mike sugerman in an absolutely soggy pacifica, mike, thanks. >>> all right. we want to take some live pictures around the bay area right now to see how the rain is coming down. we have a picture now from the east bay. this is what you're looking at right now. this is down in the berkeley area near interstate 80. the vein coming in almost horizontal. it is pouring out there right now. and certainly, the rush hour is going to be a mess. it's going to be a very slow one. people need to take their time. so if you are expecting someone, just be patient. they will get there hopefully safe and sound. >>> traffic is light tonight because of the holiday week. while there is a high wind advisory in effect for the entire bay area, no trouble has been reported on any of the bay area bridges. traffic appears to be moving steadily over all the major spans including the golden gate bridge. sfo is experiencing delays both because of the weather here and because of the weather on the east coast. some flights to and from the east coast are delayed from one to four hours. some

sugerman in pacifica, mike, thank you. >>> where exactly is the storm now? and what direction will it go? lawrence karnow is in the cbs 5 weather center tracking the storm. >> reporter: we are seeing rain around the bay area now. green just about everywhere you go. but you already can tell where the heaviest amounts of rain are falling in parts of the north bay. you saw simon live earlier. we are expecting the heaviest parts of the rain to be through here in the evening hours. and then this whole batch of energy will start to sag to the south. of course, we are worried about the possibility of some flooding. right now it looks like the major rivers are going to stay within their banks. just checking the expected flood stages. there, i don't think it will get there. may reach the monitor stage. but other than that we are going to keep things fairly calm inside the major rivers but it's those small rivers that could be a major problem. the storm system dropping down into the bay area bringing with it clouds all day. going to have to watch out for the possibili

mike sugerman, thanks. a lot of elves helping santa today. >>> today also marks a tragic day in history. 69 years ago, december 7th, 1941, hundreds of japanese warplanes attacked pearl harbor. the following day congress declared war against japan. and right now, here in the bay area, veterans and bay area schoolchildren are gathered for a commemoration service on mount diablo. ann notarangelo here to explain what the service is going to include tonight. ann. >> reporter: well, allen, the beacon was turned on about 4:30 this evening in front of three pearl harbor survivors. and most people have now left mount diablo but this is the 47th time they lit the beacon to remind us of why the united states got involved in world war ii. >> usa! usa! >> reporter: the colors of the holiday season turned red, white and blue as excited children remembered a somber anniversary. >> it was today when the japanese bombed pearl harbor in hawaii. >> a lot of people died. i was amazed how many. >> reporter: 2400 people died at

mike sugerman in san francisco. supervisors considering some other ways of squeezing money from the out of towners. mike. >> reporter: well, allen, for whom the vote tolls. it tolls for thee, san mateo county. you are off the hook with your southernmost border in san francisco trying to get into the city. but not everybody is. >>> reporter: bay area traffic border wars chill bartender chuck davis to the bone. >> if you add it up that's $1,500 a year. that's my christmas. >> reporter: crossing the county line twice his home is in san mateo, job in san francisco, could have cost him six bucks a day. he and many others were fired up to fight. >> i love san francisco. but that's a high price to pay. >> reporter: san mateo assembly member jerry hill was livid. bridges yes, cities no. public response was uniformly negative to the plan which would have helped raise cash, lower congestion and pollution. san francisco official listened. the city's transportation agency dropped the plan, though against supervisor chris daly's

mike sugerman, cbs5. >>> in other bay area headlines four people are in the custody of san jose police following a wild chain of events last night that started with a home invasion of a marijuana grow house. officers responded to a report of a robbery at the home near downtown about 11:00. they arrested three suspects moment later. they say a third suspect tried to run them down in a car. that one cops opened fire on. the driver got away but was arrested a short time later, he had been shot in the leg. the officers were not seriously hurt. it's not clear if the marijuana grow operation was illegal. >>> and san mateo police have released this sketch of a suspect in a robbery at a construction site. now, two workers were inside an unoccupied home on maple street and they were held up at gunpoint on december 17th. there were two people that police are seeking. police say that the workers were in a remote area out of plainview and were likely targeted. >>> investigators say an electric blanket started the fire that killed a world war ii veteran. it broke out in drayton court in walnut cree

