in hayward and 5 miles in san jose. you might have noticed headaches, itchy eyes, problems with breathing. we've got unhealthy air over the north bay and south bay. i think a system is going to stir up the air a little bit. we have very light rain. we're going to talk more about this and what could be a stronger storm. we've been telling you about rain chances, should be picking up mid month, i'll have details in about 15 minutes. >> you can download our app where you can get up-to-the-minute updates and track live radar to see when the rain will hit your neighborhood. it was mistake, that's what the owners of a san francisco restaurant, hilda and jesse, are saying tonight after they refused to serve some police

officers. it doesn't look like everyone is ready to accept that mea culpa. >> reporter: this restaurant has faced a mountain of criticism for their decision, and it seems their weekend apology hasn't put an end to the controversy. looters welcomed. that's provocative message we found a man holding outside the hilda and jesse restaurant today. >> i was hoping the restaurant was open, but i'll come back. >> reporter: steve, a fourth generation san franciscan who wanted to speak up in support of police officers. he's upset that this restaurant asked three uniformed officers to leave the business on friday, with employees saying the officers' weapons made people uncomfortable. >> i'm tired of the way police are being treated. something goes on here, burglary, robbery, whatever, who are they going to call? >> reporter: steve and a steady stream of others who stopped to chat with him say the restaurant went too far. today we couldn't reach the

restaurant owners, but we do know they had a change of message over the weekend. they issued a statement saying we made a mistake and apologize for the unfortunate incident on friday when we asked members of the sfpd to leave our restaurant. we are grateful to all members of the force who work to keep us safe during challenging times. we hope this will be a teachable moment for us as we repair and continue to build bridges with the sfpd, we handled this badly. but for steve, the apology isn't enough. >> they already made their point. and just because you say you're sorry doesn't mean that you're sorry. >> reporter: police officers that we spoke to were shocked to hear about what happened, they say north beach tends to be very officer friendly. ginger conejero saab, nbc bay area news. now to the coronavirus pandemic and the battle to stay ahead of the new variant is

intensifying. new cases being detected in new states every day. early data shows that omicron is spreading faster than delta and may be more likely to cause reinfections but appears to be less severe. >> the signals are encouraging regarding severity. but we have to withhold judgment until we get more experience. >> and new air travel rules took effect to help curb the spread of omicron. you'll need a negative covid test within 24 hours of departure. quick antigen tests will be accepted. not all self-tests are qualified. you need a telemedicine represent to witness your test. the fans of the sharks will need more than a ticket to watch. they will need vaccinations.

the new rules start this thursday in time for the sharks game with the minnesota wild. sap is offering free test but are recommending kids get tested early. >> our positivity rate has been teetering between 2% and 3%. today it dipped down slightly to 2.2. let's bring in dr. peter chin hong from ucsf. hi, i hope you had a nice weekend. thank you for joining us. let's begin with omicron. still early to tell, it seems more contagious but less severe? >> yes, we do know from european data, from the cases they found, half were asymptomatic. half very mild. we've seen that in the first case in the u.s. in the bay

area. very mild symptoms. and today we got reports from the first time from south africa in the hospital showing that people came in with omicron, 70% no oxygen needed as opposed to the regular situation where almost everybody we'd see in the hospital with regular covid requires oxygen. many came in for something else. again, very little in terms of conclusively death ascribed to omicron, but early days. it takes two to three weeks from infection to getting very ill. so we're watching and crossing our fingers. >> yes, we're just developing these cases in a handful of states. and we know right now most of the hospitalizations or all of them so far, people are infected with delta. people are hearing, okay, don't panic, just take precautions, people are not getting that sick. what would you say about the vaccine, getting vaccinated? is it still crucial, especially

during this time? >> it's so crucial, janelle, because, again, we're focussed on omicron, because it's the latest and the greatest, but delta is still the vicious bulldog accounting for more than 99% of cases, the lion's share of deaths. we're seeing more than a thousand cases. it's beginning to go up after thanksgiving. so getting vaccinated, getting boosted are very important. not just for now but for the future as well. >> would you recommend anything else besides the usual precautions of masking up, social distancing, washing your hands, stick with the basics, anything else you would recommend with the holidays coming up? >> i would say the only other thing i would add is don't defer any of the plans you've made, particularly if it's domestic. if it's international you'd have to worry a little bit, because if you got infected you'd be

stuck because you need the negative test to come back into the country. but personally, i'm not changing any of my holiday plans. i waited all this time to see family and friends, and i'm not going to do anything differently, because i'm boosted. i know what to do. i'm going indoors, it's crowded. i'm wearing a mask, i'm wearing a mask on the plane but nothing special. >> good reminders that you can spend some time with your family this holiday. dr. peter chin hong, thank you for your time. tomorrow is the deadline day for all teachers a and staff in the west contra costa district to show proof that they are vaccinated. will it mean a loss of teachers? the teachers union think it is will be just the opposite. >> reporter: when students head to class tomorrow in the west contra costa unified school district, they can feel

