30, putting power lines underground. the move by pg&e to improve wildfire safety in a san jose neighborhood. good afternoon everyone. i'm janelle wang. welcome to nbc bay area news at 4:30. our ian cull was out with pg&e crews today working on this project. he also spoke to people in the almaden neighborhood. he's going to join us in just a bit. we're also tracking other stories on this wednesday, including another fire at a battery facility just south of the bay area. the warning to people living nearby as toxic smoke potentially comes out of this plant. also a cold case cracked, but the suspect won't be facing any consequences. the new details, revealed in the murder of a bay area hiker. more than 30 years ago. and how much of your income do you spend to cover your mortgage payment? no surprise, the bay area tops the list are. scott budman breaks down these new numbers. but let's begin

with pg&e, which is working to make major changes in the south bay. the utility wants to fix the power system near high fire risk areas to prevent repeated power outages to 10,000 customers. nbc bay area's ian cull was given an inside look at this new project underway. so what are they doing? yeah. so pg&e has safety triggers on its power lines in those high wildfire risk areas. and when a branch or tree hits them, it will cut off power immediately. they're called eps it. when it happens, neighborhoods around those areas would go dark sometimes when they didn't need to. and pg&e says nearly 10,000 customers were impacted. and the allman and santa teresa neighborhoods when the safety switches were tripped. so the company is trying to solve that problem by putting more than a mile of power lines underground, so the homes will have more reliable power. it essentially puts them on a new grid, so they're detached from that happening. neighbors say they're looking forward to having some relief. there's always every

summer, there's blackouts every summer. so whether there was 1 or 2. but, you know, sometimes three days we'd be out for three days, you know, and all my fridge, my food got ruined and everything. so last year, pg&e was down quite a few days. and this year it's been better so far. so this is good progress. ian, i'm really interested in this story because i have eps in my neighborhood, and i think our power went out six times over like a month period when there was nothing going on. it just got tripped really easily, which is great for wildfire risk. so this is promising, especially to this neighborhood. how much is it going to cost? and that's exactly what those people are saying. sometimes it's a nice sunny day and it just tends to happen. so they're hoping that this will fix that. and as for how much it will cost, pg&e says it will be around $11 million for this project. it has nine more projects like it in san jose. that's where they were focused on today. and we asked pg&e if the project is funded by current rates, or if it will need a separate rate hike in the future to pay for it. we're still waiting to hear back. the

company says while it will bury some power lines in the neighborhood, it will keep those safety cutoff settings on lines in risky areas to reduce wildfire risk. incredibly beneficial in terms of wildfire safety. but of course, the reliability challenges have been a problem and we have continued to improve not only the number of people impacted, but the duration of outages over the past two and a half years, something they say that they're working on. this project should be finished by june, and we'll dive deeper into what pg&e is doing at 530. okay. looking forward to it. thank you so much, ian. in other news, the fire at the moss landing battery facility has reignited. vistra energy power plant says flames were seen coming from the prevusly burned section of the building around 9:00 last night. nbc bay area sky ranger flew over it this morning where you can see some smoke there. it's still smoldering. monterey county warned people to close their windows and doors out of an abundance of caution. the facility says it's monitoring the air quality, and as of now,

no hazardous air conditions have been detected. we want to show you what it looked like last night as the flames were visible. this new fire was considerably smaller than the one in january, where 70% of the facility was destroyed. the vistra energy power plant is one of the largest lithium ion battery storage facilities in the country. crews will be on site 24/7 to monitor the flames and the air quality. meanwhile, community members are expected to voice their concerns over the martinez refining company at tonight's city council meeting. it's happening at seven tonight. this comes as contra costa county leaders and the bay area air quality management district are investigating the latest fire and recent flare ups at the refinery. at least six workers were hurt in the fire earlier this month. the investigation is ongoing to make sure the refinery is in compliance with all regulations. decades spent searching for the killer and police have now solved the cold case murder of a hiker in

berkeley. police found the body of maria wiedorfer in tilden regional park in 1990. after 35 years. police today named john lipari as the killer, saying he strangled and sexually assaulted the 32 year old victim. lipari lived in martinez at the time of the attack and then moved to oregon. officers declared lipari a primary suspect last year when they were able to confirm dna evidence. lipari died by suicide last november. justice may have been delayed, but thanks the hard work of our detectives and our federal partners. justice has been served. hofer's family released a statement saying they were grateful to law enforcement for bringing their family closure. they asked she be remembered for her gentle soul and not just what happened to her. hundreds of east bay court employees walked off the job today and hit the picket lines in a strike outside alameda county courthouses. the strikes

