nbc jodi hernandez is in vallejo with tonight's big vote. jody. >> that school board meeting is just getting underway in vallejo as we speak. as you can probably tell through thaiz these windows, it is a packed house in here. native americans are out here in force hoping to convince the school board that the apache mascot is a mockery, they say, of their culture. >> it's demeaning. it's dehumanizing, and it's time to go. >> reporter: that's how melissa mendoza says she feels about vallejo high school's mascot, the apache. mendoza's 17-year-old son goes to vallejo high. she says he and other native american students feel embarrassed and offended by the mascot. >> they're angry. they may not express it in the schools because they're outnumbered, but they're angry. this hurts them. >> reporter: tonight the school board will vote on whether to scrap the mascot once and for all. school board president hazel wilson says she is hearing strong opinions from both sides. >> those who have felt that they have honored tradition and that they have not be

if every one of us could be brave in that way, i. >> jodi hernandez, nbc bay area news. >>> still to come, a double dose of the holidays may have proved too much for instagram. the record-setting day and the problems that went along with it. >>> also -- >> i'm proud of myself, and i think i made a difference and impacted somebody as life. >> the donation that could save someone's life. it doesn't cost you anything to give it. >>> plus on the other end of the spectrum, what led up to this brawl. one shopper even pulled out a stun gun. >>> and temperatures tonight in the 40s and 50s, on our way to at least another day of warm temperatures tomorrow, but the seven-day forecast is bringing a winter blast our way. we'll let you know if the temperatures will arrive for the weekend, and the full forecast in just a few minutes. >>> witnesses say that crackle sound was from a taser or stun gun after a fight broke out. two women began arguing, then throwing punches. one pulled out what appeared to be that stun gun. mall security escorted both of them out of the billing. >>> amid the chaos, one

here is nbc bay area's jodi hernandez. >> it just feels really great to be home and i'm really glad thatould be home for thanksgiving. >> reporter: despite enduring a terrifying ordeal, sasha fleischman could not be more grateful this thanksgiving. >> pretty much all my burned areas, i have skin grafts. >> reporter: the high school senior suffered severe burns to the legs when a student set her skirt on fire. >> i looked down and my skirt was on fire. and i freak out because i'm on fire. >> reporter: for the first time, sasha is talking publically about the ordeal. describing the moments of panic, on seeing and feeling the flames. >> my first instinct is dumb and i sort of, start waving it around and that fanned the flames and made it bigger. >> reporter: what sasha did next, learned in grade school, may have saved the teen. >> i started to drop on the ground and roll around. >> reporter: there were three surgeries and three weeks in the burn unit, but sasha is not bitter. >> i don't want to be too harsh, because people do dumb things. you know? and especially when they are teenagers. >>

. > i'm jodi hernandez in oakland. where the opening of the fourth floor of the caldecott tunnel is days away. what mus happen first, comin up. >>> it been a special event for almost a century. why aouth bay tradition could be in jeopardy. next. >>> not just for veterans but also for filies and communities to honor and learn om veterans. now a longstanding local tradition is introuble. san jose's annual veterans day parade, one of the largest and oldest of its kind, could vanish. nbc bay area's damn trujillo is along the parade route. 95ears of history. this means a lot to lot of people. >> reporter: yeah, raj, that's because it costs tensf thounds of dlars to organize this rade. now,hose organizers vow to fight to keept going, but admit it's not easy to raise that kind of mey. ♪ for almost a ceury, this pageantry has en a staple of san jose >> present. celebrate the serce of they america's military. >> i lik it becau with all the terans coming togeth. >> my daughter's doing a paper this is very educational for the kid

nbc bay area's jodi hernandez is live at the airport. the fog is about to lift when it comes to those airport logistics, jodi? >> reporter: we certainly hope so. sfo has a new way to cut through those dreaded fog delays, thanks to a new set of faa procedures, more travelers should arrive here to sfo on time. on a clear, sunny day like today, planes flying into sfo can land side by side. but until recently, when foggy, stormy weather rolls in, landing simultaneously hasn't been possible. >> traditionally, when we get into low clouds, fog, rainy conditions, those two parallel runways we use for landing essentially get cut down to one. we essentially go to a sing single-file line of aircraft and that's a cause of the delays we have. >> reporter: that's all changing. now the faa has given sfo the all-clear to use both parallel runways in foggy weather. as long as planes are staggered by a mile and a half. >> we're excited about it. we think it will reduce delays at sfo. it's a save procedure. >> that's going to make it easier for me as someb

