coast swing. just one more day until part of the bay bridge closes down. the extra help commuters will get during the weekend. a little chilly around the bay area this morning. why today will be the nicest day of the week coming up. and they are doing some lane changes right now across the golden gate bridge. coming up, a look at sierra travel. and good morning, it is thursday, february 16. i'm frank mallicoat. >> i'm grace lee. it's 4:30. president obama is come to san francisco this afternoon. he is visiting some parts of the bay area as all part of a fundraiser here on the west coast. anne makovec reports from san francisco where lots of cash will be raised today. >> reporter: they call california the atm of the democratic party. that is what it's going to be this weakening. president obama will be here for 24 hours and will be here at sfo around 1 p.m.

yesterday he was in los angeles. he has been hanging out with celebrities and warning that his supporters that a long re- election bid awaits. this west coast trip is expected to raise more than $8 million. so when he gets here to the bay area, the president is going to go to the mark hopkins hotel in san francisco. about 20 people will pay more than $35,000 just to meet with him. that is also the price for about 70 supporters who will eat a private dinner with the president on nob hill. we have also heard rumors that al green might be there, you know, the president singing his "let's get together." so that's the tie-in there. we'll see if they will do a duet. after dinner there will be a fundraising reception on knob him. 2500 people are expected there on nob hill with tickets starting at $100. there's also going to be protests as we always see when the president is in town.

three are planned. one by the group world can't wait. another one against arctic drilling. a third protest that's in favor of medical marijuana. we'll, of course, be covering all the action for you here on cbs 5. >> thank you. the vice president of china will be in california today to meet with governor jerry brown. they will tour the port of los angeles and discuss economic and cultural ties. governor brown will also host a roundtable that includes other governors and chinese provincial leaders. the upper span of the bay bridge is off limits to drivers starting tomorrow night. thousands of drivers are now scrambling in the east bay to find a way around the shutdown to get back into san francisco over the weekend and on monday. gil diaz outside oakland citycenter bart station with a little help for commuters. good morning, gil. >> reporter: hi, frank. good morning. yeah, in order to accommodate all those people who have to get across the bay during the bridge closure, bart plans to

run some trains 24 hours a day. that's going to begin at 1:00 saturday morning through the weekend. but that's only happening in 14 stops of bart's 44 stations. and they are only going to be doing it hourly so from what i gather from that, they will be staffing once an hour starting at 1:00 in the morning so plan ahead. no overnight service between 1:00 and 4:00 a.m. on tuesday even though the bridge will still be closed at that time. so what needs to be done on the bridge? well, crews will finish paving a connection between the metering lights and the incline section. they will also install new barriers and railings as well as deconstruct part of the old bridge. >> what our demolition work will begin this weekend is the surgical removal of that structure. so we'll be torching the steel and taking it out of place. >> reporter: having this bridge closed for more than one day is a huge inconvenience especially

when the bridge has hundreds of thousands of cars crossing it each day. now, this is the last time the bridge will be closed during the construction phase. the next time it will be closed is 2013. but they will be closing at that time in order to finally open it. back to you, frank. >> gil, there were some concerns about the weather but even if it rains a little bit, they are going to be okay? it's still a big green light this weekend, right? >> reporter: yeah. according to caltrans's spokesman, it is all contingent on the weather. they say it's going to be good weather this weekend. the national weather service says it's going to be less than a .25" of rain. but there's going to be just a light drizzle sometime during the weekend so it's still good news for caltrans. >> all right. holiday weekend it is. gil diaz live in oakland, thank you. speak of the weather, let's check in with lawrence and see how much rain we're expecting. a little drizzle maybe? >> i wouldn't say drizzle but i would say some showers around the bay area for the weekend for a couple of days but not a