caused some people to get turned away at courthouses, as a skeleton crew of administrators had to step in and do the work. courtrooms were closed and court filings delayed everything from traffic caseso felonies, divorces and adoptions. the union's president says the 400 workers are striking over pay and training in an ongoing contract dispute. and she says the courts have not negotiated in good faith on these issues. a cola is an issue. i mean, we live in the bay area. the cost of living folks can't afford eggs, folks can't afford gas. so cost of living is always an issue. but more importantly, some of our huge issues centered more around training. a superior court spokesperson says training and staffing have not been the union's focus at all during negotiations, and that the courts have done their best to retain workers in the face of a nearly $4.5 million budget cut. the court says the judicial council of california crunched the numbers and found, based on the current caseload, alameda

county courts are actually overstaffed by more than 100 employees. the union, though, says the data is outdated and based on the number of cases filed, but not the number of people it takes to process those cases. the strike is set to continue thursday, and workers say they will picket until they say the courts fairly negotiate pay and training issues. president trump last month issued executive orders aimed at curtailing diversity, equity and inclusion, known as dei workplace initiatives. the white house is also giving schools and universities two weeks to eliminate diversity initiatives or risk losing federal money, as it becomes a hot button topic. business strategists at the collective good believe conscious consumers are the key when it comes to business changing policies, and they are committed to supporting brands with values that align with their beliefs. rainbow really is this term that we're using to refer to companies that are

quieting their dei initiatives, and it matters because, you know, we are in we live in a time of conscious consumerism where it's important that we know what companies stand for, that we the brands that we support, we want to know that they are, that they share the values that we share. the collective good is encouraging businesses to be authentic to their brands and larger vision, because consumers are taking note. elon musk's department of government efficiency is in hot water. doge is in the middle of 11 different lawsuits claiming the department has illegally accessed americans personal information. the trump adadministraon says the department aims to cut waste and save money. and to do that, doge needs to get information from a wide range of government databases. the lawsuits claim doge violated the privacy act of 1974 by illegally taking information rhyne from different

departments, including the irs and the labor department. neither elon musk or the white house has responded to nbc news requests for comment. now to our making it in the bay series. we got our hands on the latest housing report, and it had many of us shaking our heads. it just listed how much we need to make to cover average mortgage payments. no surprise, the bay area was well above the rest. let's bring in our business and tech reporter scott budman. okay, give us the cold, hard truth and the numbers. yeah, these are really rough numbers, janelle. and they have been for a long time. you have at the top of the level people that make a lot of money say in the tech industry, cashing in stock options. they can afford to buy these homes. but for the rest of us, it takes a whole lot of income. here's the percentage. according to a data tracker of income, that the average person has to spend to make the average mortgage in san jose nearly 80%. that's nearly four out of every $5 going towards your housing costs a little bit lower in san

francisco, and for that matter, los angeles, the only city around here that gets towards that 30% ish that housing development says we should be spending is sacramento. and sacramento is also a city where we've seen some more expensive housing. so it just shows that in the bay area there are the very, very rich. and then everyone else who wants to own a home really, on average, just has to spend so much of what they take home to afford a mortgage. and we know that largely because we've seen not only housing prices go up a bit, but even faster. we've seen the rise of mortgage rates. and that means what you pay every month goes up as well. i know financial experts say just spend 30% on housing. that's what you should ideally so you can save. but people are spending up to 80% of their income on housing. that's crazy. generally less for renting. but then again, renters often make less. so it is also a higher percentage. so around here, i imagine it's really hard to find anyone spending just 30% of their take home income on housing of any kind. it's just become that expensive per month

to make that payment. you spoke to the california association of realtors about this. what are they telling you? are people still buying homes? you know, some are. it's been tough to buy a home for a long time here. we've talked about this for a while. unless you have a whole lot of money and can put a whole lot down on a down payment. by the way, if you can put a lot down, you can make your mortgage payment monthly less and perhaps spend a lower percentage of your income. but then again, who has that big down payment? and they say that while they expect eventually interest rates and mortgage rates to dip a bit. and we're coming up on the spring season where we see more action in the housing market. that's positive. and so maybe more houses will come on the market. but they say costs are still going to be high because as we've talked about a lot lately, insurance costs are so expensive around these parts. and that means you're also paying more for insurance as a homeowner. and so really it just keeps adding. it adds up. yeah. from from all sides. what about did you talk to any home buyers

