the commission continues to move forward on -- the california public utilities commission continues to look forward on how it charges the fees charged to customers. we're hoping it will help the fees to be reduced. that is in the face before the proposed decision even gets -- in the phase before the proposed decision even has an initial ruling. last week as miss hale -- lastly, as ms. hale was noting, we have been sponsoring sp 970 that helps to clarify and clear up a lot of issues with the statutes to make the climate for cca more friendly and to level the playing field. thanks to the good work of miss hale, don weiss, the sierra club, and others, that was able to get through committee as barbara and noted. that is continuing to move forward. we're hoping to get some relief there as well. supervisor campos: commissioner moran? >> to have any idea on when they're likely to act on the fee issue? on the exit fees. >> there is no timeline set that is published. given where things are and having worked at the sfpuc for a number of years, they are taking final briefs. i would expect a decis

we have been arguing at the california public utilities commission that the administration of those funds collected by pg&e from san francisco residents and businesses should be the responsibility of the cca for quite some time. because of our lack of success in the opinion, we have included the change in legislation that we're working with senator leno on. we have had hearings of the senate committee on that legislation. it made its way out of committee with lots of direction to continue to work with members on some of the key provisions. that has been a longstanding part of our cca program and regulatory effort to get that pot of dollars available to us for direct administration. >> if there is anything this body could do to support that effort in a resolution, whatever you might need, i would put that fourth. >> thank you. supervisor campos: miss miller? i am almost done. our program goal was to be 51% renewable by 2017. we exceed that with the current plan. an important part of the plan is the face iphase in. the second phase is to layer in city operated resources. that is an integral

that is because the rate proposal before the california public utilities commission is to adopt a decision that says yes to a flat generation rate but does not implement it for some time. it looks most likely to be one year from now. if we want our program and began an hour off out notifications -- began an in our opt out program, the understanding among customers of what the pg&e rate changes will be should be clearer. we will not get caught up in the changes the customers are seeing from the pg&e changes when we're trying to market our program. that is my general presentation on the three program areas. i would like to give miss miller an opportunity to give the lafco commissioners and our commissioners her thoughts on the program changes as well. supervisor campos: can you say anything about low income customers? >> we are targeting our program geographically. we want to offer our program to areas of the city -- to all of san francisco, starting with areas of the city the most likely to say yes to the program and stay with it. the fact that san francisco is the verse -- diverse. the low

the california public utilities commission may vote on the issue tomorrow. >>> if you rent a car, there's a big, new reason to fill up the gas tank before returning it. most rental agencies are charging an average of $9 a gallon to refill car. that could be more than $300 if you rent an suv and take it back before you fill it up. but that's only if you don't prepay for gas. san francisco one of the cities where it is cheaper to prepay. and in mow wa, station are -- in maui station are topping $6. the cheapest gas can be found in casper, wyoming. california's age is 4.26. >>> the united nations has been asked to help settle a conflict dan dan con -- a conflict. the issue is this section of glenco mark. activists have been camped out there for weeks. activists say this is an ancient burial ground. they say any construction would disturb the humane remains buried in the area. they -- human remains buried in area and are asking officials to come and bury the site. >>> temperatures are warming nicely across the entire bay area right now. here's our camera from san rafael looking out towards sa

this section is the section that pg&e told the california public utilities commission was most at risk of failure. >> we are looking for information inside of the pipe that would verify our records. >> reporter: this is a massive testing project because the pg&e literally has hundreds and hundreds of miles of pipeline to look at. >> we are trying to coordinate his work with the work that is ongoing to pressure test our lines throughout our service area. we are trying to do that to minimize the impact. >> reporter: besides inspecting sections of the pipe, chunks a protective coating are being collected and will be assessed for deterioration, all of this under the watchful eye of the state inspector. the city wants the pipe totally replaced next year. >> we expect them to honor that commitment and we will see to it as best we can that they follow through on that. >> reporter: these camera and water pressure tests will continue throughout the summer while demand is low. >>> fireworks today at san francisco city hall as the board of supervisors voted to approve a massive renovation of the

the red line is the proposed flat generation rate that pg&e has placed before the california public utilities commission. if adopted as proposed, it will represent an increase for the lower tiered customers. the average residential customer in san francisco is there. there will be a decrease for the higher tiered customers. that is

