velena, what are you hearing? well, those reported indictments come after months of investigation and speculation. and tonight, it is worth noting that the fbi has not confirmed either of those indictments. now, this all comes after the fbi raided then mayor sheng thao home back in june, taking away veral boxes. the same day, agents raided the homes and businesses of multiple members of the dewan family who own cal waste solutions in oakland. recycling contractor tor has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and claimed she was not the target of the investigation. she also publicly criticized the fbi for the timing on the raid, noting it happened amid a growing push to recall her from office. those recall efforts ulultimately succeeded. tonight, those reports of tao's indictment have recall supporters celebrating while leaving some members of city council concerned. this is really concerning and the impacts of what this means for the integrity of city services and city business is definitely concerning to me as a publi

velena jones, back to you. okay. thank you very much. velena. stay safe. up next, you remember this guy. remember he was convicted of that notorious bay area kidnaping? well, now he's being tied to other crimes. we're joined by the seaside police chief, who is credited with cracking this case wid now being charged with more crimes, and it is in part thanks to a police chief from the monterey bay. matthew mueller was convicted of raping and kidnaping denise huskins quinn and then tying up her now husband, aaron quinn, in vallejo nearly a decade ago. this case made international headlines, in part because vallejo pd originally called it a hoax. they said the couple made it up. now. the crime got fresh interest last year after netflix aired its documentary series american nightmare. seaside police officer police chief. i should say nick borges watched the show and then decided to write to mueller in prison. and surprisingly, mueller wrote back. the chief says mueller gave him critical info, tying him to at least four other crimes. those crimes include a rape

velena what exactly do we know right now? we know there's a lot of speculation and reports, but what do we know? right. so raj, this comes, as you said, after months of investigation and speculation, it's important to note that the fbi nor the u.s. attorney's office has confirmed any of these reported indictments. but we do know that they both plan to hold a joint press conference tomorrow morning, citing a major development. however, they didn't release any details on that tonight. people suspect that these two things are related. what do we know about this reported indictment in terms of when did it all start? what what led to all of this? well, raj, that fbi raid we know started back in june, last june of the then mayor's home. and then the same day, agents raided homes and businesses of multiple members of the dewan family who own kowee solutions in oakland. recycling contractor through subpoenas. though we know that last july, the city of oakland was ordered to hand over records tied to the city contracts with city waste

velena. now here is an in-depth timeline of just how this investigation unfolded. back in june, former mayor sheng thao home was searched by the fbi, irs, and u.s. postal inspection service, three other locations owned by the duong family also raided in 2023, and part of the fbi's investigation. now among those locations, cal waste. at the time, the agency did not confirm what they were investigating. tao has consistently said that she is innocent of any wrongdoing or crime. the former oakland mayor was recalled by voters in the november election. now her recall, along with former district attorney pamela price, was the first successful recall in the city's history. tao officially departed her mayoral seat in december. just yesterday, her boyfriend, andre jones, was indicted. now, an arraignment was scheduled to take place at 1030 this morning. our team is in the courtroom. we will have an update for you coming up during our evening newscast. now, of course, there are still many questions to come with this case. joining us now live is defense attorney paula canny.

velena jones, nbc, bay area news.ere for the last couple of days now in southern california tonight, mexico is entering the fight against the wildfires. more than 70 mexican firefighters and humanitarian workers touched down at lax airport this afternoon. they also brought food and supply donations with them. they'll join the 14,000 national guard members, firefighters and officers already in l.a. governor newsom was on the runway today to meet crews and thank mexico for the solidarity. 40 million americans that live in the great state of california. i want to thank president sheinbaum. i want to thank all the members of the military for being here. it means the world to us. and you can hear more from governor newsom and the wildfire response during an exclusive interview on meet the press. you can watch that tomorrow at 8 a.m. right here on nbc bay area. firefighters on the ground have two big concerns tonight. the winds picking up as rob was talking about creating the risk of flying embers sparking new fires. teams

