today. >> historic day for california. named the states first latino u.s. senator. >> i'm honored. and i'm humbled. >> not everyone rejoicing. the reason some are questioning the appointment. >> will it be a rainy christmas? we continue to up dadate the forecast. >> the news starts now. good evening. thanks for joining us. >> we are tracking many new developments in the fight against the coronavirus. the moderna vaccine is here in the bay area. healthcare workers in the north bay were the first to get the shot. the vaccine arrival is welcome news, we are in the middle of the worst covid surge since the pandemic began. 32,000 new cases in 247 deaths reported in our state. north past 24 hours. for small businesses the vaccine

no magic bullet. they are feeling the pain of the lock down and fighting back. he opened his doors in defiance. welcoming customers back. >> other salons may soon revolt as well. >> the owner says he's already hearing from other businesses. he claims will also reopen. and acknowledges many salons are operating through the back door. but says no more. >> james is open for business. and while a ware he's not supposed to be. he is defying the public health order which ordered all salons to close down into early january. part of the covid restrictions. he says salon owners operate under the state cosmetology

sanitation standards. which is more strict than other industries allowed to stay open. >> i refuse to close. if it's not a real shut down. the liquor store and starbucks. i'm not shutting down. >> most customers declined to comment. one woman said she feels safe here and wants to help the shot. >> they are following the sanitation. and keeping people distanced from each other. supporting small businesses during this time is the only way they're going to save them. >> he says he knows it could be much more than just a warning this time. >> i don't care. they can fine me. it costs more to be shut down. >> it relies on everyone to cooperate. to deal with the pandemic. emphasiz

emphasized businesses do face fines if they don't comply. police will not talk about what action. but generally speaking they don't seek out violations. but will follow up on complaints. >> thank you. the fight between the county and church continues. today a federal judge rejected the application for a temporary restraining order against the county. this means that the county can continue to place fines on the church for holding indoor service. and defying public health orders. the pastor argue people have the right to gather to worship. he accrued $700,000 in fines from the county. >> how many beds still available in the bay area hospitals. these are the latest numbers from the counties. san francisco both above 30%.

the best in the bay area. showing some improvement having been at 0% available. now 10%. >> the highly anticipated moderna vaccine is here. the new shipments have hospitals scrambling to give the protection to as many workers as possible. gearing up to handle another wave of covid patients. >> it's the day nursing assistant has been waiting for. after mornts of risking her own health to care for patients. she got one of the first doses of the moderna vaccine. >> i have been very scared. can you imagine? i have had like seven or eight covid patients at one time. and it's been scary. to receive the vaccine is sense

of relief for me. >> among the first to get the moderna vaccine. unlike pfizer, this version doesn't need to be kept as cold. making it easier to transport and handle. both are effective. >> they're totally equal. i would receive either. >> hospitals race to get as many vaccinated as possible. they are also scrambling to make room for the next wave of cases. lt first ever mobile emergency room unit. a trailer in the emergency room parking lot. >> this partible unit will treat less acute injuries. >> the moderna vaccinations are putting healthcare workers at ease.

in an incredibly stressful time. >> i never experienced anxiety in my life. until march of this year. where it started to be overwhelming. i was worrying about everything. >> help fight the coronavirus. on tuesday and saturday, cars line up in the parking lot of the church on 66th. this is picked on purpose. the zip code has the highest covid positive rate in oakland. >> we need to have more testing. so the state has come to us to provide for this on tuesday and saturday. we'll be doing it from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. we invite everybody that needs a covid test. >> the tuesday and saturday schedule resumes january 2.

