i'm vicky nguyen .. a scene of utter devastation and tra i >>> good morning and thank you for joining us for a special edition of "today in the bay" sunday. your time now 7:00. i'm vicky nguyen. we're talking about a scene of utter devastation and tragedy in oakland this morning. the city in shock after a party at a warehouse turns deadly with potentially dozens of people killed. within the past 20 minutes we have confirmed 10 people have died in the fire. that's up from 9, and investigators say that number will likely rise. it's an active situation at this hour. pete serratos is live from the scene this morning. we're hearing officials there are planning a press conference in just about one hour from now. what are you hearing? >> reporter: hi, guys. yeah, good morning, guys. the news conference will take place at about 8:00 a.m. we can report that's according to the almeiameda county sherif office, the body count is at ten and it could rise. inside of that warehouse what we're learning, we know it's a 2

vicky nguyen: there was no incentive not to tamper with the device? juan castillo: no, none. announcer: when parolees cut off their gps tracking bracelets, what happens? we investigate how often these bold violent criminals fall off the grid. here's senior investigative reporter vicky nguyen. vicky: thank you for joining us. for the next 30 minutes, "we investigate," exposing stories, uncovering issues, and holding the powerful accountable. we begin tonight talking about crime. right now, roughly 6,000 sex offenders and gang members are

senior investigative reporter, vicki nguyen joins us after a contentious hearing at city hall. vicki. >> reporter: well, janelle, councilman noel gallo throughout the city of oakland and city council woman rebecca kaplan supports an independent investigation. all of this unfoileding as we uncover more dwellings. inspectors have visited about three warehouse residences just yesterday. no residents answer the the door at this warehouse but a contractor told us it houses 34 units. he says they all have sprinklers, and the property owner called this just minutes ago, and said he is in compliance with all city regulations. we first told you about this warehouse last night. nicknamed "death trap," independent inspectors out there yesterday responding to a complaint about residents living in a commercial space. today we sat down with council woman rebecca kaplan to talk about the city's responsibility to address safety concerns. >> we spoke with some of the last survivors who got out of that warehouse. and they said, law enforcement and firefighters had been in that building many times

vicki nguyen, nbc bay area news. >> we have learned the site of the fire was already under investigationy the city of oakland for potential structural problems. investigative reporter was the first to break that news over the weekend and how many other buildings in oakland are facing similar complaints. pagat. >> reporter: we have seen records that show nearly 6,000 complaints over the last three years over poor living conditions throughout oakland. nearly 1,000 investigations are still pending. according to documents we reviewed from oakland's planning and development department. commercial buildings illegally converted into housing, just like the site of the warehouse fire and cases of no electricity and not enough emergency exits. the scene of friday's was clutered with wooden furniture, no smoke detecters and people have described it as a maze. it had what inspectors described an illegal building structure, which may have been this make-shift stair well, which they blame for trapping victims inside since it was narrow and difficult to pass through. we went to the planning and buildin

vicky nguyen: there was no incentive not to tamper with the device? juan castillo: no, none. announcer: when parolees cut off their gps tracking bracelets, what happens? we investigate how often these bold violent criminals fall off the grid. here's senior investigative reporter vicky nguyen. vicky: thank you for joining us. for the next 30 minutes, "we investigate," exposing stories, uncovering issues, and holding the powerful accountable. we begin tonight talking about crime. right now, roughly 6,000 sex offenders and gang members are under supervision using gps ankle bracelets. but we found some are committing new, more serious crimes after cutting off their trackers. so, what's being done about this problem? not enough according to lawmakers. currently, the penalty is 180 days in county jail. some lawmakers want to make it 3 years in state prison for tampering with these devices. our investigation found that happens roughly 100 times a month, putting public safety in jeopardy. male: put the foot in the freezer. male: this is how you take a house a

