seeing the court. he may be ready to start traveling with the team. he's regaining more mobility since tearing his achilles in november. if he does travel with the team, it would be the first time he hits the road all season. the last time he actually played 4:56. a house divided. coming up next on "today in the bay," a live report from washington, d.c. with more on democrats' plans to oust representative marjorie taylor greene from her committees over controversial comments she's made and how the gop is pushing back. plus, not checking out so fast. the new legal battle now brewing after a bay area city voted to increase hazard pay for grocery store workers.

an all new life for the former home of san francisco's famed cliff house. the new business that could be moving into that building. we'll be right back. colgate optic white renewal removes ten years of yellow stains.

that's like all the way back to 2010. they're jeans. they're leggings. they're jeggings! whoa. ready to take your immune support to the next level? nature's bounty is here for you. the number one herbal supplement brand has everything you need to help keep your immune system strong. immune support comes naturally with nature's bounty. marjorie taylor greene is totally out of control as a qanon leader, sympathizer. >> three major things need to happen. we should be focusing on getting people back to work.

>> right now at 5:00, a house divided. democrats seek to oust a controversial lawmaker from her committee assignments, but the gop's top leader from california is showing his support. a live report from washington, d.c., on the clash in congress. plus, take two. more and more people are receiving their second dose of the vaccine. we're looking closer at what you can do and cannot do after getting that second shot and who's likely next to line to roll up their sleeves. and behind bars, what police are saying about the man accused of live streaming violent threats at a busy south bay mall. "today in the bay" continues right now. a very good thursday morning to you. thanks for joining us. i'm laura garcia. >> and i'm cierra johnson. marcus washington will join us in just a moment and we'll also have a look at traffic in just a moment but first kari with a look at weather. good morning, kari. >> good morning. and we are starting out with chilly temperatures across the

way area. as you get ready to head out, you may need a heavier jacket but later today it is going to even warmer heading intodegrees. as we look at what's going on out there now, absolutely nothing. this will continue. we'll talk about that and an update on our drought monitor coming up in a few minutes. mike, what's going on right now for the morning commute? >> kari, this is going to be a local report as we first start out with a circle area at the bottom right of your screen. this is santa teresa boulevard. a major roadway but not the freeway. there's a closure at chantilly. you can get over toward golf course lane a little to the west. there's a deadly crash that happened involving a single car. san jose police tell us that will be closed another couple hours, likely until sunrise. monterey road is clear through the area and so is the rest of the bay. no major issues on either side