through september. >> without question a historic announcement from governor newsom. appointing california open u.s. senate seat. the first latino to represent california in the senate. filling vice president kamala harris seat. >> very emotional day. >> i spoke with him earlier this morning. and a couple hours ago. not since state hood has california had a latino as a u.s. senator. and that moment is not lost. he is an mitt graduate with engineering degree. he became president of the l.a. city council before a state senator. serving his second term at secretary of state until the governor called him to break the news. secretary of state he brings expertise to capitol hill on

elections security. he says the focus will be on the pandemic. it was getting the news last night from the governor. that made him take a step back. >> started to ask questions about my parents and reliving their story. their journey. and that's to how i feel. you might be the next united states senator from the state of california. a tremendous honor. but couldn't help but think back on their struggle. their sacrifice. coming from mexico. in search of the american dream. >> it took 170 years. california finally laz a latino as a united states senator. >> when you hear him talk about his parents you know he

accomplished so many firsts in his family. and the first latino state senator. does he feel extra pressure carrying that mantle on him? >> i think anyone would. when you have gone 170 years without having one of you be in that position, he knows what the expectations are. people lobbied for him to get him to where he's at now. he's man of firsts. the frs latino as president of the l.a. city council and secretary of state. and now united states senator in california. there's a big shoes to fill with kamala harris. he is up to the job. >> i bet he is. kamala harris says he's up to the job too. harris tweeted out her congratulations.

what's their relationship like? it is good. not everyone pleased with the announcement. san francisco mayor expressed some disappointment. >> it was definitely a surprise and unfortunate situation as we are trying to move the country forward in making sure black lives matter and african-americans have a seat at the table. especially african-american women. >> later in the newscast. more reaction to the historic but not fully welcomed announcement. >> christmas couple days away. it looks like a wet one. his latest forecast. it looks like it will rain christmas day. >> rain or snow on the christmas wish list. we'll be able to deliver that. some cases could be quite a bit of rain. thanks to an atmospheric river

boost. here's what's coming our way toward christmas day. towards friday, right there. midday and evening. the rain arrives. along with it is the boost of moesture from near hawaii. that will get us in the bay area. what this usually means is decent rain totals above expectation. and right now you can see the rain estimate. some of the high peaks could be looking at one two inches of rain from storm number one. storm two rolling in. late next week. coming up sunday monday. could bring snow levels down to the higher peaks. much colder store to wrap up the weekend. a closer look at timing. >> see you soon. a day after the arrest of a suspect in a cold case. many questions are unanswered

including where are the remains of the 9 year-old. they were never found after she disappeared 30 years ago. we likely won't know until he faces a judge next month. this was a palm print on her scooter that led investigators to him. when she and her friend went into the store. he grabbed the scooter and moved it to his car. forcing her to walk towards him. >> suspects all under age 15 did before police track them down. >> a small businesses struggle. san francisco leader are stepping in to make sure those who need help the most are taken care of. we'll show you the plan.

the victim says the group drove up to her and tried to grab her purse. they started punching her and kicking her on the ground. before they drove off. police say they tracked the kids down using the description of the car and the car had been reported stolen. >> we all woke up this morning. congress passed a new covid are

leaf package. a couple hours ago president trump tweeted he didn't like the bill and wanted congress to rework it. saying it didn't give enough money to americans. speaker of the house agrees. she tweeted just 30 minutes ago that the checks need to be bigger than $600 and blaming the republicans. as this battle continues. san francisco leaders are trying to figure out how to get to the stimulus money into the hand of small business owners faster. >> right now the bill includes $325 billion of new p.p.p. lopes ffr small business. money san francisco leader say they want in the hands of the businesses as quickly as possible. once the president signs it. >> it can't come fast enough for small businesses. or the politicians who say they need the businesses to stay open. >> wooe calling for an emergency

plan to step in and provide additional grants and loans. >> even after millions of dollars and loans in tax waivers. much more is needed to keep the shops open. >> the federal government came out said they'll deploy additional p.p.p. loans for businesses. i want to make sure we're ready fo get those in the hands of businesses and support them. >> something many say didn't happen in the first round of federal loans. the new money could be the only hope for surviving the pandemic. >> what we need now is grants. things that will remove financial burden. permanently. until we can really get back on our feet. >> politicians say ta are on board and optimistic. >> there are real bright lights for our is it true. support for small businesses through the extension of the loan. and supposed to be a lot easier for small businesses to apply.