i'm vicky nguyen. a press conference scheduled to begin any moment now. we're looking at the microphones there. everyone is set up. the alameda county officials are expected to come out to tell us what crews discovered during the recovery efforts overnight and ke livhe plan is moving forward as they canvas that warehouse to rning. out who is still inside. pete suratos is live at the scene. as you look live at the pickers overhead. fire began about 11:30 on friday night. this was a party happening in oakland. advertised for weeks online. at least 190 people actually rsvp'd to say they'd be in attendance. they believe at least 100 people would be inside at the time. we're hearing -- we're waiting to hear right now about the recovery efforts. there have been crews on scene all night. as you can see in the bottom middle part of your screen there. a number of black tents set up by alameda county investigators as they try to do the very sensitive and delicate work of figuring out who is inside and then possi

for the investigative unit, i'm vicki nguyen. >> vicki, thank you. >>> a programming note to pass along we're hosting an nbc bay area news special tomorrow night. about the fire. we investigate how the tragedy unfolded, what's being done, and most importantly, we profile the people who died. that's tomorrow evening at 6:30. >>> artists fear the ghost ship tragedy will force them to be evicted from other work spaces. we are shown what some are doing to preserve the buildings. >> reporter: with its major shipping freight trains, the city of oakland has been a hot bed of heavy industry since world war ii. hundreds of old warehouses are reminders of the industrial past, while many still used for industry, others become a haven. for artists. >> the six-acre facility, we've got about 200 people working in arts and small businesses here. >> reporter: the american steel building in west oakland is a former manufacturing plant covering two blocks that now legally provide studio space for hundreds of working artists. including artists karen cusolito, one of the founders. >> the diversity of diffe

for the investigative unit, i'm vicky nguyen. >>> and a programming note.are hosting an nbc bay area special tonight about this fire. we investigate how the tragedy unfolded and profile the people who died. that's tonight at 6:30. >>> meanwhile, a high-profile bay area ceo is leading the charge to end homelessness in san francisco. sales force says it's committed to helping 800 families find housing in the next few years. there's currently a six-month waiting list for families to receive housing assistance in san francisco. sales force ceo and his wife have pledged to match up to $10 million to help these families. if you would like to help, we have the link posted on our website, nbcbayarea.com. and don't go anywhere. much more ahead on "today in the bay." it's our "clear the shelters" segment, featuring our friends from pets in need. we'll introduce you to leah and vader. that's coming up next. friends from "pets in need." >>> welcome back. our "clear the shelters" segment, featuring our friends from pets in need, executive director al with alexandra. the

i'm vicky nguyen. let's get a check of the microclimate forecast with vianey arana. good morning to you, and things looking a little nicer out there today. >> definitely a little nicer. it will be an easier day for commuters. the roads were a mess yesterday and the clouds you're seeing right now over oakland, there are a few low clouds in the area still, but they should be making an exit and making room for some sunshine. right now in the peninsula, the south bay, and the tri-valley, temperatures are in the 40s but we should be climbing into the 50s and we'll top out in the upper 50s all along the bay area not just for parts the south bay but also the north bay. we should be seeing a combination of partly cloudy skies through the early morning, but i just want to show you a quick look right now at our satellite radar because yesterday this is a completely different picture. we were seeing a lot of rain pushing through. that front that did move in from the north has finally tracked out south and it's si

i'm vicky nguyen.ock after a party at a warehouse turns deadly with potentially dozens of people killed. within the past 20 minutes we have confirmed 10 people have died in the fire. that's up from 9, and investigators say that number will likely rise. it's an active situation at this hour. pete serratos is live from the scene this morning. we're hearing officials there are planning a press conference in just about one hour from now. what are you hearing? >> reporter:

i'm vicky nguyen. ==terry/2-shot== and i'm terry mcsweeney. raj and jess have the night off.liate. instead.. he says he'll essentially wait for donald trump to take office in january. president obama ordered what the u-s describes as 35 russian "intellingence agents" to leave the u-s, following allegations of russian meddling in the american presidential election. today the russians responded... with some sharp comments and a new year's invitation. nbc bay area's scott budman is live outside the russian consulate in san francisco. scott -- yesterday -- they didn't want reporters around. today -- they invited everyone in. =terry/cg= apparently the sudden press conference wasn't enough...

