ktvu's consumer editor tom vacar joins us live at peer 39. >> reporter: indeed.when it comes to white house initiatives, the program gets one attraction's seal of approval. >> reporter: this peer 39 attraction left out of the san francisco bay where the tourist industry was struggling to recover. >> not only did we get lots of visitors, local and from around the country, but it also just changed the way we had to operate the marina. >> reporter: welcome news. >> i think that is huge for us. animal stories are globally common. >> no one wants to take in u.s. visa. one of the most difficult countries to get a visa for. >> reporter: americans we met today agree. >> yeah. i don't think it should be so hard. i think it is a good thing, get more people. spending more money. >> i think it is very important. especially a city here. >> reporter: if those worried about security issues. remember the u.s. enhanced security across the boarfor people coming into the country. >> with the visas i think we are more careful than we happen years ago. >> reporter: travel experts say

tom vacar will explain the changes and how they will effect you. >>> 2 election 2012. on the eve of the iowa caucuses, they are trying to get their supporters to the polls with friends and family. tori campbell is live to show us the last minute push. >> reporter: the candidates are scrambling around right now. easy to tell we are less than 24 hours out to the iowa caucuses. you will see ad after ad and what is interesting, we talked to the voters, many haven't made up their minds yet. >> they want to keep looking and convince themselves. >> he echoes what many are feeling. confusion and uncertainty. in 2007, he was the political directer for the republican party. >> they might have it in their heart but they like to wait. >> reporter: voters no different than those around the country. they shifted from one to the next but tomorrow night they are going to have to make a decision. let's talk to some of the voters. >> reporter: are you decided? >> no. not yet. >> the current field of candidates is really good. hard to make a choice on who we are going to vote for. i thin

tom vacar, ktvu. >>> the apple's iphone is now the most popular.ecord 37 million iphones were sold in the last quarter. that's just a half a million more than samsung sold in the same time. iphone sales hit a record in 2011 selling nearly a half million cell phones worldwide. >>> a judge today ruled new jersey's largest city must present record related to a pledge to its public schools from facebook founder mark zuckerberg. today's ruling stems from a lawsuit made on behalf of newark school children asking for more transparency of the donation. the pledge was announced back in 2010. >>> lafayette police are looking for a man they say robbed a bank just before noon yesterday. that was at the west america bank at 3515 mount diablo boulevard. the only description of the robber was that he was a black man with a scarf wrapped around his head. police won't say how much money he got away with. >>> an update now on a story we first brought you last night on the 10:00 news. oakland police say they arrested 11 suspected prostitutes during an undercover camp

ktvu's tom vacar is live at kaiser headquarters to explain somewhat behind the walk out. >> reporter: it will be a huge display of union power which the hospital says violates the nurse's contract. you wonder if anybody is really communicating with each other. >> reporter: the strike will effect 21 kaiser hospitals. 4400 members strike tomorrow at 7:00 a.m. like the strike last september, it is the second action in four months and that eupian is getting -- and that union is getting help. the building engineer's union will strike with them. 17,000 kaiser employees will give the strike its true strength. >> there is a clause in their contract that states they will not strike during the contract period. >> we are not doing a strike or work stoppage. we are doing a sympathy strike. >>> the reason for the strike is to assist patients in getting better care more quickly. >> they may get into their first appointment but they won't get follow up care. >> this is not about quality of care. this is salary and benefits. we have been waiting for six months for them to get back to us on our first

