i don't think we should be too safe. >> at elkhorn slough, drew tuma, abc7 news. >> now, the elkhornlough is a national research reserve. groups including the elkhorn slough foundation team up with major research centers to monitor changes to its environment. moving along, we've got rain in the forecast tomorrow, and that's not all. see sandhya's update ♪ but my heart's of gold ♪ ♪ just one more night ♪ ♪ and i'm coming off this long and winding road ♪ ♪ i'm on my way ♪ ♪ i'm on my way ♪ ♪ home sweet home ♪ there's no place like the road home. receive a $5,500 bonus on a new 2024 audi q5 plug-in hybrid during the season of audi sales event. (box thuds) (water boils) (packet tears) (tea bag clanks) (water pours) - listening to people that drink bigelow tea is so important to my family, because making that perfect cup, it's the reason we do what we do hi, guys! - hi! - hey! - so what are you guys drinking? - constant comment. - when i'm drinking bigelow tea, it's just a moment for me. it's just me time. - that's what a cup of tea is. - it is. - a moment for you, someone you love. - aw!

i don't think we should be too safe. >> at elkhorn slough, drew tuma, abc7 news. >> now, the elkhornugh is a national research reserve. >> groups including the elkhorn slough foundation, teamed with major research centers to monitor changes to its environment. >> all right, let's go back and touch base once again with the full forecast from our meteorologist sandhya patel going to break it all down. >> yeah absolutely. and j.r. and dan let's take a look at a live picture from our san jose camera where it's a bright view. that's all changing. come tomorrow. let's take a look at the rainfall. percent of average santa rosa 209%. san francisco 121. but you will notice everyone else is lagging behind. san jose is at 68% of where it should be. so we need rain. it's coming tomorrow. santa rosa, about three quarters of an inch, a little bit less than that for san francisco and oakland. and san jose is expecting under a 10th of an inch. we have snow coming 13in at kirkwood. donner 11in. looking at live doppler seven. we still have a lot of sun out there that will be changing come tomorrow mor

the trend began reversing, at least in elkhorn slough. so what had changed in this tiny sliver of the northern california coast? she believes it was the return of native sea otters documented by usgs surveys. >> given that the population size is about 120, they can probably eat somewhere between 50 and 120,000 green crabs at the slough per year, and i mean 100 100,000 green crabs consumed by otters. that's a lot. >> jepson and her colleagues began mapping the slough, pinpointing the location of otter populations versus green crabs. research coordinator kirstine watson says the modeling seems to confirm the trend. more otters, fewer crabs. >> so we use circumstantial evidence about spatial patterns, like within elkhorn slough. the areas that have a lot of otters don't have a lot of green crabs, and the green crabs are nothing if not invasive, spreading rapidly. >> since being accidentally introduced into san francisco bay in the late 1980s, and coastal communities from california to washington state are spending millions in time and money

first, let's explain to people you all have been studying elkhorn slough reserve for decades. tell us why this is an important area to study and monitor. even before this fire broke out. >> which is correct. and thank you for having me, greg. yeah. elkhorn slough and the whole area is a very important ecosystem for california because it contains a very unique and important habitats and is also a very known site for visitors and kayakers. very popular location. >> and doctor, you're talking ecological. there are a lot of different types of systems and animals that call this home. >> correct? correct. there's a very complex and unique ecosystem that goes from microbes all the way to sea otters. and they all connected. so the properties of the soil and the quality of the water affects all these ecosystems. >> and certainly unique to california. doctor, let's talk about what your team did find in the days after this fire. there was great concern about the air quality for residents, but now that you've looked into the soil, that may give us some clues as to what the area has been h

the trend began reversing, at least in elkhorn slough. so what had changed in this tiny sliver of the northern california coast? she believes it was the return of native sea otters documented by usgs surveys. >> given that the population size is about 120, they can probably eat somewhere between 50 and 120,000 green crabs at the slough per year, and i mean 100 100,000 green crabs consumed by otters. that's a lot. >> jepson and her colleagues began mapping the slough, pinpointing the location of otter populations versus green crabs. research coordinator kirstine watson says the modeling seems to confirm the trend. more otters, fewer crabs. >> so we use circumstantial evidence about spatial patterns, like within elkhorn slough. the areas that have a lot of otters don't have a lot of green crabs, and the green crabs are nothing if not invasive, spreading rapidly. >> since being accidentally introduced into san francisco bay in the late 1980s, and coastal communities from california to washington state are spending millions in time and money

