A hurricane headed towards Southern California. Were live with how people are repairing for the high winds and flooding. Plus, maui natives calling out the governor of hawaii. The governor should work with the community to develop a plan that meets the needs of the people. Why they say their concerns arent being heard. And the bay area has a starring role in several cinequest films. The Film Festival in the south bay spotlight this weekend. Good evening. This is nbc bay area news tonight. Im raj mathai. It is a busy friday as we head into this historic weekend. Were going to get to our coverage of that hurricane in just a minute. But we want to start with some breaking news. The Contra Costa CountyDistrict Attorney announcing late today criminal charges against five cops. Those cops accused of taking bribes in exchange for voiding traffic citations. Thesees are separate from th federal charges just yesterday. We you about the fbi raid where ten officers were indicted on a variety of charges involving crimes like wire fraud, distribution of steroids, and using excessive force. The indictments follow an 18month investigation into an alleged criminal network. As part of the probe, the feds seized the officers cell phones and then stumbled upon racist and homophobic Text Messages between dozens of police officers. No immediate comment on the new state charges today from either the pittsburg or Antioch Police departments. Also tonight, new fuel for critics of san franciscos selfdriving cars. Its happening. Two crashes involving cruise robotaxis just hours apart. In one of those crashes, the car hit a fire truck that was responding to an emergency. Look at this. That crash happened around 10 00 last night. You see it there, at the intersection of polk and turk. Cruise, which owns robo taxi confirms the car was in selfdriving mode and the only person inside was a passenger who suffered minor injuries. Cruise says the robotaxi had a green light and was making a turn when it collided with the fire truck. Sfpd says the fire truck had its lights on and the sirens on. This comes just one day after the City Attorney asked state regulators to reconsider their recent decision to let cruise and waymo expand Robotaxi Service across san francisco. We want to make sure that as this new powerful technology is being deployed, that our city is safe, and were not convinced of that at this time. Less than two hours after that crash, there was a second crash involving a cruise car in the mission district. Police say the driver of a darkcolored sedan hit the robotaxi. Investigators say no one was in the selfdriving car. They say the other car with the human behind the wheel was likely at fault. All right. We are following that developing situation now in the pacific. Take a look at that. Something thats never happened before, at least not in recorded history. Southern california is under its first ever Tropical Storm watch as it waits for hurricane hilary. This is a category 5 storm right now, and san diego, l. A. , and bakersfield are in its path. Now, normally when a Tropical Storm makes to california, its weak, and we just get the remnants. But hurricane hilary has the potential to still be a Tropical Storm or potentially even a hurricane when it makes landfall. This would be the first time thats happened in 84 years. Lets bring in our chief meteorologist, jeff ranieri, now. Im a little new to this. You are not. You grew up in florida. You worked on the east coast. What do we need to know in terms of the timing and the path . I really think at this point, while we are looking at this super ferocious storm right now, i mean this is a textbook example of an extremely strong storm, it stretches over 1,000 miles wide. The eye is defined showing how powerful it is right now. The thing to remember, this is expected to weaken. So, yes, this is massive right now. We are currently at a category 4 storm. Winds of 130 Miles Per Hour. But watch this. On the path of it, tomorrow it begins to dip to 120. Still a strong storm, but it begins to interact with some cooler waters here by sunday morning and interacts with the land a little bit. Thats going to create some friction, help to break it down. So down to 75 Miles Per Hour sunday near san felipe for possible landfall there. Usually we see this in the gulf or in florida, talking about this path. Were seeing it here in cities were very familiar with. Whats the rain totals, jeff . So those are going to be off the charts still. Lets go in. We can show you where the focus is going to be. This is a better scenario for us here in the bay area, but obviously worstcase scenario in Southern California because the track today, it started to shift more off towards the east. Its going right to san diego and l. A. So its pretty much a lock for Southern California, where our chances are becoming certainly much more minimal to get those big impacts. So rainfall totals, look at the bullseye here youre going to see pop up on the bottom of the screen. We have the key at the top. This magenta color here, thats rain of 2 to 4 inches. Thats widespread here, san diego, los angeles, the deserts