>> i'm jessica aguirre. protecting your property and your family is getting easier in the east bay. cops are now armed with high-tech licensed readers that can scan thousands of license plates in no time. but is it a little too big brother for you? jodi hernandez is live in hayward where the new tools are in use and netting big returns, though. >> reporter: big returns is right, jessica. just this morning, officers arrested a suspected armed carjacker at this hayward hotel parking lot. officers say they made the bust thanks to special license plate scanners that can instantly detect if a car's been involved in a crime. >> no question about it, had it not been for the license plate read they're car would not have been spotted. >> reporter: this silver mercedes is heading back to its rightful owner tonight. three weeks after being stole en in an armed carjacking off the streets of oakland. high-tech cameras mounted on top of sheriff's patrol cars detected the stolen suv, leading to the driver's arrest. >> they had a pretty violent

crime, a carjacking, with a shotgun, and this person is driving in an area that he thinks, you know, nobody's going to recognize him or think twice about it, and yet here's this license plate reader that comes along and basically solves the crime for them. >> reporter: the $30,000 infrared devices allow investigators to run thousands of plates a night compared to just a handful. the cameras have helped recover countless stolen cars. they've even helped track down killers. >> if it helps solve crimes and bring kids back under amber alerts and is successful in just one, then it's absolutely worth the money. >> reporter: but not everyone is thrilled with the technology. some feel rolling cameras on every car that drives by is an invasion of privacy. >> if i'm driving down the highway and they come up behind me and take pictures of my license plate and me, no, that's not good. >> reporter: advocates say if you have nothing to hide, there's no reason to worry. officers say without the scanners more crooks would be

out on the street committing crime. >> hope with most successful things is that you have enough money to outfit every one of your cars with this system. >> reporter: now, a few months back, officers here in alameda county say they arrested two murder suspects they say were involved in a killing in half moon bay. again, officers call this a huge tool that's making a big dent on crime. reporting live in hayward, i'm jodi hernandez, nbc bay area news. to our earthquake. did you feel it? plenty of rattled nerves on the peninsula after a small quake near pacifica led to power outages and even some delays on b.a.r.t. for now let's bring in our chief meteorologist jeff ranieri. a couple things here. we felt this around 3:00 on the peninsula and the usgs now changing it again. this is a fairly unusual thing, isn't it? >> well, it does happen. the information with the earthquakes comes in so rapidly they take time to go over the information a little more. we saw it 3.8 reporting, then

down to a 3.4 and now a 3.7. all in all, it was a small quake but it was felt by a lot of the bay area. 10,000 people without power near pacifica, that has been restored around 4:30 this afternoon. this happening about two miles to the southeast of pacifica, once again at 2:57. we have seen three aftershocks, the largest one a 2.4 within the past two hours. i'm going to continue to monitor that as we head throughout tonight. and this also occurring on the san andreas fault which comes now on the anniversary, which is today, of that 1906 quake which measured a 7.9 magnitude. we'll have more coming up on this, and i'll keep you updated on any aftershocks. >> thank you. well, president obama declared coastal communities in california damaged by the japanese tsunami a disaster area today. that means the flow of federal money for the state as well as local recovery efforts. santa cruz and crescent city areas were hit hardest by the waves, crushing boits along the marinas there.

the tsunami caused an estimated $50 million worth of damage. pg&e is answering questions from state investigators whether a recordkeeping error is to blame for the san bruno pipeline explosion. the state public utilities commission is waiting the response as part of an investigation that began more than two months ago. a federal probe found the utility's records failed to include welds in the gas pipeline that exploded last year. that massive explosion killed eight people and decimated an entire neighborhood. new at 6:00 tonight, a vallejo counselor facing charges of child molestation and police are searching for more victims. police say 43-year-old peter small molested a child who attended the cornerstone program located on the solano middle school campus. the program is run by the county helle department. small was arrested at his home in albany after a month-long investigation. tonight, police are asking anyone with information about the case to come forward.