velena now new at 11. governor newsom has called in the cavalry, deploying the california national guard to help out. 400 troops will be tasked with traffic control and protecting critical infrastructure. they will also have to support law enforcement as they try to crack down on looting. so far, 20 people have been arrested. now, the governor posting this on x, warning that anyone taking advantage of an evacuated community will not be tolerated. now, to combat that, looting curfews will be enforced from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. in those evacuation zones for the pacific palisades area and the eaton fires. so definitely some progress. but the firefight is far from over. los angeles city leaders are now looking forward, though, already talking about what happens after the flames are extinguished. nbc bay area's jocelyn moran spoke to a north bay fire marshal that is helping on the front lines. jocelyn, what did he say? well, jess, first, la's mayor is vowing the city will help people rebuild quickly. but fire crews,

nbc bay area's velena jones has the latest details on this investigation. velena. after hours of detouring commuters, this hayward station reopened around 1:00 this afternoon. but tonight, the investigation continues into what led to this stabbing. commuters gave way to crime scene tape at the hayward bart station this morning after a man was stabbed and wounded. investigators collected evidence for hours focusing on the concourse level near the bathroom. sad. real sad. i feel a little uncomfortable. a little uncomfortable, but at the same time, i just got to go through the day just like everybody else. witnesses say the man was stabbed multiple times, but officials expect him to survive. bart police initially detained two people, but ultimately determined they were not involved. tonight, bart commuters say the violence needs to stop. it's a little outrageous. the hours long station closure meant many travelers faced delays and bus bay bridge detours. more than an hour now. it's supposed to be 35 to 40 minutes the most. now more than 1.5 hours now. so you were dela

velena. we are on palisades drive at palisades villas, where this community has been completely engulfed in flames. tonight, the wind is blowing and you can see just the pure destruction that this fire has caused. and it's still raging here tonight. not a single house is left standing. you can see the destruction here, just in this driveway coming through. it looks apocalyptic. and if we come over here, as the fire continues to rage tonight, we're hearing how powerful the wind is. as we continue to hear the fire take over this community. and the fire is not slowing down. but what we haven't seen is a single fire crew. come here and treat this area. we have seen fire crews drive past this area. but the problem with this is there is limited resources and fire crews are focusing on the communities and the homes that they can save right now. but tonight, you see this is a complete loss as the fire continues throughout the evening hours. yeah, they have to make some very difficult decisions. all r

velena jones here with photojournalist edwin alvarado. we are just now getting into the los angeles area here to cover the devastating wildfires that are impacting this community. as we were on our way down to los angeles, we saw several cal fire vehicles from northern california coming down to help in this firefight. we also know that there are several bay area local fire departments that have been deployed down here as well. to help, i want you to take a look at what we're seeing right now. we just got off the five and you can see this dark cloud of smoke just totally encompassing the los angeles community. if you take a look, you can see the wind as the palm trees are blowing in the wind. the wind has been a major factor in this. we will be here for the remainder of the week giving you live updates. stay tuned. thank you velena. stay safe. now here in the bay area we did see some gusty winds. nothing like what they're experiencing down in southern california. the winds up here did topple some trees and utility poles. this is video from

let's bring in nbc's velena jones, who was there? many of those residents tell us they are frustrated with the lack of communicationrom law enforcement. they tell us that they came here to the evacuation zone after being sent an email that they thought would grant them permission to come see their homes, only to be turned away. altadena residents are now facing a new reality. it's been gutting. it's like it's like armageddon at the top of lake avenue. mollie stein's house is one of the few that survived the eaton fire. airdrops help put out flames next door and save her home at the same time. tonight, she's struggling with survivor's guilt. we have a house, but we're going to live there with no village and nothing around us. it's a it's a terrible situation. stein is one of the many residents who gathered on lake avenue to try to access their home. today. they showed up after receiving an email from the city of pasadena, reportedly offering permission for a one time entry to the evacuation zone to grab essentials like medications. bu

