now, this is near meridian avenue. now, there is evidence of gas leaking into the air and pg&e crews have been called to make repairs. you can see quite a large police presence on scene, and also fire. it's not clear what caused the accident at this point, but police and several fire trucks, as mentioned, are on scene. a few homes around the accident have been evacuated as a precaution. of course, we will continue to follow this. again, this is curtner avenue, near meridian and san jose. >> now to decision 2012 and the race for the white house. just hours after clinching enough delegates to win his party's nomination, mitt romney hitting the bay area atm. he'll be in hillsborough tonight, hosting a fund-raiser at the historic carolyn chateau. at 65,000 square feet, it's one of the largest mansions in the country and a california landmark. christie smith is outside the chateau with a look at romney's visit. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, john. it really doesn't get much more grand than this. 93 rooms in this. this is a backdrop for mitt romney's fund-raiser. still, even in this neighborhood, a lot of neighbors telling us this morning, they support president obama. but they feel fund-raising in california, particularly the wealthier areas, are becoming too much of the focus. >> reporter: there's a quiet buzz around hillsborough this morning that gop fund-raiser mitt romney is coming to this estate this evening, carol ann's chateau, 65,000 square feet. >> honestly, i'm not much into politics, but it's exciting they come out into this area as well. >> reporter: many consider california an atm in the race to the white house. batter memore has seen the politicians come and go. >> the areas that they're both in are very affluent areas here in hillsborough and also in menlo park at atherton. so there is a lot of money and wealth in those areas. >> reporter: tonight, tickets for a plate can go up to $50,000. fuel for critics who want to paint romney as wealthy and out of touch with the middle class. but republicans point out that recently president obama was in atherton for a fund-raiser that reportedly ran over $36,000 per plate. >> this whole money thing is absolutely absurd. we certainly don't seem to be looking to what we should be focusing on. >> reporter: the romney fund-raiser is co-chaired by meg whitman, former republican candidate for california governor and now hewlett-packard ceo. they just announced plans for thousands of layoffs, but for those who live nearby, these big names aren't really as close as they might seem. >> it's not for us, you know. it's not for the common folks that live here. it's, you know, way over our heads. >> reporter: and we are back here live and there's word that president obama congratulated mitt romney on securing his delegate total. meantime, i was checking out one website that said that this event starts at 5:00. from here, it's off to another fund-raiser tomorrow in southern california. reporting live in hillsborough, christie smith, nbc bay area news. governor jerry brown is not losing voter support in his call for higher taxes, but he could soon. this is according to a new survey. a new usc/"l.a. times" poll shows 59% of those polled approve of brown's proposed tax hikes. but the survey found once voters were presented with arguments against the plan, that approval dropped to 50%. once of the scenarios that deflate t voter support, the possibility that lawmakers might waste the money raised by higher taxes. right now we tell you about a bizarre hazmat scare in fremont this morning. firefighters were called to the garage of a condo complex on center city drive, where they found a woman dead inside of a car filled with poisonous gas. the woman's husband found her after an argument about 1:30 a.m. the hazmat team there determining the substance inside that car was hydrogen sulfide. that's a gas that can can be created with household products, but it is highly toxic in a confined space. they use large fans there to vent that gas and they stayed on scene for several hours to finish up the investigation. also this morning, a massive fire destroying a boarded up victorian house into west oakland. those flames were spotted just hours after 4:00 a.m., but it quickly spread, forcing fire rues to evacuate. the damage there estimated about $200,000. investigators say a man inside the home got out safely, but they are not sure if he played a role in the actual fire or if he was living there legally. well, the search continues this morning for a missing south bay teenager, sierra lamar. volunteers gathered in the wake of a full weekend of searching by the santa clara county sheriff's department. the man now charged with kidnapping and killing sierra is is due back in court tomorrow to enter a plea. marc klaas of the klaas kids foundation says it's crucial to find sierra soon. >> and we've got to take this bargaining chip away from this punk. i mean, right now he's in a situation where he can maybe trade a deal for her life and that really needs to be taken off the table. >> about 