we're live in san bruno where demolition is underway for the first time since the explosion ravages this neighborhood. we'll fell you about the plan of action and what the county's doing about health concerns. there's a lot of talk about uninsured kids benefiting from the affordable health care act. but other people will benefit too. we'll tell you how starting today. we're getting details on the reason for a fatal motorcycle accident in the south bay and what witnesses did right after it happened next on ktvu channel 2 news.

[ audio problems ] good afternoon. topping our news thisnoontime it's been two week since the gas fire and explosion. clean up efforts kick into high gear. three homes will be demolished. claudine wong's been on the scene owl morning and gives us an update. >> reporter: yes. we can show you two of those locations here on earl. behind me crews just stopping in the last couple minutes to take a break. that's one of the sites. if we pan up on to the hill you can see one of the excavators working on the secondary site. they are taking a lot of precautions this morning.

we can tell you we've watched these crews wearing protective gear spraying down the sites with water to make sure that dust level stays down. and there are air monitors in and around this entire neighborhood to make sure that there's not any dangerous levels of partichat matter or gases. they're doing all of these in response to health concerns. but the county says it is determined to give this neighborhood back to san bruno. rick stopped for a moment on his morning run to look at the damage on claremont drive. he's run through this neighborhood every day since the explosion. >> i live a couple blocks from the actual blast site explosion off of earl. >> reporter: and you've been running every day. >> i've never stopped since friday. and when i was evacuated i ran at the hotel and then came back on sunday. and so started running again on monday. >> reporter: but today this devastating view began to change as determine accomplish work began in the ravaged neighborhood. the county says it should take about three weeks and estimated

$2 million to clean the debris field. officials say it's a process that will be done very carefully and monitored very closely. >> what i see basically is all the ash debris. there's obviously safety issues with just physical nature, nails and things. but it's really the ash and the ability for that to get into the storm drains, go into the bay and become airborne. that's really the potential for the public health concern. >> reporter: the county says 25 homeowners have agreed to let the county do this work. ten others are still considering it. and two red tagged homeowners are still trying to figure out if they can rebuild. peterson says he has one goal. >> my main goal is to have a neighborhood back. >> reporter: but for rick silverman this isn't just about demolition or even rebuilding. it's about the people who once called this neighborhood home. >> it would make me feel getter to see the people that lost their homes come back because i've talked to so many people that said they won't come back no matter what happens because the pipe's still there. >> reporter: today the county put up signs in front of every

home which had a six point checklist of what has to be done at every site before the site is cleared and considered safe. now there is a bit of a time frame. the county really wants to get this work done before the rainy season starts on october 15th. they said once the rains begin then you have additional concerns about drainage an some of this ash going into the creek and eventually out to the san francisco bay. that is certainly on everyone's mind. but if we come back out here live to this scene off of earl avenue here in san bruno. you can see these demolition crews working. they say they're going to take their time. if they pick up a fallen wall and see there's still some momentos or items that are still salvageable they're going to stop that work with the home income back in here and pick up what they can from what is left. crews here are very well aware that this is not just a debris field, this is not just stuff that needs to be cleared. this was once somebody's home. live in san bruno, claudine wong, ktvu channel 2 news. thank you, claudine.

late this morning california regulators announced they are setting up an independent panel to look into the factors leading up to the san bruno gas line explosion. the adopted resolution will also review management practices at pg&e to see what could have been done to prevent the disaster. the puc also voted to have pg&e pay for the entire cost of the investigation. you'll find continuing coverage of the san bruno disaster at ktvu.com. we've also posted the list of the pipelines it considers most at risk. in orinda crews have been repairing a gas line since late last night that caused a brief evacuation of residents. a road construction crew accidentally severed a two inch pipe about 11:30 last night near the intersection. it happened during a road improvement project about 11:30 p.m. at first authorities thought the pipe was a bigger six inch pipe. officials quickly evacuated 14 homes in the area.

that evacuation was called off an hour and a half later when it was discovered the pipe was much smaller, only two inches. the fire chief said the incident was very different from the one in san bruno. >> then like our san bruno incident where it was a 24-inch line under much greater pressures, this dissipates quickly. we just need to isolate a much smaller area in order to control the leak and make sure that the public's safe. that's our number one priority to make sure the public's safe. >> a portion of the road was closed until about 5:30 this morning which effected access to 17 businesses. part of northbound expressway in san jose is expected to reopen in the next few minutes as police wrap up their investigation of a fatal motorcycle accident. police say a 63-year-old motorcyclist was killed around 8:20 this morning. investigators say the motorcyclist was trying to pass or avoid rear ending a pickup truck making a right hand turn off the express lane. >> he went up the driveway of

the local business here and collided with the curb of the parking lot and went over the curb through a wooden fence and into the parking lot of the second business. >> other motorcyclists on the expressway rushed to help the man who died at the scene. police say there's no indication that the 47-year-old pickup truck driver was driving under the influence and have yet to determine if he was in any way responsible for the accident. oakland police are investigating a shooting in downtown oakland early this morning that sent two people to the hospital. a 19-year-old man and a 33-year- old woman was shot on 14th and webster streets at 1:53 this morning. an officer patrolling the area heard gunfire and was flagged down by people who led him to the victims. the man and woman are being treated for nonlife threatening injuries. investigators say a nightclub in the area does not appear to have been involved in the conflict. and it's unclear if the victims were being deliberately targeted by the shooter.

