nbc bay area's joe rosato jr. takes a look back. >> reporter: it's, of course, customary to ring in the new year with fireworks and cheers. >> happy new year. >> reporter: but when 2020 rolled in january 1st, few had any idea the real fireworks were yet to come. in a january that now seems like another lifetime -- >> trump and the president of ukraine -- >> reporter: headlines dominated with president trump's impeachment hearings. the san francisco 49ers clawed their way into super bowl liv only to lose to the kansas city chiefs. we were thinking about the upcoming olympics in tokyo, a sporting spectacle known for bringing people together under the flag of competition. we were soaking in the promise of a new year, a clean start. as we were heading to jobs, gathering with family and friends, a story about an emerging virus in a place called wuhan, china, gone to make its way from the backs of newspapers to the front. >> an unprecedented morning in the coronavirus crisis. >> a plan under way to get passengers and co

"today in the bay's" joe rosato jr. takes a look. >> reporter: we start every year with a clean slate, a wish list for the future, and often a slew of new laws with hundreds taking effect in california, here are a handful to kick around. some of those new laws were inspired by the pandemic. employers must now provide written notice to workers who have been exposed to covid within 24 hours or face fines. hospitals have to maintain at least a three-month supply of ppe for workers or face a $25,000 fine for each olatvin. in case you needed another reason not to drive and text, if you get caught texting or just holding your phone while driving twice in three years, you'll get a point on your license instead of just a fine. >> texting and driving is really bad. sorobably a good incentive not to do it. >> reporter: some laws reflected the recent racial equality inspired by the death of george floyd. police in the state are no longer allowed to use choke holds, and people can be fined for calling 911 to harass someone based on

with hopes for a better new year, joe rosato jr., nbc bay area news. >> it is something we are goingo tell our grandchildren and great-grandchildren about. i've always encouraged my family to take pictures with the mask on because i think it will be so interesting looking back 20 years from now what 2020 and 2021 looked like. >> right. and you look back at the beginning we were in studio and i haven't been in studio since march. >> it feels pretty weird. >> i bet because you've been working from home as well. rob, it's interesting to see what we've all managed to pull off. >>> in a year with the weather an the fire season, other complex things that we had in 2020, we're hoping to erase some of that off the board here in 2021 as we have more rain in the forecast. maybe not showing up until later on today in the north bay. increasing clouds and eventually a chance of that rain especially after sundown tonight. right now san francisco looking good. not much wind to talk about. look at the temperature there in livermore. down to 35 degrees. that looks like january as you can see with no

here is joe rosato to look back. >> reporter: there's a house in berkeley, a plain, stucco house thatdent, kamala harris. >> never did i ever think in my time that i was going to see this. >> reporter: harris' journey to another house, the white house, is in many ways a bay area story. born in oakland, raised in this berkeley home by a mother who emigrated from india and a father from british jamaica. she was bussed to elementary school as part after desegregation plan. later she and her sister moved to quebec with her mom where they attended high school. a childhood friend reflected on the journey. >> i have a daughter who is turning 21 next week and seeing kamala be the vp it makes her hopeful. >> reporter: harris' past wound its way through the historically black howard university in washington, d.c. >> she saw something she did not like. she did something about it. >> reporter: back to california to attend cal and hastings college of law. she started her law career as a prosecutor in alameda county before taking a job as a prosecutor in san francisco. in 2002 she successfully ran

with hopes for a better new year, joe rosato jr., nbc bay area news. >> makes you oddly proud to lookk on that and think, hey, we survived that. we can get through anything. >>> 7:55. still ahead on "today in the bay" -- if you adopted new shopping habits during the pandemic you're not alone. we look at few items that became so popular last year and it's not toilet paper and clorox wipes. (soft music) hey dad, i'm about to leave. don't forget your hat . good morning. how can i help? i need help connecting with my students. behind every last minute save, ok, that works. and holiday surprise, thank you! a customer service rep is working unseen, making it happen. and at genesys, we're proud to help them help you everyday. was no "rose parade" in los angeles -- it was the first-ever virtual rose parade. >>> for the first time in 75 years there was no rose parade in los angeles. it was the first-ever virtual rose parade yesterday. there were social distance performances, hoda kotb and al roker hosted from a studio. there were chances for the marching bands to get their time in the spotligh