i am cierra johnson. live in the north bay, a last-minute change to the state's new mask mandate is now in effect. i will break down what you need to know, coming up. plus -- >> mr. meadows has left us no choice. >> should mark meadows face criminal charges? the house debate over the former white house chief of staff. >>> this is "today in the bay." here we go. it's wednesday morning. good morning to you. thank you for making us part of your morning. i am marcus washington. >> i am laura garcia. we have a lot to get to, but first let's check in with rob mayeda who is in for kari this morning. how are things looking now? >> a higher impact for evening commutes. right now, 43 degrees around walnut creek, and the main affect with our incoming storm will be dropping down the coast into the afternoon, so you will notice the wind picking up. highs in the low to mid-50s. wind and rain on the increase tonight. north bay has seen the highest impact for your evening commute than all areas heading towards midnight.

. >> kris sanchez, cierra johnson are really out there in the elements but first let's check in with meteorologist kari hall. what's the timeline of this storm? >> well, we're still seeing the rain continue, but there's still some breaks that we're seeing in some spots like in parts of marin county, parts of southern sonoma county. as well as around san francisco and heading down the san mateo coast. now we're going to see at times some breaks in it. it's getting lighter but we're also still getting gusty winds as we're get something sunshine in between that. and that's also going to in some spots warm up the temperatures. give a little more energy to the system that's been moving in. but really heavy rain right now moving through san jose toward milpitas. saratoga also getting in on some heavy rain, and that's caused issues with flooding as we've seen several inches of rain already at this point. we can see that we're not done with this system. and it's not done with us. we're going to continue to see more rain as we go into the next few hours. by this afternoon, where we see the br

cierra johnson gave everyone that first look inside. it was pretty cool. you can watch the report on our website at nbcbayarea.com. >>> also trending this morning, 7-eleven getting even more convenient with some bay area snackers. >> residents in mountain view can now order 7-eleven items that will arrive in autonomous vehicles. orders will arrive in modified toyota priuses with a safety driver up front. the deliveries will be available from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and must be ordered on the 7-eleven app. no word if it includes those little hot dogs that rotate in there all day. >> maybe they can have them cooking in those vehicles all the time. >> i don't know if i want a drone to drop that. >> 7-eleven from 8:00 to 9:00. >> only in mountain view. >>> heading out the door this morning, grab a jacket. it's a little cool out there. >> it is very cold in some spots. we were just talking about how it's in the upper 30s right now in row internet park. only a quarter mile visibility in santa rsa right now. it is looking better in parts of the east bay compared t

cierra johnson for "today in the bay." >> yeah, people are not happy about that, especially if they are close to your home. >>> how can you not be happy with the rain that we are getting in the bay area. it's so needed. it's dry right now as we take a look at the golden gate bridge. things are going to change. monitoring it all, meteorologist, kari hall. you are going to be one busy lady. >> yeah, we are hoping with the drought update that comes out this thursday, we will see some changes. it will take a lot more than a couple storms to dig us out of the drought. we are preparing for another round of much-needed rain. it's so cold out there right now. 39 degrees in palo alto. we will dip another degree or two before the sunrise, and we will see a mix of sun and clouds and then we will see the rain. the red beam there, you can get this same tool on your smartphone on the go, if you have have the nbc bay area app, you can get alerts for where you live. you see the storm off the coast that will be coming in later today. it will last for several days. we will talk more about this and what's

cierra johnson here for "today in the bay." >> thank you, cierra. >>> a follow-up on a south bay synagogue that went up in flames after hanukkah. this could be arson. this is near branyan and the expressway. the flames destroyed the entire downstairs. surveillance shows somebody lurking around the building before the fire started. nobody was hurt and the scrolls were saved. >>> a south bay family say their faith has been restored in humanity after a nativity scene was stolen from their front porch. that man you see right there walked up and started grabbing other figurines and took off. he came back an hour later and stole the rest of it. that family said it was sad for them because an heirloom was passed down to them through generations. >> somebody would have the courage to walk up and take a nativity. who takes that? >> how could somebody do that? the family posted the video to next door, and hours later a stranger, a neighbor brought them a brand-new nativity scene and said they wanted to help out. >>> it's 5:38. take a look at your screen right there. it's going to be a white christma

in san francisco, cierra johnson for nbc bay area news. >> thank you. >>> so we start with a look outside in walnut creek. we started the day with a little bit of rain, and we start the forecast with a little bit of clearing as that rain moves through overnight. meteorologist kari hall is here. we're hoping that wet weather will return. >> it will. we do have several more rounds of rain. i think what we had this morning opened the door for more of those storm systems to move in. and as we clear out, heading into san francisco for lunchtime, our temperatures will slowly warm up. still cloudy over the south bay. but this will also be clearing out soon as we take a look at our temperature trend for the afternoon. mid-50s to low 60s today which is a little bit warmer compared to yesterday and later this evening those temperatures will stay very chilly as we see our sky clearing. here's a look at the storm system that moves through. now clearing southern california as well. and we will see those temperatures today headed for the low 60s. cool through the rest of the forecast. we'll talk about