. >>> this is about to become famous thanks thanks to the :of i am tom vacar.ill ahead. >>> lots of 60s today. and even low 70s. will it be as warm for friday? i got your five-day forecast with your weekend in view. ) we're united. (woman) a family. (woman) a coming together of thousands. so that one has to suffer the agony of a loss. the agony of my loss. we're going to erase breast cancer once and for all. (woman) walking 60 miles. (woman) in three days. join us. (man) register today for the... and receive $25 off your registration fee. because everyone deserves a lifetime. because everyone deserves a lifetime. >>> album sales increased this year :1st time since 2004. total sales of 330 million. digital albums showed the biggest increase, 19.5%. adele's album sold the most since 2004. >>> a tiny south of market start up hit the big time when president obama chose them shar becoming a powerful political tool. >> reporter: they have 10 employees but the co founder says the free service has really caught on. >> we launched a year ago, in that time, 15 million re

ktvu's consumer editor tom vacar joins us live with what you might call the great american comeback. >> car sales are really booming. >> reporter: lots of discounts comp bined with low interest rates delivered the best sales since the recession began. in november, of the 20 best selling vehicles, half were american makes. ford was up 11%. >> building better quality cars now. doing so well our warranty work trimmed down. >> reporter: gm up 13%. >> all of our smaller cars, chevy cruise is the number one vehicle in the country. >> reporter: chrysler, 2010 sales up 26%. last month up 37. many people delayed car purchases. many are new to the market. >> we are getting more younger kids now looking at our cars. >> we are seeing younger buyers. and again seeing lot. >> i would consider buying american cars. i feel like with the economy we need to put back into the united states. >> we have to get our economy growing again. the only they that will happen if we decide, you know, to do things for our own country. >> businesses moving off shore and we need to keep our money here. that is what i

tom vacar looks at the latest controversy and why local and state regulators can't do anything aboutsave fuel, save time. >> reporter: they are complaining about airliners taking off to the north before heading west to face south to l.a. and phoenix. >> they're supposed to fly 4 miles left and make a turn over candle stick park. what they're doing right now is cutting that rout short. >> to save fuel is what i'm thinking right now. >> there's a plan and nobody is following >> the sole purpose of that plan is if we lose communication, we can deviate planes away from their rout. >> we want the airlines to fly that extra 15 seconds to realize the four mile marker. >> reporter: but controllers must keep a 3-mile separation in air space. that conflicts with planes leaving own land. many fly over brisbane. sfo departing airliner are turned well before candle stick. in any event, neither sfo or the airlines have any authority here. this is totally up to the faa. which trumps state and local governments. consumer editor tom vacar, ktvu channel 2 news. >>> a study released today by ucsf resea

reporting live, consumer editor tom vacar, ktvu channel 2 news. >>> here is a time line. the explosion and investigation on september 9, 2010, pg&e gas pipeline exploded in san bruno. 8 people died. 38 homes destroyed. august of 20 level, the ntsb blamed pg&e. then today the public utilities commission staff found pg&e violated laws and regulations leading leading to the blast. our coverage continues online, go to www.ktvu.com and click on the san bruno explosion tab. >>> the city of oakland is on the verge of laying off hundreds of workers. ktvu's sal castaneda tells us who is being laid off and why now. >> reporter: you don't have to look far to find where funds fixed up downtown oakland. these buildings, a lot have been fixed up with the funds and the funds are set to dry up as of february 1. >> reporter: the court ruled in favor of the state's shut down of local redevelopment agencies. this means oakland stands to lose $30 million of redevelopment funds. >> we are working to extend the deadlines otherwise we will be sending off layoff notices next week. >> reporter: m

ktvu's consumer editor tom vacar is live with more. >> reporter: we checked it out, as the economy recovers and memories of 9/11 fadeaway, more and more are taking a the skies and neighbors are really noticing it. >> save fuel. save time. >> reporter: complaining about airliners taking off. >> supposed to fly four miles out from the airport and make a left turn and come back. what they are doing is cutting the route short. >> save gas. save fuel. >> reporter: proof is this departure map, designating a left hand north. >> no one is following it. that is it real issue. >> the purpose of the planned route is they would lose radio communications. >> reporter: it is not a mandatory hi way in the sky. >> once their air born they can deviate from that pattern at any time. >> we want the airlines to fly the extra 15 seconds. >> reporter: but controllers must maintain a safety space around each plane. that conflicts with planes leaving oakland airport that also fly there. as a result, san francisco international airport airliners are turned before candle stick. >> not one item, this is a 3d chest ga

