let's go to treasure island with ktvu's tom vacar. you have been covering the project since it first began. exciting they will be opening it tonight. i am sorry, say that again? is tom ready? okay. tom, it is exciting they will be opening the bridge but we knew they would open ahead of time. they always filled in extra time but everyone 82 it would be today -- knew it would be today. >> reporter: it may not have been planned that way but they needed the extra time of 24-30 hours and they needed it for a good reason. if something gone wrong they would have time to do something about that. lot of people said this has been vague about why they are doing that and one of the things that is important to understand, they have been vague for two very important reasons. one of which has to do with politics and the other is something important. >> reporter: we are in no danger of not making 5:00 a.m. on tuesday. >> reporter: if things sound iffy about when the bridge will open it is deliberate. >> work is wrapping up but there is significant cle

they call it a $10 million formula of concession, bart disputes those numbers and as tom vacar reports everyone sounding off of this pace of these negotiations. >> the governor commented on the reality of the steal mate of the substance of bart negotiations now. >> i exercised my power and that was the cooling off period and it is now within the frame work of collective bargaining which says both sides talked together but if they don't agree, workers will go on strike. >> why after 24 weeks of a 7 day cool off period and most of the 60-day cooling off period is now gone, they see something other than just pay and safety issues, egos. >> unfortunately, i think that has a lot to do with it. the issues that they cannot come together on and i think personalities are involved. >> it is about money and politics and who does what to who? >> i think it does have something to do with somebody's egos and does not want to make a move or bowing down. >> i do feel there is ego too because they cannot do on this long without a decision. >> today one state's senator introduced a no strike bill, tom v

tom vacar, ktvu channel 2 news >>> blackberry announced a major lay off today, the company says they'll be cutting 40% of its work for blackberry reported of nearly 1 million of loss. >>> wall street fell back today, dow dropped of 105 points and nasdaq lost 14. the turning point -- president obama today offered criticisms of republican accusing gop lawmakers of holding the country hostage of the healthcare reform. >>> the president was at a campaign style event at an assembly plant near kansas city. the republican passed the spending bill to keep the government running. >> they're not focused on you. they're focused on politics. they're focused on trying to mess with me. >> [ laughter ] >> there you go! they're not focused on you. >> congress must pass the budget by september 30th. democrats say they'll strip the healthcare provisions from the bill. >>> the second month in the row that it is done that. from 8. 7 in july, the state says the rn why is not entirely clear, the unemployment development says more than 1. 6 million of californians are out of jobs. >>> target says they'll hire

ktvu's tom vacar joins us with not just what they are saying but with what the riders are saying. tom? >> reporter: when you think about it the broken bart battle is back to the top. bart's board chairman says so long as workers insist on a 7% a year wage increase and healthcare benefits -- >> we don't feel like that will get us there. >> the union president says bart acted in bad faith. >> everyone is exhausted with this game. >> reporter: no one is more exhausted than the riders. >> both sides. >> think about it. you know? think about what you are doing to everybody. not just about yourself. >> i don't think they should be able to strike. >> reporter: this time a strike would bite deep. >> not being the summer. it would be disaster. >> reporter: [ inaudible question ] >> angry. >> i can't get to work. and they make more money than me. >> reporter: there is no longer rider patience. >> i think everybody is just fed up with it. i think that people are just wanting them to come to an agreement and figure it out. it effects the whole society. >> compromise has to come. >> reporter: i

ktvu's tom vacar is live with the implications of this offering. tom? >> people waited a long time and twitter finally said it will try to share but how did it announce it? where else, on twitter. here is what happened. tweeting out this afternoon it said we submitted a s1 to the sec for a planned ipo. we asked users if they think twitter has the staying power to put up wallstreet's demands for more and more profits. >> seems like it could be around for the long haul. >> i am sure they are prepared for it. companies going into this sort of -- have this -- >> i don't know people who have dropped because of the company going public. i think it is a great way to stay connected. >> reporter: so the folks who started twitter from nothing may realize their dreams of riches. but they will also find wall street mostly unimpressed with anything but more and more success. ask the folks at apple, they are trading 7% lower than monday despite introducing two new iphones. reporting live, tom vacar, ktvu channel 2 news. >> how will this change who will be in control