nbc bay area's cierra johnson live for us this midday. those health officials just gave us an update this morning. what are they urging americans to do now? >> yeah, members of that covid response team say that the message is really straightforward. vaccines could clearly be our most important tool. that address was made by several members of the prominent health care community, including dr. anthony fauci, chief medical director to the president and director of the cdc, dr. rochelle walensky. these leaders also emphasized it's important for boosters. stressing that any american fully vaccinated before june, it's now time to receive that covid-19 booster. that advice was just one of five points laid out by president biden and reiterated by that team. those other points include helping more parents vaccinate their children, making at-home tests free to americans, increasing surge response teams in communities with those rising cases, accelerating efforts to vaccinate the rest of the world as well as strengthening those travel rules. and th

cierra johnson is live at sfo. what do they have in mind? >> reporter: to start with, it was last week we were notifying that president biden was expected to make that announcement that there would be changes to the travel, particularly those individuals coming from international countries. well on thursday he made the announcement and starting today those coming into those international terminals will have to change when they are able to show that negative covid test to come into the united states. new guidelines require individuals to get that test 24 hours before they board their flight, and previously those fully vaccinated will take a test within three days of boarding. this move is crucial for slowing the spread of the variant, but others worry about how easy it is to secure a test from international countries. >> well, it is going to be a problem for some people. i am not sure if it's going to be available everywhere for all of the flyers. >> i think it's necessary, although it has made travel so complicated. >> the nation's top docto

today in the bay's cierra johnson joins us with a look at what people are doing to prepare. >> reporter: good morning. i want to start with directing you to the flags. it gives you an indication of how intense really the wind is right now for us standing in the rain, and the wind is making it chilly. the rain has let up just a little bit, but given what we have seen the last week in the forecast in the days moving forward, a lot of folks paying close attention not only to the forecast, but to the pg&e outage map. we had crews capturing what they are preparing for in what could be stretches of rain. they said creek levels are relatively low right now, and the forecasted rain is not expected to cause flooding. crews have cleared the storm drains and removed piles of leaves from the flood-prone areas. >> we have a generator just in case the town goes dark. we want to be the central place where people know that we are open and we're safe. >> reporter: communities across the bay are keeping a close eye on this. this is the pg&e outage map. several communities saw pretty widespread outages la

cierra johnson has been following the changes to the mandate and joins us from a gym in mill valley. this is a lot for folks to follow here, cierra. >> yes, good morning. it's been quite a confusing morning for a lot of folks but also in some of the counties where you can still continue to go maskless if you already have shown that proof of vaccination and were going maskless before today. so take a look at your screen. these are the counties where you're grandfathered in if your county was already allowing for the relaxed restrictions. as it stands now, gyms, offices and churches in san francisco, alameda, contra costa, here in marin as well as sonoma, they can letted as wells at gyms, offices and churchless go maskless but counties which had not already relaxed masking rules, masks are a must in all public spaces. we had a chance to speak with some folks regarding that semiabout-face in regard to the mask mandate. many say it's difficult to simply keep up with the ever-evolving rules. take a listen. >> it is definitely confusing but the way i see it is you just travel with your mas

nbc bay area's cierra johnson is at sfo breaking down what those international travelers need to keep in mind. >> at 12:01 a.m., those changes officially went into effect, impacting international travelers coming into airports like this one, sfo as well as airports across the nation. those changes were announced thursday by president biden due to the omicron variant. all travellers to the u.s. must be test forward covid-19 within a day before boarding the flight. previously those who were vaccinated could present a test within three days of boarding. a german traveler just landed in the united states today and had to locate a test that fit the new u.s. testing requirement while some travelers we spoke with say the move is crucial for slowing the spread. >>> worry about the ease of securing a test in some of those international countries. >> i think it's a little bit difficult for most country to get a 24-hour test because you have to get some express test, they're very expensive and depends on which country you're traveling from. you could have some problems because not every country

. >> cierra johnson is live. it may impact international travelers the most? >> reporter: yeah, if you are coming to any airport in the united states there are plans to change the testing process, this announcement coming from president biden tomorrow. right now when folks come into the united states if they are fully vaccinated they are required to present a test taken within three days of boarding. that change would make it so you need to have that covid-19 test the day before boarding a flight, and while the white house may ramp up testing requirements, an epidemiologist said you may not need to ground your plans just yet. >> i think we have the next couple of weeks where we will tell how much of a problem omni cron will be. here at sfo there have been 66 cases with the last positive case coming august 31st. we're also getting a count of how many travelers went through tsa during the busy travel holiday period. tsa confirming it was busier, 2.6 million folks went through the tsa. in 2020 at the height of covid, it was a little under a million, and before th

nbc bay area's cierra johnson joining us now with that discussion and where that meeting stands right now. cierra? >> good morning. yeah, that meeting has been going on for 90 minutes. i've been listening in and i can tell you it's mainly been public comment and a majority of those comments are related to item 5 on the agenda which relates to the proof of vaccination there in oakland. i can tell you from the public comments it's really a mixed bag. there's a good number of people both for and against city council moving forward by approving that emergency ordinance. now right now you're looking at a live look of that meeting which is still under way. been going on for 90 minutes. just to give you a background. what that ordinance says, it would require people at indoor public gatherings to show proof of vaccination similar to the restrictions recently adopted by san francisco, berkeley and contra costa county. it would impact everything from concert venues, museums, gyms, senior centers and libraries. again, a lot of public comment. a lot of folks, some have been mentioning -- and som

