Separated by fewer than 200 votes. Are we headed for a recount . And would you pay 22 for a burrito . A San Francisco restaurant getting some pushback for doubling its price. The owner is with us tonight. And some good news for pg e customers. Youre getting some money back on your next bill. Good evening. This is nbc bay area news tonight. Im raj mathai. How about this . We begin with the razorthin margin in the race for congress. Super tuesday was one week ago, but late today, we just got an update. This is the bigmoney, highprofile race. Two candidates separated by fewer than 200 votes. Here are the latest numbers for district 16. This is to replace longtime congresswoman anna eshoo. Former san jose mayor sam liccardo, hes out in front with more than 20 of the vote. But look at second place. County supervisor joe simitian and assemblyman evan low. 162 votes separate these two, simitian and low. The top two advance to the november election. Looks like liccardo for sure and either simitian or low. Heres an inside look at the registrar of Voters Office in san jose where the work continues to count each vote. There are still 96,000 ballots left to count in this race in santa clara and san mateo counties combined. Today is the deadline for any final ballots to arrive as they must be postmarked by march 5th. That was super tuesday. One of our political analysts is with us tonight to talk about this latest development, that separation of 162 votes, including a possible recount. Shes going to join us in just a few minutes. Also tonight, a hazmat scare in martinez. The discovery of an aging tanker filled with a mysterious liquid led to an hourslong shutdown in martinez. Turns out it was vegetable oil. This all started this morning at around 9 30 on pacheco boulevard. A tow truck driver hired to move the tanker called authorities after discovering there was liquid still inside of the tanker. Since the tanker wasnt labeled, hazmat was called in. The area was shut down for about three hours while they investigated. Its been here for approximately a week. No one can give us a definite time as to when they saw it first arrive on the street. But since we know its here and we got it under our control right now, were going to take the appropriate action in identifying the product. Occasionally we get people dropping containers off on the street, on the shoulder. Its an ongoing problem. Again, all that commotion, and it turned out to be vegetable oil. Officials say this tanker was one of three tagged as abandoned just last week. Lets move on. Is this the last storm were going to see for a while . Youre looking at todays rain. Just some spotty rain in san jose. Showers across much of the bay area. But there is a change coming. Lets bring in our chief meteorologist, jeff ranieri. What have we got, jeff . Were going to be transitioning out of this on again, off again rain and cloud cover to some increased sunshine. Right now already drying out on stormranger, our doppler radar. But with that sunshine and warmer temperatures, will also come some wind returning throughout the bay area. We do have a wind advisory that has been issued, 5 00 p. M. Tomorrow until 11 00 a. M. Friday. On and off wind gusts 20 to 50. Humidity lowering to 30 . Really the top risk in the mountains, 500 feet and above. A few more particulars on this just for you to think about here. Thursday well have the strongest wind. We could see some downed trees, maybe some power outages, but heres the excellent thing. The recent rains is going to help out the immediate fire danger. So the fire danger will be elevated like always when we get the wind, but it should not go to the extreme lemp. Level. Ive got more looks of that forecast coming up in about 15 minutes. Heres a story thats gripped the bay area for more than 20 years. Could Scott Peterson get a new trial . In 2004, a jury convicted him of killing his wife, laci, and their unborn child. Today his case was back in court with his new attorneys looking for new dna evidence. Scott peterson joined today ah hearing via zoom from mule creek state prison. Thats over in amador county. Hes now 51 years old. If you can notice there, he has a ponytail. Peterson only spoke to the judge a few tis, mostly to confirm he could hear t proceeding. The los angeles Innocence Project has taken up petersons case. It wants a judge to admit new witness testimony and conduct dna testing on several pieces of evidence that were not part of the original trial. The defenses biggest focus is on that burnedout van found near the peterson ho it showed up the day after laci disappeared. Specifically Scott Petersons new attorneys want a bloody mattress inside the van tested for any trace of Laci Petersons dna. The defense was entitled to this at the time of trial. Mr. Peterson has been waiting 20 years to find some of these Police Reports and audio recordings and video recordings that should have been provided. Joining us now is paula canny. Shes a defense attorney who has been following the peterson case for decades. Nice to have you back on the program. Youre always a straight shooter with us here. Is there really