total rainout. today lots of sunshine, the nicest day of the week. the offshore winds going to be blowing outside, a few high clouds moving in overhead but other than that we're look good. still breezy especially in the north bay hills now. temperatures a little chilly in spots. 37 degrees. but 51 degrees in vallejo, 46 in livermore and 52 degrees in san francisco. still by the afternoon these temperatures will be much warmer than yesterday about 68 degrees in the napa valley, 67 and beautiful in santa rosa. 64 in san francisco. and sunny and bright in pacifica, 62. next couple of days we'll cool down tomorrow, a few more clouds, and then late friday into saturday morning a chance of a few leftover showers, much cooler over the weekend a chance of more rainfall as we head into the latter part of sunday. looks like now monday should remain dry. that's a look at weather. here's elizabeth with traffic. >> thanks, lawrence. and we're going to show you this live look at the bay bridge. the incline section. there is some roadwork this morning on the youer deck

towards the pay gates right there between the pay gates and the metering lights, the left lane is blocked off so watch out for that. otherwise, it's moving okay this morning into san francisco. you will notice caltrans has warning signs all over the bay area warning of the bay bridge weekend closure. so again, we'll be talking a lot more about that throughout the morning. in the meantime, here's a look at our "timesaver traffic" camera across the golden gate bridge and so far, so good across the span. no issues this morning on southbound or northbound 101. i just saw them do some lane changes just before we got on the air. so in the south bay things are quiet, as well. a few headlights there heading out of downtown san jose on 280. much more traffic coming up. back to you. >> all right. thank you. 4:36 now. today state regulators will be in two bay area schools forced to shut down. the institute of medical education is accused of operating without accreditation. it has campuses in both san jose and oakland. it's unclear what the closure means for students who have already spent up to $30,000 for

tuition. regulators will help answer questions for the students today. and san francisco police need a little help finding a man who tried to kidnap an 8- year-old girl. this is how the girl described it. it happened monday morning as she was walking to school. she told police she was at oakdale avenue at keith street near carver elementary school when the man grabbed her from behind. the girl managed to break free and run inside the school. a new tool will be used today in the search for victims of the speed freak kiltsers in san joaquin county. investigators will put a camera down a 50-foot hole where about 1,000 bone fragments have been found. now that they have reached the bottom of the well, the next step is to explore another nearby well but they're not sure when that work will begin. >> we'll take a look at this second well and evaluate what information we have and what do we need to do to proceed. >> some of the remains have already been sent to the state department of justice's crime lab in richmond.

it is expected to take scientists a number of weeks to do dna testing just to identify those victims. pg&e has agreed to continue talks with san bruno officials over restitution for that deadly pipeline explosion in 2010. the talks with expected tomorrow. the utility contacted san bruno officials yesterday after the san bruno mayor held a news conference to complain that talks with the utility were stalled. >> we want some additional funding. >> what for? >> could be library, could be things for kids, things for seniors. >> pg&e has established a $70 million trust fund to pay for direct damages for the explosion that killed eight people. negotiations for further restitution have been going on since last summer. a san francisco group plans to unveil a billboard today aimed at stopping domestic violence. the group recently released this image. the sign says, domestic violence is never a private matter. it was inspired by a comment

from san francisco sheriff ross mirkarimi when he was sworn in as sheriff. he said domestic violence case against him was a private matter. coming up, presidential hopefuls campaigning for votes today. >> the big endorsement expected for one candidate. >> plus, a sacramento couple trapped in sky high snow. no phones, no help, no one around. the major gamble that actually saved their lives. >> we have now -- we have collected for you the worst possible jeremy linnisms. >> even david letterman has lin fever. his top ten list on the bay area native of the new york knicks coming up.

with the los angeles cou welcome back, 4:41. a death certificate has been filed for whitney houston with the los angeles county department of health. it says that the possible singer will be buried in westfield, new jersey, at the cemetery where her father was laid to rest in 2003. the document lists the manner

of death as pending investigation with the immediate cause of death listed as deferred. investigators are waiting for toxicology test results which could still take a few weeks. there are no plans for a public memorial but her funeral will be live online. the saturday service in new jersey is invitation-only at the request of the family. fans though have been placing flowers just outside new hope baptist church, where houston sang when she was a child. 4:42 now. the house and senate could vote tomorrow to extend the payroll tax cut to the end of the year. negotiators sealing an agreement on capitol hill. it will save the average worker $20 a week. it stops cuts in medicare reimbursements to doctors. two republican front- runners will be campaigning for president today in michigan. mitt romney expected to get the governor's endorsements. he faces a tough battle in the