of Southern California. Then look at the rain line here. Notice how close it is to the bay area. So its flirting with us here. Certainly. So we are looking at that flash flooding, lifethreatening flooding. That could be possible in Southern California. Thats why folks really certainly should heed those warnings. We were talking about that Tropical Storm watch. Yeah. First ever in california. So thats for los angeles and san diego. Last california landfall of a Tropical Storm, 1939, near long beach. So this weekend, those gusty winds, 40 to 60, and the mountains could get up to 80. Waves of 8 to 14 feet. One last thing i want everybody to understand with this forecast. We talked about how the path today is moving more off to the east. Sure. We saw that happen with the National Hurricane center in their forecast because this area of low pressure near coastline, its kind of buffering us. Its giving us a little bit of a shield in the bay area. Pushing it east. Exactly. So with this setup here, again, its a better scenario for us. Still worst in Southern California. But i got to say if for some reason this were to move a little bit more off to the west, we may be talking about a path that goes more off to the west. So even though right now the heaviest is Southern California, this is something were going to watch all weekend long because with tropical systems, you could be 24, 18 hours out from an event. You see a small, subtle change. Then everything can shift in the forecast. So, again, right now it does not look like its direct impact for us. Were looking at some scattered thunderstorms. But this is the wild card were going to closely watch. For our friends in san diego, sunday morning is kind of the time or monday . Tomorrow it actually starts with some rain and then really gets going good on sunday right through very early monday. Okay. Well see you later in the program. Thank you, jeff. Lets move on now. More coverage of the hurricane in just a few minutes. We are live in l. A. Where people are being told right now to start preparing. Nbcs tracey leong will join us in just a few minutes. Lets show you whats happening now in maui. Search and Recovery Efforts continue. 111 people are now confirmed dead, and that number is expected to rise. We keep saying that because there are more than 1,000 people, more than 1,000 people still unaccounted for. And this is more than a week after those wildfires. Search teams have combed through 45 of the disaster area, and thats just the first step in bringing closure to so many families. After that comes i. D. , the identification, which can be difficult. Only a handful of people have been identified so far. Thats why the fbi is joining the effort. Its providing a team to analyze fingerprints and dna samples. Today the community of lahaina came together to deliver a message to the governor of hawaii. Activists say they have three demands for governor josh paschal green. The they want local people to be deeply involved in that rebuilding process. The governor should work with the community to develop a plan that meets the needs of the people. Fasttrack development cannot come at the cost of community control. Their final demand, a slight amendment to the current emergency proclamation. Activists want to ensure the states open meetings law. That way, they see what the politicians are doing. That open meetings law remains in full force. That law had been suspended to help speed up the response to this disaster. Joining us now is a resident of lahaina. Dustin, we know you are going through a lot. It is so nice to have you on the program. I believe that you lost your home last week. How are you and your Family Holding up, and where are you staying . I am staying with that woman that was just speaking there at the press conference, my cousin, tiare. Our whole family has been staying with her, so were safe. Yeah, were doing well. Dustin, that point of that gathering today, you were there. Are your concerns not being heard right now . Is that why you all gathered . Yeah, id say the concerns are not being heard and also we just we fear that our voices will not be considered moving forward. And i apologize. I dont mean to come at you. But, you know, the term activist makes us sound like radicals. We just want to remain as the voices of our community and make sure that the people that are from the town, that live in the town, are the ones that are going to continue to help it rebuild. No, no problem. A lot of respect to you and whats happening there whether youre local because hawaii is such an extension of the bay area in so many ways. We want to make sure you guys are being heard. Is the governor conducive . Is he on the same page now, do you think . You know, i honestly personally have not listened to anything that hes said because in the first week, its been it seems like maybe our voices werent being listened to. But a lot of things that were hearing are not things that are being shared publicly. Were finding out through word of mouth or through other resources. But i dont think theres been enough communication between the town and the governors office. Dustin, theres