>> businesses say their looking for the proof. and hope the money arrives in time. >> helping families in need this holiday season. volunteers with hunger at home were up early this morning making meals. the kitchen crew whipped up turkey and corn to hand out to the community. >> we are trying to produce a thousand to 1,600 family meals. which serve four to six people. we will be distributing and have been every day. >> it gathers extra food from businesses and gives them to shelters. >> in the east bay the rescue mission is put on the 40th annual boxes the hope event. volunteers gave up 600 boxes of food. the need is greater now more than ever. producing three times the amount of meals a month than usual.

>> it's so hard to see how many people are suffering. let's bring rob in. it will be a soggy christmas. >> it looks like it. we're starting lt week with fog. the skies started to clear out. over my shoulder is the source of why we think the rain totals could be on the high end. especially for some of the coastal mountains. let's show you temperatures outside right now. the clear skies and dry air dropping off quickly. 40s and 50s outside for the moment. wind shelter valleys could see 20s and 30s. san jose 53 degrees. breezy out there. northwest wind ongoing for the afternoon will bring us clear skies tonight. in a chilly night. no talk about rain between now and the. christmas day we see the rainmaking a big come back and a

colder storm arriving late next weekend. here's one change. not a lot of fog. more sun sheen as winds pick up. bundle up tonight. in the 30s upper 20s possible. rebounding well ffrt afternoon. a few high clouds. temperatures close to 60 in san jose and oakland. take a look at the rain estimates. christmas day through 4:00. there's not a lot to see. most of the action happens between sunset christmas eve. christmas evening and saturday morning. look at the yellow and orange. that would be average of half inch to more than an inch across the large portion of the bay area. we have rain for christmas day. and into early in the weekend and sunday round two comes in. packing much colder air. that should drop as much as two feet of snow in the sierra.

you might not have to head there to see the snow. how low the snow levels could get. and storm totals coming up too. >> we have much more to come. reaction to the top story. taking over kamala harris senate seat. some local leader are not happy with the decision. we look at all the back and forth going on over the covid relief bill. what the president wants before he'll sign it. we talk to experts. what he says about the vaccines protection against the new strain of the virus in the uk.

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and holiday surprise, thank you! a customer service rep is working unseen, making it happen. and at genesys, we're proud to help them help you everyday. everybody spends the night at the house. i love christmas, i always did. it's loud, it's family being together. a lot of food, music, people, hugs. that's a perfect christmas.

♪ oakland today blamed the pandemic for drastic new budget cuts. 9 million in cut backs and hiring freezes were announced

last week. today another 20 million is slashed to public safety departments. estimated 15 million will be saved by cutting police over time and special programs. closing of three fire stations. a $33 million shortfall remains. >> interesting admission from tesla ceo. years ago he was considering selling his electric car company to apple. he said he reached out to apple ceo to discuss a potential deal. this was 2017. he says cook refused to meet. at the same time tesla was struggling. and worth a tenth of what it is now. apple wants to build electric cars by 2024. >> questions about the vaccine and a newer strain of the virus.

we'll ask one of the experts about it. >> reaction varied about california newest u.s. senator. why some who lobbied the governor are not haechlt are not happy tonight.

my mother died when i was a kid. it inspired me to become a doctor. then covid hit. no one has ever seen anything like covid. you feel hopeless. my best friend's father died of covid-19. then my father caught it. wearing a mask, washing your hands. sacrifice those th now. you have the power proto the ones you love. right now. the first latino to represent california in the u.s. senate is announced. >> governor newsom makes the pick to fill the seat vacated by

kamala harris. >> historic day in california politics. >> secretary of state will be the first latino senator to represent our state. governor newsom announcing his pick today. tweeting the news and posting the phone call where he broke the news. he became emotional when talking about his immigrant parents. >> i'm honored. i'm humbled. because of them. >> he will fill the seat vacated by vice president-elect kamala harris. despite a very impressive resume, he was not the man many people wanted for the senate job. many say the governor shouldn't have appointed a man. some have taken to social media to say he should have picked a black woman to replace the only black woman in the senate. some suggested bass of l.a. should have been the pick. >> more on what critics say this

