of rainfall, where we could seeh t is quick rise in water, you know, going doui theg hillsides. and of course, our t biggest an most vulnerable region continues to be scott's valley where that rock slide occurred over the past 48 hours. we'll continue to monitor that and we'll have details on the timeline and what you can expect with these two storms, coming up. >> and this just into the newsroom now. the santa cruz harbor is back in business, reopened 11 days after the tsunami-affected waves rocked the harbor. a scan of the harbor flow shows it's now safe for boats of all sizes. several boats remain submerged following the tsunami surge that damaged more than 100 vessels and caused an estimated $26 million in damage to the ports. things could get very dicey for some homeowners already roughing it. the incoming storm could make removing the rock slide that has them stranded in their homes almost impossible. that rock slide happened in scott's valley, which is able 6 miles north of santa cruz. nbc bay area's marianne favro joins us now live with a closer look at how people are coping there. and these are people that are usually pretty self-sufficient. >> reporter: they are used to be very resilient. and the rain is really coming down here in scott's valley. that's the concern tonight, what impact it will have on the already-saturated hillside. the rock slide came down and closed off nelson road, and that has made 50 people making hiking part of their daily commute. >> oh, my god! >> reporter: jackie mauer shot this video of the slide in action. she was steady for a minute, until the rocks started flying too fast. that's when she took off running. >> i shook for an hour afterwards. >> reporter: the sandstone slide closed the road leading to 26 homes. >> there's no way for us to get out, other than on foot. >> reporter: for now bobs orr o and about 50 of his neighbors must hike in and out on this new trail. some must hike more than a mile. this man is carrying in gas for his generator. sheriff's deputies on atvs went to each home to make sure everyone was safe. the santa cruz county public works director says it could be weeks before this slide is cleared and the road can reopen. geologists are working to assess the hill to determine how best to clear the road. >> it still is unstable on the very top level of the hill. >> reporter: bob orser is also wat keeping a watchful eye on the hill close to his house. so now jackie is hiking to town to get boots. she'll need them. fortunately, no one was hurt in the slide. the slide has definitely brought the neighbors here closer together. they are now sharing supplies like propane and even sharing cars because some people had their cars blocked by the slide. the main concern tonight is all of this rain that we're expected to get and what impact it will have not only on the slide, but on the cleanup efforts. they have not even begun. reporting live in scott's valley, marianne favro, nbc bay area news. >> may be a long haul for those folks. thank you. service now fully restored to some 2,700 pg&e customers in berkeley. parts of downtown near the university also impacted. customers without power from 11:15 this morning until about 2:00. the cause of the outage, still unknown at this point. now, coming up at 6:30, all this rain may be a headache for lots of people, but for some, the rainy season is actually busy season. kris sanchez will have a look at some booming businesses coming up at 6:00. new tonight at 6:00, a death on the slopes. a skier from the bay area that disappeared at a resort near lake tahoe has been fou dead. the placer county sheriff's department confirms the death of 58-year-old john hoffman at the sugar bowl resort about 30 miles northwest of lake tahoe. authorities say the oakland man's body was found this morning on one of the ski runs at sugar bowl. the man's wife first reported him missing last night. hoffman was known to be an expert skier and there are no signs of trauma. an autopsy will determine whether he died because of a medical condition. in redwood city, police need your help in finding a man who attempted to kidnap a teenage girl. redwood city police are looking for a man who looks like the person in this sketch. he's described as being a white male in his 40s with short, gray hair and with a heavyset build. officers tell us that the suspect pulled his car in front of the girl as she walked along arch street in redwood city. that's when he allegedly threatened to 14-year-old and told her to get in the car. when she refused, he drove away. he was last seen driving eastbound on hopkins avenue. >> it concerns me, because we have a 14-year-old child victim involved in this, and we don't know what this person's capable of, who's out here on the street, and we would hate to see anything happen to a child here. >> now, the suspect's vehicle is being described as a newer model gray four-door sedan. if you saw anything or have any information that could help the investigation, you're urged to call redwood city police. following up on a story we first brought you last week. tonight, a united states congressman is stepping in to help an east bay church that was foreclosed on last week. congressman george miller joined members of the bible way community church in richmond late this afternoon. and the bank, you might recall, foreclosed on the building last week. the pastor, sidney keys, his mother, and his wife were all arrested for refusing to leave the property. they claim they're victims of an illegal loan. today, he told members of the community he will not give up on saving the church for the community. >> to tell you the truth, this is really not about me. this is about this community. this is about our city. because who is next? what church is next? what