tom vacar, ktvu channel 2 news. >> now even before the announcement from a.c. transit workers that they could walk off the job thursday morning commuters, the chp and other groups have been getting ready for tomorrow's possible bart strike. ktvu's allie rasmus is here with what we will face tomorrow. >> reporter: if bart workers go on strike all day carpool hours will be in effect 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. caltrans switched out the signs to reflect that change. chp says if more people carpool there will be fewer cars on the road and less congestion. >> reporter: commuters haven't forgotten the grid lock the last time bart workers went on strike in july. >> read it the 24. it is a big hassle. >> reporter: with the threat of another strike it feels like deja vu. >> i feel like we have been down this road, feels like it happened 2, 3 times already. i am ready for resolution. >> reporter: during the strike on july 1 the average drive time from the tunnel across the bay bridge was 38 minutes. 17 minutes longer than average. >> [ inaudible question ] >> 45 minutes. >> r

tom vacar, ktvu channel 2 news. >> nancy pelosi issued a statement on the b.a.r.t. strike calling on both sides to return to the table to work to an agreement that is fair for management and workers, brecht b.a.r.t. employee safety and allows b.a.r.t. to invest in the future of the system. she said b.a.r.t. is steelings the bay area -- is essential to the bay area economy. >> some trains were running for maintenance reasons. it helps with security allowing an extra pair of eyes to monitor b.a.r.t. property. the work is being done by non- union employees and we want to know did you stay home from work today or did you get to work in a car, a carpool, bus or the ferry? join the conversation on facebook. and we will stay on top of the b.a.r.t. strike and the commute, sal will have updates throughout the newscast and we are waiting for the union announcement to come, it could happen any moment. at 5:30 p.m. not everyone is trying to get in and out of san francisco. how people in the east bay are getting around. >>> a man who killed a woman was in court today. a judge ar

reporting live, tom vacar, ktvu channel 2 news. >> b.a.r.t. strike prompted commuters to line up to head home for the weekend. ktvu's david stevenson is live at the transbay terminal where a.c. transit buses have been busy. david? >> reporter: the demand for the buses wasn't as strong as during july's strike. look behind me. at peak point it stretched down to the corner here but that was as of 3:50 p.m. this afternoon. >> reporter: we witnessed a number of conversations. unsure of what bus they should board. a.c. transit doesn't have the numbers today but buses were standing room only during the morning and as well into the evening commute. they say they usually get 2-300 calls over the course of a day but today they got 500 calls in 5 hours. just two blocks away casual carpoolers began lining up. officials tried to warn folks it might be more difficult to find a way back but passengers said catching a ride was surprisingly easy. >> shorter. like usually the line is back there. so it is short. >> everyone else is moving. we are just stuck here

tom vacar, ktvu channel 2 news. >> as those negotiations continue no one is sure when or if they will walk off the job. ktvu's paul chambers found options, a plan b for the commuters out there. >> reporter: some people are not waiting for unions to make that decision so they are taking matters into their own hands and planning their day tomorrow as if b.a.r.t. has already called for a strike. >> reporter: at this hour b.a.r.t. trains are running but if workers decide to strike 400,000 commuters will need alternate transportation. >> them going on strike is disrespectful to the people who give them their jobs. >> reporter: other transit agencies are prepared. san francisco ferry system told workers to plan as if there is a strike. >> they should expect there will be a strike tomorrow. >> reporter: this is the scene in july when b.a.r.t. workers went on strike. commuters were stuck in long lines, waiting for buses and ferries. so this time they are hoping people plan ahead. >> i will have to wake up an hour and a half earlier. >> reporter: a.c. transit will add extra buses. a.c. transit