. >>> our tom vacar reports on emotions still real going and a neighborhood is still rebuilding. >> nancy and her husband's house is still replaced. >> it is not the house so much but it is all the memories and the pictures. you know, my grandmother's things that she's given me. >> although she has a new cat and a new roof over her head. >> we have a house but it does not feel like home. >> the fire killed eight and injured 60 and destroyed 38 homes and damaged 123 homes all of which are now repaired and total damage is $565 million. >> we still have a long way to go rebuilding the home and as well as the infrastructure around them. >> nothing so joyous as to someone returns >> i got my home back. >> the beside the local memorial san bruno wants a nationwide for its loss. >> eliminating of what we have come to understand to be a too cozy relationship between the regulator and the utility and frankly the need for better management, maintenance and over sight of the infrastructure system by those who owned and operated. >> they'll take many more anniversaries to come, tom vacar, ktvu channe

tom vacar, ktvu channel 2 news. >>> continuing coverage of the fire on mount diablo. julie haener has been following the developments. >> reporter: we have new information here. we learned about another firefighter who suffered heat exhausttion. she expected to be -- costian. he is expected to be okay. inmate crews part of the fire fight. talk about the inmate crews and what role they play. >> they do a really good job fighting the fires. we have 15 inmate abdomen crews here -- hand crews here. 426 inmates. they go out, stay out all night on the mountain. find the fire. and then in the morning they are usually relieved by another crew who takes their place. and that time when they come back they reach the base camp. this is the beginning. not all the resources are here. but, you know what, we deal with it and we go on with it. they will come in. unload off the bus. crew buses. ranges from 12-16 inmates. with a strike team of approximately 30 inmates. they get off the bus. come to tents we have provided over here with air conditioning. >> reporter: [ inaudible question

new at 6:00, tom vacar has learned that view of the touted signature span is actually just part of the cost to keep drivers on the new bridge safe, tom -- >> reporter: all this work deep from san francisco to oakland had to be done. and for it we got double protection, but the real cost, 7-1/2 billion dollars. we get protection for commuters when a truly major earthquake would strike. the bridge can provide protection on the expected earthquakes every 15 years. it begins on the one mile long elevated freeway above the streets of san francisco known as the western approach which was done seven years ago. done without halting traffic while caltrans placed a new set of roadways in the very same footprint. cost, $430 million. the much much retrofitted and ad

now tom vacar is here and he's asking, would this even be enough? tom? >> reporter: well, if there's a strike, and that looms closer and closer every day, bart says it needs to keep some trains running. as bart begins non-powered familiarization training with these cars, it will rely on a dozen managers it claims are certified and can train other managers to get a state-trained operator certification. >> they have to get certified. they have to pass certain tests. >> reporter: that on-the-track training cannot begin until a strike does. and it's a time-consuming process to get certified. >> it takes about a 16-week course to become a train operator. >> reporter: how will they certify bart managers to train them if there's a strike? >> a couple trains into the city -- it's really a lifeline service. >> and that's the most dangerous section of the system. what are people going to do, when they have one person who is supposed to know what's going on and that person doesn't have a clue? >> reporter: they say most train operators could get certification but t

tom vacar, live. he takes a look at some of the bay area's major projects. who does and who does not qualify for a bonus. tom. >> reporter: frank, this is really a story about the carrot and the stick. >> no bonuses will be paid to contractors top almost finished tunnel. even though it is on time and under budget. nor were they paid other double slide understand the. others have paid offhand? ly, often for great public need as in the case of the fire displayed may section six years ago that snarled bay area traffic. >> normally if there wasn't that time element, he might have one crew. on this one he had several crews. to be able to afford to do that, you need too have that incentive. >> for that, famed contractor got a $5 million bonus for completing the torque far i had of schedule and for restoring in half the time numerous collapse canned overpasses staff 94 north rim quake. he earned 15 million. >> it is really just a project by project decision. >> but where there is a carrot, there is also a stick. >> a lot of times we will have financial invenne senti

tom vacar was in the tunnel and found only a few by important steps remain before this transportationilestone is complete. >> reporter: the long awaited caldecut tunnel looks done but looks are deceiving. what's being completed reflects to what happened 31 years ago in the next tunnel over a fiery crash that incinerated seven people when a chain reaction accident caused a bus and cars to collide and explode. >> as a result it prompted the transportation association change their standards. >> what we're installing is a very sophisticated system. both for suppression of a fire, public notification in the case of a serious incident in the tunnel. >> reporter: it could have been opened weeks and weeks ago. but what's being installed now are life safety systems and they have to be tested that way if there's a major accident people are less likely to be injured or die. there are numerous fire suppression systems. massive fans to blow those -- out of the tunnelless. seven passage ways to the third bore. even an information system would broadcast emergency reactions to radio. >> we are on sch

