>> reporter: i'm jade hernandez. a new portion will be put in the bay bridge. that starts today. we'll show you exactly what we're talking about -- coming up. commuters are still caught right in the middle of ac transit's labor dispute and big trouble could be down the road. a wildfire that has

destroyed dozens of homes in southern california is still burning out of control. "mornings on 2" starts now. well, good morning to you. welcome to "mornings on 2." i'm dave clark. >> i'm tori campbell. it's wednesday, july 28th. drivers heading across the bay bridge during today's noon hour are going to see an incredible site, a giant tower will begin to rise up in the middle of the bay. jade hernandez joins us live to suggest what's going on. good morning, jade. >> reporter: good morning. caltrans has already begun part of this process. we're live at treasure island. we can show you a portion of this leg, a tower is actually suspended in the air. you can see that right there. we're standing where there will be an official ceremony marking the completion of this step. as i mentioned an hour ago, we must warn viewers that this is

a very, very, very slow process. bart nay told us workers have to be very careful. today, caltrans is putting up the first four pieces of the 55- foot tower which will be the centerpiece of the new bay bridge. joining us this morning is bart nay. he's the spokesperson for caltrans. you have a almost show and tell to give us an idea of the scale behind us. >> reporter: yeah. this please talks about how the story meets the future of the brick. this was handcrafted in the 1920s and opened up the bridge. it's smaller. it weighs about 0 pounds. american bridge actually is the

company that built the original bridge, using wrenches like this. >> for folks at home, they are seeing a portion of that one leg of this tower. >> right. it's a significant thing historically because it's the first piece of that tower going in place. it's 165 feet tall so it only takes us to about where the level of traffic is. in the coming months we'll be going 500 feet in the air. bart nay joining thus morning. bart says this will take time. but drivers across the bridge will be seeing the top of the tower. jade hernandez, ktvu channel 2 news. >> thank you, jade. 7:03. we're also following an investigation into two separate early-morning fires 234 the east -- fires in the east bay. both happened within the same hour a couple of miles apart.

tara moriarty has new information. she's back with the update. >> good morning. investigators are now seeing that this house fire does look suspicious. we did see richmond police arrive moments ago. we're here on 46th street in richmond. if you look inside you can see the house is pretty much gutted of the fire started around -- gutted. the fire started around 4:00 this morning and another fire started on 1st and alfreda. crews were able to extinguish the flames quickly. neighbors say everyone inside the home did make it out safely. no word on what caused that fire. but less than three miles away, crews took half an hour to get this house fire under control. luckily, no one was home at the time. >> well, our investigator's on scene. weiss gonna go through the --

he's gonna go through the house and look for where the fire started and come up with the cause. >> reporter: investigators sifted through each room. we're told two rooms sustained heavy damage. one is the living room. the other is the bedroom. according to the chief, this could indicate that the fire began in two separate location. as soon as we know a cause, we'll let you know. once again, investigators say both of these fires are not connected in any way. we're live in richmond, tara moriarty, ktvu channel 2 news. >> thank you, tara. well, the wildfire that destroyed more than 30 homes in southern california is still out of control this morning. it's burning in tehachapi. that's near bakersfield. it's already burned more than 1200 acres. it's threatening 150 homes.

the people who live near old west ranch. luckily, no injuries have been reported yet. the fire started about:00 yesterday afternoon and -- about 3:00 yesterday afternoon and strong winds and thick vegetation are causing tough conditions for the firefighters. the cause is under investigation. thousands of lightning strikes have sparked fires in lassen and modakck counties. 150 people were sent and fire engines and helicopters and other equipment. cal fire says the cooler temperatures say no homes are threatened. >> this is threatening timbers,

but not communities. >> now, cal fire said the fires are about 80% contained. ac transit riders are still stuck in the middle of the labor dispute between bus drivers and management. the latest problem came in the evening rush hour. things could get much worse. earlier in the day, managers threatened to cut all weekend service unless the agency's largest union agrees to wage and concessions. let's get you where you need to go. sal's watching everything, including oakland, right? >> that's right, dave and tori. right now. >> traffic is moving along okay on northbound and southbound 8 0 -- 880. traffic is doing okay heading down to hayward.

the morning commute looks good down to the toll plaza. it's been light. no problems there. if -- if you're in san rafael, southbound 101 traffic does move well heading down to the middle of marin county. 7:07. here's steve. >> thank you, sir. we start another morning off with gray skies. the fog is up there, around 2800 feet. no problem getting well inland. there were some upper 80s in lake county compared to the mid- 90s and ukiah was 94. some of the thunderstorms right there, northeast california. most of the sierra looks to be winding down or on the lee side. fog is the big story for us. as you can probably imagine, temperatures staying below average. everything seems to be locked in. 56 san francisco, 5 at 9:00.

62 at noon. overcast, breezy. i know the current wind out at travis is 22 but it was 40 a couple of days ago. it's been cut in half. mount tam is really cool, at 50. gilroy was at 51. mid temperatures for many including vallejo, crockett, san ramon and orinda. 9 las vegas, 79 palm springs. in areas that usually aren't that cool in the morning this time of year but they are today. there is a little low spinning just to the south where it says low. as that swings in, that will keep us from warming up too much. after that, it looks like we'll start to see high pressure warm up. low clouds, fog, sunny, breezy, mild for others and a little bit warmer. temperatures now 70s and areas

in the 60s for a few, santa rosa being one. we'll go 74. brentwood, 83 morgan hill. getting there but it's still low. dave? 7:09. there will be an autopsy today for a 6-year-old boy who drowned in a crowded public school in the east but. it happened monday -- east bay. it happened monday afternoon. dozens of parents or children were either in or around that pool. three lifeguards were on duty. it was a lifeguard who spotted the child at the bottom of the pool. >> we have been interviewing lifeguards, parents nearby, kids. we're talking with everybody connected with the situation so we can find out what happened. >> at this point there's no sign of foul play. they believe the boy's death was the result of a tragic accident. the name of the child has not

yet been released. an 8-year-old autistic boy from castro valley is waking home this morning. he wandered away from his home on princeton place around 1:30 yesterday. she called 911 and asked for help. about three hours later, a neighbor found the boy in a steep ravine playing in a creek. the boy's parents say their son was not hurt. nice ending. >> yes. a plane crashed overseas. more than 150 people on board. there were no survivors.

