christen kafton is live with more information with us. >> reporter: well, the chp is investigating -- they are investigating what they are now saying is a hit and run. take a look along highway 101, you can see the volume of traffic here in the santa rosa area just south of the guerneville exit. authorities are asking anyone who was traveling along this section of road early this morning to call in if they noticed anything out of the ordinary. >> california highway patrol say a passing driver noticed enrique alvarez ramirez lying in traffic on highway 101 about 1:40 this morning. >> we responded, fire responded. they took some life-saving measures which were not successful. >> reporter: the sonoma county medical examiner was called to the scene and found what a ppeared to be a gunshot wound to ramirez's leg. the investigation closed down the busy highway for nearly

seven hours. the police briefly turned the turned the case over to the chp. >> the coroner informed us that that gunshot wound was actually a compound fracture. >> reporter: now the highway patrol are asking anyone t raveling along 101 early this morning to help them figure out why ramirez was on the road. >> right now, it's a hit-and- run situation. we still can't rule out foul play. was he in a car? was he thrown out of a car? why was he trying to cross? we just don't know why he was out there. >> reporter: now, tonight the highway patrol investigators say they are interviewing his family members to find out why he was on the road. the coroner is still awaiting toxicology results before releasing his final report. christien kafton, ktvu channel 2 news. animal control officers are still looking for a second pit bull involved in an attack on a woman in san jose on monday.

they captured this pit bull last night roaming the evergreen neighborhood. officers say the dog was injured in the neck. the dog will be quarantined for ten days while officers try to find the owner. our robert honda is talking to officials and he will have a complete report on the 10:00 news right here on ktvu. three beaches in san mateo county are still closed tonight because of what was found in the water following all of the heavy rain over the past several days. initially, four beaches were closed. rockaway, linda mar, aquatic and lakeshore. but one of them, rockawayway, has since been reopened. we have live team coverage. bill martin is tracking the weather. first we go to pacifica and maureen naylor for more on the beach closures. >> reporter: despite this beach being officially closed, as can see behind me, it's cold and blustery but people will come

out. an estimated 3200 raw sewage and was tested for high levels of bacteria. not everyone listens to off limit instructions. the bright sign warned people but most ignored the message saying this type problem happens every year. >> i don't >> i don't think anything of it. i know this water is kind of b ad. i'm used to it. i take the risk, i guess. >> every time there is a heavy storm when it rains a lot, all of the street water washes into the ocean. >> reporter: today, b rown- colored water gushed from the storm drain and down the beach. sanmateo county health o fficials say this is one of the locations where the sewage came from on sunday, prompting them to close this beach and three others. rockaway beach has since r eopened. >> the concern is drinking the watt ir, getting the water into your -- water, getting the water into your mouth. if you have a lot of cuts on y

ou, you can get bacteria with the cuts and become infected. >> reporter: this woman allowed her dog jasper into the dog before she noticed the sign. >> he paddle around there and had a great time and then i went up and noticed the sign and thought oh, my god, because he had a few licks. >> reporter: this dog owner says it doesn't take a sign to keep people from swimming here. >> nobody gets close to it. no-- i just -- no activity whatsoever. in the water. i see people kayaking but that's pretty much about it. >> reporter: health officials took water samples here today and will get the results back tomorrow. they say if the bacteria levels have dropped to a safe level, the beaches will be reopened. coming up at 6:00, we'll have the one holiday that health officials say can contribute to sewage officials like the one that happened here and how to avoid that. maureen naylor, ktvu channel 2

news. let's check in now with our current condition. let's go to chief meteorologist, bill martin. bill? >> yeah. every time it rains in the bay area, the bacteria levels go up along the coast, running out from the golden gate bridge. so the water quality airlines takes a hit. if the beaches are not closed, it's not a good idea to go s wimming after the big storm because of all of the runoff. so we go outside, the big rain has been south. we got a break. southern california right now, those flashing areas, those are flash flood warnings. that means that flash flooding is occurring in these areas out by l.a., east of l.a., santa barbara, there is a winter storm warning, you get to picture the heaviest rain in southern california. we lucked out because all of that subtropical moisture went that way. some areas in l.a. up to a foot of rain. we're talking 3, 4 inches, 5 tops. when i come back i have the complete forecast.

