season isn't. rolling into 2018 now as fires are still burning right now. i'm dan ashley. >> i'm dion lim in for ama daetz. this is unusual year. >> 2017, cal fire battled more than 7,000 fires. that's correct fire. about 50% more than last year, pretty average year. burned more than twice as many acres. >> biggest fire in modern state history, thomas fire, still burning. 91% contained and not expected to grow any more. destroyed more than 1,000 buildings in little over three weeks. >> and we can never forget north bay wildfires. late sunday night in october, merged into six massive fires, killing 43 people in napa, sonoma, lake and mendocino counties. >> took 23 days to fully contain and fire season isn't over. >> reporter david louis shows you what the cal fire is doing now and what it's doing to budget. >> reporter: consumed over 1 million acres in california. caused billions of dollars of damage and put pressure on $1.8 billion budget. approaching half the agency as entire budget halfway through the fiscal year. $275 million more than cal fire set aside as emergency fund. >> we always watch budget closely. be fiscally responsible. but it's clear in the climate we're living in, we have to have the resources to battle the fires. stay focused and be able to respond to changing environment we're experiencing in california. >> reporter: says it's working closely will the department of finance and legislature to keep funds available for fire lines to be staffed. on track for new record. compared to past three budget years. complicating the process is how the fire season, compared to four years ago, is running longer. >> fire seasons today on average 75 days longer than they were. we have to change our mindset. one of the reasons we've invested additional money in staffing year-round and work we do ahead of the fires in fire prevention efforts. >> reporter: rural areas, more stay open all year. usually only ten. and reimbursing others around the nation who helped bolster their own firefighters. never has the magnitude of this year's fires blackened so many acres and required so many resources. abc7 news. a donation center that opened after the north bay wildfires ravaged santa rosa is no more tonight. closed after dealing with multiple break-ins. reporter tells us what this means for fire victims still in need. >> reporter: these are the last kids able to take advantage of the hidden valley donation site in santa rosa. volunteers been busy moving out. >> as far as physical items, we're not able to keep it open. >> reporter: open since october to help families with children at hidden valley elementary, most of the kids lost everything when homes burned down. since then victims come through to pick up items to rebuild lives. need not as great as before but still coming by. including vandals. windows boarded up, doors replaced after several attempted break-ins this month. latest happened on christmas morning. at least two other incidents where someone tried to get inside. >> i don't think there was ill will towards us personally. but does underscore a critical knees in santa rosa for people who are local who don't have what they need especially as temperature gets colder. >> reporter: and as result, relief group closed down shop. property manager says damage could cost up to $3,000. >> feel horrible. so gracious to give us this space, no questions asked. >> reporter: organizers not turning backs to those in need. >> continue to serve families best as we can with monetary donations. >> reporter: plan to make sure remaining items put to good use. santa rosa, abc7 news. also happening today, two disaster recovery centers in north bay are closing, no longer needed. almost three months since the fires. and center in santa rosa will be turned into disaster loan outreach center. more spare the air alerts issued through the end of the year. wood burning is banned to reduce air pollution unless it's your only source of heat and you can do that. by december 31st, 16 spare the air alerts this season. sandhya patel is in for spencer tonight with a look at forecast. interesting year in terms of weather. >> it has been. severe fire season so now the 16th spare the air alert issued. one of the problems is we have light wind. with light wind, nothing to stir up atmosphere or clean out air. as you look at live doppler 7, right now high clouds overhead. next three days declared spare the air for friday, saturday and sunday. moderate to poor expected through new year's eve. wood burning is banned. good news, rain coming on storm impact scale, level one system between tuesday and thursday will bring rain. hour by hour forecast showing you how much you might see and how long it might last. encouraging news to clean out the air. back with details coming up. mountain view police investigating a deadly crash involving a motorcyclist and google bus. not clear who hit whom. happened near the google campus. witnesses tell abc7 news severa motorcyclist but he was unresponsive sadly. police not yet identified them. google spokeswoman issued a statement. saddened to learn of the tragic incident, our thoughts with all those affected. japan soft bank reached a deal to invest in san francisco-based uber. 15% stake in the ride sharing company and curtails