i'm terry mcsweeney live in san francisco. it is the season's first spare the air day. air quality experts are saying if you start up your fireplace, you might be part of your paycheck going up in smoke. i'll explain in a live report. >> i'll show you where the highest concentration of those fine particulate matters will gather as that spare the air day goes through midnight. how those chances will linger into the weekend. >> and smooth sailing at the bay bridge westbound on 80 as you head over the incline into san francisco. >> also this morning all lanes on highway 101 in burlingame are reopened after a deadly accident. a man in the highway patrol says was walking on the road was hit and killed by a car. >> and it's still smooth sailing for a plan to bring the american cup sailing race to san

francisco. the city's commission gives a quick okay to two proposals. good morning, everyone. i'm theresa garcia, thanks for joining us. >> i'm eric thomas. these chilly mornings air quality officials are urging us to stay away from the fireplaces and wood stoves. it's a spare the air day, the first of the winter and those with breathing problems need to take precautions. terry mcsweeney is live in san francisco to fill us in. terry? >> yeah. if you look out here from twin peaks, you are tell this is not a crystal clear day and when it's this cold, you take a look out here you can see it's not real super clear. i hope you can see from that picture. those downtown lights should be far clearer than they are. doctors are saying they're seeing more patients because of the bad air and most of the bad air is from wood burning or from burning wood. at first look you might say what is the harm in a backyard fire

or maybe get the fireplace going. it's a seasonal thing, it's a wonderful part of the season but there are almost 1.5 million fireplaces where wood stoves in the bay area and this becomes a health hazard. over the holiday 30 monitoring stations recorded huge increases for particulate matter. cold nights like the one we're having, and believe me we are half freezing up here, they allow massive amounts of matter to settle on top of the bay area. they're asking people do not fire up the fireplace indoors or outdoors. not just wood, don't fire up one of those artificial logs. no pellets in your wood burning stove. in other words don't fire up anything in your house or outside. it's going to be bad. here's the way they're enforcing it. first time they see you doing it, it's going to be a warning.

second time could be a $400 fine. a significant impact. trying to get the word out with a warning and backing it up with a $400 fine. live on twin peaks, terry mcsweeney, abc 7 news. >> all right, terry, thank you. chp is investigating why a man was saling walking on highway 101 in burlingame this morning when he was struck and killed. highway patrol heard reports of a person on the ground in the fast lanes of 101 about 1:25 this morning. a black bmw and pickup truck were involved in the accident and one driver was injured. the four lanes of the freeway were closed for a time. the accident has since been cleared. the city of antioch is shifting into cost-cutting mode to eliminate a growing deficit. the new city council voted unanimously to make $700,000 in

budget cuts. those could include staff layoffs because the council wants the cuts to be in proportion with the city's expenses of which nearly three-quarters are personal costs. even deeper cuts may be considered. the city faces about a $2 million deficit for the next fiscal year. >> 5:04 now. all the votes have finally been touted in the bay area's 11th congressional district race. they show jerry mcnearney winning re-election but david harmer has yesterday to concede. the latest numbers from yesterday show that incumbent mcnearney retains his seat by more than 2600 votes. the district covers parts of contra costa, alameda, santa clara and san joaquin counties. district five has also been decided. campost maintained his lead.

his term officially begins in january. >> a well-known movie chain is facing a class action lawsuit aimed at helping the deaf and hearing impaired. they want the same right to enjoy movies as those without hearing disabilities. more than 200 million americans went to the moves last year according to the motion pictures association. two did not because they're deaf. the two are plaintiffs in a lawsuit against cinamark. the suit says they discriminate by not providing closed captioned movies. >> what would you want to happen for yourself if you should lose your hearing tomorrow? >> lawyers who filed the suit say about 85% of first-run movies are captioned when they're delivered to theaters. all the theaters have to do is install the equipment. >> the first group to apply and be approved for a medical

