in belmont, julie watts, kpix 5. >>> coming up in our next half- hour, a bombshell from the u.s.aker. john boehner stepping down. why it could mean a big opportunity for one california lawmaker. >> a busy day for pope francis in new york. addressing dignitaries saying mass for thousands. but why it's the little things that the pontiff may be enjoyin the most. >> a northern,, >>> our top stories tonight, no injuries to report after a caltrain slammed into two cars at the broadway crossing in burlingame. we're told both cars were unoccupied but right now, it is unclear what they were doing on the tracks. >>> samtrans is providing a bus bridge as the investigation continues. >>> money and time are running out for the sonoma developmental center. the state's largest long-term care facility for developmentally disabled adults is shutting down because of federal funding cuts. the state will have three years to relocate its 400 residents. >>> a family from fremont was among those injured in this duck boat crash in seattle. they were thrown from the amphibious tour vehicle when it hit a

in middletown, julie watts, kpix5. >> the average pat is generally about $5,000. the agency says victims of the value' fire, especially if they were uninsured may get more. >>> the owner of two popular dim sum restaurants in san francisco is accuse of cheating workers out of wages not once, but twice. even after he was ordered to pay up. kpix5's betty yu has details on the federal indictment. >> reporter: none of the employees at hong kong lounge wanted to go on camera tonight. the manager says he has only been here for a year. federal documents show the co- owner had underpaid his employees by nearly $100,000 back in 2012. it was business as usual at this popular dim sum and seafood joint on gary boulevard. it's sister restaurant is down the street. but today, court papers allege the man who ran the place two years used plenty of tricks to cheat his employees. a federal grand jury indicted a man named ming zhou. he shorted 48 workers in overtime pay. the feds ordered him to pay about $93,000 in back wages but he didn't do that. when the feds found out, he had to

tonight, julie watts shows us locals are already trying to cash in on the room rush. >> good idea. >> reporter: they are not football fans, but paul and his wife laura can't wait for the superbowl. the couple who live just a block from levi stadium are hoping to rent out their two- bedroom. their asking price? more than $3,000 a night. >> it is a big opportunity. and, we want to take as much advantage as we can. >> reporter: so do their neighbors. rentals are listed as five times the regular price for superbowl weekend. and andrew mcconnell says there is no question some homeowners will be able to cash in. >> demand will be greater than ever. >> reporter: one reason, a limited supply of hotel rooms in san francisco, san jose, and santa clara. some analysts predict the entire bay area could be sold out. but mcconnell says rental opportunities for homeowners will likely be limited to either the very high end or the bargain conscious fans. >> the top end propertys will go to corporate sponsors and shared accommodation single bedrooms. lower tier properties for bargain hunters. >> reporte

julie watts, kpix 5. >> the california cattlemen's association says it's neutral on this measure. governor brown has till october 11th to sign the bill. if he does, it would take effect in 2018. >>> amazon is taking a page out of uber's business model. the ecommerce giant is trying out a new service for its one-hour prime delivery. here's how it works. amazon hires drivers who use their own cars to deliver packages. as of now the program is being tested in seattle. >>> get ready to binge watch from 35,000 feet in the sky. today virgin america and netflix announced a partnership. virgin flyers will be provided with complimentary in-flight wi-fi access that allows them to stream their favorite shows and movies on netflix. the free wi-fi onboard is a limited time offer that lasts till march 2nd of next year. >> that flight will go by like that. >> that's right. >>> i do love the feel of fall. >> we certainly have switched over the last couple days. it's cooler, cloudier, a little light jacket in the morning. maybe the pumpkin spice latte, go for the hot latte instead of the iced one.

