kcbs radio's matt bigler joins us now from san jose with how vta plans to cut costs.t, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, sydnie. yeah, here's the problem. over the last couple of years, transit agencies across the bay area have been bleeding red ink and to make up for the problem, they have been cutting service and increasing fares like caltrain is talking about doing this morning. transit riders not crazy about that idea and as a result, fewer people have been taking transit. there's actually been a decrease in ridership over the last couple of years. despite that the vta, the valley transportation authority, hoping to see a huge increase in ridership over the next decade. this morning's "mercury news" is reporting the vta wants to see an 88% increase in required ship by 2019. 88%. that's almost twice as many people taking buses and trains as they are today. some say that's unrealistic. but vta chief michael burns told us earlier this week that part of their strategy to attract riders back to transit is by offering express train service. >> this is a pilot and

vta commuters in san jose have a faster way to get from the city's south side to downtown.et's go to kcbs radios matt bigler. matt good morning. >> good morning yeah, this is good news for commuters, let me give you background about vta it has been in existence for 23 years. for almost that entire time commuters have complained about slow, sluggish service especially for the light rail these trolley lines running alongside me here. well, today they have heard those complaints vta is going to change its system, so that commuters should save between 6 and 8 minutes per trip. doesn't sound like a lot but when it comes to your morning commute it could make a difference. in addition, these express trains, which are brightly colored in blue and orange, will have wi-fi so people can go on the internet while travelling to work there is a couple caveats this initial phase of the express trains will only be 3 trips in the morning, 3 trips in the afternoon during peak commute times this will not effect trains that run downtown san jose, that direction. those trains are really slow, th

meanwhile, the vta hopes to see an 88% increase in ridership by the year 2019. part of the authority's strategy to attract more riders is to offer express train service. >>> some other headlines around the the bay area this evening for you, governor schwarzenegger is again requesting federal disaster funds for san bruno. today he sent a letter to president obama asking that fema reverse its decision not to declare a disaster. fema has agreed to reimburse much of the firefighting costs but won't be covering any other expenses. the governor says the recovery is beyond capabilities of the state and the city of san bruno. >>> three years ago california passed landmark regulations forcing businesses to cut down on diesel emissions. and now we're learning the scientific data used to create those rules was grossly miscalculated. a report in the "san francisco chronicle" finds pollution estimate made by the california air resources board were too high by 340%. the board says pollution has dropped in recent years. that's because the economic downturn is forcing trucks of

meantime the vta is considering an express train service. it hopes to see an 88% increase in ridership by 2019. >>> governor schwarzenegger is again requesting federal disaster funds for san bruno. today he sent a letter to president obama asking that fema reverse its decision not to declare a disaster. fema has agreed to reimburse much of the firefighting costs but won't cover anything else. the governor says the recovery is beyond the capabilities of the state and the city of san bruno. >>> for a dollar. >> whatever drugs you want, whenever you want 'em. the bay area neighborhood under siege. >>> the 14-year fight that has come to this. dozens of trees getting the axe in the north bay. >>> that first time that i powered up and i stood up, then i took my first step, was beyond my wildest imaginings. >> the invention that could change everything for people who have lost much of their mobility. [ male announcer ] carly fiorina. as ceo, she laid off 30,000 workers and shipped jobs to china. china. india. russia. poland. i know precisely why th

them all, to ride the alphabet soup of transit agencies, the mtc, mta, bart, golden gate, caltrain, vtac. we know all of our riders on the systems should not have to face numerous barriers for each agency. we know we need to make it more convenient for people to travel through the bay area. the clipper card has been in the works for more than a decade. i certainly appreciate these transitions are challenging and we know we are asking millions of people to change the way they get around every day. that being said, those of us on the board of supervisors have all heard concerns about the transition. if i could categorize, there are four categories that i have heard. first of all, concerns about the overall timing and staging of the transition. next monday on november 1 there will be no more paper as it passes sold to adults. all of them will have to be loaded onto cooper. but at this time a little more than 25% of the passes are currently loaded on clipper cards. i am concerned muni and mtc will have significant issues on their hands next week. secondly, as our chairwoman just noted, many