appointment missed the mark. >> to fill kamala harris seat, governor newsom vote was the only one that mattered. latino democrats are praising him for making him the first ever latino senator. some politicians say black women were snubbed. >> this is a real blow to the african-american community. to african-american women. >> the 117th congress will have zero black women in the senate. and that's a problem. says san francisco mayor. >> it's an unfortunate situation. as we are trying to move forward and make sure black lives matter and african-americans have a seat at the table. especially african-american women. >> she's not the only black politician who feels qualified black women were brushed off. >> it's a disappointment.

>> former san francisco mayor says the open seat should have been a woman of color. on the short list. congress william of oakland. l.a. and mayor breed. he thinks the decision came down to politics. >> keep his relationship and words the way that you do if you're the governor. and i'm sure he did the best he could. >> both took to twitter to congratulate. and say ta look forward to working with him. it appears representative lee was taken back by the tweets saying it should have been you. she tweeted this out. >> in san francisco -- thank you. the nations top doctor rolled up

his sleeve and got vaccinated today. dr. fauci received his first dose on camera. to show the american people he's confident about the vaccine. dr. fauci is a front line worker and turns 80 on christmas eve. he's in the age group. he will get a second dose of the moderna vaccine in 28 days. >> who is next in line after healthcare workers? will they approved vaccine protect against the new covid-19 variant. we bring in an infectious disease specialist. let's start with the moderna vaccine. we saw dr. fauci and healthcare workers are getting it. who should be next? >> there's a toss up. between those who are older than 65. and essential workers. so the advisory committee met

recently and met both groups half way with the vaccine. let's take over 75 and essential workers. most essential workers. agricultural, teachers, firefighters. those kind of first responders. not restaurant workers. which a lot of people were dismayed by. they decided not over 65. over 75 and some essential workers. >> people are starting to calm down a bit. there's a variant of the virus in the uk. and people are starting fo get panicked about that. my question is how much of an issue should this be. isn't that what viruss do? mutate and change? isn't that what the flu does ef year? >> we shouldn't be very worried. i'm not too worried. the first reason is it's the

feature of a virus to mutate. and it's happened before. it's part of the game. the second reason is we don't think that any of the variants will result in the protection not working. the third reason is it hasn't everyone agrees this is in the associated with increase death. some people believe it maybe lower rate. the fourth reason is that the vaccine will likely still be very effective. >> what we're doing right now is wearing the mask and social distancing. it works for that strain. same thing. >> exactly. it means more people get protected i'm very happy. >> let's talk about the trafl

restrictions in place. beds are running out. at what point are you going to be that worried about where we are in the bay area. in terms of having enough beds and someone will get a bed. and those kind of big decisions. >> i'm worried right now. even though we're hovering around 13% in the bay area. that doesn't get much give. and just like we have done with imperial county. we take care of the other counties. if needed. it gets moved around. 15% is not very much before we make decisions. and what the prognosis might be. >> have you gotten your vaccine yet? what is the general mood now at the hospital knowing that we are in this really difficult period

of the next couple months at the same time for people like yourself that have been at this race for the last nine months stamplti starting to get the vaccine. >> i'm very hopeful about getting the vaccine soon. they decided to go at an equal process of putting everyone in a group randomly. including janitorial staff. food service. and the first person was a custodian member. that means i'm waiting for my name to be called. the mood is hopeful. there's no vaccine unfortunately again. mental fatigue. and that's what i'm worried about this winter. >> that's for sure. from us here, we really want you to get that vaccine soon. we appreciate everything you

have done for us and the information. you have been a lifeline for us and the viewers. thank you. >> thanks. >> stay safe. covid relief money was supposed to be mailed out next week. president trump cast that in doubt tonight. saying he's not happy with the stimulus bill. the $600 in direct payments is a disgrace and not enough. he made the remarks in the four minute white house video released late today. he was expected to sign the bill. he threw a wrench into it. >> i'm asking congress to amend the bill and increase the $600. to $2,000. or $4,000 for a couple. >> that brought immediate response from house spooker nancy pelosi. who tweeted during negotiations, republicans repeatedly refused to say what amount the president wanted for the direct checks. she applauded trumps

