i'm with the san francisco convention and visitors bureau, soon to be the san francisco travel association. one of our core directives is to support the long-term development from the destination. we are very much in favor of projects that improve the local experience. with that, i wanted to bring up a couple of points. the availability of hotels within walking distance is very attractive to meeting planners, and it is something we promote very heavily when we book business. transit services are going to be very attractive to visit is -- visitors attending events at mosconi center. we know the large percentage of our attendees attach extra days, and again, the location is going to be convenient, so this would help encourage visitors to stay longer. as i have often said, we know that 50% of every visitor dollar is spent outside of the hotel on dining and shopping, entertainment attractions, etc., so this would bring the desirable foot traffic to the neighborhood, which will create businesses, and many of and in particular needs these opportunities, so we do feel this supports the long term

total recovery according to the san francisco travel association. industry in san francisco. people are spending less. for instance while hotels are largely filled. the average room goes for $20 less a night compared to before the recession. a quick check of wall street, a tepid opening the government may soon be able to cash out of aig with the money they invested. total pay back to the american taxpayer. intel reports after the closing bell, apple just shy of an all time high. apple, the second most valuable company in america. over at cnbc, i mean over at the desk over there. it points out it took 23 years for apple to get to $100 billion. three years to get to $200 billion. 10 months to get to $300 billion. >> in my lifetime, never. >> thanks a lot, scott. >> groundhog day less than a month away. punxsatawney sfphil is already showing himself. that's in pennsylvania. at an added bonus, the club is releasing a collectible of phil's wife. did you know there was? her name is phyllis. they are part of the groundhog day tradition and the collectibles

. >>> changing the name to san francisco travel association.fficials say it is still the same organization that has been promoting san francisco tourism for a century. >> the name really reflects the new way that people are searching for and finding and want to engage with travel and destinations. >> tourism is san francisco largest industry generating more than 8.5 billion dollars a year. an independent report released today found no scientific evidence of health risks from pg&e's new smart meters. the california council on science and technology conducted the study at the request of two lawmakers from marin and santa cruz counts. they found even a worst-case scenario the radio frequency is well below standards. a consumer group called stop smart meters.org says the report leaves many questions unanswered about the health risks from the meters. >>> a man wanted in connection with a 2006 sexual assault may be a suspect in a gang related shooting last week outside a supermarket. armando gill is wanted for questioning about the january 3rd shooti

if it works the move could also be good news for san francisco businesses. the city travel association says international tourists tend to stay in the city longer and spend more money. >>> it is 5:17 right now. a human day for the nation's second largest company, apple. >> steve jobs is going to step down temporarily. this comes as apple is set to report record profits. scott mcgrew is tracking all this from the newsroom. and everybody is anticipating what's going to happen when the markets open up later this morning. >> reporter: all kind of pressures in both directionsle. they will report the profits after the employeeing bell. closing bell. we expect a breathtaking amount of money in profits, but the same report means apple executives have to face analysts and reporters on a conference call. they will be facing tough questions about the future of the president and what role steve jobs has in that future. jobs, of course, announced yesterday he would be stepping down again for health reasons. only this time he did not set a time for his return. apple has been misleading about its ceo

san francisco businesses. the city's travel association says international tourists stay in the city longer and spend more money. >>> we want to see if people are getting out and about this morning. there's fog to muck up your way a little bit. it will slow things down for sure. >> that's a pleasant way to put it, laura. things can get a little messed up. you are going to have one of the lanes blocked by a disabled vehicle. we have a big tow truck here trying to get this bus out of the way. it was out of service or not in capacity. on that bridge itself, the lower deck is moving smoothly out of the city and over to oakland. but then coming out of oakland you see the slowing of the incline. that's the reason they turn the metering lights on. the entire area approaching is likely to have foggy and misty conditions. keep that in mind to lower your speeds on the roadways this morning because of potential slippery areas. a live look at the toll plaza shows you that once the metering rights lights are turned on things will slow down. no major issues but we'll probably see more clouds later this morning. >> i think we