reporting live from menlo park, tom vacar, ktvu channel 2 news. >> all right. thank you, tom. >>> firefighters say an unattended pan on a stove is responsible for an overnight fire doctor that displaced six people in newark. the fire started shortly after 10:00 last night at an apartment complex on cherry street. this is video shot by a resident. firefighters arrived after 7:00. >> i was up there watching tv and insmelled something burning. i thought it was a stove. i checked our stove. nothing. i saw flames coming from next store. i went back inside, told my girlfriend, let's get out. >>> an overnight crash sent a san francisco police officer and taxi driver to the hospital this morning. it's not a big surprise to people who work in the area. as allie rasmus explains, it's an intersection that needs if safety improvements. >> reporter: water gushed out and a taxi collided at the intersection. if happened just after 2:00 this morning. >> i was asleep and i heard a thump. >> reporter: investigators say the officer was driving down the street when the patrol car

ktvu's tom vacar has more. >> reporter: take a look over here. if there were an apartment building here, it would be rented out already. >> reporter: she needed more space. >> when we were looking for our last place, three bedroom apartment, and pleasanton was $2,300 for not very much. >> reporter: those numbers did not add up for her. >> that was crazy. and we decided that it would be better to buy a house because as we were looking at renting houses there was a line out the door of people trying to rent houses. >> reporter: for many people the rental market is a landlord market. this is new, we are seeing this, it is a new experience. >> 700 homes under management. single family homes, and probably less than 10 vacancies. >> reporter: this place says apartments for rent but what you don't see that you used to see is discounts. >> quite a few tenants now in the market as a result of not being able to qualify to buy a house, even though interest rates are low, people that lost their homes through a short sale or foreclosure. >> reporter: in the b

tom vacar, ktvu channel 2 news. >> more details on pg&e. they are seeking a rate increase of more than $2 billion. if approved the customer who gets gas and electric would see their bill increase $114 -- $144 a year. >>> ktvu channel 2 news talked with a spokesperson with the fire department. investigators now determined the fire started in a open space that runs inside the building from the ground floor up to the roof. and an unknown discarded material sparked the fire and the fire was an accident. estimated damage is $700,000 in property and $300,000 in content. >>> apple ask being -- is being threatened with closure in italy and fines of $377 if they don't offer customers a freeh two year -- free two year warrant. they imposed fines on some of apple's divisions for failing to tell customers about their rights to free assistance. and now months after the previous fine they say apple failed to comply with the request. >>> facebook plans to keep its stock on the nasdaq. officials worry moving to another exchange could weaken investor confid

ktvu's tom vacar takes us live inside the new dispatch center. >> reporter: they are only as good as the 911 system that backs them up. >>> the chp's communication center gets a quarter million 911 calls a year. >> the system we have was brought online in the 1980s. >> reporter: technology has evolved more quickly than the chp's software. come sunday they will move into the twenty-first century. >> that will allow more flexibility with how they do their job and it will do a lot of their job for them so they can concentrate on other things. >> reporter: they will no longer have to waste time taping data. it will simply appear automatically. and the system will pinpoint the location of the caller as well as the nearest response units on a electronic map. >> we will know more about where the caller is at and it will help us help them faster. >> reporter: it will allow the call center to analyze data, where the calls are coming from, where problems crop up, all of it to improve response times. >> the tools it gives the dispatchler more important -- dispatcher are more important. >> repor

international airport broke ground on a new air traffic control tower and ktvu's consumer editor tom vacar is live with the changes for the new sky high tower. tom? >> reporter: big, big changes. despite, despite its recent face lift here this tower is just going to go. >> reporter: despite the view from the current tower, it obscures some of the views and the seismic safety is iffy. the new tower will be 50 feet taller and be the most sophisticated tower on earth. >> technology for guiding planes safely. >> reporter: despite the technology coming our way, safety still requires air traffic controllers have their eyes on the planes and the ground. >> in addition to the airplanes that move around, there are hundreds of cars, trucks, carts, other vehicles moving around as well. >> reporter: made to look like the torches that led ships to the port, it will dominate the sky line. another tower is scheduled to open later this year. >> if you are all operating in one facility, what you have is a more efficient operation where you are ensuring that you have seemless transitions. >> reporter: the t