the trend began reversing, at least in elkhorn slough. so what had changed in this tiny sliver of the northern california coast? she believes it was the return of native sea otters documented by usgs surveys. >> given that the population size is about 120, they can probably eat somewhere between 50 and 120,000 green crabs at the slough per year, and i mean 100 100,000 green crabs consumed by otters. that's a lot. >> jepson and her colleagues began mapping the slough, pinpointing the location of otter populations versus green crabs. research coordinator kirstine watson says the modeling seems to confirm the trend. more otters, fewer crabs. >> so we used circumstantial evidence about spatial patterns like within elkhorn slough. the areas that have a lot of otters don't have a lot of green crabs, and the green crabs are nothing if not invasive, spreading rapidly. >> since being accidentally introduced into san francisco bay in the late 1980s, and coastal communities from california to washington state are spending millions in time and money

the otters live in the elkhorn slough reserve and are listed as a california endangered species. researchers are keeping a close eye on them as this fire continues to burn. >> they're a keystone species. they help protect the kelp beds offshore by consuming sea urchins and they help protect the seabeds here in the slough. so healthy sea otters mean a healthy environment. >> the elkhorn slough reserve has been closed until further notice. there are only about 3,000 sea otters left in california. >>> today's inauguration was one of the few held indoors, how the weather has impacted ceremonies throughout our nation's history. >>> straight ahead in sports, cute stories of siblings and a grandma, enough to soften the blow from chase center? i'll speak for mmmm... planet oat's so creamy and not watery like- exactly! and unsweetened has 0 grams of sugar. and don't forget, it's an excellent source of calcium. ♪♪ wow! planet oat really has it all... you guys are so right! no you are. no you are. no you are. yeah, you are. ♪♪ i don't ever see anyone coming out to maintenance anything, so i

slough, north of miller road and monterey dunes way, and west of castroville boulevard and elkhorn, california. highway patrol reporting highway one has been shut down. the north county fire protection district is responding to the incident. crews are advising people in the area to close your windows and your doors, shut off your air systems as well until further notice. obviously, a developing story will bring you the very latest tonight on the 10:00 news and of course, at our fox local app. u.s. attorney's office in conjunction with the fbi, the u.s. postal service and the irs have scheduled a news conference for tomorrow morning at 9:00 to announce what they call a significant law enforcement action. the announcement does not specify the target of the law enforcement action, but according to the chronicle, the announcement will include the results of a corruption investigation against former oakland mayor xiang tao, citing an anonymous source, the chronicle reports that tao has been criminally indicted by a grand jury following that investigation. that source did not provide deta

so we use circumstantial evidence about spatial patterns like within elkhorn slough, the areas that have lot of otters don't have a lot of green crabs, and the green crabs are nothing. if not invasive, spreading rapidly since being accidentally introduced into san francisco bay in the late 1980s, and coastal communities from california to washington state are spending millions and time and money to control the crabs, which compete with native sea creatures. could the otter be a help? i think there's a lot of promise that sea otter introduction to these areas would decrease. >> the european green crab populations, as well as leading to healthier seagrass beds and salt marshes and all the other benefits that come from having a top predator and restored food webs in the system. >> several groups are pushing state and federal officials to consider the idea of reintroducing sea otter populations to areas that were decimated by fur hunters more than a century ago. the idea is expensive and likely to face opposition from the fishing industry. but in a world of changing climate and changing prio

researchers say microscopic particles of nickel, manganese and cobalt have been found in the soil of the elkhorn slough. that's an alarming discovery because the area is home to endangered species like the california sea otter. a battery fire of this size and magnitude hasn't happened before, so researchers aren't sure about long term impacts. >> this is an opportunity to understand what will happen in the case of a large storage facility. battery storage facility, facility burning, and how what can we do to understand the consequences of those such an event? >> the findings have been reported to monterey county. the discovery has prompted the san jose state team to conduct more frequent and in-depth testing of the marsh. >> in los angeles. socal edison admitted today to finding faulty lines near the eaton fire. the company is being sued, accused of causing one of the most destructive wildfires in california's history. in court today, attorneys argued the power company is trying to hide evidence. they also say surveillance video from an altadena arco gas station proves that edison's high tension

