also, anxious to see some rain? you are going to like my forecast. i'm tracking some rain on the radar tonight. and there's an even stronger storm later-this week. >> thank you, jeff. also, spreading something other than holiday cheer. the arson investigation after someone set fire to the 50-foot-tall christmas tree at jack lemon square and why firefighters say it could have been much worse. the news at 11:00 starts right now. good evening, thanks for being with us, i'm raj mathai. >> i'm jessica aguirre. smash and grabs also impacting everyday shopping like the safeway or local restaurant. >> safeway is actually doing something about it but is their new approach scaring away some local shoppers? nbc bay area's jean elle with a look. >> reporter: you wouldn't know someone broke into the

restaurant this morning, unless you noticed the tarp and board on the front door. and saw a post on instagram saying someone stole the register at 4:00 a.m. it also says it's not the first time. >> have you ever seen any people stealing in here? >> aught time actually. >> businesses all over san francisco are experiencing theft. at safeway at market and church, customers say it's common. >> the old self-checkout, you would see people just walk out without paying. >> reporter: management has reduced store hours, closed a main entrance, locked up most products, and installed fencing inside. there is only one way in and one way out. the new layout is getting mixed reaction. >> i feel it is kind of weird they put that -- that get up there. >> it's safer. it feels safer. you know? and before, it was getting a little crazy. >> reporter: in a statement, safeway says in part, like other local businesses, we are working on ways to curtail escalating theft to ensure the wellbeing of our employees and to foster a welcoming environment for our

customers. security guards are visible. and to prevent shopping cart theft, not all of them are allowed outside. some say it doesn't go far enough. >> i am hoping that they can close the doors and keep people from escaping. >> reporter: murray heitzer says he wants thieves stopped in their tracks. he says he is worried the store will be closed if the trend continues. >> closing the store affects me personally. >> now, we are following some breaking news in the south bay. a deadly hit and run in east san jose. the driver took off. the victim died. at this point, no information on that victim's identity. also, breaking tonight. a deadly wreck in fremont. police say around 7:30, a box truck and motorcycle collided on boyce road between stephenson boulevard and stored avenue. that motorcyclist died. fremont police say the driver of the truck did stay there and is cooperating with the investigation. also tonight. we have dreary weather.

and we like it. we need it. fog, rain, and some more rain to come. here is a look at some live cams across the bay area. let's bring in chief meteorologist jeff ranieri who kicks off our week with some promising wet news. >> visibility still down to 2 and 3 miles you can see from our walnut creek camera and the air quality that's also unhealthy across the bay area except for the coastline. now, we are going to get some help from this system this is that is beginning to move in right now helping with that air quality and to give us a little bit of sun on the way tomorrow, there is not a lot of rainfall with it but just enough to stir up the atmosphere. now, this looks impressive but all the this down here is moving off toward the south away from us. so, i do expect from showers here in the northeast and south bay as we head into those early-morning hours. now, i want to get out way ahead of what is going to be coming our way. everything still looks good for what could be a stronger storm system by sunday night. also, into monday.

so, this excellent news for our drought and you are going to be able to see here how desperately we need it. while we didn't get that october record rainfall, we have been under a dry spell. we haven't seen a quarter inch of rain in 27 days but again, this pattern shift ahead could bring us significant rain next week. where totals could top 3 inches. i will have full details on this coming up in less than 15 minutes. >> what a downer this was. someone set fire to the huge christmas tree in oakland's jack london square but there are a couple things this grinch didn't count on. quick response by firefighters and the unbeatable holiday spirit. here is nbc bay area's terry mcsweeney. >> reporter: this is the beautifully decorated 52-foot christmas tree before someone torched it about 1:30 this morning and these are pictures of what it looked like after the fire. >> at this point, we are just trying to identify who it may have been, and it sounds like the surveillance in that area is quite strong. so, um, hopefully, it shouldn't

take too long to at least pin point what direction the person may have come from or who may have been involved. >> reporter: about 15% of the tree burned and some electrical wiring melted. it's so easily could have been a total loss, except for the quick action of firefighters from station 2 located just one block away. >> great job by the crew to get there quickly. uh, contain the blaze, prevent major structural impact on the tree, itself. >> reporter: the oakland interfaith gospel choir brought music to hundreds of people at the celebration in jack london square on saturday night. one night later, someone brought the wrong kind of spirit here. >> we were certainly shocked to learn about the tree this morning and having just sung beneath it on saturday. and our motto over the last two years, through all of the covid, things have been we will not stop singing. >> and the choir found out today the tree-lighting celebration planned for this-coming saturday