announcement. adding quote democrats are ready to bring this to the floor this week by unanimous consent. let do it. >> celebrate outside wear a mask and avoid non-essential travel. doctors are pleading to do those three things. it's hospitals are bursting at the seams with covid patients and the staff is exhausted. the hospital is more than 100% of the normal patient volume. half have covid. projections show he could see 14 hospitalized patients by end of the week. the surge prompted a statewide plea from doctors. >> we have a simple prescription. we'd like to prescribe to everybody. do not share the air. it's been a listeniong road for everybody. nine months. we have been wearing masks. we're tired. this is the time we need to be most conscious of this.

>> the fda is not happy with the popular grocery store chain. the strong message sending whole foods. and how the company is responding.

(soft music) hey dad, i'm about to leave. don't forget your hat . good morning. how can i help? i need help connecting with my students. behind every last minute save, ok, that works. and holiday surprise, thank you! a customer service rep is working unseen, making it happen. and at genesys, we're proud to help them help you everyday.

one candidate making his voice heard at the ballot box. he voted early. joining a million georgiaens. he and reverend warnock are both vying for the senate seats. up against republican senators. kelly loeffler and perdue. of the election will determine the balance of the u.s. senate and party in control may determine the success of the president-elect joe biden agenda. early voting ends january 31. >> series of recalls at whole foods is prompting a stern warning. 30 recalls this past year surrounding the sale of products. with undeclared allergens.

they called it a pattern that needs to be corrected. citing similar recalls. a spoke ts person says the company is working to ensure practices and procedures meet or exceed food safety requirements. >> just two shopping days left. target hoping to offer a covid safe option for last minute shoppers. they can use the contactless same day pickup and delivery option until 5:00 p.m. christmas eve. walmart is already looking passed the holiday toward the returns. retailers partnering with fed ex. the launch a program allowing customers to schedule at home pickup for returns. set a time and day on the walmart wb site or app. >> a check of the forecast. predicting rain and maybe snow on the mountain tops on

christmas. >> we have been watching some changes on the way. in the form of rain and yes a will the of snow. possibly closer to the bay area by the end of the weekend. >> the vaccine is rolling out can your boss stand in the way? or require you to get it? we have answers next. into a fe. into a fe. stop! it's easy to lose track. and getting a dui is easier than you think. plan ahead, call a cab. share a ride. if you choose to drink, choose a sober way to go. go safely, california.

a drink with friends can turn into a few. stop! it's easy to lose track. and getting a dui is easier than you think. plan ahead, call a cab. share a ride. if you choose to drink, choose a sober way to go. go safely, california.

covid vaccine and your job. the question is will they collide? >> we asked to answer thorny questions about employers requiring vaccinations. >> millions of people are still working from home. many businesses are planning to call workers back to the office. when it's safe to do so. mandated temperature checks and required health protocol has gotten green light. with the vaccine we wonder whether the boss can require you and coworkers to get the vaccine

before coming back to the office. on the flip side. whether they can prohibit from getting the vaccination. the answers are less straightforward than we prefer. uncle sam. the commission continues to closely monitor the development of a vaccine. and evaluating how a potential vaccine would interact with employees obligation. under the americans with disability act and title seven of the civil rights. and the other laws the commission enforces. stay tuned. they dropped a hint. it shared the flu vaccine. question, may an employer public or private compel all employees to take the flu vaccine? answer, no. one caveat. that fwiguidance appears to 15

employees. >> at the state level. we asked the california department of employment and housing. the department said we do not have public vaccine guidance at this time. there's plenty of time to develop rules. dr. fauci says people with no under lying health conditions may not get vaccinated until march or april. if you feel there's an unfair vaccine policy. open a complaint. with the feds, state or both. >> thank you. it appears we're trying to make homes smarter. they are creating more high-tech problems. the third of the people now use smart devices more since the start of the pandemic. some of the most popular. door locks and security cameras. 60% of people surveyed say they experience multiple problems with the devices.

