tv KTVU Mornings on 2 FOX January 11, 2025 7:00am-8:01am PST
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fires continue to devastate southern california. a san francisco animal shelter steps up to provide relief. i'm betty yu with that story straight ahead. >> confident that we are making significant progress. but it's important to remain on guard and follow safety advisories. >> new evacuations, new warnings
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and new fears. the latest numbers this morning as crews continue to work tirelessly from the air and the ground to battle fires raging in l.a. county. this as more families return home to ash and rubble. [music] >> from ktvu, fox two news. this is mornings on two. >> and good morning to you. welcome to mornings on two. >> i'm claudine wong and hi everyone. i'm frank mallicoat and we begin on this saturday with the very latest numbers from cal fire and the fire disaster down south in l.a. county. the palisades fire has now burned more than 21,000 acres. it is currently 8% contained. firefighters say there were flare ups overnight in palisades that forced a new round of evacuations and altadena. the fire has now burned more than 14,000 acres there and that is only 3% contained. firefighters say the forward progress in the fire has now been stopped. and firefighters also making some progress on the kenneth fire
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near the ventura county border. it is 50% contained and all evacuation orders have been lifted. police say a suspect has also been detained and the blaze is being investigated as possible. arson and evacuation orders have also been lifted on the hearst fire that is in the san fernando valley. it is now 70% contained. that fire has burned more than 770 acres. >> well, these fires in the los angeles area are now on track to be the costliest in u.s. history. the death toll has climbed to 11, with roughly 150,000 people still under mandatory evacuation orders. and the extent of the massive damage is now still settling in for communities as they begin to return home. take a look at this devastation that you can see all across that area. in many cases, there is very little recognizable where bustling businesses and neighborhoods once thrived. the fires have now destroyed at least 12,000 homes and businesses, and while there
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are several fires burning, the focus remains on the palisades and the eaton fires. here on this map, you can see what we're talking about here. together, those two fires are expected to be the most destructive in los angeles county history. overall, the fires have burned more than 37,000 acres. that is an area bigger than san francisco. and as the smoke begins to clear at the eaton fire near pasadena, hundreds of families are now discovering they have nothing left to go home to. the devastating wildfire has left communities virtually unrecognizable, and overhead survey estimates more than 7000 structures have been destroyed in the flames. some families tell us they've lost everything. shocking. >> shocking. >> you have to actually see it to process it. we were hoping that the house would still be there the next day, but it wasn't. we don't have time yet to really think about the next steps. >> seeing a place where you have a lot of memories tied and a lot of family, and a lot of loving
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experiences, it's going to be hard. >> many in the community tell us they're struggling with the loss but are already looking to rebuilding. others say memories of being forced to evacuate will haunt them every time they think about their homes being destroyed in the flames, and the bay area continues to send out first responders south to help in the fight against these fires are traveling from all corners of the region, coming from san mateo, san francisco, san jose, santa rosa, sonoma, marin and many more. >> some crews are from oakland as well, and their fire chief says his teams are working seamlessly with the l.a. fire department. >> it is a very coordinated attack, so they're asked to do a specific task as a group. they move together, they do what needs to be done, and then they'll give additional orders and they'll move as a group to the to wherever else they'll need it. >> the strike teams deployed in southern california could be there for up to two weeks. >> all right. the wind let up for a bit, but it is not done yet. meteorologist rosemary
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oroczo joins us live with a look ahead. and certainly when those winds are coming back. yes. >> later this afternoon, a fire weather watch for the southern california area. claudine and frank. and then as we get into the monday time frame, a red flag warning, meaning it is going to be breezy to windy out there over southern california. but it turns even with more extreme heat and fire danger as we get into the business week. meanwhile, for us here at home, we are also starting with a wind advisory. here is a look over san francisco. a beautiful start to the morning there, but our advisory began at midnight and will go until sunday morning for our hills, north bay hills, east bay hills, and the santa cruz mountains. as we get into the numbers outside right now, middle peak reporting 30 to 35mph. we have oakland north reporting 31. even across parts of the bay, we've got some pretty breezy conditions along the coastline. fairfield right now reporting a wind gust to 33. and as we shift a little bit
