publicly they smiled for cameras, but behind the scenes it's been weeks of tug-of-war between gene kwan and anthony batz. batz is staying put but demanding change. just a photo community today, or there will be real changes for this department? >> reporter: i don't know. we don't know what's going to happen here in oakland, but we know that there is a big problem in the city of oakland. that's the radio communications system. and police chief anthony batz making no bones about it. it's a problem that needs to be dealt with, he says lives are at stake. six officers, a paramedic responding to a man shot in oakland. officers are working in pairs because of a persistent problem with the police radio system. >> any system that's not working properly, i want to make sure that officers can back each other up and we, in fact, have gone to two-person units. >> reporter: anthony batz being sure of officer safety. police were unable to talk to each other during an officer-involved shooting in east oakland. and there were more radio problems this week. >> this is a big city. and the communication s

kwan said it should have pen some time soon. live in oakland. tracy grant. nbc bay area news. >> definitely good news for city of oakland. moving on. south of oakland. took a team of 30 police officers from various east bay cities to break up a huge barroom brawl in emoryville. it happened early this morning. some one flagged down an officer outside this bar, around 1:30 a.m. the bar is on the street near san pablo off 580. the officers found close to 200 people, fighting, melee with bottles and weapons. police from surrounding departments were called in for backup. three officers were assaulted, one is injured. and two people were arrested before the crowd was put under control. no word on what started this melee. >> from life in prison to 15 years or less. two men copped a plea in connection with the death of a police officer today. 25-year-old and the 26-year-old nicholas smith, pled guilty to manslaughter and robbery charges today. in 2006, san francisco officer, mike tomasito was kid after chasing the two men after a series of robbery. their get away ca

major kwan hosted her first town hall meeting in west oakland yesterday. a couple hundred people showed up the mayor and her department heads were there and discussed everything from public safety to need for a major grocery store in the area. >> what we hope will come out of this meeting we will get very concrete ideas, things we can do together not just a list of things for the mayor to do but things we as a community can do together and city together with neighbors can make a difference. >> she plans on hosting at least one town hall meeting a month in each district across the city of oakland. >>> 8:04 a.m. a tribute to former president ronald regan he would have turned 100 years old to kay. the band lone star played along with the beach boys several hundred attended the event in simi valley. they played the song impossible dream, williams called regan the most optimistic man he had ever met in his life. former president george h w bush spoke and former basketball player gerry west. >>> a lot of love for regan he definitely left his mark on history not

mayor kwan revealed the plans today. the 10 rehirings will be based on seniority. mayor kwan says she is also trying to get money from washington to solve hardware problems with the fleet and software issues with the police computers. >> there is a second round of about applying and we'll be agrivs. >> i hope the officers see the city is going in the right direction working together to make sure that their workplace and environment is the best. >>reporter: head of the oakland police officer association says he's pleased to see officers coming back but points out the city still has 150 fewer officers on the street than it did one year ago. >>> san francisco police now believe a business dispute triggered a double shooting at fisherman's wharf. man accused of killing 2 store employee at souvenir shop is a local store owner. that story now from am amy. >>reporter: police were quick to reassure the public this morning that the shooting at fisherman wharf was an isolated event. >> don't know exactly what the dispute was about. but it was between merchants. >>reporter: 2

earlier this week, kwan said her technology team -- although bass would only say it was not the same issue as last week. >> we just look at that area. a problem popped up at this area. we had a tower went out. this is a big city. >> reporter: bass says since they can't rely on the radios, he's had to create some two-person units. that way, they'll have backup because there's safety in numbers. >> thank you. >>> new tonight at 5:00, a massive bar brawl involving up to 180 people broke out early this morning at an emoryville bar. it began off 580. patrons fighting with broken bottles and broom handles fills into the streets. when police tried to break up the crowd, they were attacked. it took 30 officers from several east bay police departments to restore order. >> bottles were being thrown at them. one officer was being punched in the face. >> two people were arrested at the scene. three officers suffered minor injuries. no one was seriously hurt. police are still trying to figure out how the fight started. now to an nbc bay area follow up. investigators in ma rin continue to look at