. >> and california public utility commission approved a rate structure for pg&e that will lower electrical rates for big users. it divides residential customer in fourties and award customers who conserve . fourth tier customers will pay less, but you will not need to use as much power to enter the third tier and customers may be hit with surcharges. >> and how safe are you in a small car? >> a new report said full efficient cars are safer than ever. >> that is according to the latest crash test. >> a lot safer. that is a good thing. 14 years ago none of the maul cars earned a safety rating and this year, a much better outcome. this video by the insurance institute shows crash tests on small cars with side impacts at 31 miles per hour. six out of 13 cars were rated top safety picks. none received a poor rating. that is a big change since 19nen when they rated unsafe. small cars now are better equipped with side impact air bags and electronic control . ford focus and honda civic and lexus ct hybrid and nissan and toyota prious. >> we are trying to use less gasoline. are we drinking less cof

today the california public utilities commission will make the final call on this proposal from pg&e. now, the new fixed rates would be involved in this adding $3 to most consumer bills, 2.40 for low income customers but for some of the low income customers, higher rates would kick in when they use around 30% less power than the average customer. the rate proposals would lower rates for those who use the highest amount of power. according to one report, more than 85% of customers would end up seeing an increase of about 10%. now, one of the commissioners has already recused himself, one of the people on the public utilities commission because he used to part of the california utilities reform network. that leaves four left to vote. >> some of the rank-and-file pg&e customers are not going to be too happy. >> reporter: no. we are here at the millbrae bart station this morning and we'll gather some of that public opinion when we see a few more trains come in. >> very good. it's still early. anne makovec, she is live in millbrae. thanks. >>> pretrial discussions today for more than 60 la

the california public utilities commission in that shareholders can do to be compensated the old leaders were pulled out of homes and businesses consider to still be usable in those old-meters were taken out of existing homes and businesses. there were still " usable ". >>jacqueline: closer to the coastline, still hot in most locations with even records possible. santa rosa, the official record comes out. as i mentioned, much cooler tomorrow. when ossi temperatures like this and the low 90s inland valleys with 86-one of the towns like this--89 degrees in san jose. with 63 in half moon bay, 70's in san francisco, 60s/70's tomorrow. temperatures for the most part are rather were, yesterday the exception of the coast. seven degrees cooler on the coast, eight degrees cooler in san francisco but it is going to be a bigger decrease tomorrow. how cool it is going to get in your weekend forecast coming up. >>pam: new details of osama bin laden one of his daughters is getting a different account of the raid that played out on monday. she said that she saw her father getting shot, killed by u.s. f

the red line is the proposed flat generation rate that pg&e has placed before the california public utilities commission. if adopted as proposed, it will represent an increase for the lower tiered customers. the average residential customer in san francisco is there. there will be a decrease for the higher tiered customers. that is just on the generational component and not the overall bill. that is the component of service that the community choice aggregation service provides. >supervisor mirkarimi: does pg&e have a green tier? >> i am not aware they have a green service offering. they have a climate smart program. it is an offset type of program. they do not have a green portfolio program beyond the standard service. supervisor mirkarimi: it speaks to what i think is a telling and positive outcome in the poll that has 45% of the respondents saying they would prefer to pay more to insure that their electricity is coming from clean, renewable sources like solar and wind. it is nice to capture more than the anecdote that this could beat the traffic that helps us insert towards unleashea niche t pg&e can

in february, the california public utilities commission announced it was considering fines for lingering problems like trouble for an automatic train, control system at the dubose street intersection. state regulators could decide to fine muni this friday. >>> painful budget cuts are coming for the mount diablo district. the district may finalize layoff notices for 182 teachers and employees. gary innerhart tells -- eberhart tells ktvu the school board may have to make additional cuts defending -- depending ong the governor's -- depending on the governor's budget. >>> ahead, a car crashed down an elevator shaft. >>> you will also hear about the mental state of one driver today. >>> warmer? cooler? both? rosemary orozco will have details. >>> also -- >> when you step out into inuncertainty, it's not a disaster. >> former california governor arnold schwarzenegger and his wife are separating. coming up, the hint that this may have been coming. speauches the fresh tasting california sour cream your other food loves. >>> the highway patrol is investigating a fatal crash which tied up the morn

