nbc bay area's jean elie is live in san francisco. and jean, i guess you don't need a reservation, but you'd better bring a coat, right? >> reporter: it would be a good idea to bring a coat. san francisco is home to hundreds of restaurants where you can sit inside and enjoy a great meal. but the latest food craze is attracting hundreds of people from all over the bay area to a cold parking lot for some hot flavors. >> mango. >> reporter: the bay area's hottest new dinner spot isn't a restaurant. it's the parking lot at ft. mason center. >> i can't eat everything. >> reporter: off the grid is off the hook. the founder says food trucks needed a place to serve dinner. he organized 21 vendors who are serving about 800 people an hour every friday night. >> people are in search of good food at a reasonable price. >> yeah. >> reporter: once you find it, you have some tough choices to make. valerie randall and her husband came with a plan. >> i wanted to try soul on wheels because i haven't before. and my husband wanted to go to chairman bows

jean elie, nbc bay area news. >> i love that guy. thanks a lot, jean. >>> forget about the card. just a fingerprint needed. the bay area's most popular, why you might be about to see a big bump. >>> plus, it's the "the $300 million yacht. >> good evening, i'm chief meteorologist jeff raniery. we'll have details and beyond in our seven-dafet nuw a ftemi csp in just few nutes. >>> keeping fit or keeping track of your personal information. a bay area fitness giant is now scanning your fingerprints as a way to check you in. but jim says it's secure and super convenient. but is it an invasion of privacy? our vicky nguyen joins us with more. >> 24-hour fitness has introduced 60 clubs here in the bay area. critics question the security and how that information is stored. punch in your code and scan your finger. 24-hour fitness says the switch to cardless entry is based on convenience so members don't have to carry a card, confirmation that only paying members are using the gym and cutting away plastics used for cards. >> here we set mirve 1 million cards. >> reporter: scan your finger,

jean elie. >>> new tonight, a travel woorning just issued for a popular tourist destination. more on that in just a moment. >>> then sinus sufferers have a new alternative to surgery. we'll show you the procedure some bay area doctors are using instead and how patients say it's working. >>> good evening, i'm raj mathai. we had a slice of hollywood in oakland tonight. brad pitt is out of here, but the crew remains, filming during the "a's" game. >> it's east coast meets -- go ahead, jeff. >> another mild monday for us with 77 in san jose and three weeks and counting of cooler temperatures. thought it couldn't get a cooler? ll, it'st coming. i've got details in my seven-day forecast. >>> tonight, there's more frustration and another delay in the gulf of mexico. engineers had hoped to test the static kill method on that blown oil well. but a mechanical problem means the postponement. crews hope to fix it by tomorrow so they can get back to sealing the big leak which erupted 105 days ago now. government scientists now say oil spilled out at a rate of 62,000 barrels a day. slowing

jean elie joins us live from dublin with b.a.r.t.'s boiler of a day and what's ahead for tomorrow? >> reporter: the heat is proving to be too much for air-conditioning units used to keep b.a.r.t. computers cool. when those computers overheat, b.a.r.t. trains move a whole lot slower. commuters crowd onto b.a.r.t. platforms. >> normally i wouldn't be this late coming home. >> reporter: waiting an extra 20 minutes for trains. the problem, heat. several b.a.r.t. train control rooms overheated when the air conditioning blew. >> it's really hot in here right now. and the computer equipment is not talking to the operations control center, letting the folks know there's a train in the area. >> reporter: when the equipment fails, the trains are put into manual mode, producing speed from 75 to 25 miles per hour. passengers with some extra time on their hands have a suggestion. >> it's really too bad, but they should come up with a way to cool them down. there's an area of computerization that can do that. >> reporter: b.a.r.t. says at least 30 new control rooms need air conditioning. so do s

live in san francisco, jean elie, bay area news. >> jean, thank you. >>> your salad might be unhealthy. a major salad maker is pulling its products off the shelves because of a potential health risk tonight. salinas-based fresh express is voluntarily recalling at least 3,000 cases of ready-to-eat salads. the veggie lover's salad as it's called is of particular concern because of a book teacteria thad make people sick. you can check the product code at the upper right-hand corner of the big. if it rides i208 and has a use by date of august 10th, throw it out. so far no reports of illness. fresh express says the recall is precautionary. >>> keeping sex offenders in check. now, anyone in california can now know when a sex offender takes off. a new website lets anyone who signs up for e-mail alerts to be notified when they disappear or discard gps ankle brislets. it comes from a governor's order to publicize runaway sex offenders. state corrections department estimates 20% to 60% of parolees flee in a typical month. >>> a month after the involuntary manslaughter conviction of former b.a.r.

