but there are no long lines, you heard jodi hernandez.art of that is because so many voted by mail, voted at home. i talked to the secretary of state around noon today. out of 22 million rej strergist voters here in california -- bring the way, a record -- 11.8, over half, have voted by mail. over 98% of the ballots have already been counted. we will be following this throughout the evening. we will get behind the scenes. we are going to see the ballots that have been cast today dropped right at that deck. they will go in through those sliding glass doors. they will open the ballots. they will look, they will compare signatures and they will start counting. we will have access to all of that exclusively behind the scenes all evening. for now i'm stephen stock reporting live in san mateo county. >> stephen, we will see you throughout the night. we are getting reports from precincts around the country, so far a mixed bag. long lines in some locations. we also have court cases, as expected, and some other issues. let's bring in chris chmura

jodi hernandez has the scoop on the daring rescue that made a family very happy and jodi as well. >>ter: this little kitty caused quite a stir over the weekend after she climbed up into that big tree and couldn't get down. after the fire department wouldn't come out her owner turned to social media for help. this is what the family's kitten named kitty love endured for nearly two days. after disappearing friday the cat's family finally heard and spotted her 60 feet up in their cypress tree. >> her little head popped out and then when she saw us she started meow, meow, meow. she wanted out. >> reporter: the family called law enforcement but couldn't get help from police or firefighters. >> the fire department laughed and said this isn't the movies. we don't respond to calls like that. >> reporter: fearing she might fall they placed a mattress out, the family growing more and more worried by the hour. >> i was like, please come down, kitty love so we can be a happy family. >> reporter: desperate, jessica plummer posted a plea for help on social media and a neighbor answered the call. >

nbc bay area's jodi hernandez joins us live from brentwood. jodi, this has really divided that neighborhood. >> reporter: it really has, jessica. a lot of people are outraged over what they saw out there. and right now about 100 protesters are on the march as we speak from downtown brentwood here to the brentwood police department. they say they plan to rally here for a bit before they march on over to the house where that effigy hung just yesterday morning. they say their message is very clear. they will not tolerate hate here. [ horns honking ] people in brentwood want the world to know hate has no place in their suburban community. >> we need to show them that their voice is the minority. >> reporter: folks here say they're disgusted by the hateful and frightening display a neighbor put up this week. an effigy of joe biden hanging by a noose. >> it's disappointing. it's hurtful. i mean we have to stay here just like they do. >> reporter: well, the man took the effigy down when confronted by police. some are lashing out. people egged and spra

nbc bay area's jodi hernandez joins us in brentwood. i can see that protest going on behind you already, jodi. >> reporter: that's right. people have actually been out here protesting all day, but their numbers are growing by the minute. you can see them here with their signs. they've been honking horns. music is playing. i'm going to show you this is the house that they are so upset about over here across the street. this is where the effigy was hanging this morning. all that remains are the flags and the trump sign and a lot of hurt feelings. this is what caused heads to turn in brentwood last night and this morning after a neighbor hung an effigy using a rope and a noose. the hanging mannequin wearing a "sleepy joe" sign. neighbors were stunned. >> i just went out for a walk and came out and saw it hanging there. it scared me because i -- for a second, coming from the back end of it, it looked real. >> i was born and raised in brentwood. i'll lived here my entire life, and i've never seen something as hateful as this. >> reporter: nei

let's bring in nbc bay area's jodi hernandez, who is there for us in danville with the very latest. looks very active behind you, jodi. >> reporter: it really is. there are several hundred trump supporters here. you can see them behind me. they are on every corner of this intersection. they are loud. they are pumped up. they tell me they will accept whatever happens tomorrow night, but they are convinced they'll be celebrating. ♪ another one bites the dust >> reporter: president trump's supporters are making their voices heard in danville tonight. on the eve of the election, they're doing all they can to sway people their way. >> we're for trump. you can see by my sign i love trump, and i love freedom. >> reporter: most registered voters have already cast their ballots in contra costa county. early voting has been taking place in record numbers across the county. the registrar of voters has been busy scanning ballots. when the polls close tomorrow, they'll be able to tabulate them within minutes. >> by the end of the day, i expect to have more than 60% turnout for the county in terms