a tragic ending now to a family road trip. a fatal crash closed eastbound 80 this morning in albany and caused a massive traffic jam. you see our nbc chopper working the scene. an oakland man taking his wife and two children to reno was driving the speed limit when he lost control of his suv. the car flipped and it rolled several times. the 48-year-old driver was dead on the scene. his wife and children suffered mild to moderate injuries. alcohol was not a factor in the crash. the chp still investigating. in a sign of the economic times facing the uc system, more foreign and out-of-state freshmen are being admitted than ever before, while in-state admissions are down. with huge budget shortfalls, the campuses are relying more and more on out-of-state students to help pay the bills there. nonresident undergrads pay $34,000 a year in tuition compared to about $11,000 paid by in-state residents. the campus university received a record number of applications,

more than 106,000 this year. it is admitting 72,000 freshmen for the 2011-2012 year, about 4,000 more than last year. well, there ought to be a national holiday for procrastinators. after all, it is tax day. there are folks make a mad dash to the post office. we talked to some of them and even though we have a few extra days people are still waiting it out, kimberly. >> reporter: exactly right. a long line of cars. most people e-file but a lot of people want to do it the old-fashioned way. they're trying to make it easy at the main post office by the san francisco airport staying open until midnight with people prepared to stand outside and take your return. you don't even have to step out of your car. time's up. it's tax day. >> so you have three w-2s or two? two. >> reporter: tax preparers are busy getting last-minute filers taken care of. >> i was about to file and i found out there was a w-2 out

there that i had completely forgotten about it, and my employer said, oh, it's on your mail. so, okay. now i have to wait. >> reporter: maria navarro isn't alone. preparers expect a major rush this evening once people get off work and get their paperwork together. >> i expect to be here till midnight. >> reporter: preparers say the key to surviving izing the irs l not be ignored. >> even if you're not ready to file your tax return because you don't have all your receipts, for example, file an extension because there's a penalty for filing late. and california in particular will come after you. >> reporter: the irs takes its deadline seriously, and this year we even got an extra three days to file thanks to a holiday in washington, d.c. but cpas say procrastinators are procrastinato procrastinators. >> they want to pay at the last minute. they think if they send it last their checks won't get cashed right away or it will take them

a while. >> is that true? >> no. >> reporter: most preparers say they'll be open until the last customer is taken care of. >> it's okay if you haven't filed your taxes. there's nothing wrong with you. you're just normal. but just bring your stuff in and we'll help you. >> reporter: so there are a few options for you if you need to file your taxes late tonight. most offices closed at 5:00, but redwood city's main post office will be open until 7:00 tonight. evans avenue in san francisco, that will be open until 8:30 tonight. and the airport branch near the san francisco airport, where we are at, that is open until midnight. as you can see, they are making it easy on you, grabbing your tax return from you. you don't even have to get out of the car here. it will be a late night for both krp cpas and workers at the post office. while we have seen a steady stream of people using the postal service, e-filing has hit a record high.

more than 101 million people use the internet to file this year. live in san francisco, kimberly terry, nbc bay area news. >> thank you. you have a few hours remaining to get those taxes in. back to our earthquake coverage now, but this time from 105 years ago. the anniversary of the san francisco quake that reshaped the history of the bay area. >> today people gathered before dawn to mark the exact moment of the devastating earthquake, as they do every year. >> nbc bay area's marla tay yez was there and spoke with one of the few remaining survivors. >> three, two, one. [ sirens ] >> reporter: at 5:12:00 a.m., a large crowd gathered to here the sirens ring, the precise moment the 1906 earthquake left its dark mark in san francisco history 105 years ago. mayor ed lee, former mayor willie brown, and both the city's fire and police chiefs

led this morning's ceremonial festivities. the fountain at market and kerney served as the meeting post for survivors. today only three remain, including bill del monte, who was just months old when the 7.9 magnitude quake hit. what's it like to be here this morning? >> well, i'm a hero for a day. >> reporter: del monte grew up in a city that was forced to rebuild itself. decades later, he says there's nowhere else he'd rather be. >> we've got everything here in the bay area. if you want waters, mountains, snow. >> reporter: the crowd followed the festivities to 20th and church streets to spray paint the golden fire hydrant. it was the only working hydrant in the city known for saving the churches in the mission district from the fires that followed the quake. >> it was really special. my grandmother was here when the city was rebuilding. >> reporter: more than 3,000 people died in the natural disaster that's still known as