in oakland, velena jones, nbc, bay area news. an east bay serial killer is being sentenced for the 1986 murders of two fremont women sang 99 bottles of beer as the victim's family detailed their heartache and loss. the judge then handed him two more life sentences. david misch getting 50 years to life for the murders of jennifer dewey and michelle xavier. the bodies of the two best friends were found shot and stabbed in fremont. misch wouldn't be charged until 2018 after dna evidence and interviews with family and witnesses surfaced. the alameda county da's office says the two girls will finally have justice after nearly 40 years. now, misch will stay at the santa rita county jail awaiting trial for the 1988 kidnaping and murder of nine year old makayla garrett out of hayward. investigators tied him to the crime by fingerprints left on mikayla's scooter. she'll be back in court for those charges at a later date. misch is already serving a life sentence for another murder that happened in hayward in 1989. a former san jose police

here's nbc's velena jones. in a lengthy report from alameda county, the office of education is outlining the financial reality of usd's $152 million shortfall this year. if it fails to make tough decisions soon. the report stating in part, without significant intervention, the district is projected to run out of cash during the 20 2526 school year, leading to significant destabilization of students and staff. if we do nothing, we will be in in real trouble and so doing nothing is not an option. school board director mike hutchinson says the district needs to cut $95 million from its operating budget next school year to remain solvent. he expects widespread layoffs and staffing changes, but is hoping to avoid closing schools. i am still hopeful that we can get to where we need to go by a phased plan of making some changes each year until we get to where we need to go. after community concerns, the school board declined to take action on a proposal to save money by merging ten schools last year. hutchinson says b

in oakland, velena jones, nbc, bay area news. community leaders in san francisco also came together today to reiterate doctor king's message. the norcal mlk foundation and the san francisco labor council held a labor community breakfast. community and business leaders also gathered at the intercontinental hotel in san francisco. they spoke of the importance of upholding doctor king's values and commitment to service, urging others to continue to stand together in the ongoing fight for civil rights and workers rights. doctor martin luther king felt very strongly about the community and labor. he also felt that no one could succeed without the other. and we must make sure that our bonds with the community and labor grows stronger than they've ever been before. each year, the event announces the winner of the willie b kennedy civic service award. this year it was given to san francisco reverend and doctor amos brown. the award recognizes someone who embodies the values and vision of doctor king in their lives. well, growing concerns

here's nbc bay area's velena jones. people before politics. people before politics. ahead of today's special supervisors meeting. safe. the group responsible for recall efforts against former da pamela price rallied to make suree everyone knows what they want to see in the next district attorney. number one, they experience, and they have to be able to be a leader who can make changes and also to revitalize the da office so that we can regain trust. that group and the families of several crime victims are endorsing two of the seven candidates. alameda county superior court judge ursula jones dixon and contra costa county assistant district attorney annie esposito. virginia nishida, whose husband was shot and killed in 2021 while working as security for a news crew, believes both candidates will fight for victims. they've been in all aspects of the court area. they have helped community. they have helped internally. they have helped themselves. even going out to the community to help, you know. so it's they're well rounded. elgin lowe and jimmy wilson are the only int

velena. reporter the u.s. attorney's office is calling this a pay to play scheme dating back years to october 2022, right before chao was elected mayor. both former mayor thao, along with her partner andre jones and the duong family, appeared in court today. all entered pleas of not guilty. the defendants used bribes, mail fraud, wire fraud and other illegal practices to manipulate and corruptly influence the levers of local government. a 21 page indictment lays out eight counts the u.s. attorney's office claiming sheng thao promised to use her influence as oakland mayor to benefit businesses owned by david duong and his son, andy. in exchange, she and her longtime partner andre jones would get money and other benefits. prosecutors claim the bribes started in october 2020, two weeks before the mayoral election. the public needs to know it can trust those in charge of city hall to work for the best interests of the people of oakland. this public trust is broken when elected officials agree to a pay to play syst