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good morning, san jose. nothing unusual this week. we've had low clouds. it does burn off around 10:00. south bay and peninsula are seeming to warm up quicker. high today in san jose, around 77. here's tori. >> thank you, steve. 7:13. today in pakistan, a passenger jet crashed into the hills surrounding the capital city of islamabad, killing all 152 people on board. the u.s. embassy says two americans were among those killed. the cause of the crash is not immediately killed. but government officials say they do not suspect terrorism. the plane left from karachi and was trying to land in islamabad during cloudy and rainy weather. today is the 100th day of the oil spill in the gulf of

mexico. since a temporary cap was put on a few weeks ago, cleanup crews say the oil on the water surface seems to be clearing up much quicker than they thought. this week they've only been collecting oil for one day. but they are still concerned about the large amounts of oil that dissolve below the surface and its potential effect on sea life. on capitol hill, there is a growing anti-war movement among lawmakers in the latest vote to fund the war in afghanistan, dozens of democrats voted now. ktvu's alison burns is live in our washington, d.c. bureau with that story. >> reporter: good morning, alison. almost the entire bay area delegation voted against it. nancy pelosi did not vote. emergency funding for the war in afghanistan had been stalled for more than two months, but it was okay late last night, more than 100 democrats voted

against it, saying the fight in afghanistan has gone on too long. >> while evidence continues to mount that our military engagement in afghanistan has become a quagmire of corruption and ill-defined objectives, the bill under consideration will provide -- if you can believe this -- another $37 billion. >> reporter: but norm dick says the pentagon urgently needs the money for the troops. >> i think this a responsibility of this congress. we've had months to work on this thing. it's now time to get the job done. >> reporter: now democrats say they are going to feet fighting to correct $20 billion in aid. that was stripped from this bill. they want to use the money to prevent teacher layoffs across the country. alison burns, ktvu channel 2 news. >> okay, alison. thank you. 7:16. a redevelopment plan for san

francisco's hunters point neighborhood now has final approval. the board wrapped up months of very heated debate over several proposals. the plan is expected to add more than 10,000 housing units as well as retail and commercial space. the city controller says the project will mean as many as 25,000 jobs and raise billions of dollars for the city. funding for the preservation of the historic hangar 1 at moffett field passed a key hurdle in congress. the subcommittee aeverybody proked $10 million in funding. that's a full amount requested by the representative, anna, from california. it includes funding to replace the toxic side,ing. 7:17. we're now learning a debate

between whitman and brown. whitman's campaign has agreed to three debates. the first is set for late september in sacramento. >> we thought these were the three strongest proposals that came across the invitation process. >> we believe the people of california should hear from the two sides and see a real independent change between the candidates. ellen tauscher now with the state in the white house, has been diagnosed with early stage

esophagus cancer. she will be surgery in the fall and hopes to recover by next year. she served four years in congress before she was tapped to be secretary of state for arms control. well, intel has developed a new microchip that can move large amounts of data faster than before. it sends beams of light to test and receive information. the company expects to make one that could transmit the entire printed collection from the library of congress in under two minutes. oracle founder larry ellison received $1.84 before

from his his -- $1.84 million -- the latest on a bay area music teacher and charges -- coming up. and why wearing the wrong sunglasses when driving can be deadly.

christopher willheight took the photos of the woman on the escalator. and officials are hoping up their own investigation. there is a lot of talk

about texting and driving and distractions of ipods. but new we have a warning on sunglasses. one optometrist says they can block a person's peripheral vision, making them unable to notice movement on the side which could be deadly for drivers who miss cross traffic and pedestrians. >> if you are wearing these glasses and you start to find out it they are safe or not, wiggle your fingers over to the side with your hands out further. if you don't see them, it's time to, you know, get rid of those glasses. >> the california dmv actually has a law prohibiting wearing glasses with temples wider one one half-of an inch while driving. some people are unaware of the law. >> it makes sense. >> it does. >> let's see what sal is seeing

on the roads. >> we do have -- the traffic is, i would say, moderate around the bay. the traffic is moving along okay on the east shore freeway heading out to the macarthur maze and the bay bridge. the morning commute looks okay if you are driving on the bay bridge. the bay bridge has been a nice commute into san francisco with no major delays. westbound 580 before the castro valley exit, there is a vehicle on fire just before the exit there. i also want to mention something that's not on the maps. an accident with five cars blocking all of the lanes. been there for a while. that's 120 at i-5. i know a lot of people come into the bay area using that stretch there. it's a major delay. let's go to steve. thank you, sal. another morning with gray skies and there are a couple of signs

maybe things will warm up. that's fair field west, 18. napa a little more west, not southwest. we'll be a little warmer. a lot of fog and low clouds hugging the coast. thunderstorms north of reno and tahoe. that could repeat itself today. wide variety of severe weather up there. 76 in napa. 4 warmer than yesterday. 65 in suspect. walnut creek, 75. oakland -- walnut creek, 75.

