Her own, with lessons for all of us and rain, snow and wind, we are experiencing storms today. Blizzards, in fact, from today here to the sierra, well check in on the conditions with the snow scientists and hopefully a chp officer up there as well. Youre watching, getting answers. Im kristen sze. Thanks for joining us. We want to start with that dangerous storm thats taking aim at the sierra right now. Heres a live look for you. Highway 80, interstate 80 at Donner Summit where snow is definitely piling up. Driving conditions are treacherous right now. You can see its pretty much whiteout. The days long blizzard is expected to dump up to ten feet of snow in some parts of that region. Abc seven news meteorologist lisa argen is tracking the storm. Lisa its going to be wet here in the bay area, but up there, boy, that is dangerous. Yes, it really is. Kristen. They picked up almost two feet since last night and expecting another 4 to 6ft just overnight. Thats 2 to 4in per hour. So it is really going crazy up in the mountains and chain controls all over the place. You can see lightning offshore here and were definitely looking at a little sun out there adding the instability to the atmosphere. Heres a look at the Sierra Nevada where the snow just keeps coming down for the bay area. These thunderstorms are situated offshore, but by about five 530 we could see some of that activity up in santa rosa. Closer to home. Highway 128 a pretty good downpour for saint helena, lagunitas and woodacre in marin county. Looking at that moderate rain you can see just off the coast here, San Francisco pacifica looking at some rain moving in over into the east bay highway for pittsburg, antioch and right now, 680 is clear, but taking you down into to the south bay, Mount Hamilton could see a little snow, their highest elevations through tomorrow. Look at these wind gusts 35 miles an hour in oakland. The Oakland Hills over 50 miles an hour. 54 mile an hour. Wind gusts. Were looking at the Winds Continuing tonight as a cold front pushes through the area. And with the strongest winds, the heaviest rain within the next 4 to 6 hours. So plan on a pretty treacherous commute tonight. We have had some sunshine. The rainfall hasnt been too impressive, with a 4 100 about a quarter of an inch in napa. This remains a level two system through tonight. Downpours at times. Very gusty winds. Our wind advisory winds up to 55 miles an hour and a quick look at our rain timeline shows as we go through the 4 00 hour. Well see those heavier storms up into the north bay. It all sinks to the south and east through the seven, eight, 9 00 hour, and then finally those winds will abate. So by tonight were talking about a half inch kristen sze. And then into the weekend, more rain to come. A level two today, a level one over the weekend. All right lisa, thanks so much for that. You can get the latest forecast and track the rain and snow anytime with our live doppler seven. Just search abc seven bay area in your devices app store to download it now. All right. Next tuesday, californians go to the polls on super tuesday along with 12 other states. There are two high profile congressional seats in the bay area up for grabs, so this week, getting answers will have conversations with some of the leading candidates. Longtime east bay congresswoman barbara lee is not running for reelection in californias 12th Congressional District, since shes competing for the senate seat left open by the late dianne feinstein. This opens up the seat for the first time in 26 years. The district includes oakland, berkeley, emeryville, albany, piedmont, n ledro and alameda. The top two finishers in the primary will face off in november. We asked each of the candidates who have received campaign donations. Two of them accepted our invite to come on the show. So joining us live today is lateefah simon. Shes a bart Board Director and longtime civil rights advocate. Latifa, thanks for joining us. Happy friday. How are you happy friday. Its a stormy friday, but were trying to make the best of it. All right. So tell mam, tell our viewers a little bit about yourself. Your beginnings, how you got into politics. Sure. I grew up born and raised here in the bay area in San Francisco and in oakland, and six since the age of 16. Ive been working full time to make our community safer. I led an Organization Called the young Womens Freedom Center that was about getting young people who are in trouble with the law, particularly young women, out of the juvenile justice system, into jobs through that work, i won a macarthur genius fellowship. We were extremely successful. That organization continues to this day, but i met a woman named Kamala Harris when she was running the das office because she wanted to spread that model inside of a Prosecutors Office and stopping really, um, the rail to jail for many young folks and focusing on programing in her office, which i led, and we reduced recidivism amongst a population of very hard to reach young adults by over 70. I learned from her through the National Model building that we created in that program. Um, that folks who really deeply understand