marijuana license has decided not to pursue the effort after all. it's withdrawing its application. the collective says the pot club ordinance is responsible for this decision. the collective also cites a lack of support from law enforcement agencies. >> san francisco's hope to host the america's cup took another turn. city leaders are working to have a deal in place by the end of the year. >> now that software mogul larry ellison has brought home the gold, its up to him where to stage the next america's cup in 2013. the san francisco port commission voted unanimously to allow port property to serve as the venue. the choice is between san francisco and an italian port city. the overwhelming majority of

this crowd wants the regatta here. >> the whole idea is a rich man's sport. >> this has to go forward. >> this will transform the waterfront. >> there are two versions what this will look like. one calls for using piers 30, 32 and 50. the commissioners seem to like the other option. race organizers would spend $150 million fixing up the dilapidated structures and in exchange get free leases for 66 years. >> this is still a business deal. they still have to be able to get their money out if they put their money in. >> the proposed agreement now has a hearing at the board of supervisors. and the clock is ticking. race organizers have said they'd like to make a location decision by the ends of december. in san francisco, carolyn tyler, abc 7 news. >> if you were standing in that exact same spot this time of morning, you would not have looked as composed and warm as

carolyn tyler did. >> very composed but not in here. >> of course not. we're inside. >> scattered frost. let's focus on the big weather story this morning, the spare the air day, the lack of burning from midnight until midnight. the heaviest concentration of pollutants, the fine particulate matter will be in the north bay while the rest of us moderate but none of us can burn. here's a look at those temperatures. 32 fairfield and also in santa rosa. we're close to seeing frost around napa, 33. 34 livermore. 35 redwood city and concord. 37 san rafael. and 36 half moon bay. 38 mountain view and san jose. everybody else in the mid-40s. highs today under hazy sunshine. going to be the mid to upper 50s once again. a little more sunshine as you head to the south. san jose about 60. and a rain chance clear lake,

cloverdale and uke. probably santa rosa. upper 50s to low 60s monterey bay. inland 62 degrees in salinas. here's a look at your accu-weather seven-day forecast. rain hanging to the north thursday, sliding into the bay friday. a lesser chance of seeing rain saturday and in the south on sunday and monday looks to be dry but mostly cloudy. temperatures below average all seven days in your forecast. here's myles with a look at the golden gate bridge. >> good morning, mike. the golden gate bridge looking great southbound and northbound as well. no fog reported. drive times also a breeze for you this morning. we have the maze 18 minutes. 13 lone tree way to highway 242 and 205 to 680, 18 minute ride. also public transit should you be taking that because of the spare the air day, no delays on ace, ferries, caltrain and bta. >> thanks a lot. >> time now 5:09. the holiday office party is making a comeback.

the "moneyscope" report straight ahead. >> the irs is itching to mail out hundreds of thousands of tax refunds to bay area taxpayers. there's just one hitch. >> one of the worst stretches of freeway in the bay area is about to get an upgrade. the impact it will have on your commute. >> and why at least one state lawmakers says the first phase of the high speed rail system will be a train to nowhere.

>> closed captioning brought to you by mancini sleepworld.

>> good morning. we begin your "moneyscope" report are president obama's deficit commission unveiling its final proposal to slash the deficit today. it still contains many politically explosive ideas including raising the social security retirement age, doubling the federal gas tax and eliminating popular tax breaks. long-term unemployment runs out today for many americans. by the end of the month 2 million will lose their weekly check after lawmakers failed to extend benefits beyond 99 weeks. general motors and chrysler have announced plans to hire 1,000 engineers. they will work on the next generation of the vehicle. the holiday office party is making a comeback. 68% of companies surveyed say they will hold one this year up from 62% last year. that is your "moneyscope" report. i'm rob nelson. >> there are reports that rupper murdock may sell the net working

site myspace.com. the chief operating officer says a sale or partnership with media giants like yahoo or aol are two options under consideration. the website has been eclipsed. >> you may be among the lucky 2200 people in the bay area owed a significant chunk of changing by the irs. specifically the agency owes 220080 bay area taxpayers almost $700,000. that's an average of more than $1250 per person in san mateo and san francisco counties anyway. the money is in the form of undelivered refund checks sent to homes where the taxpayer no longer lives. the irs says people who think they are owed money should go to their website, that's irs.gov and click on the where's my refund tab? >> the state's high speed rail authority is set to vote tomorrow on spending more than