nbc bay area's jean elie is live with an important warning and a lot of parents are going to be paying attention, jean. >> reporter: tom, finding a safe place for the kids to play just got tougher. the center for environmental health is in the business of testing kids' toys for toxins. and experts there say those bounce houses are dangerous. the bounce house is a favorite for kids of all ages. >> you like the jumpy house? >> reporter: but there is a hidden danger in this fun. the state attorney general and center for environmental health or ceh say bounce houses pose a lead hazard. >> to me that's scary. to even hear that. >> reporter: ceh says the houses are made with vinyl that's often called poison plastic because of the lead levels. through independent testing, the environmental watchdog group found some vinyl with levels as much as 70 times higher than what federal regulations allow. >> when kids play in there and they get the lead on their hands or on their face and then especially if it's at a party and then they go and have the cake and eating part of the party, then it's easy

live in san francisco, jean elie, nbc bay area news. >> thank you x jean. again, that again date for the hearing is on the 6th. >>> the ninth circuit normally takes more than a year to pick up an issue. so gay marriage supporters are pleased how quickly it's moving despite the fact that the stay remains in place. after that december hearing the ninth circuit has no deadline to issue its own decision. >>> now,ment supporters say th happy with the decision. although the panel did not outline their reasons for keeping the ban on hold, supporters of banning gay marriage represents the people's vote. >> do you think today is a good day for the voters in general. to see the vote upheld, even though it's not the final word yet, we still have appeals to go through. for the time being it's bun upheld. we don't always see that and people often get frustrated. but today they should be happy. >> prop 8 backers claim the lift of the ban reflected his judicial activism. we inviteou to stay with us online and on air for complete and continuing coverage on both sides, the

reporting live in san carlos, jean elie, nbc bay area news. >> thank you, jean. >>> coming up next, the calling plan that can't be beat. free calls to any number in the u.s. and canada. it's a new plan that could save you a bundle. >>> considered more of a fashion accessory, but it's a potentially lethal one. >> big and bright, larger than life. the newest fashion trend that proves beauty really is in the eyes of the beholder. but parent be beware. your kid may pay a high price for this fashion trend. >>> do you do it? the california stop. a new move that reduced fines for one of the most popular traffic violations. evening, evn the coming days may have you stopping here. look at this. major cooling right now with 50s and 60s. and tomorrow, temperatures moderate again. 10:00 a.m., that's a lot more comfortable. 71 in the southeeon w ckendeshag ah details on weekend changes ahead. ta >>> the next time you get caught doing a california stop, you might be pleasantly surprised by a much smaller fine. it's on the governor's desk tonight after passing state assembly today. the legislation wou

nbc bay area's jean elie is live in san rafael where police found the teen working. >> reporter: jessica, people who work here in the canal district say prostitution is part of everyday life here. it's something they simply tolerate. but they say having a 14-year-old girl working here as a prostitute, they say that's unacceptable. san rafael is picturesque, but it's far from perfect. in the kale that district, families crowded into parmtds and condos have protect visitors, prostitutes. >> you can tell they're not from around here and what they wear and stuff like that. >> reporter: at 6:30 tonight people who live here say these ladies were working the streets. they would only tell us they were visiting as they walked up and down canal street. tara meadows said it's hard to explain the ladies to her kids. >> they see it. i just explain to them that it's somebody trying to make money in some way, too. they just dress differently than other people. >> reporter: the men often proposition her. >> they ask us how much or mommy, how much or where are you doing? you know, that gets to be belittl

live in oakland, jean eli, nbc bay area news. >>> san jose could be the latest city to cash in on california's cash crop come november. the city council voted 7-4 to put a marijuana business tax on the november ballot. if approved that tax could be as high as 10%. giving san jose the highest medical cannabis tax in the state. the tax would apply to all marijuana sold in san jose. the council has discussed different rates for medical and recreational marijuana. >>> still off the tracks. four union pacific freight train cars derailed a mile west of emryville amtrak station forcing amtrak to suspend service in both directions. amtrak at this hour still working to get the cars back on the track so inspectors can look at the damage. no exact word on when the trains will run again. the closure could last until friday. in the interim amtrak is using ferrying passengers on buses around the closure. >>> it is dangerous and deadly. drivers keep making the same mistake. tonight the bay area's most dangerous intersections and why commuters are part of the problem. >>> good evening. i'm jeff ranieri. anoth