bay area app and join us whenever you heavy metal particles have been found in the central coast elkhorn slough, following a big fire at a moss landing battery storage plant. that's according to san jose state marine lab researchers. field surveys found a dramatic increase of three toxic heavy metals in the soil in the marshy soil. the slough is an ecologically sensitive area, home to california's endangered sea lion population. scientists say the metal particles might also be present elsewhere in the monterey bay. researchers have notified monterey county officials. an alabama woman who underwent a pig kidney transplant is celebrating a milestone. she's now the longest living person with a pig organ. her story is raising hope for people on transplant waiting lists everywhere. abc's rhiannon ally has the story. >> the only living recipient of a pig organ is celebrating something many doubted she would ever see. tawanna looney has marked two months since undergoing the experimental kidney transplant, making her the longest living survivor of the procedure. >> her kidney function is absolu

you've got places like elkhorn, you've got laslo most and of course, a much larger populated area in watsonville. but some of that smoke, a travel all the way up. an app toss also in the santa cruz as well. so we're going to be watching that throughout the night tonight and early tomorrow morning. electrical fires with batters traditionally very hard to put out. right now. we are seeing changes in our weather pattern here locally. that fog is finally back. that's a sign of that onshore wind is so that offshore breeze clouds rolling in across the bay area right now. temperatures today. yeah, a lot of 50's and 60's. but tomorrow should be much cooler. we're going to see that nice ocean, their role in taxes to be cold in spots overnight. tonight we've got frost advisory showing up in many of the valleys or your local weather coming up a few minutes. thank you, lawrence. a big story we're following tonight. the san francisco chronicle reporting. >> federal grand jury has indicted former oakland mayor sheng thao. the report, though, does not go into details about why you may remember her

. >> the elkhorn slough reserve is still closed until further notice due to potential health risks from the fire. the epa is expected to test the water for chemicals here in the coming days. governor newsom, now calling on an investigation into the incident there in moss landing. his deputy director of communications releasing this statement, saying the governor believes there should be an investigation into this incident to determine cause and any steps that can be taken to make older facilities like moss landing safer. as the governor has said before, as this technology has evolved, california has done extensive work to advance battery safety and reliability. the governor's office says the cpuc is in communication with vistra, and investigation team will visit the site tomorrow to see if there are any violations against cpuc general orders and determine what corrective actions need to be taken to return to safe operations. all right. now to our weather meteorologist, mark tamayo. let's start in southern california because they have that red flag warning going on. >> it continues. we'r

so slamming area get toward the elkhorn slew, places like watsonville, more populated areas being affected, that then we get a little westerly component well, then you can see make its way over to a robust and even into prune dale. so they're gonna have to continue to watch that. here's the forecast. some of those winds as we head through the next 24 hours. and most of that is an offshore wind. but you can see it start to head south. that means a lot of that smoke is going to be headed down toward marina seaside and even though the sleeve this valley. so folks got to watch out for that very closely. as long as the fire continues to smolder. meantime, here in the bay area, we've got some fog that has moved in some much cooler temperatures across the bay area today. what about your weekend ahead? we'll have that forecast coming up the few minutes. thank you, lawrence. another big story we're following tonight. oakland's recalled mayor sheng thao now indicted on federal bribery charges 7 months after the fbi agents raided her home. >> today federal prosecutors released a 22 page indictment ag

fire researchers was san jose state university have been monitoring the soil in elkhorn slew for years in the week and a half since the fire. they recently detected an increase in metals commonly found in batteries. the fire at vistra power plant forced evacuations and burned for days. researchers say their findings are clearly connected to the incident and will have an impact on the local ecosystem. they're continuing to monitor those soils. they say monterey county officials have been made aware of their findings. let's get you a check of the forecast. taking a live look at the embarcadero and the bay bridge. you can see that american flag waving in the wind. lawrence. it's a cold one out there. yeah, you know it. you don't see out there is you don't see the clouds. these temperatures. they falling off and the hurry that cold. >> arctic air kind of settling in for the night now getting ready for that big chill outside temperatures. >> yeah. maybe even some upper 20's in spots around the bay area. as you head inland. but out there right now over san francisco, you've got clear skies t