reporting live, consumer editor tom vacar, ktvu channel 2 news. >>> borrowing went up in november by the largest amount in 10 years. that was the word today. consumers added $24 billion. this shows people are encouraged by the new unemployment rate which has finally been dropping. >>> stocks edged higher today. a loss that met expectations. the dow jones industrial average closed up 32.77 points at 12,392.69. the nasdaq composite index rose 2.34 to 2,676.56. >>> the lawsuit that hopped the police department is finally going to trial. 7 black officers are accusing the chief and a deputy of discrimination when it comes to promotions and they accuse them of telling racist jokes. the chef denies all of the allegations. some say the officers have a problem with him because he is white, gay and hired from the outside. attorneys debated the ground rules today. the trial is expected to last through april. >>> police chiefs shared a moment of indition this morning when a fire alarm went off at usf. they were gathferred a leadership conference and san francisco's police chief just begun his sp

tom vacar looks at the latest controversy and why local and state regulators can't do anything aboutt. >> save fuel, save time. >> reporter: they are complaining about airliners taking off to the north before heading west to face south to l.a. and phoenix. >> they're supposed to fly 4 miles left and make a turn over candle stick park. what they're doing right now is cutting that rout short. >> to save fuel is what i'm thinking right now. >> there's a plan and nobody is following >> the sole purpose of that plan is if we lose communication, we can deviate planes away from their rout. >> we want the airlines to fly that extra 15 seconds to realize the four mile marker. >> reporter: but controllers must keep a 3-mile separation in air space. that conflicts with planes leaving own land. many fly over brisbane. sfo departing airliner are turned well before candle stick. in any event, neither sfo or the airlines have any authority here. this is totally up to the faa. which trumps state and local governments. consumer editor tom vacar, ktvu channel 2 news. >>> a study released today by ucsf

ktvu's tom vacar is live after speaking with residents there. >> reporter: this bizarre story actuallyed in this store about 8 hours ago. the story is disturbing enough but what makes it worse, budget cuts are looming over the hospital. >> reporter: this morning a napa state hospital patient gone for 13 hours was apprehended by police in this super market. the hospital issued a statement the man was still within the security primner when in fact the patient escaped under a fence. >> scary. there are children. >> reporter: also down the street a gas station and shopper people. >> i know that they have tried to do the lock down and i think that they have -- tried to bring in more security but whatever they are doing is not enough. >> i don't know that the area is being handled appropriately. >>> the matter was handle by the self contained police force. police would not answer our questions. >> maybe the security level should be raised. maybe the training of those who work there, that level should be raised and maybe a new look should be taken, the way things are handle by local law enfor

reporting live, tom vacar, ktvu channel 2 news. >>> leaders of the sikh faith are demanding an apologyno has yet to issue a response. >>> republican presidential candidate rick santorum gave his on preview of president obama's state of the union address. >> you're going to hear a bunch of flowery rhetoric about all the things he's done. but what he's done is he's held a tax burden on the americans with obama care. >> reporter: santorum held a rally. he said he got into the election to fight reforms. >>> she spent her entire life serving the community. now east bay nurse needs the community's help. the drive to save her life that could save thousands more in the process. >>> and a hike is hard enough, but it just got more difficult. the restriction that people are facing that want to reach that beautiful peak. [ male announcer ] for some reason those five food groups sound a whole lot better when you put them in a taco shell instead of a pyramid. old el paso. when you gotta have mexican. the progresso chicken noodle you made is so good. it's got tender white meat chicken. the way i alwa