==vicky/2-shot== and i'm vicky nguyen. jess and raj have the night off. rail it was just yesterday we all w for the first time, that cell phone video taken by the former fiancee of an ex 49-er. throughout the domestic abuse case, "kendra" has kept her face and name hidden-- until now. ==take boxes== today the woman you hear screaming in the video... sat down to talk with nbc bay area's robert handa. robert joins us live in san jose with her story... looked at in their child custody fight going on here at this court house in san jose and for many it will be the first time to see and hear the ex-fiance talk about their alleged cycle of domestic violence. >> i loved him. i was hoping that he would change. >> reporter: the woman whose terrified voice can be heard is coming forward to talk. she said she needed to speak out for what she calls other domestic violence victims. >> i think as a group if we can all come together somehow, it's more powerful. >> reporter: kendra says that

i'm vicky nguyen. let's get a check of that microclimate forecast.rning? >> we're going to catch a little bit of a break and we'll finally see some sunshine after an overcast and rainy, soggy saturday. here is a live look over san francisco. yesterday at this hour it was already pouring rain down there. 49 degrees right now. those low clouds are going to linger for a little bit and then they should be clearing out. here is a look over oakland where it also got to see some rain. 48 degrees right now. i want to show you really quickly the radar because if you tuned in yesterday morning, this was on fire. we had green, reds, and yellows up there, and right now it is all nice and clear, and we should be enjoy this because we are tracking another system that is going to bring the return of some rain, so i will have more details on exactly when we're expecting the arrival of more rain in the bay area. >> all right. vianey, thanks so much. >>> passengers on a flight from sfo to the east coast found a disturbing surprise when they landed last night. police w

i'm vicky nguyen. we begin with the weather.ndling up tonight as they gather for christmas eve and the first night of chanukah. >> it's going to feel a little more winter doct-like, for calia standards anyway. in the peninsula and the tri valley, staying in the 40s, the south bay as well. we're expecting overnight lows to drop to the 20s and poll tss the 30s for the north bay. santa rosa and napa, the possibility of 27 to 32 degrees. that's why the national weather it w service has issued a freeze warning from midnight until 8:00 a.m. christmas morning. please bring your pets indoors. temperatures remain in the 40s, and they'll stick around in those 40s overnight. if you're heading to christmas in the park, i know it's looking beautiful out there. nice clear skies ov

. >> and i'm vicki nguyen. it is a brutal, horrifying crime.her beat to death with a baseball bat by her own son on christmas day where a woman was a prominent member of the community. live from gilroy with details on the crime and how the woman is being remembered tonight. >> reporter: this is going to go down as a very sad time in gilroy's history. we're here at the historical museum, which is an appropriate place to start our story about the victim. it's unfortunate the life history of claudia sluski ended tragically. she literally wrote the book about the community as an authorer and was a long-time educator at gilroy high school and san jose state university. >> a community contributor and she certainly was in every way you could think of and a very gracious, thoughtful person who was always kind of looking out for others who needed a little extra helping hand. >> reporter: but the sheriff's department says on christmas day they got a 911 call from the family home. >> when had deputies were enroute, they learned a son

i'm vicki nguyen. >> raj and jess have the night off.site of a christmas morning crash that took the lives of two people. they believe the woman who crashed into another car may have been driving drunk. robert handa is live at the crash scene which is now the live of a memorial. >> reporter: the vigil that is just about to take place was organized by family and friends and you can see some of the people arriving now for the vigil that was for the driver of the malibu and here on capital expressway near snell avenue where there has been a constant emotional out pouring of condolences and regret. >>> the morning at the vigil is for both victims of the crash. family members and friends of the 25-year-old san jose woman driving the chevy malibu have been grieving, lighting candles and saying prayers today at the memorial where the crash took place. the driver was identified as jessica, often going by the nickname indian. she crossed over the

i'm vicki nguyen. >> enand i'm terry mcsweeney. now there's evidence that russia may be trying to tamper with american power companies. >> rick boone is following the story. >> reporter: it's known as malware, connected to the state of vermont electric grid. it was just hours after president obama ordered san francisco russian consulate workers to go back home. >> russian revelation, sources tell nbc news, russian hackers gained access to the u.s. elect grid in vermont. burlington electric said malware was found on one of its computers but noticed the device was not con nengted to the rid. the vermont governor says this especially shoed should highlight the you are jept need for the federal government to vigorously pursue and put an end to this sort of russian meddling. >> it's just not human, frankly. not human. >> the vermont discovery comes just hours after four members of the san francisco russian consulate were given 72 hours to get out of the u.s. >> the whole world is watching the way this country behaves. and right now, you