jody hernandez reports the ople responsible forhe clean-up, there's no reason to be afraid. >> jessica, the navy has been working clean up treasure island for years. in fact, youan see hazardous kwaes and caution signs u throughout the isnd. bu as you mentione a newly released memo is stirring up few fears. but the treasure island development authorit says those fes are unwarranted. >> we see all the people pushing thlittle radioactive detects around. and it's crazy. oen treasure island are feeling, after learning radioaive material was unearthedhere thisast spring. a newly released iernal memo from the california deptment of public health, radioactive fragments were fou at five separate lations. according to the memo, one fragment hadadiation levels so high that holding the fragment hair loss and possible uls uls ration. >> i don't let my son play on the ground for one. t i don't know, it scares me. it really scares me >> but robert beck with the treasure iand development auority says the information ntained in the memo is nothing new. there hasn't been a conclusion by anyone that tre

jody hernandez is in oakland. jody, what a special night for this family. >> very special. i'll tell you, sasha is tired, we're told, and a bit overwhelmed, but very thankful to be back here at home tonight. when the teenager's family car pooled up the street and into the driveway this afternoon, we could see a huge smile on the teenager's face. a smile that smoke volumes. >> it feels good to be on home turf. it feets comforting. >> sasha fleischmann has returned home, wearing a black skirt with legs tightly bandaged. the teen sported a big smile as they arrived home to oakland. >> sasha is really excited to see the sky and to see the traffic signals and just the real world for the first time in three weeks. >> just a little more than three weeks ago, sasha suffered severe burns to the legs after another teen set the high school senior's skirt on fire aboard an ac transit bus. >> we're just hoping that something good will come out of this. that, you know, that this kind of intolerance will be -- people will realize that you can wear unusual clothing and it doesn't mean that

jodi hernandez joins us from oakland. how is sasha recovering? >> sasha's recovery has been truly remarkable. he could be home as early as tomorrow. sasha's father shared with me his feelings on the case being handled in adult court. and sasha's father says the teenager should be home by thanksgiving. he says the agender 18-year-old who was set on fire by another teen aboard a transit bus has a lot to be grateful for, despite the attack. >> being thankful for the paramedics. the emergency room. people from the burn center. the nurses and the doctors. there have been so many people who just made this survivorable for all of us. >> he's very remorseful. he's extremely remorseful. he's about as remorseful as a kid can be. >> the attorney for richard thomas, the suspect in the case, insists it was a childish prank gone bad. he filed a motion to have the 16-year-old prosecuted as a juvenile, not an adult. >> he ought to be treated like what he is, which is a 16-year-old child who made a horrible mistake for which he will have to pay severely. but noth

jody hernandez is outside the meeting as we speak. jody? >> it's standing room only. how packeds the if you believe comment has been taking place for the past 45 minutes. it's a mockery of their culture. native americans formed a pray circle before marching in to make their case. the apache mascot must go. >> they do a tomahawk chop with their cheers. they've got the newest school sweater out and it's got a horrib horrible caricature of an indian head with a headband. and it's hideous looking. yet this is how they define what an apache is. >> melissa mendoza's 17-year-old son attends vallejo sky. she says the mascot makes him embarrassed and angry. >> it shouldn't cost the dehumanization of our children. it just should shouldn't. it's not parent. as a parent i'm saying enough is enough. it's got to end. >> the school board president says she'll carefully consider all sides before voting on whether to scrap the mascot at tonight's meet, a meeting that's standing room only. . >> those who felt they have honored tradition and that they have not been disrespectful to the