>> ukiah cooled off yesterday, they were 84. there is a little low spinning right where it says "low" right there. low clouds, fog, sunny, breezy, slightly warmer inland. fairfield, antioch, brentwood. vacaville. that's about it. everyone el will stay below average with -- everyone else will stay below average. it looks pretty foggy by the coast. tori and dave? >> 7:26. we'll have more on our breaking news from richmond. there are two water main breaks just a few miles apart. a ktvu news crew is heading to the scene. two gunmen targeted a popular bay area amusement park. it's a whole new ballgame in the as' stadium fight. find out about the announcement expected today.

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it is 7:30. we're following breaking news from richmond. crews are now investigating, not one, but two water main breaks in that city. let's get right to sal for the latest. sal? >> the latest information is there are two. the first is in the 700 block of regatta boulevard. i did make a map somewhere of highway 580. that's near 3nd.

there is also -- 32nd. there's also another water main break near 7th and ohio. several people are reporting that the water is high enough to get in their home. we did speak to the police. they say east bay m.u.d. say an old regulator may have gone out. old pipes probably not suited to take the demand they got this morning. we do have a crew on the way. the 3700 block of regatta and 7th and ohio, these are good areas to stay away from, as there are likely to be areas closed. we have a few crew gathering information. we'll let you know more coming up. back to the desk. >> thank you, sal. in other news, san francisco police are searching for two men blamed for a vicious knife attack on the t- line. investigators say the victim was stabbed three times on 3rd

street and la sell avenue yesterday on the platform. the victim is expected to recover. around 7:30, monday night, near the park's entrance, suspects came up to the employees and they got away in the parking lot in a green car in an undisclosed amount of money. san jose city leaders are expected to announce they are backing off on plans for a november vote on building a ballpark for the as in that city. the apparent change of heart came after mayor chuck reed met with major league baseball officials in washington, d.c. yesterday. reed says the leave will help pay for a special election in the spring. so the league can have more time to consider moving the as south in what has been considered the territory of the giants. san francisco supervisors voted to put a measure on the

november ballot that would increase the city's property transfer tax on high-end properties. if approved by voters, properties selling for less than $5 million would remain the same. but the transfer tax on property selling for between $5 million and $0 million would increase to 2% and costs properties more than $10 million would be taxed at 2.5%. it's estimated the increased taxes could raise $35 million a year. other bay area cities will ask for help. antioch city council approved a sales tax --

7:33. it's official, oakland is now the first city to allow large- scale medical marijuana production. the city council gave final approval yesterday to issue licenses to four pot growing operations. they would be limited to industrial areas and would have to meet the guidelines for electrical use, greenhouse gas emissions and the pesticides. roch monday is considering a similar ordinance. belmont's city council approved a 45-day moratorium on massage parlors licensed therapists. most of those therapists received certificates that are

suspect from a school. they do point out that this is not prostitution but lack of an education. pg&e begin will work on a gasline reliability project this morning which could leave the smell of gas lingering in the air today. the work continues through the next three days. but the gas smell should only be present today and on saturday. new this morning, the environmental group has just released its annual report on the healthant seven-day forecast of water at popular beaches across the country, including here. stun certain beach -- stinson beach got four out of five

stars. the rankings are based on pollution level. what we don't want to hear from sal, an accident around the caldecott tunnel. >> that's right. eastbound 24 on the way to the tunnel, it's tied up. the chp doesn't even -- eastbound 4 near the culley cut -- caldecott tunnel. you will see -- now we're getting word that someone is trapped inside one of the vehicles. so oakland fire is on the way to the scene. eastbound 4 right after highway 13 just before the tunnel. let's move along to live pictures. southbound 101 some slow traffic in marin. there's an accident. southbound 101 near lincoln right near here and that's why traffic is slowing way down. if you are coming in from

novato this will give you a better commute. once you get on the bridge, it does move well into the city. >> let's go back to steve. here we go. another fog bank has moved locally inland and temperatures in the higher elevations are really cold. if it's summer -- it's summertime in the city, i guess. cool summer pattern but really cool for us the last couple of days and we'll carry that into next week. there will be some warming inland but not a lot. the weekend looks warmer but another away from the coast. i think the fog will get squashed. tough to get out of the 60s in this kind of a pattern. still a few thundershowers erupting up on the sierra.

the city, 56. a high of 65 today. i do believe every day this month, the city has reported low clouds and fog overcast every day so far. every day. low, overcast, sunny, breezy. 70s and a few upper 70s and very low 80s. 53 san rafael and napa. san jose state, 57. web camera showing overcast conditions over san jose proper. 79 palm springs. that's not too bad. 50s and 6s up and down the coast. look at the low spinning right there. that little guy has to come through. low clouds, fog, sunny, breezy. if you are well away from the coast, lake county, then you

will be in the 80s or low 90s. everyone el, 60s, 70s and 80s, at best. a little warmer in the interior over the weekend. tori? this morning, firefighters are battling an out-of-control wildfire south of tehachapi. it's destroyed dozens of homes. more are threatened. reporter bob decastro joins us with an update. good morning, bob. >> reporter: good morning, tori. we've been watching this fire it's progressing and moving quickly. the good news, we're not seeing much in the way perhaps the efforts of setting the backfires last night to stop the fuel is working. this is just a fast-moving and ferocious fire. some 30 to 40 structures have

burned. and this burning firefighters are doing inventory to find out how many structures are actually homes. we do know several homes have been burned. 150 structures are threatened. a lot of people have been evacuated. this started around 3:00 yesterday afternoon. two miles southeast of tehachapi. they are calling this the west fire because it started in the community of old west ranch. some 1200 acres have burned. what's burning here are vast tracks of ranch land. a lot of chaparral. a lot of old mine, tall pine and thick brush. as you said, the winds, a huge factor today. behind me you can probably see some of the wind mills here. this is a huge wind farm. there are probably some 5,000 wind turbines in this area. one of the largest in the world in terms of wind farms. so wind is something that they certainly deal with on a daily basis and not good news for firefighters. but again, zero% contained at this hour.