institution is next? >> they put these homeowners in peril or businesses or churches in peril because of the loan practices they conducted and the financial scandals. and now they want to act like they're the victims, they have to be protected. >> to john, julia, the chief of this great city -- >> now, torry pines bank is the lender who foreclosed on the bible way community church. it released a statement saying it worked with the church for more than a year to resolve this effort situation. the statement went on to say that because the situation might end up in court, there will be no further comments. well, yesterday jury selection. today, the real drama. day one of the barry bonds trial and there's already major moveme movement. from a witness who refused to testify to an argument over the definitions of a particular word. let's go now to nbc's traci grant live in front of the courthouse in san francisco where it all unfolded. this is finally coming to trial after about seven or eight years as this whole case has unfold. >> reporter: raj, this has been going on for such a long time. it was actually interesting today, because barry bonds' attorneys took exception to the word "perjury." and they insisted that he's never actually been charged with that. now, in fact, in this case, the charge is technically called "making a false declaration." but some are saying tomato/tomato. it all means the same thing, bonds is charged with lying. barry bonds always knew what he was doing. that's what the prosecution explained in its opening argument today. prosecutor matt parrella says bay area laboratory cooperative known as balco insiddously distributed steroids called the clear, an injektable liquid known as thg, and the cream, a testosterone used to mask steroids during blood tests. they said he told an utterly false and ridiculous double lie when he not only said he never knowingly took any steroids, but also that he was under the impression that the substances he took were actually flaxseed oil and arthritis cream. quote, the defendant was given immunity and all he had to do was tell the truth but he couldn't do it and evidence showed that he planned not to do it. >> that it was a detailed, often tedious review of the circumstantial evidence that shows mr. bonds was taking performance enhancing drugs and knew he was doing so. >> reporter: both sides went down a list of witnesses expected to testify. the prosecution says that bonds' childhood friend hoskins and mistress kimberly bell will explain that bonds told them he was taking steroids. >> so the defense theme is that all these people were scorned to some extent by mr. bonds and now are trying to get back at him and are not credible witnesses. >> reporter: but bonds' longtime friend and former trainer greg anderson refused once again to take the stand today. that's when judge susan illston said, "i do find mr. anderson to be in civil disorder of this case. i wish you would change your mind. in any event, i will ask the marshals to take you into custody. so if you change your mind, you can testify." >> clearly, someone has already done 18 months on the various times that he's gone is in is not going to be affected by two weeks. >> reporter: well, it could actually be as long as four or five. anderson's attorney says that jailing his client for the duration of this trial is actually more punitive than persuasive and he is filing a motion to try to get anderson let out of jail. now, we're told that tomorrow barry bonds' former friend, steve hoskins, may appear along with james valente from balco. live in san francisco, traci grant, nbc bay area news. >> thank you, traci. testimony also underway in the murder trial of two men accused of killing oakland journalist chauncey bailey. witnesses today described what they saw the morning of that murder. one man testified he saw a man dressed in black fire two shots at the "oakland post" editor and then come back seconds later to fire a third shot at close range. the first officer who arrived at the crime scene also took the stand describing bailey's wounds to his face as the accused yusuf bey iv and antoine mackey listened without any emotion. the trigger man is expected to testify later this week. still ahead, the new information and the wake-up call for drivers. also coming up, why a flight to the bay area nearly a year ago is today under the microscope. i'm scott budman. by now, you've probably seen one of these. the most popular stuffed animals in the universe. coming up, we'll show you the silicon valley start-up bringing the angry birds to your home. and back from the disaster zone. military families returning to the bay area after evacuationing japan. we are there for their homecoming. and good evening. i'm chief meteorologis fjeff ranieri. the storm picking up a lot of speed right noog movg in a little bit quicker her with some heavier h rain headed towas los gatos in the next half hour. heis e, with this storm offshore, we're not only talking about one but two storms in two days. i'll have full details coming up. well, it's a happy homecoming. hundreds of american military families are back in the bay area today, leaving japan and the devastation behind. nbc's christie smith reports from travis air force base, where they touched down. >> reporter: the end of a 10 1/2 hour flight was a huge relief for 340 passengers arriving from japan. >> but the air force made us feel right at home. we really did appreciate it. >> reporter: mary trayer is in the navy, on leave with her baby born just days before a 9.0 earthquake rocked japan. but it was the ongoing nuclear crisis that made her pack up. >> i decided to leave because of the vacation. i have a week and a half old and i just didn't want to take the chance of increasing -- and right