we're dry but not for how long. we have more rain in the forecast. southern california c ontinues to deal with severe flooding from the recent r elentless rain. take a look at this small airport in riverside county. flooding closed the runway affecting up to 200 flights. trucks are being used to tow the planes to higher grounds. check out this scene in h ighland. it will be a long time before drivers can cross this bridge. floods ripped it apart this afternoon. homes in the area are also b uried in mud. bulldozers have been brought in to help clear the muck but that task could take weeks if not months. and then this incredible coming to us from northern arizona. the floodwater, so powerful, as many as five homes have been washed away. officials say ears may be in jeopardy. there's also been evacuations in clark county in nevada. flash flood warnings have been

in parts -- in effect for las vegas, including the a irport. the stormy weather is c ausing delays for local airport travelers. we checked the board for sfo. there are a lot of late flights, both arriving and departing, with more than -- with some more than 40 minutes behind. in san jose at mineta, there are a few delays being reported there at san jose international. there are also a number of delays currently on the board at the airport in oakland as well. if you are traveling, you can check out on every single flight companying into and out of t hose -- flight coming into and out of the airport. go to our website and look for the "storm tab" link. president obama signed into law the historic repeal on the 17-year ban for gays to serve openly in the military. that means for the first time in this country's history, gays will be openly accepted by the

military and no longer have to fear being kicked out because of their sexual orientation. a political victory for president obama, a personal victory for this woman standing today by the president's side. this woman is a lesbian who fought and prevailed for d ischarge in the 1990s. >> i'm not sure this can make up completely for what people's experiences have been. >> reporter: her case was one of the first under don't ask, don't tell. there would be more than 14,000 others during the 17 years the policy was in effect. >> this is the right thing to do for our security. it's the right thing to do, period. >> reporter: today, president obama made the controversial policy history, something he promised to do during the 2008 election. >> that's why i say to all americans, gay or straight, who want nothing more to defend

this country in uniform, your country needs you, your country wants you and we would be honored to welcome you into the ranks of the finest military the world has ever known. [ cheers ] >> reporter: how far, the change won't be immediate. the appeal may take several months to implement. military officials must examine and rewrite a series of policies and then the president, defense secretary, and then the appeal must be certified to go forward. >> we will get this done, he said. and i do believe in him. >> reporter: and the president said today that he has spoken to every one of the military service chiefs and they've all promised to enact the appeal swiftly and efficiently. the president addressed the marriage issue and he says he

supports strong civil unions as those granted to married couples but he will continue to wrestle with that issue. president obama also praised the movement for the missile treaty with russia today. joe biden presided over the v ote. >> having voted in the affirmative, the resolution of ratification is agreed to. >> the strategic arms treaty reduces the number of long- range nuclear missiles based in the united states and russia and s ets up a monitoring and verification system. president obama says the new pact will make america safer. >> this is the most significant arms control agreement in decades. this sends a powerful signal soot -- signal to the world that republicans and democrats stand together on behalf of our security. >> the president said the new treaty will also strengthen u.s. relations with russia and

help the nations make progress on issues such as enforcing sanctions against iran. the president also praised congress for passing another measure to provide -- to provide billions of dollars in aid to first responders and their families. time is running out for san francisco's mayor to approval a new -- to approve a new hiring law in the city. criticism is coming from san mateo county where they are lobbying hard to get that law vetoed. david stevenson has more on the controversy. >> reporter: well, you might think everyone might approve of the idea to hire more local workers to do construction work in -- in their own county but this is pitting san francisco against its neighboring county. >> this is heavy. >> reporter: san francisco workers came to city hall to deliver hundreds of christmas cards with a special message to