today republican leaders are telling voters how they will governor if they win back congress in november. they gathered around a table at a hardware store in suburban virginia to unveil their 21 page pledge to america. they say they will use this as a guide if they gain a majority of seats in the midterm elections. critics say it's a return to failed economic policies that led to the economic crisis and will do nothing to create jobs or eliminate the deficit. this is a partial list of the republican agenda. to repeal health care reforms, to extend tax cuts for the rich and slash government spending. to end the stimulus program which officially ends on october 8th. and also include a promise to promote traditional marriage and oppose abortion. significant changes to the health care system kick in today after the reform bill was narrowly approved in congress

last spring. ktvu has details on what these changes mean to some people here in the bay area. good afternoon. >> reporter: good afternoon. children and people with lifetime illnesses. this program sees dozens of diabetics each day. some are on other forms of insurance. those having private insurance will no longer have a lifetime cap on benefits. >> as of today she could stay on health insurance she would have been insured. >> reporter: they are ecstatic. beginning today health insurance companies must offer the children of their clients health insurance until they are 26. just yesterday those same children could be dropped at age 24. >> it's a big deal to me because not only do i have asthma but i have high blood pressure as well. so it's just a scary thought what is going to happen. >> reporter: under the new health care provisions passed by congress and signed into law by president obama earlier this

year, people up to age 26 can stay on their parents plan, prevention benefits covered without co-pays or deticket bls and insurance companies can no longer drop people from coverage when they become sick. this doctor's been treating patients in east oakland for 48 years. most of his patients have medical. he says most of the new provisions will cut cost and make people healthier in the long run. >> i've seen people lose their health insurance for various reasons. and i understand that the new program is going to make that more difficult. >> reporter: a news conference this morning in east oakland brought together health providers and organizations. they're strike that jiezing about the best way to let people know about the provisions. there's one big problem for many of the low income people they serve. 70% of the 30,000 uninsured children in alameda county still cannot afford private insurance even though private insurers must offer. another potentially darker cloud looms. >> we see private insurers are saying if we require to serve

kids having pre-existing conditions we're going to drop our coverage. >> reporter: two provisions increased funding for community centers and expand health insurance to the uninsured. when fully implemented by 2014 the affordable health care act will bring many more than $120 billion new to california communities. diabetics needing chronic illness care will no longer have caps. live in oakland, ktvu channel 2 news. president obama addressed the united nations general assembly this morning urging mideast nations to be more accountable for peace. leaders of nearly 200 nations are gathered in new york for talks on issues ranging from global economy to terrorism. but mr. obama also laid out plans for the war in afghanistan and relations with iran in light of that country's nuclear ambitions. >> as part of our effort on

nonproliferation, i offered the islamic republic of iran an extended hand last year. and underscored that it has both rights and responsibilities as a member of the international community. i also said in this hall that iran must be held accountable if it failed to meet those responsibilities. that is what we have done. >> iranian president is scheduled to address the assembly later today. almost 100 years later a big secret is being released today. about the reason the titanic sank. a bart station may soon have a new name but who will pay for making the major change? this is the first full day of fall but you can't really tell by looking at the forecast. we have details ahead. also. >> every group not only feels like they're doing something good but they learn about the

birds. our real national pastime? saving money. and like baseball people love their stats. i started bringing my lunch to work -- 50 bucks a week in my pocket. here's a good one: state farm insures 40 million drivers. more than geico and progressive combined. i saved because i'm accident-free. of course, with so many ways to save including discounts of up to 40%, having that many customers shouldn't be a surprise. so ask a neighbor about state farm, then call an agent at 1-800-state-farm or go online.

the california's governor's race is a dead heat according to a new ktvu field poll. six weeks away from election day the numbers show republican meg whitman and jerry brown

both at 41% with 18% undecided. the ktvu field poll has shown a close governor's race since march. the ads don't seem to sway voters one way or another. brown is slamming his opponent in the governor's race for what he calls double talk on the environment. during a tour of the nation's largest privately owned solar and roofing company in newark he criticized whitman for opposing the state's climate change law and announcing today she opposes proposition 23 on the november ballot that would postpone that law. >> get meg whitman to stand up and say one way or the other is she for or against. she's right now sitting on both sides of the fence. that is not leadership. >> proposition 23 would suspend the state's global warming law until unemployment reaches 5.5% for a full year. brown says that would threaten california's bustling green tech industry, threaten

hundreds of thousands of jobs and roll back our clean air and energy standards. brown and whitman are scheduled to hold their first televised debate next week. and ktvu channel 2 is the only bay area television station providing a live broadcast of next week's debate. it begins at 6:00 next tuesday evening. the bart board of directors plans to vote today on whether to rename the pleasant hill bart station. there's a push to call it the pleasant hill contra costa bart station in order to represent the 140-acre transit village adjacent. the name change would cost between $400 and $700,000 for updates to maps, schedules, signs, be sures and the agency's website. but it would be paid by the village and not with taxpayer dollars. this week ktvu and our parent company cox enterprises are bringing you the stories of five people who are making a difference in their communities. they've all been nominated as