possible exposure to toxic chemicals, monterey county started evacuating residents in the prunedale and elkhorn area just east and north of the fire. >> heed the evacuation order. we don't take those things lightly. there's a reason for it. we're concerned about their safety, number one priority, the protection of people's lives. >> reporter: roughly 1,500 residents have been evacuated and at this point we don't know when they will be allowed to go back to their homes. there is a rec center in castroville south of the power plant which has opened for the residents. the one fortunate part about tonight is the weather. this is an area known for heavy fog and it's been fairly clear tonight, allowing the smoke from the fire to go up and out of the area. luckily, the winds have been calm as well. >> the weather is cooperating and it's been in our favor and all i can say is thank god for that because wind, as we know, what happened in southern california, does crazy things. so we aren't dealing with that, fortunately. >> reporter: as you mentioned, sara, the last fire here was in 2022. that was befor

the team has been monitoring the elkhorn slough estuary for the past couple of years. they say levels of the toxic metals spiked after the fire. up next from the hall of fame to the big screen, the east bay city that will be the backdrop for a new movie based on the life of one of the mlb's newest hall of famers. and here's a look inside the control room at rockefeller center. lester holt preparing for nightly news. one of the top stories congestion pricing. it's already rolled out in new york, but can it help in other major u.s. cities? that story and more minutes away on nightly news. we're back in a moment. for all those making it big out there... ...shouldn't your mobile service be able to keep up with you? get wifi speeds up to a gig at home and on the go. introducing powerboost, only from xfinity mobile. now that's big. xfinity internet customers, cut your mobile bill in half vs. t-mobile, verizon, and at&t for your first year. plus, ask how to get the new samsung galaxy s25+ on us. i guess what i'm looking for from you is, i mean, i know how the fire affected me

. >> you've got people living up further toward elkhorn, also into the last low, most watsonville. that's a major hub where a lot of people are watching too and living in those areas also nap toss and also into santa cruz. smoke coming up in that direction right now. and so that would be the main concern there for tonight. so, yeah, boy fires. they have been an issue so far. southern california looking at more of those conditions to. but the good news for them, they're getting a little relief. now we're seeing more of an onshore breeze in southern california. so even while fires are continue remain active, the humidity has come way up. and i think they'll be about a 3, maybe 3. and after a period giving firefighters a better chance to control those fires in southern california. >> thank you, lawrence. to the latest now on the wildfires burning in southern california tonight, crews have been able to get a handle on the eaton fire burning in altadena. it's more than a 50% contained tonight. firefighters in southern california and here in the bay area and beyond have been working arou

fire researchers with san jose state university of been monitoring the soil in elkhorn slough for years in the week and a half since the fire. they recently detected an increase and metals commonly found in batteries. the fire at this truck power plant forced evacuations and burned for days. researchers say their findings are clearly connected to the incident and will have an impact on the local ecosystem there continuing to monitor the soils and say monterey county officials have been made aware of the findings. >> what turned out to be a beautiful day around the bay area lots of sunshine in the afternoon with some mild temperatures. now starting to get cold already. and it is going to be really cold by tomorrow morning. let's check out your wake-up weather forecast gets going in the morning. you see mostly clear skies overnight tonight. >> and early tomorrow morning. yeah, you're waking up in the freezer, especially inland. those temperatures dropping off to the 30's even by 8 still mostly sunny skies. those cold temperatures will continue in the 30's and the 40's by 10, only a little

. >> the plant is located on the elkhorn slough, home to a threatened california sea otter population. researchers are focusing on the fire's impact to these mammals. >> we'll just be watching and watching, carefully picking up any otters in distress, ofg up course, and not seeing any otters that turn up dead to determine their cause of death. >> health officials are working on a plan to monitor water quality in the area surrounding that plant. two developing news tiktok is back, at least for now. the social media app restored service sunday after being shut down saturday night, impacting 170 million american users and influencers who depend on the platform for their income. i spoke with a san francisco content creator with 2.4 million followers on tiktok. anna brown, known as anna twinsies, says she can make anywhere from 5 to $20,000 per collaboration post, and that 90% of her income comes from tiktok. the ban was worrisome, but she's got a plan b. >> last couple of weeks everyone was talking about that and but i was like literally like thinking that they will figure something out t