one of california's most devastating. city officials are using the grim anniversary to remind people now is the time to educate yourself and your family. >> well, it's always to be prepared. >> reporter: despite all the damage the quake did here, to put it into perspective, japan's recent 9.0 magnitude quake was 30 times stronger. even more reason to get prepared for the next big one. in san francisco, marla tellez, nbc bay area news. the morning wrapped up with a benefit breakfast at lef di to dool's. bill del monte at 105 years old enjoyed some waffles. a $20 donation was encouraged. the money will be used to hold similar events in the future. two other survivors of the 1906 quake, the lady ls both live in the bay area. one is 108 years old. the other is 109 years old. amazing. still ahead at 6:00, there's a new list out of the top 100

restaurants in the world. >> and we love these lists. where the bay area's famed french launld dry ranks. and a passion for trash. one couple's story of cleaning up beaches and turning trash into treasure. a bay area city investigates a possible poisoning at a popular dog park. how your own backyard could even prove dangerous to your pets. >> and one bay area student's un iuenventionon proroviding ho for babies around the world. and good evening. i'm chief meteorologist jeff ranieri. we'r tg rackinmore rain as we head throughout this week. we'll let you know whengoingck r and we're also tracking any

add another one to the race, the race for san francisco mayor has another candidate tonight. supervisor john avalos describes himself in and declared himself in at the department of elections this afternoon. avalos has a progressive

supervisor of district 11 in the southern part of the city. he was born in southern california and moved to san francisco in 1989 where he worked as an english teacher and cafe worker before becoming a community organizer. for those of you keeping score at home, there are now seven candidates officially running for mayor of san francisco. well, he used social networking for his run for the white house and is doing it again to stay in the white house. president obama heading back to the bay area this week. his second visit in the past three months. this time a very public visit to facebook headquarters in palo alto. today mr. obama releasing this video urging facebook members to attend his online town hall meeting. >> hi, everybody. i just want to take a minute to invite you to a town hall meeting on the economy that i'm holding at facebook's headquarters this wednesday, april 20th. it's going to be live streamed and i'll answer questions from folks across the country. >> the president has more than 19 million fans on his facebook

page. and facebook won't be the president's only bay area stop. wednesday evening mr. obama will attend two fund-raisers in san francisco. his first stop in nob hill followed by a dinner. if you want dinner with the president, it will cost you about $38,000 per person. well, a controversial e-mail meant to incite voters to stand against the president is actually having the opposite effect. at the center of the controversy is an image of the president's face superimposed on the body of a chimpanzee. tonight a gop official in orange county remains defiant as the california naacp calls for her resignation. vicky vargas has more. >> reporter: this is the picture embedded in an e-mail that has become ground zero in a political battle. friends say marilyn davenport was acting as an individual when she sent the photo of the president's face imposed on a monkey. she added the words "now you know why no birth certificate

kwsmt ts. >> this is not a democrat or republican thing. it is a human thing. >> reporter: tim whitaker says the woman apologized. she wrote she was sorry if she offended anyone but makes it clear she has no plans to resign from the gop central committee. >> she's horrified by the backlash. she is repen tif. it's never going to happen again. there's no reason to call for any sort of resignation on this. >> reporter: critics say it is not davenport's first brush with racism, that she backed the onetime mayor of los al mee dose when he sent this e-mail showing a watermelon patch in front of the white house. she backed dick nicholls when he refused to put more grass on the beach because, quote, it attracts mexicans and there are already too many mexicans on the beach. >> to me this wasn't an isolated occurrence. it clearly showed a pattern that i believe disqualifies her from holding her office. and she needs to resign it. >> reporter: we tried to reach davenport at her fullerton home, but no one answered.

today civil rights leaders say what davenport did was insulting. >> political criticism of president obama is legitimate. racist slander is illegitimate. >> that is racism. it's brutality. and we're not living in slavery anymore. we're living in freedom under the constitution of the united states of america. >> reporter: davenport's actions will be addressed by an ethics committee, but it would be up to her to resign. she cannot legally be forced out. vicky vargas, nbc bay area news. our "health watch" now, disappointing news about the supposed miracle drug when it comes to fighting aids in some women. while the drug is still showing great promise preventing new hiv infections in men, trials of the drugs on women in africa are showing no signs that it prevents hiv infection. researchers are stopping a study that tests whether the pill will stop the aids virus and they're doing it on thousands of african women. women taking the pill are just as likely to get hiv as other women taking a dummy pill.