in oakland, velena jones, nbc, bay area news. well, pg&e crews had their hands full in san francisco this morning. there was a gas leak at the laguna honda hospital. it happened a little after 11 a.m. this morning. the sf department of public health says a contractor ruptured a gas line while doing work outside. san francisco firefighters helped evacuate staff in the administration building, but patients in the hospital building were not affected and did not have to leave. within 30 minutes, all evacuated staff went back inside. pg&e was on scene shortly after to shut off the gas line and repair the damaged pipe. president biden and first lady jill biden are in new orleans tonight. that city's mayor and other leaders greeted them at the airport this afternoon. here's a look at that. the president and the first lady will attend a prayer service tonight. it's hosted by the archdiocese of new orleans. now they will also meet privately with families of victims and community members, as well as first responders and law enforcement. 14

reporting live in the east bay velena jones nbc bay area news. lena. thank you. there is more to all of this. the reports of the former mayor's indictment come on the same day we're learning about another fbi raid involving another public official from the east bay. yesterday, the feds descended on the home of a city councilman in san leanandro. let bring in nbc's robert honda, who joins us in san leandro. robert, what's the link? do we know between mayor thao and the city councilman? there does seem to be some, as you heard velena say, the fbi has been keeping a pretty tight lid on information about any of the cases. so while observers are trying to connect the dots at this point, some crucial dots are still missing. the san leandro home of city councilman brian azevedo is quiet today, and a person inside told me azevedo was not there and he isn't returning our calls. but neighbors confirmed they saw the fbi raiding the home wednesday morning. they also say they don't know why they come in for a reason. they not coming to say hi. that's what i would say. but inn

here's nbc bay area's velena jones. we want to make sure that they will not be replacing another problem that will be dealing with again. and we also want to make sure that this is a right and fair process. safe. the group responsible for recall efforts against former da pamela price rallied ahead of today's special supervisors meeting, this time advocating for what they want to see in the next district attorney they hope will remain in office. and that's the most important thing, is the electability. after 2026, you have to do 2026, you got to do 2028. so you got to know what you're doing here. that group and the families of several crime victims are endorsing two of the seven candidates. alameda county superior court judge ursula jones dixon and contra costa county assistant district attorney annie esposito. virginia nishida, whose husband was shot and killed in 2021 while working as security for a news crew, believes both candidates will fight for victims. they've been in all aspects of the court area. they have help

in oakland, velena jones, nbc, bay area news. a south korean cryptocurrency mogul pleaded not guilty to u.s. fraud charges today. stanford grad dodd kwon is accused of lying to investors to fool them into investing into terraform labs, a singapore crypto firm he co-founded. prosecutors say investors worldwide were harmed by the $40 billion crash of terraform labs cryptocurrency. terraform declared bankruptcy last january. kwon is one of several cryptocurrency moguls to face federal charges after a slump in digital token prices in 2022 prompted the collapse of a number of companies. a sharp rise in mortgage interest rates has meant a big drop in the demand for mortgages. a new report from the mortgage bankers association says mortgage applications are down more than 20% for the end of the year. interest rates had been ler than the previous year for much of 2024, but economists say a mortgage rate hike in december caused applications to drop off. they say there are more homes on the market now compared to this time last year, but m

let's bring in our own velena jones, who traveled down there to los angeles. she joins us live from there. this is the original fire velena that started yesterday, 1030 in the morning. and that basically has decimated that entire, you know, enclave. yeah, that's exactly right, jessica. you know, when you go through different areas here at pacific palisades, you just see the destruction that has completely wiped out some of these communities here. we're at the lower lyi level of pacific palisades right now. here at the entry point, you can see fire crews milling about right now, their trucks going from one location to the next. the house behind me has been on fire for quite a bit of time. i mean, we've just been in this one location for about an hour. it was completely destroyed when we got here, but the fire continues to go right now. but we have seen constant fire crews pass by this house and not treat it. and that's because they have other homes that they are focused on right now. homes that have not burned, that they are trying to prevent from being damaged