$4 billion to build the project's first face between two tiny central california towns. officials recommend the first tracks build between borden and corkchron, south of fresno. opponents say the plan is a gross misuse of taxpayer funds. he's asking federal authorities to intervene. the $43 billion project is supposed to eventually connect san francisco and anaheim but those plans to start the project in the bay area were undermined by opponents to threatened to delay the project in court. >> so on the issue of transportation, a billsy stretch of highway in the east bay is getting desperately needed upgrades but things will get a bit worse before they get better. it will mean three days of ramp closures next week. heather has more. >> the retrofit and replacement of 880's 5th avenue bridge and high street bridge are the only

highway seismic upgrades besides the bay bridge. the replacement will require a three-day closure of its southbound 42nd avenue on and off-ramps. >> exists where the future foundation of the bridge will be. so essentially we have to relocate where 42nd avenue is to build the future foundation and columns for the new bridge. >> the current southbound high-speed exit will be replaced with this new one ready and waiting. the rest of the work planned requires dry weather and a minimum temperature of 50 degrees. >> a lot of paving, demolition. it's going to be a very staged, hour by hour schedule we'll have. they'll be working around the clock and by the time monday morning comes around, everything will look a lot different. >> at the fifth avenue bridge, purple apoxsy-coated rebar, the last step before concrete is poured before christmas.

but don't look for the finished bridge for another few years. >> the 880 area will be a lot wider. we're going to add emergency lanes in case people have to pull over say for a blown tire. the roads will eventually be a lot smoother. >> resurfacing of the truck lanes between 5th and high was supposed begin this year but state budget problems pushed that project to next year. that will have major traffic impact, mostly at night and on weekends. the first of the 880 corridor project to be completed will be the 882/92 interchange. it's on track for completion next summer. abc 7 news. >> we're warm but -- (laughter) >> might not be, right? >> rub it in! if you're cold out there, sorry about that but we're toasty in here. >> we'll help you find ways to stay warm. >> their electric bill more than our electric bill. definitely cool out there. good morning to ya.

coming up on 5:18 and looking from ballmer peak on emeryville. leading all the way to the emerald city. that's a high definition picture. hard to believe when you look at that thin film of pollution. that's why we have a spare the air day through midnight. let's talk temperatures and where we're at fairfield 32. and santa rosa. scattered fog through the san ramon valley. concord 35. 35 redwood city, 38 mountain view and san jose. around the monterey bay, still 38 everywhere even inland to salinas but frosty in gilroy, 31. three things you need to know. high clouds, hazy sunshine today. slowly south spreading rain tomorrow and more so friday. and then another chance saturday and in the south bay and into the monterey bay on sunday. for today the warm spots around campbell and san jose 60 degrees. the rest of your neighbors the

upper 50s. mid to upper 50s on the peninsula today with mid-50s along the coast. daly city 54 degrees. downtown south san francisco mid to upper 50s. we'll have mid to upper 50s through the north bay valleys. also at your beaches. you see where the rain line is ukiah and clear lake and a lesser extent cloverdale. 55 rich mopped for the cool spot to 58 oakland, castro valley and fremont. the east bay valleys, 56 around antioch, pittsburg, walnut creek, danville. some of the thickest days will be the san ramon and try valley. monterey bay upper 60s to watsonville. 62 degrees in salinas. tonight cloud cover will be more prevalent. the air mass will stay a little warmer. fairfield at 39. the rest of us in the 40s. notice again the rain stays to our north during the overnight hours. these two areas of high pressure, very stubborn.