. >>> the california public utilities commission is holding a public hearing today in santa rosa as part of its efforts to revise safety rules following that explosion in san bruno. that hearing is scheduled from 4:00 to 7:00 tonight in the dohn room at the steele lane community center in santa rosa. the agency wants public input on how the commission should ensure the transmission lines are safe. other meetings have been held in san bruno and los angeles. >>> well, we spoke to san francisco police this morning. and they are still looking for those responsible for a deadly gang shootout in the city isobornyl heights neighborhood. two people were killed. a third person wounded outside a housing project on appleton avenue saturday evening. now witnesses say that the deadly shooting followed a brawl between two rival street gangs. >> our guys that live here were taking off their jackets getting ready to fight. >> investigators say that first fight quickly escalated into deadly gunfire. police have increased patrols in the neighborhood fearing retaliation. >>> san francisco police hope surve

california public utilities commission this morning. going to be where the final call will be made on this pg&e proposal of new fixed tier ratings. the changes would add $3 to most customers' bills. 2.40 for low income customers. but for some of those customers, higher rates would kick in when they use around 30% less power than the average customer. the rate proposals would lower rates for people who use the highest amounts of power. >> that sounds preposterous. people who conserve electricity previously have been been given discounts and rebates when more people conserve. so now people aren't buying enough so they are going to raise rates? that makes sense. whatever the market will bear. >> i don't think that sounds right. that doesn't -- i wouldn't like that. so i would be very mad if they did that to me. >> reporter: pg&e says this is all evening the playing field. you heard that man refer to some of the rebates that people who conserve energy have been getting and pg&e says that that was weighting things in favor of the people who

. >> reporter: now, ultimately it is up to the california public utilities commission to decide when and how they are going to implement the new area code but, ken, they will have to ask fast because by this time next year they are going to run out of 408 numbers. >> do it now. elizabeth cook in san jose. thank you, elizabeth. >>> what a difference a day makes. the driver that was nearly a victim yesterday is facing charges today. why police now find her story to be suspicious. >>> what's in a name? if you're a married woman in the workplace the answer could be success. a comparison of married versus maiden names. >> train and bus tickets for half the price. the illegal deals costing the cash strapped transit system thousands. >> people will try to cheat the system every day. >> reporter: why police stings can't stop it. coming up next. could face negligence charg. investigators now say driver error appears to have been >>> the driver of a bus that crashed near fairfield yesterday could now face charges. driver error appears to be a factor when the bus heading from sacramento to san

separate smart meteorologists, the couple took their complaint to a law judge of the california public utilities commission. >> doesn't want to appropriately explain what is going on and denying all my ideas about what is going on with my bill. >> and the judge agreed, saying alexi and vera are due a refund of $1400 because the higher bills were not do to any actions on their part. >> justice is the issue. >> a spokesman says the company cannot discuss this specific case, but in general is working to do a better job at responding to customer concerns over smart meters. >> with a minute as we rolled out the program, we have had challenges and concerns from some of our customers. of course we're working to address. >> the full cpuc was supposed to ratify the judge's ruling today, but opted to defer it for three weeks. they will be there, but even now they wonder if they are ever going to see their $1400 refund. i'm mark sayer. cbs 5. >>> other bay area headlines, divorce papers and canceled checks are floating around marin county after a flat bed truck spilled them on saturday. a witness tells us that hundre

the california public utility commission may vote on that issue tomorrow. >>> a violin worth thousands of dollars goes missing. now we're getting a look at the muni surveillance video that may help police catch the thief. >>> and the unusual crime these two senior citizens are accused of that's even surprising police investigators. >>> good morning. westbound upper deck traffic looks good. but others traffic is getting busier believe it or not. we'll tell you more. >>> good morning. the coast is clear. in fact, there's no fog or anything. we have clear skies. temperatures all over the place. 40s, 50s and eastbound 60s. subny and warmer with a north wind. upper 80s to near 90 inland. sunny and beautiful by the coast. >> sounds good. >>> the army corp of engineers plans to blow up another levee on the mississippi river today. two other sections were destroyed earlier this week to lower river levels at cairo, illinois. that sent water flooding into farm lands in missouri which then sparked a lawsuit. today's blast is designed to give the water a way to get back into the river. >>> that fi

