from cbs news bay area, this is the afternoon edition. >> from crime to dirty trains to the rising cost, the overall public has a lot to say about b.a.r.t. and its issues. but, what if the bay area didn't have the transit system at all? >> it would be more expensive, it would be a shift on how i get around and make decisions. >> and even if you don't use b.a.r.t., we look at how its absence would affect you. >> traffic congestion on roads and highways would skyrocket and it would erode our overall quality of life here, it'll

make it much more difficult to get around. >> thanks so much for joining us this afternoon, i'm elizabeth cook. our series continues today with a look at how bart is really interconnected with the overall bay area experience. we dive into what life would be like without it. from traffic to the economy, and beyond. first, let's get you caught up on today's news headlines. the street closures have begun in parts of downtown san francisco ahead of the biggest international event in the city in decades, about 20,000 people including world leaders and vips are coming to town, starting this weekend for aipac. in a brief ceremony at city hall today, city leaders raised the flag, they said hosting the summit is a source of pride. >> we are asking for the public to be understanding and patient. it is time, but the ward for this is san francisco.

>> an apec diplomacy has already begun, janet yellen was in san francisco today to meet with china's top economic official. opening statements got underway today in the federal trial of david depape, he is accused of attacking nancy pelosi's husband in their san francisco home last october, the defense attorney says a litany of unfounded conspiracy theories drove him to try to hunt down nancy pelosi as part of a crusade against a corruption. david depape has pleaded not guilty. demonstrators are gathered outside of the san francisco federal building right now, the youth movement mobilized a sit in, demanding local leaders call for a cease-fire in the middle east, hamas says nearly 11,000 people have died in gaza since the start of this war. the white house says israel

has agreed to humanitarian pauses every day in northern gaza, lasting four hours each. that is meant to give civilians some time to escape the brunt of the war zone. joe biden said he pushed for longer pauses but israel refused. they say they won't start targeting hamas until it releases the hostages it took in last month's terror attack. daytime highs today with increasing clouds, don't let the clouds fool you, they are not bringing rain to the bay except for maybe a drop on friday afternoon in the north bay. we don't even have a chance of rain in the seven-day forecast, so we are going to say goodbye to the virtual map and i want to bring in the seven-day forecast because there are interesting things showing up once we get back towards the end of it. take a look at wednesday. we have quite a misty looking tube and an impressive chance for widespread rain for the second half of next week, we are going

to have more on that as we get closer. it is too early to get specific on the details, we are just raising the awareness level. this weekend looks great, daytime highs that climb into the low 70s for many of the inland valleys and when we look at the forecast for the bay, the story is the same. pretty nice weekend, but the story is the same back here, because this would be widespread rain, not just for the northerly inland valleys. all week we are digging into the issues putting bart on the brink and the transit agency itself says it wants to hear from you on how it can make your experience on board trains and in the stations better. today, bart's general manager and police chief kicked off what they called a safe and clean plan, to hear about your experiences on bart. at the fruitvale station in oakland, they talked to riders about

cleanliness and safety. >> all the decisions we have made over the last 15, 18 months are starting to intercept right now and the new fare gates are online, and i just think that the experience is vastly improved, and i want to make sure that is what folks are seeing out there. >> the first of the fare gates will be installed in west oakland by years end. they plan to have them replaced systemwide by 2025. the listening tour continues next week at the embarcadero and pleasant hill stations, the tour will visit various stations through december 13th. you might complain about b.a.r.t., but have you ever imagined a bay area without it? >> reporter: the first leg of his commute from san francisco to oakland is done on two wheels. the second leg takes her underground. she has relied

on bart to get her to them from work and all around the bay area for more than 10 years. >> i love the ad that shows how one train moves 1500 people. >> reporter: but in recent years, ridership hasn't came back from the pandemic lows and the transit agency that she depends on teetered on the verge of a fiscal cliff. bart managed to stay on the tracks however without drastic service cuts thanks in part to a temporary boost from the state. hitting a share of $5.1 billion over the next few years that is allocated for transit in california's 2023-2024 state budget. but, if that didn't happen, nothing changed and it became a thing of the past, what would that alternate reality look like? >> i would say my life would be smaller, more expensive, and it