consumer watch reporter julie watts explains. >> reporter: we crash test our car seats to protect our kids, but how safe are these car crates designed to prec our pets? as we showed you two years ago in a first of its kind crash test, the leading ones failed, turning them in to projectiles. now the center for pet safety is at it again, using specially designed crash test dummy dogs. the results are sobering. >> they don't hold up as well as pet owners think they will. >> reporter: in fact cps says owners shouldn't expect any kind of crash protection for their pets from most crates or carriers. >> we now know wire crates and plastic carriers are only distraction prevention tools. they can easily be breached in a shortstop or accident. >> reporter: that's not to say pet owners should drive around with fido in their lap. >> you don't want your animal getting injured. the safest thing for you to do is have them restrained in the vehicle. >> reporter: while there are no laws in california regarding pet restraint, police will ticket drivers. crate manufacturers are responsible for their own

julie watts says we can all learn from the tragedy and julie, it's just so important to have an evacuation plan. >> reporter: you know, from oes to the mormon church there is no shortage of lists online telling what you you should have in your emergency go bag but fact is we don't have one most of us. on the way up we stopped off and knocked on the door of an unsuspecting homeowner to demonstrate just how difficult it is to pack up in a hurry when you're unprepared. [ knocking ] >> hi. >> hi. >> we're doing a story on disaster preparedness. how prepared are you for a fire or an earthquake right now? >> oh, not very prepared. >> reporter: lori is not alone. census data shows only half of americans have an emergency evacuation kit. lori says it is on her mind following a recent fire in her novato neighborhood that forced the family to evacuate. >> you're like, okay get me out of the house and you just don't really care what you take. >> reporter: so we have a challenge for you. grab whatever you can in the house if you had 10 minutes to get out. >> 10 minutes? >> reporter: ly reluctantly agr

julie watts, kpix5. >>> leaving me autoof out of the island aren't you guys? all right,ly talk about the weather. it was a windy day. sfo, 41 miles an hour. windy in daly city. fairfield, 21 miles an hour wind. even you in the south by dealing with the wind today. but it is relaxing tonight and it will not be a factor tomorrow. look at the lows in the north bay. santa rosa, 46. napa, 47. mountain view, 56. starting tough holiday weekend in san jose, 55. labor day, a lot of travel. yosemite, gorgeous chilly mornings. sunny afternoon. redding, 85. up toward shasta lake, sacramento, 84 for the state capital. and fresno, 84 degrees. monterrey, partly sunny. low pressure gave us the wind, the cool weather. will once again tonight. the chilly air is exiting over northern idaho, western montana. moving away from us opening the door for something else to move in. that something else is a ridge of high pressure which is slow to arrive but once it gets here, it will be slow to leave. a warmup begins tomorrow and will last seven days. back to the 90s inland. close to 80

consumerwatch reporter julie watts is in san mateo, one of the many places across the state where homeowners have been letting their policies lapse. julie. >> reporter: you know, if you live in a flood zone air retowered have flood insurance -- you're required to have flood insurance. but as wetlands like this continue to dry up people are more concerned about the drought than about the flood insurance. and fema says you might want to reconsider. >> oh, my god!! >> reporter: this is what most people envision when they think about flood insurance, not this. so it's not surprising californians are responding to the drought crisis by scaling back on more than just their water use. >> the drought and the effects it's having on us every day definitely decreases people's sense of danger from flooding. >> reporter: fema says at least 30,000 californians have let their flood insurance policies lapse a 12% drop more than any other state. >> it is understandable due to the drought. but there's a saying that droughts always end in floods. >> reporter: that risk is real this winter with a strong el nino

kpix 5's julie watts tries to clear up confusion about what help is really on the way. julie. >> reporter: yeah. the president finally declared a disaster for the victims of the "valley fire." the victims of the "butte fire" are still waiting for their own declaration. those affected by either fire for many of them this is all they have left. and many are left wondering what fema can actually do for them. >> i think nothing. my friends saved my dogs and and that was it. >> reporter: jennifer isn't alone. hers was one of the hundreds of homes destroyed in the "valley fire" along with everyone else, jennifer has been awaiting him from fields. it's arrived. >> the governor declared a disaster in this county. i need your help. people need to register. >> reporter: one day after the president declared lake county a disaster area, and about a week after it was destroyed, fema is on the ground touring the destruction. but while the declaration makes victims like jennifer officially eligible for federal assistance, that may not necessarily mean what they think it does. >> a lot