the vta has added new express trains from south san jose to downtown. now, the trains will bypass six stops between oloney and chenwick and the convention center station. the cars have free wi-fi on board. passengers say they're looking forward to an easier commute. >> i think that it will be a really good idea. >> why so? >> because people get there faster. it goes fast now, but a little bit faster would help. and it gets really crowded in the daytime. on the regular trains. >> three express trains will be running northbound each morning and three will run southbound in the afternoon. and the train is not going to be hard to spot. they're actually blue and orange and have express written on the outside. >>> three nations are now issuing firm warnings for travelers. who investigators think is behind new threats of terror attacks. >>> and all of us have seen red with rage over computer problems. why your laptop could have you turning a different color quite literally. >>> and it is a cool start to the workweek. and not only that, we got a chance of showe

vta paying for a nearly $2 million feesibility study on whether it could be the best way to link calain and future bart. >> it's a new technology. and some compared to it something you'd see in the jetson autos they're described as personal taxies, waiting for you, and taking you to your destination. no stopping to owe crop drop off anyone on your way. >> there are no other people harassing you or playing music too loud or niding to sate next to that gentleman that hasn't wash that had morning. >> the conference begins tonight. the feesibility study will be done in about a year. >> and a woman accused of spray painting offensive graffiti around san francisco has been akuwaited -- acquitted of felony hate crime charges was convicted for painting kk katie in golden gate park. the enhancement was dropped. the i team brought this story to life when she -- her attorney says kk katie was a childhood nickname, not intended to be racist. the jury also convicted done bar of nine misdemeanors. >> four bay area church volunteers returned from zimbabwe arks rested last month on suspicion of ille

--el vta tambÉn ofreceÁ servicio gratuito de internet de banda ancha.-- y los gigantes de san franciscostazo a las temperaturas para este lunes.-- continuaremos con el clima templado. las temperaturas registraran entre los 63 grados farenheit en san francisco hasta los 75 grados en santa rosa, con cielos parcialmente nublados.-- el martes veremos un aumento pequeÑo en el mercurio, pero para el jueves regresaremos a un clima Ás frio... lo bueno es que no lima. no i'm meg whitman and i'm running for governor of california. i'm committed to working with the latino community, because i value the contributions you make to our state every day. i believe that dreams can still be built in california. i understand what it takes to create jobs, i balanced budgets for the last thirty years, and i am passionate about education. as your governor, my number one priority will be the economy. i really can't do this job without your support. juntos por una nueva california. >> de familia feliz pero humilde, saliÓ de honduras a los 17 aÑos. muchas fueron las trabas y dificultades que se le presentaron po

. >> we just did that vta story, they're also unveiling free wi-fi. >> are they really? >> yeah. >> so the techies who work in the valley, this is perfect. they'll be able to use their phones and computers. >> way to go. >> that's pretty good. we'll be keeping track of that. >>> let's go out, in fact the other day i rode bart, bart has wi-fi too. it's pretty cool. let's look at highway 4 westbound, no major problems this morning if you're driving over to concord. this morning's commute is looking pretty good on westbound 24 and southbound 680. those people come together. 24 lafayette on the bottom. 680, walnut creek, right there. system looks pretty good coming into san francisco. as 6:08, here's steve. >> sal thank you. we had a little light shower activity on the weekend, there's big time thunderstorms in the sierra right now. and they've actually prompted a flood advisory. parts of eldorado county, plaster county and nevada county. hold on, things are erupting. 33 miles per hour gusts, sfo. associated with two pieces of this system. late yesterday, last night, into to

vta express trains will shave 8 minutes off the trip making fewer stops.looking for a man who attacked a woman at park regency apartments near walnut creek. the fifth attack in recent months. residents are urging apartment managers to install security cameras around the complex. weather and traffic in just a moment tats. mini has more than double the fiber and whole grain... making him a great contender in this bout... against mid-morning hunger. honey nut cheerios is coming in a little short. you've got more whole grain in your little finger! let's get ready for breakfaaaaaaaaaast! ( ding, cheering, ringing ) keeping you full and focused with more than double the fiber and whole grain... in every tasty bite -- frrrrrrosted mini-wheeeeats! what were the facts? fact: march 7, 2000. brown asks voters for new mayoral power to appoint school board members. he gets it, and promises better schools. but the drop out rate increases 50%. the school budget goes into a 100 million dollar deficit. the schools become so bad the state has to take them over. it was "larg