before we left, the plant actually had more smoke coming out of it, so we just decided to go ahead and leave. >> reporter: she was among the first voluntary departure for service members' families to travis air force base. >> i really haven't had too much of a chance to process it, but i'm happy to be back. >> reporter: timothy harrgrave has three kids. his wife is a guidance counselor at a navy base and had to stay behind. his daughter, emma, says she'll never forget that day. >> it felt like somebody shaking the back of my chair, but i looked back and everybody was yelling, evacuate the building. >> reporter: even pets made the journey home and some families told us they actually felt safe in japan but left to ease the minds of loved ones back in the states. >> it feels nervenerve-racking. >> reporter: the flights will continue for those who want to leave. christie smith, nbc bay area news. >> nice to have them back home. a second flight from japan carrying service members' families landed at travis air force base this afternoon. similar chartered flights have already arrived north of us in seattle. coming up at 6:30, we'll have the latest on the situation in japan, including some positive news on the nuclear crisis. well, new and disturbing details tonight about a cockpit fire that forced a united airlines flight to make an emergency landing. boeing 757 was headed from new york to los angeles last may when a fire broke out, forcing an emergency landing at dulles. tonight, federal investigators say that plane was allowed to take off without repairs being done, despite indications during two earlier flights that the cockpit window was overheating. window overheating is a condition long known to cause fires. united airline policy allows planes to fly up to 50 hours after reports a window overheating. does not make you knefeel confident. >> not at all. the disaster in japan is affecting the global economy. and today, a silicon valley giant is admitting its future is cloudy. >> nbc bay area's business and tech reporter, scott budman, is here to tell us why at this point investors are starting to get a little bit nervous, scott? >> about the individual companies, jessica and raj. there's been a lot of speculation about just how much the tech industry would be affected by what's going on in japan. we got a glimpse this evening when adobe systems reported an otherwise strong earning report, but then surprised investors by admitting that sales are slipping because of the disaster in japan. and the future looks a bit cloudy as well. we will watch other companies' earning reports for more of this type of concern. let's go to apple now, where ceo steve jobs is asking for a little patience. jobs released a statement today admitting the company cannot make the ipad 2 fast enough to satisfy initial demand. he says eventually the company will catch up. apple's app store, meanwhile, getting some pressure. amazon.com today getting its own app store and then getting sued by apple over the term "appstore." the first app offered by amazon, angry birds. which brings us to our next story, the power of angry birds. this game is amazing, admit it. you're playing and so are your friends. you may also have the angry birds stuffed animals, and for that, you have a silicon valley start-up to thank. after more than 100 million downloads, just about everyone who can connect to the net knows how addictive angry birds can be. now inspired by the game, angry birds, the stuffed animals, have also taken off. >> little by little, it comes into place. >> reporter: which is helping a silicon valley start-up do the same. >> we are the secret, you might say, behind angry birds. >> shipwire makes the software to make sure your bird or big finds its way to your house. a pretty impressive feat for a toy hatched from your smartphone. >> you have a little phone in your pocket that we all know is going to become a store, but if you play angry birds, you can buy the product through your online store in your pocket. >> that's one of the drivers of your cost. >> reporter: like the app, the angry bird stuffed animals are selling like crazy. >> -- been like this since they came in. >> reporter: keeping shipwire busy when they're not testing the product. who knew the shipping business could be this much fun? >> it's fun carrying around an angry bird, because it's more fun talking about angry birds than it is talking about shipping. but the angry birds wouldn't be flying without the shipping. >> there you have it. next up for the birds, a facebook app, a movie deal, and an animated series. those stuffed pigs, by the way, are new. okay. from angry birds to some angry people. >> i'm still figuring out the shipping part of all this. >> oh, you just stole my line, jessica. so easy, though, right? a lot of angry birds out there as we've had storm after storm here across the bay area. and we certainly are looking at some serious consequences with the next two storms in two days. a flash flood watch in effect for the entire bay area coastline, where anywhere from 1 to 2 inches is expected. also, for the higher elevation, the santa cruz mountains' flood watch is in effect for as well. this does include the scott's valley region, with our rock slide. nbc's marianne favro is there and she's tracking the latest should any developments happen throughout this newscast or through tonight. we are looking at some heavy rainfall across scott's valley right now, picking up near ben lomond, right into los gatos. that's going to make that situation worse. very, very vulnerable there, not only with the rain, but also with winds that could gust 15 to 35 miles per hour. also moderate rainfall down the north bay and the peninsula at this point. it's picked up a lot of speed here recently. and