would be a mind shift on how i move around and make decisions. >> reporter: emily, the vp of public policy at the bay area council put it bluntly. >> it's impossible to imagine a bay area without the bart system. >> reporter: she said the effects would ripple throughout the season, hurting economies and livelihoods. >> bart is the backbone of our regional economy. >> reporter: and one effect we would all experience. >> traffic congestion on roads and highways would skyrocket and it would erode our overall quality of life here, it would make it much more difficult to get around. >> reporter: we got a preview of this about 10 years ago during the strike. >> a round-trip car commute during the strike from walnut creek to san francisco was over

three hours. just imagine the intensity of the traffic and how difficult it would be to move around. >> reporter: aside from the inconvenience, all of the extra traffic, says professor carrie watkins from uc davis, would have a drastic impact on the environment. >> the congestion on the freeway would have emissions that went along with that congestion. everybody is going forward and each car is emitting more. >> reporter: watkins, whose expertise is in transit planning and operations, says a bay area without bart would reverse significant progress meeting climate goals. >> the more we can get people out of vehicles and on more sustainable modes of transit, cycling, even walking to work, those types of things, the more we are going to make gains in these climate goals. >> reporter: and thinking bigger picture -- >> you are creating a livable city, and a less livable city if you don't have a city with the backbone of a really good transit system. >> reporter: for now, that isn't the reality, bart will keep moving. but, the status quo must change. >> we need to be focused on making bart the best system it can be to draw more riders back

and increase fare revenue and also restore voter confident. >> reporter: after her ride to the day, she's back on two wheels for the final leg of her commute. her solution to the ridership and revenue reality -- >> subsidize it as much as you can. this should be treated like a public service. like water, electricity, it should have as many subsidies as they need because it will be better if people who use it. four she hopes a bay area without bart never becomes a reality. >> with the cost of housing pushing more people to the farther reaches of the bay area, a lot of super commuters rely on bart. we met virgil who has been getting up early to commute to work on the yellow line in the east bay for 32 years. he said, when he compares it to traffic, tolls and the challenge of parking,

bart is still the best bet for him. he saw the agency get past the 2013 strike and says it is because bart is essential to so many people. >> people needed. bart for me, there's no competition. >> he acknowledges the issues like delays and safety concerns, he says he would try another service or option if there was one for him. and bart relies heavily on fares for its funding, but the latest numbers show bart ridership at less than half of pre-pandemic levels, just 45%. and bart is just over a year away from running right off a fiscal cliff. the money has to come from somewhere, so will it be from you or from bart itself? >> this board has refused to ask for concessions out of the

labor contracts. >> it would be by cutting raises, laying people off. >> tonight, we'll take a look at the different ideas for keeping bart from running off the rails. still ahead, a different look at what it's like to ride bart, a 360

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we've been hearing a lot of feedback from our viewers since we started the bart on the brink series, concerns about safety and cleanliness have some people ditching the system altogether. but not everyone has given up on bart. today we are giving you a unique perspective of what it's like to ride bart every day. we tagged along with a longtime commuter for a 360 degree ride. we will show you in a minute how to watch it, but first, here is the story in 2-d.

>> ever since he was a little boy, jason morris has been obsessed with trains. which is why jason, an environmentalist working for san francisco bay nonprofit use to ride the rails along with his 10-year-old daughter as often as he could. >> we would go to oakland a's games and take it to the coliseum, we would go into the city for the holidays for example, and go see the nutcracker or lion king or something like that. >> being able to take the train everywhere was the main reason he eventually moved from the hustle and bustle of san francisco to the quieter and more affordable berkeley. >> we lived in 550 square feet, with no access to the outdoors, so when it came time to start thinking about having kids and buying a home, we knew we had

to get out of the city. >> but even though he is a self-described bart enthusiast, the only time you'll see him on the train these days is on his way to and from work. >> it's more challenging now and so we drive, which i would prefer not to do. from my standpoint, we need to do everything we can to get cars off the road and fossil fuels out of the system. >> since covid, transportation agencies everywhere have been struggling to give -- bring back customers but few have been hit as hard as bart, the once shining jewel of the bay area transit system seems to have lost its luster with the ridership at 45% of pre-pandemic levels. one of the main reasons is the rise of remote work. jason used to take bart at least five times per week. now, it is down to three.

