♪ robert handa: hello, welcome to a holiday "asian pacific america" show. i'm robert handa, your host for our show here on nbc bay area and cozi tv. today we feature a music legend, june kuramoto, who along with husband dan kuramoto, formed the iconic band hiroshima. june, our first musical guest when we launched our show five years ago, plays the traditional instrument, the koto, but in a very contemporary style. she's branching off with solo efforts and we caught up with her at the hakone foundation gala at hakone gardens in saratoga where, along with band mate, kimo cornwell, she showed off her ever-expanding skills. we talked to her about it, about hiroshima, and about music. robert: you knew, of course, there wasn't that many japanese american or asian american groups and then kind of playing the kind of music you were playing. did you have that feeling at the time that you were breaking ground or, of course, you were just trying to make it too, weren't you? june kuramoto: yeah, we were just trying to do something and not having any predecessors to fol

robert handa: hello, and welcome to "asian pacific america." i'm robert handa, your host for our show here on nbc bay area and cozi tv. today we start with "loveboat, taipei," a novel about first love, family obligations, and the transition into adulthood by a bay area writer with her own interesting life story; then we explore the brazen attacks on older asian americans in san francisco and how to get the api community involved in the criminal justice system; next to listen for life, how musicians worldwide are working together to save their musical culture and traditions; and fittingly we end with a guitarist from listen for life, eric wang from san jose. all that on our show today.son intriguing story, and it is. the novel is getting rave reviews and is already a barnes and noble young adult book club pick for winter 2020. not bad for a first time novelist, abigail hing wen. born to a family of immigrants; mom from the philippines, dad from indonesia, abigail went on to graduate from harvard and columbia law school and now works in silicon v

i'm robert handa, your host for our show here on nbc bay area and cozi tv. today we feature a music legend, june kuramoto, who along with husband dan kuramoto, formed the iconic band hiroshima. june, our first musical guest when we launched our show five years ago, plays the traditional instrument, the koto, but in a very contemporary style. she's branching off with solo efforts and we caught up with her at the hakone foundation gala at hakone gardens in saratoga where, along with band mate, kimo cornwell, she showed off her ever-expanding skills. we talked to her about it, about hiroshima, and about music. robert: you knew, of course, there wasn't that many japanese

robert handa: hello, and welcome to "asian pacific america." i'm robert handa, your host for our show here on nbc bay area and cozi tv. today we start with "loveboat, taipei," a novel about first love, family obligations, and the transition into adulthood by a bay area writer with her own interesting life story; then we explore the brazen attacks on older asian americans in san francisco and how to get the api community involved in the criminal justice system; next to listen for life, how musicians worldwide are working together to save their musical culture and traditions; and fittingly we end with a guitarist from listen for life, eric wang from san jose. all that on our show today.son intriguing story, and it is.

i'm robert handa, your host for our show here robert handa: hello, "asian pacific america." on nbc bay area and cozi tv. today, an iconic film festival and an iconic local leader. it's time for the silicon valley asian pacific film festival, celebrating its fifth year of showcasing a wide variety of asian american and pacific islander films, fulfilling its mission to connect and inspire communities through stories. one of the festival organizers and one of the featured filmmakers will join us today. and a local leader we've wanted to have on the show for quite some time, assembly member ash kalra will be with us today. he is the first indian-american to serve in the california legislature, but before that, he was a deputy public defender, san jose council member, and throughout it all a dedicated community activist. we'll talk to him about his life and get his insights on what is

i'm robert handa, your host for our show here on nbc bay area and cozi tv. we start with one of the most important issues facing asian americans and pacific islanders: the 2020 census. why it's so crucial the community is involved and gets counted. then i once mentored a young man in tv news, now on a mission to get his own talk show; hopefully not mine. toan lam is back to tell us how it's going. next, author, model, and former pageant queen ashley chu is here to talk about her multi-faceted life and her newest book, the next segment of her travel series, "550,000 miles." and the spectacular stage show, shen yun show, is coming back to the bay, bringing the history of china to life. all that on our show today.