today. tir thoughts. you know the potential home buyers i would tell them this stat and they're like yeah no kidding. thanks for that. and but yeah i mean they realize how much has to be saved. and that's such an intimidating thing, especially when we talk to young people because let's say you're trying to save 20% of $1.5 million and, you know, you just do the math. it's so much money to come up with as a down payment to even then start the mortgage cycle. and that's really what, what a lot of young people especially tell us is so intimidating about this process, is the down payment in the first place. and that's what keeps a lot of people out of making that leap from renters to buyers. yeah, it is frustrating, but the cost of living. living here in the bay area, it is very much. it will be interesting because last spring we did see more of an open market. prices dipped a bit because tre was more inventory. we'll see if that happens again this year. we can only hope for those who are out there saving money trying to get into a home. okay. thanks, scott. you bet. still to come cracking down on speeders. the new steps san francisco is taking today in some of the city's most dangerous pedestrian

corridors. also helping vulnerable children deal with the bullying. the new high tech app created in santa cruz, designed for children with a specific visible birth defect. but before we head to break, we want to know what trending story you would like to see later in this newscast. i have a survey up right now on my instagram stories, and you still have some time to vote for one of these stories. online searches for gambling addiction surge a new cheetos flavor revealed, and egypt discovers a royal tomb. we're

closing in union square. the sf chronicle reports the celebrity chef stepped away from the businesses over the weekend. two miller and lux provisions opened in 2023. one closed early last year for renovations that reportedly never began. the city parks and recreation department

says it's grateful for the cafe's time in the city, and it's optimistic for the future of the cafe spaces. no word right now as to why florence decided to close the cafes. he still runs two other san francisco restaurants. if you drive around in san francisco, listen up. the city will soon be watching and citing your speed with the help of new speed cameras. nbc bay area's ginger conejero saab is in san francisco, where those cameras are now being installed dozens of times this morning. this installed speed camera on geary and seventh avenue caught cars going above the 25 mile per hour speed limit. this is one of 33 cameras installed across the city's 11 districts, many on streets prone to high speeds. others near schools and residential neighborhoods, and even some on streets with a documented history of sideshows. any car going over the speed limit is risking our lives. jody medeiros is the executive director for walk sf, an

organization that's been pushing for the implementation of these speed cameras for six years. there are stories of children being walked to school and, you know, never coming home, or mom walkining home from work tryingo cross the street and just, you know, getting hit and lives changed forever. me and my siblings look at my mom every day. and if her physically but she's nowhere near who our mom is. jenny yu knows all too well the impact of traffic violence. 14 years ago, her mother was struck by a speeding suv in the city's richmond district. she suffered major traumatic brain injury and is suicidal and depressed. my mom doesn't really know her condition. she knows that she's was impacted by some kind of car. so she gets ptsd when she's on the street. today feels like a victory for jenny and walk s.f. because it's one step closer to what they believe will be safer streets in san

francisco. speed cameras go online in march. notices for violators will go out in the first two months. after 60 days, fines kick in. in san francisco, ginger conejero saab nbc, bay area news. thank you. ginger. okay, we're going to switch gears and talk about our weather. i woke up to some showers and cloudy skies, and now it's sunny and dry. yeah, light and quick moving. that's exactly what we were forecasting. and now what we're seeing behind it. janelle, is a couple of clouds. we might get some areas that develop some fog, but a warm up is on the way. and i know that's what we've been anticipating all week long as we look ahead. now let's talk about the temperatures, because today we're actually running a few degrees cooler. the reason for that is because of that cold front that brought that rain, and a bit of that cloud cover. we're in the 50s and 60s throughout. just to give you an idea, we're running about four degrees cooler right now in livermore, about five degrees cooler in san francisco. but that will change as the ridge of high pressure begins to build. so take a look right now at satellite. notice we do still have zooming this in some activity just to our north. but

a lot of that system now to our east. and yes, we've got a wintry mix coming down in the sierra. so i highly recommend checking those travel conditions. things will get better into tomorrow. now, temperature wise we're in the 60s, but we're going to be dipping down into the 50s. and right now in san jose it's about 61 degrees. you'll notice we're going to keep that cloud cover lingering in san jose just a little bit longer. by tomorrow, though, that will change. so as this cold front has been sweeping through, one thing you likely notice with the breezy winds so not too gusty, we're falling below that wind advisory criteria. but as we head into some of those higher elevation areas up through parts of the north bay and also down through the south bay into tomorrow afternoon, we will be keeping those breezy to windy conditions at times, especially for some of those higher elevation areas. we're talking 20 to 25 plus, and once we get into the evening, things will back up temperature wise for tomorrow is a sneak peek of what will end up in the 70s. so we've got upper 60s. look at san jose 65, concord 67. and just to give you a sneak peak of that 7-day forecas if