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over towards the south bay san jose, just a light breeze for you there. temperature wise, we are much warmer this morning, up by 13 degrees in livermore where we are 5343 to start your day in san francisco. i'll have a better look at the afternoon highs for us, as well as the weekend and what's going on in southern california for the weekend. coming up in just a bit. >> sounds good. thank you. rosemary. so while the wildfires are still raging in southern california, hundreds of animals are in need of temporary homes before being reunited with their owners. shelters in l.a, as you might imagine, are overwhelmed because of the wildfires. and that's why a san francisco nonprofit is stepping in to help out. ktvu is betty yu joins us live this morning from the spca in san francisco. good morning. >> good morning frank. that's right. the san francisco spca is really stepping up to help. right now. they are offering free puppy adoptions for the time being. and this is so that they can make room here at their
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shelter to receive adoptable animals from los angeles. this morning i'm joined by cris velasco and calypso. this adorable puppy is one of more than 50 available for adoption right now. good morning eric. >> good morning. >> tell me about calypso here in your arms. >> calypso is a three month old terrier mix. she actually came to us from tulare county, and she's been available for a little over a week. and still no one's come and scooped her up, which is nonsense. look at her. >> she. >> she likes the microphone, we can tell. and she's very calm, very sweet. now, more than 50 puppies are available right now. tell us about this trip that you have planned for southern california to pick up animals that are also ready to be adopted? >> yes, actually we have over 50 puppies in house right now. they will be made available in the coming days as they go through their routine assessments and care, which is what someone should know. if they're considering adopting here, any puppy will be already spayed or neutered, microchipped and been
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given an initial round of vaccinations. but this trip that we're going on starting next monday, it is such a collaborative effort across shelters, across our our multiple teams in this side of the organization. so we are gearing up to take in several cats and dogs that are already adoptable. so they can they can make space for fire victims. >> harris, thank you so much. and again, calypso available for adoption right now. and the team will be leaving san francisco on monday to pick up dogs and cats from the southern california region. for now, guys, we'll send it back to you, but we'll leave you with the face of calypso. >> calypso is so cute. all right. thank you. betty, we'll check in with you in just a bit. well, muttville senior dog rescue is also stepping up to help animals displaced by the fires. the shelter in san francisco says it's been in touch with other animal rescue shelters in los angeles. muttville says it has donations for those impacted, and the
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shelter is also working to bring some dogs back to the bay area to also make room for evacuated pets. >> and as the fight continues down south, there's mounting criticism of the response to the fires. critics are questioning la's preparedness for the fires and the water shortage faced by the fire crews there. la's fire chief says the city failed its firefighters. >> my job to stand up as a chief and exactly say, justifiably, what the fire department needs to operate to meet the demands of the community. >> police in la are bracing for a long and very expensive rebuild, but fema is reassuring the public that funds are available to help. >> president elect trump has also been highly critical of governor newsom's response to the fire disaster in los angeles county. and now the governor is inviting the president elect to get a firsthand look at the devastation. >> i want him to visit and understand the magnitude of the scope, what happened to the american people that happened to
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reside here in california? >> the governor extended that invitation to the president elect yesterday while getting his own look at the destruction in pacific palisades. and the governor is also asking for an investigation into why many fire hydrants ran dry during the height of those fires. >> these systems, obviously are not designed for a catastrophic event of this scale and magnitude. so the question is they need to be designed in this new world reality where we're in the middle of january, it's 70 degrees out. you get, you know, hurricane force winds up to 100 miles an hour, extended over a period of time. that's reality. >> the governor is also vowing to remove the disaster response red tape so that fire victims can quickly rebuild their homes and businesses. >> up next, the supreme court appears likely to uphold a law that could lead to a ban on tiktok here in the u.s. how the arguments played out during today's hearing in front of a high court coming up. >> citizens of this city, our