our jean elie is live in fremont with a look at what's down the road, and there are some bugs to be worked out here, jean. >> reporter: tom, starting next month, when you drive southbound on 680 here through fremont, there will be new road signs with prices on them. you could choose to pay for a faster ride. it's a concept traffic planners say may take some getting used to. brake lights are part of landscape for commuters on 680 between pleasanton and milpitas. construction will soon be wrapping up, and signs will reveal the bay area's first express lane where carpools are still free, but drivers who are alone can pay for access. the idea is to get the bottleneck moving. >> if you take a few cars off, it gets vastly better. and so you can use traffic on a road by 5% to 10% and have a dramatic reduction. >> reporter: the express lane is a 14-mile stretch on 680 south between highway 84 and 237. with safety in mind, there is no physical barrier. instead just several feet of striping and traffic bumps. there are three enter and exit points with merge zones where readers will charge your fast

nbc bay area's jean elie is at the bay bridge with the fast track phone fiasco. what a surprise. >> reporter: jessica, thousands of drivers have the fast track transponders. there's a number on here that's supposed to connect you to customer service. the number on some of the older transponders is connecting drivers to a very different kind of survey. drivers who use fast track cruise through the toll plaza, paying their toll electronically. drivers say they like the convenience. >> i like fast track. it's good in case i don't have cash to pay the toll. that's why i like it. >> reporter: thousands of bay area drivers use it. sometimes there are glitches in the system. >> billing issues usually. >> reporter: alex says sorting out problems can be a challenge. >> i tried using the phone and didn't really work out. it takes forever. they make you hold forever. so i just went online. >> reporter: drivers with older transponders are discovering another issue when they call the number on their device looking for help. the toll-free number is not what you would expect. >

jean elie tells us what happened. >> reporter: lots of women walk alone to their cars parked inside the clay street garage. many are city employees who work right next door at oakland city hall. news that oakland police are investigating a sexual assault that happened here a week ago is a surprise. >> i parked here twice. no one ever told me anything. usually those things we hear about. >> reporter: police say a woman was walking to her car at 12:30 in the afternoon last thursday when she was assaulted in broad daylight. police say it was a random attack. investigators say the victim was treated at a hospital and then called police. brenda wants to know why warnings are not posted. >> i'm very concerned. that's something we should have been told. we need to be aware. if i was told that happened, i probably wouldn't have parked here today. >> reporter: she says when she's on alert, she holds keys between her fingers and has a whistle ready to sound. she says with a suspect on the loose and no warnings, women are walking right into danger. >>> oakland police say the victim believes she sa

jean elie has more. >> reporter: surfers paddle out at linda mar beach despite the warnings. >> i surf all around here, mavericks, rock way, every local spot around here. and i've never seen a great white. >> reporter: this longtime surfer might ignore those warnings, but this time he saw what pacifica police say was an 18 to 25-foot great white devour a sea lion. >> just thrash the water while blood was just squirting and water was just violently thrashing up in the air. i don't know how high it was going. but it was a very large shark. >> reporter: he grabbed his camera and caught the shark's fin whipping through the water, just 200 yards west of the popular surf break. he hopped in a boat to tell surfers to get out. scientists believe great white sharks spend time in northern california between august and december. feeding in an area called the red triangle which stretches from bodega bay to big sur and out to the fairlawn island. a shark attacked a kayaker in san mateo county just a few weeks ago. he survived and has a kayak and paddle punctured with teeth marks as a reminder of th

as jean elie reports, both sides have something to say. >> reporter: debra and nevin have been waiting to get married in california for 20 years. in 1993 they exchanged vows during a protest in washington, d.c. they had a reservation at city hall in san francisco in 2008. but the court halted same-sex marriages before they could legally say "i do." they made plans to marry again on wednesday, debra's birthday. >> we planned what we were going to wear and what we would say and what we would give each other. and we were thrilled. >> reporter: but the ninth circuit court of appeals put same-sex marriage on hold. >> we started to plan a big party in october for our families and friends. >> reporter: for now the wedding necklaces will be put in a safe place while stroud and garland face another emotional disappointment. >> people get married in iowa but we can't get married in california. so i feel like a second class citizen. >> reporter: in december, the ninth circuit will consider a judge's decision to declare prop 8 unconstitutional as well as whether or not prop 8 supporters even have

nbc bay area's jean elie has the video and how that shark attack happened. and what swimmers are a little water shy. >> reporter: surfers paddle out at the beach in pacifica despite the shark warning signs posted on the beach. >> i surf all around here, mavericks, rock way, every local spot around here. and i've never seen a great white. >> reporter: this longtime surfer might ignore those warnings, but this time he saw what pacifica police say was an 18 to 25-foot great white devour a sea lion. >> just thrash the water while blood was just squirting and water was just violently thrashing up in the air. i don't know how high it was going. but it was a very large shark. >> reporter: he grabbed his camera and caught the shark's fin whipping through the water, just 200 yards west of the popular surf break. he hopped in a boat to tell surfers to get out. scientists believe great white sharks spend time in northern california between august and december. feeding in an area called the red triangle which stretches from bodega bay to big sur and out to the fairlawn