could be used more effectively. >> that had a devastating impact on us. we're a skeleton crew. we've been prepared for this outcome but it's disappointing. >> the future of the current projects could be in jeopardy. many will have to be paid for through private partnerships. >> and fremont's mayor died after a series of illnesses. mayor waserman served since 1976. he won a seat in 1992 and became mayor in 2004. the 77-year-old is survived by his wife of 53 years and their two children. the vice mayor will take over until the city council decides on filling the vacancy. >> and new year's eve will see police looking for drunk drivers and people who shoot guns to celebrate. and some cities mean that means technology.

and we'll explain how it work autos from just before every corner of the city, is covered. technology can pick up gunfire from more than a mile away which will help on new year's eve. this sound of gunfire is not extraordinary on new year's eve. >> people use poppers and they use noise makers. people also incorporate firearms which is very dangerous. >> that is why police will triple patrols on saturday nights. sheer how it works. police demonstrated today. there are shots shotting devices roughly 100 yards away picked up sound and notified

police. the dots show authorities where the shoots came from and records the sound. on new year's eve officers will be staging in hot spots. >> we're going to be on top of this quickly. >> just two weeks ago, the system alerted police to this shooting. there is a 19-year-old kill that had day. and this city had an ongoing problem with new year's eve gunfire. >> any time someone fires in the air bullets have to come down. they do come down in kmuns with people are firing weapon autos studies show 80% of the time no one reports hering gunshots. that was incentive for creators. >> this is that missing link all the time. we're always on.

>> firing into the air is a felony f you're convicted you can face up to three years in prison. >> and leasea, thank you very much. heavy fog brought moisture to the bay area today. you can see there is san francisco's embarcadero. this morning at san francisco frapt. the view gives a wider perspective. it kaz caused by moist air just above the bay and ocean. >> this is major fire concerns because of the lack of rain. it's the third driest summer since mid 1800s. so a burn ban will remain in

effect throughout the weekend. >> this is really dry for this time of the year. we get usually more rain. >> northern california not having rain this time of the season exposes a lot of homes and commercial properties to additional fire dangers that we'd not normally have during winter conditions. >> and there is another season rn is a drop off in the snow pack. >> crews fighting a fire that badly damaged two homes last night. flames lit up the night sky about 8:30 in the evening. and 15 homes had to be evacuated. crews were concerned because of the brush and trees. >> this is scary. i don't see people doing much bit. look at this. i'm surprised the neighborhood didn't goup. none of these trees are trimmed. >> you never know with hills

and how dry it's been. you know? driest december on record. >> and there is a power line fell that put it out of action. and four firefighters were treated for minor injuries including heat exhaustion. >> fire investigators expect lights on a tree started a fire that gutted an apartment in hayward that broke out on silva avenue. firefighters rescued a small dog, taken to the animal shelter suffering from nineor smoke inhalation and should be fine. the fire displaced a person that lived in the apartment. the red cross is helping that person find a place to stay. >> parents get ready. there is a car seat law about to take affect if you have kids under eight years old this, is going apply to your family this, is going to put california kids in booster seats longer. and we now have details on the

change. >> right now in california it's state law. have you to have your kids in a seat like this one if under six years old. sunday, that law is out and this new law, get this, will require kids under age eight to be in one of these. ready or not, california car seat law is about to change. >> the new law says that children under eight years old need to be in a booster seat or a car seat. >> that is right. california's six and seven year olds will be required to ride in booster seats starting sunday this, 7-year-old is one of the kids. >> i can't believe it! >> her father says the law means more work juggling car seats but it's safety that matters. >> so we have some still leftover in the garage. we'll put those back in after the first of the year. >> the restriction is a trend

as california joins 30 other states putting kids in car seats longer. john moisture hospital safety experts waurnts r wants parents to know benefits. >> this is a shoulder belt. >> then, she shows danger without a restraint. >> this is going to go into organs and she's going to be uncomfortable and maybe wants to do this this, is dangerous. she's not in her seat belt properly. >> an accident she says could result in damage to a child z most retailers sell the booster seats for $25 on up to $140 and beyond. more than a million kids are impacted by the law. kennedy says it won't be that