these problems need to be the ones making decisions on how to make our communities better. And ive been on the bart board of directors for seven years, a very difficult institution, but one so important to the lifeblood of the bay area and have made some substantial changes in increasing safety. Staff on the bart board or excuse me, on the bart in bart pushing for cleanliness, demanding resources during covid from the federal government to keep our transit running in the bay area. Um, theres a lot more work to do in these systems, but what i feel like with barbara lee running for the United States senate, as someone who has been working towards the public good for 30 years here in california for myself, um, i felt a responsibility to run and to continue to make changes in the community. All right. And i understand, of course, you want this federal role, if you will, to make an impact locally, touching on some of the big issues here in the bay area as you know, many businesses have closed in the east bay. Big employers in oakland are telling employees not to go out for lunch what would you do to improve Public Safety and reduce crime in a congressional role . There are two things that i think that are extremely important. One, as a member of congress, our role is to legislate federally, but moreover, we have the opportunity to create collaboration and really a shared vision and mandate for how we keep folks safe. We know that it absolutely is. Job availability. We know that it is accountability. We know that Police Officers have to be working with Community Members to keep folks safe. So to me, it is about using the bully pulpit and 30 years of organizing unlikely constituents and advocates and leaders to band together, which ive done. I want to continue doing that work. And secondly, as a member of congress, the job is to legislate. But also to bring resources home from the federal government. Folks are working every single day and theyre paying federal and state taxes. Folks need to see those federal taxes come home and again, as someone whos moved millions of dollars to Safety Solutions across the bay area over the last 30 years, ive made tremendous relationships with folks in elected office, folks in the private and public sector. Im ready to go and ready to do the work that we all need. As a single mother with a little girl, i know that theres nothing more important than me being able to get from Public Transportation to home safely, and i know where the holes is. Holes are, and i know where to get those resources to fill those holes. And i want to work with our electeds our folks on the ground, our faith based organizations, as ive done, our ngos to really address the realities that it does feel unsafe. And we actually can change that together. We need more resources, we need more cooperation, and we need a collective vision of what that means. Im ready to do it. And ive been doing it. I want to do it at a federal level. And of course, you have been at it for a while. So you do have the democratic establishment endorsements, i believe almost all of them. So as such, youre seen as the front runner and expect some incomings from your opponents. And at least one competitor says you support defunding the police. And that approach has worsened crime. What is your response to that . I think you can look back at my records since 1993, full time, ive been working with Law Enforcement from Police Officers to the district attorneys, literally to the Highway Patrols to the wardens in our state prisons to make our system better, to figure out what accountability means. And ive never called for funding defunding the police. My call has always been to lets ensure that our Public Safety institutions have oversight and that theyre collaborating with other members and institutions in our communities. I know that in politics, all too often, folks throw darts that actually usually dont stick. Um, ive been doing this work for 30 years, making our community safer, and no one whos running in my race has the record, has brought resources home. Its one thing to have great ideas. Its another thing to actually have worked with leaders to save lives, to make sure that young people are safer, and to make sure that folks have Health Insurance and housing. Ive done those things, and i know that theres a lot more to do. And creating government institutions that actually show up. Thats my role as a member of the bart board of expanded the Public Safety staff. So if you do call the police and when youre in our five county radius while youre on the bart, youll actually get a response in 4. 