influence of ousted ceo. at $33 a share, sharply discounts value of the company to $48 billion, a 30% drop from a year ago. drivers who work for uber and lyft face stricter limits for drunk driving. illegal for them to work with blood alcohol concentration of .04% or higher. that's half the limit for adults in california. taxi drivers are already held to that .04% limit. drivers in violation could lose license. >> going to hold these drivers to much higher safety standard because carrying precious cargo, human lives, and enhances our ultimate goal of improving traffic safety. >> take effect in july next year. starting january 1st b.a.r.t. fares go up almost 3%. inflation-based increase every two years. paper tickets up extra 50 cents but clicker card, avoid the fee. hoping to cut down on fare evaders. and discount program is expanding, youth between 5 and 18. currently expires after age of 12. fares in the meantime increase for vta customers in the new year. adult-based fares up 25 cents. first fare increase since 2009, but young riders will be paying less. put a link to all the changes at abc7news.com. >> if you take cal train, go pass, unlimited rides all year, 25% price increase january 1st. zone fares not changing but parking lot will shut down here. starting on tuesday, will have to park elsewhere. temporary lots but main lot is closed as part of construction project to result in elevated tracks and new station by 2019. days may be numbered for motocross track at santa clara county fairgrounds. set to close for good but may be hope. jeannine, a glimmer of hope. >> reporter: lot of riders out here, just loving it. can't believe one of the last rides here on the track. adrenaline and speed is what drives so many to the motocross track at santa clara fairgrounds. >> amazing family sport. had the best times with my son here than anyplace else. >> reporter: used by beginners, seniors and aspiring pros. only one in san jose. next is in livermore. riders can't believe it's set to close. >> sucks it's come to this. >> reporter: county-owned land. chris dilly who knows 408 mx who operates the track can't afford it. >> told rent would be -- and doubled insurance requirements. new investor is willing to take on. >> reporter: but said he was told fmc was choosing not to have mote roe cross on the land. a new executive director has taken over, not aware of the new investor until today. >> sure talk to them. we have so much demand for the land, had begun the process of figuring out how best to use the acres. >> it's news to me they want to negotiate. we're willing and hopeful. >> reporter: setting up meeting. farewell ride january 4th but hopeful it won't be the end. san jose, abc7 news. it is probably not the way they envisioned spending the holidays. >> no. however it is the season of giving. why long lines of people are waiting to give the government their money. next? >> reporter: apple says it's sorry for intentionally slowing down some older iphones. what the company is doing and customers are saying? >> latest news with upgraded abc7 news app. personalized push alerts for more of the news you want delivered t apple is taking a bite out of battery replacement charge as way of saying sorry to customers. class action lawsuit last week claimed that apple slows down the prosecutocessors in older m. say it's just to help with battery. >> reporter: does your phone slow down? >> definitely. >> reporter: how can you tell? >> it was fast every before. >> reporter: have you ever had iphone that just seems slower. >> why i get a new one. never knew this was happening. just thought the new phone was better. >> reporter: but apple admits slowdown was intentional and claims it was fix for other problem, older battery that dies without warning. >> just goes black. shuts down. >> hanging out with friends and phones shut down at 37%. >> reporter: in a statement apple said should go without saying we think sudden unexpected shutdowns are unacceptable. slowing down the phones lesser of two evils. but amongst criticism we know that some of you think apple lets down. apologize. >> it's shady they didn't tell the public but glad it's found out and remedying it. >> offering a new battery for $29 instead of the $79 or free if under warranty. and a software update will show you if the phone is slowed down because of the battery. would you pay for the new battery? >> if it speeds it up. not going to buy new phone. >> reporter: apple denies it was ever the intent. have never and would never intentionally shorten the life of new apple product or degrade the user experience to drive upgrades. they promise once you have the new battery, it will return to old speedy self. abc7 news. >> problem solved we hope. all around the bay area, people are rushing to pay property taxes before the new republican tax plan launches january 1st. tax office, lines snaked through the building. workers say ten times longer than usual. new bill limits deductions for state and local taxes to $10,000. for people in bay area where property values are sky high, much smaller return. doing what they can. >> celebrating the holidays paying a large tax bill to hopefully have a better refund to offset paying more next year. >> was last time to pay in person. abc7 news at treasurer and