cox conserves heros. today ktvu meteorologist bill martin introduces us to a man who did not give up on efforts to get two new miniparks for children next to another location that is already well- known. >> reporter: tucked between interstate 80 and the railroad, a tribute to passion for open space in berkeley. a founding member of the nonprofit group berkeley partners for parks mark successfully lobbied to build parks in the city as well as this children's playground dream land for kids next to aquatic park. his biggest contribution has been here along the lagoons that are home to herins and a stopping point for migratory birds traveling through the bay area. mark started a group called aquatic park to help limit the impact of humans on berkeley's biggest park. >> brings volunteer groups down here to do projects such as

controlling the growth of weeds or picking up trash. our primary project and most fun one is when we spread woodchips on the landscape we place them around native plants to control the growth of weeds, keep moisture in the soil, reduce erosion and feed the plant over time as the case. >> reporter: but mark doesn't just put volunteers to work, he leads tours and teaches people about the ecosystem that he is working to preserve. >> those branches sticking out er the water is where the egress typically rests. >> reporter: he says it's his way of connecting people to the park. >> every group not only feels like they're doing something good but they learn about the birds and feel great pride at the end of the day. >> reporter: mark says more needs to be done. >> the shoreline should have a series of viewing terraces so there are set places for visitors to observe the birds and you know learn about them. >> reporter: dreaming about the

future of berkeley's parks and working to make it happen. bill martin, ktvu channel 2 news. >> log onto ktvu.com to learn about all the cox conserves nominees. click on the ktvu tv 36 logo on the top right hand side. there you can see the videos of local nominees. you can also vote until october 10th for the hero you think should get a $5,000 contribution for the charity of their choice. check in now with meteorologist mark to look at the first full day of fall and feeling a little summer-like. >> that's right. today fairly nice with mostly sunny skies. get ready for a major warm up. actually what you would expect this time of year with the fog going away and temperatures heating up. and of course fire danger somewhat of a concer especially by sunday and into monday. right now we just have mostly clear skies. bit of haze and few high clouds drifting over head up towards the north bay and novato and petaluma. plenty of sunshine expected into the afternoon hours.

looking out towards san francisco bay and san francisco in the distance. already in the 60s in san francisco. in fact should be on track to reach forecast high right around 70 this afternoon. fair skies for today. few high clouds. temperatures warming for friday. in fact the warm up begins today. weekend will be the big headline temperatures in the warm to hot side. as far as temperatures this afternoon range from the 60s to the beaches around the bay 70s. inland spots warmest locations on track to reach the low 80s. here's a look at current numbers just updated. santa rosa 71. napa at 67. concord around 72. and san jose at 70. this has been the overall weather pattern the past few days. area of low pressure capping the temperatures that will go away as high pressure returns. we're going to see more of an offshore flow and temperatures heating up. this is the forecast over the next into the weekend by sunday into monday temperatures could be from the upper 70s or right around 80 for the coastline. temperatures inland approaching

100 degrees into monday that will be the hottest day. fire danger we could possibly have a red flag warning kick in in the extended forecast. for today mostly sunny skies at 3:00. the fog not too much of a factor. still mostly clear skies. redevelopment overnight tonight into friday morning. san francisco right around 70. san jose 79. and morgan hill at 82 degrees. temperatures by sunday the beaches approaching the 80- degree mark right around the bay at least in the upper 80s to right around 90. by monday talking triple digit territory this is only going out to monday where we can still have some hot temperatures into tuesday of next week. could be an extended deal with warm to hot temperatures. that's what's coming our way. >> okay. thank you, mark. according to a new book the sinking of the titanic was caused by a simple steering mistake. the granddaughter of the only senior officer to survive the

ship wreck. until now historians believed the titanic hit an iceberg because the crew didn't see it until it was too late. she says the man steering the ship misunderstood an order and turned the wheel the wrong way. she says her grandfather covered up the mistake because he worried it would bankrupt the owners and put colleagues out of a job. just ahead a big donation by a young billionaire. also looks like more job cuts are coming to a major bay area university. e ret ma oilwi totr wco l wcote

facebook founder is planning the largest philanthropic gesture in history by someone his age. he plans to donate $100 million to a chronically troubled school system in newark, new jersey. it comes just before the opening of a movie about him that may be less than flattering. this week forbes listed him as the 35th wealthiest american. his net worth estimated about $7 billion. uc berkeley plans to cut more jobs. the chancellor announced 200 administrative jobs will be eliminated early next year. it will save the university $20 million. this is in addition to 600 jobs already eliminated since last year. a new exclusive ktvu field poll out today with the election just six weeks away

shows who is taking the lead in the senate race between incumbent barbara boxer and carly fiorina. that story and more next in our ktvu channel 2 news at 5:00. thanks for watching. have a great day.