80 people are taking part in today's search. bank robbers on the loose this morning, but not before leaving a very important clue at the scene of the crime. we have a picture from surveillance cameras. lafayette police say the man held up the bank near first street on tuesday. now, investigators say he handed the teller a note, but did not show a weapon. he managed to get away with an undisclosed amount of cash. well, in napa, police are looking for leads after thieves made off with dozens of computers at one elementary school. they say someone broke into a school classroom at alta heights elementary on montecito boulevard some time over the long weekend. the thieves took off with 30 math books valued at about $30,000. and there's a major change today for thousands of south bay commuters. metering lights will be turned on this afternoon along southbound interstate 280 in downtown san jose. those lights have been added at the entrance ramps from moore park to eleventh street, but not all comó1h5"m think this is a good idea. >> when i'm coming to san jose and it takes me literally 20 minutes to get on the freeway. >> i would say get rid of the metering lights. they don't really help. i mean, i can get on the freeway just fine without someone stopping me, it's just going to create more traffic. >> and coming up this fall, six more on-ramps will be added for drivers heading north. well, it has long been a gripe of east bay commuters, but today the grunge is gone on some b.a.r.t. cars. nbc bay area's bob redell is live aboard a train with a squeaky clean new plastic seats. how they treating you, bob? >> reporter: well, i'll show you in a minute. you know, a comment complaint has been the cloth seats, which have been on trains for years. that they're uncomfortable, dirty, spongy, that they absorb every liquid known to man, which explains the curious smell you sometimes encounter when you come on board a train. but now b.a.r.t. riders do have a choice in some of the cars, b.a.r.t. has just rolled out a completely redesign of the seats. instead of cloth, you're looking at them right there. these are final. b.a.r.t. says they're easier to clean, they're stain resistant, cheaper to maintain, and since the rollout a couple of weeks ago, they've been asking riders, what do you think? do you like? well, b.a.r.t. tells us so far there's been unanimous praise for this new redesign of seats. >> i like them a lot. the fabric was pretty disgusting. i don't know, you know, like whose idea it was in the first place to go with something that was absorbent, but this seems much better. >> really good. pretty comfortable. >> reporter: how do they compare to the old ones? >> really good. the old ones were really uncomfortable and kind of stingy too. so these are really good. >> reporter: now, these new seats are only in about 50 cars, will soon be in another 50. and based on the positive feedback so far, b.a.r.t.'s board is expected to approve seats for another 100 cars. so all in all, that would be about a third of the fleet. now, this seating is transitional. it's meant to tide riders over until a completely new fleet of cars are introduced on to b.a.r.t., and that's still about several years out. you can still kick your feet back to b.a.r.t. there are posters in these cars requesting that feedback or go to b.a.r.art.gov. >> extreme b.a.r.t. makeover starring bob redell. i like. and also a fan of the weather outside. this week keeps ramping up in the right direction. >> it's going to be a little bit on the hot side inland, but still rather comfortable bayside. at the coast, we'll get some great beach weather, starting with this live look at the transamerica pyramid. you can see what's left of that cloud cover hugging the coast. the city by the bay, nice blue sky overhead. look at where your temperatures are. i really want to point out the difference of san francisco, san mateo, and sunnyvale. 60 in san francisco, we're at 59 in san mateo, with versus 77 degrees in sunnyvale. so inland cities are nice and warm. if you live along the peninsula, you too will get close to that 80-degree mark. because between now and about 4:00 p.m., your temperatures are going to soar, climbing an additional 15 degrees. so toasty conditions inland. pretty comfortable, though, at the coast. tomorrow, getting hotter everywhere. breezy to windy conditions. and then we're going to shift your whole forecast the opposite direction and bring in the showers. so don't get too comfortable, but, yes, warmer weather on the way. >> mother nature's prerogative. she can do what she needs to do. >> she sure can. >> beautiful. we'll check back with you in a minute. well, a scathing new report is blasting california's court system. why it's being called dysfunctional. and new developments in a two-year legal battle surrounding the founder of wikileaks. what britain's high court has in store for julianor saasnge. look out yelp, google is hot on your trail. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [ transforming sounds ] [ male announcer ] transformers. the ride. ride it at universal studios hollywood. right now we continue follow breaking news out of san jose. firefighters and pg&e at the scene of an accident in the 1700 block of curtner avenue. that is near meridian. as we reported at the top of our newscast, a car hit that gas meter, just shearing it right off. we've just learned that pg&e crews have shut off the gas, but five cars near that scene have been evacuated. at this point, it's unclear what exactly caused the accident, but we can tell you the driver is okay. there are still several police cars and fire trucks on scene, and we will continue to bring you updates as we get them. well, a new report describes the agency that runs california's court system as dysfunctional and in need of an overhaul. california's chief justice ordered the report by a committee of 11 judges. a report says san francisco a-based administrative office of the courts is overstaffed and top heavy with highly paid bureaucrats. the report comes as the governor prepares to cut more than $500 million from the court's budget. international envoy kofi annan leaving syria today without securing any major progress towards peace. this all coming as international outrage continues to grow following a massacre of more than 100 villagers last friday. and today there are new reports of more civilian killings there. annan making a personal appeal to syrian president bashir al assad for bold steps to create, quo quote, peace now not tomorrow. and the founder of the anti-secrecy website wikileaks can be extradited to sweden over alleged sex crimes. that's the ruling this morning from britain's supreme court and that leaves julian assange with few legal options. he's been fighting extradition now for the last two years. assange wanted in sweden for questions about sex crimes. britain's highest court there ruling today the warrant seeking his arrest was properly issued. well, parents, listen up. a new study says regular old books are better for your children than digital books on tablets. business and tech reporter scott mcgrew explains. >> yeah, good morning. this study conducted by a science museum in new york says it couldn't find a difference between children's books and say, the same book on kindle, but it found huge differences when those books were enhanced with bells and whistles, interactivity, and other distractions. the kind of thing you'd find more likely on the ipad. the study found kids who read an enhanced book were far less likely to be able to explain what the story was about compared to kids who read that same story in a regular book. and amazon is coming to xbox. microsoft says it will add amazon's instant streaming to its xbox gaming console, allowing you to watch movies and tv shows from amazon right in your living room, much like you can with netflix. now, if you pay for amazon's prime service, you can get many of those shows for free. we use it all the time at my house through the roku device. there are hundreds of tv shows, of course, you have to pay for the amazon prime account, about 80 bucks a year, but many of the videos are free. there's a pay-per-view option too, but lots of interesting content. you remember last year, google bought the gap. well, the company's now showing off how they're incorporating the reviews into google's search. one in five searches on google have something to do with the local area. so this is really good news, because you can get the gat reviews for free. it's tough news, though, for its competitor, yelp. back to you. >> okay. thank you, scott. well, tobacco companies are putting financial muscle behind the fight to stamp out proposition 29. reports show they have contributed about $41 million towards defeating the measure, which would raise taxes on cigarettes by $1 to support cancer research. commercials and mailers made from those contributions are making a difference, according to a poll conducted by the public policy institute of california. support for prop 28 has slipped from 67% in march to 53% in month. well, technically, we haven't quite reached summer yet, but according to meteorologist, it feels like it outside, right? >> about 20 more days until we do hit the official start. but it is going to feel very summery. not just today. we climb into the 90s inland tomorrow. now, let's show you a live look at san jose. and you can see, it does look a little hazy, but we have good air quality everywhere. so go ahead and open up those windows, if you don't have an ac in your car or your house. i wanted to show you the gradual progression here of the clouds clearing the bay area throughout the morning. you can see, they really have thinned out, with just a little bit right now situated over the bay itself and at the coast. but as a result of that hanging out, though low clouds, you're normally at 60 in san francisco and 59 in oakland. take a look at everywhere else. 77 in sunnyvale, 68 here at san jose, and we're still going to climb by an additional 10 to 15 degrees. the warm-up is on now that the cool air has mixed out, and these winds will stop to pick