. >> cierra johnson joining us live with a look at those restrictions. it looks like it may impact a lot of those international travelers. >> yes, good morning, marcus and laura. really some big news especially with the first case there being identified in california. this is big news for those international travelers. that's because it will impact what type of testing those international travelers have to do before they make their way into the united states. again, that announcement slated for thursday. new guidelines to require all air travelers to the united states be tested for covid-19 within a day before boarding their flight. currently those who were fully vaccinated may present that test taken within three days of boarding. we spoke with a family traveling in from india and tells us you can't ever be too safe. >> knowing people who have had covid and seeing all the news reports both in india which suffered a lot because of delta in the past and out here in the u.s., i think anything it takes to be safe for you and your family and your co-workers

live in san francisco, cierra johnson for nbc bay area news. >> thanks for following that angle. >> we heard cierra talk about what it means if the city got the money. what about americans if build back better is dead, as it sounds. scott mcgrew continues our coverage. many american families will notice a difference right away. >> the crossing guards or crossing areas or preschool for children, those you may never notice were gone because they never took effect, if this bill falls through. some things, though, families will notice right away. now it looks like build back better is dead. seems like those child care credits, the money coming to millions of american families, those checks that came in the bill or were deposited once a month lifted some of the poorest children out of poverty. those are not going to return. californians will not get a bigger break on taxes either. build back better had contained an expansion of s.a.l.t. deductions. state and local taxes. republicans had limited the amount of state tax you could deduct from your federal tax. president biden had promised to r

in fremont, cierra johnson, nbc bay area news. >>> what about the backup? how is 2 looking? >> it's been pretty bad since this happened. this is northbound 680 just south of aldamor parkway. stretching back now how far this delay has gone beyond scott creek road and that's because right now chp has been diverting traffic off the freeway and on to the surface streets. what you'll run into, if you'll be traveling in this direction, see where the red and orange and yellow is. it's the delays on mission boulevard, but that's one of the ways to get around this. i'd say your best bet would to be get on to warm springs boulevard. before you get to scotts creek, get to warm springs boulevard and travel through the surface street there because mission boulevard is being heavily impacted by the delays. anywhere from 7 to 11 hours expected time of reopening. hard closure, though, still so expect to see delays on the nearby surface streets. i had people ask if the southbound lanes are affected. no southbound closures. the drive time smooth along southbound 680. 10, 15, 20 minutes. see g

today in the bay's cierra johnson joins us live. cierra, which school district has that deadline? >> reporter: good morning, kris. that school district is west contra costa for those teachers and it's not only the teachers in that district that need to show that proof of vaccination, and in a couple days it's also the students that need to show their proof of vaccination. west contra costa unified vaccine mandate, the teachers must show their proof today, and then 12 and up will need to show their proof of vaccination, and piedmont also has a vaccine mandate. every teacher has to be fully vaccinated or have a approved exemption. the district, like many, struggling with the teacher shortage and some are worried the mandate will make it worst, and the teachers' union said it has the opposite affect. >> we actually are finding teachers want to go teach in contra costa because of the vaccine mandate making them feel safer and want to go teach here. >> the president of the united teacher's union of richmond said 99% of it's 1,600 members are vaccinated, and the students must be fully v

. >> cierra johnson is live for us now. what are people doing to prepare. >> reporter: well, they are tuning in to us and keeping an eye on the pg&e outage map. here in san francisco the wind is definitely picking up and the rain has been pretty steady since we have been out here for the last 45 minutes. a lot of communities preparing not only by looking at the outage map, but also by gathering stand bags and keeping an eye on the forecast. we had crews out last night, and creek levels are relatively low right now and the forecasted rain is not expected to cause regional flooding, but right now crews are on stand by and have cleared storm drains and removed piles of leaves from the flood-prone areas. >> we have a generator just in case the town goes dark. we want to be the kind of central place where people know we are open and we are safe. >> reporter: this is the pg&e outage lap. last week some mitoring this map. so far no major continued outage there in the richmond area. a lot of green dots in richmond. we will continue

we're live, cierra johnson for "today in the bay." >> thanks, cierra. >>> the biden administration said 2.2 million doses of the vaccine were administered throughout the country on wednesday alone. he made that announcement on twitter saying it was the highest single total since may. those numbers are coming as we learn new details about booster shots. according to a new study, those looking for a booster shot don't need to worry about what brand it is. it's too soon for officials to say how well the boosters will work against the omicron variant. >>> and then ricardo setting his sights on two more hotels to convert into housing for the homeless. the quality inn on 13th street and the tully inn on tully road. >>> pg&e has agreed to a $125 million settlement with the state puc. this is tied to the kincade wildfire in 2019 that burned 78,000 acres in sonoma county. the commission found multiple violations of overhead lines in the fire zone. the agreement prevents pg&e from seeking $85 million in compensation for removing abandoned power equipment. the utility so far has not commented. >>>