. >> i'm vicky nguyen.lywood in mourning again, just one day after her daughter died, legendary actress debbie reynolds passed away. >> fans reflected on her legacy. nbc bay area's jean elle joins us with that part of the story. >> reporter: debbie reynolds entertained us in the movies and on stage. tonight theater lovers here at beach blanket babylon say they will treasure decades of memories debbie reynolds, a star on screen and on stage for nearly seven decades dies at 84. just one day after her daughter carrie fisher passed away. video from tmz shows an ambulance leaving reynolds' son's home this afternoon. she was there discussing funeral arrangements for her daughter when she had a medical emergency she didn't survive. ♪ >> fans can pick from more than 20 films in the '50s and '60s to remember the hollywood star in her heyday sue r. >> we watch most debbie reynolds movies as a kid. >> in line for "beach blanket babylon" in san francisco, some theater goers have fond memories of meeting her. >> she was

i'm vicky nguyen. >> i'm terry mcsweeney. raj and jess are off tonight. a bold robbery in san francisco left a jewelry dealer shaken up. >> cheryl hurd is at police head quarters with details on what happened. cheryl? >> reporter: well, police here at headquarters say they're investigating it. it happened around 6:30, a dealer at the jewelry mart steps away from the front door, says he was roughed up and robbed. >> usually these people they're not going to just randomly attack someone or do something like that. it's a big deal. they want to get it right. >> reporter: the bad guys in this case got it right this evening when the man you see being treated by paramedics was attacked and robbed by at least three men. >> they probably wait ford him, watched him and got out and jumped him. >> david is related to the victim. says his cousin was hit in the chest and his small suitcase full of diamonds and gold worth about $400,000 wholesale gone. >> there's no tracking on a diamond or you know gold items. so it depends. some people might go and pawn it off for may

senior investigative reporter vicky nguyen is with us for his story. >> reporter: a developer himself lives in a converted box factory in west oakland. right now, the city of oakland doesn't have enough resources to bring these buildings up to code but he believes they can and he's willing to put his money behind his belief. for the past 30 years, john has made his living where many others didn't see a place to live. >> we are in the city with thousands of old structures and there's a lot of competing interests in this city. many people say demolish them all. >> reporter: working with partners, he bought buildings and converted them into live/work spaces like this lost. the city has permitted tenants for everything from dog walking services to a business teaching juggling. >> do you sleep easy knowing that so many people are living in these buildings that you've retrofitted? >> absolutely. we've taken care of the life issues. i live in one of these buildings. >> reporter: it cost about $1.5 million to retrofit this four-story building to bring it up to code for fire and earthquakes. >

vicki nguyen has been looking at series of violations. >> reporter: city leaders are scrambling to understand what residents have long known, there is a complicated system of building codes and fire codes. add to that one of the most expensive housing markets in the country and you have an underground, off the grid community now the subject of multiple investigations. no residents wanted to answer questions. but we learned these buildings were the target of a zoning complaint filed yesterday. contractor greg baxter works here and says it's home to 34 units. >> it's all above board. sprinkler, permitted and the whole nine yards. >> reporter: the property owner says he's in compliance and unaware of zoning complaints. we told you last night about this warehouse nicknamed "death inspectors responded to a new complaint. the international -- >> we have half a dozen fire inspectors. anaheim, sacramento has two to three times that many fire inspectors. >> rebecca capline says positions are posted and hiring is a priority. >> questions of those complaint that deal with life safety that pose a threat

i'm vicky nguyen. terry mcsweeney and i'm peggy bunker have the night off. cky/rail== the music industry has lost another star in its constellation. george michael was found dead in his home in goring, england, south of london. he was just 53. ==2 box== here's nbc bay area's chuck coppola with a look back at michael's life. ==vicky/take vo==