in belmont, julie watts, kpix 5. >> volkswagen has named that new ceo as she said. it hopes to pull the company out of a growing scandal on emissions cheating. he is the former head of the group's porsche group. because of the vw scandal the epa said today it is making sweeping changes to its diesel emissions testing. it will add on road tests to standard lab testing. the idea is to detect software and other methods automakers might use to cheat. >>> california air regulators today voted to strengthen the state's carbon emissions standards already considered the toughest in the nation. the plan calls for cutting carbon content and fuel 10% over the next five years. oil producers warn the strict new standards will drive up the cost of gas. the industry says drivers could pay an extra $25 a year in higher gas prices by 2017 and another $56 annually by 2020. the dmv announced today it's reached a historic milestone. it has issued 500,000 driver's licenses to undocumented people living in california a state law went into effect the beginning of the year allowing undocum

you heard the stories about hackers invading people's homes through baby monitors but tonight, julie watts has learned they can do a lot more than just spy on your kids. >> reporter: that's the voice of a hacker whispering creepy messages to a three-year-old. the boy told his parents about the scary man in his baby monitor and they were hour reed when they realized what he was talking about. >> i started to cry. i figured things out. >> reporter: theirs is one of many hacking stories terrifying parents like jenna. >> oh my gosh. >> reporter: but for this mother of three, hackers spying on her sleeping kids may be the least of her concerns. baby monitor vulnerabilities could enable hackers to get any of your other connected devices. computers, tvs, even a server. >> all the devices together make up what we call the internet of things and if a hacker can get into one of these devices they can see the entire network from that device's point of view. >> reporter: the electronic foundation says most connective devices were not designed for regular software and security updates when vulnerabilit

. >> julie watts on a new tool to help you crunch the numbers before you go under the knife. >> ling -- jeremy expected he'd have a scar from his hernia surgery. what the young dad didn't expect was a bill for $20,000 for a surgery that would have cost him only a few hundred if he would have chosen a different hospital. now the insurance commissioner is attempting to level the playing field. >> californians until this moment have really struggled to get price information. >> reporter: the department of insurance along with consumer reports and ucsf unveiled their new healthcare compare tool. >> you're going to be asked increasingly to pay more out of your pocket before your health insurance kicks in so you need to know what these things cost. >> reporter: he points to the growing out of pocket maximum that can leave the insured paying thousands for a procedure that might have cost much less at a hospital a couple miles away. the website allows patients to pick a procedure, compare hospital ratings, and determine the high, low and median price for that procedure in their region. it st

but now as julie watts the reports this afternoon there are new high-tech tags that can change on theirwn. >> reporter: from incorrect price tags to out of date sales stickers, customers are often charged more at the register than the price tag advertises on the shelf. in fact, in the past two years safeway, whole foods, walgreen's, target and cvs have paid steep fines for overcharging customers. in one case we found supermarket customers were overcharged for about one out of every 50 items they bought. >> i think it happens in almost all the stores. it's just a matter of is it getting noticed. >> reporter: the department of weights and measures say it's usually human error. store workers can't keep up with the blizzard of sales and price chases every week. >> these are tags. >> reporter: now a company says it's come up with a solution. the founder of all ter, a company that makes electronic price tags. they guarantee the shelf tag and cash register are in sync. >> it's completely electronic. no manual intervention required. they can instantly update. >> reporter: kohl's ran out the tag

time is 4-- here's julie watts with a check of weath. >> i'm going to defer and say it's really early and i wasn't expecting to come in. our seven day forecast says fall starts wednesday. >> okay. >> i will double check that in one moment. >> stand corrected. >> when i can tell you though is it's going to be hot again today, but relief is on the way. it will feel like fall by wednesday. here's a look outside. 07 oakland. 69 liver more and 07 for san francisco. >> it's the first commute of the workweek, frank. monday morningic see a brief delay in a coupful of the cash lanes. details in a few. >> fire fighters getting more containment over the devastating valley fire in lake county. as the same time evacuate where i say returning home to find their houses gone. >> the big question for fire victims when they find no home to go to is, where do we stay. the twin pine casino and hotel became an option. one couple we spoke to says we live day by day. >> i got it for my from from my 11-year-old son. the only thing i have left. for eva and her husband the only belongs standing in their home t