mike sugerman shows us a match made in heaven. >> reporter: ... make up 13% of book sales more than any other genre. the rasp of her zipper interrupted her thoughts. nicole whimpered. that's where the ebook comes in. >> i think the sexy romances that's what started the whole ebook. >> reporter: rachal chasewrights them and thinks the sexier the better for ebook consumption especially when the covers are so blatant. >> i think people who have been reading "romance" for a while are new to covers. i think new people it could be intimidating and embarrassing. >> reporter: we wanted to talk to people who were too embarrassed to buy these books so they were buying ebooks instead. but we couldn't find any because they are embarrassed. >> it's reducing our sales. flat out. >> reporter: alan owns border land books in san francisco's mission district and why he can't say how much, figures show almost 1 in 10 books sold are electronic. those are books that won't be sold at a bookstore. >> for a really avid reader, a san francisco apartment sort of limit your

i'm mike sugerman. the story is coming up. >>> and the most successful disney star in history caught using a bong. why time may be running out for the legal substance she says she was smoking. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, only good common sense. why be stuck with one expensive car wen you can enjoy all the fun and freedom of two fin announcer: "to >>> it's a whole new way of life... now i'm free to go anywhere, do anything, see anybody anytime i want to. it's only good common sense. why be stuck with one expensive car when you can enjoy all the fun and freedom of two fine fords. >> today, more and more families are finding out how easy it is to become two ford families. >> is that a flashback or what? the automobile didn't just change the way we live. it even changed the way americans defined freedom. but these days city like san francisco are admittedly trying to get you to rethink the car as your primary mode of transportation. for example the plan that wants to charge drivers from entering the city to the south,

i'm mike sugerman. the story's coming up. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, >>> one man's hunch led to an amazing rescue of a woman stranded for days in the santa cruz mountains. debra collins was walking in henry coe redwood state park. her break came six days later when a man and son came looking for her. >> reporter: they are not a search and rescue specialist. >> it took us an hour to get there. >> reporter: he is a software engineer who likes to hike with his soon. he decided to do something to find the missing hiker. >> thought i could help while i'm hiking. >> reporter: the father and son had been out for almost an hour and decided to turn back. but then an idea flashed through his head. >> instead of heading back, i called my wife and asked my wife to pick us up from another park entrance to could more ground. then it wasn't but 10 minutes later we found her. >> reporter: just off a steep unmarked trail cold, wet, and exhausted after spending six nights in temperatures as low as 30 degrees. >> i had dylan wait a

mike sugerman, cbs 5. >>> and now a bay area grocery store chain is closing shop. delano's markets will close five stores in the coming weeks. it's reported that the chain owes $1 million in back rent on its san francisco locations alone. at the castro location signs in the window tell customers that the store has lost its lease. locals worry about the employees losing their jobs. >> it's like a friend to everybody. we call him amigo. the kids call little amigo. so what's going to happen? are you going to be moving to another place? no, we have to find a new job. i said that's tough. it's going to be christmas. >> delano employees told cbs 5 off camera that the family has been, quote, great to work for. no word from delano's on how many folks will be laid off. >>> well, it is game on for the sharks tonight after a power outage nearly melted their chances of taking the ice at hp pavilion. no power led to the refrigeration system that keeps the ice rink cold and the ice frozen wasn't working. the crews said that the system was 60 for six -- that if the system was off

mike sugerman shows us it could mean a lot of smiling kids come christmas morning. >> reporter: what do you want for christmas? >> a lizard. >> reporter: a what? >> a lizard. >> reporter: well, i asked. do you think there's one in that bag? no. no, but there will be other stuff which antoneio hedgewood appreciates. >> it's been a tough year, i lost my job. it's been hard to pay rent and take care of my kids and do everything else. it's a blessing i got the fire department to help me. >> reporter: last year, firefighters distributed 200,000 toys to 40,000 families. this year, the need is just as great. donations are not. >> you can see the shelves are kind of bare. actually, this is the first year we've had hardly any girls' items. we've had no balls. we're missing arts and crafts items, as well as some games. the need is big and donations are low compared to other years. >> hi, santa. >> reporter: this time of year you see stuff like this on tv and it may make your eyes glaze over, but when you meet kids like 2-year-old troy who might not otherwise have toys, even the most hardened s

