voters in the city of alameda are about to pay some of the highest parcel taxes in the state. >> they chose to dig deeper into their wallets to find school programs passed in measure a in a high lesson contested election. lee ann? >> hey, guys. by passing this homeowners and businesses agree to pay $12 million over seven years. so basically two parcel taxes

were set to expire next year in 2012 so now it becomes just one parcel tax with residents paying more. had it not passed, five schools would have had to eventually close. varsity school programs would have been cut. so how much will homeowners here in alameda pay in additional property taxes? if you take the average home here, which is about 1600 square feet, they wilill now pay $512 more a a yeaear. if you do thhe math, that's abot $43 a month onn top of thehe existiting property taxes, not insignificant amount. >> it's actually a victory, not just for the children in our schools but a victory for the community because the schools are tied so much into our identity, good schools in alameda is what a lot of

families move here for. i'm a perfect example. we moved here because of the schools. >> so senior citizens are exempt meaning they won't have to pay, of course, this property tax. businesses even if they are in a big lot or parcel, they will be capped at $7,999. and, again, that was key. that's one of the reasons this parcel tax passed here in alameda. abc 7 news. >> two other bay area cities also voted on tax measures for their local school district with different results. in brisbane voters approved the extension of the city's parcel tax but santa clara voters rejected their measure a which would have levied an annual tax of $8 on each residential unit. >> more cuts for one of the largest school districts. the mount diablo school board will send out notices next week

and warned more drastic cost-cutting moves may be required. officials say the school year could get five to six weeks if a tax extension on the june ballot is not approved by state voters. that could mean students wouldn't start school until october. >> there is absolutely no way to run a school district 175 days. they've already cut the permission for five days. 175 days of education on the amount of money that's left that they've cut. so i think that there will be a shell that's called education but there won't be education. >> the school district is trying to close a $22 million deficit. officials are still hoping state funding will help reduce the number of layoffs. school districts have a march 15th deadline to notify teachers about possible layoffs. >> things tough in rona park. the district approved layoff notices for 28 full-time positions. the school board needs to cut $5

million. it's negotiating with employee unions over deep salary and benefit cuts. since 2008, the district has already closed schools, shortened the school year and increased class sizes. >> at exactly 6:11 tonight the community will gather to remember the victims of the deadly san bruno pipeline exsuppose. it was that time six months ago when the explosion and fire leveled the densely populated neighborhood. heather? >> yes. that explosion destroyed 38 homes, more importantly took eight lives. the san mateo district attorney's office has announced they put together a four-person team, one from the d.a.'s office, one from the attorney general, one from the u.s. attorney, and the san bruno police department to investigate any possible -- to investigate pg&e for any possible civil or criminal violations relating to the pipeline explosion. there is still a long road ahead for this neighborhood. damaged homes are still being

repaired. some neighbors whose homes were destroyed or still months or more away from rebuilding and neighbors tell us at least four will not rebuild here. some victims are still recovering in the hospital. when neighbors gather here tonight to mark the time of the rupture, 6:11 p.m. they say they will be thinking of the human loss. legal consultant dean johnson says the d.a.'s investigation is sending a message. >> one of the problems with prosecution generally is big corporations get a pass on what might be criminal investigations. i think the new d.a. is sending a message that that's not going to be the case with his office; that if a big corporation could be suspect of criminal activity, they're going to look into it and they're going to make a decision. >> there are civil lawsuits pending against pg&e. the ntsb still has an

investigation going into the cause of the accident as the pg&e and the cpuc. next week march 15th is the deadline for pg&e to produce results on its document search to tell the ntsb about what it can confirm what it knows it has in its underground pipeline system. heather ishimaru, abc 7 news. >> heather, thank you so much. san francisco d.a. george gascon just announced he's not going to prosecute 16 cases because of possible police misconduct. that brings to 70 the total number of cases that is had been dismissed in court or dropped when they released security video of drug raids at south of market hotels. the video show police conducting illegal searches and arrests. eight officers involved have been reassigned to desk duty while two other investigations continue, one by the f.b.i. and the other by the d.a.'s office. >> the white house says a top