7 minutes. Thats because weve actually done the work. Our communities need to be safer. But when you call the police, they need to show up as a Domestic Violence survivor, as somebody whos been working with traffic children, im so clear that we want Public Safety systems to work. Yes they should be held accountable. Yes should we be auditing their public statements, Financial Statements . Absolutely. And we want them to be efficient, defund Public Institutions is not the way to go. Holding them accountable is what ive stood for my whole life, and im going to do more of that. Latifa, can you talk about your approach to Housing Affordability . That is certainly at crisis levels in the 12th district. Um, what would you push for in congress to get more Affordable Housing online . Yeah, two things i lived in Public Housing myself as a young teen mother, uh, at the age of 18, living in Public Housing. And at times ive been homeless myself. Ive worked my whole adult career advancing housing opportunities. In fact, the work that ive done on the bart board of directors will extend to my role in congress. I oversee three developments now, uh, where im hoping were going to house thousands of folks west oakland. We will have housing close to transit. Theres a beautiful development thats going forward. And chinatown and also in south berkeley, i have worked with developers and Nonprofit Developers and members of community to create low income housing. We have an opportunity with someone with experience like i do in congress, to move resources from the housing of urban development , secretary of secretary wants shovel ready projects. It is about advancing opportunities and meeting those with real resources for young families and elders deserve a safe place to be. Theres no way that we have access to the resources that we have where we need to be. Looking at the crisis of 7000 plus folks on our streets every single day. Again, a lot of folks have ideas. Ive housed thousands of people in my career and i want to take that lesson. My relationships, my fight, my energy to continue to really scale the opportunity here. Lateefah simon, a candidate for a 12th Congressional District and also current bart Board Director. Thank you so much for stopping by for this conversation. Listen, im so excited everybody get out and vote. Thank you so much. Thank you. And well be right back with more on the biggest storm of the winter, a chp officer will be joining us with the latest on Road Conditions in a snow ex wizard is slamming the lake tahoe area. Youre looking at a live picture from i80 in truckee. The storm is bringing dangerous whiteout conditions like these. Its only expected to get worse tonight. The california Highway Patrol is asking people not to go up there right now. Joining us live now to talk more about the latest conditions and the impact of this storm. Chp officer chris patten and doctor Andrew Schwartz with the uc berkeley central sierra snow lab. Thank you both for joining us. Can i . Good afternoon. Can i just get a real quick yes. Or no . Do you both agree that this is a life threatening stay home, dont mess around kind of a storm . Okay all right. Im getting nods. Thank you very much. I just want to establish that so, officer patten, ill start with you. I see youre in a vehicle. I know youve been driving around. What are you seeing out there . Are there lots of accidents . Whats going on . Uh, currently. Right now, i cant get a shot that the wind is blowing. Im up at castle peak right now. If i can get out, im going to try to get out. Get you a shot here. Okay this is, uh, current currently up at castle peak right now. We have been seeing multiple spin outs and people without the proper tracking devices on their vehicles. Uh, we do ask that if you can avoid your travel plans, please do so. Because, uh, the weather is only going to get worse tonight, right . So thats what our meteorologists are saying as well. So let me just ask you, i see some trucks going by. At what point are the roads closed . Like 50 and 80. Uh, caltrans determines, uh, when the road gets shut down and theyll theyll take a lot of things into consideration, such as, uh, the traction that the vehicles are getting, the visibility on the roadways and, um, just how fast the storm is moving, what the storm is putting down, how fast they can keep up with it. Uh, they are trying their best. Theyre trying very hard to keep up with this storm. Yeah but its hard, right, because its dumping so hard and coming down so fast. Um, when do you think itll be safe for folks to start driving up there again . Uh, i would just i would just caution people and have them just keep watching the weather and keep listening to your favorite weather station and your favorite news station. Just, um, just heed to the warnings because we us, um, but really, newbies should not attempt it right now, right . Its really tough out there right now, slick and icy to at points very, very slick and icy very, very. If you havent driven up here i mean i even ask an experienced driver just to heed the warnings. Please thank you, officer patton. Im going to turn things over to doctor schwartz. Andrew, look, how much snow are you expecting . And you know where to. Where is it . Most serious. And i guess is it meeting expectations so far . How is it . Yeah. Well weve seen about two feet of snow so far. Were expecting another 3 to 5 for most areas, potentially a little bit more than that on the peaks. Uh, and, and it has been, uh, pretty wild conditions realistically. You know, when we talk about things like blizzard warnings, were not so concerned about the heavy snowfall rates as we are the winds, because even those