smart meters the couple took their complaint to an administrative law judge of the california public utilities commission. >> pg&e doesn't want to appropriately explain to me what's going on and denying all my ideas about what is going on with my bill. >> reporter: and the judge agreed saying alexi and his wife are due a refund of $1400 because the higher bills were not due to any actions on their part. >> money is not an issue, justice is the issue. >> reporter: a spokesperson for pg&e says the company cannot discuss this specific case but in general is working to do a better job responding to customer concerns to smart meters. >> as we rolled out the program we have had challenges and concerns we admitted from some of our customers that of course we are working to address. >> reporter: the full cpuc was supposed to ratify the administrative law judge's ruling today but opted to defer it for three weeks. they wonder if they will ever see their $1400 refund. i'm mark sayre in mountain view, cbs5. >>> it really is all about location. people in one community say they are sitting ducks. so they are starting

. >>> just coming into our newsroom now, the california public utilities commission, the puc, approved the first phase of a rate hike for some of its customers. pg&e wants to increase rates and change the way customers are charged. under its plan, those who use less electricity will pay more, and higher-volume users would pay less. pg&e says it wants to make it more fair for everybody by creating this across-the-board fee. the puc will have its final vote on this plan at the end of the month. if approved the change would go into effect next year. >>> well, president barack obama back at the white house after a trip to ground zero earlier today. in new york the president laid a wreath at the spot where the two twins towers came down almost ten years ago. today's ceremony one of many events that took place, paying tribute to those who died september 11th. nbc bay area's steve handelsman has more. >> reporter: president obama with former new york mayor rudy giuliani went first to the fire house hit hardest on 9/11. engine 54 lost 15 men. >> when we say we will never forget, we mean what w

today the california public utilities commission is scheduled to vote on a proposed rate hike. the utility wants to charge all residential electrical customers a flat fee of at least $2.40 a month. it also wants to raise rates for customers who use the least amount of electricity and lower rates for the big users. >>> more than 60 lawsuits against pg&e will be the focus today of a pretrial discussion in san mateo county. the suits stem from last year's deadly explosion involving a pg&e gas pipeline in san bruno. it killed eight people, destroyed 38 homes. today's conference is expected to include coordination of future trial dates and requests for documents, as well. >>> well, tornadoes continue to ravage the midwest. >> but it is a rare twister in northern california that's got people talking this morning. take a look. >> right there. you go it. we got a funnel! >> that is a funnel cloud turning into a tornado in butte county north of sacramento. it is just one of three tornadoes reported in northern california yesterday afternoon. they were part of an unusual late season cold

the california public utilities commission says it doesn't know what happened to the $183 million. the commission told speier that pg&e probably spent it on other things. but pg&e decided against replacing the pipelines in san bruno. >>> it feels more like february than may. a winter-like blast is moving through northern california tonight. this is a live look at the sierra. a winter storm warning is in effect. and it caught more than just drivers off guard. we'll have a live report from the sierra in just 60 seconds. we start with jeff who is tracking the storm in the bay area and what to expect. >> as we've been talking about this for days. it's usually not until it gets here when something this rare happens here across the bay area that you really feel the chill. look at the highs today, where they should be for overnight lows in some cases. santa rosa, 52. walnut creek, 52. we should be near 80 degrees at imth tise of the tyearar it's c cold out there. 40s in the north bay and for parts of the east bay at this hour. two storms this week. the first storm h already mormd in. we'l