scientists will study the results for insight as to why the drug works on men and may not work for women. premature babies in some parts of the world die at a rate ten times greater than here in the united states. that's why a nigerian-born bioengineering student in the south bay is working towards saving lives with the help of the sun. this baby was born premature in nigeria where incubators and the electricity to run them are scarce. her father carried her more than to ten miles to find a hospital that had an incubator. now with the help of fellow students at santa clara university, she's working on an incubator that uses solar thermal. a collector will keep newborns warm. the prototype is substantially cheaper than standard ones and can be used anywhere. the project is near and dear to her. >> it was very emotional. i went back to the hospital that i was incubated at and visited it and saw that not much had

changed, and it was very touching and i realized that we had to do something about it. >> students are demonstrating the device to medical companies on may 5th, and word is there's already some interest with some possible investors. >> talk about taking your own life experience and paying that forward. all right. let's turn things over to jeff ranieri in the weather center. a change. kind of dreary today. >> it's monday, and then this. right? you know, it's hard enough on mondays to get going, and this cloud cover today probably made it a little bit extra tough for you. also muggy and somewhat humid outside. humidity at 75% right now, current temperature 59 in san francisco in the low clouds starting to roll in there. meanwhile, our warmest spots in the south bay with almaden at 72, 70 in gilroy, 65 in livermore and upper 50s and mid to upper 60s for parts of the north bay. santa rosa topping out at 68. so right now we have seen numbers starting to come down with 58 in san francisco, 65 in san jose, and 61 in livermore. we're also watching these

aftershocks for you. three of them here since the 3.7 that occurred at 2:57 this afternoon. we'll continue to watch that for you tonight. power has also been restored to that area as this earthquake did occur on the san andreas fault earlier this afternoon. now, we did have some spotty showers today throughout the peninsula, the east bay and the south bay, but that continues to move off towards the south and the east. what we're going to watch for tomorrow is a short-lived region of high pressure, giving us a little sunshine for tomorrow, a little warmer and then some rainfall on tap as we head into wednesday's forecast. let's get a look. tomorrow morning we'll start off with mid to upper 40s. so a colder start for us tomorrow with livermore at 47, 48 in san jose. by 10:00 a.m., temperatures already into the low and mid-60s for parts of the south bay. now, meanwhile across the nation, travel delays, we may find some here in the northeast. and of course still cleaning up from that deadly severe weather over this past weekend in north carolina. we'll have details on when 70-degree weather will come back for us in just a little bit.

>> thank you, jeff. still ahead at 6:00, forget sporting events and concerts. we'll tell you about the unlikely attraction that's become a target for scalpers. also ahead, why the bay area's most famous surfing contests, and one of the most famous in the world, faces an uncertain future. details on the now announcement. and believe it or not, the facebook fight continues. why mark zuckerberg's legal woes

topping your business and tech headlines tonight, a very rough day on wall street as the markets slammed with bad news on credit and oil as well. >> let's bring in our business and tech reporter, scott mcgrew, who has more. the broader markets fell big on news that standard & poor's, the credit rating agency, had what it called serious concerns on the credit rating of the united states. now, it didn't downgrade america's credit rating from a perfect aaa, but even the discussion of a downgrade was enough to make the marks take a

breath. add to that oil prices, $108 a barrel and higher. general motors says it's going to tack on another $123 to the price of its cars to account for those higher oil prices and other commodities, particularly aluminum and steel. speaking of cars, take a look at the new volkswagen bug. it's flatter, less rounded than its predecessor. they got rid of the flower vase, too. and finally, you don't think a video from c-span is going viral, but congressman jesse jackson jr.'s rant against the apple ipad certainly has. representative jackson says the ipad has killed traditional publishing jobs like book binding. but are they jobs america wants? i looked it up. the average bookbinder makes $13.71 an hour. that's far less than apple pays the guy helping you buy an ipad at the apple store. back to you. >> thank you, scott. they're not giving up. the twin brother who is claim

facebook co-founder mark zuckerberg stole their idea, they don't want the courts to close the book on their lawsuit. attorneys for tyler and cameron winklevoss are now asking for a special 11-judge panel to consider their appeal of an earlier settlement. today's move follows a three-judge ruling against their appeal just last week. in 2008 the two dropped their lawsuit in exchange for $20 million plus stock in facebook, but they say the stock was worth less than claimed at the time. well, still ahead tonight at 6:00, the tax return fit for the president. details on how much mr. obama and the first lady took in last year. also coming up, one year later -- heavy hearts in the gulf of mexico this week as people mark the first anniversary of the oil spill there. and a follow-up tonight at a bay area dog park now closed because of suspected poisoning of animals. heck ht we look own s.rdyain egen our own back yards. ow