mike sugerman tells us why some have dubbed today dad thursday. is it unfair? >> reporter: it's a dude fest out here. we are at broadway plaza and a lot of xy chromosomes walking around here. >> we have waited until the last possible moment. now we're desperate. >> reporter: is there anything more desperate than a dad with his kids trying to find mom just the right christmas present? the day before the day before christmas? try these boys and their uncle chad. >> what does mom want for christmas? >> makeup? >> reporter: today is known and we're not quite sure why as dad thursday only because this thursday is almost but not quite the last shopping day before christmas. and you see lots and lots of dads and kids at the mall. >> because it's fun to get out here. it's a beautiful day and there's a lot of hustle and bustle and this part of the season is to wait until the last moment. >> reporter: because you're a procrastinator. >> i am a procrastinator by nature. >> reporter: it's what we do something left over from our hunter gatherer days no doubt but statistics

i'm mike sugerman. that story is coming up. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, dollars to california homeowners stuck with mortgages they can' afford. >>> wells fargo is agreeing to fork over $2 billion to california homeowners stuck with mortgages they can't afford. has to do with their so-called pick a pay loan from world savings and wachovia which were taken over by wells fargo. they contain minimum payment options. what many didn't realize is that the monthly payment would later mushroom. today's settlement reached with the attorney general's office provides $2 billion for these new loans. homeowners who qualify will receive notices in the next few weeks. >>> late today police pulled a minivan out of the russian river in their search for a missing southern california woman. folks last saw the woman leaving a restaurant around 10:00 p.m. saturday night. she was following them to her hotel in her chrysler minivan but they say somewhere on highway 1 they lost sight of her behind them. it is not clear if the investigator

mike sugerman found one salesman who says he cannot get enough of holiday shoppers. >> reporter: grace, you look like you need a pair of sunglasses. >> i do. >> reporter: i got a guy, i got a guy who will sell you them. >> you want to see how it works? let me give you the business card. >> reporter: you get steamed when aggressive salespeople approach you at the mall? >> got a deal on the shades. 2 for 25. >> no thank you. >> worth a look... >> reporter: the kiosk salespeople at bay area malls generally have to get your attention for you to stop. that's their job. can't be shy. >> if you wait, they will never tomorrow you could. >> reporter: steve sells nys sunglasses at westfield mall in san francisco. >> your total today-16.43. >> reporter: he loves it. >> it's an adrenaline rush. a lot of people don't know the difference. loy governor show everybody. >> reporter: he probably walks 10 miles a day never stops moving. >> two for 25. >> reporter: and he never stops talking usually to himself. >> out of 50 people, one person will stop. >> reporter: how many people do you think you approa

i'm mike sugerman in pacifica. can you really see this from space? stick around. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, repair on her car this morning... was crushed underneath it. police say the >>> a woman in pittsburg was trying to do a quick repair on her car and was crushed under it this morning. she jacked up the car to reattach something that came loose and the car fell on her. she is in the hospital in critical condition. police say she had apparently done this amateur repair work before. bay area mechanics who say they are seeing more and more people putting off needed auto repairs are trying to do it themselves. mark sayre reports the tough economy means some tough choice for a lot of drivers? >> >> reporter: as the tires come off luz ruiz's car, there is a serious problem. the right front tire is down to the steel belts and ruiz says she knows it should have been fixed several months ago. >> tires are really important. weather and everything. so sometimes you have to do it right away. but in times like mine, i had to wait. hold off a little bit. >> reporter: li

mike sugerman shows >>> do you feel a little cramped at work? it could be because offices are shrinking big time. mike sugerman shows us some of the ways companies are downsizing their real estate. >> reporter: in the movie office space, peter gibbons did what he could to knock down the cubicle walls around him. he was a decade ahead of his time. >> one of the terms that it's coined as is hotel-ing. >> reporter: you probably wouldn't want to stay in this hotel but ann kramer's office is a perfect example. notice the cubicles? no, you don't. there aren't any. >> the companies have been downsizing not in terms of people but in terms of real estate and they are trying to just in an effort to lower the bottom line and be more efficient. >> reporter: with an open workplace like the one here at ergo works here in palo alto, people come and go. more people are working from home or say a coffee shop >> i was more used to a cubicle and later my own office with the door and the window. >> reporter: but those are becoming a scarce as staplers in modern off