the california public utilities commission wants to know why such incidents and pg & e vaults continue. there was another one just last wednesday in the south bay. the mercury news reports there have been 78 incidents in the last six years. 31 involved explosions involving 14 in which manhole covers blew off. pg & e says it has spent $200 million upgrading their systems in oakland alone. >>> the city of oakland may have an appeal for the oak lands zoo. according to the oak lands tribune, friends of nolan park and the plant society plan to file the appeal with the city to halt that project. last week, oakland's planning commission approved the plan for the zoo to use more than 50 acres of nolan park. >>> a picket line outside the children's hospital became the focal point of a surprise debate. as claudine wong tell us an angry father vented his frustration with a child in his arms. >> you're using sick kids as a bargain scheme. >> reporter: even before the father pulled into the parking lot, he was giving his frustration to the nurses. >> i understand his frustration, i get it. but i wa

the california public utilities commission directed pg&e to reduce pressure by 20% in ten of the gas transmission lines following the disaster. >>> san francisco voters will decide whether the city should make circumcisions illegal. backers of the ban provided enough legitimate signatures to put the measure on november ballot. some call the practice painful and cool but most opponents say it's fundamental to religious practices. >>> 4:36. new reports this morning that maria shriver hired a prominent los angeles divorce lawyer. "people" magazine says shriver contacted the attorney after former governor schwarzenegger revealed he fathered a boy with a family employee 13 years ago. abc7's dan ashley has the latest. >> reporter: in the pictures obtained by tmz mildred patricia baena could not look happier at her baby shower in the late '90s. but the woman known as "patty" was hiding a deep, dark secret. the baby she was carrying was arnold schwarzenegger's. the boy was born in september of 1997. shriver gave birth to their son christopher five days later. >> arnold was arnold before he w

. >>> the california public utilities commission could vote to increase rates for low income customers. it is considering pg&es plan for a flat rate for users. households who use less energy would pay $2.40 a month. everyone else is charged an extra $3. it hurts low income families and people who use the most energy pay less. pg&e is trying to make it fair to everyone, including those who use more energy. >>> joplin, missouri could release a list of people still missing. sunday's tornado killed 125 people and injured more than 900. crews are still searching through the rubble this morning. people are writing signs on wreckage, calling radio stations and posting on the internet to find missing loved ones. we are going to have a live report coming up at 6:30 this morning. >>> northern california got severe weather of its own. seven tornadoes in chico. christie smith is live at ocean beach this morning with more on the wild spring weather. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, laura. i just got off the phone from the weather service. he said severe weather is nothing unusual. we

. >>> also in response to the sanbruno explosion, the california public utilities commission will hold the public hearing today. the hearing will take place in santa ros. the agency wants the public input on how the commission can make sure transmission lines are safe. that meeting starts at 4:00 this afternoon. it goes until 7:00 this evening. it's at the steal lane community center. other meetings have been held in sanbruno and in los angeles. >> time now 6:08, president obama warning congress that failing to raise debt limit may plunge the country back into recession. they start thinking u.s. might not make good on ious, the whole financial system could fall apart. they're refusing to approve from borrowing without steps to keep debt under control. the debt limit has to be increased by august 2nd in order to keep paying the government's bills. >>> governor jerry brown will release his revised california budget proposal at 11:00 this morning. the governor is expected to continue to call for higher vehicle sales and personal income taxes. republican lawmaker say tax expansions are not

the california public utilities commission says that this move elevates the natural safety at pg&e. >>pam: you could even pay more! regulators have approved a plan of the utilities to charge its customers more for electricity in order to make up for profits lost with the smart routers or installed. three of the four members of the california public utilities approved debt proposal, today. >>jacqueline: with another warm day a look from sunbathing at this public park toughen with 70's yesterda, 80s today, the current conditions are:+ along the coast. the sea breezes moving back and. cool along the coast. top excusseven is alg the coast. and also quite warm in the south bay. the night in los gatos. some of the hail, and even 89 in some aboard the areas. los gatos, some rafeal./some rafeals on your forecast in the cool down coming up hey marcel, watch this! hey marcel, watch this! [ buzzer sounds ] [ cheers and applause ] ♪ hey marcel, watch this! yeah, marcel! -marcel! -hey marcel! are you listening to me? marcel! [ male announcer ] only at&t u-verse lets you follow your favorite chan