current temperatures are still in the mid-50s. not overly cold right now, but we'll see those numbers drop as we continue throughout tonight. currently, 57 in san jose. so here's the storm we're watching right now, the center just offshore. it's going to head off to the east and the north. we'll get missed by the heart of the storm, but still plenty of rain tonight. however, this stronger storm is going to be moving in for thursday, and that's what's going to help to increase our chance of flooding and also bring us more winds, 15 to 30 miles per hour. starting off tomorrow morning in the low 50s. and then by 11:00 a.m., we're still looking at temperatures in the upper 40s and low 50s. so not too much warming tomorrow morning. isolated flooding possible with 1 to 2 inches from the north to the south bay. so the storm we're looking at currently is mainly through tonight and the very early morning hours for tomorrow. then for wednesday, a chance at showers. we'll even see some breaks of sunshine. however, we'll have to watch for isolated thunderstorms. and then for thursday, that's our stronger storm system. we'll have more on the timing of this throughout the show and also a look at sierra snow coming up. >> okay. thank you, jeff. still ahead, the group that fought back to save the bay and in the process created a legacy. also ahead, a dramatic scene, as a chp cruiser slams into a home herethar th e incident that le area. the incident tha tleup o t this. we're back in a moment. ♪ have a good daisy ♪ eat well, live long ♪ have a good daisy, work out, get strong ♪ ♪ when you need a lift, just sing a song ♪ ♪ and have a good daisy ♪ have a good daisy with a natural treat ♪ ♪ have a good daisy, healthy foods to eat ♪ ♪ when you want some joy, dance to the beat ♪ ♪ and have a good daisy [ female announcer ] enjoy the fresh, 100% natural choice in cottage cheese. ♪ have a good daisy ♪ have a good daisy a bill aimed at cracking down on smuggling cell phones into california state prisons passed today. the senate bill 26 by senator alex padilla of los angeles aimed at stopping the flood of cell phones that make it into the hands of inmates. that's a prison no-no. padilla says the fact that charles manson was caught twice with a cell phone is an example of how the system isn't working. phone smugglers can get up to a six-month sentence and up to a $5,000 fine. inmates could get their sentences extended. nearly 11,000 cell phones were confiscated from prisoners just last year. okay. it is officially crunch time now, not just for governor jerry brown, but for californian cali. budget cuts and tax extensions will likely affect everyone in the state. first, before you even start, we have a report card on jerry brown. a new field poll showing, what, 48% of the sample approving brown's performance thus for a compared with 21% who do not, and 29% have no opinion. he's doing something right. but we've never had anything based on report cards. so it's early on in someone candidacy. >> it is early on, but the fact of the matter is, he's pretty close to the numbers that schwarzenegger had and gray davis had and they came in times that were a lot smoother than it is now. so you want to bear that in mind. not so bad. and one other thing to remember, he got 48%, more than 2 to 1. the legislature got 16% -- 16% -- 70% disapproving, a record low. so you put him next to legislature and certainly he looks like a king. >> the republicans holding their ground here. is this a game of chicken? because they can prevent this, the tax extensions? >> they can keep it just where it is, and that's that. the democrats can use their majority clout, possibly, to go ahead and put it on the ballot. but if you do that, you're kind of naked. you don't have the republicans with you. you're standing all by yourself. it's not really a pretty thing. they've already cut $14 billion out of the budget. they've got $12 billion more. that has to do with that budget item. if they don't get it on, that's the story. brown's been trying to get them to go along, that's the republicans, that is. they haven't. they have been steadfast about putting that ballot proposal on -- >> how steadfast is steadfast? when's the deadline here? it's come and gone. is there a new deadline? we're talking this week now. >> in effect, yes. he's got to get these guys to move, if they're going to, by the end of this week. just don't have enough time. look, the secretary of state, all the county registrar of voters, they need time to put this stuff on the ballot. they need time to organize it. if he doesn't get it on, toast, that's all there is to it. >> full-court press on the public perception. yesterday jerry brown unleashed a youtube video outlining his program. will that help, or just gets him in the media? >> it's one more way to get the word out. don't forget, there was that field poll last week, which was very good. 58% saying it should be on the ballot. 