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department stands ready to protect you and your loved ones. should disaster strike. >> fire department and san francisco's new mayor names a new fire chief. we'll hear from the veteran firefighter and the native san franciscan, who is set to take the reins in daniel leary's first department head appointment. >> and a live look over the bay this morning. wow, what a gorgeous start to the day. we've got some wind out there stirring things around. i'll have a better look at what you can expect for your bay area
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congresswoman barbara lee is now making it clear she is running for oakland mayor. lee says her goal is to bring a sense of unity to the city, and she spoke with ktvu political reporter greg lee for her first sit down interview since filing paperwork to run for office. and governor newsom's proposed $322 billion budget plan was presented to the state legislature. california's director of finance says the plan includes money for universal pre-kindergarten, a voter approved climate bond and $100 million to clear homeless encampments. the governor also wants to use $7 billion from the state's emergency fund to pay for potential litigation against the upcoming trump administration. lawmakers have until june 15th to pass that budget, and the death toll from the los angeles wildfires has
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now climbed to 11, with about 150,000 people under mandatory evacuation orders. those fires are now on track to be the costliest in u.s. history. officials estimate damages could be as high as $150 billion. the fires have destroyed at least 12,000 homes and businesses. >> time now is 714. san francisco's new mayor, daniel leary, named his new fire chief as ktvu. christien kafton shows us, the mayor tapped a battalion chief with decades of experience. >> just two days after his own inauguration, san francisco mayor daniel leary announced his pick to lead the san francisco fire department. >> today. i am honored and privileged to announce that i am appointing battalion chief dean crispin as fire chief of the san francisco fire department. [applause] >> battalion chief dean crispin is a veteran firefighter, a native san franciscan surrounded by his family and colleagues, he
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reflected on the challenging times in which he's accepting the position. >> it is with a heavy heart that we gather here today in light of the tragic events unfolding in los angeles. our thoughts and prayers are with the citizens who are experiencing such incredible devastation. we also pray for our first responders who have committed to bringing safety and stability to the affected communities. it is the honor of my life to receive this appointment. >> the announcement comes as san francisco and other bay area fire departments are sending crews to help address the devastating fires in southern california. san francisco has already sent eight vehicles and 31 firefighters to lend a hand. on top of that, crews were on alert friday morning after an earthquake off the san francisco coastline. >> i received a stark reminder of the seriousness of this position. this morning at 702 hours, we were struck by a 3.7 earthquake. citizens of this city, our department stands ready to protect you and your loved ones. >> the fire department said those crews in southern
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california are working on overtime paid out of a state mutual aid agreement, and won't impact san francisco's readiness for an emergency. closer to home, the new mayor said he was in communication with the head of emergency management within two minutes of the earthquake off the city's coastline. >> we are well resourced that we are committed to public safety here in san francisco first and foremost, and any additional resources we can provide down south, we will. >> city leadership said san francisco stands ready to send more resources to the southland, but is waiting for word from emergency management in southern california to call for help when needed. >> the worst thing is to arrive uninvited before they're ready, so that is in process, and i fully expect that we will get those mutual aid requests within the coming days. >> san francisco's next fire chief greeted rank and file officers there to watch the announcement. battalion chief crispin will be sworn in later this month. until that time, interim chief sandy tong will continue to lead the department