we are searching to find issues. >> reporter: i am consumer editor tom vacar, ktvu channel 2 news. >>> more details now, the report on the pg&e pipelines comes one day after they announced a new safety plan, it includes a new training facility. pg&e says they are hiring 1400 new employees to support its focus on safety. and the company says it will merge its gas, description and dispatch centers. >>> three members of the san francisco board of supervisors revealed new details to build a new hospital attica head toeral hill and rebuild st. luke's. >> they would be allowed to close st. luke's by 2020. >> these are troubling and startling developments. >> the claims are in lines with what critics have long said, there were not enough guarantees they would keep st. luke's open. >>> nurses plan to hold a one day strike tomorrow. some of the negotiations sticking points include sick leave and health coverage. it will effect 3500rn and other technicians. >>> our coverage of the trial for a man accused of beating a priest. today william lynch, his attorneys and prosecutors took their final sh

ktvu's consumer editor tom vacar is live from a wells fargo branch with the impact on customers. >> reporter: not only did wells fargo take a hit in the pocket book, it took a bigger hit in his good guy image. >> reporter: the u.s. justice department accused wells fargo of funding people of color hine higher priced loans and charged them higher fees. >> we deny the claims that have been made because we stand behind our commitment to fair and responsible lending. >> disappointing the bank will not acknowledge there were problems. >> reporter: wells fargo agreed to settle. >> it was best for our team, our customers, our investors and the community that we serve that we not get into a legal battle. >> by paying $175 million to avoid a litigation and potential prosecution for racial discrimination, they are signaling they were guilty. >> reporter: that was the feeling we felt in san francisco. >> color shouldn't matter in helping somebody out that own as home. everybody's dream is to own a home. >> doesn't sound fair to me. i would say racial. >> all i can say is shame on you wells fargo and i h

ktvu's consumer editor tom vacar explains why that may not be the case this year. >> reporter: thousands turned out for the independence day parade, a tradition without an admission fee. >> friends and family and participating in the community. not about spending money. >> reporter: forth of july spending that was $212 last year will be $191 this year. 1-4 americans not participating at all. >> money is tight. nobody has it to spend. hard to stretch the dollar. >> people are holding their money tighter. using it more for necessity. >> we are noticing sales of bbq related items are up, flags are up. decorations for the home are up. but the biggest expense for forth of july are travel, people can't do it. >> not as many people are taking off and people are working. >> reporter: for businesses willing to be open, there are chances to win business. >> the people if they don't buy today, they remember us and come back later. >>> the next big holiday, labor day, gives the economy another bump and it falls on a monday, and that is perfect for a travel weekend. consumer editor tom vacar, ktvu ch

i'm tom vacar, ktvu channel 2 news. >>> more details on that project. the project officials gave us this time lapse video of the construction. in all of the price tag is at $484 million with completion for midto late 2014. when it is done the system will be automated meaning the train cars will be driverless. >>> protesters say they will shutdown muni service on monday on the 1-year anniversary of the death of a 19-year-old man. the police say they chased harding last year when he allegedly avoided paying the fare on a light rail train. he accidently shot himself with his own gun during the pursuit. they say they are preparing for planned protest monday morning and market and 14th streets. >>> a sacramento assemblyman is calling for more public input in the search for a new cal state university chancellor. the csu board of trustees with drew public forums on campuses. >> basically having the board announcing a new chancellor. >> under the current system a 9- member picks a canidate for the job. it including a student and a member of the faculty. >>> pre

tom vacar was there for the signing, and he tells us about the new protection it brings. >> after doinghe same thing in la, the governor resigned the homeowner's bill of rights in san francisco. >> 8 or $9 trillion of wealth has been destroyed in america. at least a trillion in california. >> we're done. we're done with robosigning, we're done with false promises. we're done with the run around. >> reporter: community groups that fought for the homeowner's bill of rights, such as the california reinvestment coalition feel vindicated. >> it's one of those places where david beat goliath. >> reporter: it was a hard-won battle. >> thanks for spending $70,000 a day i think to fight legislation. and they were fighting it for years. >> reporter: the law forbids foreclosures until lenders make an effort to modify the loan. no more endless resubmissions of the same documents. homeowners can sue at this time if the banks break the rules and the documents the bank uses must be verified as real, not ones made up or signed by robots. >> what makes this law to be historic is the fact it does have an