now to a story you'll only see on nbc bay area newssycr on after a visit to a dog park begins tomorrow. the park is in the city's cambrian neighborhood. investigators are trying to rule out poisoning and figure out whether pre-existing conditions killed this dog, which was imported from taiwan. kris sanchez reports, deliberate or not, there is reason to worry about possible poisoning even in your own backyard. >> reporter: this san jose couple is devastated by the death of their shiba inu, collin. the only thing worse is not knowing why he got sick and died within an hour of visiting butcher dog park on saturday. the city shut down the park until toxicology tests can rule out poison. but the deputy director of animal care and services says no dog's ever been poisoned at this or any other dog park in his eight-year tenure. they are more likely to be exposed outside enclosed areas

to toxic plants. jasmine is the resident cat at the nursery in mountain view where the staff says there are plants that shouldn't be in your yard if you have pets or small children. >> some are absolutely deadly, and others are -- they just give you a bad stomach ache and some burning in the mouth. >> reporter: just playing fetch with an ole yander branch could make your dog sick. azaleas and rhododendrons are also poisonous. and the castor plant is as deadly as it is beautiful. >> some people use them to keep gophers out of their yard. they say the roots are toxic. so every part of the plant is, and that helps to keep gophers out. but you wouldn't want that in the yard with children and pets. not even mature pets. >> reporter: tyler mcphee also says stay away from painted or treated mulches and cocoa mulch, too. dog safety is something vicky lane takes seriously at the park and at home. >> i buy only organic pet-saipe

fertilizers and things for my plants. i'm getting ready to put a garden in so, yeah, that has little yellow pebbles in there and he's started to eat it so thank goodness it's safe for pets. >> kris sanchez. new tonight at 6:00, muni operators are taking a strike after a vote that began friday and ends on thursday. it comes amid contentious contract negotiations between operators and management. if both sides reach an impasse, an independent ashtrrbitrator w be called in. on to the city charter, no city workers are allowed to stride. b.a.r.t. police have a new look tonight and we want to give you the first look at the new badges being being assign and distributed to all b.a.r.t. police. the seven-point star replaces the shield that's been in place since 1972. in a press relead today, officials say the badge is easily identifiable as a police badge. troubles for the mavericks surf contest. not only did a lack of waves cancel this year's contest but

the lone sponsor has withdrawn from the big wave invitational. barracuda networks was the official sponsor of the contest. now they want to redirect their efforts to other projects. the half moon bay surf group, formed to run the invitational, has also announced it is disbanding. and the family of late surfer jay moriarty wants his name removed from future events. the future of another mavericks surf contest is now uncertain. well, crews will soon begin to dismantle hangar one at moffett field. we're told work could begin as soon as this wednesday. contract workers will begin by removing panels on the southern side of the hangar and work northward. the project is expected to last until at least the end of next year. are you interested in knowing how much the president made last year? the white house did release mr. and mrs. obama's joint tax returns today. the returns show an adjusted gross income of more than $1.7 million. most of that came from mr. obama's book sales. the first couple paid more than

$450,000 in federal taxes and donated some $245,000 to charities. it's being called one of the deadliest tornado outbreaks in decades. more than 249 twisters reported during a massive three-day rampage. tonight 45 people are confirmed dead across six states. more than half of the deaths were reported in north carolina. hundreds of homes have been destroyed, and for those who have survived the tales are harrowing. more than 100 made it out of this lowe's store in raleigh after a manager pushed everyone to the back. the huge crowd kept alive by mere seconds. >> just an incredible wind inside and a noise just prior to us getting into the hallway. >> it was deafening. >> there was a deafening roar over our head. >> it was very, very terrifying experience. there's just no way to describe it. >> the pictures alone are terrifying. federal assistance is on the way. several states including north carolina have been declared