julie watts, kpix 5. >> the new law will take effect in 2017. >>> yesterday the weather watchers wereres 80s, 90s, 100s, 20 degrees above average. not anymore. we'll kind of open up our weather window here and show you 50s, 60s, just a few 70s out there. it is much cooler to the tune of 30 degrees cooler right now compared to this time yesterday. still sunny in hayward, 62 degrees. warmer in the south bay. 74 degrees with sunshine in milpitas. look at the coastline. in pacifica, it's only 57 degrees cloudy a little breezy. lindsay patton report, the 80s are gone, only 57 in pacifica right now. only 59 officially in san francisco at the u.s. mint building. san jose 66. santa rosa 64. big-time change in livermore. were you 101 at 6:00 yesterday. today 31 degrees cooler. >> whoo! >> i wish we had some rainfall heading our way. that yellow you see at the top left of the screen will stay offshore and lift into far northern california. today's the last full day of summer. didn't really feel like it. fall begins tomorrow morning at 1:21 a.m. you wake up tomorrow morning feeling refreshed wit

kpix 5's julie watts shows us one family who found a little bit of hope in the disaster. >> reporter: one day after the president declared lake county a disaster area fema is on the ground touring the destruction. amid the rubble, the dixon house. >> we put in brand-new windows and crown molding. >> reporter: but while steve and his wife lost almost everything they did recover one prized possession among the ash. >> i found her wedding ring the other day so we were scratching around. >> reporter: and more luck for the dixons their insurer aaa has come through in a big way. according to the department of insurance, they are not alone. a majority of the lake fire victims were insured. but what many of them don't realize, that may mean limited financial assistance from fema. if you have insurance, fema is not going to double up. >> that's right. fema does not duplicate benefits. but we don't want that to prohibit you from registering. >> reporter: fema says that's because there may be gaps in your coverage where fema canner? >> fema will not make you whole but we may provide temporary ho

consumerwatch reporter julie watts went to find out. >> reporter: from plush pillows to mood lightingort and leather seats virgin america is number one ranked by travelers on another list this time fortune's list for best in business travel. but the bay area-based airline consistently ranks on top. so what is it about virgin america? >> we started with the very unique philosophy and that is if a guest could build an airline what would that look like? >> reporter: virgin america's dave around says it looks like this. power, wi-fi, tvs, on demand ordering in every city, in-air luxuries that paid off. >> we have our most successful quarter ever. >> reporter: you may remember when virgin started out, analysts said they couldn't make it but they did. in spite of the high rankings not? >> is on board. >> i'm surprised because -- not everyone is on board. >> i'm surprised because they are such a small airline. >> reporter: he says they are good but not great fly to too few cities, excluding popular business routes. others are now offering many of the same perks. why do you think they are ran

julie watts says that could actually, though, boost business. >>reporter: they're the holy grail of yoga pants, why lulu lemon? >> because they're just amazing. they have a lot of options. >> their fabric is really high quality, it's thick. >> besidess that, they're just really flattering. >>reporter: but even the lulu lemon loyal are having a hard time swallowing the recent price increase. >> i feel they are a little expensive ronald reagan. >> i don't really want to pay an extra 22%. >>reporter: in fact, some have taken to social media in protest to complain about the prices, and this is not the first lulu lemon controversy. >> lulu lemon is really teflon coated. >> they are. they've been really able to get away with the ceos saying unkind things about women's butts, see-through pants, you name it. >>reporter: despite of it all, lulu lemon is still spending and yarborough says it might elevate the brand for lulu's core demographic. >> it's kind of like the new soccer mom and having lulu lemon is sort of like having the louie vatton of yoga pan

julie watts, kpix 5. >>> you sit there and you watch and you say to yourself what can i do?t you can do. you can help the victims. "valley fire" by calling in a donation, a cash donation, to 1- 800-red cross or going to redcross.org. or text 90999 to the red cross and give them a $10 automatic donation to the disaster relief fund. >>> the 11 top republicans for president are squaring off in southern california. thanks are heated with donald trump at the center of -- things are heated with donald trump at the center of much of it. trump came in as the front- runner and it didn't take long for those fireworks to begin. craig boswell reports. >> reporter: it didn't, veronica. good evening to you. right off the bat, it's about donald trump. the first question was about trump's temperament. the question was, do you feel comfortable the go carly fiorina do you feel comfortable with trump's fingers on the nuclear code. he called him an entertainer and didn't answer. he fired a zinger saying rand paul shouldn't even be on the stage. that went on and the snowball kept going. the ques