something here . Why did the l. A. Innocence project take up this case . There is absolutely something here. There is absolutely something here. For the judicial system to work, the prosecution has to give the defense all the important evidence, all the Police Reports. And what the l. A. Innocence project is asking for is all the reports that werent given to the defense. I mean it was always the defenses belief that scott didnt kill laci. And it was always their argument that there was a burglary ring going on in modesto in their neighborhood at that time, and they asked for the reports from the police. And now what we know is the police didnt give them this report. And now what we know is that there was this van that had a bloodied mattress in it that they didnt tell to the peterson defense team. And now the l. A. Innocence project, through their work, have found these reports, and theyre saying lets test this mattress because its their belief that that mattress is going to have dna of Laci Peterson on it. Okay. And if there is go on. I remember hearing about that van. So do many of our viewers 20 years ago. Right. Say there is something there. Maybe technically they didnt do it properly in handing over evidence. Is that enough, though, to get him a new trial, or are we just going over paperwork here . Absolutely, and let me be clear. Not handing over evidence or Police Reports isnt a technicality. It is required by a statute. The problem is over decades, prosecutors dont hand over all materials. Police departments dont hand over all materials. Thats why we have so many wrongful convictions. Thats why organizations like the los angeles Innocence Project, you know, are in existence. We are not a perfect system. So in terms of it, this is the first step in what will be a really long process. So if they test that mattress and its got Laci Petersons dna on it, then the Innocence Project is going to do another motion, and there are more and more motions. And then ultimately there will be a motion for a new trial. And as we wrap it up, thats my question. Whats the timeline . If there is possibly a new trial, would we know this calendar year, or is this going into 2025 . I think probably going into 2025. The judicial system is probably the slowest, but, yeah, it is not going to happen fast. The next Court Hearing isnt until april, and then theres another one set in may. So, no, lots of Court Appearances before anything substantive happens. It is fascinating. Scott peterson now 51 years old. Paula canny, thanks for your time and insight. Thanks so much. Of course. Lets get back to the election. We told you about the race to replace congresswoman anna eshoo on the peninsula. Its not the only close race that were following here. Statewide were also watching prop 1. That was the only prop on the ballot. Right now its passing, but look at the numbers. A slim margin. The statewide measure supported by Governor Newsom is meant to address our homeless crisis by improving and expanding our Mental Health services. Yes on prop 1, 50 of the votes. Late today, a group opposing this measure, californians against prop 1, released a statement saying theyre conceding, and prop 1 is likely to pass. But theres about a million ballots statewide that still havent been counted yet. Joining us now is dr. Melinda jackson, professor of politics at san jose state. There you are. Nice to see you, professor. Lets get back to that district on the peninsula to replace anna eshoo. 162 votes. Can evan low pull this out . Yeah, i think its an absolute possibility. On election night, we were seeing a little bit more distance between joe simitian and evan low with simitian looking like he was going to take the number two spot. That was consistent with the low voter turnout we were seeing. These were clearly going to be the top three candidates. They all have great political experience, name recognition, history, you know, in the region, pulling from slightly different areas of the district, but not surprising that these three ended up on top. Joe simitian, again, has anna eshoos endorsement. Hes been in politics for decades. So it wouldnt have been surprising to see him get the number two spot. But evan low represents a younger generation, also lots of experience in local politics and in the state assembly. Hes asian american, which represents a significant portion of the constituents in that district. So i really think it could go either way. 161 votes. You ever seen something this close in recent memory . This is definitely one of the closer ones, but thats what makes things exciting, right . Youve got to count every last vote. Could we see a possible recount here . This is a relatively election between democrats. Could we see a recount if low calls for one or simitian . We could. Its not automatic in california. So one of the candidates would have to request it, and they have to pay for it. But if it does end up being, you know, really within less than half a percentage point or something, its very likely that one of them might call for the recount. The other thing thats kind of interesting is because we have so much