. >> reporter: i am in west oakland and the chief and mayor kwan will be speaking here answering questions about the fact that he is apparently going to keep his job as the top cop here in oakland. a little bit of history, he has been on the force as chief since 09, he signed a three year contract then applied for the police chief job down in san jose last fall, one year later that came as a surprise to city councilmemberthe mayor here in oakland when they found out last month turns out he did not get the job in san jose but still last week threatened to leave the chief's job in oakland any way. over the past few days he has had a lot of meetings with the mayor and others campaigning to keep him, even finding the money to rehire 10 of the laid off officers here in oakland from last year. promising to fix some of the pds equipment. in a statement today he said they understand the needs of the police officers who work diligently for the residents of oakland and are willing to work with me to address those needs. end quote. we also spoke with the president of the oakland police officers assoc

. >> kwan is hoping to hold at least five town hall meetings in her first 100 days in office. and at least one in all seven council districts a year. >>> neighbors in oakland came together today to discuss ways to put an end to the surge of violence in their communities. members of the community voiced their concerns directly to members of the city council and to the oakland police department. issues included everything from police officer cuts to questions about violent activity at specific intersections. the meeting held at peralta elementary school, they also shared some safety tips. >> call the b.a.r.t. police number and have an officer escort you to the car in the parking lot. i wanted to make sure that everyone knows you can do this. >> members of the community shared ideas for roughly two hours. oakland's police chief, by the way, did not attend today's meeting. apparently because of a funeral service he needed to attend. >>> oakland police are investigating three separate shootings this weekend, one of them deadly. the first shooting happened about 6:30 last night near

mayor kwan is bringing back ten of the 80 oakland police officers laid off in july bringing the force up to 666. >> it is a little aggressive. i told all those present don't kill me if i am a little over in the budgets. but i think it's worth the risk. >> also the department promoted four officers to sergeant which the chief says will help with supervision in the field. the chief also asked for and got more technical help so that when their computer or cameras go down they will have a dedicated it staff to fix the problem. the chief also expressed concern about cars. old and breaking down. so now police cars will be the first for maintenance until the new ones can be purchased. but the elephant in the room was whether or not the chief is staying. it is clear the mayor wants him to. >> i am sending him a valentine, too. [ laughter ] >> that was pretty good. >> the chief says he is going to have a number of meetings this week to make sure he still has the support of city officials. after all, he was heard to challenge city officials and the community and quoted as saying: "you cannot sa

. >> reporter: today mayor kwan held her first of seven scheduled town hall meetings, the goals, finding jobs for the youth and cutting down crimes. >> it's about the budget. >> you have to work together. you can't expect the police to do everything. >> reporter: he says reducing the number of shootings and robberies is about the community, neighborhoods coming together fighting for each other. >> it's about you have to give. you can't receive only. >> reporter: north oakland residents looking to give and looking to spread the message to the entire city. >>> a celebration of life was held this morning for a beloved teacher at hoover elementary school in palo alto. 43-year-old george flats passed away unexpectedly on january 30 from bacterial meningitis. he was known for the creative and playful way he taught his students. dozens of students and their families attended the mother. >> how one person is can make a lasting difference in so many lives. sorry. and bring smiles, everybody giving back one of the best. >> as a precaution, some students were given antibiotics to ward off meningiti

kwan was one of the mayors that went to the capitol last week to make her case to the governor. at a briefing she said redevelopment money is the largest resource oakland has to create jobs. san jose's redevelopment agency says the extension package is in trouble. >>> a former employer is faces charges after the police arrested the man for spray painting a new rival's building. you may remember the coverage rebrought you surrounding this pizza orgasmica that opened two weeks ago. the police say the manager called this morning reporting two men spray painting the front of her building. when the officers arrived they found tucker and klineer trying to dump paint cans and gloves. tucker is a manager of extreme pizza. each man faces a vandalism charge. >>> there are messages on the streets tonight. they are not art but part of a gorilla advertising campaign by a local company. that company now wants the messages erased. >> reporter: these small painted messages started appearing on sidewalks a few days ago with a campaign slogan with dockers and a facebook address. this markets is d