mike sugerman is there and spoke with campers who tried to help. >> reporter: it is a dry calm and quiet night here at safari west. nothing like last night. they hope nothing like last night ever happens here again. >> if god didn't think we were strong enough to do it he wouldn't have put the situation in front of us so we didn't think. >> reporter: the situation put in front of the creeks family on a stormy night in sonoma county could have saved the life of a little girl and certainly comforted her grandmother in the final moments of her life. >> we heard a huge crack and we thought it was lightning and then we heard screaming. >> reporter: a 50-foot oak tree had fallen on the luxury tenth cabin of 70-year-old gayle falguus it and her 7-year-old granddaughter. >> we cut through the canvas to get the girl out and no one had a knife. we ripped it apart. >> reporter: it was dark, wet and no one knew what could have happened next. the little girl went back to the creeks' cabin and played with brian's little brother. she kept asking is my grandma okay? is m grandma okay? bill was with her

>> reporter: mike sugerman, cbs 5. >> and it's an early christmas present for troy smith. source say he is going to be the starting quarterback this sunday against the rams. the 49ers have to win in order to keep their play-off hopes alive. last month, smith through for more than 350 yards in an overtime victory over st. louis. singletary is expected to talk about the quarterback situation a little later today. >>> 5:55. could it be after all these days of rain, could the sun actually be coming out? tracy is standing by with a look at the forecast. good morning. >> hey, good morning, robert and sydnie. yeah, we are expecting some sunshine today. the rainfall has moved out for now. today and tomorrow mix of sun and clouds expected. not for long will the dry weather be in the forecast. saturday and sunday, rainfall coming in just in time for the holliday weekend. monday some sunshine with another round of showers back in the bay area tuesday and wednesday. mypix photo rainbow over the city. this was taken yesterday by joe bayer of san francisco. thank you, joe! isn't that ni

mike sugerman shows us a match made in heaven. >>> reporter: romance and erotica make up 13% of book sales more than any other genre. but a lot of people don't like others knowing they are reading the stuff. it's not like you can go to a park and relax while reading. the rasp of her zipper interrupted her thoughts. melissa moaned. nicole whimpered. that's where the ebook comes in. >> i think the sexy romances that's what started the whole ebook. >> reporter: chase writes sexy romans and thinks the sexier the better for ebook consumption especially when the covers are so blatant. >> i think people who have been reading "romance" for a while are new to covers. --are used to the covers. i think new people it could be intimidating and embarrassing. >> reporter: we wanted to talk to people who were too embarrassed to buy these books so they were buying ebooks instead. but we couldn't find any because they are embarrassed. >> it's reducing our sales. flat out. >> reporter: alan owns border land books in san francisco's missing district, and while he can't tell exactly by how much, figures

mike sugerman in sonoma county, mike, thank you. >>> well, it is one big clean- up across the bay area. all the rain and wind triggered mud slides like this one in castro valley. a giant boulder blocked palomares road at p alo verde. crews cleared mud that closed the road last night. this is brisbane where a tree hit a power line across the parking lot of brisbane elementary school. no one was hurt. school is out for winter break. >>> in san francisco, a fallen tree slammed on a car in the presidio heights neighborhood. no one was inside the car. in san bruno, anne makovec shows us one home other than has a huge mess on his hands. >> i didn't think it was that old that it would fall. >> reporter: but this 100-foot- tall pine tree came down at 5 a.m. right under the roof of the torres family home. >> i thought it was an earthquake because when it hit the house, it was just a big bang. and then i ran out towards the front. i looked out and i saw something and i turned around and looked in the kitchen area and it was just oh, no. >> reporter: he found the kitchen full of insulation and sh

mike sugerman on how san francisco plans to change the policy on its broken parking meters. mike? >> reporter: you come up and find an open spot and you better have a fistful of quarters to park there. well, look at this. this one's broken. the city of san francisco thinks its policy on broken meters is itself broken and that means less free parking for you. is there anything better than driving in busy san francisco and finding an open meter available parking spot? sweet! and then come to find out, the meter you found is broken, out of order. it's a freebie! at least for as long as the meter would have let you park there. one hour, two hours, there are new ones that will allow you up to four hours. there are 26,000 parking meters in the city and on any given day, 300 to 500 are broken and here's one right here. happens to be right in front of the metropolitan transportation agency. the very agency that is in charge of parking meters. what are you doing there? >> uhm....... just checking to see what's wrong with the meter. >> reporter: jimmy wong travels around town fixing meters