an effort right now with you and your community to get funds, money and resources as quickly as possible to those who are suffering. What do we need to know right now to help . We have our instagram page, lahaina underscore ohana underscore venmo, trying to send funds directly to families. There is such an influx of donations coming from all over the world, clothing, food. I mean were good on that stuff now. But id just suggest to anybody that wants to help, check out our instagram page. Were trying to get funds directly to the community members. Can you repeat it so all our viewers can hear it . Absolutely. Lahaina underscore ohana underscor venmo. Weve been verified. We know that venmo is going right to the families that need it without all the paperwork there, which is great. As we wrap up here, what do you want people to focus on in the weeks and months to come because we have such an interest in your town and your island. Absolutely. Just allow us time to grieve. Because the community has been the one to provide the initial response, people that are still missing family members are the ones that are boots on the ground, taking care of their neighbors, their family members. And i think thats most important right now is not everyone has had the chance to really sit with themselves and grieve the major loss that weve all had. Dustin, thanks for your time. Like i said, we know youre going through a lot. We appreciate it. We hope to stay in touch with you in the weeks and months to come. Appreciate it. Thank you. Lets move on now. We want to get back to our coverage of hurricane hilary. It is sunny down in Southern California on this friday night, but we know thats going to change right quick. People in l. A. Already picking up supplies and filling sandbags. Lets bring in nbcs tracey leong in downtown los angeles. Tracey, thanks for being with us. Do people realize what might be happening in the next couple days there . Reporter well, raj, this is an unprecedented event. The last time we saw a Tropical Storm pass through our area was 84 years ago. So this is a very rare event that maybe many people have not experienced before. Our meteorologists, they are predicting intense rain and strong winds. Some areas could get up to 7 inches of rain. Now, august is typically a very dry month. It is the driest month in l. A. So the fact that were getting any rain at all is something thats very unfamiliar for people who live in this area. So officials are warning everyone to take this very seriously because we dont know what this could bring. It could cause flooding in our roads. It could cause trees to topple, even downed power lines. So a lot of dangerous issues that we could worry about when this storm moves in and gets intense. Were expecting most likely sunday into monday. What part of l. A. We know its such a huge area. Are we talking west l. A. Or more inland . What parts of town are really in the target spot . Reporter all right. Well, raj, actually, were talking about all of the areas. That is what is a little scary, what a lot of people are very concerned about because its not just hitting one area. It could hit outside the area. It could hit our beaches. Waves of 15 to 20 feet high. Also our mountain areas. Those areas could get hit with heavy rain. Were just recovering from our storms of this past winter where that brought down a lot of trees, and were still rebuilding from that. We also saw a lot of our roadways get flooded, a lot of cars getting stuck in those areas because this isnt something we experience typically in los angeles. We see 6 inches of rain. Some people do not think its a big deal, so they drive through. So we saw a lot of cars get stuck. We had to see a lot of cars get totaled just trying to go through our roadways, not having anywhere for the water to escape. So, again, if anything, these winter storms taught us that everyone in l. A. Should be prepared and emergency officials are reminding people to prepare today and tomorrow. Before the storm hits, they need to go to the store, pick up those supplies, and of course the sandbags in case they live in areas prone to floodiding. Tracecey leong, r reporting los s angeles, w we apprereciat. Still to come h here at 7 cinequest is in full swing. Were stlighting twop welcome back to nbc bay area news tonight. One of the biggest Film Festivals in north america is happening as we speak, and its happening right here in the bay area. Were talking about the cinequest Film Festival. More than 200 movies playing in san jose and mountain view. Some of them with some biggna talelent and lococal flavor. Amamong the films t this year, movie calledd east bay. Y. Constancnce wu iss the star i is comedy aboutut bay arerea singl ststruggling t to get by. Yoon, whoho lived in the bay ar for ten years, directs, writes, produces and stars in the film. The bay area has an interesting confluence of different communities. For example, tech community, and then theres the very status conscious community, and the proadvancement community. Heres an opportunity to have very different communities intersect. East bay premieres this sunday, 11 