admit there are challenges for the city and police department and he will continue to work with mayor kwan who was standing by his side and the city council to do the best job that he can as the chief of oakland. we will have more in our later forecast and on our website, ktvu.com. also ahead, why some homeless people in a bay area county may be getting free rides. >>> it is really busy at a bay area company. the reason is the super bowl, and a delicious treat. >>> and biologist rosemary orozco has a fantastic weekend forecast. >>> department of public works crews hit the streets of china town for a cleanup effort. it is underway now. we will show you what we found early this morning. oh rodriguezco , sea ro f t t.. ro fn-opooal..ko gr. i'a n ! ro fe ysexdo..ko gr. llev wt emo? >>> train riders between stockton and san jose could see their commute time cut in half if they reroute the line. the rail authority approved a list of potential routes and stations for an upgrade to the altamont commuter express. the changes are a ways off. an environmental can impact report will not be done for at

earlier this week mayor kwan said the problems had been solved. police spokeswoman told us tonight they are working to get the system fixed as soon as possible. >>> transit officials in the south bay have approved a plan to let homeless people ride for free. participant will get stickers to ride buses and light rail train but first they have to prove they are in a program to find permanent housing. officials say the free rides are intended to help people deal withq homelessness and get them to job interviews and medical point ments gentleman taking the neighborhood crime watch to the next level. still ahead. web site that lets you report suspicious drivers on line. >> but first. bay bridge bunker. sand trap that tied up the commute for hours. >> north bay pizza war. take the right leg up, holding the inner arch of the foot... introducing instant action alerts, only from chase. left arm up... manage your account and help avoid overdrafts with a click of a button. just reply to the alert with how much you want to transfer. inhale, all the way up...

jean kwan announcing she would rehire 10 of the 80 officers the council laid off in july. one step in a comprehensive effort to make the police department a top priority. >> san francisco may become the first city in the nation to ban the yellow pages. legislation has been introduced that would stop the old pages from being dropped off at homes and offices in the city unless they are requested. unsolicited deliveries could result in fines up to $500 for each violation. fund companies as they will challenge the law if approved. advocates say most of the phone books and up in the recycling bin. >> we will be right back after the break. this is a lot look at of dallas fort worth right now. the airport has been shut down for our out due to ice storm in the area. the latest on the big story, the protests in new egypt. you see people trying to get flights out. they have ordered evacuation of nall non important people in egypt. thousands more americans trying to catch flights out of the country with airports jam packed. an google executive is missing in egypt. he has not made con

presenting united front, mayor kwan and police chief met with residents after bass announced he'll stay on after all. >> bottom line is that reason i came to the

there appeared 80 playoffs and you kwan is saying she will rehire 10 who were laid off. >> 7 2:02 a.m. and will be back more in just a few minutes. a look at side, this is the center of her book is sent francisco. what a difference. will be following a story of the horrible weather across the country and in superable country. it is 47 degrees here today. we're looking at a high as 64 and then everybody gets into lower mid-70s and saturday and sunday. will be read back. >> well come back. a live look at the golden gate. this conditions here. it looks like a warmer day today, 5-10 victory warm-up with temperatures in to the north bay and enough food to the 70's during the weekend. a computer glitch caused a gas station it to put the gas on at 39¢ a gallon. many customers rushed there to catch and on the low price. the average price is $3.36 a gallon. there was a big traffic jam. the it share of and chp were called out for traffic control. it is unclear how long the rush lasted and how much gas had been sold under that price. >> no traffic right now at the golden gate bridge but that wa

he has clashed with mayor jean kwan over proposed gang injunctions and told the city he won't provide legal advice or representation on licensing marijuana farms. a decision on the alameda job isn't expected before the end of march. >>> protestors are spending another night inside the state capitol of wisconsin after the largest demonstration to date against a plan to do with away withunions for public employees. [ music ] >> police estimated the crowd today at more than 70,000. authorities say they will empty the capitol building tomorrow and some arrests are expected. wisconsin's governor wants union members to pay for half the cost of their pensions and twice their current healthcare premiums. that's equivalent to an 8% pay cut. right now wisconsin's state budget is balanced, but the state is expected to be running in the red by mid-summer. >> well, from washington to new york to right here in california, large rallies were held today to show solidarity with workers there in wisconsin. ktvu's ken prichett was at the demonstration in san francisco. >> reporter: the steps of city hal