. >> cierra johnson is live. it looks like it could impact the international travelers? >> reporter: yes, good morning, marcus. president biden is expected to make that announcement tomorrow. you are right, it will, in fact, impact the international travelers with the initial testing before they come to the united states. there are new guidelines that could require all travelers coming to the u.s. be tested for covid-19 within a day before boarding their flight, and currently those who are fully vaccinated may present a test taken within three days of boarding, and while the white house could ramp up testing requirements, but you may not need to ground your plans just yet. >> i think it's flexible and we have the next couple of weeks where it will tell how much of a the variant is going to be. >> as for oakland, there were 39 cases with the last positive caseworking on october 8th. here at sfo, there have been 56 cases with the last positive case coming august 31st. we're also getting a count of how many travelers went through tsa during the busy holiday weekend. we were

cierra johnson is live this morning. this is something parents and teachers need to pay attention to, because it's a mandate. >> reporter: good morning, kris. west contra costa school district is where the teachers will need to show that proof of vaccination, and it's not just the teachers, but as you mentioned the students will need to show their proof of vaccination to stay in the classroom. take a look at your screen. west contra costa unified, their teachers are required to show proof of vaccination today and later this month by december 15th, the students must show their proof of vaccination. oakland, hayward and piedmont districts also have similar vaccine mandates. every teacher must be fully vaccinated or have a valid exemption, and if they don't they could lose their job, and those with the exemptions are required to take a covid test weekly. some were worried the mandate would make the shortage first, but the association says it does not. >> we are finding people wanting to teach in contra costa because of the

cierra johnson is live. there's a lot to follow-up on this morning. >> reporter: yeah, keeping track of the changes of the mask mandate and our goal this morning is to help you understand what is going on. with this mask mandate the state did a little bit of a about face and it changed who exactly is affected by the recent mask mandate. take a look at your screen. gyms, offices, churches in these places can let members go maskless, because they were already allowing those individuals with the vaccine to go maskless, but counties that have not relaxed the mask mandate, masks are a must in those counties. officials are urging folks to get vaccinated before traveling for holiday celebrations, and so if you are one of those gym owners you can imagine this would be a bit of a sigh of relief. you can keep things as status quo. a lot of gyms were concerned they would have to rearrange and renotify all of their members, but today if your gym was already allowing you to go maskless because you are vaccinated, then th

we're live in san francisco, cierra johnson for "today in the bay." >> thank you very much, cierra. >>> 5:06 right now. despite covid cases doubling in marin, so far there is no plan to indoor mask requirements. case rates have now doubled and are the highest in the bay area, but hospitalizations and death rates remain low. only one person hospitalized from covid, and if that number goes much higher all bets are off. they believe hospitalizations are low because 9 in 10 people are vaccinated. >>> now, on our website, nbcbayarea.com you can turn to it for a great resource. right now we have a q & a with another of our experts. scroll down to the coronavirus pandemic section. >>> we want to tell you about what is going on here. leaders have approved a plan to add more police officers. council members agreed to launch two more police academies, but they declined on the plan for a $50,000 signing bonus from other departments. one council member says he opposes bringing in officers from elsewhere, which has not worked well in the past. >> there are still many unanswered questions regarding

there's new restrictions for international travelers, and cierra johnson is live at sfo. what is it these folks have in mind? >> reporter: good morning, kris. to start with all last week we notified you president biden would be making an announcement on thursday regarding some changes to the covid testing. he did make that announcement on thursday and starting today travelers coming from international countries into the international terminals like this one will have to get their test a little closer to the time they depart for their flight. those new guidelines require that all travelers to the united states be tested for covid-19 within a day before their flight, and those fully vaccinated can present a test within three days of boarding their flight. while some travelers we spoke with said the move is crucial for spreading the variant. >> well, it's going to be a problem for some people. i am not sure if it will be available everywhere for all of the flyers. >> i think it's necessary, although it has made travel so complicated. >> you know, jake, you -- >> the top doct

today in the bay's cierra johnson is live this morning. cierra, a lot going on for people in the east bay today. >> reporter: yeah, good morning. it's a busy day, indeed. let's start with the looming deadline for those first responders as well as those paramedics. today is the day they have to show that proof of vaccination in order to continue to work, and there's options. they need to show they have received both shots or the johnson & johnson, and a booster shot is not required. for those refusing to boost will have to wear masks around patients inside and outside. in oakland, they are proposing an emergency ordinance for people at indoor public gathering places have to show proof of vaccinations. now this would impact everything from concert venues to museums, gyms, senior centers and libraries, and that meeting is slated to begin at 9:30 this morning. this morning we will keep a close eye on not only how many first responders and paramedics are responding to the request for vaccination, but where the meeting stands where the members o