julie watts has more with what to expect with the storm. >> you're looking at it. this is what we can expect throughout the day today. light to moderate rain showers periodic, kind of scattered at best. san francisco has a moderate shower overhead now we could hear the rain outside on the roof. when you get a moderate shower passing through you might get a good little soaking there but for the most part the greens you see here on the screen just light rain not even all of it hitting the ground. seeing a drizzly gray damp day for you and we'll take a look at the totals. overall totals not too impressive. about .01." trace amounts of rain in some locations. we'll talk more about how much rain to expect overnight tonight and by tomorrow, that's coming up. >> thank you. >>> and today is the last day of the water year. in 2015 it's going down as one of the drives and hottest years ever. water watchers keep track of precipitation and storage starting october 1. the 2015 water year saw the highest average temperatures in 120 years intensifying the drought. >>> call it a s

. >>> let's check in now with julie watts for a look at our weather. >> you know, it's a beautiful forecast. beautiful today. going to be warm to hot this weekend. might be too hot for some folks. but let's check in with our weather watcher. already, well, maybe we'll check in with our weather watcher. [ laughter ] >> already warming up in some areas. we are going to start inland san ramon 80 right now. clear skies plenty of sunshine from brian there. 65 degrees along the coast. we'll see plenty of sunshine in pacifica. we'll see plenty of sunshine throughout the day today and all weekend long. let's check in with your currents outside right now. concord 79. 70 in oakland. 79 livermore. san jose 73. 76 in santa rosa. clear skies pretty much areawide thanks in part to this high pressure building. as it builds, so will the temperatures. offshore flow is drying things out keeping conditions clear even at the chose to weekend. so nice beach weather for sure. afternoon sunshine promotes highs near seasonal norms and warm to hot this weekend depending on where you are. sunset tonight 7:13. sunris

as consumerwatch reporter julie watts explains, not everyone is thrilled. julie. >> reporter: veronica, a few years ago, and i know you do know this, the recommendation change from keeping your kid rear facing until they are one to keep young rear facing until they are 2, 40 pounds. this girl has been trying to get out of this car seat since we started which is why some parents decide to turn the car seat around before the kid is 2. that soon will be illegal. how old was your daughter when your turned her forward-facing? >> one year. >> just over a year. >> reporter: ask most parents with older children and that's the answer you get because, well, that's the law. but talk to parents with children under two and you'll learn they know the car seat recommendation has changed over the past few years. when do you plan on flipping her? >> two years or older? >> why? >> from information that i have read online and in books, it's just advised that you keep them facing backwards as long as possible. >> reporter: as of today, that advice is law. the governor signed a

consumerwatch reporter julie watts went to find out why. julie, what's going on? >> reporter: yeah, veronica. the starting point for a pair of "lululemon" leggings is $98. you can imagine that people weren't happy when they found oat they were increasing some prices. but the pricy pants have a lot of people around here talking and it turns out, that could be good for business. they are the holy grail of yoga pants. why "lululemon"? >> there are amazing. they have a lot of options. >> the fabric is high quality. it's thick. and besides that they are just really flattering. >> reporter: but even the "lululemon" loyal are having a hard time swallowing the recent price increase. >> i feel they are already expensive and i don't want to pay an extra 22%. >> reporter: some have taken to social media in protest to complain about the prices. and this is not the first "lululemon" controversy. "lululemon" is teflon coated. >> they are. they have been able to get away with the ceo's saying unkind things about women's butts, see through pants, you name it. >> reporter: this co

julie watts on a growing number of websites that let you comparison shop for surgery. >> reporter: matt hutchings had a cough that just wouldn't quit. >> they found out i have barrett's esophagus. >> reporter: a condition that could lead to cancer of the esophagus. even with insurance he could owe $60,000 out of pocket. he decided to price match the procedure. >> there was a lot of other hospitals and doctors that would do it for a much less price. >> reporter: matt used med bit, one of the growing number of healthcare bidding websites like clear health cost and polka dot where doctors can place bids on various procedures. >> the goal is to make healthcare more accessible, affordable. >> reporter: comparison sites like med bid make for a more transparent marketplace. for a fee, med bid let's patients access bids from doctors which in some cases may be lower than the out of pocket insurance cost. >> patients may not do their due diligence. >> reporter: they're concerned about patients picking a doctor based solely on cost. >> less expensive is certainly not a guarantee of quality. on the