the mayor. >> mayor, happy new year and merry christmas. >> reporter: this law would many date half of those hired for the construction projects live in san francisco. >> alternate gonna help tremendously. it will help them feed their families. >> women not getting their fair share of jobs and contracts, latinos, chinese, you know, nobody but outside white folks. >> i really view this as part of anti-san mateo county. >> reporter: san mateo county supervisors say the measure will hurt the entire bay area economy by chris criminal -- by discriminating against qualified workers. they point out the airport and a hetch hetchy water system u pgrade. >> everybody is out of work. our building and trades council is 25 to 30% employment. so in these tough times, we

should be working together. >> reporter: the sponsor of the ordinance says it aims to keep local dollars in the local economy while making allowances for workers outside the city. >> this would allow for local hiring and many date to be extended to outside of san francisco. >> reporter: now, this local hire policy cups just after the san francisco supervisors dropped a controversial plan to study peninsula drivers a toll to enter the city. mayor newsom must sign or veto the local hire plan by friday. his spokesman told me a little while ago that the mayor is still evaluating the measure. reporting live in san francisco, david stevenson, ktvu channel 2 news. governor schwarzenegger has named the office complex as the civic center after california's retiring justice. the complex just north of city hall will be now be officially known as the ronald m. george state could office complex. it's-- state office complex.

it's between mcallister. george announced last summer that he was retiring. his term will end january 2nd. >> reporter: i'm dash >> reporter: i'm live in the sierra, where the snow is. also, the epa is taking action following news earlier this week that the water in 31 cities, including one here in the bay area contains a toxic chemical.

this is 80 in truckee in the sierra. a winter weather advisory, though, is still in effect up in the high country. as much as 16 feet of snow has fall in some parts of the s ierra.

great news as skiers strap on their boots for some holiday time on the slopes. for more on the conditions right now, we want to check in with mike desall. he's live at boyle ski resort with more. >> reporter: good evening. we're still getting off-and-on light snow flurries. check it out. the ski lift on boyle is right on the other side of the snowbank. this is so high we can't even see it. from spinning doughnuts to shoveling rooftops to piling snowbanks to near truckee, all of this recent snow for business would normally mean -- >> white gold! >> reporter: but today, even as more snowshowers fell, there was something peculiar, short

chair line, empty lifts. at a time when business is normally businessing in ski s hops, some business owners are reporting that the additional spike for the holiday crowd has yet to materialize. >> crossing our fingers. we're in the hole right now. >> reporter: that's why so many people are trying to get the word out, hey, don't get scared by all of this snow. right now, might be the best chance because i-80 has no chain requirements. how was the drive? >> easy. >> reporter: they even put up betty the mannequin to get your attention. now that i got your your attention, the message is don't be intimidated. >> load up and drive out. you are missing out. >> reporter: and back here

live, this is proof of those people taking advantage of the night skiing. and taking advantage of these huge piles of snow. in fact, there is another element to this story. and that's the fact that there is so much snow up here, it's proving record-breaking and history-making. boyle says they have more snow on the ground before christmas than they have ever had in their entire 30 years of keeping records. clearly, plenty of snow for people want the to come up and play in the -- wanting to come up and play. traveling, it's much easier than it has been in the last several days. back to you. >> boy, that's really something up there. they have a ton of snow. >> over to our chief meteorologist. you heard what he said, r ecord- breaking snowfall up there. >> oh, yeah. we've been talking about, certainly before thanksgiving, that is what the most snow they had ever seen. it's a big deal. you can get up there.