mailin voting, you know, we dont really know exactly where the outstanding ballots are coming from, so we cant really predict, oh, theyre coming from this region of the district, and those voters are more likely to be conservative or liberal. It really is, you know, up to the last minute here until every last vote is counted. Professor, when are we going to get the final results . Usually when does this happen . Are we hours away or days away still . I think were still days away. You know, it is important in california that we do have a lot of protections in place to make sure that every vote is counted. So, you know, if a ballot is spoiled in the sense that somebody marked off two different names and then crossed out one and said, no, i mean this one, thats going to get counted, but thats a hand coat. So, you know, it takes more time to carefully examine each vote, but its more accurate that way. Final question. We love this because youre so close to campus and the students. Are your students interested in this primary election season, or are they just waiting for the november general . Actually, weve seen a lot of Political Engagement around campus. You know, this generation is really engaged with a lot of issues, more so i think at the national level. But evan low is actually an alum of san jose state and, you know, comes back to visit from time to time. So, you know, i think that our students have a lot in common with particularly some of the younger politicians here in the area, and i certainly hope that they did make their voices heard this time and that theyll be turning out in larger numbers in november. We like to hear that student engagement. Appreciate your time. Im guessing well be seeing you next week when this all comes to be final hopefully. Up next, would you pay 22 for a burrito . A San Francisco restaurant getting buzz for raising prices on one of its most popular items. Were joined by the owner to get a better understanding of whats behind the price hike. And how about this . Your skyrocketing pg e bills, youre about to get a sizeable credit next month. Business. Its not a ninetofive proposition. Its all day and into the night. Its all the things that keep this world turning. The gotos that keep us going. The places we cheer. And check in. They all choose the advanced Network Solutions and round the clock partnership from comcast business. See why comcast business powers more Small Businesses than anyone else. Get started for 49. 99 a month plus ask how to get up to an 800 prepaid card. Dont wait call today. Welcome back to nbc bay area news tonight. So heres the question. Is this price gouging or a sign of the times . 22 for a burrito. A spot in San Franciscos Mission District is getting a lot of attention for essentially doubling the price of its signature item. When the restaurant opened two years ago, it was 11. Now its 22. The owner says, hey, blame the rising costs of just about everything. The restaurant is la vaca birria. The premium ingredients come at an increasingly premium price. The latest Consumer Price index backs that up. Prices are rising gas, housing, and, yes, foot and groceries. After a few customers complained on social media about the pricing, the owner took to instagram trying to explain that if he didnt increase the prices, hed be out of business. Then he also thanked customers for sticking with him. Regulars that we talked to today understand. Since this has opened, their prices are higher than other places on the street probably. They emphasize very, very good quality ingredients, and you pay for that. And maybe thats it. You get what you pay for. Joining us now is ricardo lopez, owner of la vaca birria. Ricardo, thanks for being with us. Its pretty eyeopening for a the of people. Weve got 10 bucks for a burrito. How do we arrive at 22 . You know, everything keeps raising in price. One big thing for us is our beef. We use choice beef. That was 2. 50 cheaper three years ago. We call it 2,500 pounds per month. Based off that, the beef alone, thats 6,000 more for that same beef were paying for. Theres just no other way around it. We want to serve the quality we serve. We have to charge for it as well. Otherwise, were going to close the doors. Why come out publicly with your pricing struggles . And we appreciate it. Its cool youre being transparent. What made you decide . Were you on the fence about it . I think, you know, the review we did receive on google, it was a threestar review, and i think a kind of perfect example where they enjoyed the food. But it was the price that was something that were struggling with. I think thats great, you know. If the food was bad, then its for sure not worth what were charging. But you like the food, its good, but just a perfect example of let me explain a little further, you know. Its not like im trying to buy a ferrari. Im trying to pay my bills. Our crews were out there today. First they said the burrito was great. Secondly, they said the place was full. Do you have the same amount of customers, or have you seen a little drop in business . Weve actually been busier. Thankfully we did have a good review