ktvu's tom vacar live outside the negotiating quarters there in downtown oakland. so tom where are we right now. >> take a look. we're right now waiting to hear from anybody who can tell us what the latest update is but this is what we know. to make an analogy. the grand canyon is wide and deep even at the narrow parts. and no bridge across it just yet. >> i know that the riding public would like to know what's going on. and what's going on is that we're working very hard to achieve an agreement. >> b.a.r.t. insists it's $57 million offer already on the table is as far as it will go. >> the best and final still on the table but we're open to their ideas. as long as we're staying within those parameters. >> the key question. >> what are the unions going to do tomorrow. they haven't made that announcement yet. we're hoping they will. >> obviously if we can't reach an agreement there will be a strike. we're hoping we can. >> reporter: we're waiting to see if there's been any progress any time today. the federal mediator is here. the federal mediator is trying to get so

tom vacar has a look at the clean-up in the east bay. >> this morning, cherry's tree service respondedn emergency call in danville. >> i'm surprised by how much damage there was. you couldn't see it last night because it was so dark. this morning, we got up and could see all the damage. >> we were having a dinner party in the cottage behind the main house and we heard this creaking of timber and a big thud. >> a half century old red bud killed over. red woods are a soft wood. so this is a case where the whole root ball didn't come up but the tree was rot sxen just broke. >> reporter: it could have been worse 92 there's other surrounding trees that slowed down the fall and broke the fall. if it would have had a nice clean free fall, it would have levelled that house for sure. >> we're going to have to get somebody to look at our house for sure. >> reporter: at 8:00 a.m., a huge branch that didn't appear to be rotted or previously cracked fell, cutting off power to 46 ala mohome. >> about 46% of outages are cause caused by tree. >> reporter: much of the broken power lines remained up in

ktvu's tom vacar sat down with the leader and asked her tough questions. tom? >> reporter: she is trying to balance the union's demands with the riders needs with the reality of a aging system. i asked the chief straight up, are you a union buster? >> i don't know how you could have a system that has the highest paid workers in the nation and call us union busters. it doesn't jive. >> reporter: she says bart furloughed no one. a.c. transit took a 12% pay cut. bart workers did not. they got a 1% pay hike this summer. >> we are asking them to pay 8 or 9% on medical and that is a better deal than anybody gets. >> reporter: she says the part contract needs to be shaf to other -- similar to other agents. >> this is making sure the workers have a fair amount and we are investing in the infrastructure. one example of the rail cars, the average age is 40 years. they will be 50 when we get them replaced. our brand is reliability. it is that reliability that is in jeopardy. >> reporter: she hired the negotiator to accomplish just that. >> i think the union leadership tri

ktvu's tom vacar sat down with the leader and asked her tough questions. tom?eporter: she is trying to balance the union's demands with the riders needs

for all bart information sign up for e-mail alerts. >> yesterday ktvu's tom vacar sat down with her for an interview. she said bart has the highest paid transit workers in the bay area and said their contracts should be similar to other agents. watch the interview on www.ktvu.com. more details now, bart riders are urged to have a back up mode of transportation just in case there is a bart strike tomorrow. bart will be offering free bus service from 9 stations. other agencies such as a.c. transit, cal train and the ferry will be expanding service in the event of a strike. there are also carpools for commuters who can't work from home. >> i am going to try to avoid mass transit. this is a mess. >> what would you do if it kept going on? >> well, drive in or take the ferry or do the b.a.r.t. bus. >> all of these transit alternatives are expected to be crowded. b.a.r.t. said they will only be able to hand alsmall percentage -- handle a small percentage of the riders. and our coverage continues, people could be going to bed tonight not knowing whether or not b.a.r.t. will be running tomorrow,

tom vacar, ktvu news. >>> a 19-year-old man from san francisco is in custody. police arrested page at about 6:00 last night after he was identified as the suspect. the shooting happened last saturday night in antioch. 24-year-old bragg of brentwood was killed, another man was wounded. the suspect is being held at the county jail in lieu of $2 million bail. police have not said what led to the shooting. >>> san mateo police are asking for the public's help in identifying bank robbery suspect. this man is accused of holding up a wells fargo at noon. he approached a teller and demanded money while carrying a device that appeared to have a red detonating button. he got away with an undisclosed amount of money. the suspect is described as middle-aged and heavy set. anyone with information is asked to call brentwood police. >>> facebook is doing what it can to bring affordable housing. the move will keep facebook in compliance with the city's affordable housing contract. it will be located two miles from the construction project. >>> happening now, oakland a's fans g