we did see some aircraft in the air. and governor schwarzenegger has declared a state of emergency for the area of kern county so they can bring a lot of assets to bear to fight this fire. >> bob, you mentioned the winds are strong and i notice you are wearing a jacket so i assume it's not really hot down there. and i'm wondering about the cause of the near. >> reporter: this is the desert. it usually gets real cool. i was telling my photographer after this live shot, i'm taking this off because it gets warm. difficult for firefighters because they have to wear all of the equipment and fire suits and very difficult to get up in this terrain here. still unclear what causeed this fire. they are saying a house fire

burned and hit some vegetation and moved quickly. >> thank you, bob. san francisco's city attorney joins us next. cigarette sales have plummeted in california. and that's a mix of good news and bad news for your state. what this droid does will change how you do movies.

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had taking a live look at the big board, another disappointing economic report. the commerce's department's durable goods report say durable goods expected to last

three years fell 1% last month. economists had expected a 1% gain. right now, the dow is currently down 9.5. nasdaq is down 8. s&p is down 3. cigarette sales in california have plunged to their lowest level in a decade as smokers were squeezed by new taxes and restrictions on where they could light up. the state board of equalization says an 8.1% sales drop was the largest decline since 2000. lat year, the federal government increased the per- pack-tax on cigarettes. a new south san francisco ordinance would ban smoking in many public areas, including sidewalks and downtown dining

areas. the city council discussed the proposed anti-smoking ordinance last night and could make a decision last month. the ordinance would ban smoke from indoor common areas, public events and outdoor public property such as benches. if passed, the law would if into effect in september. the board of supervisors was set to vote on a plan to ban smoking in new apartments and condominiums of the measure is aimed at doing away with second-hand tobacco smoke. but the supervisors decided to wait two weeks. well, today, san francisco city attorney dennis herrera is filing an appeal against last week's court ruling that the city supervisor could run for

reelection. dennis herrera is live in san francisco. first of all, good morning, mr. mr. herrera. >> good morning. >> why are you filing this. >> this has viescy rated a key component, the rule that's been in place since 1990 and governs term limits. it said until it what struck down, that any supervisor who served more than two years of a term would have that rounded up and it would count as a full term. as a result of the judge's ruling, what we have now is a two-tiered scheme that says if you are an elected supervisor, you get eight years. you get the entirety of that -- that first term uncounted per term limit so that you could

possibly serve up until 12 years in august if you are employed as an incumbent. that was not the intent of the voters had they voted on term limits in 1990. it was to inhibition the advantages of political beanscy -- encome bancy. >> so from a layman's standpoint it appears that when she stepped when when gavin newsom stepped away, she -- >> reporter: right. >> should this still count for her? >> well, this obviously involves her, who served three of the remaining years of then supervisor newsom's term. it served seven years in office. under the rounding up rule, both terms should count.

but this goes beyond supervisor. it really involves defending the world of voters. the world of voters made very clear that they wanted to put term limits on supervisors and that elected supervisors could serve eight years. they never intended to create a two-tiered system where an incumbent can serve 12 years and a popular elected supervisor could serve eight years. they've always acted to limit the advances and powers of encome bancy. >> this is really interesting. i fish we would talk to you more about who else would be benefiting from this. we'll talk to you later about that. thank you for taking the time to be with us. >> thank you, dave. >> bye now. 7:4. the federal judge is expected to rule this on arizona's controversial new immigration law. if the court does not

intervene, police will begin enforcing the new law tomorrow. thousands of protesters say they plan to show up in phoenix without identification and to show solidarity. sheriff joe era pie yo plans to send 200 deputies and volunteers out tomorrow looking for traffic violators. people wanted on criminal warrants and others as a way to round up illegal immigrants. california is one of 19 finalists for nearly $3.5 billion in federal race to the top education grants. between 10 and 15 grant winners will receive up to $7million

when awards are handed out in the next few months. a sad story. the raider nation mourning the death of jack tatum. he died after heart attack -- after a heart attack in his home yesterday after a long battle with diabetes. he made the pro bowl three times, played on the raider team that won the '76 super bowl, but that was pro football tragedy in '78 that's a big part of his legacy. that hard tackle on the new england player that left him paralyzed. but he was a star for the raiders. up next, find out how much california's biggest auto insurerrer is going to set rates.

things should be back to normal at the california state fair after a very unusual incident. this involves an auggie cow -- an auggie cow -- angry cow. it got out and stampeded.

they tried to tranquilize him. it didn't work. they ended up shooting and killing him. farmers insurance will be in compliance with the state law that requires insurance companies to calculate the age of the car, how many miles are driven to set its rate. 7:54. sal's gonna take us right back to that cash at the caldecott tunnel. >> that's right. eastbound 24 as you drive up to the tunnel, there is an accident right before it the several vehicles. one person was trapped. a lot of emergency vehicles. let's move along and take a look at toll plaza. not very slow at all. it's a pretty good commute. if you are driving in oakland, so far it's crowded but not too bad on the nimitz freeway.

here's steve. >> temperatures will struggle to get even close to average. maybe a couple degrees warmer but not much. by the coast, forget it, too much in the way of low clouds and fog. temperatures continue to be way below average for inland airs ya. not too bad near the coast. but still 3 to 7 degrees below average. thunderstorms continue it erupt up in the northeastern part of the state and also in parts of the sierra. 72 yesterday in napa. i will go 76 today. cautiously. 65 in the city, walnut creek, 75 after yesterday's 71. 6 in oakland. 53 santa rosa, 54 gilroy. they were down to 51. sonoma, 55. crockett is now 57. atherton, 5.