because of that this area of colder air is having a real hard time breaking through the area of high pressure. it's going to be the better part of today we see the clouds. see them increasing in the afternoon. still flirting with light rain in the northern part of sonoma county. by thursday into the evening we start to see that rain move into the north bay, spread southward through the bay so friday morning's commute looks to be the wettest hopefully by friday afternoon. the rain should be over. a secondary system comes behind mainly to our south and that brings us a chance of rain saturday and sunday. looks like we'll be dry monday before another chance of rain on tuesday. have a great day. here's myles with your forecast. >> good morning, mike. the emeryville cam of the berkeley curve looking at the limit as you head to the bay bridge where there's no delays. the metering lights are off and a smooth sail to san francisco.

highway 4 and antioch, lone tree way at the limit. 580 from 680 to 238, 10 minutes and 280/101 to 680, 11 minutes. abc7news.com for traffic around the clock. eric, theresa. >> miles, thanks for the update. >> next, the republican pledge that may doom any new legislation in the lame duck congress. >> also every traveller, every flight. the new security rules that are now in effect. >> and the military's new a flight to hawaii

using our points from chase sapphire. last minute... on christmas. and sitting next to us, chevy chase. and we really hit it off. we play golf, and then the luau. he's like da vinci with ice. and after, we help hang christmas decorations. wait, wait, wait. you flew last minute... on christmas... with points from chase sapphire? yeah. amazing. believe it. with points from chase sapphire, you can book airline tickets with no blackout dates or restrictions. >> good morning, everyone. 5:23 on this wednesday morning. you're looking at a live high definition picture from our rooftop camera of the emeryville

and the bay bridge. can't see how cold it is in this picture. we trust it is. and you don't see any smoke out there. that's a good idea because burning is banned on this spare the air day. mike will have more on the weather facts of that. terry mcsweeney will tell us the effects out there all in a couple minutes. >> there is a quiet political storm brewing on capitol hill now that the post-election congress is shifting republican. officials speaking on condition of anonymity have revealed senator republicans intend to block action on backlegislation unrelated to taxes and government spending in this current session of congress. the gop leadership has apparently been quietly collecting signatures on a letter pledging to carry out the strategy. such a republican pledge could destroy democratic-backed evidence for the "don't ask, don't tell" policy for gays and giving legal status to some illegal immigrants. >> every passenger flying

american skies is checked against a list of people who polls a terrorism risk. the csa is matching passengers on international flights heading to or from the u.s. against a watch list. prescreening began last year. the addition of international passengers is something recommended after the september 11th attacks. >> the military is showing off a new weapon it hopes will successfully take on the taliban. (gunfire) >> it is called the xm-25 and uses a laser guidance system and high explosive round which can be programmed to detonate over a target. that means the weapon can be used on insurgents hiding behind walls or in ditches. it's the first small arms weapon to use a smart technology. the xm-25 is already used by u.s. soldiers in afghanistan. one official called the gun a game changer. >> members of the jewish faith begin marking hanukkah at

sundown today. >> in sacramento yesterday, governor schwarzenegger and a group of rabbis danced the traditional dance to celebrate the eight-day festival of lights. it will begin the lighting of the menorah this evening. a candle is lit for each of eight days of the celebration. the governor and rabbis got an early start lighting the first candle at the menorah at the state capital yesterday. >> a pledge from the county sheriff. next at 5:30, what he says won't happen again. >> i'm terry mcsweeney look out over san francisco from twin peaks and today is the first spare the air day of the season. i'll tell you about the cause and what it might cost you coming up in a live report. >> and the ambitious new ballpark plan to keep the a's in oakland. >> let's check out these high temperatures across the country from seattle and portland, mid

to upper 40s and 52, dallas 65. 28 chicago. upper 60s d.c. and new york but those falling as wet weather moves through there. flight arrival delays in philadelphia and about allkkkkkk