evening will go on as planned. >> it kind of a hit come, you know, we just gather around the spirit of gospel music. we -- we hold into our community. we lean into our community. >> reporter: terry mcsweeney, nbc bay area news. new at 11:00. warriors jersey and your kids' vaccine card. new covid protocols are now in effect at chase center. that's what you will need to bring and the announcement made right before tonight's game. kids 5 through 11 can show full proof of vaccination or negative covid test taken within three days of the game. previously, fans under 12 had just an option which was a negative test. kiddos join everyone 12 and older who must be vaccinated. same applies to the shark tank starting thursday. the sap center will be zg for proof of vaccination or a negative test for kids ages 3 to 11. sap says they will have testing at the arena for unvaccinated kids but the testing will start just an hour before doors open. so, they are encouraging you to

get your test early to avoid any delay getting in. there are some encouraging news now about the new omicron variant. preliminary studies from south africa indicate infections from omicron appear to be less severe than other earlier variants. this will certainly dictate what rules health leaders could impose or even loosen. here is nbc bay area's thom jensen. >> reporter: a medical expert who talked to nbc bay area about the initial findings on omicron warned these are very preliminary findings but businesses that have been fighting to survive during this pandemic will take any good news they can get. >> the signals are a bit encouraging regarding the severity but again got to hold judgment until we get more experience. >> reporter: like music to the ears of the manager of campbell's sushi confidential. >> we are always scared of new, you know, variants. >> reporter: on the heels of the deadly delta variant, monique gabriel worried omicron might be the next variant that sends

people to hospitals and ultimately closes businesses. but is now breeding a sigh of relief after hearing the early news. >> it's a good thing. it's -- it's a good thing. very good. >> reporter: medical experts across the world say the latest reports coming from south africa, where the variant accounts for most of the new infections, are promising. >> it seems that with initial reports -- >> dr. peter chin-hong, a ucsf professor, who specializes in infectious diseases says omicron is infecting people at a troubling and much faster rate. but the infected do not seem to be getting as sick as they do with delta and hospitalizations are not increasing at the same rate. >> it's probably what you would expect from the baseline rate of infections in the community. but they don't seem to be very severe, even if they're hospitalized. >> reporter: the jury is still out on the effectiveness of current vaccines. but there is no evidence they

don't work against the omicron variant. experts still agree vaccinations reduce the risk of illness and much higher vaccination rates globally may be the best solution to preventing more variants from threatening lives and commerce in the future. >> this is not the end of the story. as long as there are unvaccinated people around. >> thom jensen, nbc bay area news. >> tomorrow, teachers and staff an east bay school district will have to show proof they are vaccinated against covid. that starts tomorrow. west contra kos tra unified school district is one of the first districts in the bay area to issue that mandate. every teacher must be either fully vaccinated or have a valid exemption. if they don't, they could lose their job. exempt employees will be required to take a pcr covid test weekly. the district, like many, is struggling with a teacher shortage, and a lot of people worried that the mandate would make that worse. but the teachers' union says,

no, it's having the opposite effect. >> we actually think it's helped our staffing shortage and we are actually finding people wanting to teach in west contra costa because of the vaccine mandate making them feel safer being able to teach here. >> now, the president of the united teachers of richmond says 99% of its 1,600 members are vaccinated. as for the students, they, too, must be fully vaccinated or exempted by january 3rd. or they will need to go back to distance learning. from vaccines to variants, we continue to put owl all our reporting online. check it out, nbcbayarea.com. you can find out the latest covid air travel rules, as well as the most up to date headlines oh on omicron. today, a show of support for san francisco district attorney chesa boudin. a rally organized by the san francisco rising action fund. the nonprofits behind this event represent working-class communities of color, who say boudin has a vision for criminal justice reform that will serve all communities.

they say the recall is an attempt to undo efforts to dismantle a system that disproportionately impacts low-income communities and people 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. your votes matter. >> the recall election is this-coming june. a top republican from california is giving up his congressional seat to head up former president trump's new social media company. representative devin nunes from the house intelligence committee, set to become the ceo of trump media and technology group. that announcement came today, after documents revealed that a company planning to merge with trump media had been contacted recently by the s.e.c. for more information on that merger. nunes, who has represented the san joaquin valley for nearly 20 years, is expected to start in january. who is going to replace retiring congresswoman jackie

speier? today, she endorsed state assembly member kevin mullin. mullin, a democrat, was elected to the state assembly in 2012 and became speaker pro tem in 2014. he was previously a city council member, and mayor of south san francisco. >> i enthusiastically and unequivocally announce my endorsement of kevin mullin to replace me in the house of represent ifbs. >> jackie has honored us with a public service legacy of accomplishment and distinction that will rank among the giants that have served america in the people's house. >> the 14th district, which includes parts of san mateo and san francisco counties is being redrawn by the redistricting commission to include more of san a mateo county. mullin isn't the only running for the congressional seat. the field also includes fellow democrats, san mateo county supervisor david canepa.