well a similar fight is underwayen the cal campus but mike sugerman tells us the war is not about cars, it's about bikes. mike? >> reporter: well, and this is near sprawl plaza and well, you're not supposed to ride your bike on sprawl plaza and now because it is live television no one is. police were cracking down. students fought back. and sometimes, as you point out, protests work. . >> you need to walk that bike. >> neil akin is having a bad bike day. >> i think it's crazy because there's people that ride through here all day. >> there certainly are. some get caught. the law says you're not supposed to ride your bike in sprawl plaza and areas around it. you're certainly not supposed to be carrying marijuana. >> not even a bit, a leave. >> it cost him a lot more. >> the central part of the campus is restrict so no skateboarding during the heaviest times. >> you see police captain steve roderick says it has been the rule for years. but recently students fought back. they just received a 40% fee hike the past two years so another $220 for riding their bikes seems a bit much. they put u

mike sugerman, thank you. >>> in another disturbing case two men are hailed heroes for chasing down a man accused of sexually assaulting a 2-year- old girl at an east bay store. police say the assault happened at this dollar tree store on dakota road in union city. the girl was with her grandmother and her aunt when she wandered into the next aisle. less than a minute later the women found the toddler pinned to the floor and the suspect on top of her. hearing could the motion, the two men chased the suspect out of the store and caught up with him after hearing the commotion. >> at that point i looked at the baby and the lady standing there asking me to help, so i just tackled the guy and sat on him and called 911. sat on him until the bart police came and arrested him. >> the suspect is 36-year-old eugene ramos. he is a registered sex offender. and among charges in this case, kidnapping and sexual acts with a child. >>> five people are under arrest tonight after san francisco police discovered what they call a fairly sophisticated drug lab in an upscale neighborhood. the bust happened

mike sugerman tells us why some have dubbed today dad thursday. >> reporter: there is black friday and cyber monday and because today is thursday, two days before christmas, we're calling it dad thursday. here's why. >>> reporter: >> we have waited to the last possible moment and now we're desperate. >> reporter: is there anything more desperate than a dad with his kids trying to find mom just the right christmas present? the day before the day before christmas? try these boys and their uncle chad. >> what does mom want for christmas? >> hm... >> makeup. >> makeup? >> makeup? >> reporter: today is known and we're not quite sure why as dad thursday only because this thursday is almost but not quite the last shopping day before christmas. and you see lots and lots of dads and kids at the mall. >> because it's fun to get out here. it's a beautiful day and there's a lot of hustle and bustle and this part of the season is to wait until the last moment. >> reporter: because you're a procrastinator. >> i am a procrastinator by nature. >> reporter: it's what we do something left over from our

in san francisco, mike sugerman, cbs5. ho ho ho ho. >> it turns out santa john will work this holiday season, we're told he did accept that job at lefty oh duels leaf lefty o' towels. >>> 69 degrees in gilroy. did you see the sunset? officially at 4:50 as we take a peek out towards the eastern portion of our bay area. now those clouds are all o technician leading edge of some rain showers. i'll move out of the way so you can see a little hint of the rain moving towards the northern portion of sonoma county t rain is falling around the northwestern section of the state of california by passing eureka and moving right into redding. bottom line is out the door tomorrow morning, you will need that umbrella with the rain, beginning in the north bay. gradually sliding towards the central bay and ending up towards the santa clara valley before lunchtime. there you have it. it's all associated with a really big area of low pressure. it's really beautiful. this right there, that's the frontal boundary, it wraps around back here. th

mike sugerman is in antioch where the parents are under arrest tonight. mike. >> reporter: how much sorrow can one family bear? violence seems to be following them