bad. >> i'm happy. now, i can see out of the wind window. >> and there is chp says the belts are really designed for adults. now, also part of the law once you you do outgrow and hit eight years old, part of the law is that your kids have to be in a seat belt or you could face fines that could cost you as much as $500. live in san francisco, abc 7 news. >> thank you. >> and coming up, why green might not be so clean when it comes to paper towels. >> and intent rescue of a man and dog on a steep cliff. >> we do have rain coming our way. how much you can expect in just a moment in the accu-weather forecast. >> and also, the bay area treasure trove offering a

glimpse into the rise of apple computers.

>> closed captioning brought to you by mancini sleepworld. main and his dog fell down after the man's father through a bottle. the dog chased it over the edge. the 19-year-old slid 150 deet feet down the slope. firefighters repelled down the cliff, able to move the dog to safety. the man had to be lowered to the bottom of the cliff. they're all okay. >> and in san jose a man was accused of threatening officer was a machete is under arrest after five hours and it ended peacefully. but convincing the 44-year-old to surrender wasn't easy. at one point sh police fired rubber bullets to get him out. those where the shots captured

this morning. he walked out of the apartment on capitol village circle. investigators say he refused to put down a bottle so the k 9 unit repoliced a -- released a police dog. >> this guy we've been trying to get for months. he walks around in the middle of the night without clothes on. >> and those angry neighbors say they want the suspect evicted. >> and the sheriff's office is warning people who use a trail along highway 1 to be on guard after a woman pushing her child in the stroller was assaulted. the woman was walking on the trail between kelly about 7:30 tuesday night. police say someone came and knocked her to the ground and pulled her jacket. the suspect ran when the 2-year-old child started crying. >> former hewlett-packard ceo mark heard lost an al

yeep -- appeal when a judge said a letter can go public. and this detailed accusations made by fisher but did encover economies about expense reports. and a shareholder convinced a court investors are entitled to see what that letter contains. >> and you have a great opportunity to take a journey back in time with steve jobs and the location is right there, of course in the bay area. this 184 super bowl ad inproduced americans to apple's mac computers just one slice of the history you'll find at the archives at stanford university. it's home to the largest collection of his storeal

materials started 35 years ago. >> there you can trace out the history of the computer. >> and the arc yifs contain videos where jobs talks about the first products. >> remember, apple was not particularly usable but it was incredible to have a computer. >> here, he remembers how the company got it's name. >> i remember driving down highway 85 on the freeway. steve mentioned i got a name. apple computer. we kept trying to think of alternatives and couldn't think of anything better. >> and fans of the movie "ghost busters" will appreciate this company video featuring steve jobs and other autos today, we're going to introduce four new products. >> the collection documents the years jobs spent at next

computer che founded after being forced out of apple in 1985. >> this is it. a slab sits underneath the monitor. >> the archives are housed in this warehouse where stanford stores library collections. apple donated most materials to stanford in 1997. apple had been collecting it for a corporate museum but dropped plans when steve jobs returns. it offers a glimpse into the early years as a scrappy start up. >> what we hope will happen with materials here is that people will see there are lessons in the past that some are worth digging for. >> the apple archives are in a secret location. that area i told you about. historians want to get a glimpse will have to call stanford. a study warns bacteria that can make you sick lurks

in most of the paper towels that lurk in bathrooms saying bacteria may thrive in recycled papers because it contains fillers that germs feed on. >> and there is a lot of concern about which honda vehicles may have faulty air bags. >> tonight, they're stopping some sales. >> this is a major development. i told but this earlier. honda recalled two million older models, vehicles for possible problems and says faulty bags may severely injury injure a driver. honda says it's not sure which may have about 640 of the parts. they're installed as repair parts in used cars.