i'm jody hernandez, nbc bayrea news. >>> the troubled ambulance serve in santa clara countys one less probl tonigh. workers have voted to acept a new contract rural metro ambunce service for response time penalties. then they declared banuptcy. theew contract gives them higher y and safety improvemen improvements. the company is in the middle of five-year contract. >>> it is a stunner. going from $800 a montho more than1100. allf it happenedovnight. the battle playing o along the split.ine jus south of the 280 >> report: a large number of mobile home park are senior citizens on a fixed income. many of them telling me that this was their dream home d many of them fear they cld be homeless soon. they got a letter last month from the property owr telling them the rt fs may b more an double next year the majority of the homes are being rented. only 15 are privately owd. me homeowners are fighting back. >> my rent would go to 2400. we'dave to leave our home. >> rent increases are necessay in the marketplace to allow for e kinds o improvements we have made torotect the par and its residents

. >> i'm jody hernandez in oland where the attorney for the teenagerccused of setting another teen on fire said, it wasn't a hatecrime. i'll describ what the surveillan veo of wha that bay commuters.countdown for east we now know when the fourthoor of the tunnel ll open. >>> good afternoon. we'll have details on how chilly it will stay in the 60s and the possible chance ofain coming up in just a few minutes. >>> november 15th, bat kid day in gotham city here in e bay area. >>> happening now, rt's board of directors i in a special eting. a problem could tear the whole deal apart. agreement that management sayse they didn't agree to. theyelieve it was mistakenly le in the contract ratifid by the unions. union leads spok during a public comment sessiont today's meeting. >>e consider we have a complete agreement in its entirety and it is signed off on. the ions have done their job to achiev that. >> the meeting is in closed session rightnow. bars board isn't expectedo te on the final contract until next week. >>> now to an nbc bay area follow-up, a childish prank, that's how the attorney

jodi hernandez shares his story. >> feels really great to be home and i'm really fwlad that i could be home for thanksgiving. >> reporter: despite enduring a terrifying ordeal, sasha fleischman couldn't be more grateful this thanksgiving. >> pretty much all my burned areas are i have skin grafts. >> reporter: the high school senior suffered severe burns to the legs when another teen set sasha's skirt on fire aboard an ac transit bus three weeks ago. >> i looked down and my skirt is on fire. i freak out. i'm on fire. >> reporter: for the first time, sasha is talking publicly about the ordeal. describing the moments of panic on seeing and feeling the flames. >> my first instinct is kind of dumb. that waving around trying to put it out. that fans the flames and makes it bigger. >> what sasha did next something learned in kindergarten may have saved the teen. >> i drop on the floor and start rolling. >> sasha's injuries required three surgeries and three weeks in the burn unit. yet, sasha doesn't seem bitter. >> i don't want to be too harsh because people do dumb things. especially when th

jody hernandez is in downtown oakland. what does it mean for the commuters? >> reporter: that's the big question. the unions are saying they are consulting with their attorneys tonight. if you thought the bart labor dispute was over, think again. >> eight yes, one no. >> reporter: the bart board of directors approved a contract with its unions day. but the unions say it's not the contract they agreed to last month. >> it should have been vote on the package in its entirety. >> reporter: board members, indeed, did some picking and choosing. removing a family leave provision they insist was in there by a mistake. >> i do believe it was a mistake, but it's nothing that the board ever agreed to. it was never brought to the board because it was never considered by the district as something we were going to consider. we weren't going to consider another six weeks of paid leave. >> any idea they can ignore those parts of the contract that they don't like and keep the parts of the contract they do like is not legal. we can't allow that to stand. >> reporter: the unio

. >> jody hernandez just spoke with him at home. she'll join us with that report an the 6:00 newscast. >>> it appears we'll never know the motive behind the newtown massac massacre. investigators say they could not find any conclusive motive. there was no indication why shooter adam lanza chose that school other than it was close to his home. but the report did conclude he had significant mental health issues. >>> a silicon valley startup has been given a stop sign. the food and drug administration told them they must halt sales of its $99 test kits. they have not proven the test kits are safe or supported by science. it's not met the fda's expectations and it will address the agency's concerns. >>> a south bay charity may not have enough birds to go around for families in need. we are live from sacred heart community center with how much help the charity needs tonight. >> folks are just picking up the last of the boxes that were promised for today. folks will be lined up again tonight. they promised 4,000 families with a little hel