. >> julie watts joining us now. does it mean they're going to get financial assistance as a homeowner? >> not exactly, not with the state declaration. the president would need to declare a state of emergency. but it does have some benefits especially dealing with insurers. >> it helps get money to people's hands a little quicker. insurers will be more flexible in the kind of proof they'll require. they'll also expedite the claim process and people have breathing room. there's a week where no one can come and solicit you for business. >> that's important to protect fire victims from unscrupulous contractors or private insurance adjusters who might prey on their emotions. disaster victims should always get three quotes and make sure any contractor or adjuster is licensed by the state. it also provides insurers from canceling a victim's policy for at least one year after that claim. insurers have been opting not to renew policies in lake county and other fire prone areas. >> they're dropping policies in areas that they

time is 4-- here's julie watts with a check of weath. >> i'm going to defer and say it's really early and i wasn't expecting to come in. our seven day forecast says fall starts wednesday. >> okay. >> i will double check that in one moment. >> stand corrected. >> when i can tell you though is it's going to be hot again today, but relief is on the way. it will feel like fall by wednesday. here's a look outside. 07

devastation like what we've just seen has a lot of people wanting to help and consumer watch reporter julie watts is here with the most effective ways to donate because you want your money to go to the best places. >> and you usually hear cash is best. but when you see donations like that, some do want to give different donations. first off, the red cross has two shelters up and running for victims right now. they say they're providing food and services for more than 1200 people. their largest disaster response yet this fire season. >> this is a big event for us. the town it self was directly impacted, all the residents in that town, many of them have lost their home for good. that was not the case in the previous wildfires where much of the burning and quote/unquote introduction was in uninhabited territories. >> the red cross says it really needs cash donations. you can designate your gift at redcross.org by calling 1-800-redcross or text red cross to 90999 to make a $10 donation. they'll respond to offers to fill specific needs. roberta gonzalez posted another option in her blog today. her run

consumerwatch reporter julie watts says mcdonald's is getting some praise from an unlikely group for julie. >> reporter: yeah, you know, it's called a watershed moment for animal welfare but they say is wouldn't have happened without california voters. chickens have an unlikely ally today mcdonald's. the fast food giant known for egg mcmuch is going cage free. >> it's the best indicator that it's about cage free. >> reporter: it's an industry changing announcement but they say california voters should get credit, too, since this move is likely a by-product of california's prop 2. >> california showed corporations that consumers think it's unacceptable to confine chickens in small cages. >> reporter: prop 2 doubled the amount of space required for each bird outlawing the so- called battery cages. although when voters passed it in 2008, egg producers initially chalked it up to kooky californians. they spent six years suing the state arguing the california law would impact the country. they lost. and now it has. >> mcdonald's is so big, there's just absolutely no way they are not going t

on the consumerwatch julie watts reports some locals are hoping to cash in on the room rush. >> reporterl fans but paul and his wife laura can't wait for the super bowl. the couple who live just a block from levi's stadium are hoping to rent out their two bedrooms for the big game. >> this is our living room. >> reporter: more than $3,000 a night on "airbnb." >> it's a big opportunity and we want to take advantage of it. >> reporter: so do the neighbors. rooms and house rentals in the south bay are already listed for 5 times the regular price for super bowl weekend and there is no question, some homeowners will be able to cash in. >> the demand is going to be greater than ever. >> reporter: one reason, a limited supply of hotel rooms in the most desirable areas. san francisco, santa clara and san jose. in fact, some industry analysts predict the entire bay area could be sold out. >> this is actually the kitchen. >> reporter: the couple says rental opportunities for homeowners will likely be limited to either the very high- end or the bargain conscious fan. >> they will have the top end p