>> that low will keep us below average on temperatures. low clouds, fog, sunny, a little breezy. very cool in some of the higher elevations. temperatures are up around 2500, 3,000 feet, very cool. temperatures 60s, 70s and os. the that five -- and 80s. that five-day shows the coast stays cool. 7:57. we're following developing news from richmond. crews are now working to repair not one but two water main breaks. we've just talked to richmond police. also, richmond police are at the scene of a very suspicious early-morning fire.

i'm live in richmond where we have two water main breaks. it's been a busy night for

firefighters. they battled two fires in one hour. >> reporter: the bay bridge is one step closer to completion. the work is being celebrated today and drivers will even get a chance to see it. we'll have the story for you straight ahead. a wildfire has already destroyed dozens of homes in southern california and things could get a lot worse in the next several hours. the second hour of "mornings on 2" starts now. good morning. welcome back to "mornings on 2." i'm tori campbell. >> i'm dave clark. it's wednesday, july 28th. we are following developing news from richmond. there's not one but two water main breaks there. ktvu's tara moriarty just spoke it richmond police and has the latest. >> reporter: we're here on 7th and ohio street. this is where the first water

main break happened. if you look at me, they are wringing in east bay m.u.d. to repair the scene. this is the hole where the water was gushing up, almost a foot into the air there, threatening to flood a house on the right here. we spoke to richmond police just moments ago about the incident. >> the street was buckling from the pressure of the water. there was thousands of gallons flowing into the sewers on both sides of this street. the homeowner came out and was concerned that water would flow in his house. the break is less than three miles away from the other break. east bay m.u.d. is now on the scene of both breaks. they are going to be digging up this road right here. we're being motioned to move

out of the way. so come on over here. this is a very old infrastructure, actually. these pipes are like 60 to 70 years old. definitely in need of a lot of repair. let's get underneath the tape here. we're getting in a little bit of trouble. here we go. if you live in this area, of 7th and ohio or mere regatta boulevard. that's tushy usually a commercial district, the water expected to be off until the job is completed. also within the last hour, we found out that an overnight house fire in richmond does appear to be suspicious. this fire was reported at 4:00 a.m. at a house that's not occupied at the time.

firefighter responded to another fire at a home on 21st and alfreda. neighbors say everybody got out. no injuries. still no word on what caused it. officials say the two fires don't appear to be connected. in southern california, firefighters say they are worried afternoon winds will fan an outof control wildfire. the fire is burning in tehachapi, about 70 miles north of los angeles, near bakersfield. so far no injuries are reported. this fire started around 3:00 yesterday afternoon. the cause is under investigation. but there are reports it may have started after a house fire ignited vegetation in the area.

hundreds of bay area firefighters are helping battle wildfires in the northern sierra. thousands of lightning strikes have sparked fires in lassen and modack counties. cal fire says cooler temperatures have asked them to hold the fires and no homes are threat been -- threatened. >> the fires are about 80% contained. 8:04. if you will be driving across the bay bridge around noontime today, you will see an incredible site. a giant tower will rise up in the middle of the bay. jade hernandez joins us now. she has all of the details. >> good morning, first off.

we're standing near where there will be an official ceremony to mark the completion of this step. we can show you this morning that cal tran has already begun this process this morning. it's a lengthy, time-consuming roses which we're -- process which we're observing from treasure island the you are looking at one of the four legs of this tower being lifted upright in about 30 minutes. each piece weighs tons. the lifting must be done slowly. newschopper2 shot this. the same company that built the back in the 1930s is the same company work ong the bridge right now -- working on the bridge right now. they are putting up the first of the tower which will be the

centerpiece of the bay bridge. a couple of months ago, they passed underneath the bridge. four giant legs will be conducted by sheer beams. in the end, it will look a little bit like a four-legged stool. >> all of this means the new bay bridge is one step closer to completion. which is expected to open to traffic in late 2013. the cost, 6.2 billion. the self-anchored suspension bridge will be the largest of its kind when finished. today it's important first for history, it's momentous to erect this significant tower. it actually says that we will create a signature tower here. if you are driving across the bay bridge this afternoon,

you will probably only see the top of this tower. know that mayor newsom will be giving his own remarks about the event this afternoon. jade hernandez, ktvu channel 2 news. >> thank you, jade. ac transit riders, you're still stuck right in the middle of that labor dispute between bus drivers and management. latest problem came during the yesterday even's rush hour. about a dozen transbeiruts were cancelled at the last minute. things could get a lot worse. earlier in the day, managers at ac transit threaten to cut all of the weekend service unless ac transit's largest unit agree the to a change in wage and benefit changes. we wouldn't to check in with sal. there's slow traffic on 24th

and oakland. >> that's right. that's because the accident we had on eastbound 24, i have it on a map for you, eastbound 4, a stalled vehicle turned into a crash after highway 13. if you are driving to orinda, it should be very, very slow for you. the bay bridge's traffic bridge works well. are driver gonna see that tower today in order for it to become a rubberneck or backup. short answer is they will try. all they have to do is try and slow down and crane their necks and then there will be a backup. northboundle 0 -- northbound 280 getting up to highway 17, that traffic is moving along very well. >> sal, what is that?