reporting live, consumer editor tom vacar, ktvu, channel 2news. >>> apple wasn't the only good news for wall street today. the markets were sharply lower until a federal reserve announcement one hour before the closing bell. the fed said that interest rates will probably remain where they are, near zero until 2014. the nasdaq was up almost 32, and the markets had opened lower into the fierce about the greek debt crisis. >>> the pentagon is saying that a navy seal team in the daring rescue of two aid workers from somali pirates is the same team that killed osama bin laden in may. one was an american woman and the other a danish man. vice president bideened both are being cared for by the u.s. military and are in good condition. >> didn't authorize yesterday because the special operations forces said this is the time. jessica's health was beginning to decline. she's a young woman in her 30s, so we wanted to act. and they did. >> prior to the raid, the kidnappers had reportedly refused a $1.5 million ransom, and negotiations had come to a halt. >>> president obama had learned of the succes

consumer editor tom vacar spent the day investigating. >> reporter: many public safety and service employees work every major sporting event. the published report of communication problems flew in the face of a post game analysis at the disaster council. >> we all knew who was doing what and what the efforts were, you know, throughout the game. it was helpful. it went really well, all things considered. >> reporter: the police chief dismissed the news report that a fan jammed the frequencies. >> we never had a problem communicating at a major event including any 49ers game. >> reporter: earlier in the week the chief said that some officers, who sometimes use their cell phones to call and text each other to avoid tying up radio channels reported a common problem. >> what i was talking about is that officers were not able to like many of the 49er fans get through on their personal cell phone. >> it will allow them to share data. it will be a dedicated network for public safety. one that does not rely on a commercial network. >> reporter: this would complement the emergency response voice netwo

. >>> tomorrow on the hotly anticipated mac world 2012, tom vacar got a look inside at one app that will turn your handheld device into a pc. >>> and the outrage prompting a big reward for vandals. join us for bay area news at 7:00 on tv 36. >>> a big matchup as the cal bears take on the stanford cardinal. what the cal men's basketball team is doing to get ready for the big game. [ male announcer ] get ready for some deli-style delic-ious-ity: the subway big hot pastrami melt. dive into piled-high pastrami, spicy mustard, pickles and melt-a-licious cheese. treat your taste buds to a fresh toasted subway big hot pastrami melt. subway. eat fresh. >>> three bay area high school seniors have been named finalists in the intel science search contest. contest winners will be announced at an awards ceremoniy in washington, d.c. in march. >> boy, congratulations to them. all right, no 49ers in the super bowl, so let's talk big game. >>> we have another big game this sunday. actually, a little big game, cal versus stanford basketball. both teams having a pretty good year and hanging out near the t

tom vacar, ktvu channel 2 news. >>> some advocates for the disabled say they're concerned about talk of making changes to the disabled parking plaquered system. >> the mta is looking for money for financing nummi and etc. on programs, you don't go to the people on fixed incomes. >> reporter: the san francisco municipal transportation agency says it's exploring reform in part because of plaquered abuse. at -- advocates say they fear disabled people will be paid for plaquered which are currently free. the agency has not come up with any specific recommendations. >>> an animal rights group is now claiming responsible for setting trucks on fire. fresno county firefighters say 14 cattle trucks were placed on fire. containers of accel era nts were placed under the trucks and set on fire. >>> edward amatori targeted fliers yesterday. a para glider says one projectile flew right over his head. the other landed on the ground. >>> also tracking the flu, how google is helping scientists and doctors predict where the flu virus will strike next. >>> another spare the air night, and it'll be a col

reporting live, tom vacar, ktvu channel 2 action news. >>> and an alameda woman behind bars for allegedly helping a teen buy alcohol, one who later died in a drunk driving crash. authorities say that chen went to the store with the 17-year- old last february, with the intent of helping her buy liquor. several hours later, the girl got in a car after a party and was called in the accident. the teen pled no contest to felony drunk driving. >>> and releasing a report on the outcome of governor brown's budget fixes. one expert said that the estimates of tax revenue may be off by 3.2 billion. taylor says he will have a better idea by the end of this month. >> there is in our view more downside risks to the administration's numbers. but they could be right. we are going to know a lot more -- after about two weeks, because we'll have all of the information on the estimated payments that people make on their personal income taxes. >> the legislative analyst's office says that they may have to consider increases or more borrowing. >>> and the governor used a different estimate, a spokesperson said