from the sf chronicle come out back in november. So weve definitely seen more people coming through the doors since then. But thankfully now we have some profits between those people coming in. One of your burritos is enough for two meals. Those things are big. As we wrap it up, whats your favorite thing on the menu . Am i sticking with the burrito if i come in, or what else is there . Right now its the carne asada burrito. We cook it on mesquite. Awesome. Ricardo lopez, la vaca birria, appreciate your time tonight. Well see you in your restaurant. Thank you. Also tonight, a little bit of relief for those skyrocketing pg e bills. You could be getting back as much as 140 on your next bill in april. Its all thanks to a statewide credit. Heres the breakdown. No kidding here. If you get your electricity from pg e, youll be getting back 55 on your april bill. If you also get gas from pg e, youre getting 85. So the total for 140 in credits for both. Why is this happening . Sounds suspicious. Its not. The money is coming from the california climate credit fund. Each year, the state charges companies releasing pollutants into the air in the form of emissions permits. Part of that money then goes to Climate Change initiatives. The rest is refunded in the form of these energy credits. Those credits show up on your bills every april and october. Thats going to be good news. All right. A live look outside. The san mateo bridge, traffic is the san mateo bridge, traffic is flowing nicely, and its still everyones hyped that wendys made the official hamburger of march madness a buck. Sandstorm by darude yeahhh wooooo but tyler and toby are on another level. Get it for a buck. Get it for a buck. both daves single, daves single get hyped with fresh, never frozen beef on wendys daves single for a buck. Only in the app. Your brain is an amazing thing. But as you get older, it naturally begins to change, causing a lack of sharpness, or even trouble with recall. Thankfully, the breakthrough in prevagen helps your brain and actually improves memory. The secret is an ingredient originally discovered. In jellyfish. In clinical trials, prevagen has been shown to improve memory. Prevagen. At stores everywhere without a prescription. Welcome back. We have some good news for the warriors. Steph curry is rejoining the team, most likely later this week. Hes twisted his right ankle. He hasnt played since. Today the warriors gave us an update. Hell likely practice with the team on friday and then maybe, hopefully, cross your fingers, he will play on saturday in l. A. Against the lakers. Okay. Back in action. Thats good news. We are drying out after a little bit of rainfall this morning. Well start it off tomorrow morning, though, with some patchy fog. But then theres going to be plenty of sunshine by the afternoon. Let me get you more details in that microclimate forecast. As we start it off tomorrow morning, along with that patchy fog, well be down here in the 40s. Then as we head through the day, some afternoon sunshine. Temperatures will warm up by about three to six degrees, and that will put us back up into the 60s. Going to 68 here in santa rosa. 67, martinez. Mid60s, morgan hill over to san jose. That sun will be nice, but eventually we will see some wind building in. High pressure over the pacific. Low pressure to the south. Its going to create this vacuum effect and pull that wind over northern california. So were really starting to see that wind picking up wednesday night. 10 to about 25. The strongest winds out of the northeast here on thursday, 20 to 50 all the way through thursday night. Then by friday, that wind will calm down. So once the wind comes down, well be able to enjoy friday, saturday, and sunday. Sunny skies. Temperatures here in the 70s. Raj and everyone at home, you probably know this. But this is the driest sevenday forecast weve seen in months. Thanks, jeff. As we wrap up, mario lopez just Getting Started with access hollywood. Well, its the oscars stunt that had executives so scared, it almost didnt air. Tonight access uncovers the whole story behind john cenas pretty much naked shuffle across the stage. Weve learned even more secrets from sunday night as we reveal the 8 1yearold oscar winner who enjoyed im just ken more than anybody. Plus, heartwarming proof you dont need to win the oscar to be a winner. Only access went up to lily gladstones former high school for the watch party with her former classmates and teachers where they were hoping to go wild when the envelope opened to reveal her name. Even though she didnt get the statuette, youll love her reaction to the hometown support. Well see you in a second. Heres whats coming up in prime time on nbc. At 8 00, night court, followed by extended family at 8 30. Then the voice at 9 00, followed by password at 10 00. Then of course our 11 00 news live and local. Thats going to do it for us at 7 00. For everyone here at nbc bay area, including our associate director, eddie duran, thanks for watching us. We hope you enjo tonight on access hollywood there were intense discussions about the size of the envelope. And they say a card size