home net work issues is most common. >> working at home. so nicely throughout the pandemic. you have all the gadgets. you are going to forecast our christmas. it will be a wet one. >> hopefully on the list you want rain or snow. that is what's in the forecast. chilly night tonight. we look at christmas day it locks like rain totals could be high enough that they could cause alerts around the bay area. we'll look at that. in just about a minute. let's take you outside. clear skies today. and tonight. if you want to get round tw of the great conjunction in the sky. they are still close together. no fog on the coast. you can see san jose 53. clear. wind coming down a bit. it has been gusty at times. which helped clear the skies.

walnut creek 51 degrees. a pretty view of san francisco. with the holiday lights over downtown. currently 54. one thing the wind did do is push the fog out of the picture. it helped with the air quality. tomorrow we will not see a third spare the air today. air quality levels in the moderate range. for the morning 20s and 30s. closer to 40 around san francisco and oakland. in the afternoon mid to upper 50s. 59 san francisco. 60 san jose. with high clouds late in the day. no rain producing clouds until christmas day. into saturday. this storm system will bring in a boost of moisture. on the approach. it will bring rain to the north

bay first. midafternoon the rain will move south. again on christmas day friday. heavy rain 4:00 to 11:00. timing looks now. before we see showers into saturday. north bay should see the most with the fist storm arriving christmas day. a lot of that coming down friday evening. to the south santa cruz mountains could get quite a bit of rain. not so much before 4:00 friday. after that, from sunset into early saturday. the areas of yellow and orange correspond to locations seeing an inch. the rain totals looking good. it gets followed up by sunday night kp monday. a colder storm system. that will take a coastal route. higher rain totals for the second storm likely to be along the santa cruz mountains and a colder storm.

look at the sierra snow totals. could be looking at almost three feet across the peaks and will be cold enough by the way. sunday night and monday. you may see snow. early monday morning. winter weather advisories early next week. winter kicking in the 7-day forecast. rain arriving on christmas day friday. and round two a cold storm coming in sunday night and monday. making up the rain and snow pack deficit. about 50% of average. obviously what's coming our way will help along with the rain. arriving starting christmas dachlt day. >> the warriors open the season against an old friend. how the team is faring against kevin durant. and the brooklyn nets.

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taking on the nets. it wasn't pretty. steph led with 20 on the night. it was never close. kd who missed all of last season scored 22. the warriors get trounced by brooklyn. the next game on christmas day. against the bucks. >> then there was one. garoppolo out with injury the niners have lost another quarterback. it's official. he was injured sunday in dallas. to his right elbow and expected to miss the final two games. 49ers head coach says bethered will take over the starting job this week against the arizona cardinals. he says don't rule out garoppolo as a starter for the final game against the sea hawks. >> the cost of keeping fans and athletes safe. coronavirus prevention measures have swelled their budget for the games by $900 million.

games push back 12 months to july of 2021. organizers unvail the latest budget. recruiting all medical staff has been a challenge. total cost of the games is projected to be around $15 billion. the counter measures will include a 24 hour clinic. testing site and safety equipment at food and drinking areas. >> coming up tonight. a huge set back on capitol hill. what lawmakers are doing to meet the president's command. and what it means for bay area business businesses.

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♪ >> we're naming you, by the way, jennifer, our access style icon. >> oh, what a year. how about we wrap it up in style? and j.lo's got a whole lot of good company. >> ooh! whoo! >> from zendaya, the future of fashion to the secrets of diana. leave it to her hairstylist to know everything. >> she said, "what would you do with my hair if i said..." >> i'm fine. [ both laugh ] >> moving on after the split. those who prove that looking great is the best revenge. >> he's in the living room, and there's some cameras around. >> and nobody rules the runway like rover the cat.