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 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

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. 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

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

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

nbc bay area's velena jones is in westlake village with the latest. we are here in westlake village at the incident command post for the kenneth fire. that's in ventura county. you can see cal fires here, as well as ventura county fire department. we have law enforcement on hand as well. this is where they are managing the fire tonight. good news tonight. those evacuation orders, both in l.a. county, have now been reduced to evacuation warnings. evacuation warnings issued in ventura county have been lifted. so they got a handle on this fire very, very quickly. they had an immense amount of resources. but before those evacuation orders were lifted, there was severe concern in this community tonight. take a listen at what some of those evacuees had to say. it's the worst. the worst feeling, you know, it's our home. it's like everything is here. it's like some feeling like you can't explain. it's like everything is going to be gone. probably. the fire is under investigation. lapd is looking into the possibility that this was an arson and reportedly have

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 from our station is in pacific palisades tonight. 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

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.

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 the 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 f

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 welcoming tw

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