wolverine state because he criticized the auto industry bailout plan after president obama signed it in 2009. romney addressed the issue yesterday during a rally here in grand rapids. >> i care very deeply about the auto industry. i want to have good jobs for years not a few weeks. >> the latest polls in michigan show romney running a distant second to rick santorum, who now has a whole lot of momentum on his side. santorum has won in three of the last four states that most recently held contests. michigan and arizona voters head to the polls on february 28. do you think california millionaires should pay for taxes? supporters of a new plan hope so. they began collecting signatures in oakland yesterday to get an initiative on the november ballot. if voters approve it, californians who earn between one and two million dollars a year will pay an extra 3% in state income tax. people who make more than two

million would pay an extra 5% and most of that money would go to education. >> not one penny goes to sacramento. >> sacramento cannot reroute this money? >> sacramento can't raid, reroute or otherwise decide to use this money. >> critics say the higher taxes will chase away small businesses and cost us jobs. some bar and restaurant owners are considering suing the city of walnut creek over plans to tighten regulations there. they have sent a letter to city leaders who have been trying to address the growing number of alcohol-related fights downtown. the city recently forced one bar lift lounge to close by 11:30 p.m. each night. a nuisance ordinance is now in the early draft stages but details haven't been released yet. 4:44. california hospital patients are being warned some personal information went public. saint joseph health system has sent letters to nearly 32,000 people that the leaked information included names, birth dates, body mass index,

medications, allergies, lab results. most affected patients received in patient care between february and august of 2011. a spokesman says the information was accidentally made available on internet searches. coming up, stopping the violence in syria. >> the u.n.'s action today putting more pressure on the country's president. also ahead. >> that if he didn't make it that it meant she wasn't going to make it either. >> a miracle in the sierra. how a sacramento couple survived three freezing nights stuck in their car. and come on, you've said them before. "linsanity," "lincredible,"linning:: the worst jeremy lin puns coming up. you will love the temperatures by the afternoon. got to get through these numbers though. talk about that coming up.

getting ready for a six-hour let's go to some live picture now. we have two cosmonauts getting ready for a six-hour spacewalk. pretty cool stuff. they are going to continue their work on outfitting the international space station and just kind of floating around up there. >> wonder if they know they're live in san francisco now. a little shoutdown. u.n. general assembly is expected it approve a resolution today calling for an end to the fighting in syria. it's expected to condemn human rights violations allegedly exited by the president's very -- committed by the president's regime there. thousands of people have died. the u.n. resolution is aimed at sending a message to assad and is nonbinding. new video of a brazen attack on a mexican newspaper

is viral on youtube. 50,000 people watched video of gang members breaking in and destroying computers there. and then they set the offices on fire. no arrests, no leads, so supporters of the paper made the video go viral. that's adding more pressure on authorities to speed up the stalls investigation. >> the nigerian man known as underwear bomber will be sentenced today for trying to blow up a detroit bound passenger plane. he pleaded guilty four months ago. he faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison. he tried to detonate a bomb in his underwear in 2009 in the netherlands. the explosive failed but it caused smoke and flames. north korea marking the 70th birthday of the late leader kim jong-il. an array of dedicated programming on state television shows ceremonies and singing all in honor of kim who died in

december. he was succeeded by his son. 4:49. kick it over to mr. weatherman himself, mr. lawrence karnow. >> great day. weaver expecting some mostly clear conditions with the exceptions of some high clouds overhead today. plenty of sunshine, 70 inland and 60s at the coast. sunshine everywhere you go. high pressure in control just briefly though as this ridge is going to start to break down as early as tomorrow. should make for a great day. lots of sunshine, temperatures above average. 64 in sacramento. 60 in fresno. 51 yosemite. partly cloudy skies at lake tahoe. around the bay looking good. temperatures heating up to 66 in san jose, about 65 in morgan hill. 62 in half moon bay and 64 in