ktvu's tom vacar is live with what both sides had to say about the stalled negotiations. tom? >> the rail system that 400,000 people every day depend upon seems to be heading into a negotiation train wreck. >> reporter: they raised their offer from zero to 10%. >> they have nart responded yet to our -- not responded yet to our request. >> we have not submitted any offer to our members because we have not received a final offer. >> we heard from the employees who said we want to see an increase. and our take home pay. and we have an offer on the table for them. >> the union says bart's proposals amount to a pay cut. >> it has to be fair and put the workers not behind as they have been. >> reporter: so the sides remain apart and had almost no discussions and won't meet on wage, pension and healthcare for two weeks. mediation between the parties does not seem to be working but both sides are sticking with it. >> if they are not interested in coming together the mediator can't tell us what proposals to put across the table. >> it is the worst i have ever seen. clearly intended to

ktvu's tom vacar has investigated bart's safety record and comparing it to mass transit in other cities coming up new at 6:00 p.m. >>> employees at the navy yard return to work. most reopened but the building where 12 people were gunned down remain close. workers were greeted by armed personnel -- >> we will see what the day brings. not sure what it will entail. recognition we lost people. >> i don't have i.d. i have my passport because i was on the third floor when the guy started shooting. >> reporter: a counseling center was schett up to help returning employees -- set up to help returning employees. they said today aaron alexis was treated for insomnia last month. aaron alexis was granted partial disability. today's statements refute reports that aaron alexis unsuccessfully sought up for-- issues. -- mental health issues. >>> the fire will be contained by midnight tonight. firefighters got help today in the form of cooler temperatures as they patrol the fire lines. the rim fire destroyed 257,000 acres of land. almost 1400 firefighters are still working on the fire lines and so far i

ktvu's tom vacar with more. >> the city is relying on the u.s. constitutional.night city counsel voted to pursue its constitutional right. private property may be taken for public use only when compensation has been paid to the owner. >> if the law allows condemnation of someone's home i don't see why you can't say it is the same thing. >> california law allows any property to be taken. >> just compensation is denied as the fair market value of the property. >> he warns the fair value may include more than the simple sales price because the homes they are trying to save are occupied by owners making payments at a profit to the bank. financial institutions are doing everything they can to stop richmond from getting its claim in front of a jury. >> if the defendant is a large financial institution they are not going to be looked at with sympathy. >> reporter: financial institutions fear that could spread since even today even with property values raising homes are still under water. tom vacar, ktvu channel 2 news. >> a new effort is underway to stop conconvicts fr

v is live -- tom vacar is live with reaction. >> here is our question, once wall street gets its hands on twitter will the tweet be so sweet. we asked social media users if they think going public might be a better, stronger thing for twitter or will it make it a slave of investigators. >> all depends on who owns most of the stock, right? who is making the decisions? it is just -- yes and no. really. >> reporter: [ inaudible question ] >> depends. really depends. >> that is what i think one of the evils of wall street is. it demands people make money. >> changes the twitter looks. >> reporter: you don't think it will change it much? >> i don't think so, no. >> reporter: with the stock market on a upward slope and the economy looking stronger, this might be the best time for twitter to get into the market but to make a huge bundle while they do it. at 6:00 p.m. what wall street will demand from twitter. tom vacar, ktvu channel 2 news. >>> share holders approved an offer to buy back the company he founded. dell wants to take back the company back. dell has been publicly held for 25 years

ktvu's tom vacar is live to tell us how bart plans to get people across the bay if the unions walk outtom? >> reporter: negotiations are continuing today. but there is a plan to keep commuters commuting as best as possible. >> reporter: they voted to increase alternativeruption funding to 21 million -- alternative transportation funding to $21 million. one rider sees it as a greater problem. >> the system is broken from the top up. the government and it is no different down here. people are not talking to each other. they are not working together. >> reporter: it looks like bart will provide 200 charter buses, risking $900,000 in deposits if there is no strike. they may run limited service with each train carrying a thousand passengers -- but at the moment part has only 12 operators in management to drive them. >> they are asking for a three year contract, we want a four year contract. >> reporter: other agents will beef up alternative transportation, a.c. transit, muni and the ferries. the 580 may allow trucks. highway 24 will have temporary hov lanes near the tunnels. even with all t