now is a good time to go. but there's another storm coming saturday. so be careful. small craft advisory, look at the clearing out here. nothing going on. no rain, no snow warnings. let's check out the forecast as we go into 7:00 a.m. tomorrow morning, it will be cool when you wake up. look what we got, patchy fog returns. valley fog, lunchtime this is your thursday forecast. temperatures in the 50s, m ostly sunny and how about the afternoon? if you are heading out tomorrow, partly sunny in the afternoon. a two-day break. i said this from the onset, you get some breaks, we can take all of the water you throw in. northern california can handle a water -- handle a lot of water. we're getting a big, ole break. tonight's forecast, 10:00, partly cloudy, the fog starts to re-form overnight. as you get into the early- morning hours, patchy fog in the forecast. the forecast for clouds for

tomorrow morning -- or actually tonight you see the cloud cover. this is fog in cloud forecast. you see early in the morning tomorrow you will see a little bit of cloud cover, 7:00 a.m. there will be a few high clouds, a lot of valley fog. but overall, a nice day in the forecast. there's more weather in the forecast. there's more rain coming our w ay. we'll talk about that. a pretty good sized weather system coming in saturday and sunday. i will have all of details coming up in a few minutes. >> thank you, bill. the epa is answering a call to tighten the standards for public drinking water. we told you earlier this week about a new report about a cancer-causing compound called chromium 6 that was found in the tap wait of 36 cities. sanjose came in at number five on the list. the agency also says it's currently conducting a risk assessment of chromium 6 that could lead to new regulations. naval investigators said today that an incident in which

two pilots dipped their helicopters said was totally preventable. there was not enough power and the repairs total more than $ 500,000. the investigators blame the pilots' "complacency and lack of flight discipline" and recommend they undergo further training. the party is over. and an oakland recreation center is taking matters into its own hands. what it is doing to get cameras installed and why.

the parents of a peninsula teenager fought back tears today as they helped unveil new legislation to crackdown on -- to crack down on operators of s o-called party buses. it's to hope that they will save other families from grief they have endured. jade hernandez has our report. >> reporter: the studebaker comforted one another as they stood in front of a plaque h onoring their 19-year-old son brett who won't be celebrating any more holidays with them. >> what we hope is to brick some awareness about the prevalence of this problem. >> reporter: a problem regarding party transportation their son used back in february to celebrate a friend's

birthday. brett and his friends were on a booze cruise, as it is sometimes called, drinking as the bus driver drove around for hours. >> he was dropped off at 2:00 in the morning, basically to fend for himself. he got in his car to take a friend home and minutes later, was dead. >> reporter: today, assemblyman jerry hill officially announced legislation making it mandatory party bus operators aby by t he -- abide by the same law limo drivers do. >> they find out who is on b oard, their get age. if they are minors they have to sign an agreement that if they drink any alcohol, the trip will be terminated. >> reporter: hill has been working with the studebakers and has been talking about a similar ban in southern california. >> it's a bus to nowhere. they drive ard for three hours drinking the entire time with no destination and they will bring them right back to the parking lot where they picked them up and the kids get in their cars and drive home. >> we mope to save others from

driving -- from going through this trauma -- we hope to save others from going true this trauma. >> reporter: the first offense, the second offense, the third offense is a misdemeanor, and loss of license. celebrates are underway in connecticut where the uconn women's connecticut team made basketball history breaking a record that most thought would not be broken. [ cheers ] >> the huskies won their 89th straight game last night, b reaking the record set by the u cla men's basketball team back in the early 1970s. more than 16,000 fans cheered the team on to a win over florida state. the crowd also included two political -- >> like any other fan, i'm l ike -- would! >> i brought my sons with me

because i wanted to see his -- i wanted them to see history being made. >> reporter: folks at the busy rec center say they need security but what they have to do to get the security cameras. ♪ >> and that's the sound of success. the new video game that's made an unheard of amount of money since it first went on sale just six weeks ago. 0!ockñ?çóxo?ñ=çñññçvxqx?ñññ?óioy

cameras tend to do -- when people see cameras, they send t o -- tend to do less damage. >> this call for cameras in oakland's chinatown comes after two elderly women were attacked. the problem is coming up with the money to pay for the c ameras. rob roth is live with the details. rob? >> reporter: heather since 2,000 people a day come here to the lincoln square recreation center in oakland's chinatown, but the areas has also been attracting trouble lately, mostly street crime. you can see how dark it gets. so rec center officials would like to put up security cameras facing the street and around the facility hoping they will help deter crime. ♪ i love the nightlife