♪ i'm terry mcsweeney live in san francisco, and we have our first spare the air day of the season on our hands. and what you don't know about that could cost you hundreds of dollars. i'll clear the air in a live report. >> and i'll show you where the highest concentrations of that fine particulate matter will be and we'll take a look how it's kind of clear this morning and frosty once again and an update on those rain chances. all four of 'em. >> no problem on highway 92. those taillights on the san mateo bridge are at the limit

westbound and looking good eastbound as well. >> also this morning a horrible accident leaves a star high school athlete in a coma. highway patrol makes an appeal for witnesses to come forward. >> i'm emily schmidt in washington. more on the unemployment help that didn't happen coming up. >> good morning, everyone. it's a wednesday morning. 5:30 a.m.. and chilly. thanks for joining us. i'm eric thomas. >> i'm theresa garcia. it is yet another cold morning but not exactly a picture perfect one when it comes to air quality here in the bay area. today is the first spare the air day of the winter season, and that means no burning of wood or manufactured logs. abc 7's terry mcsweeney joins us live in san francisco with more on this went time pollution. terry, you look a little cold out there. >> i am a little cold out here. the wind's not helping either. but it's a spectacular view.

some haze hanging out over the downtown area. looking out towards the east bade, you should be able to see a whole lot more light than i am seeing. i've been up here many times and you can't get those twinkling lights as you do many times and they say the leading cause is wood burning stoves and that's why we have a spare the air day. what exactly does it mean to you? >> it means don't burn wood as in don't fire up your fireplace. if you're thinking about a manufacturing log and some say burns cleaner than wood, that's not enough. the answer is no. don't light anything except maybe candles if you're in the mood. no pellets in the wood burning stoves. he's seasonal, you see it in all the movies and christmas cards but it's very polluting. the smoke can make you go cough, cough, cough instead of ho, ho,

ho. >> it can aggravate asthma and other respiratory disorders. some of these particles have been flown to cause cancer but in terms of people's exposure when they're burned via fireplaces, body burning stoves, that has not been study extensively. >> the ultimate solution would be if everybody who has a wood burning fireplace switched over to a natural gas fireplace. it's gonna cost some money but then again you could burn year-round. some say it's not the same but it's less polluting. the choice would be up to you. what they're going to do about it is clear. the first time they catch you burning wood on a no burn day such as today it's a warning. the second time it's a $400 fine. in san francisco, terry mcsweeney, abc 7 news. >> terry, thank you. it's 5:32 now. the chp is investigating why a man was apparently walking on highway 101 in burlingame this

morning when he was struck and killed. highway patrol heard reports of a person on the ground in the eastbound lanes of 101 just north of broadway at about 1:25 this morning. a black bmw and a pickup truck were involved in the accident. one driver was injured. four lanes of the freeway were closed for a time. the accident has since been clear. >> police are pleading for more information on a crash that put a high school girl in a coma. 17-year-old carolyn hanson is a star water poll will he player at st. francis high school in mountain view. she was in a minor accident but the wreck knocked her sideways in the middle of a freeway. she was broadsided by a lexus s.u.v. that officers say was just going too fast. >> after the collision she took her seat belt off and the one they heard, she had her seat belt on. >> the passenger in the lexus was also hurt. 72-year-old woman. investigators don't know why

that original crash happened. the california highway patrol is asking any witnesses to come forward. >> the inmate who attacked a santa cruz county san francisco's deputy is being held at an undisclosed facility. maurice ainsworth overpoured her during a medical appoint on monday. investigators say he tased her, fired a shot with her gun at a bystander and terrorized preschool workers as he tried to get away. santa cruz county sheriff says such an incident will not happen again. >> we need to reevaluate our processes and fix that. i'm not that we'll continue to do business as usual because that would be inappropriate. >> the sheriff says esuspects ainsworth planned the escape and may have faked pain to get an mri at the hospital. the officer is recovering at home. >> oakland's police chief is in washington d.c. this morning to lobby for federal dollars to put