emily beach. entrepreneur, andrew waters. and republican educator gus mattammal. the primary election is in june. the top two will then advance to the november general election. we are back in a minute. ahead, growing backlash tonight after workers at a san francisco restaurant asked three police officers to leave. the message police supporters had for the business even after the owners apologized. and how much would you pay to fly to space? a silicon valley venture capitalist is blast off on jeff bezos's rocket? so what did he pay and who is he bringing with him? and i am tracking a few showers from fremont to livermore, on storm ranger. plus, what i know about that stronger storm coming our way when it comes to wind, snow, and also that rain. i am back with that in about six minutes.

the search for a killer in the east bay. a shooting took place around

10:30 last night along 7th and 8th street in union city. police say when they arrived they found a man shot several times inside a parked car. investigators are identifying him as 35-year-old tyrrell martin of union city. if you know or saw anything, you are asked to call the police. well, for many people, it's apology not accepted. the backlash continues tonight against that san francisco restaurant that refused to serve three cops. nbc bay area's ginger conejero saab is in north beach. >> reporter: today, steve set up shop right in front of the hilda and jesse restaurant with a very blunt message. his sign reads looters welcomed. >> tired of the way the police are being treated. something goes wrong here, burglary, robbery, whatever, who are they going to call? >> giselli tells us he is a fourth-generation san franciscoen who is upset this restaurant asked three uniformed officers to leave the business on friday. saying their weapons made people uncomfortable.

>> don't be a bad policeman but the way they are being treated in the media and -- and, like, restaurants or establishments like this is just wrong. >> reporter: he and others who stopped to chat with him say this restaurant went too far. but not the owner of oakland coffee shop who in 2018 made national headlines for asking oakland police to leave his shop. >> a lot of folks who do that are afraid to come out and say, you know, the presence of the police and their history of brutality, history of corruption, um, makes us very uncomfortable. >> reporter: they say they experienced what they describe as intimidation after their decision as well. but unlike hilda and jesse, they say they had an overwhelming number of people who were in support of their decision to exclude police.

>> we had, um, letters and phone calls of support honestly over the time and materially, that support ended up lending us the ability to purchase our building, and give long-term stability. >> reporter: today, we couldn't reach hilda and jesse's owners but over the weekend, as criticism grew, they did issue a statement that read, in part, we made a mistake and apologize for the unfortunate incident on friday when we asked members from the sfpd to leave our restaurant. police officers in the area that we spoke to say they were shocked to hear about what happened. they say north beach tends to be very officer friendly. in san francisco, ginger conejero saab, nbc bay area news. >> planning ahead for bay area roads to be even busier than they are now. mta opened two new parking lots near the bay bridge. this is video one of the lots in albany on buchanan street. right under 80 -- i-80. the other is on fruitvale

avenue. use transit like the bus or bart to cross the bridge for work. lots are gated, patrolled by security to give drivers some peace of mind. four cities in san mateo cointy are changing the way law enforcement handles a mental health crisis. dispatchers now have the option of sending out a mental health clinician on police calls. that clinician can try to find a way to resolve a mental health crisis without sending a person to jail or the hospital. >> if i go in and say you know, let's get your mom in here, let's get your dad in here, let's getory community in here and figure out a plan going forward and that sets them up for success going forward. >> this program will be reviewed independently by stanford university. the county and cities are spending 1.5 million bucks over two years for this pilot program. >> okay. stiff water rules could be on the way. as the drought shows no signs of letting up. the governor is on the brink of

bringing in new statewide rules. here are some of the examples. it would be illegal to wash your car without a shut-off nozzle. no hosing off the driveway, side walk or patio. now, some individual cities currently have similar rules already and the fine, if you break these? $500. the state water board will vote on the new rules january 4th. okay. ski season also suffering in this drought right now there's still barely any snow in lake tahoe. most resorts remain closed, forced to delay their opening weekends. rest are simply praying for snow. and how long will they have to keep praying? jeff ranieri is here to answer some questions. >> i think, you know, anyone who's got plans there for christmas, definitely, would be looking at snow the way things are shaping up for us now. so, that is some good news. we will see some snow move to the sierra once we hit thursday, about 2 to 7 inches. then, much, much more early-next week. now, currently we do have a system moving over. it looks pretty impressive here