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in san francisco. christien kafton, ktvu fox two news. >> well, the first case of bird flu in a person has been detected in a in san francisco. san francisco's public health department says the patient was a child, and they have already fully recovered after experiencing fevers and pinkeye. according to the department. risk to the public, to the public remains low. human infections of bird flu are rare, and there is currently no evidence of person to person transmission. the department is encouraging people to avoid contact with dead or sick birds, especially wild birds and poultry. >> it is 717. let's get you outside and talk about our weather and what's going on in southern california, because those winds are about to charge up again, aren't they? >> you're right. yeah. just looking at some of the observations out there this morning, we're actually it looks pretty good. but there will be advisories coming our way as we get into the next few hours and then into the weekend. the advisories will change and actually increase and become worse as we get into sunday. monday time frame for folks over
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southern california. here is a view of what's going on here at home where a beautiful start in san francisco. we had some low cloud cover, a little bit of a westerly breeze developing into the afternoon yesterday, but because of those, north and northeast winds kind of knocked out any possibility of fog, as you can see. let's check in on the conditions over southern california. it is still very dry out there, but so far the winds this morning do remain light. relative humidity 22% out the palisades fire. and then as we switch over to the altadena area, take a look at the conditions here. we've got the eaton fire reporting relative humidity 16%. so bone dry temperatures right about 60 degrees, and the wind gusts between 5 and 10mph. although close to those hills and mountains and through the canyons, we of course could have some stronger gusts that we just really can't pick up on with our tools here. relative humidity up
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to 36% at the kenneth fire and calm conditions. so by 9:00, already a wind advisory for parts of southern california. and you can see here from the color coding we do begin to see the oranges and pinks pop up here and there. and then as we get into this evening, another advisory begins a fire weather watch. the winds continue to blow. it becomes more widespread going through the second part of the weekend and then expected to worsen on monday, where you can see now a broad shade of purple out there, indicating the wind gusts could be 50mph or so. so a little bit of a lull, but it's temporary and the winds could reach 70mph through the mountains. as we get into the coming days. firefighters are working hard right now to try and get as much containment as they can. meanwhile, for us here at home, the wind advisory goes until 10 a.m. on sunday for our hills. and as i showed you at the top of the hour, we are seeing the wind out there this morning. coastal flood advisory also till noon. time for low
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lying areas. next high tide will be at 834 this morning. meanwhile, our temperatures at this hour upper 30s to upper 40s for most. we even have 54 degrees reported at half moon bay. our afternoon highs for today. widespread 60s, mostly sunny and breezy to windy. the extended forecast here. temps don't change. we will continue with the pattern that will bring us gusty conditions at times all the way through part of the business week. what's going on in southern california? also going on here, we just don't have the elevated fire danger at this point that they do. temperatures are going to change very little in the coming days under partly cloudy, dry conditions. back to you. >> thank you rosemary. up next, this weekend, the rio vista bridge along highway 12 is closed as caltrans crews continue an $11 million repaving project. that construction has required multiple 55 hour full closures of the bridge that takes you across the sacramento river. all this allows heavy equipment to get across the
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limited width of the bridge. concrete overlay on the deck and bridge rails are getting replaced as well. new ada accessible ramps will also go up. this weekend's closure will reopen at 4 a.m. bright and early on monday morning. now coming up, vice president elect jd vance resigning from his senate seat in ohio ahead of the presidential inauguration a week from monday. details on who is being
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before happening today, a celebration of life and service will be held in san francisco to honor former president jimmy carter. habitat for humanity, greater san francisco. they will hold a memorial and offer time for the morning community to sign a door frame to be used in a future construction project. this will kick off at 10:00 this morning at the habitat warehouse that's on egbert avenue in the city. similar door signing events took place this week in mr. carter's memory in both oakland and san jose. >> well, president elect trump will be sworn in for his second term in the oval office in just nine days. and yesterday, his vice president, jd vance, formally resigned as a member of the u.s. senate. ohio's republican governor now says he plans to announce his pick to fill vance's vacant senate seat early next week. >> i'm looking for someone, first of all, who will be a worker in the u.s. senate. also, someone who can win a primary and who can win a general election in ohio.