♪ >> these seniors were taking jazzercise classes inside the rec center this morning. >> i don't like walking at n ight. i'm scared. >> reporter: people here say they've been enduring purse snatching, a staff member had almost had a necklace ripped from her neck. >> a lot of kids come here and they have the ipods and they hang out here and every now and then you get a few people that are trying to get something for nothing, take their backpack. >> we're trying to get more cameras on the other side. >> reporter: rec center o fficials want at least a dozen security cameras in the hopes they will deter criminals. >> if they see camera, they tend to do less damage or try not to do anything stupid. >> but the city of oakland won't spend the $20,000. so community organizations, including the varien advisory committee on crime is trying to raise the money privately. >> i think we'll get it because

we have a very good response from everybody. >> reporter: some stores are installing their own. the owner of the delicious food company on 8th street put cameras up a year ago. >> yes. it helps a lot. yeah, even -- the people d on't -- >> reporter: folks at the lincoln rec center say they are hoping to raise the money soon. they would like to see them installed in time for the chinese new year celebrations. rob roth, ktvu channel 2 news. oakland police are hoping a $10,000 reward will help them solve a gruesome killing. a bird-watcher found a woman's body along the oakland estuary near doolittle drive and harbor parkway. the woman has still yet to be identified. the victim's only partially clothed the she had been shot several times and police say her throat had been slit. >> we all know video games are popular but what is happening with one new game is nothing

short of amazing. the sales figures, those figures are absolutely mind boggling. it's not just kids, it's p arents, in some cases grand parents. tom vacar has more. >> reporter: frank, it's killed or be killed and these are the weapons of choice. it's a video game. it's racked up a billion dollars in sales in just six weeks. that's something this year's top grossing feature film "toy story 3" took six months to do. >> i guess it's like watching an arnold schwarzenegger old terminator film. it's fantasy. >> reporter: for this individual it's all about the bragging rights. >> someone, you haven't beat -- that's part of the fun, beating

it before someone else can. >> i think consumers are really enamored with the idea that there is a strong multi-player component which you can play i ndefinitely online. >> just the other night i was playing with somebody in australia and i'm out here in california. so it brings a lot of fun. >> reporter: shawn walker, gaming specialist for best buy, says this is far more than just kids' play. >> one customer said he was like 50 years old and came in and got the black-ops. everybody comes in, kids, p arents, grandparents. >> what's wrong with you? >> reporter: fantasy or not, some worry. >> i don't recommend because it's too much violence. i know some of the kids that are failing in school because

of the game. >> though many youngsters play it, it's really meant for mature audiences, age 17 and up, clearly labeled right on the package. reporting live, consumer editor, tom vacar, ktvu channel 2 news. a new consumer report survey shows that one in five americans has not even begun their holiday shopping. one in ten shoppers plan to hit the mall on christmas eve a ccording to this new report. why so tardy, the key reason was money concerns. others say they put it off because they just hate shopping. investigators did some -- investors did some shopping today pushing the stock indexes to two-year highs. that came on a report that said the u.s. economy grew at a faster rate last summer than previously thought. the commerce department revised the gross domestic product rate up to 2.6% from the early report of 2.5%. the dow jones added 26 points to close at 11,559.

the nasdaq finished the day almost four points higher to close at 2,671. stay with us. we'll be right back. lightning fast. lightning strong.