level meeting by president obama's top security advisers later today to discuss libya won't result in an immediate decision of possible u.s. intervention. they'll discuss the ramifications of a no-fly zone over libya and military options. it will include secretary of state hillary clinton. >> we think it's important that the united nations make this decision, not the united states. so far the united nations has not done that. >> in an interview today on turkish tv moammer gadhafi said libyans would fight back if western nations imposed a no-fly zone. they seem to be maintaining the momentum it seized in several days but now reporting that rebels have actually retain the main square. >> president obama this morning nominated commerce secretary gary lock as ambassador to china. if the senate confirms him lock

would be the first chinese american to hold the post. he's the former governor of washington state. expanding exports to china and said he earned the trust of business leaders. lock's grandfather immigrated from china to the u.s. he calls his nomination an honor. >> i'm going back to the birth place of my grandfather, my father, my mom, and her side of the family, and i'll be doing so as a devoted and passionate advocate for america, the country where i was born and raised. >> the job is one of the most important diplomatic jobs in government because of america's complex and sometimes strained ties with asia. john huntsman, the out governor is exploring a possible presidential run against president obama. >> the commander in chief's latest command: stand up against bullying. >> because putting a stop to bullying is a responsibility we

all share. >> president and mrs. obama are fighting back against an alarming trend affecting every student in america. >> claims it encourages athlete

>> one of america's most promine prominent journalists for half a century decide. he won a pulitzer prize for the

watergate scandal in 1973 that led to president nixon's resignation. he detected political trends early. he was a regular contributor on talk shows. >> farm workers are protesting the sentencing for two of the three defendants charged in the death of a 17-year-old farm worker who was two months' pregnant. the judge approved the deal in the stockton court today. maria mennez decide of heat stroke after working in a vineyard outside of stockton. her core temperature reached 108 degrees. the victim's uncle spoke at the hearing and explained why the defendant should serve time. >> it would be an example so that employers would have more care with their workers. they would have better treatment, dignity and respect on the job. >> the three defendants include

the owner, the safety director and the supervisor at merced labor services. >> president obama and first lady michelle obama are out with a new message about bullies on facebook.com. the obamas say this is a personal issue. they're holding a conference tomorrow that will bring students and educators together. >> this isn't an issue that makes headlines every day but affects every single junk person in our country. >> an exclusive message on facebook.com today. >> it's tough enough to be a kid today. our children earn the chance to be able to grow and not be made fun of or worse. >> more and more we're seeing how harmful it can be for our kids especially when it follows from their school, phone, to their computer screen. >> a white house conference on

the estimated (1) 300-0000 students a year who are bullied in american schools. the conference is the first of its kind and it will bring together students, teachers and parents, including sardina walker from new york whose son karl killed himself after bullying. >> i met her after it happened in 2009. >> afternoons are hard because i expect when i see the kids walking home from school, i expect karl to come home. >> and to know it's never going to happen again. >> it's devastating. >> yeah. >> it's devastating. >> kirk's father says his 11-year-old son ty killed himself from bullying. they complete but repeatedly got no help. >> we need help here at home.

our babies are dying. >> the obamas now say they want to stop. >> something we care about not only as president and first lady but also as parents. >> dan harris, abc news. >> let's talk about the weather. boy, when the kids get out of school, they're just gonna wanna play outside. >> sounds good to me. as long as they do their homework first. >> of course. >> we'll have an update and rain for the weekend, too. >> and we'll never see this again. the historic journey of the space shuttle "discovery." >> plus romance fizzling. what happens every day that takes the spark out of relationships. [ mom ] yes.nte.