robert handa: hello, and welcome to "asian pacific america." i'm robert handa, your host for our show here on nbc bay area and cozi tv. we start with one of the most important issues facing asian americans and pacific islanders: the 2020 census. why it's so crucial the community is involved and gets counted. then i once mentored a young man in tv news, now on a mission to get his own talk show; hopefully not mine. toan lam is back to tell us how it's going. next, author, model, and former pageant queen ashley chu is here to talk about her multi-faceted life and her newest book, the next segment of her travel series, "550,000 miles." and the spectacular stage show, shen yun show, is coming back to the bay, bringing the history of china to life. all that on our show today. we've done quite a few shows on census 2020 because so much is riding on the results, especially for the asian american and pacific islander communities. to talk about what's at stake and how the community can help is tim olson, associate director for field operations for the u

robert handa flipping a big switch. we'll show you. here, it all starts with a simple... hello! hi! how can i help? a data plan for everyone. everyone? everyone. let's send to everyone! wifi up there? uhh. sure, why not? how'd he get out?! a camera might figure it out. that was easy! glad i could help. at xfinity, we're here to make life simple. easy. awesome. so come ask, shop, discover at your local xfinity store today. ...6, 7, 8 ♪ ♪ ♪ big dreams start with small steps... ...but dedication can get you there. so just start small... start saving. , ack and control your goals ♪ ♪ chase. make more of what's yours®. >>> we're following breaking news in emeryville. a potentially hazardous situation at a biotech lab. our sky ranger above the scene above that lab on hollow street. here is what we know. people at the lab were conducting a experiment and something caught fire and it was quickly contained but firefighters evacuated the lab. hazmat crews are on-site. we'll keep you updated. >>> and coming up on "nightly news," one police department goes high-tech to catch porch pi

live near los gatos, robert handa. >>> if you don't like our weather, here's perspective for you. heavy snow and freezing rain slamming the northeast last night. it was the east coast's first major snowstorm of the season. the severe weather forced nearly 10,000 flights to be cancelled. also you see the icy roads? millions of people were stranded just trying to get home after thanksgiving. what a mess. more snow and high winds are expected to hit the midwest and northeast tonight. >>> well, president trump and the first lady have arrived in london to attend the 70th anniversary of nato. the trip comes as the president faces growing pressure at home. the next step of the impeachment hearing coming wednesday. during the second day of nato meetings back in washington the house intelligence report goes to the judiciary committee. that happens tomorrow. but the president has refused the committee's invitation to allow his attorney to attend calling the proceedings a hoax. democrats will focus on abuse of power charges, accusing the president of withholding aid to force investigation in

i'm robert handa, your host for our show here robert handa: hello, "asian pacific america." on nbc bay area and cozi tv. today, an iconic film festival and an iconic local leader. it's time for the silicon valley asian pacific film festival, celebrating its fifth year of showcasing a wide variety of asian american and pacific islander films, fulfilling its mission to connect and inspire communities through stories. one of the festival organizers and one of the featured filmmakers will join us today. and a local leader we've wanted to have on the show for quite some time, assembly member ash kalra will be with us today. he is the first indian-american to serve in the california legislature, but before that, he was a deputy public defender, san jose council member, and throughout it all a dedicated community activist. we'll talk to him about his life and get his insights on what is happening in our world today. and finally, we will highlight some other big events coming up, including the big indian festival diwali, all on our show today. well, i've had the pleasure of attending the silic

robert handa, nbc bay area news. >>> sonoma county will spend $12 million to deal with homeless camp that officials call a public health emergency. staffers will be hierp hired to those. the county is considering different options at be population of the momentumless encampment in santa rosa continue to grow. >>> first a fire destroys their home and thieves broke into their car. it's been anything but a happy holiday for a san jose family. even with all that bad news the family says they feel blessed because it's the community that's supporting them. the donations were a helping hand. they remember the family's 11-year-old daughter was dubbed a hero for getting every one out using techniques she learned by watching nbc chicago fire. >> he was pretty emotional. i lost everything. >> reporter: the family says they are happy today. their hearts filled knowing this community cares. that care spreads well beyond their neighborhood. an actor from the chicago fire show reached out to the family and left a message. the show's creator graduated her on twitter for her efforts and today the san