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plans to redevelop an industrial neighborhood are on hold. hp announced in july that it's moving out of this campus in cupertino. it was reported last month that apple bought the campus. the city council postponed discussions and they are waiting for apple to reveal their plans before moving forward with plans of their own. sales of existing homes were up 5 pie 6% in november, last month, to a rate of 6.8 million homes. sales were still about 28% below last year's levels. also below sales in june when a home buyer tax credit was still available. the median price, though, edged up about .5 across the country. at the same time, the demand for mortgages, it's reported, has hit a year-long low. applications to home loans declined as as seasonally

adjusted 18.6% compared to the week before. that's the lowest level since january. analysts say it's likely because of rates that have been rising for the past six weeks. that caused the big drop in the number of people applying to refinance their mortgages. a comprehensive overhaul of the nation's food safety law is headed to president obama's desk for the signature. under the newly passed law, the fda will have a new focus, s hifting from reacting to food poisoning outbreaks to p reventing them. the law requires the fda to do more informations in the u.s. and other countries it also g ives the fda the power to recall food. right now, investigators can only work past the recall even if there's evidence that people have got sick. there's rules require veterinarian inspectors to make sure that sick or injured cows

are euthanized. this-- this is to keep contaminated meat out of the food supply. researchers have uncovered genetic links that may help some people predisposed to breast and kidney cancer. scientists at the cleveland clinic found a mutation in the gene that gives people the sen ten -- tendency to have two diseases. they found that those people are more likely to get breast and kidney dancer. analysts say now that they know about this, they can prescreen people better. expectant mothers who take folic acid and iron sup millionments have smarter kids -- supplements have smarter k

ids, it's reported from a survey. they say iron is essential for the development of the central nervous system. >> reporter: i'm paul chambers. what would you do and saw this parked next to you? a horse. it's a regular occurrence that happens here in santa rosa. i will explain why -- coming up. it's cooling off. we're drying out. you know what happens this time of year, the fog forms. we have valley fog to talk a bout. we'll have that forecast and there's more rain heading toward the holiday weekend. see you back here.

this is the time of year when people -- when many will celebrate with a drink and get behind the wheel. not one man. he's vow -- he's vowed to never get behind the wheel again. here's more on his story and his very unusual way of getting around. paul chambers has more. >> reporter: the buggy and the horse. the buggy behind me doesn't work but this horse does on a daily basis. it was 13 years that a man gave up his keys and picked up the reins. although her ride may be bouncy, the exercise can't be beat. she's my friend. she's my confidant. she's my savior. this is his only means transportation. the reason, on december 17th, 1997, whitehead was involved in a deadly accident outside his florida home. the accident put him in a coma

for three days and dilled his wife and -- killed his wife and 4-year-old son. that's when he decided to give up driving forever. we were backing out and a 21- year-old kid blew a stop s ign. he was drunk. he flipped us over. i went through the windshield. i used to be good-looking. >> he can crack a smile now but losing his wife and son sent him into a tail spin. he turned to drugs and alcohol and there were times he wanted to end his life. >> there were times i saw a gun and thought about it. there were times i crossed a bridge and thought about it. >> reporter: he lost their pictures and travelers through 24 states. about but he's thankful to be alive. live for the moments that take your breath away -- breath

away. >> reporter: whitehead the tragedy of 24 years ago has made him a better man. live in santa rosa, i'm paul chambers, ktvu channel 2 news. san mateo county is now one step closer to building a new jail, the board of supervisors voted last night to spend $ 17 million to buy five acres of land outside of downtown redwood city. the woodhouse industrial park is located near the redwood city police department. the jail is testify -- itself is expected to be completed in two years. coming up next at 6:00, the program that stanford is t hinking about bridging back now that the president has signed the -- bringing back now that the president has signed the don't ask, don't tell. julie haener has more that's coming up at 6:00. >> girls 14 years old and y ounger are being forced into prostitution. tonight the unusual step one

bay area city is taking against three motels. it was a controversial plan to alou mass operations for growing medical marijuana. but the city has put that plan on hold. and an interesting story tonight involving governor schwarzenegger, the large item he's taking with him when he leaves office and other he's leaving behind for jerry brown. see you at 6:00. the big rain storm has s wamped -- has flooded -- has flooded streets. take a look at this. the floodwaters creating a mess at the intersection of mishen center -- mission center road. boy, what a mess. at least we're getting a little bit of a break now. let's check in with bill martin. but that storm coming christmas day? >> yes, it looks like something is coming this weekend. we're getting a big break out there. that's gonna give things a cans to dry out. we get a lot of rain up here.