tom vacar, ktvu channel 2 news. >>> under pressure these programs are being improved and made easier for homeowners to apply to. we've posted some of the most important resources on our website ktvu.com just click on hot topics. >>> a 16-year-old boy will stand trial in the shooting death of an off duty south bay paramedic. christian burton is being tried as an adult for allegedly shooting 34-year-old quinn bowyer during a carjacking attempt in the oakland hills last april. a judge ruled there is enough evidence for the case to go the trial. the victim's widow was in court for today's preliminary hearing. >> there is no happy ending no matter what happens in court. there's loss all around for everyone. and all we can do is lean on each other and be there for each other. >> reporter: burton has pleaded not guilty to the charges which include special circumstances since the killing happened during an attempted carjacking. if convicted he could spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parol. the teen is due back in court next month. >>> new developments now on the

ferries and waited to load there and took their chances driving to work, we have latest developments, tom vacar the developments but begin with david where they struggled to get into the city today. >> reporter: good afternoon, some of the most visible signs were here at the intersection of howard and fremont streets. parking and traffic control officers told us this traffic tie up at the bay bridge fremont exit should have been gone by 9:00 butly 11:30 they were still coming as they struggled to make their way in. >> it was an inconvenience because i had to leave at 6:30 and it used to take me 25 minutes and has taken me an hour. >> casual carpoolers saw more drivers willing to offer up a right but. >> traffic was horrible, horrible, all the way from there took me an hour and 45 minutes to get here. >> at the transbay terminal down the block, lines, confusion and anger about missed appointments and opportunities. >> i basically have my internship at 10:00 and i can't be late no matter what and i am already late. >> i am frustrated because i been waiting for the appointment almost a month now a

tom vacar has this story you will see only on 2.ere. >> reporter: here in vallejo, managers are already being trained on the trains. they are certified. >> we have 1 managers who are already certified and we can start doing some training with noncertified employees but we can't do the real hands on training until employees go on strike. >> reporter: if unions insist that those managers are not certified. >> they are not certified. they may have previously been at some point in their life, but there are constant revisions, constant changes and it has been years since they were certified. >> reporter: weeks ago when we asked to see the certifications, they would not answer. so i filed a california public records act request which forces them to answer. and here are the answers. in that response, they admitted they do not certify transit operators. cpuc says it has no records of who is certified or not. all it does is oversee the processes. it is up to bart to make sure all operators are properly trained and certified. they don't even

ktvu channel 2 reporter, tom vacar is live at the harper ferry this morning. are the lines looking there. >> reporter: it's interesting, we went into the parking lot 15 minutes ago. there were plenty of cars in the parking lot and the reality is there were plenty of spaces left, so a lot of people have decided not to go to work or they have made other kinds of plans, telecommuting, folks can do that in many jobs, and recently, and i mean just in the last 15 minutes, we went across the richmond san rafael bridge, and going across that bridge, what we found out was that while traffic was certainly, there was a lot of it, it was moving along at a relatively good speed and when we got to the end of the bridge and got off to come here, traffic moved slowly but it kept on moving. this is going to get worse after time, and the reason it's going to get worse after time is that more and more people are going to be seeking these alternatives, but even in the labor management mess that we have for the mediator, hope still springs eternal. >> we remain, ready, willing and