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[music] >> well, vance was elected to a six year term in 2022. several top republican lawmakers in ohio are reportedly on the governor's shortlist to replace him. >> the supreme court appears likely to uphold a law that will ban tiktok here in the u.s. next weekend. after listening to arguments on both sides. most of the justices seem to agree. the popular app, whose parent company is based in china, poses serious national security risk. despite concerns of restricting free speech. >> we thought that the argument went very well. the justices are extremely engaged. they fully understand the importance of this case, not only for the american citizens of this country, but for first amendment law generally and the rights of everybody. >> the first amendment isn't a relic of the past. it's a living promise that must be defended in this digital age. by banning tiktok, we're not just removing an app. we're setting a precedent that threatens the
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very freedoms our country was built upon. >> that ban would be put into place next sunday, january the 19th, unless the company has sold away from its chinese parent company, bytedance. >> i love this city enough to really give it a try with everyone. >> former congresswoman barbara lee has decided to run for oakland's mayor seat. her goal of unity as she joins a crowded field in the special election. >> also ahead, hundreds of california inmates joining the battle against la's wildfires, the prisoners playing a vital role in that re fight
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in southern california have created an animal crisis. i'm betty yu. i'll tell you how a san francisco animal shelter is stepping up to help. i just keep thinking, like, oh, i lost my childhood. >> i can't remember it, but i will never be able to see it again. >> and more than 36,000 acres have burned. the danger is far from over. we're going to take you live to l.a. county with the very latest on the southern california wildfires from ktvu, fox two news. >> this is mornings on two. >> and good morning, everyone. the sun is coming up on what looks like a beautiful, beautiful day here in the bay area. we might even hit a 70 today. but all eyes, of course,
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on southern california. good to have you back here on ktvu mornings on two. >> i'm frank mallicoat and i'm claudine wong. let's get you up to date on those disastrous wildfires that are burning now in southern california. cal fire says the palisades fire has now burned more than 21,000 acres. it is 8% contained. firefighters say overnight flare ups forced a new round of evacuations in that area. in altadena, the eaton fire has now burned more than 14,000 acres. it is 3% contained. two other fires are still also burning in that region. >> well, firefighters are still battling multiple wildfires burning across la, and now some families are returning home to find they have nothing left. fox news correspondent that is connor hanson. he joins us live in the fire zone with some of those very personal stories. good morning. >> frank. good morning. we're standing in pacific palisades, the location of just one, but
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the biggest of several wildfires right now that crews are racing to contain. they're trying to take advantage of this time because more strong winds are in the forecast for the coming days. but just to give you a visual, what we're seeing, unfortunately, this is the site all over the area. entire neighborhoods, entire blocks of homes that have been reduced to piles of rubble and ash. and this battle is far from over. >> the palisades and eaton fires on the move overnight, threatening more communities across los angeles. crews from multiple states are attacking the fires from the air and ground, but both remain out of control and officials are continuing to expand evacuation orders. >> we are confident that we are making significant progress, but it is important to remain on guard and follow safety advisories. >> some families are now returning to their charred homes for the first time. faced with a
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new reality. i just keep thinking like, oh god, i lost my childhood. >> i can remember it, but i will never be able to see it again. >> folks here are bracing for a long and expensive rebuild, but fema is reassuring the public that funds are available to help. >> go to disasterassistance.gov but also contact your insurance company because we need to see what they pay. >> as the fight continues, there's mounting criticism of local officials over la's preparedness for the fires and water shortages. la's fire chief telling fox the city failed firefighters, it's my job to stand up as a chief and exactly say, justifiably, what the fire department needs to operate to meet the demands of the community. >> and officials are now saying at least 11 people have died in these fires. and we're learning that some of them were people who tried to stay behind at
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their homes and protect them from the flames. >> frank. all right. connor hansen, live for us there in a burned out pacific palisades. connor. thank you very much. >> well, across the bay area this morning. we do have a bit of a wind out there. and as a result, a beautiful view here as we take a look across the bay towards the west and the golden gate bridge, we have the wind advisory. now, the wind advisory for southern california begins at 9 a.m. introduced yesterday. late in the day. the advisories weren't expected to begin until late saturday, but again, the wind advisory beginning for some parts of la. at 9 a.m. it will turn over to a fire weather watch for some areas and a red flag warning for other areas. starting at 6:00 this evening. and even though it's scheduled to expire at sun on sunday at 6 p.m, if they do allow it to expire, we expect another one to