officers in four middle schools. chief anthony bass will meet with feinstein and foster as well as officials in the justice department. the $6 million program would place six officers at each of the four campuses in neighborhoods impacted by violence. >> a peninsula high school hit by thieves over the thanksgiving break is getting help. wells fargo is donates $5,000. the money will help replace stolen computers valued at $50,000. the computers were taken from a classroom sometime between last wednesday night and monday morning. >> oakland has announced a new 39,000 seat proposal for the ease a's ballpark. this ballpark would be near jack london square in oakland. the planning commission is having a hearing to consider what should be study as part of an environmental impact report. the project will include a stadium, 18,000 square feet of retail space, 54,000 square feet

of offices and 700 condos. oakland's planning commission president is part of a private effort to keep the a's from leaving oakland while the team's owner has said he wants to move to san jose. >> extended unemployment benefits start running out today for nearly 2 million americans. lawmakers failed to extend the benefits beyond the midnight deadline. here in california 150,000 people are getting notices this week unless congress okays another extension, that number will grow to 450,000 by the ends of the year. republicans in the senate argued the cost of the benefits was just too high. emily schmidt has more. >> these were the last ditch hopes that congress attacked last minute unemployment benefit extensions for peoplely melody. >> i don't want unemployment. none of us do. what we want is to get a job and that unemployment at least gives us food. >> her small security is more

limited. congress failed to agree on a plan. >> 2 million americans this december will stop receiving benefits. and several hundred thousand unemployed workers will lose the benefits every month. >> the bill would have cost $12 billion. >> we gotta start focusing on jobs. that's what we have to do at that sort getting this economy moving. >> the average weekly check is about $300. the congressional budget office says every one dollar generates about $1.90 in economic growth. >> it means that i'm keeping the lights on and i'm keeping food in the house. just, you know, sometimes just barely but i'm able to do that. >> social services are preparing for what happens when the checks stop. new shelter beds added in atlanta, food shelves stocked in iowa. a food bank network estimates 2 million people will immediately

need help getting food when their benefits expire, a possibility that increased at midnight. >> come back in here and be on tv. >> come on, i need our weatherman over here. >> he's over there. going to tell us about the spare the air day out there. >> way out there where it's cold. hi, mike. >> there you are. >> you should be royalty. how the english royals do it. >> okay. good morning, everybody. i'll be over here for this one but i'll join you guys in a few minutes. spare the air day. the poorest air quality all day today. not like in the summer where it builds through the afternoon hours. it could be happening now and even throughout the afternoon hours as we put a lid on the atmosphere and trap all those pollutants. frosty in some areas. 30 fairfield, how about 32 santa

rosa, 33 morgan hill. 32 concord and livermore. 35 palo alto with 40s for the rest of us. by noon increase in the high clouds, hazy conditions in the north bay and east bay valleys. temperatures mid-50s. by 4:00 partly sunny through most of the bay. mostly included up to the north where a stray shower may get as far south as santa rosa. once again even though it's a new month, the same pattern holds. welcome to december. we're well blow average as far as our highs. napa 2 degrees cooler. 6 concord and redwood city and san francisco seven. sun set, 4:51. seven-day forecast, mainly in the north tomorrow. chances friday, saturday and again on sunday. myles, good morning. >> good morning, sir. coming into san francisco there's a report of a big rig disabled on the northbound connector ramp from 101 to northbound 280. that's blocking the right lane. chp is on the scene. at the bay bridge toll plaza, no

backup. the metering lights are off and it's at the limit through into downtown san francisco. theresa, eric, back to you. >> myles, thank you so much. it's now 5:40. >> still ahead, a central valley teen's terrifying escape from his abusers. >> and fighting crime versus privacy. the bay area police cruiser electronically scanning