julie watts is in. and she is about to turn off the furnace that is the bay area. [ laughter ] >> i hope a little. >> i will slowly turn it down over the next several days, how about that? >> 95! >> i think i can do that at least -- maybe not today but soon. soon. so we are beginning a cooldown today a gradual cooldown more significant next week but for right now cooler along the coast at least. let's go ahead and take a look at the current temperatures. we are in the 50s along the coast this morning thanks to the marine layer. likely going to see fog the first half of the day. sunny and warm once again inland. right now 71 in livermore. 67 fairfield. 62 oakland. so temperatures this morning starting out warm. a look at the headlines later today. sunshine for most, hot again away from the coast. however, big changes coming this weekend and i'll have more on that in just a minute. first a check of your roads. >>> a solo vehicle accident may slow you down along 37 on the eastbound direction right as you w

consumerwatch reporter julie watts on what shoppers think. >> reporter: you know, ken, safeway is onemany major retailers that solicits donations at the register. some people love it. some people are annoyed by it. but love it or hate it, turns out most of us are actually donating. >> would you like to round up 31 cents to go to charity. >> reporter: it's a common question. opinions about being asked to give money vary as greatly as the charities the donations go to. >> it's a great way to show the community that you're giving back. >> it's pressure. >> reporter: like it or not surveys say most people donate. 71% of respondents said they have donated. and good scout says when they do, it's good for the charity and the retailer. >> they feel good about the charity that they have given to at register and about the retailer that has asked them to give. >> reporter: brittney hill says their survey found shoppers are most likely to give when they recognize the charity and shoppers are giving. this america's charity checkout report found retailers raked in more than $388 million for chariti

. >> julie watts on how you may soon be able to snap, swipe, and use selfies to land a job. >> reporter: landing this internship was a snap for max walker, as in snapchat. >> i found they were doing this snapchat campaign and it caught my eye. it was a creative way to express myself and apply to a position. >> reporter: creativity is exactly what sherry ann green was looking for. >> snapchat really gave us an impression of people's personalities and how they would engage with social media really early in the recruitment process. >> reporter: snapchat is one of the many social media tools companies are using to recruit millennials, allowing applicants to get noticed with creative multimedia tweets to hiring managers or through video cover letters. mark newman is the founder of higher view, one of a growing number of video platforms for job interviews used around the world. video interviews can be more cost-effective and give a leg up to candidates with great personalities who may not look as good on paper. the technology might be even more important for baby boomers than millennials. >>

consumerwatch reporter julie watts reports from san jose. >> reporter: yeah, you, you know, it's dinnertime here at the high house and the last thing that mom jenna wants to worry about are hackers. but it turns out the baby monitor she uses to keep her family safe may actually be putting them at risk. >> wake up, little boy, daddy's coming for you. >> reporter: that's the voice for a hacker whispering creepy messages to the three-year-old. the boy told the parents about the scary man in his baby monitor and they were horrified when they realized what he was talking about. >> i cried. it all started coming back to me and i started figuring things out. >> reporter: there's was just one of many hacking stories terrifying parents like jenna high. >> oh, my gosh. >> reporter: for this mother of three, hackers spying on her sleeping children may be the least of her concerns. a new study by a security research firm reveals baby monitor vulnerabilities could enable hackers to access your other connected devices. tvs, computers, even a corporate server when employees connect remotely from a home wi

. >> and i'm julie watts in for veronica de la cruz.ment of homeland security is doing radiation checks over the bay area. a specially equipped helicopter is being used for the low altitude mission. new at 6:00 tonight, kpix 5 mike sugerman is here with what the feds are looking for. radiation, mike? >> they are looking for in this part of the bay area that you see behind me, this was really a hard story to get any information from. i counted up, made 26 phone calls, 10 e-mails. the homeland security put out a one-page memo. no one wanted to go on the record. here's what we were able to piece together so we can try to explain it to you. >> reporter: see that helicopter flying around this morning? >> when don't you see one? >> reporter: this one caught a lot of people's attention. >> i thought it was donald trump. >> reporter: nope. it's your basic bell 412 helicopter. we caught up with it at the hayward airport today when it was landing. it is on a special mission. it's homeland security measuring radiation around the bay area. >> that'