. >>> debts fight tough economic times in oakland, mayor kwan announced today that 10 officers will be added to the police force. it's a decision that came as a surprise to almost everyone including the head of the police union. wayne is live in oakland tonight. wayne? >>reporter: this is the difference 6 months can make. since the 80 officers were laid off the force has lost more to attrition but now the city has a new mayor. citizens are hoping a new attitude. oakland hardly looked like one of the most dangerous cities ins california tonight. it was relatively quiet. and peaceful and based on announcement by the mayor and police chief, may be there will be more quiet night in the future. >> really been a pleasure working with the mayor. she is, working with the mayor. she is, she is not just talking she is backing her actions up and moving forward. >>reporter: by hiring officers. having laid off 80 police last july following budget cut at that time department announced it will higher 10 of the officers back. the news came out of nowhere. surprising even the head of the police union.

. >> reporter: today mayor kwan held her first of meetings with looking after youth and cutting down crime. >> it's about the budget. >> you have to work together. you can't expect the police to do everything. >> reporter: albert says reducing the number of shootings and robberies is about the community and neighbors coming together and fighting together. >> it is about communities. you have to give. you can't receive only. >> reporter: north oakland residents looking to give and looking to spread the message to the entire city. in oakland, mike mibach, ktvu, channel 2 news. >>> the man suspected of fatally stabbing another man in hayward turned himself in. 24-year-old eric mayorga is accused of stabbing an unidentified 18-year-old man thursday night outside a home on fullsome avenue. they say he left the scene but later went to police headquarters and surrendered. the stabbing stemmed from a dispute over a female friend. he is being held in jail without bail. he is set to be arraigned on monday. >>> there were many tears shed today in palo alto as a heartbroken school community gath

today mayor gene kwan told the audience how a popular radio site is in tune to the commitment. >> the ceo of pandora says he couldn't do business anywhere else, because his workers like the whole green climate of oakland, likes the mass transportation, and to buy food at the farmers' market or ride their bikes to work. >> the mayor and organizer of oakland shines says the focus is to reduce energy use while attracting more business to the city. >>> desperate to increase funding for its school, alameda county school board is turning to voters for help. ed boor of indication is holding a special election to cost property owners an extra $180 a year. now, that would raise some $3 million a year to preserve after-school activities and keep smaller class sizes. alameda county voters can cast mail-in ballots from april 4th through may 3rd, the measure needs a two thirds majority to pass. >>> well, the dream of waking up a quarter of a million dollars richer has come true for someone right here in the bay area. yes, someone bought a winning lottery tickets on california street in san francis

jean kwan is testing the waters. it was possibly be in the range to 80 to $100 per year much less than the $360 a year proposal voters rejected last november still the parcel tax would need a voter approval 2/3 margin. that is difficult to make even response from city council is not encouraging, a council woman from rock ridge area says there is not much of a chance of a local tax passing when the governor will ask for a statewide extension and another council member said no way we need to better manage our money. this of course does not bode well for the new mayor who is -- let's put it honestly made promises to the police chief. >> yes, anthony bass said he would not leave because she would beef up the force if she is not able the pass this tax what is the next option? >> cut or move funds around. she was hit with a crisis. anthony batts stay or go. she is able the hire back 10 cops whether she can make the bigger numbers remains to be seen. so far voters of oakland have said no. >> two thirds new taxes i don't thi

yesterday we talked to the newly crowned winner, , 22-year- old june kwan. >> i hope to engage the youth in gigaback to the chinese community. >> the parade director also gave us a sneak peek at the star of the parade grand finale, the 268-footed golden dragon symbolizes strength and wealth and chases away bad spirits. he will be carried through the streets by 120 men and women. parade organizers say up to 800,000 people are expected to come out and watch tonight's parade. our coverage of the chinese new year parade begins at 6:00 tonight. make sure to watch it live here on ktvu channel 2. we're also streaming it live on ktvu.com. our website will also have video highlights posted right after the parade. >>> san francisco is facing a massive budget deficit but it's now getting readies to spend millions of dollars on bleach. the city's public utilities exhibition wants to spend $14 million to buy 27 million pounds of bleach. the bleach is going to be used to help eliminate the rotten egg smell that sometimes comes from the city's sewers. officials say new developments next to sewage pumpi