56% said they would vote for if it's on the ballot. but brown's going to have to do one of two thing ifs the republicans don't come along. either he's going to have to come back for this draconian budget that cuts another $12 billion out -- >> schools would suffer even more so. >> easily, easily. a couple more weeks cut out of the schools. already they're lowered. or he's going to go with that majority vote, could be constitutionally tested and the republicans will be fighting all the way to june. either way, if he doesn't get those two in the senate and two in the assembly by the end of this week, jerry brown is going to be one very lonely man. >> all right. larry gerston, hopefully we can have you at the end of this week to see if there's progress made. jessica, back to you. >> thank you, gentleman. still ahead at 6:00 here, the latest on the situation in japan, including finally some positive news on the nuclear crisis. plus, what shoppers here in the u.s. will not be finding in grocery stores because of the situation in japan. also, the u.s. suffers a setback in libya. when president obama expects to hand over control of the operation there. and i'm kris sanchez, live in san jose, where it is not raining just yet, and that is very good news, right? well, it actually depends on who you ask. we'll talk about local business, coming up. >> thank you, kris. also, you may not think about it much, but a lot of us in the bay area use small bridges every day. coming up, the report that's putting report that's puttinpressure g on congress. [ male announcer ] this...is the network. a living, breathing intelligence that's helping business rethink how to do business. in here, inventory can be taught to learn... ♪ in here, machines have a voice... ♪ in here, medical history follows you... even when you're away from home. it's the at&t network -- a network of possibilities, creating and integrating solutions, helping business, and the world...work. rethink possible. all right. let's focus again on the weather now. our stretch of wicked weather may put you in a cranky mood, unless you're in the right line of work. kris sanchez joins us live from san jose with some people who are doing some brisk business. kris? >> reporter: hi, there, jessica. well, i just talked to the chp, where on a sunny day they may get about 200 calls for services in our nine-county area. but when the rain starts to fall, that number goes up to about 800. so it shouldn't come as any surprise that body shops get busy when it's rainy. but that's not the only kind of busy where rain means glass half full, not half empty. as patrick gomez of roof craft hammers away, he's watching the storm clouds close in. >> they're rolling in and i'm running out of time. >> reporter: when it rains, gomez's phone rings off the hook. he says his workload more than doubles when it's raining. he says he's happy to make the money and also happy to help people when he's needed. >> if i can help, i'll do the best i can. >> reporter: how happy are they to see you when you show up? >> pretty happy, pretty stoked. especially on a sunday afternoon. >> reporter: across town at golden west auto body, business is up by about a third. and when customers come in this time of year, they often blame two things -- rain and the time change. though it's good for business, he, too, says it's nice to help people through stormy times. >> i like to think of it as getting people back on the road. they got themselves off the road and we get them back on the road. >> reporter: but if a crash will give you a headache, so too will kids who can't go out to play. >> there's a limit where we've all just been together a little too long in the four walls of our front room, so this is a great place to come. >> reporter: the silver creek sports plex open play area is big enough for 50 kids at a time, but when it rains, you may have to wait. >> especially when there's no school, there's lines at the front desk. kids sometimes with 15 to 20 at a time. >> reporter: now, i also checked with a realtor to see what the rainy weather means for their business, and turns out that the bad news that not a lot of people show up for the open houses when it's rainy, but the good news is that the people who do show up are actually pretty serious about buying. the raindrops have just started to fall here, so i'm getting back in the truck. >> all right, kris, you'll need that umbrella. chief meteorologist jeff ranieri is tracking the situation in the weather center, he'll be up in about ten minutes. well, we drive over them every day, but a new study says dozens of bay area bridges and overpasses are in need of some major repairs. jodi hernandez has a sobering look at a potential deadly problem. >> i cross this bridge almost every day. yeah, i'm kind of worried about it right now. >> ron may have reason to be a bit concerned. a new report says one in five bay area bridges and overpasses is structurally deficiency, including the 85-year-old lemur bridge that ron uses daily. >> it makes me pretty worried to think about what might happen in an earthquake. >> reporter: the study by transportation for america says bridges all across the state are in need of repair. bay area alone has 250 of them. >> we built so much infrastructure about 30, 40, and 50 years ago that it's now time to repair it. and we never put away enough money to do that. what happens in an earthquake and really the answer is, we won't know until it happens, but you can bet that if these are in a state of good repair, we will be better off. >> reporter: drivers say the study is a definite wake-up call. ron said, until today, he didn't realize anything was wrong. >> honestly, it's not something that i've ever given any consideration to. now that i know about this, i don't know that i'll be changing my patterns, but it certainly will make me think twice about taking on-ramps and going across bridges like this. and most importantly, i would like to see some action taken to improve them. >> reporter: the good news about all of this, if there is anything, that none of the bay area's major bridges is considered deficiency. it's the little ones that have the big problems. in oakland, i'm jodi hernandez, nbc bay area news. well, when a chp cruiser plowed into the front of a hayward house today, it was lucky that no one was home. that officer had been chasing a speeding car on interstate 580 when the driver exited foot hhill and led the black and white cruiser right into a residential neighborhood. that's when both cars crashed. hayward police say the driver of the silver dodge had been trying to ram the chp