jodi hernandez is live in oakland. you spoke to a labor relations expert. can the board remove a clause just like that? >> reporter: jessica, it's unclear what the legal implications may be because, quite frankly, nobody we talked to has ever heard of something like this taking place. as for what it may mean for commuters, well that too is a big question. it's a path nobody expected b.a.r.t.'s labor dispute to take. >> the district does have fmla. >> reporter: the board of directors approved a contract with the unions today, but not the agreement both sides signed on to at the negotiating table. >> it is deeply disappointing that they have taken this action to piecemeal and parcel out something that they don't feel that they want to agree to. >> reporter: and indeed the board made some changes, removing a family leave provision they insist was included in the final agreement by mistake. >> i do believe it was a mistake, but at any rate, it's nothing that the board ever agreed to. it was never brought to the board because it was never considered by the distr

nbc bay area's jodi hernandez spoke with one of the attorneys for sonoma county. what's the county's response tonight? >> reporter: raj, the sonoma county counsel bruce goldstein said he is worried about this lawsuit. he says he believes that it would actually hinder the ideal investigation. he believes there will be a time for lawsuits but says that time is not right now. meanwhile, the attorney for andy lopez's family says this lawsuit could actually help uncover the truth. >> will never get over this. they never will. they've got three other children. that's no solace. okay? they miss andy so deeply. so tremendously. >> reporter: and andy lopez's parents have filed a lawsuit in federal court hoping to get just that. their attorney says the family is suing sonoma county and sheriffs deputy erick gelhaus, the officer who opened fire on the 13-year-old after mistaking the replica gun he was carrying for a real one. he a is seen here in a photo obtained by the modern service weapons website. a site the deputy contributes to. >> we will ask him, what the hell were y

and i don't like pants. >> in oakland, jodi hernandez, nbc bay area news. >> it's 6:34.e on the road this holiday weekend so is the chp. the office in marin tweeted this. we're getting lots of reports from motorists of reckless and possible dui drivers. thanks for the tips, we're out looking for them. a look at interstate 80. pretty light traffic but it's a special holiday, they are going to be on patrol through sunday. >> if you are taking in 880 eastbound toward tahoe don't expect too much snow on the ground. making sure there is enough powder on the slopes for holiday fears. the storm that was supposed to hit northern california appears to be bypassing the region. the next system isn't expected until the middle of the week. a nonprofit in the south bay has 35 days to raise money for its snow park in san jose. check out their page set up for the group snow school incorporated. the goal is $1 million. they want to build the park at an abandoned landfill. the facility would use synthetic snow and the size of the park will depend on how much money they can raise. wonder h

jody hernandez joins us now with more on how sasha's story is bringing the agender topic into the public spotlight. >> reporter: rainbow ribbons mark the bus route where that attack took place. the teen appears to be poised to turn that event into something positive. >> i think they're an incredibly brave young person who perhaps history thrusts people into moments that are bigger than any one of us. >> reporter: that's how many in the bay area now feel about sasha, the skirt wearing agender teenager set on fire, whose story has prompted many to rethink issues of gender. >> we're talking about terms like agender and we've never heard those terms before in common culture. >> reporter: a nonprofit says sasha's story is shining new light on something many young people are embracing. the idea that gender shouldn't be limited to just male or female. >> it's each young person having the right to self-determine what gender means to them and who they are in the world. >> skirts are really comfortable. >> reporter: sasha prefers the term they and them over he and she. >> more recently, i identifi

jody hernandez spoke with sasha's father today and has an update about the suspect in this case. >> reporter: there's one thing that is suspect's attorney and the family agree on. both sides say adult court is not the place for this case to play out. sasha's father shared his thoughts on that with me today as he prepares for sasha to come home. >> sasha is really eager to get home. >> reporter: sasha's father says the teenager set on fire three weeks ago by another teen should be home in time for thanksgiving. he says sasha hasn't wanted to dwell on what happened on the transit bus, instead focusing on recovery. >> it was a horrible thing to go through, but -- and in time, sasha will be dealing with it. but for the time they've been in the hospital, it's mostly been about healing. >> reporter: as sasha prepares to come home, the 16-year-old suspect richard thomas appeared in court where he has attorney filed a motion to have him prosecuted as a child. not as an adult. >> he ought to be treated like what he is, which is a 16-year-old child who made a horrible mistake, for which he'll have to