>>reporter: oakland mayor kwan 2 children both graduated from sky lane and went on to ivy league college. >> oakland is a direct of many different kinds of schools. many of the schools in the hills and midland are the best in the state. >>reporter: administrators at sky line believe this event is especially important in a district where only one third of young african american males even graduate. >> we feel it's very important for us to recognize student success because they encourage themselves to put forth even bet effort. >>reporter: hope is that the success of these students will send a message to others. >> want to get to good college and good job and happy life that's why i say get good grad grade. >>reporter: in oakland, laura anthony abc 7 news. >>> good work. when we continue here tonight, refuse logs in iran. look at the pro democracy movement building there now and how they use the internet technology can cut both ways. >> plus basketball star and bay area native bill russell and prestigious honor given at the white house today. >> and too many people. not enough pavement. wh

. >>> oakland mayor jean kwan is cutting her mayor's salary by 25 percent. that means she will make $137,000 a year, $46,000 less than former mayor. she says she doesn't ask others to do what she isn't willing to do herself. >> an observeant oakland police officer spotted a suspect from a weekend kidnapping case this evening. now that man is under arrest. it was about 5:30 this evening when police say the officer spotted 44-year-old larry wilson of oakland. after a short foot chase the officer arrested him near 95th avenue and sunnyside street. he was wanted for the kidnapping and beating of a woman on saturday night. >>> oakland firefighters made a gruesome discovery this afternoon. they found a man's burning body in a homeless encampment beneath a freeway overpass. ktvu's amber lee is live on the ski after i-80 at 66th avenue near the oakland coliseum. amber? >> reporter: julie, every day people drive on the 66 avenue off ramp never realizing that there are homeless people living below this structure. fire officials tell us there are dozens of spots such a

. >>> oakland mayor jean kwan is cutting her mayor's salary by 25 percent. that means she will make $137,000 a year, $46,000 less than former mayor. she says she doesn't ask others to do what she isn't willing to do herself. >> an observeant oakland police officer spotted a suspect from a weekend kidnapping case this evening. now that man is under arrest. it was about 5:30 this evening when police say the officer spotted 44-year-old larry wilson of oakland. after a short foot chase the officer arrested him near 95th avenue and sunnyside street. he was wanted for the kidnapping and beating of a woman on saturday night. >>> oakland firefighters made a gruesome discovery this afternoon. they found a man's burning body in a homeless encampment beneath a freeway overpass. ktvu's amber lee is live on the ski after i-80 at 66th avenue near the oakland coliseum. amber? >> reporter: julie, every day people drive on the 66 avenue off ramp never realizing that there are homeless people living below this structure. fire officials tell us there are dozens of spots such a

with her city facing a $40 million deficit and more layoffs looming mayor kwan says she wants to lead by example. >> because i knew we were going to go through of it u-u-ribe didn't want to ask any one to do something i odd. be able to do myself. >> she does not expect to see her pay return to normal for three, maybe four years. >>> bart police undergoing a training transformation two years after the shooting death of an unarmed passenger, oscar grant. >> reporter: bart police and civilians from other department letts be getting this, community oriented policing and problem solving training. >> we are changing the way we are doing business from here on out. >> reporter: the idea behind it is that it is everyone's responsibility to make the system safer. and it is not just about traditional police work but quality of life issues as well. >> now, we have to start paying attention to some of these things that you guys wrote here that will help all of us make a safer transit system. >> reporter: also police will try to get at the root cause of chronic crimes rather than just react to the

>>reporter: presenting united front mayor kwan and police chief bat met with west oakland resident after bat announced he will stay ons as top scope after all. >> bottom line is the reason i came to the city is the try to make a difference for the community and community responded and asked me to stand by them. so that's what touched my heart. >> i'm very happy that the chief is in place and that we can start on some work that we have been waiting on. >>reporter: these resident seemed happy to see the mayor and the chief. >> i'm so glad this the chief decided to stay. he has been doing a wonderful job. i really believe he really cares about the people of oakland. >>reporter: does it bought he was looking to go elsewhere for awhile. >> no it doesn't. you have to do what you have to do, >> their some doubtful about his commitment to oakland. >> i think some are doubtful all over the city. i think that is his first thing to overcome some of the issues of whether or not he will stay here. >>reporter: bat decision comes after meeting with top city officials that led to deal to retire 10 of 80