nbc bay area's velena jones is there. many of those residents tell us they are frustrated with the lack of communication from law enforcement. they tell us that they came here to the evacuation zone after being sent an email that they thought would grant them permission to come see their homes, only to be turned away. altadena residents are now facing a new reality. it's been gutting. it's like it's like armageddon at the top of lake avenue. molly stein's house is one of the few that survived the eaton fire. airdrops help put out flames next door and save her home at the same time. tonight, she's struggling with survivor's guilt. we have a house, but we're going to live there. with no village and nothing around us. it's a it's a terrible situation. stein is one of the many residents who gathered on lake avenue to try to access their home today. they showed up after receiving an email from the city of pasadena, reportedly offering permission for a one time entry to the evacuation zone to grab essentials like medications. b

in oakland, velena jones, nbc, bay area news. so what exactly are tao jones and the duong's accused of? investigative reporter candice nguyen joins us now to break down the alleged bribery scheme laid out by prosecutors today. and, candice, we know they're prominent businessmen, but who are these dongs? yeah, they are a father son duo working with a waste company that you've probably seen in oakland and in the south bay. they, tao and jes, are denying these allegations, as prosecutors allege a bribery scheme that helped tao become mayor and pay some of her and her partner's personal bills. this federal indictment charges former oakland mayor sheng thao of a corrupt relationship with her partner, andre jones, and two additional defendants, david and andy duong. david duong is the president ceo of kao waste solutions. he's also co-owner of a housing company. his son, andy also works at cal waste and co-owns the same housing company. leading up to oakland's 2022 mayoral election. federal prosecutors say sheng thao promised if she wa

in oakland, velena jones, nbc, bay area news. an overnight storm in southern california, helping containment efforts on those los angeles area wildfires. the eden fire stands at 98% containment, while the palisades fire is now up to 94%. all final evacuation orders were officily lifted today. however, rainfall also brought landslides to the palisades burn scar area. take a look at this. many roads were closed, blocked by debris after a flood watch moved through the area. it just expired about two hours ago and today the five freeway has reopened after an overnight snowstorm closed both directions of the grapevine ornight. the storm is moving out of the region today. all right. and back here at home, things are getting chillier as well as we take a live look at the bay bridge. that is a beautiful view of the city for sure. and, jeff, we are expecting rain, but i guess it depends on where you live. yes. i mean the difference between the haves and the have nots with this storm system. it's going to be just so close. so we're going t

velena jones nbc, bay area news. it is almost back to business as usual at the santa cruz wharf.t will partially reopen tomorrow, far earlier than originally thought. you remember last week a section of the wharf collapsed into the ocean during a strong storm. 17 businesses have been closed since then. now, originally, the city said it would take weeks, if not months, to partially reopen the wharf. but now city leaders say they plan to reopen it tomorrow. the portion of the wharf affected by the collapse, of course, will remain closed. okay. and we just have to worry about what goes moving forward when we have some of these big storms. this storm was very mild. but what happens moving forward? i mean, the end of this month, february, can traditionally bring us some very strong storms. so i'm sure they're looking at ways they can contin to shore that up and make sure they don't lose additional sections of that. as far as it goes this weekend, no storm system in the works for us. we are going to get into some dry weather, but we will also be dealing with some fog. so let's take a l

nbc bay area's velena jones has more from altadena. we're in altadena, where the eaton fire has completely destroyed this community. you can see the damage left behind. those flames homes completely, completely leveled to the ground. but some homes still remain. tonight you can see one off in the distance there. that car still there. but for many in this area, that is not the story. many homes look like the ones that you can see right here leveled to the ground. we have another home on the opposite side of the street. it's the same story there. we see what used to be a boat here, completely gone. you can kind of make out some of the things left behind. we've seen chimneys left standing, but everything else gone. some of the gates and things are also left behind. but this is what the community is facing with many people have not been able to return home to even see this damage. we are talking to residents tonight who say they actually got a notification telling them that they would be able to come into this area and grab things and then