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kick in right afterwards, as monday looks to be even worse when it comes to the dry, windy conditions. our wind advisory goes until sunday 10 a.m. and it is for our hills, our north bay hills, east bay hills over towards the santa cruz mountains and it is breezy out there 51mph. reported at mount saint helena right now. oakland south reporting 14. middle peak reporting 35. closer to the surface. winds are generally light. a little bit of a wind out over towards fairfield, where the gusts are 33mph. we also have just a light breeze and temperatures a lot warmer compared to yesterday. livermore 13 degrees warmer and you are 53 right now. 44. in san francisco we have a coastal flood advisory until noon time today, the next high tide coming in at 834 this morning. so low lying flooding adjacent to the bay can be expected right around that time. i'll have a look at the afternoon highs for today, what we can expect for the rest of the weekend and the extended forecast coming up. >> all right. thank you
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rosemary. well, the wildfires are still raging in southern california this morning. and hundreds of animals are in need of temporary homes before they can be reunited with their owners. >> shelters down in l.a. were already overwhelmed before the wildfires happened. that's why a san francisco nonprofit is now stepping in to give a helping hand. ktvu is betty yu joins us live this morning from the spca in san francisco. betty good morning. >> good morning. frank. you know, the shelters in los angeles are just so strained right now. and that's why the san francisco spca is offering free puppy adoptions for the time being. and this is so that they can create room for even more adoptable pets from southern california that they will soon be receiving. the goal of all of this, of course, is to take the pressure off these southern california shelters. and these shelters, as you mentioned, were already overwhelmed with animals before the wildfires broke out. now, while those shelters are receiving strays and animals who could not evacuate with their
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owners, the sf spca is trying to find loving homes for more than 50 puppies that they have right now. the nonprofit introduced us to one special puppy this morning. >> calypso is a three month old terrier mix. she actually came to us from tulare county, and she's been available for a little over a week, and still no one's come and scooped her up, which is nonsense. look at her. >> in southern california shelters, there are also doing what they can at this time. pasadena humane, for example, is receiving stray animals, providing immediate care, including treating them for smoke inhalation. in some cases. people in southern california are also donating pet food and other supplies to help support the shelter at this time. now, the sf spca plans to head down to los angeles on monday to pick up as many animals as they can to bring them back here. and
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they also plan to make a second trip the following week. now, beyond adopting a puppy, if you'd like to help, the sf spca says the best way to do so is to donate. this will help cover the cost of the fees that were waived for these puppy adoptions. normally, it would run you about $400 to adopt a puppy here. guys, back to you. >> all right. thank you so much, betty. well, among the thousands of firefighters battling the blazes in los angeles, there are over 900 incarcerated individuals clearing brush to protect lives and property. ktvu tori gaines spoke to a formerly incarcerated man who served as a firefighter with cal fire while in prison. >> you may have seen their story on tiktok. edmund and evelina richardson have been sharing their story via the app for two years, sharing their visits inside prison and even announcing their first child together. december brought a life changing update. richardson was released from prison after 14 years. >> i started out as a lifer, so
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i identified as a lifer for the last 13 plus years. then i mean through like the work that i did at san quentin. i was able to be resentenced. >> richardson's resentencing brought him new options in prison, including applying for conservation fire camp. he dove into his work with fire crew for and it showed as he was moved up to first saw. >> first saw is pretty much the spear of the team, so we're leading the charge in taking down brush. >> the richardson's are keeping a close eye on the southern california fires, and the 939 incarcerated firefighters serving on the front lines. >> there's so many people on social media and so many news outlets talking about incarcerated firefighters, but we just like for three months ago, voted against treating them with any sort of dignity, but we're relying on them. >> prop six was brought before california voters in november. they overwhelmingly voted to
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keep forced labor in california prisons. one expert we spoke to says confusing ballot language didn't help, and many people were just not aware of proposition six and what goes on with the incarcerated and their families, or let alone that the language of slavery still exists in the california constitution. now that richardson is out of prison, he faces a new set of challenges to put those firefighting skills to work. but he's hopeful he can land a wildland firefighter role with cal fire. >> a couple guys gave me a call before they left camp like, hey, we're heading down to prada. that's one of the los angeles fire camps that they're going to stage at. and like, i just wish them the best of luck. be safe. make sure you guys take care of each other. yeah, i wish i was with my team right now. >> tory gaines, ktvu, fox two news. >> well, we spoke to a bay area fire department who says it isn't blocking formerly incarcerated people from serving as firefighters after they get out. but a lack of emt
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certification often disqualifies them. for more information on how cal fire works with incarcerated individuals, you can look for this story on our fox local app or on ktvu.com. >> reconnecting chinatown. the federal injection of cash coming for oakland to increase access coming up. >> and a controversial policy up for debate. why? some people say it's time for change. the oakland police departments pursuit policy. they want to make i easier for o icers