car, apparently succeeding when they reached the new homes on cottage park drive. the officer suffered minor head injuries. a loaded handgun was also found in the suspect's car. new tonight at 6:00, some anxious moments in berkeley today. two gun-related incidents are causing concern among parents, teachers, and students. police say guns were recovered in two separate cases at berkeley high. the first incident happened inside a portable building. two students allegedly fired a handgun inside a school bathroom. the weapon was then dumped a few blocks away on hay street. no one was injured. the second incident involving an anonymous tip that a student was carrying a gun. he was detained by school security before police arrived. now to the situation in libya. a close call for the pilot and weapons officer on a u.s. fighter jet. they went down in what's described as a friendly fire accident. commanders say the jet was not shot down. instead, it had mechanical failure. the airmen safely ejected. also, a u.s. rescue team reportedly fired on friendly libyan rebels who were near one of the u.s. pilots. six libyans reportedly died. while a military investigation is under way, president obama speaking from el salvador says many more libyans would have died if the u.s. had not intervened. >> and i just want to emphasize to the american people, because of the extraordinary capabilities and valor of our men and women in uniform, we have already saved lives. >> reporter: mr. obama also says he wants to turn over control of the military operation to nato, but tonight that issue is still unresolved. let's take you to japan where rescue efforts are slowing down as recovery efforts ramp up. the world, though, is continuing to watch the ongoing nuclear crisis there. the official death toll has now passed 9,000, with at least 13,000 still missing. an estimated 400,000 people are homeless. and in a scene eerily reminiscent that we saw after katrina, a sports arena near tokyo is now the new home to some 2,300 refugees. concern continues at the nuclear plant with smoke, steam, and some radiation still escaping from the damaged reactors. all workers, though, are back on the job today, trying to restore the cooling system there. tonight, the u.s. is stopping all produce and dairy produced in japan from entering the u.s. now, that's not the only problem facing farmers. milk from fukushima and leafy vegetables from a large area of northern japan are now banned for distribution inside the country as well. japan's top government spokesperson reiterated tonight that the radiation levels detected were not harmful, but no chances are being taken. remember, tor complete coverage of the situation in japan, as you have been this whole time, you can go to our website, nbcbayarea.com. still ahead at 6:00, a publicity appearance gone very wrong. what caused singer chris brown to shatter a window after his performance on "good morning america." plus, compelled to act. we speak to the group -- or the members of the group who helped start a movement to save a signature part of the bay. i'm chief meteorologist jeff ranieri. we're tracking that flash flood watch and some heavy rain right now headed over the coastal areas. in fact, in a spot we do not need it, where a rock slide is located. nbc's marianne favro is tracking conditions there. otherwise, we'll let you know n on o sis thrm asyemstnd have more on our flash flood watch, coming up. "know the species, know the stain." lanolin-free coat, i know it's an alpaca. walks in here, looks says "hey look, it's a llama!" cleaning the stain like he would a llama stain. time he's wasting. ♪ call 1-800-steemer well, a bay area environmental group is marking an important milestone this week. 50 years ago, save the bay began its battle to save san francisco bay. >> nbc bay area's joe rosato jr. shows us now the unusual group of founder who is got it all started. >> reporter: on a swampy corner of oakland's shoreline, a group of people planted oak trees. from her vantage point a short distance away, 94-year-old sylvia mclaughlin looked on with tried. >> so many people now value the bay for its beauty and for what it does for the whole area in so more different ways. >> reporter: but it wasn't always that way. 50 years ago, mclaughlin, kay kerr, and ester gullic was summoned to a life of activism when the city proposed filling in a large chunk of the bay. >> that's what really got our attention. they wanted to fill in about 200 acres. and essentially double the size of the city. >> reporter: with a third of the bay already claimed by industry, development, and garbage dumps, the women felt compelled to act. >> we didn't have any choice, really. so we -- the three of us sat down and started save the bay. >> they went to the halls of power and they talked to legislators and they were involved in city councils. >> reporter: the group's rally cry was a poster showing the threat of what the bay eventually might look like. >> when i would give a talk, i'd always take it. and people were just shocked that this would be possible. >> reporter: since that initial shock 50 years ago, the save the bay organization has turned back development, restored wetlands, and increased public access to the bay. >> so these three women got started at a time when there were none of the advantages that we have now in trying to protect the environment and there wasn't much public knowledge that the bay was important and worth saving. >> reporter: kerr died several months ago at the age of 99, leaving mclaughlin as the last original member. >> being, basically, three feisty women and not very accepting of having outrages right in front of their noses, they decided to do something. >> reporter: but even though mclaughlin's now content to let others do