and there have been 20 accidents related to this defect. it affects accord civic, odyssey, pilot and crv. manufactured were manufactured in twun and twut. >> and -- 2001 and 2002. >> and beer spiked with caffeine, starting january 1 a law taking affect in california banning the sale of beer loaded with extra caffeine. the caffeinated beer is becoming popular and state lawmakers said the combination poses a real health hazard. they passed a ban in response to several sin dents in which consumers were hospitalized. >> and this may be a sign of a rebounding economy. we hope. huge crowds at disneyland this week forced a park to halt

ticket sales. visitors on winter break packed disneyland on tuesday and wednesday. so crowded that disneyland suspend spended sales for three hours on tuesday, and four hours the next day. and visitors said they had to wait in long lines to get on rides. >> space mountain two hours. >> pirates was rough. about an hour, i'd say. >> and a spokesperson said disneyland suspended ticket sales last year during holiday rush, however, things are back to normal today and no interruption of sales at all. disneyland is owned by walt disney company, which also owns abc 7. i don't know if you've been there on a holiday. it's a gas and it's packed! >> my kids just got back. >> thank you. >> thanks a lot. >> and spencer is just really looking forward. >> there is the third driest december in recorded history.

>> and this is records since 1849. third driest december since then, driest ones were 1876 and 1989. so here we are. there is 12/100ths so far. there is a dreary-looking picture at golden gate bridge now there. is moisture in the air. and there is some low clouds and fog. take a look skpuk see where rain is, it's well north right now and is moving into our direction z right now, temperatures into mid to upper 50s so it's mild. 59 degrees in redwood stiff. 55 in fremont. these are the highlights. mostly cloudy skies. areas of fog tonight. light rain is expected and we're calling it spotty and there is dry and mild.

satellite shows systems to the north producing rainfall with most of the rain moving inland and we'll he get out of this at 11:00 tonight and there are clouds and fog around z some light rain developing into northern most part of the area, later in the day rains pushing south and there will be light rain in the north bay. and should be all over and at that point there is rainfall under a tenth of an inch z most of what has fallen will have probably fallen in the north bay. and there are pockets as well. sierra received very little snow z this is 15% of the

normal snow pack. and compared to last year at which point there are 215% and tons of snow. so let's hope we'll get some, soon. low temperatures into mid 70s and mid-40s and there is 49 in san francisco. and not much of a variation there. highs into a narrow range, upper 50s and just a little bit to the south and drier near monterey bay and milder there, also with highs into mid-60s, here is the accu-weather forecast. there is dry, mild weather new year's weekend. and into next week, it gets milder. and around the bay and inland

mid-60s on the coast. and this is strange and explains why we're so dry. >> still ahead remembering a true pioneer. >> one of the original

one of the original tuskeegee airmen was in the bay area, ceasear, a well known dentist passed away at his foster city home last week, he was 93 years old. he was one of the original tuskeegee airmen, the name given to a group of african american pilots who fought in

world war ii. >> doors opened up for what we did in world war ii. an opportunities became available. and now, they can go to school and do what americans can do. >> and 300 were recognized and awarded congressional medal of honor. >> and six puppies found abandoned in a recycling plant are now up for adoption. one found a new home we're glad to tell you. the shepherd mixed puppies were found hungry and covered with fleas and worms. the seventh pup was discovered a week late skbrer will be available next week. looks like a happy ending. >> coming up next, meet luna and pablo. >> yes. newest members of the san francisco zoo. stay with us.

coming up in a half hour, police in pinole closed the books on a 12-year-old murder case. >> tonight a moratorium on all new pawn shops because of a crime spree taking place around the country. >> and the floating start up. a weigh station that could be the solution to a immigration issue. those stories and more coming up at 6:00. >> and there is two donkeys are the newest residents of the san francisco zoo. >> and just so cute. experts say they'd do best when they live together. it helps them avoid stress and loneliness. >> they can live up to 35 years. >> great to see them out there. that is going to do