today in the bay's cierra johnson is live in burlingame. just this morning new information about the spread of this omicron variant. >> reporter: yes, good morning. so much to talk about this morning. the cdc director was on the "today" show discussing that omicron variant and some of the risks associated with that. we will get to that in just a moment. it's hard to believe 365 days since that vaccine became available. if you were anything like a lot of folks, a year ago we were watching that nurse in new york get that vaccine on air as it happened in real time. take a look at your video. this is what we saw, the nurse from queens being the first person in the united states to receive the covid vaccine. since then millions have rolled up their sleeves. just to put it in perspective where the cases were in terms of this time last year, according to this day, the day we began rolling up our sleeves in 2020, the u.s. death toll from covid hit 300,000, and deaths were running at an average of more than 2,500 a day. in terms of vaccinations, thi

we're live at sfo, cierra johnson for "today in the bay." >> thank you. >>> it's 5:34 right now. taking a live look in oakland. happening tomorrow the city may return to having proof of vaccinations. it would require people at indoor public gathering places to show proof of vaccination similar to the restrictions in berkeley, san francisco, and contra costa county. tomorrow was the deadline for paramedics and first responders to be fully vaccinated in alameda county. anybody that does not comply will have to wear masks in the presence of patients, outdoor or indoors and may have to undergo weekly testing. >>> on friday attorneys wrapped up the closing arguments in the holmes fraud trial. holmes could face 20 years in prison if convicted of criminal fraud. this is tied to the downfall of her former company, theranos. when she took the stand she said she never knowingly mislead investors. we have a team of reporters tracking this case. as soon as the verdict comes down, we will bring you live updated coverage as well as legal analysis and break down what is next for holmes. >>> let

. >> cierra johnson joining us from marin county. rain is what you are dealing with, cierra. >> reporter: yeah, good morning. i can tell you the wind continues to pick up. since our last bit, it has gotten windier, but good news, this lucky drive exit is notorious for pooling for the northbound and southbound side. this rain wreaking havoc across the bay area, specifically here in the north bay. last night a little trouble that weather caused by the in-n-out in mill valley. take a look. we have video of what played out last night. it was a couple miles from where i am standing now, but the strength of the weather pattern was evident. the power went out at the strip mall, the power line taken out by the weather, the power line went across the freeway. witnesses we spoke with say it was hard to find the parking lot of that restaurant in the darkness. >> i was driving by off of the highway and on the side road going into in-n-out, and i saw just down the road the transformer spark. >> reporter: a little further south on sunday, folks in

cierra johnson for "today in the bay." >> thank you, cierra. >>> happening tomorrow the city may return to proof of vaccination requirements. city council members will take up a proposed emergency ordinance. it would require people at indoor public gathering places to show their proof of vaccination, similar to restrictions recently adopted by berkeley, san francisco and contra costa county. >>> tomorrow is the deadline for paramedics and first responders to be fully vaccinated in alameda county. the booster shot is not required at this point but anybody who does not comply will have to wear masks in the presence of patience -- patients indoors or outdoors. >>> on friday attorneys wrapped up their closing arguments and the jury received the case in the holmes case. when she took the stand she claimed she never knowingly mislead investors. experts believe deliberations could last several days. we have a team of reporters tracking this case. as soon appears verdict comes down we will bring you live coverage with legal analysis and a legal breakdown of what is next for holmes. >>> let's lo

at sfo, cierra johnson. >>> coming up at 7:00, chris chmura has pro tips on how to navigate these new regulations i a head on our 7:00 p.m. newscast. >>> a live look outside at san francisco on the left, san jose on the right. cold, foggy for most of the bay area. jeff joins us now with the latest. what can we expect, is it across the whole bay area? >> everybody's going to see a chance for these spotty showers. it could be enough to mix out some of the haze we've been dealing with and also the fog. i mean we have had this inversion layer, this big cap sitting over the bay area, and we can't get the air stirred up. visibility right now is not extremely bad. on top of that, as you look off at the lower levels you're noticing that air quality. unhealthy here over the north bay, the bay and south bay. rain always does help. unfortunately, this is not a big storm, but we getting spotty showers over the north bay where you want to watch out on the roadways. now, let this sink in right here. we've really undergone some weather whiplash. we had that atmospheric river, 3-7 inches of rain acro

cierra johnson for nbc bay area news. >> thank you. >>> bob dole's casket lying in state at the u.s. capitol rotunda. the former republican presidential candidate was once left for dead on the world war ii battlefield. after recovering from his injuries he entered politics becoming one of the longest serving republican leaders on the hill. this is a live look of the capitol where dole served 36 years in congress as his body lies in state there. he died sunday from cancer at the age of 98. dole's funeral is set for tomorrow at the national cathedral. >>> president biden is warning russian president vladimir putin that the u.s. would pursue strong economic measures and increase military aid to the region if russia invades ukraine. this comes as the country has sent thousands of troops to the ukraine border, raising concerns. nbc's richard engel reports from the border. >> reporter: we are in eastern ukraine not far from the russian border. this is where the world's attention is focused right now, to see if russia will send its roughly 100,000 troops and tanks and artillery over the bor