confident knowing nearly all of their teachers are vaccinated or testing regularly. that's because they issued a mandate, teachers, staff and volunteers must show proof of vaccination or get a medical or religious exemption. if not, they'll face termination. the district will provide testing. but in a district struggling with a serious teacher shortage, some wonder if the mandate will prompt more teachers to leave. >> i think it will be the opposite. i think many of our educators chose to stay teaching in contra costa because of the mandate. they felt a lot safer knowing that their colleagues would be vaccinated. >> reporter: the union represents 1600 members. as of december 2nd, 85% of all

district staff, including substitutes have been fully vaccinated. the district declined to talk with us on camera today, but issued a statement saying in part, as the pandemic continues, we want our students back for their social and emotional well-being. learning and development. and the wonderful experience of our schools. the vaccination mandates are one layer of protection to help ensure everyone's safety. the district has also issued a mandate for students. under the new policy, students ages 12 and up must be fully vaccinated by january 3rd to continue in-person learning. in richmond, marianne favro, nbc bay area news. we're going to continue our reporting on the omicron variant online. can you head to nbcbayarea.com where you can find the latest travel rules and up to date headlines on omicron of. it wasn't the grinch or

scrooge but an arsonist. someone set this christmas tree on fire. now the oakland fire department is investigating. it is not stopping the upcoming tree lighting ceremony. it's still set for saturday. a show of support for district attorney of san francisco, chesa boudin. the rally took place and was organized by the san francisco rising action fund. the non-profit behind the event represents working class communities in san francisco. they say boudin has a vision for criminal justice reform. and they criticize the recall efforts as an attempt to undo the d.a.'s efforts to dismantle a system that disproportionately impacts low-income communities and those of color. >> this has nothing to do with the facts or the real challenges our communities are facing.

this has everything to do with disrespecting the will of the people. but your votes matter. >> he is facing a second recall attempt. the second signature-gathering effort has qualified for the primary election in june of next year. a former silicon valley ceo is about to go into space. scott budman talks with the tech mogul about to embark on an out of this world journey on a story you'll only see on nbc bay area. we are heading into winter, but where is the snow? how a handful of ski resorts are dealing with bare slopes. and we are tracking the return of some rain. i'll have full details on that and an update on when the snow is going to get here in about eight minutes.

when it comes to flooring, i'm hard to please. so, i go to floor & decor where i find every imaginable tile, wood, laminate or stone without compromising my design. cause one aisle doesn't cut it. i need an entire store. explore floor & decor in person or online.

starting today, four cities in san mateo county are changing the way dispatchers respond to crisis. they have the option of sending out a mental health clinician on police calls. the hope is they will deescalate calls. instead of sending that person to jail or a hospital for a mental health hold. >> if i go in and say let's get your mom in here, your dad in here or your community in here. >> the county and cities could spend $1.5 million over two years on this program. stanford university will

independently evaluate it. a venture capitalist is about to be launched into space. >> scott budman joins us now. and you talked one on one with this tech mogul and his decision to not buy one but two tickets to space. >> he is not a famous actor or athlete, but around silicon valley, he's well-known as a tech executive and venture capitalist. he's about to be launched into space. when blue origin next launches it will carry a ton of technology along with one of the more successful tech venture capitalists. >> i didn't think this would be something that would be possible in my lifetime. >> reporter: he was 8 when apollo landed on the moon. >> this was one of the most spectacular and unexpected opportunities, so why not grab

that? >> reporter: and he grabbed it. the vc, known for successful tech investment says buying two tickets is a great investment, both for the company and for him to bond with his son, cameron. >> i got a kick. so many of my associates have reached out to me and said, okay, you dropped the mic on the father and son road trip of the year. >> reporter: and, about the cost? >> you know, you mentioned that this was the high-bid in an auction. what does it cost to go into space today? >> well, i'm not at liberty to answer that question. >> reporter: he's not divulging that yet, but his investments go toward helping the rest of us someday travel into space. >> i'm deeply interested to see how i can take some of my experience and success and enthusiasm to invest into this space, to make it more atapable for a lot more people.