velena, what are you hearing? well, those reported indictments come after months of investigation and speculation. and tonight, it is worth noting that the fbi has not confirmed either of those indictments. now, this all comes after the fbi raided then mayor sheng thao home back in june, taking away veral boxes. the same day, agents raided the homes and businesses of multiple members of the dewan family who own cal waste solutions in oakland. recycling contractor tor has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and claimed she was not the target of the investigation. she also publicly criticized the fbi for the timing on the raid, noting it happened amid a growing push to recall her from office. those recall efforts ulultimately succeeded. tonight, those reports of tao's indictment have recall supporters celebrating while leaving some members of city council concerned. this is really concerning and

reporting in altadena, velena jones, nbc, bay area news. the devastation difficult to wrap your mind around. so many people have lost just so much to help meet that need. a donation center right now is operating outside the rose bowl in pasadena. it is staffed largely by volunteers working around the clock looking to help where they can. the site is stocked with donated food, water, clothing and just basic necessities. and tonight, people in the bay area are buying supplies, trying to do what they can to assist the la fire victims. nbc bay area's jocelyn moran joins us now with how you can help. jocelyn. yeah. janelle. businesses, churches and organizations are gathering supplies to send to la. others are connecting on social media, getting together to figure out how to contribute. tonight, a truckload of supplies from san jose is on its way to los angeles. we have relief worth of full semi truck that is going to the dream center in la to help with folks out there. people have been dropping off things like diapers and water the last couple

velena jones today in the bay and we just got an update from cal fire. eaton fire was 15% contained. it is now up to 27% containment. so some good news there in altadena. meanwhile, mexico is lending its support in the wildfire battle in los angeles. more than 70 mexican firefighters and humanitarian workers touched down yesterday at lax. they also ought food and supply donations with them. they'll join the 14,000 firefighters, national guard members and officers already on the ground in la. governor newsom was on the runway to meet crews and thank mexico for the solidarity. firefighters on the ground have two big concerns the winds picking up again, creating the risk of flying embers and sparking new fires. teams from two bay area companies are in the fire zones using their technology to help our today in the bay, marianne favro reports. a san francisco company is providing monitors that can detect new fires within three minutes of sparking, while a san jose state researcher says his company is able to more accurately track the winds. together, they're

and today, in the bay's velena jones is there. many of those residents tell us they are frustrated with the lack of communication from law enforcement. they tell us that they came here to the evacuation zone after being sent an email that they thought would grant them permission to come see their homes, only to be turned away. altadena residents are now facing a new reality. it's been gutting. it's like armageddon at the top of lake avenue. molly stein's house is one of the few that survived the eaton fire. airdrops help put out flames next door and save her home. at the same time, she's struggling with survivor's guilt. we have a house, but we're going to live there with no village and nothing around us. it's a it's a terrible situation. stein is one of the many residents who gathered on lake avenue to try to access their home. they showed up after receiving an email from the city of pasadena, reportedly offering permission for a one time entry to the evacuation zone to grab essentials like medications. but when neighbors arrived

reporting in pasadena, velena jones for today in the bay., our coverage on the devastating wildfires continue on air as well as on our streaming platforms. today, our midday newscast is extended for an entire hour. we are also monitoring the wildfires in southern california online any time now. make sure you stay with us and stay up to date by downloading our free nbc bay area app. 507 right now. want to take a live look in san francisco for you this morning? this is where new mayor daniel lowery is still rounding out his team. the mayor is planning to announce another appointment at 11:00 this morning. this is going to take place over at city hall, but it all comes in the wake of his announcement just yesterday to an act and hiring freeze. this is for the entire city. his decision comes with a city facing a massive budget shortfall. lowery says that that move is needed to bring spending under control. now, in a statement, he says in part, quote, our city is facing a major budget deficit, and today the era of band-aid solutions is over. we a