tom vacar, ktvu channel 2 news. >> the last bart strike was terrible for commuters. at 6:00 p.m. where public opinion stands and the role riders are playing. >>> happening now, hockey fans fired up about the new season for the san jose sharks that begins tonight. you can see here a pre-game rally going on outside the shark tank, music, fan give aways, food, 70s for kids and adults -- activities for kids and adults. the sharks take to the ice at 7:00 p.m. this evening against the canucks. >>> serious questions about a deadly bike accident in san francisco. why bicyclists say police botched the investigation. >> plus a $28 million renovation at a he can, why a program normally the victim of budget cuts -- high school, why a budget program normally the victim of budget cuts is celebrating. jalapeÑos, bacon, tomato and avocado. i call it, "the avocado da vinci". create your om'lart with denny's build your own omelette menu. i want you to know stuff i want you to be kind. i want you to be smart. super smart. i want one thing in a doctor. i want you to be handsome. i want you to be awe

tom vacar, ktvu channel 2 news. >>> and now to a weather alert. the coast guard is warning about dangerous waves along the northern california coast. beaches from point raise to carmel are under a advisory by the national weather service. you are advised to keep your eyes on the surf and stay away from rocks and jetties. >>> our chief meteorologist bill martin has more. >> the swell came out. the national weather service started issuing the alerts recently. it is bigger than it has been. you have south swell out there. there is bigger waves than we have been used to but it is not a giant swell. just increased swell size. it could cause problems. for us outside we have rain today. little is the keyword. pacific northwest getting hammered. i mean, look at this. from the next typhoon, they have had 4, 5, 6 inches of rain. it is winter up there. big winds. big rain. we are on the south end of it. these are the current numbers right now. temperatures today were in the 70s. low 80s. 77 livermore. along the coast, high surf advisory. they issued a high s

. >> reporter: tom vacar joins us with the latest, tom. >> reporter: well there were a lot fewer public sparking flying today but i get the sense that both sides are still very far apart. >> the mediation service is doing a spectacular job coming with creative idea that is both sides will be able to live with and embrace. >> the package was $57 million. if you want to give us some ideas of how we can rearrange what's in there and still make it under 57 million we're open to that. >> reporter: no word yet on a strike for tomorrow. >> obviously if we don't reach ape agreement there could be a strike. but we're doing everything we can -- reach an agreement there could be a strike. >> the bay area can't continue to go on wondering if there will be a strike. >> reporter: now if anything changes we will be back instantaneously waiting to see if there's any comments. but we'll certainly update you at 6:00. tom vacar, ktvu news. >> through your reports we've seen a change in tone among the two sides. we get a sense that people involved in the negotiations are getting tired. does that affect any

ktvu's tom vacar is in oakland.n the past hour the unions and bart left to give us an update. >> reporter: we got a slight reprieve from a friday strike. >> we are not giving a 72 hour hotes at this time. we have to -- notice at this time. we are keeping all options on. >> the table. -- options on the table. >> we are continuing to talk. i don't want to characterize how the negotiations are going. the mediator asked us not to. riders say this: >> think about us. we are the people who they serve. >> they told us to go to school and everything and not have transportation available is killing us. we got to be in class, got to work. >> just pray and try do the be you can and understand that everybody is in the same situation. >> reporter: the unions have no

ktvu's tom vacar joins us live  from oakland. >> he has the latest on the talk and what union members said today. tom? >> reporter: they are upstairs, negotiating, trying to reach a settlement, both understand that a strike would be disastrous for both sides and for the public but the reality is the time for reporting is over, the clock is ticking. everybody is waiting. >> reporter: the board of directors met this morning to discuss offers on the table and contingency physical the union strike. union members addressed the board. >> bart management used its influence with the media to do all these things to its workers, holding them up as lazeae unskilled and over -- lazy and unskilled. >> reporter: both sides used the media to trash bart's negotiator and holding themselves blameless. >> we are not getting the information that we need, we are not getting cooperation. we need people to come to the table. >> the negotiators said they gave him authority to make a new new -- >> [ inaudible ] >> we will give the public notice. >> the board of directors approved $400,000 a