00 a. M. At the california theater in san jose, and thenn againin on augusust 2t the showplplace icon i in mount view. This is ininteresting. G. Therees also a a m movie titl calall me mulele. Itits a dococumentary about a namemed john sears. S. John sears is from losos altoto wewent to palalo alto high scho. Sears s spent the past three dedecades r roaming the w west hihis three mules. Filmmakers followed the journey which includes a trek through the bay area and across the Golden Gate Bridge and eventually to the governor in sacramento. Joining us now is john mcdonald, the director and producer of call me mule. John, nice to have you on the program. Thank you. I got to say, why tell this story about a bay area guy and his mules . Well, he came through my neighborhood, and i was just astounded to see this m man walklking downn the streeeet wi threee mules, had to stop andnd talk too him, and he justt tolde ththat he is wanting t to l liv outsidide as a nomad,d, travell araround thehe western uniteted states, and b basically not ge hassled. But he does get hassled a lot. Its very difficult to do that nowadays. We havent seen a guy Walking Around with three mules in a long time. You spent a lot of time following john sears. How is he getting money . How is he eating . I spent 2 27 months fililmin hihim, about 2 200 days o of to fifilming, jusust m me withh my, andd i didid the sound also. So itt was reallyy a flyly onn wall k kind of thing. And whatt he doeoes is he doeoe a littltle bitit of sociaial se from o odd jobss he didid throu his life. And hee doeoes havave peoeople giveve him money. He doesnt ask for it, butut th justst feel compelled,d, prorob because o of the mumules, who a just, youou knknow, really grea creatures. Heres some money to give the mules some hay. From john sears perspective, how has the bay area changed . He grew up on the peninsula. Whats his message about the bay area . Well, he said, why cant i get across the Golden Gate Bridge . He did get driven across by the park service, but, you know, theres the bay area ridge trail which is beieing deveveloped t h the yearars, and h he saiaid thl map sayays it goess right u up e golden gatate bridgee and t the continuess a after that. So hee tried so harard to be a toto get acrosss andnd wasas to. So it wasas r really n nice tha park police drove him across and even let him stay in Golden Gate Park for a night. Very interesting. All right. John mcdonald, the director and john mcdonald, the director and producer of call me our cucustomers dodont do what thehey do for likes s or followewers. Their papath isnt for ththe casuallyly curious. And thatss what makekes itit matter ththe most when t they find i it. The e exact thining ththat can chahange the wowo. Some s say its whwhat ththey were boborn to do. Itits what ththey live toto. Trinet s serves smsmall anand medium s sized businines. Soso they can n do more of whahat matters. S. Bebenefits. Papayroll. Comompl. Trtrinet. Peopople matter. Every bubusiness deserves a a great deaeal. Thats whyhy comcast b busins bebene is lauaunching thehempl. Mobile m made free e event. With ourur businesss ininternet, nenew and exisisg cucustomers cacan geget one yearar of unlimimd momobile for f free. Its our b best internrnet. Powered byby the nextt geneneration 10g0g network ad wiwith 99. 9 r reliabilityt. Plus one l line of freree momobile for a an entire y y. Itss the mobilile made fre eveventhappenening now. Get t started fofor jujust 49. 99 9 a month. Plusus, ask how w to get onene line of f unlimited d mobil. Comcast t business,s, poweriring possibibilities. Im chief meteorologist jeff ranieri. Welcome back. We wanted to give you a quick look at the sevenday forecast. Well start with some fog tomorrow morning. By the afternoon, temperatures in the low 90s. Well see increasing chances of thunderstorms sunday, monday, and tuesday with hurricane hilary and the remnants off towards the south. Again, raj, Southern California really going to be hit the hardest from this one. We hope everyones safe down there. Thank you, jeff. Thanks for joining us here on nbc bay area news tonight. Have a great weekend. Have a safe weekend. We hope to see you back at we hope to see you back at 11 00. Alexex mateo, hey y hows busisiness . Alexex great. Y you know ththat n has s really wororked wonder. Thatats what u. U. S. Bank isis. Great. Y you know ththat n has s really wororked wonder. And d youre grorowing in calififornia . Great. Y you know ththat n has s really wororked wonder. Yup, socal, nororcal. Monteterey . All d day. A brancnch in ventutura . Thatss for sureeah. Atms in n fresno . Thatss for sureeah. Fresesyes. Thatss for sureeah. Encinitatas . Yes, indndeedus. Encinitatas . Anaheim . Encinitatas . Big g time. Encinitatas . More guauacamole . Encinitatas . Iim on a rolollay. Encinitatas . How about t you . Im jujust visitining. U. S. S. Bank. Ranked 1 1 in customomer satisfafaction h retatail bankingng in calififornia by j j. D. Po. Tonight on access hollywood. Happy wife, happy life. Happy wife, happy life. As sam breaks his britneys silence, a step closer too lelearning whahat causesed the