you just need breaks. that's what we're getting. flooding not a concern. southern california getting hammer the. the southern half of that jetstream was just focused right on southern california. it's clearing out down there n ow. they still have flood warnings in southern california. the idea being they are just not set up to handle 8, 10 inches of rape. we are. our drainage basins are p owerful. the l.a. river, it's a canal. a lot of concrete and runoff. that's doctor any -- why they are having problems down there. they will start to dry out in the next 24 hours. late-night valley fog for you. we're dry for a couple of days. rain showers coming up again this weekend. as it works out, the rain showers, they had -- there won't be major stuff, .25, .50. the system is kind of heading out and going south. you see more stuff coming around the corner. this is the parent low. this thing keeps spinning stuff our way. it will take care of us on

saturday. valley fog is the story right now. dry conditions right through thursday and friday, but the valley fog in san joaquin, sacramento, marysville, you will see plenty of it. this system moves in over the weekend, basically on saturday. in the mountains you will see some snow. mostly cloudy today, chance of snow saturday. snowshowers as you get into sunday. if you are traveling around, just plan accordingly. you can go to the mountains, don't be scared away by it. we talked about that earlier in the newscast. don't go up there on sunday. go up there either saturday morning or -- or later on after things break. the forecast overnight lows will be cool in the mid-30s. that has to do with the fact it's gonna clear out. the winds are gonna be light. the computer model does this. here we go into thursday. there we go into friday. where is the rain? there it is building offshore. that's setting up for saturday. there's saturday morning. it's not wet yet but here it comes saturday afternoon. this whole area is kind of p

owerful. that's not a big deal. at least that's how it looks now. we go to san jose tomorrow, daytime high about 56, 57 degrees. good air quality, it starts off cool in san jose. as we go through time. we're looking for more clouds and fog to form along the coast. 54 in vallejo, 55 in concord and then your five-day forecast breaks out like this. we're getting a chance to get dry. if i'm gone some way and you are sitting here, just go -- i don't care how much rain you get -- if you get a break, our drainage system can handle it. we're fine. >> that's one wall of rain coming in on christmas. >> yeah. >> thanks. well, they were the ones who responded first on september 19. what lawmakers today voted to give them.

congress voted today to provide new help to the people who rushed to the aid of all of the victims during the 9/11 attacks. people who made the term "first responders" a household word. >> police officer, firefighters, rescue workers who inhaled toxic air near the world trade center on that terrible morning and the days that followed. >> president obama acknowledged the 9/11 first responders and ears who suffered lingering problems after the attacks. after years of wrangling --

rangeling -- wrackling congress approved -- wrangling congress approved the money and it -- and the money will be used to monitor and treat those first responders and to replenish a workers' compensation fund for workers and people who lived near ground zero. >> certain men and women, the strongest and bravest among us, is race up those towers when everybody was coming down. >> those people who did rush to help us and who thought they were being abandoned are now in the boo system of america -- boo dumb of america. >> the first responders bill will be funded through a fee on some foreign firms that receive u.s. government contracts. president obama has promised to sign that bill quickly.

>> be sure to keep it right h ere. the channel 2 news at 6:00 is next. >> reporter: the new strategy oakland is using in the n ever- ending battle against prostitution.

teenaged girls 14 years old and younger being used for prostitution. the governor declares a state of emergency. the damage mother nature has done to large portions of the state tonight. good evening. i'm julie haener. >> and i'm frank somerville. oakland is taking a new tact tonight in the fight to stop child prostitution. as police go after the pimps who sell these young girls on the streets. the city attorney is now taking on the places where the sex trade does its business. ktvu ajim vargas is live in oakland tonight with more on this. jim? >> reporter: frank, three lawsuits, three motels, i ncluding this one, the national lodge on international b oulevard. people who live and work near these oakland