. >>> the california public utilities commission is calling for answers from pg&e over continuing undergroundctrical vault fires. one of the most spectacular was this one in san francisco in 2005. you might remember this. the san jose mercury news reports there have been 78 incidents in just the last six years. 31 of those involved explosions. 14 in which manhole covers blew right off. pg&e says it spent $200 million upgrading the system in san francisco alone. the puc wants to know why the incidents continue. the most recent occurred on wednesday in the south bay. >>> and those metallic helium balloons are increasingly popular gifts on mother's day and other holidays but pg&e is warning people to keep them away interest electrical fires. in the past year alone the mylar balloons have cost 250 power outages in the bay area affecting 130 customers. the utility says tie a weight to the balloon so it doesn't get into the power lines. under no circumstances should you try to entangle one from a power line. you should call the utility instead. >>> now to an amazing story of survival. listen to thi

the california public utility commission will hold a public hearing today in response. the hearing takes place in santa rosa at 4:00 p.m. it will last about 3 hours. officials want public input on thousand the commission should make sure transmission lives are safe. the meeting will be held in the dome room. some other meetings have been held in sanbruno and los angeles. >>> president obama is warning congress that feeling to raise the debt limit could plunge the country back into recession. if investors around the world start thinking u.s. might not make good on its ious. , the entire financial system could unravel. the treasure department says the debt limit must increase by august 2nd in order to keep paying the bills. >>> here in california, governor jerry brown will release his revised budget proposal at 11:00 this morning. he's expected to continue to call forric tending higher vehicle sales and personal income taxes. republican lawmakers say tax extenses are unnecessary because incoming revenue is better than expected. they call the revenue bump slight and says i

the california public utilities commission asked pg&e to lower the gas flow by 20% and ten of the pipelines. they say it will help prevent another explosion. >>> the giants and dodgers square off tonight. once again, there will be a heavy police presence. l.a.p.d. was out in full force last night during the first giants-dodgers game since bryan stow was beaten in the parking lot. his father and sisters are talking act how difficult the past six weeks have been. >> it makes me sad. then it makes me angry. to see my brother just laying there with these involuntary movements, it's really hard. >> what makes you want to cry? >> just wondering if he can hear us in there. if he's fighting his way back. if he feels trapped. i have all those running through my head where it would be hard if he's trapped in there and he's fighting to get his way back. >> he'll move his lips. he's not trying to make words. he just moving his lips. it's hard to see. it's something. doctors say it's encouraging that he's got that much movement. >> doctors say stow has not had a seizure since arriving in san francisco e

. >> california's public utilities commission approved a new rate structure for pg&e.hich will lower electrical rates for some of the biggest energy users. pg&e rate structure divides residential structures to four pricing levels or tiers. the system is designed to reward customers who conserve. fourth tier customers, those using the most power will pay less. but you also won't need to use as much power under the new plan to enter in the third tier. that could result in more customers hit with surcharges. >>> hackers have apparently found a flaw in microsoft's internet explorer web browse they're could leave your computer open to an attack. an italian security expert says the problem can occur when you drag and drop within the i.e. browser. that can open your system to something called cookie jacking. websites use cookies to identify and keep track of you online. with this flaw, a hacker could hijack the cookie and get information like your user name, password and other information. microsoft says it doesn't consider this problem to be high-risk. >>> actor, producer, t

the california public utility commission directed pg&e to reduce pressure by 20% in ten of the gas transmissionuno blast. now, regulators considering asking for even bigger reductions. >> the contra costa county health department is waiting for the test results from the richmond hope center where an employee died from legionnaires' disease. health officials say the disease is triggered when they breathe in steam or water vapor that can be fatal between 5 and 30% of the time. contra costa averages ten cases a year. legionnaires' disease is not contagious but similar bacteria made a worker sick in 2008. the center is open pending test results. >> the giant fan brutally beaten in the season opener in los angeles is slowly showing signs of improvement. bryan stow has been back in the bay area since monday. neurosurgeons are trying to bring him out of a coma. doctors say he opened his eyes and hasn't had a seizure since arriving in san francisco. last night, his father and sister spoke publicly about what he is going through. >> it hurts to see him lying there. not responsive to a lot of things. >>