you're looking ahead towards the weekend, we are settling into a calm and warmer weather pattern. so make sure to stick around at 5:00. i've got your extended forecast coming right up. janelle. thanks, vianey using technology to make people smile. we're not talking about a new viral video. it's a new app which uses vr headsets to help children overcome their fears. here's our marcus washington to explain. reporter. well, there's a new app created here in northern california. it may help turn emotional tide for millions of children born with a particular facial condition. research shows every three minutes, somewhere in the world, a child is born with cleft affecting the upper lip and or roof of the mouth. it can be treated, but for children who go untreated, it can lead to severe bullying. now, the assist lab in uc santa cruz is helping lead the way, designing a groundbreaking new interactive app called smile proud. it uses vr headsets. the global nonprofit smile train launched

the app to help young children navigate the mental and social challenges that can impact self-esteem or lead to anxiety. researcher tiffany tang calls it a safe and low pressure way to practice social skills before a child encounters it in real life. we worked very closely with psychologists and patients to develop this game, to adequately address psychosocial need such as making new friends, dealing with bullying and building confidence. but we wanted to do it in a way where we leverage this technology to increase access to this type of care. in areas where maybe a psychologist is not always available. now, the app is available in four languages english, spanish, portuguese and tagalog. it was created with specific cultures in mind. the development team is already looking into expanding into other areas where children are struggling with certain conditions. now, to see stories like this, make sure you join us every morning on today in the

bay from 5 to 7 a.m. i'm marcus washington. back to you. thanks for sharing that, marcus. still to come, the top trending story as voted by you on my instagram survey. also, ever wanted to own a piece of the 49ers? here's your chance how much you'll have to pony up to get a small ownership stake iyourn

voted by you on my instagram survey. this may be a big deal for a spicy snack fans, or rather a big deal. hahaha. cheetos announced its first ever pickle flavored version of its cheesy chips flaming hot dill pickle blends a tangy pickle flavor. can't even say it with the heat of its fan favorite flaming hot snack line, the company said pickle was the most requested flavor by customers. this new flavor hit store shelves nationwide this week, and as always, i'll post links to the other stories you voted

for on my instagram stories. apple unveiled its latest iphone model today. it's called iphone 16 e. apple says it's meant to offer the same powerful capabilities of its other iphone models, but it's more affordable. it sells for about $600. that's $200 less than the cheapest version of the iphone 16. this phone will have a single camera versus the three that the most advanced models have, and it goes on sale later this month. the 49ers are looking for new minority owners. the york family owns the team and ted york is the 49ers ceo. last year, it voted to allow private equity investment of up to 10%. so now the team is looking for a minority owner. this could either be a prite equity firm or other investors like wealthy, really wealthy individuals or families. now it's hoping to value the entire franchise around $9 billion. so 10% would be $900 million. that would just get you a piece of

the 49ers that's going to do it for us at 430. jessica is working on the 5:00 newscast. she'll join you in two minutes.

court workers in the east bay go on strike demanding better pay and training. why administrators are pushing back against claims of unfair bargaining. also a painful day of remembrance on the san jose state campus. how the university is trying to come to terms with what it calls a shameful period. and shining a light on a bay area musician who has spent a lifetime inspiring others with her piano. we continue our celebration of black heritage tonight. on the news at five starts right now. thanks for joining me. i'm jessica aguirre. hundreds of court workers in the east bay walked off the job today, the newest turn in an ongoing contract dispute over pay and training. now, the strike did

not shut down courthouses, but it did disrupt operations. the union and the workers are hoping that will get the attention of their supervisors. here's nbc bay area's thom jensen. alameda county courtrooms were closed and processing court filings and other documents disrupted. as hundreds of union employees hit the picket lines across the county. our point was to get the court's attention so that they can start prioritizing the workers so that we can get back in there and prioritize the public. union president keisha clark says 99% of the union's 400 plus workers approved the strike. she says they're overworked, undertrained and underpaid, and the county won't bargain fairly on any of the issues. cola is an issue. i mean, we live in the bay area. the cost of living folks can't afford eggs. folks can't afford gas. so cost of living is always an issue. but more importantly, some of our huge issues centered more around training. the court put its emergency operations plan in