tax collector in the city. >> you can come in if you have second installment bill. drop in box, take picture for record. >> highly recommends you make payments online or by mail. wayne freedman in marin county assessor's office in san rafael. showing line going out thedoor. stocks ended the day slightly higher thanks to increase among bank stocks. wells fargo in the green, dow gained 63, nasdaq up by ten. if you're in the market for a few bricks, concord has deal for you. selling commemorative bricks for the founder. getting ready to celebrate 150th anniversary. he founded the community in 1868, calling his new village todos sant todos santos. renamed it but he's still getting statue. >> not only a founder but great concordian. when he had the first swimming pool in the city, any kid in the city could go to his house and go swimming. >> bricks will be placed in the plaza where the statue will be unveiled july 4th. if you want your name on one, get your name in. >> one of the great cities in the bay area. we don't need cold but do need rain. >> truth. hopefully we'll see some. >> we will. it's not going to happen before new year's day. here's the deal. live doppler 7, see some clouds time to time like right now. we have to wait for the rain until about tuesday night into wednesday of next week. i do want to show you a look at air quality forecast for tomorrow. spare the air alert up for tomorrow through new year's eve. air quality will suffer as result of light winds and wood burning. live picture now. mt. tam camera, nice view towards san francisco. bay bridge there. we need a storm or strong winds to clean out our air. we have a storm coming. view from tahoe. not much appreciate snow. it's man-made on top. but 27% of average pack. next opportunity will be wednesday into thursday. temperatur temperatures 56 in san francisco. chilly in san jose. gorgeous towards san francisco from east bay hills camera. 50 in santa rosa, 40s for novato, fairfield. sutro tower, visiblity is good but not everywhere tomorrow. it's going to be dry end to the year and start to 2018 but then we switch it up. wet pattern going into thursday. hour by hour. dense areas of fog for morning commute, particularly in north bay and around the delta. this fog pattern you normally see spilling over from the delta towards parts of the bay area, watch out during the commute. those are the problem spots. then look at what's going to happen for afternoon. everyone enjoys sunshine. hazy at times. patches of fog along the coast. tomorrow it's chilly you have to bundle up. 40s along the bay. highs are mild by winter standards. peninsula, sunshine. mid-60s. san francisco, 62. just like today, temperatures a little bit above average this time of year tomorrow. napa, santa rosa, mid-60s. north bay, 61. east bay, low 60s. sunshine inland, hazy skies. 66 in livermore. air quality is going to improve. especially with level one storm coming our way, tuesday through wednesday, rainy pattern. begins next tuesday night going into wednesday. rainy pattern plays out thursday, possibly to friday the following week. mild and hazy tomorrow. duplicate on saturday. more clouds new year's eve to new year's day but dry for holidays. and potential wet pattern coming. >> thanks. heard that phrase, see something, say something. >> this man took it to the nex the dick van dyke shoe tlt. a would-be armed robber got a knock on the head in wendy's north of sacramento. daniel eating early dinner. saw something, did something. >> noticed him walk in with yellow plastic bag. at first thought it was gag. then i noticed knife. walked up to the window. give me the money. i hit him hard, really hard. could hear the chair crack. >> would-be robber managed to run away to getaway car, no doubt nursing a head wound. >> a group of college students home from winter break helped rescue a homeless man overnight. around san jose and los gatos. quick silver county park. noticed flashlight beam and pulled over. >> probably 150 yards away from the roadway and driving by maybe 35 miles per hour. incredibly lucky. >> heard the man moaning in pain, called 911. took about an hour and a half to reach him and get him to balance. there is a place along the california coastline unlike nowhere else. >> veganic farm. >> he said veganic. we'll explain why you may want your food grown this way. also ahead -- >> victory for the really? really? really? really? really? really? see zero in a whole new way. get zero down, zero deposit, zero first month's payment, and zero due at signing on select volkswagen models. now with the people first warranty. ♪ ♪ i'm gonna let it shine.e, ♪ it's energy saving time, ♪ i'm gonna reduce mine. ♪ californians all align ♪ to let our great state shine. ♪ let it shine, ♪ the power's ours to let it shine! ♪ unplug chargers - go, ♪ devices go off-line. turn thermostats down low, ♪ led's shine mighty fine. ♪ small actions quickly grow, ♪ to let our great state shine. ♪ energy upgrade california, will let us shine. ♪ well today, the former marine who allegedly plotted to attack san francisco's pier 39 was ordered to stay behind bars while he awaits trial. >> has family in merced, court hearing in fresno. sister station reporter explains the decision. >> reporter: said it was difficult decision