we begin with jodi hernandez in the elements in walnut creek. >> reporter: it's hard to see on television, but it is raining lightly in walnut creek, for folks driving home on highway 24 at the 680 interchange here in walnut creek, they're definitely giving the windshield wipers a workout. while the rainfall may not be adding up to much, for the most part, it's a welcome sight. >> i love the rain. >> reporter: that's the reaction of many as the pitter patter of rain drops returns to the bay area for the first time in months. catching some by surprise. >> who came repaired? who didn't? >> i came prepared. >> i didn't come prepared. i'm sorry. >> reporter: people broke out their umbrellas after a long dry spell. one they hope won't be repeated any time soon. >> i hope there's going to be more. this wasn't real accomplily muc rain. i was preparing for more. we need lots more so we don't go into a drought mode next summer. >> reporter: the return of the rain is making for slick conditions on bay area roads. oils thate

nbc bay area's jodi hernandez caught up with school officials for a look the problem. what's being done to stop it? >> reporter: well, jessica, this 17-page report paints a very disturbing picture. it says students at this school district are subjected to both physical and verbal sexual harassment at a level that's simply shocking. at school i do feel safe. we have all these amazing security here, and surveillance cameras. >> reporter: but while 17-year-old iris wong feels safe at dianza high school, that hasn't been the case for many students in the west contra costa school district prompted by a gang rape of a 15-year-old richmond girl and rape of a 12-year-old that same year. a federal investigation concluded sexual harassment and sexual violence are huge problems at the district's elementa elementary, middle and high schools. >> i'm enormously dismayed about the prevalence of sexual violence and sexual harassing conduct in

reporting live in oakland, i'm jodi hernandez, nbc bay area news. >> thank you, jodi. >>> tonight, police looking for several drivers who hit a pedestrian early this morning on i-80 in richmond. officers say the 32-year-old man was driving west on 80 near the soleano avenue exit after midnight when he crashed into the center divider. he got out of the car and was trying to cross the freeway when he was hit by several cars. most of those drivers did not stop. the victim identified as nathaniel robinson of richmond died at the scene. >>> in san francisco, a woman who was hit by a garbage truck this morning has now died. the accident happened on interstate 80 at the seventh street off ramp. the road and several connector ramps were shut down for several hours for the investigation. there's no word on why the woman was on the freeway. back in may, another ecology garbage truck hit and killed a 21-year-old bicyclist in the mission district. >>> san jose fire investigators say an electrical issue was likely to blame for an early morning fire at an adult party store. the fire started just after

i'm jodi hernandez in oakland. i got a chanceo vie the surveillance video of the attack. i'll have thstory coming up. >>> it wasn'a hate crime, that's the claim of the defense attorney representing the teenager accused of sting sasha fleishma on fire. nbc bay area'sodi hernandez got a chance to watch the surveillance video of that incident. the incident, the suspt's torney insists, was a childish prank. >> it's my opinion tt it was prank, and it was thought that noing serious would happen at all. and then it was a terrible tragedy. suspect's attorney desibes the incident that left 18-year-old sasha fleishman with severe burns. the aorney says 16-year-old richard thom did not mean to hurt aone. andnsists it wasn't a hate crime. despit an investigator's written declaration that the boy said he did it because he s homophobic. >> wheas a matter of fact, he doesn't even know how to spell homophobic, yet alone be homophobic, ere are members of his family w are gay. he has absolutely not a homophobic bone in his body. >> reporter: it was capred on the bus' surveillance vide a vi

reporting live insausito, jodi hernandez, nbc bay aa news. >>hank you. >>> still ahead here at6:00, sun, sapd and suspicion. >> new questions tonight about a vacation retreat for state lawmaks. >>> plus -- >> so this is allusteally exciting and moving fast. >> been waiting by the phone f decades. now a bay area woman who made history in world war ii needs just one more thing to make her wish come true. >>> also -- >> reporter: did you note some raindrops lling from the sky this morning? well, they probably didn't last i'm chase cain. that may mean that california record.on break a very gloomy >>>nd we'll also talk more out that droht and most importantly about anoer storm system that's starting to develop out heren the fwugulf o aska. details on that coming up if just a few minutes. >>> take a look. this cell pho video captung the dramatic sce at a apartment fi in haywar it broke out overnightust before 3:00 a.m. on whitman street near mission boulevard. someeople had to jp to safety from the second sty. thankfully no one was seriously hurt,