>> and about that price. we investigated. yes. tom hanks of the bay area, recently asked about a seat on blue origin, he said, nah, he's not going to pay $28 million. he says hanks was on the right track. >> wow. >> he also expects to see more launches like the one coming up on thursday, and the prices will soon, he thinks, come down, but eventually, we'll be able to try. >> $28 million? >> we got a long way to go until a grand. thank you very much, scott. let's talk about the rain moving in right now. it will hopefully get ski season off to a good start, but doesn't look very good. the lifts are operating in just three of the 15 ski resort the. they say climate change is warming things up, so it's harder for the snow to stick

around. >> right now, tahoe resorts have beefed up their snow making. jeff, when's it going to get to a point where it's not druzle drizzle and dreariness. >> once we roll around to thursday it does look good for the sierra to pick up 2-7 inches, and beyond this, we've been telling you about the chance of a stronger storm mid to end of the month, and it looks like it's going to line up. we're talking about feet, maybe up as high as four-plus feet. so good news on the way to the sierra. let's get you to what's happening right now. we've clouds, poor air quality, fog. it's just been kind of gross outside. but we do have this system off to the north. it's going to bring us a chance of showers, stir up the air.

i think we'll have improved air quality, look at storm range are, light to moderate showers over the north bay. nothing too heavy, but if you're traveling in marin, napa, sonoma counties, do watch out for wet roadways. i am anticipating everyone to have a chance of spotty rainfall. as we roll through tomorrow morning, we're going to start it off, as you can see, cloudy again. but by 11:00, we should see a little bit of sun breaking out of the rainfall totals, trace amounts to .2 of an inch. very light rainfall totals. but hey, at least it's something to keep the fire danger down for now. we're going to start it off chilly. lots of 40s to low 50s. going to feel kind of damp.

you may need a couple layers to feel comfortable tomorrow. daytime highs tomorrow going to struggle to warm up. get the favorite jacket out. you'll be able to wear it all day long. 63 in morgan hill, 60 martinez. 63 in napa. i've been hearing from so many of you, when, when are we going to see things pick up. right now what i can tell you is an atmospheric river looks like it is going to be forming the way things are playing out now, sunday night but really hitting us into monday, early estimates with that, three quarters to three inches. rain shadowing in our valleys, but north bay coastal mountains could be in the three-inch mark. maybe higher. we're going to update you as we get closer. we see timing and intensity changes. wednesday and thursday, another

chance for spotty showers. and there's that heavier rain sunday and monday, and look at this. frosty weather friday and saturday morning. we are down into the 30s. so you got to remember about those pipes outside that are exposed. make sure to get those wrapped. i got this really cool thing that you plug in and it's a cable. and it has a thermostat, it constantly monitors temperatures to keep them from freezing. it's pretty cheap, too. >> and do you install those for people, too? >> sure, why not. it's super easy, very diy. . doing up, protecting the monarch butterfly, and a silicon valley giant that's helping.

♪ i see trees of green ♪ ♪ red roses too ♪ ♪ i see them bloom for me and you ♪ (music) ♪ so i think to myself ♪ ♪ oh what a wonderful world ♪

- i'm norm. - i'm szasz. [norm] and we live in columbia, missouri. we do consulting, but we also write. [szasz] we take care of ourselves constantly; it's important. we walk three to five times a week, a couple miles at a time. - we've both been taking prevagen for a little more than 11 years now. after about 30 days of taking it, we noticed clarity that we didn't notice before. - it's still helping me. i still notice a difference. prevagen. healthier brain. better life.

a top republican from california is giving up a congressional seat to head up former president trump's new social media company. devin nunes from the house intelligence committee is set to become the ceo of trump media and technology group. the announcement came today after documents revealed that a company planning to merge with trump media had been contacted by the fcc with more information. nunez who has represented the san joaquin valley. >> jackie speier announced that she's leaving politics. she made the announcement that

she's throwing her support behind kevin mullin. mullin, was elected to the state assembly and became speaker pro tem. he served as her district director when she was state senator. >> i enthusiastically and unequivocally announce my endorsement of kevin mullin to replace me in the house of representatives. >> jackie has honored us with a public service record among the giants that have served america in the people's house. >> the 14th district includes parts of san mateo and san francisco counties. it's been redrawn by the california citizens redistricting commission to include more of san mateo county. the draft map includes a city in mullin's district along with half moon bay, daley city and

part of san francisco. the field also includes fellow democrats, david canepa, emily beach, andrew watters and gus matammal. a bay area tech giant is jumping in to help save the monarch butterfly. google is building a habitat. there will be butterfly-friendly plants and areas for breeding. the habitat will be completed next year. when we come back, we'll introduce you to a holiday teen getting into the holiday spirit.

well, one south bay teenager is using lessons learned from her own life struggles to give back. >> 15-year-old jewel struggles with a rare auto inflammatory illness that affects one in a million kids.

for years, she saved her own money along with some donations to get gifts for others. she is helping provide temporary housing to those in crisis to help get them back on their feet. it's always amazing to see someone who struggles on their own give back to others. >> quite the inspirational teenager. restrictions are tightening in the bay area and across the united states as covid cases continue to rise. new testing has gone into effect at all airports. the delta variant remains the biggest threat. >> we have about 90,000 to 100,000 cases per day in the united states, an 99%