>> that's what i'm saying. low clouds, fog, and not much warmer. just a little bit. maybe inland. but boy is it called. i think mount tam is about 48 degrees. some of the higher elevations. we had low 50s this morning. you know what this means, don't you? in december it will probably be sunny and warm. west-southwest at fairfield, 22. a couple of days ago, it was about 37 to 40 miles an hour. it's not that strong. west-northwest at napa. there was a little bit of a northwest wind at santa rosa and that would help burn off the fog sooner. it's still a very cool pattern for summer. below average temperatures. the weekend looks a little warmer. that's mainly away from the coast. and then we'll deal with thicker fog. still some thunderstorms up in

the east part of the state. it looks like they are decreasing a little bit. compared to the last couple of days. >> i did pencil in a few 80s. just pause it looks like the wind is a little less today. the fog should burn off slightly but not much. i did here of an 9 in lake county. slightly cooler there. they are one of the warmest locations. pretty good low there spinning in the atmosphere spedding right toward us. that's going to prevent the high from building in for a couple of days. but after that it should for a slight warmup for the interior. today, though, 60s, 70s for many. still some mid 7 -- still some

mid-70s. went 80. antioch, brentwood, morgan hill, 4, 80 degrees. still below average for this time of year. the coast should stay cool. there will be an autopsy for a 6-yearld boy who drowned in a public school -- public pool. dozens of parents and students were around the pool. there was a lifeguard on was t lifeguard that shotted the body. >> we're interviewing everybody

connected to the situation. the child's name has not yet been released. we're getting new information now about an overnight plane disaster in pakistan. we'll tell you what the u.s. embassy is saying about some of the passengers on board. but aren't we different in another way? we serve anything on our menu anytime of day. that's my boy.

today in pakistan, a

passenger jet crashed near jalalabad. 152 people on board were killed. two americans on board were killed. government officials say they don't suspect terrorism. the plane landed near karachi. it was trying to land in islamabad. it was cloudy and rainy there. today is the 100th day of the oil spill in the gulf of mexico. they say the oil slick on the purpose appears to be going away rather rapidly. the house passed a $59

million funding bill for the war in afghanistan. that is despite a rebellion of sorts. alison burns has more on this. good morning, allison. >> reporter: good morning to you, tori. we're definitely seeing here that the anti-war movement in congress is growing. even though the house finally okayed for emergency funding for the wars in afghanistan and iraq late last night, the bill had been stalled for months and more than 100 democrats voted against it including almost the entire bay area delegation. >> congress cannot continue to write a blank check for a war in afghanistan that's ultimately made our country less safe. our brave men and women in uniform have been put in an impossible situation in afghanistan where there's no

military solution. >> reality, time has run out. we have to do it now. >> reporter: the bill also includes, billions in aid to vietnam veterans and money relief efforts for haiti. $20billion in aid to states to prevent teacher layoffs was stripped from the final bill. the board of supervisors wrapped up a debate about the hunters project. this plan plans to add housing unit, retail and transit improvements to the neighborhood. the city controller says the project will bring 25,000 jobs and raise billions for the city. funding for the historic

hangar 1 at moffett field passed a key hurdle in congress. $0million was approved in funding. that's the full amount requested by representative anna eschew. this is to replace the hangar's toxic siding. hangar 1 was built during the depression. it's one of the world's largest prestanding structures, covering eight structures. we're finding out a debate schedule is coming together for the top two candidates in the california's governor race. meg whitman says she's willing to participate in three debates with jerry brown. back in june, brown challenged whitman to ten debates. at first whitman only agreed to one. but now her campaign has accepted invitations to three. the first is scheduled for late september in sacramento. >> we thought these were the

three strongest proposals. >> the bottom line is we believe the people of california should hear from the two sides and see a real interchange between the candidates. ellen tauscher who is a top official with the state department has been diagnosed with early stage cancer of the esophagus. according to a memo pub lushed by foreignpolicy.com, she said she has started cancer surgery and will return in the fall. she served four years here before president obama appointed her to be the

secretary of state of armed forces. intel says it uses beams of light to send and receive information. tests show it can move 100 hours of digital music or $45 million tweet between devices in one second. the company expects to make one that could translate the entire library of congress in less than two minutes. disney company is getting into the game seen. they are buying the number three social gains. this includes so rowty life -- sorority life. it was a scary story. many feared it might have a scary ending. we're about to tell you about a bay area autistic boy reported missing yesterday.

an 8-year-old autistic boy is waking up this morning at home after being lost for

several hours. the mother called 911 and asked neighbors to help her search for boy. about three hours later, a neighbor found the boy down a steep ravine playing in a creek. the boy's parents say their son was not hurt. a fremont music teacher is facing charges accused of taking pictures of a woman's dress. an indiana school says they will not make any more payments for the hp minis.

those school officials say the net books developed cracks in the screens and in the cases and that a design flaw allegedly made it hard to change the battery. snee want to check in with sal. >> traffic is moving along relatively well. westbound bay bridge looks good gets into san francisco, likewise for the san mateo bridge, the golden gate and the richmond. steve, i have 222 follower on twitter now. probably will never have that number again.

steve, i can't hear you. we'll pick it up in a minute. there's something in the air. we will tell you what that is all about. also two gunman caused -- two gunmen caused terrifying moments at a bay area amusement park.