>> i work from home on monday and friday and i go into san francisco tuesday, wednesday, thursday. >> a decrease in ridership hasn't only added more cars per train to allow for social distancing. but, that had the unintended consequence of people feeling more vulnerable. recently, bart returned to shorter trains, in an effort to reverse that perception. >> it feels like there are more sets of eyes paying attention to what is going on. and it gives me peace of mind on my commute. >> but that might not be enough. according said they personally witnessed of

>> he now hopes this is not the end of the line.

>> to watch this story in 360, you can go to kpix .com, you will find a youtube link in the story and you can watch it on your phone or with a virtual reality headset. it's pretty cool. bart emits that things aren't perfect, but when it comes to safety, the new police chief told us he is actively working to address those concerns. something needs to change. >> we have been hearing from people all over the bay area since we started this series, many acknowledging the issues that bart is facing while also pointing out the benefits of bart in the bay area. they are facing similar issues across the country, made worse by covid, but they seem to agree that what needs to change is

the feeling of safety and cleanliness systemwide, like douglas hart who said the agency needs to reduce the number of cars per trip, with fewer cars, one feels safe to ride. thereby improving response times two incidents, more cups per square foot equals increased safety enforcement, key factor. bart police are actively trying to fill two dozen vacancies within the department by offering a $15,000 hiring bonus. in an attempt to get more officers in stations and on trains. we spoke this morning with the new police chief, kevin franklin who says they are working on making those openings competitive with other law enforcement agencies in the bay area. >> we are working very hard right now to increase the presence in the system because we know presents equal safety. it's not always about sending an officer to make an arrest, often it is about sending crisis intervention specialist or an ambassador. >> and before people get on the train, they are seeing people making the rules by jumping the gates. daly city wrote to us, start citing fare evaders, they are sick and tired of those who

don't pay and freeload on others. as you heard that gm mentioned earlier, new fare gates are going up the west oakland station later , they will be taller and stronger than the ones that were in place for several decades. chief franklin said he plans to offer one officer a hiring each week for the next three weeks. >> people want to feel safer. and it is a tough job. thank you so much. we invite you to share your thoughts with us, using the hashtag, kpix tv on our social media changes or email news desk at kpix .com. still ahead, the apec conference could bring

we are two days away from the start of the apec conference in downtown san francisco, bringing global leaders including president joe biden to the bay area. organizers are expecting the roads to be packed. but bart says it is here for you, security for apec will be like nothing we have ever seen before. you may have noticed the street closures but it is going to ramp up on monday. and

you should be prepared for checkpoints and other security measures in the area, that is around soma. the fairmont hotel in hill, the legion of honor at lands end and the embarcadero between peer 19 and 23, so pretty much spanning the entire city. bart says despite street-level disruptions, they will run regular service. no station closures, no exit or entrance closures and montgomery, powell and civic center will be open for service. bart also says they will lengthen trans bay trains to eight cars in anticipation of more ridership because a blank closures on the bay bridge and you can find more information to help you navigate al

goli, taste your goals.

thanks for joining us for our weeklong series, bart on the brink , more special coverage throughout this evening on kpix and of course streaming on cbs news bay area, and you can find all of our stories on our website, kpix .com. will see ♪ ♪ >> norah: tonight, the breaking news. fentanyl-laced threat letters sent to election offices around the country. our new reporting about the states where the mail was received and the fbi's investigation of the extremely deadly substance.