up as well. so what cloud cover is left is going to be a thing of the past before the day is done. it will be hard to find a cloud in the sky, and your winds are trying to pick up substantially in places like novato. they have not yet shifted to the northeast, but they will, as we head through the overnight hours, and we really start to see that offshore flow increase. that's a warm-up for the bay area. i want to point out your air quality is good all across the board for now, and we do have a chance for some light showers. we'll get to that in my seven-day forecast, that will purify that air quality, which does tend to suffer this time of year. 89 in gilroy. it's going to be downright hot in the warmest cities across the bay, as high pressure moves inland and sets right up over the great basin, that will drive those winds offshore. tomorrow, in addition to friday, looking very warm. 91 degrees, possibly hitting records in places like san jose and livermore. we'll stay just about as warm inland on friday. we'll get more of an onshore flow. that will cool your temperatures off just a touch at the coast and bayside. the real cooling starts to take effect monday and tuesday as an area of low pressure arrives. could see showers on tuesday in the north bay. back to you guys. >> christina, thank. from snow skiing to seismic activity, the new findings about lake tahoe and its risk for earthquakes. and the bay area teenagers playing a starring re in the prelude to the olympic gam and we'll let you know why they were chosen to carry the famous torch. g well, there's a new development this morning in the bay bridge safety investigation. the director of the california department of transportation says he will consult with independent experts from outside his agency about new concerns over the concrete foundation of the new eastern span. "the sacramento bee" investigation on sunday says that outside experts believe there are flaws that could affect how effectively the bridge might withstand a major quake. the investigation revealed a builder failed to disclose tests that showed some of that concrete was not allowed to properly set the during the construction. well, the lake tahoe area is more earthquake prone than previously thought. scientists used new high-resolution imaging technology to uncover earthquake faults in the mountains west of lake tahoe. they say the steep range could generate relatively strong earthquakes with magnitudes up to 6.9, triggering a landslide. that area stretches from west of truckee to the south end of lake tahoe and through the middle of the squaw valley ski resort to fallen leaf lake. well, maa couple of young people from right here in the bay area getting a very cool honor and their 15 minutes of fame this summer as olympic torch bearers. 19-year-old sarah williams from pleasanton will carry the torch on july 9th through the uk town of buckingham. she was picked to do this because of a charity she created to make fleece blankets for foster kids. her project is called creative kindness and it's now spread to six states. nice work, young lady. and 19-year-old kailan of fremont will also carry the torch. he's a student at uc berkeley and the cofounder of internetting family. that's a nonprofit group that teaches computer skills to senior citizens. they are 2 of 22 americans chosen for that big-time honor. >> congratulations to them. teenagers going great things. >> love it. love it. very proud. well, coming up, a piece of outdated technology that is expected to have a price tag of more than $100,000. you ca you n afcard thafo >> yeah, st.e i caurn. n. welcome back. taking a live look. clear sky over oaktown. we have a warm-up on the way. people are already complaining on my facebook page that it's too hot and it's only 74. 75 inland, 68 at the coast. warming up into the knotts 7 and we cool off as we head towards the second half of the weekend. back to you guys. >> complainers! well, we have some programming changes to share. "ellen" will air today at 2:00 this afternoon and "nate berkus" at 3:00, and at 4:00, a special edition of nbc bay area news, that's at 4:00, followed by the first dame of the stanley cup finals at 5:00. we'll also have another special edition of nbc bay area news at 8:00 tonight immediately following that game. then at 9:00, "extra!" and "access hollywood" at 9:30. get all that? >> i got it now. finally this morning, it is old, it's outdated, but a piece of tech history is on that auction block. >> one of the original apple one circuit boards will be up for bid later this month at sotheby's in new york. it was handled by apple cofounder steve wozniak. only half a dozen of them are still in working condition. it's expected to get about $180,000. also up for grabs, a steve jobs memo written during his day at atari. that's expected to go for at least $10,000. can you imagine, just a little bit of your handwriting, $10,000. >> i wish i could clear out my garage and charge $100,000 for it. >> you probably could. join us tonight at 5:00, 6:00, and 11:00 -- actually, programming note.