reporting live consumer editor tom vacar, channel 2 news. >>> shares of zinga slipped 6% today after getting a neutral rating from analysts. the san francisco based online gaming company went public in mid december but a report released today is questioning the growth prospects for zynga. that sent the stock down 57 cents to 8.65 a share. one analyst says zyng a's cancellation rate is so high it would have to release several new hit games every quarter just to maintain its user base. >>> ebay has reported a sharp gain in 4th quarter earnings thanks mostly to its sale of skype. the san jose based company says growth in its core -- also reported growth in its core and pay pal businesses. shares rose by 1% in after hours trading following that report. >>> it appears bargain hunters are lifting home sales in california as prices continue to go down. new data out today shows that december home sales reached nearly 38,000. up more than 4% from the same period in 2010. the median price for new and existing homes and condos was 246,000. that is down 3% compared to a year earlier. >>> storm t

reporting live, tom vacar, back to you. >>> union workers were among those marching in down town san francisco. this group includes a couple hundred protesters that just picketed at union square. hotel union organized it is aing it is outraged over the waeupbls and work practices. the -- wages and the work practices. >>> herman plaza was a gathering spot. a few dozen people staged a flash mob to kick off a ralliy. they joined the other -- rally. they joined the others marching downtown. >>> 100 cities across the country today including san francisco, san jose and in oakland where these pictures were taken. they are protesting limits on corporate spending and federal elections. the activists are calling for an amendment that is saying constitutional rights belong to humans only not corporation. >>> an 11-year-old girl who was subject of an amber alert was safe after she was rescued by the police. there was a dramatic ending that saw police officers shoot and killed kidnap suspect. >> reporter: the police surrounded this home after they received a frantic call at 1:30 in the morning th

in this job market it's always a matter of perspective as our consumer editor tom vacar found out today in contra costa county. >> reporter: a few weeks ago, katie william was looking for work right here at the one stop center. today she was recruiting for her new employer california home pro. >> i think the industry is turning around. my company is hiring, you know 60 or 70 more telemarketers. >> things have been getting slower and slower for my kind of work. >> reporter: for layed off construction worker, melotini. the downturn goes on. >> not only me but i have other friends and other people that i do know that work is just slowing down and more people are losing jobs. >> reporter: the head of contra costa county's work force development force thinks we've mostly bottomed out. >> we're now seeing some signs of stabilization. we're seeing some good things or better things happening out there in the private-sector and by way of picking up and demand. >> reporter: unfortunately because the state can't get its financial house in order, the one the once solid rock bastian is not. >> keep

only on 2, tom vacar, live in san francisco with a door-to- door notice being given to property owners>> reporter: that is right, if you give one of these the city is making an offer you just can't refuse on penalty of paying some fines. san francisco's department of public works started to send out the experts to find out if some 23,000 trees are in good health and structural condition. >> if so we'll transfer to

in this job market it's always a matter of perspective as our consumer editor tom vacar found out today in contra costa county. >> reporter: a few weeks ago, katie william was looking for work right here at the one stop center. today she was recruiting for her new employer california home pro. >> i think the industry is turning around. my company is hiring, you know 60 or 70 more telemarketers. >> things have been getting slower and slower for my kind of work. >> reporter: for layed off construction worker, melotini. the downturn goes on. >> not only me but i have other friends and other people that i do know that work is just slowing down and more people are losing jobs. >> reporter: the head of contra costa county's work force development force thinks we've mostly bottomed out. >> we're now seeing some signs of stabilization. we're seeing some good things or better things happening out there in the private-sector and by way of picking up and demand. >> reporter: unfortunately because the state can't get its financial house in order, the one the once solid rock bastian is not. >> keep