ktvu's consumer editor tom vacar joins us live with why the move is so important. >> reporter: even theeo came to do it. whether you are making a powerpoint presentation or a spreadsheet, microsoft dominates the world and today it steps into the twenty-first century. >> reporter: you can buy or rent and share as you need in the cloud. >> this is the most ambitious relief of microsoft office we have ever done. >> reporter: today the software was transformed into a platform including video conferences anywhere on earth. >> people work in more social and collaborative ways. >> reporter: working with the windows 8, it is cleaner than previous versions. it depends on users trusting their data. and for many users learning to use touch screens. we spoke to a couple of folks. >> i am not exaggerating this new system it is absolutely changed by business and changed the way i operate. >> feels like one solid system. it doesn't feel like excel is over here and word is over there, it is all together. >> reporter: more apple like. >> this is a very different project. it is a leap forward in terms of

ktvu's consumer editor tom vacar live now near livermore. >> reporter: this is really significant. look over here. the land here is being prepared for construction, something happening more and more in the new housing market. >> reporter: they are putting a lot of new homes here in its development in the livermore hills. one man says construction picked up substantially. >> i can't attest to the fact the economy is coming back. it is coming back right here because they are selling and building. >> reporter: nationwide new home construction hasn't seen this much activity in four years. >> we are seeing an uptick in 70. >> reporter: fueling it, job growth and increased consumer confidence and low home prices and record low interest rates, more people can qualify for a loan. >> housing is more affordable. if they get into a house, over long term it is a positive investment. >> a lumber company had to chop it down. a miller had to mill it. a construction company bought it with other things to make it into a home and all of this means jobs, jobs, jobs. >> starting to see job creation. m

ktvu's consumer editor tom vacar joins us live with more on this unemployment outlook. >> reporter: the outlook is this, with more than 2 million californians struggling to find a job, we still have our work cut out for us. >> reporter: the outlook improved here. >> we are seeing some signs of life. the bottom has been reached. >>> the more and more job sikh learning something, when they -- job seekers are learning someone, when they feel these out. >> reporter: numerous jobs are being blended into one. >> back to school and now i can schedule and use the microsoft program. i am able to do both now. >> you have to have more skills now to get a better job. you have to have more skills. >> reporter: another danger, oughtimation of many job -- automation of many jobs. >> they bought a software package and now they bring in one person. >> reporter: university of california at berkeley experts says there is another whammy out there. >> europe doesn't drive into a ditch. second, our congress doesn't go over a cliff. or a combination of those two things. >> reporter: having a job that can't be

ktvu's tom vacar is live with how this will effect consumers. >> reporter: well, it is interesting. today jury selection began in a trial that may decide whether innovations such as the iphone could be born in the future. both companies claiming the other infringed on their right to market a product. something that their phones and tablets both have in common. many more serious issues what they do, how they work, how you control them are in question. >> hard to see how one legal case can reform or change or classify the entire system. >> the problem is the patten system is off the rail right now. >> they are using litigation as a competition tool. >> reporter: whathas in the balance -- what hangs in the balance is whether technology innovation can survive. >> may restrain innovation. >> you run the risk of having one company be able to clear the market and be the only one there. that is always bad for consumers because prices stay high. >> tom vacar says apple has a patent for the same of a computer. >>> apple talked to twitter about buying a stake in the company. talks took place a