light rail riders particularly in south san jose later on this morning valley transportation authority vta will add three express trains in each direction here santa theresa station end of the line on the light rail system and convention center station downtown. those trains will bypass 6 stops trains currently stop at along the way shaving 8 minutes off the one way trip for a system not necessarily known for speed you can imagine this is welcome news for passengers. >> you don't want to waste the time. >> reporter: anything they can do to move the system along is a good thing >> yes. yeah. >> reporter: you thing passengers will be happy when they find out they can get to the convention center and beyond faster than they do right now? >> if it helps them. >> reporter: now the few trains will easily be identifiable they will be blue and orange and say express on them. they will have wi-fi onboard. three trains each direction the very first one leaves here santa theresa station, 7:16 a.m. this morning. mark sayer, cbs 5. >> we will keep a check thanks mark. >>> time now 5:05 a.m. >> let's ge

the change coming this morning that will have thousands of vta rail riders getting to work faster. >>'m terry mcsweeney live in san jose. a woman kidnapped, a man stabbed and police are asking for your help in finding the person responsible.

the vta said the line that runs along the median on highway 87 will shave five minutes off the total commute time. they leave the station at 7:16 this morning. >>> police officers are investigating two crimes. two men are in the hospital after a fight that led to stabbings blocks away from an elementary school. that was on story road. they stabbed one of the suspects. one of the get away vans crashed and striking a car that happened to be traveling through. police say the crimes appear to be gang-related. >>> 5:10 and going green taking on a whole new meaning in the eat bay. where more than just politics is in the air. >> i'm bob redell. it's october and many are on the wine vines in livermore. what this cool summer meant for the harvest. >> a live look outside in oakland this morning. traffic is not too bad. we are picking up for monday starting the workweek. the full forecast at 5:10. i as governor, he balanced budgets without raising taxes. and california created 1.9 million jobs. as attorney general, jerry brown took on wall street banks, mortgage scammers and public officials st

incident in question at this trial happened over here behind me at the lost bar and bistro behind that vta bus that says de anza right now. in january of 2008, marcos and cindy's party were asked to leave the restaurant by bar employees because of an argument on the dance floor. what happened next is not in dispute. a police officer was summoned outside by a bar employee. apparently, what happened next after that is in dispute. cindy police say splashed water on the officer prompting him to stun her with a taser. that prompted her husband to lung at the officer, who then pulled his firearm out and shot him in the face. he survived the injury but it was a disfiguring wound. the couple says that they didn't throw anything at the officer and that the husband was justified in his use of force. in any event, the couple has been charged with resisting arrest and other crimes. we talked to former san jose prosecutor and legal analyst steven clark. he says that this case will put to the test police use of force. >> the result of this case particularly if there is an acquittal of these individuals

vta reportedly expects ridership to increase by 88% over the next ten years. but some say that if that projection doesn't happen, it could lead to bigger problems down the road. in the meantime a committee is expected to recommend a plan to reduce spending by $40 million a year starting in 2012. >>> time now 5:37. sal, everyone behaving themselves so far? >> they are. as a matter of fact, we are doing pretty well around the bay area. not a lot going on. this is the quiet part right before things get going. let's go outside and take a look at highway 4. we already have a little bit of slowing on highway 4. no major problems. but it is a little bit slow here in some places. also this morning's commute on the bay bridge is light coming in to san francisco. it looks pretty good. ask this morning's commute here on the livermore valley westbound 580 is okay all the way to castro valley with a couple spots where it's getting crowded. interstate 101 southbound car fire reported. 5:37. let's go to steve. >>> thank you. big morning low yesterday some areas had sunshine

vta will roll out the first commuter express light rail trains.he faster trains will operate down the median on highway 87 with fewer stops shaving 6 to 8 minutes off the trip from south san jose and downtown. offer free wi-fi internet. the northbound express trains will leave the station weekday mornings 7:16, 7:46 and 8:16. southbound leave the bay point station weekday afternoons at 4:07, 4:37 and 5:07. >> the scientist that helped with the technique of fertilization. he developed the technique which cells are fertilize the outside the body and implanted in the woman's womb. the 85-year-old professor at the university started working on it in the 1950s. one of the most coveted awards worldwide and a $1.5 million cash award. we did the math. that amounts to like 30 cents for baby conceived. >> 40 million women have used this technique. >> you said he should get a buck. >> time now 6:05. let's check with meteorologist mike nicco. >> good morning to ya on this monday. kind of noisy last night. that's because of the winds. they're still gusting in