nbc bay area's velena jones has been covering the story since it first unfolded and joins us with theount indictment. 21 pages that were laid out in this unsealed indictment. and it focuses on the former mayor, mayor sheng thao, as well as her partner, andre jones, and their connection to the duong family, the u.s. attorney's office saying today that they knowingly the duong family accepted, gave bribes to both the mayor and her partner jones in relation to a connection to her time as mayor. there were several promises that they say were made. the u.s. attorney's office says this all started back in october of 2022. they say this has been a lengthy investigation and they say they are still investigating. take a listen. the indictment charges a scheme that the defendants entered into, knowing that bribes would be offered and accepted by tao and jones in exchange for allowing the duong's to exercise illegal influence over the levers of city government. this started the month before the election, so in october of 2022. this is also when the u.s. postal service comes in as well. they had

reporting in pasadena, velena jones for today in the bay. now, our coverage on the devastating wildfires continues, both on air as well as on our streaming platforms. today, our midday newscast is extended for an entire hour. we're also going to be monitoring the wildfires in southern california online anytime, so make sure you stay up to date by downloading our free nbc bay area app. 607 right now, just into our newsroom, police in oakland are investigating what is believed to be a new smash and grab involving a truck plowing through the doors of a business. we just got this video from outside a chevron convenience store on grand alongside lake merritt. there's a white truck with a water tank backed into the store. we haven't been able to get confirmation from police about what happened, but this would be the latest in a string of similar thefts since the start of the year. a live look in san francisco, where new mayor daniel lurie is still rounding out his new team. the mayor planning to announce another appointment at 11:00 this morning.

nbc bay area's velena jones joins us with live with what? city leaders and the people who supported the effort to remove from office are saying this evening. well, jessica, the san francisco chronicle is citing sources reporting that tao has been indicted. meanwhile, the mercury news is reporting that her partner, andre jones, has been indicted. we should note that the fbi has not confirmed any of these indictments, but we do know that this comes after months of investigation and speculation. now, this all started back in june when the fbi raided then mayor sheng thao home, taking away several boxes. the same day, agents raided the homes and businesses of multiple members of the dewan family who own cal waste solutions in oakland. recycling contractor tao and jones have both repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. tao also publicly stressed that she was not the target of any investigation. the then mayor also publicly criticized the fbi for the timing of the raid, noting it happened amid a growing push to recall her from office. those recall effor

nbc bay area's velena jones has been following the story since the former mayor's home was raided by the fbi. she was in court today where all four were formally arraigned. the defendants used bribes, mail fraud, wire fraud and other illegal practices to manipulate and corruptly influence the levers of local government. a 21 page indictment lays out eight counts the u.s. attorney's office claiming sheng thao promised to use her influence as oakland mayor to benefit businesses owned by david duong and his son, andy. in exchange, she and her longtime partner andre jones would get money and other benefits. prosecutors claim the bribes started in october 2020, two weeks before the mayoral election. the public needs to know it can trust those in charge of city hall to work for the best interests of the people of oakland. this public trust is broken when elected

our velena jones will have much more on how they're countering threats of mass deportations and ending birthright citizenship. she's going to have that story coming up in less than 30 minutes. the count of unhoused people in santa clara county started today, and some of the people surveyed got to talk to the san jose mayor himself. here's nbc bay area's kris sanchez. we were with san jose mayor matt mahan as he and dozens of other volunteers fanned out across the city and the county to count the number of people who are living on the streets, and to also ask them how they got there and what they need to move forward. empezar puede ser si pues yo digo primero un trabajo y digo y si uno bueno como la renta. manuel garcia, who has been unhoused since 1997, told mayor matt mahan and the other surveyors that to start over, he needs a job. he says he has no vices, but feels it's healthier for him to live outside than in a group shelter where he fears he could get sick or his few belongings could be stolen. hearing from unhoused residents is so important that the city is paying about 100 of t