. >>> julie watts is here. she is in for roberta. and she brings perhaps a smidge of good news. >> a smidge of rage. a sprinkle a little -- a smudge of rain a sprinkle, a little drop. we'll keep our fingers crossed that we'll see something. out the door right now mostly cloudy 49 degrees right now in santa rosa. pretty chilly up there. san jose 59. mild pretty much everyone where else. here's hi-def doppler right now we are seeing some light showers south of us basically monterey bay south. there's a chance some of that will sneak north and some folks south of the golden gate may get a couple of sprinkles today not a significant rain event but at least we have something to talk about. today plenty of clouds, shower chances for the next 36 hours and warming up on the weekend. we'll pinpoint that in a bit. >>> roads are looking good. caltrans have shut down the east 80 connector ramp to southbound 680 for construction from overnight. it is expected to be closed until 6:00 so avoid the area. avoid the area and expect detours. westbound

julie watts on when many consumer groups are trying to change that. >> reporter: it's fast, cheap, andly pretty tasty. but according to a new report, many of the food has a not so secret ingredient. >> their meat most likely was produced with the use of antibiotics. >> reporter: that's a problem. not just for animals living in conditions that require antibiotics to keep them from getting sick, but also for the people who eat them. >> it's a routine contributing to the antibiotics resistance in humans. >> reporter: she and several consumer groups are trying to change the trend. they're rating the nation's 25 largest food chains based on rampant use of antibiotics. panera and chipotle got as. most chains got fs including burger king, taco bell, pizza hut, kfc and subway. >> i know it's not good meat. now i'm concerned about what i've purchased. >> reporter: starbucks also got the lowest grade. >> it has no publically available information about their policies. >> reporter: but will consumers and fast food chains pay attention? she hopes so. a recent study finds an increasing number of am

. >> julie watts has more on the latest produce recall tied to a dead ly outbreak of salmonella. >> theed have been on sale since august 1st. they're suspected of sickening hundreds of people across the country. the cdc says they were distributed by anderson and williamson. all were grown in northern mexico. so far they're blamed for the death of one elderly woman in san diego and for making at least 285 people sick with vomiting, nausea, and diarrhea. this is a third major salmonella outbreak linked to cucumbers in the past three years. >>> also this labor day backyard barbecues are allegedly getting a bit more rare. a new report says sales of outdoor barbecue grills have declined for three straight years. they apparently peaked in 2011. the decline is due to soaring beef prices and shifting demographics. >>> jessica alba's company is under fire again. a lawsuit filed on behalf of california consumer accuses the honest company of lying. the suit claims the company falsely advertises that its products are, quote, natural when some contain manmade synthetic ingredients. the company says

consumerwatch reporter julie watts on a family's frustration over a bill that turned into a nightmarehey kept telling me it's tyler, tyler, tyler. but they wouldn't show me any documentation. >> reporter: samantha santana says she did what any mother would do when her son tyler told her the college of marin had ruined his credits. she says tyler enrolled online in 2013 but quickly changed his plans. >> never attended this school. it ended there. >> reporter: or so they thought. until tyler was denied for a credit card because of unpaid tuition. >> it blew us all away. we had never received a bill. >> reporter: first santana called the school. >> they kept telling me that they couldn't do anything. >> reporter: then she went down in person. >> i said, okay, this is not acceptable. >> reporter: two offices and several conversations later, she said they told her tile we're have to come back from -- tyler would have to come back from ohio to deal with the bill himself. >> he is not coming back. he never had anything to do with this school. nothing! >> reporter: consumerwatch volunteer rog

. >> julie watts on what victims need to know before starting to rebuild their homes and lives. >> itens after every disaster. unlicensed contractors flood in to the area offering to help. the trouble is they can leave homeowners worse off than when they started. the contractors state license board says when homeowners see disaster, unscrupulous contractors see dollar sns. homeowners may be pressured to line someone up and build before their neighbors. >> don't rush in to it because someone says they can make it all better. chances are these people are here to make it all better for themselves. >> rick's advice, take your time when hiring anyone to do work on your home. legally contractors can't even approach you for seven days after a state of emergency is declared. you should get at least three estimates. ask for references and check if they are properly licensed on the cslb website. it's important to get a written contract and never agree to a big down payment. the law says you should only put 10% down or $1,000, whichever is less. the state licensing board says it will be out in t