there was two water main

breaks. one near ohio. the other on regatta. police say thousands of gallons of water gushed into the streets. at least one of the residents had concerns about flooding. the work crews are at the scene on both low -- on both location. if you live in the area, they say expect no water within the next four or five hours. pge will start work on a gasline reliability project this morning. that could leave that smell of gas in the air today. pg&e says the project is not a health threat. the work will continue through the next three days. the smell of gas should only be present today and on saturday. and this morning an environmental group released its annual report about the health and safety of water at popular beaches all over all over the country including here

in the bay area. the report was on the natural resources defense council. it gave stenson beach in marin county, four out of five stars. part of baker beach in san francisco received four cars. on another part we see just two stars. ocean beach near lincoln avenue received three stars but others got two stars. the rankings are based on contamination and pollution levels. it's a red letter day in the construction of the bay bridge. in just hours, caltrans will put up the first piece of the huge tower that will be the centerpiece of the massive bridge project. jade hernandez joins us now live with the story. good morning, jade. >> good morning. we're observing from treasure island this morning. this healthy process began a couple of hours ago. we have a treat for you this morning because the editor created a time lapse for viewers at home. you are looking at one of the

four legs of this tower being lifted upright in a time span of 30 minutes. bart nay said there's a reason they can't rush moving these. the four will be connected by sheer beams. the holes in the, in the end, it will look like a four-legged stool. news honor 2 showed us this this morning. the camp pendleton who built this back in the 1930s is currently the company working on it now. a couple of weeks ago the main pieces of this tower actually

passed beneath the bay bridge. the cost, 6.2 billion. >> it's also great for the morale of the team working on this project because we're really starting to see the physical manifestation of the bridge now. if you are driving across the bay bridge this afternoon, you will probably only see the top of the tower. gavin newsom will be giving his remarks about the event right here where we're standing. that's at 12:30 and we'll continue to follow the work worker are doing this morning. today san jose city officials are expecting to announce they are backing off on the plans for a new ballpark for the as in san jose.

chuck reed met yesterday with officials in washington, d.c. he says the league will help even pay for a special election in the spring time so the league can have more time moving the as south. san francisco supervisors voted to put a measure on the november ballot that would increase the city's property transfer tax on some high-end properties. if this is approved by voters, the transfer tax on properties selling for less than $5 million would stay the same, at 1.5% but the transfer tax on property selling between 5 million and 10 million that would go up to 2%. it's estimated the increased taxes could raise $35 million a year. several other bay area cities will be asking others to

approve sales hikes to help balance the budget. >> the concord city council agreed to promote a .50 sales cent. the santa rosa city council brought that city's sales tax to 9.5%. and the novato city council voted for a .5 sales tax increase raising novato's tax to 9.5% -- 9.5%. it's official. oakland is the first city to allow larged scale medical marijuana growing operations. they would be limited to industrial areas and would have to meet guidelines. the city of officials in

richmond are also considering a tim lar -- similar ordinance. late last night, the bellmont city council unanimously approved a 45-day moratorium on licensing new massage parlors and therapists. this follows a disturbing report that 37 of the city's 46 licensed therapists received certificates from schools considered suspect by a state watchdog group. two men stabbed a man three times on the platform at third and la salle avenue. the victim is expected to recover. police are searching for two gunmen who robbed two employees during park hours. this happened at 7:0 monday

night. the employees were carrying cash the suspects got away with a green car with an unknown amount of cash. one person was killed and five injured when the car they were all in cashed into a walnut tree just outside the vacaville. the driver was traveling at high speeds just about 8:40 last night, it happened in unincorporated solano county. the car was carrying six people. its what the driver who died in the crash. can 6. let's go back to sal. on 24, they cleared the accident. i want to show you some other

complaints -- commutes. traffic is a little bit slow coming up past the coliseum. at the bay bridge, it's not been slow. once you get on the bridge, it looks good into san francisco. this morning's drive on southbound 101 it look like there is a slowdown coming up around the corner heading towards cesar chavez. here's steven. >> thank you, sal. >> another cool day. you know the pattern will change eventually. but it seems to be this team since march, april. it gets cooler, warmer and then it cams back down again. it took me about an hour to paint this fog. no, no, no. i'm hiding. that's the fog. everyone is showing east west- southwest or -- either west- southwest or west. our observer kent said it did

not burn off. if you are heading up to santa rosa, the fair starts. we have thunderstorms up in the see sierra. the wind is a little bit less today than it was a couple of days ago. it will mainly be about two degrees. but napa downtown, 76. after yesterday's cool 72. 65 san francisco. walnut creek, 75. yesterday was only 71. the day before that it was 67. that's cold. oakland, 67. we'll go 68. san jose from 76 to 77 degrees. should be about 84, though, in san jose. santa rosa, i know there were a couple of low 50s this morning. if you thought this was cold, yeah, it was. gilroy, 5. sonoma is 56.

vallejo/crockett, 58. it's just too cold. go down to las vegas, 91 investigation! if you like that, that's the place to be. if you need to warm up, head up there. high pressure come through. that will be tomorrow and then we should see warmer weather through the interior. but not the coast. 60s, 70s but a couple of very low 80s. fairfield was 78 yesterday. i will go 80 today just because the wind has been cut in half. today marks the 100th day in the gulf of mexico oil spill. there are signs the water appears to be resolving sooner

than anyone expected. >> the newly-named head of bp says the worst may be over that's because a lot of progress was made the last two weeks since capping off the oil well. >> on the water, on shore. the cleanup shore, signs of progress now. the oil well is capped. no more crude is spewing out. >> there's no question we're gonna learn a lot with this accident the gulf coast. officials say a permanent solution to plug the leak is just a few weeks away.