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♪ space shuttle "discovery" is back on earth from its final voyage. these are live pictures of the shuttle on the ground from cape canaveral. it ends its flying of 165 days in space. let's listen while they make

that historic journey home. >> touchdown. the nose of the shuttle rotated down toward the flight deck. the parachute being deployed. and nose touchdown and the end of a historic journey and to the ship that has led the way time and time again we say fair well, "discovery." >> "discovery" will now be retired and put on display at the museum. the first of nasa's three last shuttle to be conditioned. this is a photo taken from a central valley resident as the shuttle soared in the sky near fresno around 7:30. you know that very thin white vertical streak shows the path of discovery. >> wow! >> yeah. >> that's really cool. >> we missed it. and mike had warned us repeatedly put it on the calendar. it wasn't even that late. not like we had to go -- (laughter)

>> i went to sleep! >> wish i would. >> no wonder you have so much energy. the coffee. we're going to get out and enjoy the day today. it's so nice. >> warm, dry, which won't be the case tomorrow and probably the back half of the weekend, too. take a look outside. one of the hazier once as we have lower level moisture hanging around and upper level clouds from dimming sunshine. as we look from mount tamalpais, you see how low the visibility is but not because of pollution. looking at san jose under a mostly cloudy sky right now. let's talk about those temperatures, all of us running in the mid to upper 50s, near 60 in concord and antioch and mountain view. already in the mid-60s santa cruz, watsonville, salinas. mid to upper 50s monterey and gilroy. you're seeing more sunshine down there and you will be warmer than anybody else today. talking about high clouds and sunshine.

warmer today than yesterday. rain tomorrow, heaviest in the north bay, not that it's going to be a lot of heavy rain, it's just where most of it will fall. >> next chance of rain, sunday. everybody positive. concord, oakland, santa rosa 6, san jose 8. fremont 9 degree jump today. the sun will set at 6:11. the south bay upper 60s to low 70s. 70 we dropped to 66. the coast low 60s, downtown south san francisco mid-60s. north bay shore, a little cooler. mid to upper 50s through the north bay valley, santa rosa, napa 70. mid to upper 60s along the east bay shore. upper 60s to low 70s in the east bay valleys. the warmest weather low to mid-70s the monterey. a little cooler carmel and monterey. upper 60s in fresno. flirt with 80 in palm springs.

no snow in tahoe today. a little warmer than this morning. mid to upper 40s in the east bay valleys and upper 40s near 50 for the rest of us. a couple areas of high pressure steering this cold front to the north. getting a few high clouds but above high temperatures. this low for thursday, that's the one that's going to bring us the light rain. here's how it plays out. tomorrow morning, the beginning of the commute at 5:00 everybody dry but by the end of the commute light rain falling in the north bay and by noon definitely getting rain everywhere north of say the bay bridge. and then as the cold front sweeps to the south and falls apart andso do the rains. most falls in the north bay, up to a quarter inch in the valleys. up to a tenth of an inch around the bay. but the south bay? nothing. cooler today. sunshine for friday and saturday, early sunday and then some rain sunday into monday. yes, we spring forward and lose

that hour's sleep and changing batteries in detectors. >> you were trying to get ahead. >> yes! >> you remember those college courses everyone considered easy a's, sometimes nicknamed classes for athletes. now taking a hard line against the official endorsement of those classes. athletes are to stop distributing to players a list called courses of interest, such as beginning improvising or social dances of north america. critics say athletes often took those classes to keep up their grade point average, a requirement to play. stanford has maintained the courses on that list are academically rigorous. it was conducted by the california watch investigative reporting project. we'll have a full report at 6:00. you can read the report at californiawatch.org. a popular halloween costume is being recalled because a piece of it could create a potential

choking hazard. fun world is recalling 1800 of its little pet vet and dr. little's costumes. the plastic ear pieces of the coy's stethoscope is the potential threat. the code of this number 10060 gf 101. consumers can contact them for a full refund. we have all that posted at abc7news.com under "see it on tv." >> a new study says the pressure of daily life is taking the simple out of romance, turning the seven year itch into the three year itch. it says love fizzles out more quickly now because of longer working hours and money worries. that leads to more fighting and less sex. one relationship expert says increasingly people are spending holidays and weekends alone and way from their spouses. they commissioned the study to coincide with this movie comi

>> these it for our newscast. thanks for joining us. >> check how high those temperatures are gonna get! >>njoy