mike sugerman tells us why the store sent him packing. mike. >> reporter: dana, turns out santa told a joke that wasn't ho ho hilarious. but it turns out there could be a miracle on geary street. >> reporter: where does santa stay when he is not at the north pole? next to the dollar store on market at the budget inn. let's go in and say hello. [ camping ] -- [ coughing ] >> reporter: 68-year-old john toomey had some trouble catching his breath today. he has been explaining over and over and over again why, after 20 years as one of the main santas, macy's fired him. >> this couple came in and sat on my knee. and i asked them if they had been good. and they said, oh, yes. and i said, well, that's too bad. >> reporter: santa john says that was it. the couple complained. it's the first time that's happened. a few days later macy's called the manager and told her he was fired. >> they told her to get rid of me right now. >> reporter: really? that's all? we wanted to get macy's side of the story but they told us, they don't comment on personnel

. >> mike sugerman, thank you. >>> going to youtube in an effort to free her fiance and her friend. don knapp is in berkeley tonight to show us some of the unusual music video. >> reporter: allen, if horns brought down the walls of jericho can a music video open the walls in iran. >> we need them back in this world. we don't need beautiful innocent people sitting in a prison somewhere. >> reporter: since her release from prison she is campaigning for the freedom of her fiance shane bauer and friend joshua fattal. >> this song is putting out there the intention and the hope and the certainty that i feel that they will be with us again and that they will be with us again soon. >> reporter: this music may be her protest song but one sung very softly. ♪[ music ] >> reporter: we asked this woman to watch and tell us what she thought. >> i think as a device it is actually pretty effective because it is on youtube and kids use youtube. >> reporter: surprisingly many of the students we talked with here are unfamiliar with the story of the three hikers who were taken prisoner by iranian bo

leave it to mike sugerman. he has the match made -- can you put down th book? >> reporter: it's very good reading. these kind of books are read by more people than any other kind of book believe it or not but it's embarrassing which is one of the reasons these are doing so well. >>> reporter: romance and erotica make up 13% of book sales more than any other genre. but a lot of people don't like others knowing they are reading the stuff. it's not like you can go to a park and relax while reading. the rasp of her zipper interrupted her thoughts. melissa moaned. nicole whimpered. that's where the ebook comes in. >> i think the sexy romances that's what started the whole ebook. >> reporter: chase writes sexy romances and things the sexier the better for ebook consumption especially when the covers are so blatant. >> i think people who have been reading "romance" for a while are new to covers. -- are used to the covers. i think new people it could be intimidating and embarrassing. >> reporter: we wanted to talk to people who were too embarrassed to buy these books s

mike sugerman, thanks. >>> another issue on campus tonight. do starving students need their own food bank. we'll have that in go minutes. se could be on the verge of becoming california's go-- two minutes. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, >>> "eyewitness news" is brought to you by pg&e's new energy academy. >>> san jose could be on the verge of becoming california's biggest city with a ban on plastic bags. the city council is going to vote on that tomorrow. store customers would have to bring their own reusable bags or pay for paper. if the ordinance is approved it would take effect in january of 2012. >>> we all know demand is up for food donations right now. we have heard that. but it turns out in some areas donated food levels are holding steady. ann notarangelo shows us how communities are coming together to help the less fortunate. >> these are oranges that we would buy in the store but -- >> here is an idea. >> reporter: provide food for the needy and give children food for thought. >> sort of a daddy/daughter event, bring the daughters to the store, pi

. >> mike sugerman did a story recently about a missing hippo sculpture as well in the east bay. so it's going around. >>> well, with new year's eve upon us, many of us will be having a drink maybe two. but which cities rank as the drunkest? the daily beast came out with this list naming who chugged the most in 2009. well, milwaukee tops the list. san francisco actually took the number 3 slot. >> wow. >> wow. the list was based on the average number of alcoholic drinks consumed per person per month. >> milwaukee makes the top of the list. it's really cold there. >> hope no one from milwaukee is watching. >>> get out the windshield scraper. it is so cold this morning. >> i know, cold? the studio, too, tracy. where is it the coldest? >> that's not in your toss to me, is it? [ laughter ] >> elizabeth? >> yeah, my mic is not on. yeah, it was. it was in the script. i'm just reading it. >> i don't know where it's the coldest. how about napa, santa rosa? yeah. we are talking about seven-day forecast now. highs in the lower to mid-50s thursday. rain showers friday, saturday, sunday and m