cierra johnson for nbc bay area news. >> dry off a little bit. thank you so much. >>> and you know, download our nbc bay area app. you'll get minute-by-minute updates on this storm and those that are coming. you can even use our live radar tracker to find out when the rain will hit your neighborhood. >>> breaking news we're anding. california state university says it will implement a booster mandate. it will affect the hundreds of thousands of students, teachers, and workers at san jose state and at csu's other 22 campuses. the new requirement calls for booster shots to be received by the end of february. students and employees can seek exemptions on medical and religious grounds. california state university system is the nation's largest four-year public university system. >>> happening now, governor newsom is in oakland to announce new measures to help protect californians from covid. nbc bay area's bob redell joins us live. we're talking about a booster mandate for health care workers here. >> reporter: right. we've been reporting this morning

we're live in mill valley, cierra johnson for "today in the bay." >> taking no chances. cierra, thank you. >>> happening today the south bay mother accused of throwing all of control2amd message out to get your booster shot now. 80% of the county is now vaccinated, and only 44% have received a booster. the message here, two shots are not enough. >> those who are 50 years and older are at highest risk and that's the population we want to make sure have gotten their booster or are planning to get one. >> so far the county is holding back on plans to tighten health restrictions with the hopes more people get their booster shot. >> a live look at sfo this friday morning. holiday travel picking up this weekend, this as the omicron variant cases continue to grow. travelers we spoke to said they got boosted just to be safe. >> we are taking a trip over the holidays and just wanted that protection that is readily available. >> airlines are expecting near prepandemic level of flyers. >> good morning. hard to believe that today is going to be one of the heaviest travel days ahead

. >> cierra johnson is joining us live from san rafael where district leaders are expected to address parents later this afternoon. >> reporter: as you mentioned, thousands of students potentially at risk to return to distance learning. if you recall, it was back in october when governor newsom said by january 1st students in grade 7 through 12 must show proof of vaccination. take a look at your screen. this is where some of the districts within the bay area stand in terms of students showing proof of vaccination. right now 6,000 students in oakland unified schools have not shown proof of vaccination. 1600 in contra costa. about 12,000 in sacramento unified. as some districts grapple with the looming deadline, another is hosting an informational session for students and parents. today at 4:00, marin county office of education will host an online public health update for staff, administrators, parents and guardians. the event is virtual. again, this session is virtual. organizers say it will be recorded and put on the school portal. folks here will address the public. this is all takin

. >>> i'm cierra johnson. that storm is moving out. it had quite the punch. i'm following the outages as well as some rain totals. >>> our booster vaccine regimens work against omicron. >> a dire warning from health leaders as covid hospitalizations surge across the country. new recommendations ahead of the holidays. this is "today in the bay." >>> good thursday morning to you. 6:30 right now. i'm laura garcia. >> i'm marcus washington. the rain makes its way through the bay area. storm ranger also scanning from san bruno. not over yet. >> that's right. we have live team coverage. how are we looking so far? >> we do have what's making it a tough challenge for your morning commute, you have rain flying and at times reduced visibility too. 49 degrees in san jose. let's show you the radar view right there. you can see the showers passing through. showers moving to the east out toward livermore. from here, the rain will be on the decrease as we head into the afternoon, some clearing skies and setting the stage for chilly temperatures as we head toward tonight. to

cierra johnson is live at sfo this morning. i would imagine it's pretty busy there this morning. >> reporter: good morning, marcus. we do a lot of live shots here at sfo. i can tell you it's a little busier than it typically is. i know the rain is slowing things down, but folks making their way in to drop folks off here the begin that holiday travel. take a look at your screen. this is the travel prediction for this holiday season. according to aaa, 109 million people, almost 34% increase from 2020, will travel 50 miles or more as they hit the road, board planes or take other modes of transportation out of town. december 23rd to january 2nd, 27.7 million more people will be traveling than last year. airlines will see a 184% increase from last year. traffic is currently at about 60% of those pre-pandemic levels. in oakland the airport expects to reach about 90% of those 2019 levels of the holiday season. the omicron variant runs through the nation. it's important to note that the biden administration has expanded its federal mas

live in san rafael, cierra johnson. >>> with one victory in hand, scott peterson's attorney is focusing on freeing him all together. it was a dramatic day in court yesterday when peterson was resentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. at one point laci's mother looked directly at peterson, calling him a coward. laci's sister and brother talked about the pain and devastation left behind by the murders. the judge denied peterson's request to speak, but he could be granted a new trial in february when the judge hears arguments over jury misconduct. his lawyers say they have no evidence that exonerates peterson. >> we know that the burglary that occurred across the street which police originally stated occurred on december 26th, we now can present evidence it occurred at the time laci disappeared. >> peterson continues to maintain his innocence. watch the interview coming up on the "today" show. >>> new details about a deadly shooting in oakland. police have released this photo. this is the vehicle investigators believe was used in the shooting of 28-year-old eric davi

we're live in marin county, cierra johnson for "today in the bay." >> thank you. >>> happening today, the south bay mother accused of throwing out-of-control parties for students including her son sons is due in court to enter a plea. the 47-year-old o'connor faces 39 felony and misdemeanor charges including child endangerment and sexual battery. in october authorities arrested her at her new home in idaho where she's facing similar accusations. >>> as the omicron variant grows, health leaders are sending the message to everybody to get their booster now. so far all the cases appear to be mild. only 44% appear to have received a booster. >> those who are 50 years and older are at the highest risk and that's the population we shootly want to make sure have gotten their booster or are planning to get one. >> so far the county is holding back on its plans to tighten health restrictions which, the hope is that more people will get to the booster shot. >>> taking a live look at sfo on this friday morning, and traffic is picking up as the cases of the omicron variant is growing. >> we are g