winds can whip up that snow thats sitting on the ground and can reduce visibility. And so even though it might not snow be snowing particularly hard at this exact moment, we still have those blizzard conditions going on as those winds whip around i gotcha. Yeah, its the wind that really makes it so hard. Um, what does this mean for avalanche . Avalanche risk . The kind of snow and winds that were getting right now . Well, were starting to see lighter, fluffier snow move in as the storm cools off. That means that its going to not adhere to itself quite as well. And thats going to really elevate and make uh avalanche danger high to extreme, um, around the region. And so realistically speaking, its a bad idea to go out into the back country, uh, probably over the next several days until the snowpack settles down. Uh, but even then, it needs to be, uh, exceedingly cautious when youre going out there. Right. And i understand the resorts are closed today anyway, but look, andrew, until now, the sierra was behind and in median snowfall in water equivalent. Does this storm change everything . Uh, this storm is going to help. Its not going to change everything. Were still about, uh, 75 of the way away from our april 1st average, which is, of course, the number that we have to get to every year. Uh, for us to kind of be happy with our water resources, its going to really help bulk us up. But its probably not going to get us all the way there. So what we need to have happen is for the storm window to stay open so that we can get a few more storms after it, but assuming that happens, were in pretty good shape. All right. That is always good to hear. Well, well see what happens. But thank you so much. Uh, andrew appreciated. Officer patton. Appreciate you as well. Take good care. Be safe. Thank you. Coming up, it is the first day of womens history month, and today were talking about trailblazing women who have made an impact in the world of lets go win this thing then we hit the road and never stopped. You shared with me your frustration at working harder to barely get by and afford a place to live. Your fears for our democracy and freedoms and your dreams for yourself, your family, and the future. It is not too late to realize those dreams. Im adam schiff, and i approve this message because together we can still get big things done. Thousands of women with Metastatic Breast Cancer are living in the moment and taking ibrance. Ibrance with an aromatase inhibitor is for adults with hr positive, her2 negative Metastatic Breast Cancer as the first hormonal based therapy. Ibrance plus letrozole significantly delayed disease progression versus letrozole. Ibrance may cause low white blood cell counts that may lead to serious infections. Ibrance may cause severe inflammation of the lungs. Both of these can lead to death. Tell your doctor if you have new or worsening chest pain, cough, or trouble breathing. Before taking ibrance, tell your doctor if you have fever, chills, or other signs of infection, liver or kidney problems, are or plan to become pregnant, or are breastfeeding. For more information about side effects talk to your doctor. Thanks, mom. Be in your moment. Ask your doctor about ibrance. A pfizer product. Not only women of the past, but the women of today. Making history as we speak. A new book in a league of her own, celebrating female first in sports, explores the journeys of 19 impactful women from athletes to sports executives. The author of the book is also a trailblazer in the world of sports. Bonniejill laflin is the first and so far only female scout in the nba, and the first woman to get a super bowl ring and five nba championship rings. Balwani joe, thanks for joining us. So good to see you. Hi, kristen. Thank you. Thanks for having me. So this is a fabulous book. But why did you want to write a book celebrating women in sports . Yes, i think it was so important. You know, there wasnt a book yet out there that celebrated all the females that have paved the way and that were pioneers in sports. And they had their individual books, but not a book that encompassed all of these ladies. My 19 ladies. And i thought it was important to not only hear about the Billie Jean King and laila ali, but some of the hidden gems that people didnt know about. The Younger Generation should know their story, so it was really important for me to highlight all different womens, all different walks of life and sports. I was going to ask you whos your favorite, but i know you dont have one. Mary lou retton, right . The gymnast danica patrick, race car driver. So many firsts. Jeanie buss, owner of the la lakers. Um do you see a Common Thread . I mean, i know there are areas of achievement were different, different sports, but something in common that you notice about. Aha. These women were successful because i think a lot of it was the work ethic. And, you know, just the resiliency. A lot of these women, including myself, theres a lot of naysayers and a lot of people that doubted us. And i think having that kind of chip on your shoulder and to be able to kind of persevere through that and kind of feel you and that fire to