live in milpitas, robert handa, nbc bay area news. >>> certainly not a good place to find yourself in, left without a roof over your head, but that's what many are facing. tonight they're protesting and pledging to stay put. nbc bay area's jodi hernandez is live with where the protest took place. jodi. >> reporter: residents say they feel like they're being kicked to the curb. while many are in walkers and wheelchairs, they say they're not going to leave without a fight. >> they threw us under the bus. >> reporter: that's how 73-year-old vince dunn feels after the care home he lives at said they were closing its doors. they told the tight-knit community just before thanksgiving they have until the end of january to move out. >> my family is being disrupted. they're telling me i've got to go. ♪ we're standing in the rain but we shall not be moved ♪ >> reporter: this afternoon dunn and his neighbors came out in the rain to protest. they waited until now to let seniors know. >> they're unfeeling crappy peep. >> reporter: 95-year-old tony gardner said she thought she'd spend the rest

robert handa joins us from st. james park innen san jose where the weather is on everyone's minds. >> reporter: it is getting very cold out here and as you mentioned it's already wet. today's event was about celebrating the holiday and getting through it. >> i'm very grateful. i can't express that enough. >> there was indeed holiday spirit at st. james park in san jose today, the well-known haven for many homeless was buzzing with generosity and gratitude at the annual event where those in need can celebrate, get a good meal, and even get a free haircut. but this year with a storm brewing, the necessities are very necessary. >> just a pair of warm clean socks is a god-send on its own. you get jackets and shirts and t-shirts and food, the necessities. >> we give blankets away. the lady that was here a few minutes ago, she just cried when he handed her a blanket because she's cold. >> she's astounded by the growing number of homeless and gratified by the community response. >> next thing you know i'm here with six tr

robert handa joins us from city hall with the new update to the plan and why some say there is a long way to go, robert, before the proposal can become a reality. >> reporter: yes, when we first covered the mayor's initial proposal last month henmp his p showed daunting obstacles. the san jose mayor sam la car doe acknowledges he's trying to turn pg&e into a customer owned prurty. his proposal drew support and ballooned to 114 elected officials from 58 cities and so counties. the mayor presented operating principles for the transformation such as geographic inclusion to make sure areas aren't left out, how a governing board would be formed, public accountability to ensure transparency, as well as safety and response related to wild fire protection are. liccardo says the bottom line is to go to faster than the ten year plan. >> as rate payers, as customers, we are all on the hook for this. if we're going to be on the hook, we better own it. >> reporter: former cpu commissioner catherine sandoval says she's impressed with the goals but it's a long way to meeting the e are responsibiliti

robert handa, joining us from police headquarters. tell us more about the video and what it shows. >> we know police have both of those videos and looking through them to find more clues possibly to connect these crimes and using technology to do it. >> oh, well, that's awful. >> reporter: today san jose police investigators showed up near a home where the third u.p.s. armed robbery took place to get surveillance video. first the u.p.s. driver delivering a package at snow drive and then two suspects shrouded in darkness forced the driver at gunpoint to get down on the ground and ransack his truck. the woman asked not to be identified but told us it was a close call. >> i could have walked outside and grabbed the package and maybe if i took another extra step that gun could have been at my head. >> reporter: she realized later her daughter did leave the house. >> it was scary, of course. my daughter actually went outside and grabbed the package right after he left. so, it's very nerve racking. >> reporter: video of the first robbery tu