the california public utilities commission voted to repair a potential review of the deal. lot of scrutiny by lawmakers. they say it could raise prices for consumers and possibly lead to job cuts. lastly, you may have experienced problems on skype lately. service has been restored as the number of users were unable to sign on to the service. i.p. says it had to do with a corruption issue with certain operating systems like lenix, windows and mcintosh. >> have a great weekend. >> thank you. >>> 6:48. >> one of yosemite's most popular vantage points will reopen today at noon just in time for the memorial day weekend. many hope to gate better view of waterfalls like these from glacier point. the road has been closed since winter due to heavy snow. park rangers and regular visitors say this is the most impressive the falls have been in at least 15 years. thanks to all the snow they received this winter. >>> yep. not melting terribly quickly i guess, since it's been so cool. >> it will be cold in the water. that is something we have to worry about this time of year. you could ge

>>reporter: bay vote of 3-1 the california public utility commission granted pg&e request for a rate increase. to cover losses the company took because it had to tear out the existing analog electric meters and replace them with the new digital smart meters. >> this commission has spoiled pg&e again and again allowing them to reap huge profit off customers not holding them accountablelmmm and now we have them basically saying sure we'll let you profit all your garbage. >>reporter: commission president voted for the increase saying it's not profi profit. >> capitol investment an meters now being replaced. pishltion recouping what they invested. >> yes. but at much reduced rate over what they would if it was still useful. >>reporter: pg&e says the afternoon monthly residential bill of 90 dollars the increase will be 9 cents. electric rate increase goes into effect in january. gas rates will increase 2.4 percent effective june 1st. the commission still has to decide on pg&e request to change the sliding scale that now gives lower rates to those who conserve. so the more you use, the mo

the california public utilities commission said the tree is in the way and could endanger the $4.5 billion project but the neighbors are hoping to buy more time and come up with a compromise. >> i have never done anything like this in my life. ever. >> why are you doing this? >> i don't want to see her cut down. >> we can't have trees growing over pipelines that definitely is something that is going to endanger our drinking water pipelines we can't have that. >> so the neighbors have hired their own arbourist they say the pipelines in theory could go just 6 feet below ground and bypass the tree that way but cpuc says no way they have to cut this tree down there is no way that you can bypass that tree doesn't make any sense. neighbors plan a meeting at 7:00 a.m. this morning to decide what their next move will be. >> how far is the tree from the home? is it fairly close? is it in an unincorporated area or can they see it? >> the woman you saw, the tree is directly in her backyard to get there from where we are it will take manoeuvring we can't see from our vantage point but pretty much off

the california public utilities commission is meeting today set to rule on pg&e's controversial rate hike plan for energy customers. critics say it amounts to use less, pay more. abc7's amy hollyfield is live in san francisco with how much more we can expect to pay. amy? >> reporter: this is a real head-scratcher for you this morning over your coffee. if you use less, should you pay more? the current rate give those who use a little energy a break. idea to encourage people to conserve. but those who use the most energy are actually charged more than the service actually costs. pg&e says this is an unfair burden. the proposal will increase rate for customers who use the smallest amount of energy. if this passes it would be the most radical changes in the last decade. critics say it is robbing paul to pay peter and doesn't encourage conservation. pg&e says those who use a lot of energy aren't necessarily the rich. a viewer told me on the facebook she would appreciate closing the gap. she is a stay-at-home mom and has three kids and says they use a lot of energy on a limited budget. the

well, the couple took their case to administrative law judge with the california public utilities commission and he ruled in their favor. the full utilities commission still has to approve that refund. >>> two chp officers suffered minor injuries in an overnight crash on highway 880 in hayward. now investigators say a van crashed into their parked patrol car near whipple road shortly before 1:00 a.m. the officers were helping redistrict traffic during a cal trans road work project. it's not clear if the van driver was injured. and it's still not clear what caused the crash. that accident shut down three northbound lanes for more than two hours. >>> time now 5:08. we have to get you to where you need to go. sal, what are you seeing out there? >>> things are okay. we did have an accident on southbound 680 earlier that has been cleared. right now traffic is doing well. let's go outside and take a look at what we have with interstate 80. that traffic looks good heading out to the macarthur maze. no major problems on the way to the bay bridge toll plaza. the accident by the way southbound 680 at