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this saturday. the death toll from the l.a. wildfires is now up to 11. about 150,000 people still under mandatory evacuation orders. fires are now on track to be the costliest ever in u.s. history. officials estimate damages could be as high as $150 billion. fire has destroyed at least 12,000 homes and businesses, leaving many communities unrecognizable. overall, the fires have burned more than 37,000 acres. that's an area bigger than the city of san francisco. and staff from san francisco's spca are heading down to southern california next week to relieve overcrowded animal shelters in l.a. they're
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bringing back animals right back here to the bay area in order to make room in the southern california shelters for animals that have been displaced by the fires. san francisco's spca says its shelter is also overflowing with more than 50 puppies right now. and to help make room for the new animals, they are offering free puppy adoptions. >> oakland has been awarded $2 million in federal funding for a downtown improvement project. congresswoman lateefah simon says the money will be used to reconnect chinatown to the waterfront by expanding walkways and bike paths under interstate 880. simon says the freeway divides chinatown from the waterfront neighborhood and limits residents access to safe travel between destinations. no word yet on when that project is expected to start. >> former east bay congresswoman barbara lee made it very clear that she is indeed running for oakland mayor to bring a sense of unity to the city. lee, speaking with ktvu political reporter greg lee yesterday for her first sit down interview since filing all the paperwork
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to run for the office. she acknowledged the city has challenges, but she said that oaklanders have always come together to face them. when asked about the city's budget deficit, she said she would look for ways to cut waste. >> you have to look at all of the issues around public safety because public safety, yes, is the top priority. we have to look at efficiencies within the budget, and we have to make sure that people feel good about their jobs and make sure that they know that they have a mayor that's going to fight for them to make sure that their jobs are secure, but also make sure that we have a budget that is going to reflect a budget that is based on values, but also based on fiscal responsibility. >> we also asked lee about the two fire stations that were closed temporarily a few weeks back, and she said she wants to see them reopened on friday. >> the oakland police commission took a closer look at the city's police pursuit policy. some say that policy is too restrictive, while others are urging the city
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to not make any changes. our crime reporter henry lee has that story. >> to chase or not to chase in oakland. the oakland police commission is considering whether to loosen the city's police pursuit policy. as it stands now, city officers cannot chase suspects for things like sideshows, reckless driving and burglaries and other property crimes. >> they go in and bust into your building, bust into your business, run into your house and know they can run and not get pursued. >> newly elected oakland city council member ken houston says the city needs to combat an image of lawlessness by allowing officers to catch criminals who flee. >> but if they have the option and we have police officers that are trained, highly trained people make mistakes, but they are highly trained, right? they'll make a sound judgment. >> governor gavin newsom has asked oakland to adopt less stringent pursuit policies, saying chp officers have seen firsthand how suspects aware of oakland pd's policies have committed less serious crimes
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right in front of a police officer, and the pursuit policy in oakland says we can't we cannot pursue that suspect. >> why oakland is being singled out is unknown to me. >> kathy leonard is former president of the coalition for police accountability in oakland. >> chasing someone because of a vehicle stop just seems completely unreasonable to me. when you consider the risk that may occur to either the officer or innocent victims. >> jeffrey alpert, a university of south carolina criminologist, has done extensive research on police chases. >> and the more you chase, the more you're putting lives at risk. and i don't want my family or your family put at risk for chasing someone for a minor offense. >> in 2022, an innocent bystander was killed in what his family says was an unauthorized oakland police pursuit. the chp has less restrictive chase policies, even on oakland city streets. on new year's eve, i went on a ride along with two officers from chp. oakland. three days later, the same officers chased a man driving a stolen u-haul box truck as he
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sped through ten red lights. 11 stop signs drove the wrong way and in bus only lanes in east oakland. that suspect still in custody a week after the chase. i've learned oakland police actually offered to help the chp in that pursuit, but were told no by a supervisor because of policy. although the oakland police helicopter argus did monitor the situation from above. there will be a town hall meeting on this issue on wednesday in oakland. henry lee ktvu fox two news. >> time now 748. let's get you outside. what looks like a beautiful day here in the bay area. and of course, all eyes down south on the winds, which i guess are about to come back, right? >> yes. so many changes. you're right. after a brief reprieve, already a wind advisory slated for parts of los angeles to begin at 9 a.m. and giving you a live look here where firefighters know they are up against the clock and working really hard to try and get as much containment as possible. wind advisory will turn over to a fire weather watch and a red flag warning later this evening.