>> on monday we're likely to begin the static kill, which is hooking up the manifolds. you can see the booming operation is still underway. what they are doing is clearing away the soil boom and replace it with fresh boom to make sure that the land is being protected. while scientists continue to search and collect oil -- [ inaudible about. >> at one point crews were collecting 25,000 million gallons of oil away. and yesterday skimmers collected just enough for one

barrel. our consumer editor will take a look at what this means for the magazine. we'll find out why the receipts you get after making a purchase could be bad for your health. [ kid 1 wanna know some of our favorite things?

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it's 845. let's bring you up to date on some of the top stories we're following for you right now. a short time ago, fire officials said they made some good progress fighting the biggest of almost 200 lightning sparked fires in lassen county. the 250-acre fire is burning the in the lassen national forest. it's about 90% surrounded. very different story in southern california the an out- of-control wildfire there threatens 150 homes. already at least 30 homes have been destroyed near tehachapi. more than 1200 acres have burned. 50 firefighters are fighting the fire. the winds could pose a serious danger later this afternoon. and there's new truck connected to the ac transit

labor dispute. managers have threatened to cut all weekend service unless ac transit's largest union agrees to a wage and benefits change. michaela can run for reelection but dennis herrera claims she's termed out because of a city rule that prevents supervisors from serving more than two consecutive terms. she only served three terms. earlier, herrera said he's approving the will of the voters, and using the rounding- up rule. >> the rounding-up rule said that any supervisor that served more than two years of a term would have that rounded up and it would count as a full term.

>> as for pear, she said the ruling was clear. nearly 1400 people who worked on the space shuttle fleet are receiving layoff notice this week. the nasa subcontractor united space alliance is cutting its work force by 15% as the shuttle program winds down. the shuttle partnership has operated the fleet for the last 15 years. as apple's ipad continues to rack up impressive sales figures others are soon to introduce their own versions. those are seeing a major revolution take place before their eyes. tom vacar joins us now on more with the explosive changes. >> i hold in my hands, most magazines you could ever

imagine, let alone read. zist nnio has long put magazines on the ipod. >> it's a lot lighter and easier to carry. >> reporter: unlike the kindle and nookky readers, it's a real game changer when it comes to magazines. you can easily open up your ipad and read the magazines you love, without having to pay for them again, without having to stuff your bag. >> the publisher sets the price. so in men cases, 0% to 20% -- 10% to 20% lower. >> andrea faretti says digital magazines offer readers way more on what they are looking

for. >> you can add interacttivity. you can add video, audio, video. >> the ipad app is free from apple's app store. the magazines include hobbies magazines and their prices are posted once get into zinnio itself. tori? >> thank you, team. environmental -- environmental activists say every trip to the store may expose us to a chemical known as bpa. the post office tested positive. a recent study shows that bpa can leach into the skin but at

very low levels. >> it could possibly trigger reproductive chances. a company in american canyon will start recycling wine bottles the way they do it in europe. wine bottle renew will wash 200,000 cases of bottles that are thrown away and then sell them back to winemakers. the used bottles will sell for 60% of what the new bottles cost. the company is expecting to recycle 200,000 cases of bottle in the first year of the operation but says that will ramp up to more than 500,000 cases by the year 205. a junior tennis championship will be held for

inner city youth. the berkeley junior tennis program and berkeley parks and recreation have pater inned to offer tennis to children in the community. this will take place next weekend, august 7th and 8th at the san pablo tennis courts in berkeley. this is organized by sherry king of operation pride. you can go to norcal.usa.com

a federal judge is expected to rule on arizona's controversy controversial new -- controversial new imligation law -- immigration law. sheriff joe known for his tough stance against illegal immigration says he's -- immigration says he's making room for arrests in a huge outdoor jail. he says he plans to send 200 deputies and volunteers out tomorrow looking for traffic violators, people wanted on criminal warrants and others as a way to round up illegal immigrants. 8:54. cigarette sales in california have plunged to their lowest level in a decade as smokers

were hit by new taxes and restrictions on where they could smoke. the sea drop was the biggest decline since 2000. the number of cigarette packs sold in the state was down 2.8 billion in 180. that drop in smoking means tax revenues are been lost. kay is one 1 finalists for a nearly $3.5 in federal race to the top grants. to qualify, educators must agree to classroom reforms. dozens of states have already passed changes to education policies, ranging from helping charter schools to how teachers are evaluated. between 10 and 15 states will receive up to $700 million when awards are handed up in the next few months. parents of low income children invited to sign up

today to receive free backpacks and school supplies. the registration is from 9:30 this morning to 3:00 in the afternoon. it's being held at the sacred heart community center on south 1st street. the backpacks will be given out august 13th. you can also make donations under the web link section under our website at ktvu.com. oracle founder larry ellison is on the list of some of the best-paid ceos of unlick companies. this includes, salaries bonuses, perks and gains on stock and stock options whether they were exercised or not. even though shareholders lost money. ray and ronnie, the ceo of

occidental a troll -- petroleum fame in third. there's word that "american idol's" producer might return to the show and if so, there's word he will bring in elton john, usher lake and may try to get paula abdul back. he currently produces "so you think you can dance." how is it looking in the south bay? >> a little bit of a late slow downin milpitas, 237, trying to get across there. this morning's commute is not bad on the bay. i think if you are trying to get in the city, now is the time before something happens. let's go to steve. another cool day with a the will of fog and low clouds out

there. maybe slightly warmer. what do -- slightly warmer. what do you mean by that? >> it's still going to be a below average day. a little bit warmer through the interior but still very foggy on the coast as we head through the weekend. i'm optimistic on that 8 and 90 -- 88 and 90. >> that will do it for us. thank you for joining us. >> bye now. it's not back-to-school, it's forward to what's next

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