okay, larry gerston, always nice to have you here.s for your insight. >>> coming up, indiana is backing down on its controversial religious law. but it's too late for one bay area company. how salesforce is helping its employees relocate. >>> i'm robert handa live in san jose where family and friends of fallen officer michael johnson said goodbye to him today. coming up scenes from the memorial that many hope will lead to community healing. >>> donating clothes, furniture or other home essentials has never been so simple. how you can help others with the swipe of your smartphone. ♪ at kaiser permanente everything you need is under one roof. another way care and coverage together makes life easier. okay, a little easier. become a member of kaiser permanente. because together, we thrive. ♪ >>> we know that when mike loved, he did it with all of his heart. and he showed it by being at every family event he could. >> attention all units, please observe a moment of silence and honor of officer michael johnson, badge 3718. >> some incredibl

larry gerston, thank you so much for your time as always. stay with us. much more ahead.ing up, leaving your virtual mark on an iconic bay area mountain. we'll tell you how to share your story and virtually relive your most memorable visit to mt. tam. >>> it is a chilly morning. we do have patchy fog out there as well. ample sun and a warmer day coming your way. everything changes tomorrow. temperatures take a dip. we'll let you know what that means for the giants home opener at at&t park when "today in the bay" comes right back. ♪ wow something sounds sweet in here!!!! ♪ need a little honey in the bowl. yeah!!! badabopbopbopa!!! no? must be the honey!!! >>> this sunday morning, temperatures very comfortable. 50s. it is going to be warm out there. you can see that clearly indicated by the clear sky over pacifica this morning. getting into this afternoon, temperatures are going to be warm. even though it is foggy in the tri-valley and for some of your inland valley spots this morning, that will all be fading very quickly. temperatures for today are going to climb into the

nbc bay area political analyst, larry gerston joins us.ust this week, a friend sent me an article with janet nguyen. she is the first in all of california, major accomplishment for swomeone that arrived as a 4-year-old boat person. >> the same story of madison wen, the former vice mayor of san jose. we are talking about a group of people that have come over several generations. we are starting to see some major change. asian-americans are 5% of the nation's population. in california, we are talking about asian-americans making up nearly 14%, 1 out of 7 of the state's residents. with the national data, they are the fastest growing group in the state. faster growing than latinos. not so with asian-americans. they are the number one group. >> we understand this is a demographic that is growing. talk about the political impact and the high-profile asian-americans who are now in office here in california. >> high profile is a good word. six out of california's 63 members of the who us of representatives now are asian-american. we can talk about

nbc bay area's political analyst larry gerston says california is considering raising the smoking age from 18 up to 21. if successful it will be the first state to do so. officials are also considering banning e-cigarettes to whomever cigarettes are banned. if you can't have cigarettes you can't have e-cigarettes either. there's also a move to raise taxes on tobacco. >> the last 17 times there's been an effort to raise tobacco taxes in this state, every one has been quashed, largely because of tobacco industry's effort to not only spend a lot of money but also change public opinion. >> gerston says california is trying to cut down the number of people who not only smoke but are also affected by secondhand smoke. >>> from silicon valley to our military overseas hundreds of people joined operation care and comfort in san jose today to package up food and other items for our military personnel. they so love these packages, you can understand why. they packaged over a million pounds of goods over the years. this event is here today but there's always still ways to show your support. >> yo

nbc bay area's political analyst larry gerston is with us. larry, real simple here, who is the winner or perhaps who is the big loser when it comes to water conservation? >> you got give round one to the state's farmers thanks to the governor giving them a pass really when it comes to cutting back on water. now here is why. while the state urban and suburban users must cut consumption by as much as 35%, farmers have been given no such edict. the farmers would respond by the way by saying well they're paying the price because they're not get anything water from the federal government this year. but that really -- that loss pales when you consider the fact that farmers use 80% of the state's water to produce 2% of the state's domestic product. those are some numbers for you. >> so why are they receiving a free pass here or is it not a free pass at all? >> chalk it up to largely a matter of poor state management over the past 150 years. you know? and farmers drill for groundwater. sometimes they go as far as 2,000 feet to get what they need lower

larry gerston is with it. how does it work? >> it gets people to use less water. the idea is those who use the least would do so at lower rates than those who use abundant amounts. if the cost is likely enough people will reduce consumption. >> this is a big buzz around the town around the state. sounds simple but why would the court throw it out when the state is in such dire need for all of us to conserve? >> the court has to consider the law over every need even the water. they voted 3-0 that tiered pricing in a southern california district violated a constitutional amendment passed by the voters in 1996 called prop 218 and it specifically prohibits local governments from charging more for local services than they cost. and of course with tiered prices, the water districts will charge more to help people or encourage people to use less. >> what do the water agencies do to discourage us to use more water -- actually to use less the water? >> that's a good question. voluntary conservation hasn't worked that's for sure. moreover somewhere between two-thirds and 80

political analyst larry gerston is with us. what's the proposal and who is making it?the proposal is offered by state senator jim bell of san jose. it's no secret that the state's roads are in a mess. california ranks 42nd in per capita road spending 49th for that matter in road conditions. so the result is really poor roads. they cost the state's drivers nearly twice the national average. >> is this a political ploy by senator bell? and what is his proposal? >> i don't think it's a ploy. but what he wants to do is add between maybe $3 billion and $4 billion each year to the state road repairs. with the state's drivers paying the cost. here's where the money would come from. ten cents would come from an additional fuel tax which hasn't been changed since 1992. $100 annually paid by drivers of electric vehicles which, of course don't use gas but of course, use the roads. and $35 in increases to the annual motor vehicle fees and that by the way, would up them just a little bit. if passed the law would the sunset after five years. it does have a built-in end at least for

our political expert larry gerston breaks down why khanna might have a better chance next time around. >>> a hefty penalty that prevents tragedy. san bruno leaders want to make sure a proposed record fine against pg&e for this deadly explosion back in 2010 is spent to improve safety and stop another disaster from happening. nbc bay area's marianne favro is live in san bruno with what city leaders are proposing. marianne? >> reporter: well, city leaders, janelle, they want improvements in safety on the pipelines, and they are also demanding puc oversight to prevent what happened here four years ago from ever happening again. the evolution of a tragedy. more than four years after a fiery explosion that killed eight and leveled 38 homes in san bruno, today the city filed a legal response to the puc president's recommended $1.6 billion fine against pg&e. that's $200 million higher than the fine first proposed. mayor jim wayne says he supports increased fines, but wants to make sure they're used to improve safety. >> we're here today to repeat our urgent demand for significant safety refor

larry gerston joins us now. are we staking out our own policy away from the federal level?>> pretty much. the latest proposals include a proposal of ten bills offered by several democrats. these bills would make california the most immigration friendly state in the union. here are some of the most important elements of what is sure to be controversial, if not here, certainly elsewhere in the nation. medical coverage for those living in the country illegally. a new anti-drizzle protection for those undocumented residents. a state help for immigrants to apply for legal status if they have beenu)(urs of crime. and by the way, there is also other proposals to help undocumented residents understand the consequences of court police and creation of a state agency to assist newly arriving immigrants in california. >> okay larry, is this the state level just trying to be more relevant here their evolution so to speak? >> it is an evolution. let me tell you, certainly with respect to recent legislative efforts. you may remember that california recently passed the dream act for undocu