the heavy lifting, she warns there's still plenty more saving to do. >> yes, indeed. the there probably always will be. >> reporter: joe rosato jr., nbc bay area news. >> the feisty women have done well. the group marks its 50th anniversary today with a tree planting in oakland. today would have also marked the 100th birthday of co-founder kay kerr. >> tree planting, absolute perfect. all right. laurence scott joins us with a look at what's coming up. >> well, the nfl lockout continues, but the talk today, hopeful, at least from some of the coaches that were there at the owners meetings, 49ers head coach jim harbaugh weighs in on when he'll coach a game at candlestick. also, we catch up with the other new boss, raiders' head coach, hugh jackson. and the nfl has also put a new rule in place that helps and hurts the raiders. we'l l tee up that explanation in just a bit. l all right. let's turn things over to jeff ranieri, that storm that he's been talking about. we're starting to see some of it roll in, but we'll see the worst of it later this evening. >> that's right. this is one in a series of two storms. a stronger one going to be arriving as we head throughout thursday, but we are still seeing these widespread effects. in fact, a flash flood watch for the entire bay area coastline. also, for some of our higher elevations just outside of the coast, including the santa cruz mountains, where we could see 1 to 2 inches of rainfall. the coverage is widespread right now, from the north to the south bay, and unfortunately, we're seeing some of the heaviest rainfall where we need it the least. that is the santa cruz mountains, which also includes scott's valley, where our rock slide has occurred. we had marianne favro there earlier. coming up tonight at 11:00 p.m., we have nbc's george kiriyama, who is going to be monitoring conditions there. in fact, right now, getting some heavier rainfall, just making that very vulnerable hillside even worse at this point, as crews really can't even start the cleanup process yet with our two storms coming in two days. all right. current temperatures in the low to mid-50s from the north to the south bay. it was in the 50s for all of us here across the bay area today. and as we head throughout tonight, we're going to be seeing this overnight system with the rain gradually increasing. and then throughout wednesday, we'll see breaks of sun, some areas of showers, and we'll have to monitor the chance here of some isolated thunderstorms before our second storm arrives thursday for rain, wind, and also our flooding concerns. so here's the center of the storm just offshore. it's going to continue slightly off to the north and the east. so it will get missed by the strongest part of the storm, but still plenty of rainfall through tonight. and there is our stronger storm situated about 1,000 miles out here in the pacific, as we head into thursday's forecast. so here's your timeline. it's obviously raining out there right now for many of you. and as we head through 7:00 p.m., the rain stays with us. and in the early overnight hours, a chance here of some isolated thunderstorms. that's when it will be the strongest, about 3:00 p.m., when most of us are sleeping. and by 6:00, 7:00, 8:00 in the morning, we'll see scattered showers and chances of thunderstorms. and as we head into thursday, that's when the next storm system arrives. it looks to be stronger in terms of wind and also expected rainfall totals. so let's get a look. for the next 48 hours, with these two storms, we could see another 1 to 2 inches from the north to the south bay. so we'll have isolated flooding concerns with us through thursday and friday. i am not seeing any major river flooding at this point on the napa, the russian, or the guerneville river. however, the water levels are expected to rise about 3 to 5 feet. so as we head throughout the early morning hours, some rain, a little bit of wind. and for wednesday, a chance of showers and isolated thunderstorms. and once again, for thursday, that stronger storm system coming our way. if you're doing any traveling to the sierra, watch out. another 1 to 3 feet. look ats this bull's-eye from lake tahoe all the way down to yosemite happening with the next two storm systems. meanwhile tonight, take a look at this. low to mid-40s here in the south and also for the east bay. so it's a cold storm, but we're not talking about 30-degree temperatures. if you want more on your daily highs you can expect for tomorrow, you can always get more at nbcbayarea.com. we just have so much to cover with this weather that we're kind of putting the most important elements first. and in our seven-day forecast, the next 48 hours, a chance of thunderstorms, our two storms, and we start to see things calm down as we head into sunday, monday, and tuesday with some much-needed drying coming our way. >> thanks a lot, jeff. now let's get to laurence scott with our sports. >> thank you. good evening. and as we talk about these storms, let's talk about another storm. the nfl lockout, which continues. the owners are congregating in new orleans. these are meetings that were on the books months ago. they do them each winter to review rules and league business. the coaches on the scene as well and it's nice to see old friends getting a chance to catch up. we hear they're actually talking about the draft and how it differe differs from recruiting in college. a lot of the talks centering around the confusion and frustration these lockouts are bringing. contacts with players can obviously not be official. time to prepare for the season will eventually become an issue. but now remaining positive is all one can do. >> we just feel like, well, whatever obstacle there is, we'll find a way to overcome it and all obstacles must be