. >> that wa jodi hernandez reporting. the scol board is expected to vote on this issue wednesday on whether or not to change the name of the mascot. public cment is allowed and they expec a full house. >>> happening rig now, there's aeetingoing on i which police in palo alto will find out if they may be wearing soon.camerasn their chests cameras are for themo recor thei police work, especially arrests and encountersn the street. these will be similar to what use.ce in menlo park aeady they're asking the city council topprove nine camera units on a trl basis. some for patrol officers but most for motorcycle cops since theyon't have dashcams. police department is also asking city council to replace the dashcams in all 28 squad cars so they can shoot forward, back, left and right. if approved the cameras wou costhe city jus over $300,000. >>> the death toll is now at eight after re than 80 tornads touched down in t midwest. the frantic search for survivors continues toght. nbc bay area's janelleang is here with our "world to

reporting live in walnut creek, jodi hernandez, nbc bay area news. >> thank you, jodi. >>> the storm is pushing through the bay area as we speak. you just saw jodi in the rain. let's get to nbc bay area's jeff ranieri. what it means for rain tomorrow. are we going to continue to see the type of showers? >> the storm system will hang on for the next 12 to 18 hours across the bay rare. decent tap of subtropical moisture boosting up the storm totals with the system a little more than it would have if we didn't get the southerly flow moving in. we get a fix on the doppler said. see a few embedded heavier areas of rainfall approaching the north bay coast line. that will eventually impact san rafael and highway 101 corridor. speaking of traffic on our major arteries, we'll take you to the south bay. this is where you are completely stuck in about every direction. we're going to turn on the traffic layer and what you'll notice as we middle this around is highway 101 near palo alto, back toward los altos, it is red here. 280, again on highway 101. down here toward san jose, you're pretty muc

reporting live, i'm jodi hernandez, nebc bay area news. >>> was it a cruel joke? it might be. legally hating it's a hate crime. the teenager accused of setting another teenager on fire appe appeared in court. his mother and grandmother tells us he's not a hateful person. >> he's a good kid. >> reporter: the family of 16-year-old richard thomas walked out of a hearing at the oakland superior courtroom today maintaining he's a good kid. but alameda county prosecutors had a different view. today they charged thomas as an adult on charges of aggravated mayhem and assault likely to cause great bodily injury. they also charged thomas with the enhancement of a hate crime. thomas is accused of setting 18-year-old luke sasha fleischmann on fire as he slept on an ac transit bus monday. he is undergoing extensive skin grafts on his severely burned legs. in court filings, thomas told an investigator he did it because he was, quote, homophobic. fleischmann's parents said he often wore skirts and considered himself gender mutual. outside court, thomas' grandmother said he's not a hateful pe

. >> that was jodi hernandez reporting for us. hall of fame raider willie brown and other players and team staffers visited navidad today to say thank you to him in person. they gave him raiders memorabilia and yesterday's game ball. >>> still ahead here at 6:00, the latest on the deadly storm pushing through the country that could snag a lot of holiday travel plans. >>> that's right. we're also tracking our own storm system here across the bay area. i'm chief meteorologist jeff ranieri. we'll have the timing on this and a few forecasting issues coming up in a few minutes. >>> everyone loved him. even people who weren't in his class, who didn't have him as a teacher or coach. >> and his legacy lives on for generations as students of a bay area community mourns a leader who died while attempting an act of kindness for a stranger. >>> i'm scott budman. a silicon valley company told by the federal government to stop selling its product. what it may mean for your health coming up. [ bell ] [ applause ] >>>um preserve day on wall stree