california public utilities commission is basically protected people in the lower tiers.reezing ratings to protect low income houses against rising costs. what that basically meant is higher income, higher usage customers carried more of the burden. that's what's likely to change. pg&e wants to even all of this out. what it means lower income and lower usage people could start paying more. not a revenue generator they say, simply a way to get rid of despairty. you'll still get a discount if you use the care program that's been a popular program. >> i do. i got a discount of 20% this year. >> reporter: and if your rate goes up now? >> well, then it goes up. gas. everything goes up. just the price of doing business. you live here, you got to pay. >> reporter: here's what this vote will likely mean today. it will mean that if you are a low usage low income household your base rate will go up. if you're a higher income high usage household your rate could likely go down. pg&e also wanted to institute a flat rate on all customer which is would mean that 100% of customers would

the california public utilities commission may vote on the issue tomorrow. >>> time now 6:38. hey, sal, did they fix the problems with bart? >>> yeah, they just cleared them up. had some earlier delays. you may have heard about them but i just got off the phone with bart and they say all trains are back on time. 56 trains are now running on the system without delays. you might get out there and not eastbound notice anything's wrong. that's good. go out and take a look at highway 4 westbound traffic is getting busier coming up to the willow pass grade. also if you are driving on any of bay area brings it looks pretty good despite some delays at some of these toll plazas. the bay bridge we'll show it to you next time. right now the sun is glaring out the camera, but the bay bridge is backed up for about a ten minute delay already. san mateo bridge looks got. castro valley looking good. nimitz freeway we have a little slowing in hayward. now let's go to steve. >>> thank you, sal. sunshine for everybody today. coast is clear although not much in the way of any wind. san jose calm,

the california public utilities commission is giving pg&e the green light to this new rate structure. the rate cut is 15% off the top tier customers. the puc says this is the rate format most of the country uses. critics contend pg&e is punishing customers who conserve and use less power. >>> multiple tornadoes hit northern california this weekend. tonight, farmers there are saying the damage to the crops could reach into the tens of millions of dollars. >> it's hard to imagine this is right, so close to us. brian hickey from our nbc station in sacramento has more on the storm's damage. >> we've got a funnel! >> reporter: this is just one of several tornados that touched down in butte county wednesday evening. today, residents are cleaning up the mess left behind. >> there used to be a three-car, four-car garage there. it's gone. >> reporter: part of that garage is still here, a twisted mess. the other part of the garage, completely gone. this is where it all went. from the garage through the corals, the wind carried all that debris and scattered it over a quarter mile. a mess that wi

in february the california public utilities commission announced it was considering fines for problems that have not been fixed in a timely manner. the examiner also reported the mta has filed a response claiming the allegations are without merit. regulators say the problems include trouble with an automatic train control system and tunnel. and deteriorating tracks at interchange. state regulators could decide to fine muni at a hearing this friday. >>> i'm afraid so ask, how is the toll plaza? >>> it's getting busier, dave, but not completely crowded just yet. that usually happens after about 6:15 or 6:20 when they switch the metering lights on. or when there is a crash. right now we're free and clear of that so far anyway getting into downtown san francisco. also this morning we're looking at san francisco itself. this is northbound 101 approaching the 80 split and that traffic is nice. in the east bay problem westbound 580 at northbound livermore avenue. it's a noninjury crash but it is causing slow traffic off the pass. if you're driving in dublin over to castro valley has been nice

joining the tories will be the pipeline and hazardous material administrator and california public utilities commission well. >> supporters of the circumcision man and save for the pacific gathered enough signatures to put the measure on the ballot in november. they needed more than 12,000 signatures they did verify that 7000, 743 that was the minimum needed. this is headed for the ballot. at least appears that way. there is our word that it will be challenged by religious groups. present it permission clef any physician who performs this procedure on anyone underneath the age of 18 could be fined $1,000 or suspended for one year in jail. >> i think anyone who stands back and looked at the issue, if the look of that objectively, clearly, they understand to hold down a child and gulf 50% or more of their gentle slope tissue for whatever reason is not a good thing to do. >> this initiative would put in jail for a year any physician who performs circumcision of a baby boy. it interferes were caught still to show rights to religious freedom. for a parent to make the choice. speaking again november 8th, tha