overcome. we will have a season and we will prepare for it and we'll adjust when we know when those days are that we can start practicing and be around our players. >> we certainly recognize that our fans want football. they don't want to read about this, they don't want to hear about it, they want an agreement and they want it done quickly. that's why we say, let's get back to mediation and get to that agreement as quickly as possible. >> you know, another part of the owner's meetings is to look at the rules that can hopefully improve the game. here's one that they say is mostly about safety. a decision to move the placement of the ball up five yards on kickoff from the 30 to the 35. it's expected to bring about more touchbacks and reduce injuries. the thought is, this will help. but here's the rub. some players like the raiders' jacobi ford, there are guys like devon hester or josh cribbs, they're legitimate threats to score every time they touch the balls. so for the raiders, at least, the rule is both a curse and a blessing. >> it's just going to change it a little bit. obviously, there'll probably be a few more touchbacks. some of the premiere elite returners probably won't have as many chances as they've had in the past, but, obviously, it's a rule, they passed it, so we move forward. >> how do you adjust from a coaching standpoint and how do you maybe teach it a little bit differently? i know things change as rules change, so how do you think that you as a coach would change the way you coach that? >> reporter: again, we have one of those elite returners in jacobi ford. and we would love for him now, as many opportunities as we can, to return a ball. so there may be a time or two when the ball's four yards deep that he may be bringing it out. because you have to give that young man opportunities with the ball. but obviously, that will change some. and obviously, our kicker's one of the best in the league and he'll probably be kicking it out of the stadium. but we'll probably have to also devise some other strategies to kick it pretty high. >> obviously, there's a balance too between player safety and preserving football. you think -- is that, in this case, a difficult balance to strike, just because you are trying to protect the players, but you aren't trying to change what football is. >> i totally understand that safety is very important, first and foremost for our players and for the game. but it's still just a game. it's a game of football and it's been what it's been for so many years. and the players are the guys that make this game so special. and there's so many talented athletes that play week in and week out and year in and year out in this game. and you sure want them to have the opportunity to make the plays that they can make. >> and the giants' doctor saying that brian williams' injury is a mild sprain and he should be available for opening day, which is coming up nine days from now against the dodgers in los angeles. the as visiting the reds in goodyear. coco crisp and dareick barton with home runs. coverage continues nightly at 10:30 on comcast sportsnet bay area. check them out. >> okay. >> it's always fun to see sea bass jumping up in the r.ik le . >> thank you, laurence. we'll be right back. switching to progressive could mean hundreds more in your wallet year after year. feed me! saving you money -- now, that's progressive. call or click today. the sound of spring... it's a symphony best appreciated... at full blast. the moment you've been waiting for has arrived. springs best event. from cadillac. with zero down, zero due and zero first month's payment on the exhilarating cadillac cts. but like the beauty of spring, it won't last long. well, tonight at 11:00, share your opinion online, like so many people do, but do it at your own risk. one bay area woman who wrote a review lives to regret it when the business fights back. see how you can protect yourself and your speech. it's at 11:00 after "parenthood" right here on nbc. well, singer chris brown tonight canceling a planned appearance on mtv after an outburst behind the scenes today on "good morning america." cones and caution tape marked the spot below a window that was smashed, reportedly, by brown after an interview on "good morning america". he was supposed to perform two songs from his new album, but he became irritated during the interview. he was being asked about his attack on rihanna. after the interview, he sang one song and then we treated to his dressing room where an insider says he smashed things, including that window. and finally, elton john and ellen mirren are in the lineup to host back-to-back episodes of "saturday night live." sir elton making his first appearance on "snl" in more than 30 years. the actress-winning actress helen mirren will make her debut one week later. >> that's going to do it for us. see you tonight at 11:00. most states spend 7% of their budgets on prisons. in california, it's almost 11%. and our new attorney general wants an overhaul. i'm suzanne shaw. surely, we need prisons to protect us from violent criminals. but nonviolent inmates make up almost half the population. attorney general kamala harris says for low-level offenders, there are far more effective ways than prison to prevent crime. in san francisco, she pioneered reentry programs that give non-violent offenders the skills to get jobs. with goodwill and nordstrom as partners, the back on track program costs just $5,000 per offender. compare that for over $47,000 for each inmate. nbc bay area believes that successful reentry programs for nonviolent offender shous shoul rolled out statewide. early intervention may be the best crime prevention. share where are thoughts, nbceditorials.com. 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