kind of prove people the wrong. I think that really was a lot of motivation for all of us. All right. So yeah, i want you to talk a little bit more about your own story, which is inspirational. How did you forge a path from San Francisco . Ballerina. Right. As a little girl to San Francisco, 40 niners. Cheer leader to the front office of the la lakers. Connect the dots for us. Yes, right. So i started with the Golden State Warriors cheering for the warriors, then the 40 niners, and then went off to the to the enemy. Um, the dallas cowboys. And with a sports caster for a long time. And when i was covering the lakers their pre and post game show, they saw that an eye for talent phil jackson, jeanie buss , many others said, you know, you have an eye for talent. Would you ever think about scouting . Im like, well, i mean maybe. And so for that first year they didnt pay me. I was there like interning. And then mitch kupchak, jerry west, they loved my scouting reports. And so they signed me to a five year deal, another five year deal. And then, um, was with the lakers for 13 years and got five championship rings. So see, i love that story because its a good lesson that dont ever think you dont have the qualifications, the background, if you have the will, the tenacity, perseverance, you can get there right . Um, exactly how much resistance did you encounter or obstacles as a woman, or did you feel like that was not an issue . No, it was especially in the beginning because i was the only female. So i tried to blend in with the boys. So i would put my hair up in a ball cap, wear my jordan sweats jordans and even like, walk like, try to walk like a guy, talk like a guy and be one of. Yeah, one of the coaches said, hey bonnie jo, you know, basketball. You know, dont try to act like one of us. And you know, youll eventually people will realize that your credibility and your knowledge will come through. Its just going to take, you know, a little bit longer and it did. There was a lot of tears at night where, you know, i dont want to do this. And kobe bryant was a good friend of mine. And kobe said, hey, this is good. You want like me play with a chip on your shoulder, get through this and youre going to prove people wrong. And kind of like tune out the outside noise. And thats what i did. Oh my gosh, it worked for you. I also want to mention not only do you have this high powered career, you also founded a nonprofit called hounds and heroes and horses. What does it do . What do you do . Yes we rescue dogs from the shelter and then we pair them up as service or therapy dogs for our veterans that are suffering from ptsd, tbi, amputees as well, and then rescue horses. And we do equine therapy retreats for Wounded Warriors again and disabled children. And its a way to give back the suicide rate is so high for veterans. So thats a way to save lives on both sides. Im pretty sure that you have 25 hours to the day as opposed to the rest of us who only have 24 hours. Um look, before i let you go here, and i know its kind of contained in all the stories here, but what is your advice for women looking to make their mark in any arena . I mean, a lot of it, first of all, is just, you know, networking and meeting as many people as you can. And dont say no to any job youre wanting to work in sports. And maybe its not exactly the role or title that you want to be in, but take that job, learn from that because you want to have different layers. You want to have versatility so you can pivot and have longevity. So take any job and just work hard and youre going to, as a female, you have to work a little bit harder. You have to do more research over prep. Um, and kind of just keep finding your journey and something will lead to something else. And you just have to have that work ethic. Thats the most important is you got to put a lot of hours in and youre not going to get holidays, youre not going to get weekends off, and itll be well worth it. If its that the thats the passion you want. Well well, congratulations on your accomplishments and your six rings. I think. Bonniejill laflin, thank you so much. In a league of her own. Thank you so much. Celebrating female firsts in sports. Thank you, thank you. All right. Remember abc7 news is streaming 24 seven. Get the abc7 bay area app and i see my husband. The father of our girls. I see a public servant. A man who served under secretary clinton in the state department. Where he took on the epidemic of violence against women in the congo. I see a fighter, a tenacious problemsolver. Who will go to congress and protect abortion rights and our democracy. Because he sees a Better Future for all of us. Im peter dixon and i approved this message. Bay area. Have a great day david tonight, breaking news. The fbi on this new discovery, hasd on balloon been discovered . The lifethreatening blizzard slamming the u. S. , and the collision on a major bridge, a truck dangling. The rescuers praying for the woman driver. The fbi now investigating debris thats been found. The question, could this be another balloon . Where its been found, pierre
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