the question is,ish when will it -- is, when will it come, tom vacar, ktvu channel 2 news. >> more details, the last strike lasted 4-1/2 days. 50% of the riders used other transits. bart averages 400,000 riders every week day. they are bracing for a bigger impact this time because ridership is higher. stay with www.ktvu.com. and we are posting a list of alternatives for you. >>> new at 6:00 p.m. the state says it cleared a back log of californians waiting for their unemployment checks but we learned of new concerns of unprocessed claims. ktvu learned the department's problems may be far larger than a commute glitch. ktvu's eric rasmussen is live where one lawmaker is getting involved. >> reporter: we talked to the state senator at his office here. his staff says they receive dozens of calls asking for help. many says they can't get a response from the state. >> we want an answer. a time frame. >> reporter: she thought the waiting was almost over. >> reporter: you have your money yet? >> no. >> with three dollar left this employee says she owed $1,900 in delayed unemployment abenefits going

ktvu's tom vacar is live outside caltrans headquarters. >> reporter: that final offer bart is offeringrious matter. what we have here is a classic stand off. it has direct consequences. >> reporter: the unions say bart's last, best and final offer is a bust. >> it does not address our safety concerns. . >> reporter: bart's offer, 12% increase over 4 years. a worker who makes $60,000 now would make 67,500 in the final year and a thousand dollars a year bonus if ridership beats forecast. workers pay 9.5% of healthcare costs. $132 a want and contradict 1% to their pensions increasing 1% a year. still a strike looms every larger. >> i hope what will hanan today -- happen today is management will heed the call and

. >> ktvu's tom vacar has been monitoring the events and he spoke to commuters are getting ready to changeheir plans just in case. >> reporter: the unions say they will have a statement here in the next few minutes, whatever the statement is, we are $89 million apart according to bart. it almost doesn't matter because it is a wide gap. with folks back at work a strike would be worse than in july, especially if a wildcard called a.c. transit plays. >> reporter: bart chartered 200 buses and they could carry 6,000 passengers a day, that is less than 2% of what the trains carry and that is no help for riders in union city. >> not a lot of people drive, acrossing the bridge -- crossing the bridge and everything, what can they do? >> van earl: the ferry will -- >> the ferry will operate 12 vessels. capacity will triple to 20,000 riders with more crossing, most customer service agents and weekend service. even with all this it only represents 5% of bart's valium -- volumes. >> if you don't have no more vacation it will be tough for the family. >> i don't know how i will get to work. i pay money a

tom vacar live again outside the caltrans building in downtown oakland. tom, it sure does look like this is for real that they are going to walk off at midnight. >> reporter: it certainly does. one of the other negotiators is going to come out josie moone . they are part of the bart organization and the two organizations atu and seiu are interlocked in terms of this contract so if one goes the other goes there is no question in will be a strike of the entire bart system. now, the situation is interesting because we still haven't heard from the mediator and we still haven't heard from bart. i suspect what it is is bart is going to let the union have their say to come down what they have to say. but at this point in time josie is still in there. we could tell this thing was going bad earlier. here were what a couple of people had to say just a little bit earlier in the day. >> not going to go down for lack of effort. everybody has done everything they could possibly try to do to get this thing together. this should be the final stretch, that's correct. >> re

ktvu's tom vacar is live where

tom vacar is live. how is the traffic out there? >> reporter: its starting to stack up.he reason being this particular bridge becomes a safety valve in a situation like this as cars come east on the 80 and they don't want to mess with the bay bridge. but they end up going on to this bridge and they really have to want to do this because you pay double. you pay to cross the richmond san rafael bridge. if you are going into the city, you pay as carrot -- you pay across the golden gate bridge. the unions of course know that this is all going to cause great public anger. >> i want the riders to know that we are so disappointed. we are really deeply disappointed this is the result. and we did everything we knew how to do. >> reporter: so that is the situation here at the richmond san rafael bridge. traffic stacking up. of course as it stacks up then it becomes slower on the bridge itself. later on we will go to the bridge to see how that is going. now to a traffic update from my colleague sal. >>> you are right about not wanting to pay twice. and that is a natural deterrent f