hayward. east bay temperatures up as high as 67 in walnut creek. 65 in brentwood. sunny 68 degrees in the castro valley. beautiful inside the bay too, plenty of sunshine all the way to the coastline. it will be breezy at times but not too bad. otherwise, we're look good today. tomorrow things change. the wind switches direction becoming more onshore. our temperatures start to cool down laid fright night. better chance of showers sunday afternoon, looks dry on president's day. >> out live we have our photographer standing by on 101 near the trimble road exit. headlights south. i think that's what they said. everything is moving fine either direction northbound and southbound 101. it is busy out of the altamont pass heading toward the dublin interchange. this is a live look through pleasanton and your drive time

should be 15 minutes from the dublin altamont pass to the dublin interchange. as you can see everything is just fine this morning. there is some roadwork scheduled until about 6:00 this morning according to caltrans. as you make your way towards the incline section. looks good through san mateo county towards san bruno and here's the drive time. no brake lights at all across the stretch. everything is on time for bart, ace, muni, caltrain and your ferries. traveling around san francisco all muni lines are on

time. >> i'm so excited about the traffic. >> what about tourists? >> it's tarred to believe people didn't hear yet, it's hard to believe. people are absent minded. late friday night, 3 a.m. -- >> they are going to have to block the exits off the highways that get you there so now what's going on. third closure since 2006. been there, done that. it's 4:53. a sacramento couple spent the night in the hospital after three nights in the snow in sierra nevada. mark and his girlfriend grace went on a wine tasting trip on sunday. it didn't go well. their families start searching in the area where they said they were going when they didn't get home that night. >> the last thing she told me that she was going on a drive and she would be back for dinner because i'm away at school in san jose and i just cam down and she normally always comes if i'm in town to see me and i didn't hear from

her so i knew something was wrong. >> terribly wrong. their small car got stuck in the snow. so after three days schroeder went for help. he walked six miles before he could get a cell phone signal. chp helicopter was soon on its way for the rescue getting him and they led him to his girlfriend. >> not in the sierra. >> no. that was another photo there. we have an unusual emergency response call for kentucky firefighters after a child got trapped in a vending machine. fire crews say the 2-year-old girl fell into the machine somehow at a laundromat tuesday night and couldn't get out. she was stuck in the machine filled with toys for more than 20 minutes. firefighters had to saw off the top of the machine to get her out safely. they say she is okay and is back with her family. she got to keep some of the toys from the vending machine. she's all right. a one-month-old puppy is in critical condition this morning after falling into a sewage drain pipe. this happened outside of his home in cleveland. it took rescue crews two days

to rescue the puppy named king. when they finally got him out the rottweiler-german shepherd mix was covered in mud. he could barely open his eye. >> little bath and good to go though. jeremy lin update. the bay area native set a personal record in the knicks's latest within and they beat a northern california team. teams hosting the sacramento kings last night. lin with a career-high 13 assists. also had 10 points so a double- double. the knicks on a seven-game winning streak with him at the helm. >> do you think there is pressure is this. >> he nailed that one against toronto the other night and waited and in it went. carmelo anthony is coming back to the team. we'll see how that works out. by now you have heard "linsanity," linning, lin-time. >> david letterman poked fun at it:

the one thing... that can be a >> see if that catches on. >> lintastic! >> funny. 4:56. pregnancy and exercise. it one thing that could be a woman's best friend. from garbage to gunk to toxic chemicals, how one bay area neighborhood is turning into an illegal dumping ground when we come back. the bay area's rolling out the red carpet for president obama. but his visit, of course, is not without controversy. we'll tell you about it coming up. and in case you hadn't heard, the westbound lanes of the bay bridge will be closed starting tomorrow night and through the weekend but coming up, we'll fill you in on details on how to get across

the bay using bart's 24-hour service.

your realtime captioner is linda marie macdonald. drivers gearing up for the westbound closure of the bay bridge. the extra service that bart is providing to avoid a long detour. president obama visiting the bay area today. his private fundraisers that come with a hefty price tag. a little cool and breezy to start off this morning. a lot of sunshine. the temperatures the nicest of the week. we'll talk about that up coming up. >> so far, so good on bay area bridges. coming up a check of mass transit. nearly 5:00. good morning, it is thursday, february 16, i'm frank mallicoat. >> cruising through the week. i'm grace lee. it is just a little bit before 5 a.m. you have probably heard