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meanwhile, for us here at home, we have a wind advisory. it is for our hills from the north bay into the santa cruz mountains that will last until tomorrow morning. and a beautiful view here, as that wind helps to really clear things out. we even had some cloud cover and fog into the picture late last night and into early this morning, but that wind kind of pushed it right back out. here's a look at the current conditions out over towards the pacific palisades. a fire still relative humidity only 22%. so it is dry, no doubt about it. but the winds came down considerably late yesterday into the overnight hours, but not really expected to last. the eaton fire reporting relative humidity 16% and one last stop here. the newest fire, the kenneth fire. relative humidity is about 34% with calm conditions and cooler there 47 degrees to start the morning. here's a look at the forecast as we get into the second part of
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the day. you notice the oranges, the reds, the purples begin to pop up, and then by monday, even worse. here's a timestamp reading of 11 a.m. on monday. widespread purple indicating wind gusts 50mph even above. so that's what's going on there for us here at home. going to be breezy. but if you notice the shades of oranges, yellows, reds over our hills and by tomorrow morning it does begin to die down. outside of that, the temperatures. a bit of a cool start this morning where we are 39 in concord, 42 in san francisco. afternoon highs not quite as warm as where we have been in recent days, but we are still above average widespread 60s out there. 66 san jose. you're one of the warmer spots. here's a look at the extended forecast. partly cloudy skies, dry conditions, breezy conditions on and off with little change in our temperatures expected all the way through wednesday. back to you. >> we really went a long way in
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damage totals indicate the destructive wildfires in los angeles county will be likely the most expensive in california history, and california's insurance commissioner is now responding to the fire disaster that could create an economic crisis. ricardo lara has declared a moratorium on all cancellations of home insurance policies for properties in the fire zone for the next year. >> our actions are focused on ensuring that the insurance companies meet their commitments to the consumers, that californians and the californians are protected not just in this crisis, but beyond.
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>> bay area congressman john garamendi once served as california's insurance commissioner. he says even those homeowners who do have coverage are facing a difficult fight with insurance companies. >> there's going to be an extraordinary number of claims being filed, and probably from my experience as eight years of insurance commissioner, the insurance companies are going to do everything they can to lowball and deny claims. >> many experts say the disaster in los angeles is certain to put another major strain on california's already troubled insurance market. many insurance companies have been canceling policies or refusing to write new ones in california, citing the risk of wildfires. >> time now. 756. we're getting more details about governor newsom's proposed $322 billion balanced budget. here in california, the state director of finance says california has reversed a projected $2 billion deficit for the upcoming fiscal year, with a modest surplus of
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some $363 million. a budget plan includes money for universal pre-kindergarten. a voter approved climate bond, and maintains $100 million to clear homeless encampments. the governor is also proposing to pull $7 billion from the state's rainy day fund to pay for potential litigation against the incoming trump administration. >> as the governor has mentioned, also, the uncertainty around federal policy, tariffs and immigration policy obviously could have some impacts in california in particularly on on tariffs. the ports of oakland and long beach. la logistics industry and the inland empire all could be impacted. >> we've had the budget plan was presented to the state legislature on friday as required by law. lawmakers have until june the 15th to pass that budget. >> the san francisco zoo is still trying to obtain giant pandas from china, but now the
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sf zoological society says it is unsure if it will happen. the san francisco zoo says that, or the nonprofit that runs the zoo says the panda program is contingent on both the new mayor's backing and the president elect's relationship with china. the chronicle is also reporting that a major donor will no longer contribute. still, zoo officials say they are hopeful that the project will benefit the city's economy and boost tourism. all right. thank you for joining us on ktvu. this morning. do not go anywhere. we're going to be jumping over to the plus momentarily. >> not done yet. stay tuned for the fox sports as they get you ready for today's wild card football games. >> have a great day here in the bay and we'll see you over on the plus at the top of the hour. [music]
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