. >> cierra johnson joins us with a look at the current conditions there. soggy out there, cierra? >> reporter: not foggy, but it's extremely windy. 101 northbound, southbound, lucky drive in marin county, i will step out of the way so you can see exactly what the drivers are dealing with. there was an overhead sign that says be cautious of flooding at lucky drive, and some drivers appear to be heeding that warning and others are continuing their speed and going faster than i would personally go, and this is all because of the weather pattern we have been seeing over the last day and a half. just a mile down the road from here last night where this weather pattern was evident, power went down near the in-n-out in mill valley, and that caused quite a backup on the freeway. witnesses we spoke with say it was almost hard to find the parking lot given how dark it was. >> i was driving by off of the highway and on the side road going to in-n-out, and i saw just down the road the power -- the transformer sparked. >> reporter: it took a little while to wrap that situation up. a little fur

cierra johnson is live at sfo. i would imagine it's getting pretty busy out there. >> reporter: good morning, marcus. yeah, we do a lot of live shots here at sfo about the changes in the testing protocol and changes to international travel. it's typically not this busy at 6:30 in the morning. we've seen a lot more cars, a lot more ride share cars coming through dropping folks off and people really moving with a sense of purpose this morning as we approach that holiday travel. today a very busy day anticipated for folks because christmas is just a couple of days away. if you plan to travel or have friends or family coming in, take a look at your screen. this is a snapshot from aaa to give you an idea how many folks plan to travel this holiday season. aaa estimating 109 million people, an almost 34% increase from 2020, will travel 50 miles or more as they hit the road or planes or other modes of transportation. the travel period will be december 23rd to january 2nd. 27.7 million more people are traveling, bringing th

cierra johnson is live in san francisco. this is promising news for those that got the pfizer vaccine. >> reporter: good morning, marcus. that's exactly right. we received that data from pfizer a little more than an hour ago into our news room. it explains the preliminary studies show the booster does neutralize the omicron variant, which is good news, and it shows the effectiveness of the original two-shot regime was significantly reduced by almost 25 fold against omicron. pfizer's ceo appeared on nbc to offer insight into the latest study and explains the effectiveness against omicron does shift when somebody is given that third pfizer shot as a booster. take a listen. >> the good news is, though, when we gave the third dose, which was not popular in south africa, 25 fold increased compared to the second dose, so now a third dose -- to make it clear to your audience, three doses against omicron is the equivalent of the two-dose original variant. >> that ceo also eluded to the fact that pfizer would be able to create a vari

johnson is live for us in south san francisco. this is with a message from local health leaders, cierra. >> reporter: yeah, the message from the california department of health is to get tested regardless of your vaccination status if you have any of the symptoms. a lot of folks will be doing that not only as a precaution, and as they begin to catch the flights and trains and drives to visit family and friends. president biden did address the new variant, and he made it clear his administration is making quick and cost-efficient testing a priority. he announced private health insurers must cover 100% of the costs of at-home covid tests, and the administration will make 50 million tests for community members. if you do test positive, you can then get a second test at a lab. there's an online reporting system to make it easier for people to register their results from home. >> if somebody is positive and needs support in order to properly isolate and quarantine, that can help trigger a communication with marin county public health i

today in the bay's cierra johnson is live in burlingame this morning. this morning new information is coming out as well about the spread of the omicron variant. >> reporter: good morning. that's exactly right. the cdc director released more information about that variant. this news comes as we really hit a new milestone. it has been 365 days since that first new yorker received her vaccination. we have come so far in just a matter of one year. take a look at this. you may remember this video, 365 days ago that nurse from new york was the first person in the nation to receive that vaccine, and since then millions of others have rolled up their sleeves. to put it in perspective, according to the associated press on the day we began rolling up our sleeves in 2020 the u.s. death toll from covid hit 300,000, and deaths were running at an average of 2,500 per day. this is where we stand as a state in terms of vaccinations. 69.6% of californians have received the vaccine. 3 million currently have at least one dose. 7.6 million have received a booster statewid