disaster areas. fema teams are already on the ground in the hardest hit areas. it was a year ago this week the nation watched in horror as a tragedy began to unfold in the gulf. the deadly explosion on the deepwater horizon oil rig left 11 crew members dead and led to the most devastating oil spill in united states history. jay gray was there from the beginning and is back in venice, louisiana, with a closer look at the conditions one year later. >> reporter: as flames sered the dark gulf night, no one could have known the mag any toouni have known the mag any toountud catastrophe sparked by the explosion on the well. >> it was fully engulfed, flames about 300 feet in the air. >> reporter: the initial impact was horrific, 11 lives lost. early, haunting faces of a crisis that would linger. as the rig collapsed days later, oil began to pour into the gulf and it continued for 85 days, nearly 200 million gallons. washing up on gulf beaches,

joking off wildlife. government scientists said most of the oil is gone now but a year later those who live here wonder just how much remains. >> here today we've got isolated areas where there's still oil wash ug. up from the bottom. grand isle. >> reporter: still, there are some signs that things are getting better. oystermen and fishermen are finally back on the water. >> we're back in business. >> reporter: but despite rigorous testing that shows their catch is clean, gulf seafood customers have been slow to come back to the table. >> we're looking at three to five years to turn around the brand. >> reporter: some worry a full recovery will take even longer. concern fueled by a belief that bp is pulling money and resources from the region now. >> every week they've scaled back. there's a few crews. here we are a year later. there's still no sense of urgency. all we ever asked from day one

was to do the right thing. >> reporter: and a year later many say they're still waiting. jay gray, nbc news, venice, louisiana. online dating site match.com will begin screening its members. that announcement came just days after a former subscriber filed a lawsuit claiming the site matched her with a registered sex offender who sexually assaulted her in los angeles. the unidentified woman referred to as jane doe in the legal papers is is described as an ivy league grad who works in the film and tv business. by cross-checking its members against sex offender databases, match.com is averting the threat of a temporary injunction by jane doe's attorney. still ahead at 6:00, turning an environmental disaster into art. a bay area couple's quest to clean up our beaches and transform litter into some eye-catching exhibits. plus, we're the bay area's famed french laundry now ranks on the list of the greatest restaurants in the world. and good evening. i'm chief meteorologist jeff

ranieri. a little warm and humid out there. not too much sunshine either. but throughout tonight, temperatures will be dropping. we'll get a little bit of cool air pushing through by 6:00 a.m. and we'll talk about a warming tuesday forecast. we'll let you knowbe how high tp uuyolimb and also keep you up to date on any aftershocks. p

some california lawmakers are back from their three-day fact-finding mission to texas. a group of republicans and two democrats including gavin newsom left for texas last week to try and find out why texas is so much more business friendlier than california. republicans back from that trip say the trip didn't cost taxpayers a dime and that no matter what the critics say about texas the lone star state has been very successful when it comes to recruiting business. >> in the last few years it's almost a felony to make a profit. in california, with businesses, that's the way they're treated. they are looked at as atm

machines by agencies and the bottom line is they're going to flee the state. >> critics point out that texas has a growing budget deficit and unemployment rate, a higher poverty rate than california. a terrible record on the environment and it spends less per pupil on education than california. here's a sign of the times as you prepare for that vacation in the spring or summer. you've heard of scalpers selling high-priced tickets to sporting events or concerts but what about camping reservations at yosemite? it's true. they've been seen on craigslist. supply and demand here. yosemite has only 900 reserve campsites available at any given time. they go for $20 a night. that's the official price. but scalpers have been selling them for $150 a night or more. they're also selling permits to climb half dome, which the park offers for free. yosemite is the third most visited national park. i've got two tickets to yosemite and a chocolate cake for you guys. how much?

>> are you kidding? that's for free for us. >> we'll sneak in. we don't need your help. >> i need those other rez e reservations. >> staying in the other campground. >> what you got? giants looking to gain ground sending tim lincicome against the rockies and big blasts. take an early look into the action in denver as the giants start an important early season series. while the a's put one of their starting pitchers on the disabled list. hopefully not too much of a setback with some positives beginning to emerge at the coliseum. the sharks have a morning practice this morning and have left san jose for l.a. gamehree iss

you wouldn't imagine a love story sprouting from a beach from the trash. >> these are the agricultural ties used in the vineyards in napa, sonoma. >> but it was on a first date in point reyes' kehoe beach, richard and judith bonded over litter. >> we discovered independently of one another we had a few