but all this is moving off toward the south away from us. so i do see some spotty showers, to he, over the north bay, east bay, south bay, and peninsula as we head into those early morning hours. most consistent over marin, napa, and sonoma. as we head into tomorrow morning nor for that commute, we are definitely going to be on the drying side of this. but yes, we are going to start with more cloud cover. i know a lot of you are sick and tired of it. you want to get some sun in here if we can't get any heavy rain and it is looking like we try to see some sun break through tomorrow. and then, make it a better day for ya. but i tell you what, keep that jacket handy because it's going to start off on the cold side. down to 46 in the tri-valley. south bay, 49. east bay, headed out there we got 48 there. san francisco, 51. north bay, 46. daytime highs tomorrow, really going to struggle to warm upment only upper 50s to low 60s. so, jacket weather all day long. you can see up into the north bay, 62 in santa rosa. back to concord, 61. low 60s up the peninsula and

half moon bay, 59. so the recent showers we are dealing with right now, that is good for the immediate fire danger but we need a lot more and we have been telling you for weeks that the mid-to end of month looked really promising to sea those rainfall chances pick up. and we are still seeing that as we look into the next ten days. now, right now we are going to move ahead toward the next strongest storm system ask looks like that is definitely going to start to come in sunday night. and really, hit us monday. based on what we see right now. so, what i want to show you is what this could bring us. again, this is way early out. we are definitely going to see some timing and intensity changes. but just to get you prepared and thinking about the storm system. again, sunday night into monday, we are looking at three-quarters of an inch to three inches. some of those valleys down in the south bay would be less. north bay, coast, east bay, peninsula, definitely could be in the 2 to 3 inch range and wind, 20 to 30 miles per hour. we may also need to think about small stream flooding and also street areas where those drains always tend to get clogged.

sierra snow, 2 to 4 feet. you can count on me, i am going to keep you up to date on this each and every day. few more shower chances wednesday and thursday. dry, friday saturday. and then, there is that heavy rainfall sunday and monday. and get ready for the big chill, too. don't want to leave this out. friday and saturday morning, we are down in the 30s. so, cold, cold, cold. raj and jessica, get those, you know, heavier jackets you got out. haven't been able to wear in a while. >> she has a whole winter wardrobe she brings out. >> always looking good. >> thank, jeff. >> thank you, jeff. >> you got it. well, happening now. a strong storm battering the hawaiian islands. forecasters are predicting many communities will see 10, maybe 15 inches of rain while some isolated areas could actually see something between 20 and 25. wind gusts of 50 miles an hour are also possible. and there is a blizzard warning also in effect for hawaii's big island. a state of emergency has been declared. we are back with more.

seeking solutions to an ongoing violence. we speak with an oakland leader about the actions they now hope to take and the key meeting set on that issue. plus, a contra costa county school teacher is facing a vaccine mandate daeline. tomorrow morning, 4:30 to 7:00. this is elodia. she's a recording artist. 1 of 10 million people that comcast has connected to affordable internet in the last 10 years. and this is emmanuel, a future recording artist, and one of the millions of students we're connecting throughout the next 10. through projectup, comcast is committing $1 billion so millions more students, past... and present, can continue to get the tools they need to build a future of unlimited possibilities.

from one moment to the next, our kids become the most important part of our lives. and even though the years pass, that never changes. we never stop worrying about them. that's why it's important to have health insurance. with covered california, we got a plan we could afford. it includes free preventive care, like cholesterol and blood-pressure checkups. because even though they grow up, they'll always be your baby. covered california. this way to health insurance. enroll by december 31st at coveredca.com. this holiday season, we want to enjoy the gift of being together. for peace of mind, take the first step in knowing. because it might just be a cold, but you want to be confident. the binaxnow covid-19 antigen self test has the same technology used by doctors and detects multiple variants. so in just 15 minutes, you can test, know, and go. available in stores and online. ♪ ♪

okay. how much would you pay for a ticket to space? how about 28 million bucks? a silicon valley dad is buying two tickets for him and his son so that's -- >> wow. >> 56 million bucks? >> do they have economy premium. >> the next blue origin launch is set for this thursday. that is jeff bezos's space company. among those onboard, lane bess and his son cameron bess. lane is venture capitalist and former ceo of palo alto networks. he has been fascinated with space ever since he was a kid. >> this is one, which was the most unexpected and the most spectacular opportunity, so why not grab that?