. >>> good morning, i am cierra johnson at sfo. united airlines said it had to cut 112 flights from its friday schedule as the omicron variant continues to spread, and delta airline also apologizing saying the variant as well as the weather caused them to cancel flights. more cancelations are expected from alaska today. >>> i am damian trujillo. the tenderloin under a state of emergency. the board of supervisors voted on a proposal by the mayor. it would mean more police in the tenderloin and more services addressing drug overdose and mental health concerns of that area. supervisors like matt haney said the move is needed because there have been 1,700 overdose deaths in that community in the last three years. others said the measure was a trojan horse designed to flood the tenderloin with police. >>> we are looking at rain tapering off for the next few hours. looks like if you are going out to christmas in the mark, earlier the better because we could see peeks of sunshine. we could see the rain returning tonight. >> we will have a

. >> today in the bay's cierra johnson is live for us at sfo this morning. she's monitoring the situation going on. how is it looking this morning, cierra? >> reporter: good morning. i can tell you this airport is extremely busy. this is probably my third time here in about two weeks, and i have not seen it this busy this early in the morning. for some folks, they will not be have being that experience because hundreds of those flights, as you mentioned, grounded because of the omicron variant and how quickly it's spreading through the nation. to give you an idea of which airlines are grounding some of their flights, united airlines will cut flights from the schedule as the variant spreads across the country. alaska airlines canceled flights on thursday after some employees reported possible exposure to covid. in a statement that airline said additional cancelations were possible on friday. nbc news has reached out to other airlines but did not immediately hear back in regards to today's schedule. just to give you an idea of how many people planned to travel

cierra johnson is live. >> reporter: the lights have thankfully come on, but this time yesterday the lights were off. folks had to treat it as a four-way stop. as you can imagine with the slick roads and folks really not having any patience, it could really become dangerous. we have some video of what this area looked like last night. as you can imagine, it was dark. according to pg&e, by wednesday the power company says they restored power to more than 350,000 customers throughout northern and central california following that series of storms that started on sunday. here in the bay more than 1700 customers were without power. a pg&e spokesperson said water got into an underground vault and shorted out electrical equipment inside that vault. pg&e crews were on site to make those repairs. the rain starting to slow down since we've been out here. we are expecting some more rain. i'll leave that forecast up to rob, but you do want to be prepared for when your electricity does go out. make sure you know where those flashlights are and make sure you have your phone charger. >>> another g

i am cierra johnson in mill valley. change is coming to that statewide mask mandate that is slated to start today if your county was one of those where they allowed vaccinated individuals to go maskless in certain setting, and starting today you can remain maskless although it's just certain counties. >>> i am bob redell. the contra costa school district says its students 12 and up should be receiving their second dose of the vaccine to meet the mandate. we reached out to see how many students were vaccinated so far and no response just yet. last tuesday was the deadline for all teachers and staff to show proof they are fully vaccinated. >>> meteorologist, rob mayeda in for kari this morning. >> a pretty sunrise there. partly cloudy to light showers passing through this morning, and then in the afternoon rain will increase across the north bay around 3:00, and wind increasing, too. then that rain changes to showers by tomorrow. we catch a bit of a break friday into saturday and then more rain arrives by the end of the w

>>reporter: i'm cierra johnson at sfo. today is expected to be a very busy day here at the airport as folks head out for that holiday travel. according to aaa, 109 million people have plans to travel more than 50 miles. the mask mandate has been extended. if you're traveling on public transit, you will be required to keep that mask on. >>> meteorologist kari hall has been tracking the wet and windy weather. >> yeah. we're seeing it on storm ranger right now. it's basically covering the whole bay area with a light to moderate rain. we've seen heavier downpours at times and we're watching out for a chance at spottier thunderstorms. it will be cooler over the next few days as the rain will be off and on, still not seeing the activity letting up even through the middle of next week. we'll continue to add to the rainfall totals, still expected to reach an inch and a half at the south bay or 3 inches in our coastal areas. >>> we'll have another local news update in 30 minutes. we learn about covid-19, the more questions we have.

i'm cierra johnson in the peninsula. some folks waking up this morning with no power because of the wind and the rain wreaked havoc on some of the pg&e lines. in millbrae, this intersection was completely dark last night because there was water that got into an underground vault. pg&e has been working on this intersection all morning. if you see flashing lights or no lights, treat it as a four-way stop. >>> rob has a look at temperatures. >> we start to see the rain move out now. the wind coming down too. the trend from here will be decreasing showers around the peninsula and south bay as we head toward the afternoon. clearing skies, cool temperatures today, less wind and more sunshine. highs low to mid 50s today. dry through about saturday but plan on a stormy start to next week. >>> another local news update in 30 minutes. i'll meet you back here then. 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 inter

. >>> i am cierra johnson in san francisco. we are learning more about pfizer's effectiveness according to research that did just get into our news room this morning. according to the study, it shows the effectiveness of the two-shot vaccine was reduced by 25 fold against omicron, but the pfizer ceo appeared on the "today" show explaining the shift when that person gets that third booster shot that is a pfizer vaccine. >>> i am kari hall, and we will see light rain moving in this evening. it will only look to bring us a few hundredths of an inch of rain. we are getting ready for heavier rain near the end of the weekend. morning temperatures will be in the mid-30s and we will have more updates on the atmospheric river coming in on sunday. laura? >> we are looking forward to it. we certainly need that. 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 con