years prior to that fateful meeting been collecting plastic pollution and making artwork out of it. >> since then, the now-married couple's weekly beach scavenger hundreds have yielded in an unending trove of art supplies. >> a ken arm and a barbie arm. >> those are the black combs. >> discarded plastic items become treasures in their west marin studio. >> the thrill is finding a pink pirate on the beach. >> these are all, you know, a certain kind of juice lid. >> spent shotgun shells, toothpaste lids, cigarette tips are all standard fare. >> usually in about an hour, hour and a half, we can collect four to five large shopping bags full. >> the joy comes from transforming ordinary litter into unusual art. some becomes jewelry. >> those are the pull tabs from milk or juice cartons. >> some arranged into

photographic prints. >> this is a toy airplane. >> a colorful fish comes to life with plastic lids. >> like any collector, you know, a stamp collector or a book collector, when you find the thing that you've been looking for, i mean, it's just a rush. here's -- this is a lighter from japan. here's one from china. >> they say they choose to find humor in what is actually a heartbreaking problem. >> there's no magical dream pipe where it's all going to go somewhere else. there is nowhere else. >> they hope their art will inspire others to see beauty in trash and perhaps to seek their own sandy treasures. >> we found two monopoly houses. i want to find a hotel. >> joe rosato jr., nbc bay area news. >> a juice carton bracelet. you want to take part in earth week along with us, you can join us thursday at emma prusch park in san jose. volunteers will be working to spruce up a community farm at

that point. bright and early, 8:30 in the morning. go to our website, nbcbayarea.com, and search bay area proud. all right. let's check in with jeff ranieri one more time to find out when we'll start seeing sunshine for our walk on the beach. >> yes. i take it you didn't like the cloudy skies today. >> well, it's easier to find those artons. >> yeah. give us an upgrade. >> tomorrow, back to california sunshine as we head into tuesday's forecast. right now, overcast skies and also some low clouds right at the coastline, 59 in oakland. winds southwest at 5 miles per hour. pretty humid out here today. we also just want to update you if you're tuning in, 3.7 earthquake earlier this afternoon, right along the peninsula, two miles to the southeast of pacifica. we've had three aftershocks, the largest at 2.4. power has also been restored in the area after about 10,000 people did lose power with this quake happening along the san andreas fault. we have some spotty showers across the bay area, the nature

of what we had today, some of you getting it, some not seeing too much. a few areas of showers across the san mateo bridge and a little to the north of hayward, but this is the last leg of this weak system we had today. we're going to continue to clear out as we head through tonight. right now, 68 hayward, 61, livermore, 61 in concord and still feeling kind of balmy with this humid flew out of the south. through tonight, humid air stays with us and throughout tuesday, the sun returns. that's the good news. and we're also going to get some warming temperatures in here before more rain coming back into our forecast. here's our satellite/radar picture, not too much left, a lot pushing to the south and east today that we saw in the way of rainfall. so here's the next storm system. well offshore. that's going to arrive on wednesday. and in between that for tomorrow we'll see this short-lived break, keep temperatures mild and warm them up inland with temperatures expected to pop into the low 70s. throughout wednesday by the evening hours, we do look at a chance of showers returning. as far as tomorrow morning goes, also a colder start.

we're looking at mid-40s as you wake up around 6:00 a.m. by 11:00 a.m., partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the upper 50s. also 43 in los gatos, colder with san rafael near 40. daytime highs tomorrow in the low 70s for morgan hill, also gilroy and santa teresa. 71 in evergreen, south san jose looking at temperatures near 70 along with los gatos. and for the peninsula we'll see numbers bumping up to the mid and the upper 60s. 69 in concord, 69 in san ramon. 69 in fairfield. and throughout the north bay also mid to upper 60s. you get more on this weather anytime on the weather channel on cable. you can look for travel delays there. look at the easter bunny hop. i worked hard on that tonight. >> cute. >> spent about 20 minutes making hip-hop to the other side of the screen. >> to sunday. >> so saturday and sunday clearing out, warming up and partly cloudy skies for the

easter holiday weekend. >> that's perfect. >> let's bring in laurence scott with sports. good evening. even this early the giants do not want to give up ground to rockies. with a sweep in colorado the giants could cut the lead to one. a great way to start, send tim lincicome to the hill. but before he headed out to the mount, two major blasts, path burrell with this three-run shot. his team-leading fifth home run of the season puts is the giants up 4-0. nate schierholtz getting this one. won't stop until the upper deck. a five-run opening frame for the giants. freddy sanchez added yet another homer, part of three more giants runs. right now, it's 8-0 giants in the fifth. comprehensive coverage of every bay area sports team is on comcast sports net bay area every night at 10:30, a full 30 minutes of coverage. go deep with sports central every night at 10:30.