>> why not? that was part of our exclusive interview with him earlier today. he got the tickets by bidding on them at an auction. he is not telling us exactly what he paid but did tell us it is in the ballpark of 28 mill per ticket. >> big tech also trying to save butterflies. google giving a grant of $30,000 to help save the monarch butterfly. one of the many species threatened by climate change. a new habitat is set to be built at shore lines wild life and recreation area. that habitat will be done next year. up next, we are going to tell you why the next couple games are so important for steph curry. we will show you what he did tonight. stay with us.

(background talking and laughing) ♪ ♪ (child) ...some people just go there immediately... at kaiser permanente, your entire care team is connected. so even a routine appointment can save your life. i am so glad you did this mammogram, so we can detect it early. everything looks great with your eyes,

and i see you're due for a mammogram. should we schedule it? oh yeah that'd be great. a leader in the prevention, early detection and treatment of cancer. i didn't have to shout out for help. because you didn't have another dvt. not today. one blood clot puts you at risk of having another, so we chose xarelto®, to help keep you protected. xarelto® is proven to treat and reduce the risk of dvt or pe blood clots from happening again. almost 98% of people did not have another dvt or pe. don't stop taking xarelto® without talking to your doctor, as this may increase risk of blood clots. while taking, a spinal injection increases risk of blood clots, which may cause paralysis. you may bruise more easily or take longer to stop bleeding. xarelto® can cause serious and in rare cases, fatal bleeding. it may increase your bleeding risk if you take certain medicines. get help right away for unexpected bleeding or unusual bruising. don't take xarelto® if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures and any kidney or liver problems. help protect yourself from another dvt or pe.

ask your doctor about xarelto®. to learn more about cost, visit xarelto.com or call 1-888-xarelto the warriors usually focus on team goals but occasionally, they think about an individual milestone that may be worth, you know, everybody making an effort to make sure it happens. >> especially, if the individual's stef curry. he needed 23 more three-pointers to become the nba's all-time leader. tonight, he got seven. so, 23 minus seven. 16 more he needs to brake ray alan's record. at chase center tonight, watch this shot. half court, he hits it. magical shot.

warriors in the magic here. steph likes it. the star of this game, though, was andrew wiggins. he was eight for ten from three-point land, including this three here. warriors bounce back after their loss over the weekend to the spursment they beat orlando tonight, 126-95. all right. women's soccer, we had a national championship on the santa clara campus tonight. only problem, it wasn't santa clara. broncos were eliminated in the semi-s. so, tonight's championship match, byu and florida state and there you go, florida state wins it on penalty kicks. congratulations to the -- >> down to the wire. >> congrats to the seminoles. they are national champions for the third time in their school's history. all right. so what now for the 49ers? well, you got to clean up mistakes. yesterday in seattle, it was messy but the 9ers are very much alive in the playoff race next sunday, they're in cincinnati. monday night football, hello to bill belichick. remember when the patriots lost tom brady and were no longer relevant?

wrong. they have the best record in the afc. they're still really good. tonight in buffalo, because of the hafb heavy wind and freezing temperature, they threw the ball only three times. damien harris just ran it. 64-yard td run there. new england beats buffalo, 14-10. hey, angie! you forgot your phone! hey lou! angie forget her phone again? yep. lou! mom said she could save up to $400 on her wireless bill by switching to xfinity internet and mobile. with nationwide 5g at no extra cost. and lou! on the most reliable network, lou! smart kid, bill. oh oh so true. and now, the moon christmas special. gotta go! take the savings challenge at xfinitymobile.com/mysavings or visit an xfinity store to learn how our switch squad makes switching fast and easy this holiday season.

how do i know that you're not a weirdo? ♪ confessing, yeah ♪ ♪ oh, i've been shaking ♪ ♪ i love it when you go crazy ♪ what are you doing? ♪ baby, there's nothing holdin' me back ♪

i knew you were a weirdo. okay, people's choice awards are tomorrow. it is going to be a star-studded affair. among the stars, vallejo native and academy award winning singer h.e.r. will take the stage to perform. a tribute to marvin gaye in honor of the release of that iconic record, what's going on. the award show will be hosted by kenan thompson. ♪ what's going on ♪ >> and you can watch the people's choice awards tomorrow night right here on nbc bay area. >> going to the newsroom listening to that. thanks for joining us tonight. have a great day tomorrow. >> bye-bye. [ cheers and applause ♪ >> steve: from studio 6b in rockefeller center, in the