. >> now the elkhorn slough reserve is still closed until further notice because of possible health risks fire. the epa is expected to test the local water for signs of chemicals in the coming days. >> bloomingdale's announced it will soon close its flagship store in san francisco. it's the last remaining big store in the san francisco center on market street. it's scheduled to close by summer, despite its lease having another 20 years. the company says it looks forward to introducing new ways to serve local shoppers, though it did not provide any other details. retail analysts say many department stores haven't updated their business models, leading to a decline in shoppers. >> a lot of these big boxes have not changed their business model in the last 50 years. shifting consumer habits to some of the post-pandemic economic shifts. and i think we're still kind of feeling some of the shift towards more, more e-commerce retail in san francisco is not dead, but it's in a process of evolution. >> university of san francisco professor billy riggs says downtown san francisco needs to evolve int

. >> the elkhorn slough reserve is still closed until further notice due to potential health risks from the fire. the epa is expected to test the water there for chemicals in the coming days. several new fires sparked up in the san diego area overnight. this as strong, gusty winds blew through southern california. meantime, in los angeles, firefighters kept working to get full containment of the two big fires. they've been fighting there for weeks now, the l.a. county medical examiner now says 28 people have died in both the eaton and palisades fires. fox's william la jeunesse has more from malibu. >> powerful santa ana winds fuel wildfires in southern california overnight. at least three new wildfires in san diego county, the largest burning through almost 100 acres, triggering evacuations. officials say a lack of rain and strong winds make containment difficult. >> we haven't had any precipitation in the last few weeks months, so all that fuel is extremely dry out there. >> in los angeles, fire crews have been making good progress, but humidity remains low and with those santa anas ki

fire researchers with san jose state university oven monitoring the soil at elkhorn slow for years. >> now in the week and a half since the fire recently detected an increase and metals commonly found in batteries. the fire at vistra power plant forced evacuations and burned for days. researchers say their findings are clearly connected to the incident and they're going to have an impact on the local ecosystem. continue to monitor the soil. they say monterey county officials have been made aware of the findings. santa rosa police are pitching the idea of adding drones to their force to help in emergency situations. the santa rosa's police chief says deploying drones would significantly cut down response times made a huge difference when it comes to saving lives. >> right now it takes us on average of 6 minutes. and 31 seconds for an officer to arrive on scene to a priority. one call perfect example we get a call of a shooting or stabbing at one of our local parks within 90 seconds to 2 minutes that drone could be overhead and it's still taking on average the officer, another 4 and a h

microscopic toxic metals have been found in the soil nearby, including the ecologically sensitive elkhornse metal toxins are used in battery production. the research team from san jose state that detected the metals says there's no doubt about it. the fire spewed potentially hazardous metals. medical i'm sorry, metal particles for miles. >> metallic spheres about in size, about 1 to 10 microns microns, which are were made of manganese, cobalt and nickel and are clearly a cathode material coming from a battery. >> the slough is home to several endangered species, including the california sea otter. as for the long term impact of the metal, well, no one really knows. there's never been a fire of this magnitude involving a battery storage plant before anywhere. >> freezing conditions and rain in the forecast. it's starting to really look and feel like winter this week. seven day (discouraged) so expensive. i mean, i'm helping my mom out, i don't have that kinda cash. - ugh, i know. but you can get financial help now through covered california. it's totally affordable. you'd be surprised. the

. >> the elkhorn slough preserve is still closed until further notice due to potential health risks frome epa is expected to test the local water for chemicals in the coming days. governor gavin newsom is now calling on an investigation into the incident in moss landing. a representative saying, quote, the governor believes there should be an investigation into this incident to determine cause and any steps that can be taken to make older facilities like moss landing safer. as the governor has said before, as this technology has evolved, california has done extensive work to advance battery safety and reliability. >> a cool start this morning. a warm day today. a number of days in a row now. well above the average. temperatures tomorrow will stay in this realm. well above average. these are the highs from today. highs tomorrow. about the same. highs on thursday about the same. highs on friday and saturday. cool for saturday and sunday instead of highs in the 60s they will be in the 50s. so it's going to feel more like january late january, early february. so we haven't seen a lot of that