nbc bay area's jodie hernandez. >> reporter: serving up turkey with all the fixings but because of the pandemic, they must do things differently this year. >> if this were last year, you wouldn't be able to stand in here. it was so packed, because we'd have the family sitting at all the tables. >> reporter: instead of gathering inside the dining hall, clients lined up outside to grab a meal bagged up to go. and a warm pair of socks. some are eating outside and others are taking it back to their camp sites. >> very grateful, grateful i'm alive today. grateful i was able to wake up today. >> reporter: st. anthony's in oakley, volunteers spent the entire morning cooking up a feast, but they're taking things a step further. they're delivering the warm meals to homeless camps in antioch. >> today we're going out to see those experiencing homelessness. we thought it was important to do it on thanksgiving day, considering not many places are closed. >> reporter: whether it's serving those in need or feeding our own families, keeping everyone safe is the name of the game this year. epps is hos

as nbc bay area's jodi hernandez reports, the family says the vandalism has left them shaken but also determined. >> i remember going to bed with my husband and saying, pinch me, babe. like this is finally happening. you know, buying a home in the bay area is not an easy feat. >> reporter: but just a day after moving into their new home, the hammock family woke up to a disturbing act of vandalifvanda vandalism, the words f-you spray painted on the front of their house. >> it makes me feel like some individuals don't believe we should be here or that we're not welcome here in the city of rodeo. >> for us to finally achieve this milestone and then less than 24 hours kind of get a big slap in the face, it was very daunting. >> reporter: the hammocks immediately painted over the writing to keep their three young children from seeing it. they say one neighbor speculated they may have been targeted because they removed the american flag that had been out front for 50 years. >> if a flag can cause someone to do something like this, then that person definitely needs some kind of healing on th

nbc bay area's jodi hernandez is in martinez. this has to have mixed reaction. >> reporter: definitely a lot of mixed emotions. we're here in martinez where you can see businesses have moved their operations outside. we're in front of a couple of breweries. they've adapted to the cold weather by getting heaters, and now they are faced with one more challenge. cory katz is gearing up for what he expects will be one more shake-up to his martinez business, bar kava. not only has he had to move his operation outside, a 10:00 p.m. curfew kicks in saturday night. >> so if we have to close early because people have to get home by 10:00, that means i have to close an hour earlier. we lose revenue. bills don't get paid because we count on that money on a friday and saturday night. those are our busiest nights. >> reporter: down the street at this brewery, the owner says adapting to all the pandemic restrictions has been a roller coaster. but he thinks the temporary curfew won't change his bottom line by too much. >> we normally close at 1

nbc bay area's jodi hernandez has the new developments. >> reporter: the incident that took place out in this gated discovery bay neighborhood has literally captured the attention of folks all across the country. tonight the local chapter of the naacp is speaking out along with a lot of neighbors. >> i'm definitely thankful for all of our neighbors who took time to come over here and express, you know, how they feel. >> reporter: you're looking at just a handful of the expressions of support a discovery bay family has gotten after another neighbor's actions. >> you're a black person in a while neighborhood, and you're acting like one. why don't you act like a white person in a white neighborhood? >> reporter: these racial comments came from a neighborhood who came to the jones' front door to complain about their dog earlier this week. now they've sparked a growing uproar. >> they're just so friendly and they're so helpful, and i'm very sad about that because they -- they don't deserve those words. they're good people. >> you will be supported, that you are supported, that we are here

jodi hernandez said people are managing to give thanks differently this year. >> reporter: we may be in the midst of the pandemic, wasn't about to give up her tradition of cooking up a big thanksgiving meal. >> we could take away the tradition of coming together, but that doesn't mean we take away the traditions that we hold on to in order to actually prepare the meals. >> reporter: instead, hosting a drive-by thanksgiving. preparing plates filled with all her favorite holiday dishes. friends and family to grab to go. >> given this circumstance, we still can give thanks. we still can appreciate one another. even if we're not together. >> reporter: local non-profits are also making adjustments. in pittsburgh, serving up meals for those in need on thanksgiving day. instead of filling up the dining hall with guests, pick up along with a new pair of socks. >> it's been an awful year. it's been a year that's impacted all the homeless more than it's impacted the families that have places to go. >> reporter: i'm so gravoluntee anthony's in oakley are going the extra mile. they spent the mor