earlier this week mayor kwan said the problem had been resolved. evidently not quite. >>> judge today ruled that the man accused of kidnapping j.c. dugard and holding her for 18 years at his antioch home is competent to stand trial. philip garrido has been charged with 18 counts of kidnapping, rape and false imprisonment. his lawyers had argued that he is not mentally competent but the judge says he based his ruling on numerous psychiatric reports that say he is competent to stand trial. >>> san francisco portrero neighborhood evacuated this morning after several live grenades were found in the home of an elderly man who had recently passed away. police bomb squad used a row about the to move the bag outside but guess whashing the bag ripped spilling the grenades on to the street. robot put them into a blast proof container. all is well that ends well. no one was hurt. >> the budget gap facing cal train is so severe about half the train service could be stopped all together. now if that happens the severe cut back could push even more cars on to th

mayor gene kwan and city officials have promised to fix the problem. the city released a statement saying, quote, i.t. radio technicians believe they have isolated the problem to a specific antenna which appears to have failed as a result of bad weather and the age of the antenna. the antenna was replaced. >>> now stories making news around the world. in bahrain, many protesters who spent the night in pearl square are back in their reclaimed protest territory. meanwhile, opposition leaders are meeting to discuss government offers to open dialogue. at least seven people there were killed following nearly a week of unrest. protesters called for regime change in the island kingdom. in yemen's capital, people staged a small anti-government protest today at a university. protesters are calling for yemenen's longtime president to leave the country. violence between pro and anti-government demonstrators have been ongoing in yemen. >>> and we have much more ahead for you. coming up on "today in the bay." still ahead, baby with money back guarantee? how one cli

mayor kwan will be there from noon until 4. the celebration is free and open to the public. >>> and the chinese new year parade is a week from today. you can see it at 6 p.m. on february 19th right here on ktvu. >>> this morning oakland police are looking for the people who crashed a stolen car into a wall. it happened last night. the car hit a power pole then slammed into a wall on 47th avenue. the vehicle had been reported stolen. the people in the car did flee the scene. >>> a man was taken to the hospital after a crash involved in a san francisco cable car. police say a toyota camry hit a pedestrian moments later the camry was then hit by a cable car. it happened yesterday afternoon at powell and stockton streets. witnesses say the pedestrian was conscious and talking on his cell phone before he was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. >>> a surprising note of thanks. the google executive is crediting for egyptian protestors' success. >> you're looking live there along interstate 80 in kingvale. the roads look clear b

kwan says she will give back one quarter of her annual pay which is $183,000, and that will put a $46, 000 dent in oakland's $40 million deficit. >>> a look at weather and traffic around the bay area coming up. stay with us. ,,,,,, ,,,, >>> all right. good morning. we have a new accident just reported southbound 101 near sierra point parkway. it sounds like two lanes are blocked. slow northbound and southbound 101 in the area. accidents in fremont are cleared to the right shoulder. we had one southbound 880 at mowry and another one northbound 880 at stevenson. again, everything is out of lanes now. so now we are just seeing our usual slow traffic in the commute direction and at the bay bridge toll plaza, the metering lights are on. it is backed up almost to the 880 overcrossing. so just a typical commute right now into san francisco. that is your traffic. lawrence is just dying to get on air! he is racing over here! i see sunshine. >> we have society great weather to talk about today! lots of sunshine coming your way, folks, if you are just getting up. it's a little chilly to start th

jean kwan will be taking a pay cut. oakland is facing $40 million deficit. jerry brown says california lawmakers cannot avoid making tough choices after the mortgage meltdown, that credit crisis. another round of visiting stop state lawmakers to pitch his budget plan. 25 1/2 bubillion d >> james: we will take a break at 7:21 a.m., a lot of snow falling in the midwest. alive look for mount tam showing is a beautiful start to wednesday morning around the bay. breezy may be. but overall a great morning. we will be right back. [ male announcer ] breakfast for breakfast. breakfast for lunch. breakfast for dinner. with three new breakfast lovers dishes, who needs a break from breakfast? denny's. america's diner is always open. >> darya: 7 day around the bay forecast. more sunny skies no wind from yesterday. 67 for thou hide. it's a gorgeous day. same thing to more looks terrific coming, the days from now through friday. saturday looks terrific thing cool down sunday. the weekend forecast has changed. yesterday we thought rain sunday but now it has moved out. we ar