unusually high levels of microscopic heavy metal particles have been found in the central coast's elkhorn slough following a big fire at a moss landing battery storage plant. that's according to san jose state marine lab researchers. field surveys found a dramatic increase of three toxic heavy metals in the marsh soil. here's what they found. >> metallic spheres, about in size, about 1 to 10 microns microns, which are were made of manganese, cobalt and nickel and are clearly a cathode material coming from a battery. and the association with the battery fire is straightforward. >> doctor iolas says the particles might be present elsewhere in monterey bay. the slough is an ecologically sensitive area, home to california's endangered sea lion population. researchers have notified monterey county officials the fire at the vistra power plant sent plumes of smoke over the whole region. >> a lot more coming here this monday. first fire, now rain. the risk of mudslides and toxic runoff in the aftermath of the southern california firestorms. also a rare type of bird flu found in california. and th

. >> the plant is located on the elkhorn slough, home to a threatened california sea otter populationn the fire's impact to these mammals. >> we'll just be watching and watching carefully picking up any otters in distress. of course, and not seeing any otters that turn up dead to determine their cause of death. >> health officials are working on a plan to monitor water quality in the area surrounding that plant. >> pier 39 is celebrating the 35th anniversary of california sea lions on its docks. the marine mammals began arriving a few months after the loma prieta earthquake hit san francisco in october of 1989. now, by january 1990, a colony of the barking sea lions completely took over pier 39 k dock. a record of more than 2100 sea lions visited in may and june of last year. you can celebrate the anniversary by sharing memories on social media with the hashtag pier 39 sea lions. >> they are so iconic. well. coming up. danger in the waters. a close call yesterday near half moon bay. and the warning from authorities. but first, let's get a check on the weather with meteorologist drew t

beauty, including the majesty of the theodore national park which is home to theodore roosevelt's elkhorn ranch considered by many the heart of conservation. and the badlands, our badlands are suggestly badder than south dakota's badlands, tremendously badder, not even close, but in addition to that we've got great prairies, world renowned agriculture, amazing hunting and fishing, four season outdoor recreation and much, much more. in north dakota, we created a prosperous economy by sustainably developing our natural resources along with our respect for the land and the wildlife and at the same time, having among the cleanest air and the cleanest water in the country. during our tenure, north dakota experienced among the lowest unemployment in the nation and highest real gdp growth. demographically our state went from one of the oldest states to one of the youngest, attracted record levels of talent and investment capital. i say this because it was underpinned by the understanding we live in a time of tremendous, tremendous abundance and we can access that abundance as americans by priori

rugged natural beauty including the majesty of the theater roosevelt national park which is home to elkhornch which is considered by many to be the cradle of modern conservation. we have beautiful badlands. i would like to note our badlands our batter then south dakota's badlands. tremendously badder, not even close. in addition, we have great prairies, agriculture, amazing hunting and fishing, four season outdoor recreation and more. we created a prosperous economy by sustainably developing natural resources along with our respect for the land and wildlife. at the same time, having among the cleanest air and water in the country. during her tenure, north dakota expense the lowest unemployment in the nation and the highest real gdp growth. demographically our state went from one of the oldest one of the youngest. which i could record levels of talent and investment capital. i say this because our success was underpinned by the understanding we live in a time of tremendous abundance. we can access that abundance as americans by prioritizing innovation overregulation. if given the opportunity

westerner, a cowboy, learned the hard way out there, with a lot of time in the saddle, and built the elkhorn ranch. and from then, he developed his thoughts about conservation in this country. and we know the story that went from there, that led him to become the rough rider that he was, that propelled him into becoming a governor. formed the national governors association, saved football. i mean, now, the largest viewed sport. and the ncaa was formed because theodore roosevelt was listening to concerns from mothers, whose too many of their sons were dying of head injuries playing football in the ivy league schools without protections, and so he said, let's come up with some standard safety protections. so there's many stories about tr that haven't been told, like that, but the only president to receive a medal of honor for his time in the military. one of his sons also received a medal of honor, who was there at normandy in world war two, but incredible story. and of course, nobel peace prize that he received for negotiating the settlement between russia and japan. and he wrote more books t