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>> closed captioning brought to you by mancini sleepworld. . >> time right now 5:43. east palo alto police are field testing a technology that can record and read thank you sands of license plates. unmarbled vehicles will be equipped with cameras that can scan license plates in moving traffic and the parking lot. police were able to read 10,000 plates in just one 10-hour shift. the scan data is compared to a hot sheet of stolen cars or cars used in crime. privacy and civil rights advocates say they're worried how the data will be used and stored. the police department says that information will not be shared or used for other purposes. >> it was two years ago today that a tracy teenager managed to escape from a home where he had been held captive and tortured more than a year. the district attorney released surveillance video showing the

boy's first moments of freedom. these are the first images of a young tracy teenager after he broke free from a house and found a safe haven in a nearby fitness club. employees at the club looked after him and called police before leading him away in a towel. >> a tragedy that happened to fall on our doorstep and we were so happy to help the individual. he was totally afraid of what was going happen. when we went to take him in the office out of the front area here, we noticed he had a large chain around his foot. >> last week a jury found a neighbor guilty of torturing and abusing the teen. the three defendants who lived at the home reached employee deals and are expected to get at least 30 years in prison. the teen is said to be doing well. it's 5:44 now. >> eric, get this one. how about forget the cocktail shaker. how about a mohato on tap. the bloomberg business report

coming up. >> put it right here. >> also a temporary holiday job could be a lot more valuable than you think. next how you can turn it into something more permanent maybe. >> may force youngsters in california schools to spend more time exercising. >> and a diet for babies? why parents are urged to take the white out of what their little ones eat.

>> welcome back. time for your california forecast. looking sat rain around eureka, higher elevation of snow. some could sneak to tahoe. 52 eureka, 54 chico. the upper 50s with hazy sunshine through sacramento, fresno. look at the warmth continue to build in southern california. l.a. 71 today, 68 palm springs, san diego 64. >> mike, thank you. it's 5:48 now. as you know permanent full-time jobs are still hard to come by in this economy but a seasonal job may be the way to get your foot in the door. some businesses are bringing on extra workers for the holiday season in hopes that things are picking up. >> if the number of seasonal hires packed into this basement office is any indication, the paper business must be booming this holiday season. >> we hired over 100 seasonal design associates and 18 customer service representatives. >> this is the save headquarters

of the online stationery company. they have graph tick designers around the globe that do holiday carts, invitations and the like. the pay is $15 to $17 an hour, like a gift from heavy if you've been out of work like this woman. >> a world separate from the world i came from. kind of i moved from one place and i'm in this new world where everything works. >> this man came on as a seasonal hire out of college and worked his way into the staff job. that's not the way it worked for many of his college classmates. >> a bunch of my friends didn't have jobs. i was lucky to find this place. >> we often our seasonal design associates not only the ability to eastern a fair hourly wage but to contribute to our organization through submitting their sorge pieces of art. >> the national jobless rate still hovers around 9.6%.

here in california it's more than 12%. but agencies say some clients are looking to hire. some agencies are predicting a 20% increase over last year. >> we've certainly seen an increase to this year's hiring. certainly up take from last year. seeing a lot in the retail space, a lot of vacation coverage. >> but lisa says the number of jobs will be limited and competition will be fierce. she recommends job seekers dress the part and work a seasonal and contract job as if there's a potential full-time position at the end of it. >> i really think that there's some long-term potential that come from short-term opportunities. >> and some of the big players are adding lots of workers this holiday season. toys r us picking up 45,000 seasonal hires across the country. macy's 65,000. and let's say that shows at least some corporate optimism is

afoot this holiday season. >> they'll be selling products and making a little money. >> that is good. talk about seasonal, the weather seasonal. it's cold. >> our first spare the air of the winter season. let's take a look outside. once again high pressure dominating our sky and the sinking air trapping the fine particulate matter. you can see the haze to the southeast from our roof cam here in downtown san francisco. looking back to the port of oakland. we are talking about highs today that will be cooler than average once again. a lot of that has to do with the fact we're starting cooler than average this morning with temperatures and frosty conditions and mid to upper 30s in our east bay valleys. the north bay. but there is frost in the outlying areas. 35 redwood city, 38 mountain view and san jose. low to mid-40s fremont, oakland, san francisco. 38 santa cruz where watsonville,