riding a two-game win streak, the a's have the day off. tomorrow the boston red sox enter the coliseum to start a two-game series. the a's making a couple roster moves today. dallas brayton put on the 15-day disabled list. he's 1-1 on the season with a 3.00 e.r.a. not just him but rich harden transferred to the 60-day dl. he's been out since spring training with a strained right shoulder. it was also announced the team acquired lefty david percy from the blue jays, completing a trade that went down in november. before the red sox left boston for oakland and tomorrow night's game, they had a traditional late-morning matinee with toronto. jed lowrie had a monster day, 4 for 5 with four runs batted in including a two-run home run in the fifth that clears the green monster as the red sox roll to a 9-1 win. a terrible start to the season. they bring a three-game win streak to oakland. also in boston today, the fastest mar hon on this ever

run. a kenyan finished the boston marathon in 2:03:02, a great accomplishment that will likely not be recognized. while it was the fastest 26.2 ever recorded the governing body that certifies marathon records has ruled that mar on thes with downhill portions alded by wind can mott make for a win that would produce record times. thus the hilly terrain in boston, while challenging, only produced a winner today, not a world record. the feat unlikely to be certified. going downhill with wind at his back. total bummer. hockey, by no means are their backs against the wall. the sharks need a much different showing than they had in game two against the kings. today the sharks had one last tune-up before leaving for los angeles. ian white practicing, hopeful to return soon after the head injury suffered in game one. tomorrow is a pivotal game three at staples center.

the kings have been rattling the sharks' capables. they've gotten in the face of the goaltender goading the sharks with penalties that resulted in power plays. just making this a difficult thing two games in. all this putting the sharks behind the 8-ball in game two but not necessarily in the series, which is tied at 1-1. discipline part of what will help. but the sharks are pesky. but the kings have been finding a way to antagonize the sharks. all they need is to assert their game for the next two contests. ian white. >> got to give it a good push. you know, got to see if you can handle it. obviously going to be ten times quicker and a lot more physical. so really got to get in there. >> two days between games is a long time right now, especially after the -- you know, the game that we played the other day. there should be an overwhelming hunger even if we play a perfect game. if that's missing at this time of the year, we've got the wrong

group. >> they got the right group. they'll be back. game two was awful. they'll be back. >> that will be the one. >> i would hope. >> okay. >> a little less certain. >> if not, game four. >> that will be the one. >> game five.

restaurant ratings are huge these days and now san pellegrino, as in the water, is giving michelin's list a run for its money. the 2011 version of the world's 50 best restaurants actually lists more than 50. the napa valley's famed french laundry is 56. it was 32 last year. but the chef and owner thomas keller's new york restaurant, per se, is ranked number ten. the number-one restaurant on the list will cost you a plain ride. it's in denmark. love hurts even if it's tv love. temporary tv breakups can be distressing for some people. a new study looked at how college-age tv viewers responded when their favorite shows ended or took a hiatus. results show people who use their tv for companionship were affected the most and those affected with tv contact ters felt depressed when their

programs were off the air. instead of using the extra time to be with family or friends viewers watched reruns or went on online. thousands of north koreans celebrated the birthday of their country's founder in grand style. kim sung ill would have been 99 today. his birth remains one of the country's most important holidays. they put on a giant magic show, fill of illusionists, dancing bears and slapstick comedy. he was a big fan of magic and ordered the creation of the country's circus in 1952, in the middle of the korean war. should have just done a rerun and rerun that. >> or "southpark." >> thanks for joining us. see you at 11:00.

everyday politicians rant against california's taxes. we fall further behind the competition and stall the engine that made california great. i'm shaw shaw. . suzanne shaw. no one wants to pay more into a broken system, but the system still has to be fixed. our old rules on taxes and fees don't capture the new economy. businesses are hiring, yet state coffers are shrinking. california spends 28% less per person than five years ago. sales taxes missed the boat, xeming services, software down loads and event tickets. nbc bay area believes any serious effort to solve our cash

crisis has to include modernizing our revenue model. we need to take a hard look at our revenue problem, hold politicians accountable for solving it, and get rid of those who stand in the way. join the debate.