live in menlo park, robert handa, "nbc bay area news." >> robert, thank you. >>> we are learning a little bit more about a christmas night shooting along highway 4 in contra costa county. the chp says a man in his mid-20s was driving east on highway 4 near highway 242 when someone opened fire on his nissan altima. that driver wasn't shot but debris from the bullets hit his hand and his shoulder. no one else was in the car. investigators say they don't have any leads right now on the gunman nor the motive. >>> new details tonight about a rash of break-ins in a quiet east bay neighborhood that appear to be connected. san ramon police say burglars broke into six houses throughout the city saturday night. this is new surveillance video from one of the homes targeted. investigators say the thieves hit houses where no one was home at the time. in each case, they got in by smashing sliding doors facing the backyard, then heading straight for the master bedroom. police say their getaway car was a dark mercedes. >>> shifting gears, it was a nail-biter indeed, and in the end, the 49ers clinched the

robert handa joins us from levi's stadium with the developing story. robert? >> reporter: well, here at levi's stadium, the team has been going over what happened last sunday and looking forward to next sunday. but part of the postgame analysis about the loss to the baltimore ravens included controversial comments by broadcast commentator tim ryan, who talked on knbr about how the baltimore star quarterback lamar jackson's skin color made him more effective against the 49ers' defense. >> when he's -- his dark skin color with the dark football with a dark uniform, you could not see that thing. i mean, you literally could not see when he was in and out of the mesh point. >> well, the reaction to that analysis was swift including from tim ryan saying i regret my choice of words in trying to describe the conditions of the ga. lamar jackson is an mvp caliber player and i respect them hymn greatly. i want to apologize to him and anyone else i offended. the 49ers said we hold tim to a higher standard as a representative of our organization, and he must be more though

live in oakland, robert handa nbc bay area news >> thank you, robert. >>> new details and disturbing video of a police shooting earlier this month in condition cord. elderly parents called 911 saying her 60-year-old son was threatening them and out of control. >> got it in line. >> where are they. >> does ve a gun. >> he has a gun. he has a gun. >> our poor neighbors. >> he has a plastic gun. >> he has a plastic gun, okay. >> concord police released this call and body camera video. they say to let the community see and hear exactly plans to order donald everson junior to leave the house abrupt hi change when his father came out with knife wounds. police forced their way and they say they shot everson and as he was stabbing his mother. >>> a major artery is both in southnlifoia after the snowfall. drivers can get through the grapevine. chp started leading cars on the 40 mile stretch in tahone pass. closed for a day and a half. some mountain roads including 32 a are closed because of the snow. >> a cold but clear day in the bay area. lets look at the drive home right now from a few of

live near los gatos, robert handa. >>> in sonoma the storms will trigger mud slides in places burned by the kincade fire. today public works crews were busy trying to reduce the sliding hillsides and the runoffs that could come with it. bear cliffs are among the biggest issue. homeowners are worried they're about to get too much water too fast. >> looks like the soil is fluffy and obviously it was very dry. so it's soaking up all the moisture now. what's going to happen when it sach saturates, i don't know what will happen. >> experts tell us the most dangerous areas are those where access roads have been cut into the hillside and all the vegetation burned away. >>> what comes next? here's another look at our live doppler radar. let's bring in jeff ranieri what it's the time line? >> i think right now we definitely are in a bit of a break. towards the end of the week we do get our next storm lining up. the past three days it has been all about that atmospheric river pointed at the bay area. you can see the loop over the past three days. it was quite this widespread event through the

live in san jose, robert handa. >>> we uncovered a spike in mail theft. one in the south bay community. coming up in ten minutes, we'll tell you where it's happening and show you the extreme steps one man in the neighborhood is taking to protect his on mail and his neighbor's mail, too. i invasions. we told you about this story when the first two were arrested. today police arrested the man and woman in the right side of your screen many so far four home invasions. this map shows where they've happened. two in lafayette, the other two no venetia and oakland. the two in the venetia and oakland attacks led them to the people they arrested today. >>> we've been covering this story since it began, and it's sparking a lot of debate. here's the latest. the homeless moms who overtook an empty house in oakland have less than two weeks to leave, according to an eviction notice posted on the door of the abandoned home that they took over. but the moms say they're staying put and want to negotiate with the company that owns the home. a spokesperson for the sheriff's