monterey bay and 31 gilroy. high clouds and hazy sunshine today because of that spare the air day. the worst concentration of pollution will be in the north bay valleys. slowly south spreading rain tomorrow and friday. and secondary chance on saturday and in the south bay on sunday more into the monterey bay. today middle 50s with some of the thickest haze in the east bay valleys today. middle to upper 50s along the east bay shore. heading to the south bay, may hit 60 in campbell and san jose. mid to upper 50s with a partly sunny sky along the peninsula. mostly temperatures in the mid-50s along the coast. 54 daly city. north bay valley and beaches, hazy here and rain making as far as south with a stray shower santa rosa. very, very light. watsonville, gilroy, salinas near 60. the rest of the monterey bay and

inland, upper 50s. look for hazy conditions once again and high clouds in this morning. notice high pressure. not moving at all. they are locked in, anchored. in fact probably growing roots right now as they are so strong. they're keeping this cold front to the north pushing more of the cold and wet weather to the east right now. eventually it will win out because cold air is heavier and going to use that momentum to move through our neighborhoods. not today or tonight but how many tomorrow during the afternoon hours into the north bay and then the friday morning commute and to a lesser extent the friday evening commute could be a little wet. with that rain comes some cleaner air so the spare the air day should end at midnight tonight. small chance it could hang around tomorrow. our next for sure dry day will be monday. here's myles with a potential hot spot. >> in san francisco, mike, that big rig blocking that northbound

280. for the last 15 minutes or so chp is on the scene. from richmond to berkeley it's busy but moving well as you try to get to the bay bridge toll plaza where the metering lights are off and it's smooth sailing over the incline through san francisco. for traffic around the clock go to abc7news.com. >> myles, thank you. >> it's now 5:54. g.m. puts up the for hire sign and bartenders in europe are putting down their cocktail shakers. >> jane king. >> good morning. improving fortunes in the auto industry. g.m. hiring a thousand engineers with ramped up production of electric cars. u.s. falling behind air and the middle east when it comes to economic recovery. the institute says only one u.s. city among 150 study made the top 30 list and that was austin, texas. google tries to turn the page. planning on opening an online store for electronic books and

chip away at amazon's dominance in the market. you'll be able to download books at just about any device that has internet access. liquor maker pushing mohato's on tap. these cheaper cocktails will bring back customers worried about money. i'm jane king. >> and parents can take their children's public schools to court to force physical education. the court of appeals made the ruling that parents can force educators to provide the minimum amount of physical activity required by state law. california requires elementary schools to offer 200 minutes of physical activity every ten days; however, there's a study that found more than half the schools failed to provide the required minutes. last year a parent in the albany skal district believed that cornell elementary was not meeting the minimum and sued the district. >> today is world aids day. president obama, national health officials and aids policy

directors will be attending an event in the nation's capital. a ribbon adorns the front of the white house and other landmarks in part to raise awareness of the diseases hiv. aids has killed 30 million since the epidemic began in 1981. upwards of 33 million people worldwide are living with hiv. >> some pediatricians are now advising parents to start working to prevent childhood obesesy when those kids are still babies. dr. allen green at stanford children's hospital is among those advocating the whiteout diet. he's advising parents to cut white rice cereal from babies diets. he says vegetableable puree are better options. he believes it gives babies a taste for highly process ceased foods which could set them up to get hooked on things like cakes and cookies. >> 5:56.

the chp investigates a fatal accident on the freeway involving a pedestrian. >> also san francisco takes the next step in its bid to host the america's cup yachting race. >> i'm terry mcsweeney up here on twin peaks looking out over san francisco and towards the east bay. we have our first spare the air day of the season today. unfortunately i can show

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