nbc bay area's jodi hernandez caught up with some families who are heeding the warnings. >> reporter: natalie chang is busy prep for her family's thanksgiving feast. but instead of hosting her traditional large gathering, chang's scaling things down this year to stay on the safe side. >> now with covid and the rates are rising, i just decided we're going to keep it low, keep it just to the four of us. >> reporter: small family celebrations are the safest bet. as the number of covid cases continuous to surge, health officials are reminding people to consider virtual gatherings or sharing a meal outdoors. >> please, just wear a mask. and social distance. >> reporter: she knows all too well how devastating covid-19 can be. she lost her 88-year-old mother to the virus in may. >> look around and look at your loved ones. what if you never saw them again? >> reporter: firestone wore a double mask on her quick flight to the bay area to be with her two sons for the holiday. they feel the need to be together. >> i think it had a lot of significance in why we wanted to be together as a family be

. >>> let's head to the east bay, jodi hernandez has been visiting polling places throughout the day.how are the lines there? >> long lines have not been a thing today because so many people voted early, but a steady stream of voters have been coming by to vote in person across contra costa county. the assistant registrar of voters tells us everything has gone smoothly. we talked to a young woman who said she thinks voting is more powerful than protesting. >> well, with all these protests, we thought we would go in there and see those people are getting their voice heard. no. they won't see that. you have to get yourself out of the house and go out and vote. >> again, so far 30,000 people have voted in person, but again because so many people voted early, they are still expecting a record turnout. reporting live in richmond, jodi hernandez, back to you. >> that's a whole new way of voting. >>> so much anxiety and pressure on people, people feeling emotional about this. we'll keep a close eye on the polling places and the results and the statewide propositions, 12 of them. we'll see yo

. >> reporter: in contra costa county jody hernandez, nbc bay area news. >> sonoma county and four of its cities there are suing pg&e. the government along with open space district and other agencies claim pg&e was negligent in causing the kinkade fire last year. the lawsuit seeks compensation for damage to land, roads and environmental resources. back in july a cal fire investigation traced the cause to pg&e transmission lines located outside of geyserville. pg&e released a statement tonight saying the transmission tower in question was inspected multiple times in 2019, adding while we're continuing to conduct our own investigation pg&e does not have access to cal fire's reports. >>> let's take you outside and give you a live look at sfo where things are going to look a little different this holiday season. the airport installing more than 15,000 markers to remind us to keep our social distance. there's also hundreds of hand sanitizing stations in the terminals, plexiglass barriers are installed and frequently touched surfaces are being disinfected. of course the biggy is you have to

. >> contra costa county, jodi hernandez, nbc bay area news. >> we'll continue to follow that story. >>> in these historically difficult times this history needs to be recorded. >> in bay area proud, that is just what two experienced story tellers are attempting to do with one of california's biggest wild fires. >> reporter: how do you tell the story of something so big, of a fire that burned close to 90,000 acres, destroyed close to 9,000 buildings. >> hi, welcome. >> hi. i'm nicky. >> reporter: well, if you are these two -- >> what do you have in your basket? >> reporter: -- you start small. >> that's beautiful. >> reporter: nicky is an award winning radio producer. noel a santa cruz photographer for more than 30 years. >> we go back looking for specific things. >> reporter: together they are preserving the story of the lightning complex fire one object at a time. >> there's something about objects and the importance it had to that person that tells a story about their life. >> reporter: as a news photographer, he spent ten days in august on the fire line capturing images of the fl

reporting live in martinez, i'm jodi hernandez, nbc bay area news. >> so stressful for all those business owners. >>> let's take a deeper look at what the state's restrictions actually mean because it can be confusing. let's talk about the most restrictive tier. that's that purple tier. this list on the left shows the businesses that must move everything outdoors. like jodi just showed you, that means restaurants, gyms, places of worship. other businesses like retail and malls can continue to operate indoors but they have to stay under that 25% capacity. hair salons, barbershops, nail salons and other personal care services can also stay indoors but they have to continue doing proper safety precautions. right now six bay area counties are in the purple tier. that's los alamitos, contra costa, napa, santa clara, solano, sonoma county. however, counties have the option of putting even more restrictions in place. so the list we showed you is the bare minimum of what's required. here are the changes in the red tier. wineries and card rooms must stay outdoors. more businesses can move indoors