reporting live, tom vacar, ktvu channel 2 news. >> thank you, tom. 8:03. treasurer bill lockier and his wife former county supervisor naddia are getting divorce. they cited irreconcilable differences in the court filing. the couple has been married about 10 years and have one son. naddia resigned after reports of an affair and after she entered rehab for substance abuse. meanwhile after friday's dwroers filing, lackia crashed her car outside the couple's hayward home. she told police she thought someone was following her and she ran into a pole and tree when she called her husband to report her suspicions. she was treated for a bruised arm and bloody nose. the responding officer saw no indication that she was drunk or on drugs, and there was also no indication to suggest she was being followed. >>> time is 8:04. more of pg&e's dirty laundry is coming to light. the chronicle is reporting pg&e once floated the idea to down grade natural gas leaks. company documents reportedly show that down grading some 2300 leaks would have saved pg&e almost $5 million in r

i'm consumer editor tom vacar. >>> just weeks ahead of the summer olympics and there's a snag.hy the british government has put an extra 3500 members of the military on standby. >> it's going to be cooler tomorrow. i'll show you how much cooler and what spots will still see triple digits. >> the latest california city on the verge of bankruptcy. your favorite soup, salad and hot, hearty sub. like the toasty big hot pastrami melt. get to your local subway for some dinnertime deliciousness tonight. subway. eat fresh. >>> investigators in ohio are trying to figure out what caused a train derailment and explosion that sent flames shooting high into the air. it happened early this morning, just north of downtown columbus. officers say the freight train was carrying ethanol what it derailed. about 100 people were forced out of their homes. two people suffered minor injuries. >>> in news of the world tonight, in southeast asia, hillary clinton became the first american secretary of state to visit laos in more than 50 years. during the vietnam war, the u.s. dropped two million tons of

tom vacar, ktvu channel 2 news. >>> sporting goods conglomerate opened its new headquarters today.pany that includes the north base, jansport and lucy opened today. >>> the sf hire evident featured more than 900 job openings. employers were seeking pharmacists, nurses and other medical professionals. job seekers also met with recruiters from san francisco police and the national guard. >>> facebook is now alerting people to a checkpoint. the checkpoint sends users who are concerned that their computer might be infected to sign up at a variety of free anti virus sites. back in april facebook introduced the anti virus marketplace portal that offers users anti virus portals from other companies including microsoft. >>> you know it's going to be hot tomorrow so take it slow. especially in the afternoon hours. especially inland. outside right now it's kind of cool. we have 55 in san francisco, 56 in oakland, the cool fog is right along the coast here and it's starting to fill in. you can see up toward concord and in the inland valleys we're still in the mid-70s. so there's still some co

i'm consumer editor tom vacar. >>> just weeks ahead of the summer olympics and there's a snag. the british government has put an extra 3500 members of the military on standby. >> it's going to be cooler tomorrow. you're on timeout leo! some things won't last 25 years. ah! woof. some things will. save up to 20% on an ikea kitchen. >>> investigators in ohio are trying to figure out what caused a train derailment and explosion that sent flames shooting high into the air. it happened early this morning, just north of downtown columbus. officers say the freight train was carrying ethanol what it derailed. about 100 people were forced out of their homes. two people suffered minor injuries. >>> in news of the world tonight, in southeast asia, hillary clinton became the first american secretary of state to visit laos in more than 50 years. during the vietnam war, the u.s. dropped two million tons of bombs on laos. that works out to a ton for each person in laos. today, clinton pledged that the united states will help get rid of unexploded bombs that can still maim and kill. >>> in afgh

tom vacar, ktvu channel 2 news. >>> sporting goods conglomerate opened its new headquarters today. includes the north base, jansport and lucy opened today. >>> the sf hire evident featured more than 900 job openings. employers were seeking pharmacists, nurses and other medical professionals. job seekers also met with recruiters from san francisco police and the national guard. >>> facebook is now alerting people to a checkpoint. the checkpoint sends users who are concerned that their computer might be infected to sign up at a variety of free anti virus sites. back in april facebook introduced the anti virus marketplace portal that offers users anti virus portals from other companies including microsoft. >>> you know it's going to be hot tomorrow so take it slow. especially in the afternoon hours. especially inland. outside right now it's kind of cool. we have 55 in san francisco, 56 in oakland, the cool fog is right along the coast here and it's starting to fill in. you can see up toward concord and in the inland valleys we're still in the mid-70s. so there's still some cooling but