vta reportedly expected ridership to go up by 88% over the next ten years. some say if that projection doesn't happen it could lead to bigger problems down the road. in the meantime a committee is expected to recommend a plan to reduce their spending by $40 million a year beginning in 2012. >>> all right. we don't see 11,000 quite yet, sal. but we are watching. how's the toll plaza? i know you're watching that. >> it's pretty crowded. as a matter of fact we're getting more people as they switched on the metering lights now you'll see a big crowd backed up to about 880. it's not as bad as it will probably get coming into san francisco. no problems on the upper deck of the bay bridge. traffic looks good on 880 north and southbound. looks pretty good northbound 880 as you drive up to oakland. that's northbound 880 on the right there. this morning's commute is okay on southbound 101 heading down to redwood city. livermore valley check it out getting a little more busy especially in castro valley on westbound 580 we have a little bit of a problem approaching the

the steps vta is taking to change the path and the minds of commuters. >> and one of the few things in our economy that is actually getting less expensive. starting your own small business. how some bay area entrepreneurs are taking advantage of that. ,, ma'am, can you identify the other airline that charged you bag fees? that's it. that one...right there. exactly how much did the other airlines make off with? ♪ it was like $25. was that one-way? or roundtrip? roundtrip. $50? did you have a second bag? yes. mm! it was $35. that's $120 roundtrip. [ gasps ] oh! ah! ♪ [ ding ] erangry peasants can mess up a i parkcar really bad.tle at "medieval knight fest". matt, my mercury agent, helped me file a claim right away. turns out mercury not only saves me money, but they also cover medieval mob damage. they got my car fixed in no time. call 888-4-mercury or visit mercuryinsurance.com to get a fast free quote and start saving today. creek roughed up the city's upscale image. >>> a series of bar brahms over the weekend in walnut creek roughed up the city's upscale image. the violence started ar

the santa clara valley transportation authority, or vta, 2%. and 58 caltrans officials earn six figure salaries more than doubled since 2007. >> what's happened is that individual employees are billing more time to caltrain. >> reporter: caltrain administrators split their time working for samtrans, caltrain and the san mateo county transportation authority. >> in other words, i worked at the san mateo county transit district and the time that i spend doing this interview i'm going bill to caltrain. >> reporter: officials say they have had to spend more time on outreach, community meetings and balancing budgets because of caltrain's financial troubles. they say once the extra hours are deducted, the total payroll went up 5%, not 14. it just doesn't seem right that more money being paid out of the caltrain budget but the passengers aren't getting any more service. in fact, they are getting less service. >> that's true. that's one of the fundamental problems with caltrain is we don't have a dedicated source of funding. >> instead of increasing pa

but affecting downtown as well as a few other neighborhoods throughout the area, the vta line here buthave the rock 'n' roll half marathon going on. preparation starts saturday for downtown as well as the cory neighborhood. several affected buy that route. keep that in mind if you're taking some of the busses. there are a lot of lines affected saturday in through sunday. great event, a lot of music. come downtown. look outside, see the view. 2 80 northbound and 880 itself looks clearly coming through oakland. we did see fog drift through this area yesterday. what does it look like for the weekend approach. >>> we've got the low clouds. mist along the coast. you can't miss the forecast this morning. again, the fog is kind of low right there along highway 1 and around the highway 17 summit as well. cooler inland. 60s, 70s most of the inner bay. still 80s inland. the weekend, though, looks like temperatures cool off a little bit more. so today near 80 in san jose. once the low clouds break up. 76 hayward. san francisco about 65 and 76 later on for petaluma. so the weekend we're going to c

there's a new accident reported on highway 92 in both directions and vta reporting northbound light railnot bad at the bay bridge toll plaza because everyone is tied up with an earlier injury accident and heavy in san jose north 101 with an accident there. [ male announcer ] build your better breakfast at subway with the $2.50 breakfast combo. get a 16oz. cup of piping-hot seattle's best coffee and a savory new sunrise subway melt built fresh to your order for just $2.50. subway. build your better breakfast. >>> welcome back. a look at live doppler 7 hd. notice the showers, the light rain tapering but they will return and could have thunder in the afterhours. look like our temperatures will run upper 60s to near 70 most of today. we could be a little cooler, low to mid-60s along the coast and into downtown san francisco. let's take a look ♪ >>> oh, what a divine on tuesday. margaret cho and her partner, louis van amstel became the latest couple voted off "dancing with the stars." they're going to join us live this morning. it was so much fun. i think i heard them eating bagels earlier th