here's nbc's velena jones. we need to see that policy changed nearly three weeks after governor newsom publicly called out the oakland police commission and promised to take away additional chp help if the city did not widen their police pursuit policies. the commission is holding a town hall event to let the public weigh in. we have all collectively, given our commitment to work with city leadership, to make smart changes and to give opd the tools that they need to deter deter crime in our city. current policy prohibits officers from chasing anyone unless they are known to have a firearm, or are suspected of a violent crime. the new interim mayor is among those who support a change. we want to ensure that safety is paramount in this, but we also want to make sure that people don't come to our city and violate our laws because they think that they can get away with it. and so my message to the police commission is urgency. community advocates who believe criminals are exploiting the current rules are rallying a

coming up at six velena jones talks one on one with lee as she leaves washington following more than 25 years of service. they'll discuss the possibilities that lie ahead for her in the new congress. begins with republicans in control of both chambers for the first time since 2019, and in their first order of business, house members reelected republican mike johnson as speaker. but it didn't come without some last minute drama. nbc's alice barr is in washington with the latest. as a new year ushers in a new congress, echoes from the last one, with house republicans tussling briefly over who should be house speaker before uniting to reelect mike johnson. this congress will renounce the status quo, and we will listen to the voices of the people. we will act quickly, and we will start by defending our nation's borders. president elect trump gave johnson a boost, writing on social media a win for mike today wiwill be aig win for the republican party, but johnson earned skeptics over his support for ukraine aid and his willingness to work with democrats to pass key legislation. with such

former congresswoman barbara lee talking about her future last week in an interview with our velena jones. she spent 26 years in congress, seven years in the california legislature, and 11 years working for the late congressman ron dellums. and now she could be eyeing a run for oakland's next mayor. lee ran for one of california's senate seat, but lost in the primaries last year, and former oakland mayor sheng thao was just recalled a few weeks ago. and you put those two things together and she becomes a pretty viable candidate. a 2025 campaign finance filing for lee was posted on t california secretary of state website, signaling a potential run. a spokesperson would only say that lee plans to make a public announcement about running soon, but it has both people in the community and city leaders excited for the possibility. for one, she's just wildly popular in the bay area, and so she has roots in northern california. the city of oakland is facing a number of issues, including a roughly $130 million budget deficit. but councilmember carroll fife believes lee could help the city move for

through these challenging budgetary experiences that we're having right now, lee told nbc bay area's velena jones that she is still evaluating her next steps. lee spent 26 years in congress after seven years in the state legislature. so far, about a dozen people have filed papers signaling a possible mayoral run. 537 right now, in just a few hours, a woman tied to a death, which sparked outrage in san francisco is scheduled to make her first court appearance. 63 year old yang feng wu died last july from a head injury, two days after being pushed into the sidewalk in the bayview district. at the time, police ruled it an accident and no arrests were made. sparking outrage because the woman accused of pushing her was later tied to a separate violent assault on an elderly chinese woman. last month, district attorney brooke jenkins announced charges suspect tia hopkins is now facing charges of assault and battery resulting in great bodily injury. bay area county boards are an influx this week as recently elected supervisors are seated. that includes san mateo county, which this morning is welcom

our velena jones is tracking this story. she'll have an update in our afternoon newscast.the city is facing what firefighters in oakland call a crisis that threatens thousands of people's safety. nbc bay area's bob redell tells us oakland temporarily shut down two fire stations to save money. one firefighter says that these closures are a tragedy, not worth the money saved, given the risk to lives in oakland. this was the scene within the past hour, earlier this morning, where dozens of oakland firefighters stood on the steps of city hall admonishing the city administrator, begging him to reopen these fire stations, and warning that the planned closure of four more stations will make it impossible for the firefighters to do their jobs and will lead to unnecessary deaths. starting today, the city shut down two stations located in the hills of oakland. station 28, near the lake chabot golf course and station 25 near joaquin miller park. these closures are for the next six months at a savings of about $5 million. to help the city close its $129 million budget gap. this is in