tom vacar has been looking into that. and just how realistic this training plan is. tom? >> reporter: here's what the law says. the law says nobody, nobody drives a bart train with passengers without first having been fully tested and certified by the california public utilities commission. these bart cars are sitting up on flatbed trailers while bart insists familiarization training, not track training, will take place. >> we have about 12 managers who are already certified. we can start doing some training with noncertified employees. but we can't do the real hands- on training until employees actually go on strike. >> reporter: the union argues those bart managers aren't really certified. >> they may have previously been certified, but there are constant revisions, constant changes. and it's been years since they were certified. >> reporter: i looked for answers about bart's safety record and trained operator records. for two days now, the california public utilities commission has been unable or unwilling to give me that information, which raises the question, is the

reporting live, tom vacar, ktvu channel 2 news. >> more details now on the labor talks. the next negotiation is set for next week but ktvu learned the mediator is talking to caltrans about secureing a meeting room for a -- sewering a meeting room for a possible session tomorrow. both sides are still far apart when it comes to salary and benefits. and we are counting down the days in the 60 day cooling off period. there are now just 21 days left and unless an agreement is reached, bart workers could strike once again. >>> sac sac workers may -- contra costa county workers may be walking off the job in two weeks, they have voted in favor of calling a strike but a official tells ktvu a strike is not imminent just possible if a deal isn't reach by october 1. the union includes accountants, engineers and public health nurses. we tried calling the county for comment but did not hear back. >>> we know the name of the gunman accused of shooting a property manager during an eviction. today authorities identified the suspect as mike ghoneim. investigators say he shot through his d

tom vacar, ktvu channel 2 news. >>> a new bay bridge is becoming quite a tourist destination. >> i loved it. it's beautiful. they did a great job. it profiles the city beautifully. i mean as the backdrop. >> i really like the architecture of the bridge. it's really beautiful. next time i'm not driving i'm going to take a picture. >> reporter: and many did. we saw one woman holding a cell phone through the sunroof. traffic seemed heavier than usual this morning but they say once they were on that bridge things flowed smoothly. >> oh, yeah. i think this is the happiest moment in my life. for tonight. i think people did not appreciate it. but as a toll taker they were saying, thank you, you got to open early. i said thank you. >> the toll taker said he had never seen so many people happy to take their money. some people took his picture and several people asked for his photograph. >>> and you can get the latest on ktvu.com. going over the new bay bridge from san francisco to the east bay bright red. also red red along the east bay there. pretty typical for an evening commute. >>> opening da

tom vacar ktvu channel 2 news. >>> more details now, apple also announced today it next mobile operating system ios 7 will be available as a free download to iphone and ipad users september 18th. ios 7 offers an all-new so you have the ware design with new colors, i cons and animation. >>> apple shares today closed down more than 2%. analysts say investors don't believe the new devices are equiped with must-have features. the broader market fared much better with. nasdaq was up 22. the increases appear to reflect belief u.s. attack on syria is not certain. >>> meteorologist rose mary orozco here. we are feeling it today, rose mary. >> a huge drop in some cases. chances are i do not need to tell you today was a cooler day. 20 that 25-degrees in some cases. fairfield 25 degrees you about take the prize for being the coolest in a 24-hour change there. we've got low clouds banked up against the coastline, and if you look close enough, you can see they have crossed into the east bay. we're look at partly cloudy skies over areas of oakland, santa rosa, those clouds are rolling back in your dir

tom vacar. >>> firefighters hope to have that huge wildfire fully contained some time tonight, but the cost of fighting that blaze has now sored into the millions. cal fire announced today that so far more than 4 and a half million dollars has been spent battling the morgan fire e. the 3100-acre fire tonight is now 95% contained. about 450 firefighters are still on the scene mopping up. investigators have determined that illegal target shooting sparked the blaze, but no arrests have been made. >>> meantime, cal fire expect to fully contain another big wildfire by sunday. the cover fire is burn about 10 miles south near the communities of happy valley. one person has died. at least 68 homes have within destroyed. some people have been allowed back into their homes. cal fire hopes to have everyone else back into their homes by tomorrow night. the fire has burned 8,000-acres since it started back monday. it is 80% contained. 1100 firefighters are still battling this fire, though. >>> the massive rim fire near yosemite is now 80% contained. coming up, the team of experts that's moved into