robert handa joins us from city hall with more details as well as input from an expert who says the group has a very long way to go. robert? >> reporter: yes, when we first covered the mayor's initial proposal last month he had a fairly y fairly impressive list of supporters, but today his progress report shows just how much more needs to be done. the san jose mayor sam liccardo acknowledges he is aiming high to turn pg&e into a customer-owned utility. his initial proposal drew support from about 20 mayors and county supervisors, now it's ballooned to 114 elected officials. the mayor presented operating principles for the transformation such as geographic inclusion. how a governing board would be formed. public accountability to ensure transparency and safety and response related to wildfire protection. >> the power safety shutoffs are not going to stop until this company has hardened the grid and ensured that we can operate reliably and safely without causing fires. >> reporter: santa clara university law professor kathryn sandoval says she's impressed with the goals but it's a long way

nbc bay area's robert handa joins us from the moscone center with more. >> reporter: there certainly a lot of conventions going on here right now. and naturally the concerns raised by oracle have a lot of people thinking. but from what we've heard, not reconsidering. there are tens of thousands of visitors attending conventions in san francisco today. conventioneers we hawked to heard about oracle's decision to move open world and many could relate to concerns about hotel rates and street conditions. >> this year especially. the hotel prices. i've had to shorten my trip because of the hotel prices. >> the thing that bothers me the most is the cleanliness of the city. if it is not clean, disease can spread and people could get sick. >> reporter: the san francisco travel association called oracle's decision disappointing but emphasized no other groups have called to cancel or even expressed similar concerns. in fact, quite the opposite. >> the dates that oracle were here in san francisco were popular dates. we're already talking to various groups coming to san francisco for those dates

robert handa joins us from levi's stadium with the developing story. robert? >> reporter: well, here at levi's stadium, the team has been going over what happened last sunday and looking forward to next sunday. but part of the postgame analysis about the loss to the baltimore ravens included controversial comments by broadcast commentator tim ryan, who talked on knbr about how the baltimore star quarterback lamar jackson's skin color made him more effective against the 49ers' defense. >> when he's -- his dark skin color with the dark football with a dark uniform, you could not see that thing. i mean, you literally could not see when he was in and out of the mesh point. >> well, the reaction to that analysis was swift including from tim ryan saying i regret my

this is a photo that robert handa shared on twitter capturing a rainbow in the bay area yesterday. be sure to follow nbc bay area on facebook, twitter and instagram and tag us in those weather pictures when it starts rolling through. >> they say it is the christmas song to end all songs. mariah carey's "all i want for christmas" is 25 years old. it was the hit single off her '94 album. it's been on youtube, seen more than 584 million times. about the same number of times spotify -- it streamed on spotify, 520 million. >> for a half billion. >> that's amazing. >> check out marcus washington hosting last night's first-ever christmas tree lighting at san francisco's new chase cent a little taller than marcus. it is the largest one in san francisco this year. even taller than the chase center itself.17,000 l.e.d. lights and last night's eventeo mood. >> it's awesome. it's beautiful. we're so happy that it's here in the neighborhood. the energy, everything tonight, it's been awesome. >> the tree will be lighting up san francisco's waterfront until january 4th. >>> well, if you can use a

live in san francisco, robert handa, nbc bay area news. >> very good reporting. thank you, robert. it is an issue for the city. hopefully we can clean things up little as well. >> looks a little misty. >> just a little bit. the latest round of showers moving in throughout the bay area. it's nothing too strong, but definitely want to watch out for some wet roadways. let's get you a view of storm ranger, our mobile doppler radar, the only one in the bay area. it's a split picture here. we have rain in the north bay, and it's dry down in the south bay. so we put a track on some of these showers, and it's fairly light here, moving off to the east. it's definitely going to keep you here with showers in petaluma through 6:29. sonoma into 6:43 tonight. i want to switch things and also show you something else besides the radar, and that is our sky camera network. look out here in walnut creek, and this is some fog that is beginning to form. i wanted to alert you of this, because this could become thick as we move through tomorrow morning. what we have happening is there is so much moisture