based on the fact that he has limited criminal history and made few if any violent actions. but also said he's made some of the most disturbing statements and violent threats. had nine family members supporting him this afternoon. some in tears. but terror suspect seemed calm and collected. >> must be disappointed you didn't get out. >> yeah. >> reporter: attorney tried to argue he's not a danger. pushing for restrictions like monitoring. said he was victim of domestic violence at hands of ex. and reminded the court he wouldn't be able to follow through with the attack. when judge asked how to weigh the backtracking of the plot. responded that he backtracked because an fbi agent accidentally called him from defense department. as tow truck driver he receives calls from all different area codes all the time and returns them because could be needed. telling him the mindset was for destruction of the united states. asked if he would still follow through with the attack. said his response was if he had an there's a good chance of it. judge ultimately said after a lot of thought and consideration, reasons to doubt alleged isis supporter's state of mind, especially with voluntary psychiatric hold and struggle with depression. defense has the opportunity to appeal today. until then, detained without bail. due back january 5th for next hearing. fresno, abc7 news. new at 6:00, charges against arson suspect in antioch. six fires started early hours of friday last week. jose louis gomez was arrested that day and today charged with four counts of arson and one attempted arson. others are still under investigation. no one was hurt. plant in oakland is trying to make the best of messy situation. car drove through the fence early christmas morning. leaving thousands of damaged plants. offering to sell them 25% up to 75% in sale starting tomorrow. foothill boulevard and northeast oakland. friday and saturday sale. you've heard of organic farming but veganic farming? it's a thing apparently. that's what you get when you combine two popular eating trends. chris nguyen. >> reporter: this is salinas valley from drone view 7. home to some of the most fertile ground in the country. earth here is different. lazy millennial farms in salinas, veganic farm. >> combination of vegan and organic. >> reporter: same principles as organic-certified agriculture but goes beyond requirements. >> california's first and only certified veganic farm. >> reporter: many use by-products from slaughter houses. he uses none to grow his crops. >> compost from green waste company that collects waste from lawn clippings in residences up in san jose. and they compost that. >> reporter: any other nutrients needed are added naturally. no pesticides either. keep plant-eating insects away naturally. >> instead we introduce predatory insects and plant flowers to help keep the predatory insect population high enough. that keeps herbivore insect population low. >> reporter: says passion grew out of the concern for environment. commercial livestock accounts for about half the greenhouse gasses that contribute to climate change. believes using less animal waste in agriculture can lower the emissions. gets a fresh bag from the farm every week. >> i hope it's wave of the future. would be awesome. >> reporter: could only do the planet good. >> more energy conscious and healthier for the planet and us and for the animals not to be milked or slaughtered for food. >> reporter: convinces people will see the greater good. >> part of being a vegan is understanding the supply chain and how your purchasing impacts that. >> reporter: chris nguyen, abc7 news. well there's about a month until the end of open enrollment for house insurance through covered california. covered california. >> 7 on your with advil's fast relief, you'll ask, "what pulled muscle?" 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(elevator bell ringing) robitussin cf max severe. because it's never just a cough. good riddance. that's the theme of today's event in times square. people brought what they wanted to get rid of. dropped in bin, tipped into shredding truck. some had bags of memories to dispose of. meant to give people a chance to physically and mentally leave bad things behind before they enter a new year. >> so satisfying. a woman shamed for not decorating home this christmas is urging anonymous critic to be kind. melanie woodrow shows us, not in the holiday spirit. >> reporter: christmas dreams made of lollipops and candy canes in vaccaville. transform the area. >> fun for the kids and people. do it for that and spirit of the holidays. >> reporter: but spirit of the holidays lost on the person or people who wrote this letter. >> to live here is honor and privilege. completely unacceptable to not decorate a house for christmas. >> reporter: in lindy's mailbox. >> can't believe someone could be so mean. it was hard enough time the past few months. >> reporter: because her mother was diagnosed with stage iv liver cancer in march and given up to six months to live. >> i was there when she died in october. >> reporter: neighbors decorating, dealing with everything that comes with loved one's passing. after which could finally spend time with family again. >> husband and i spent four days before christmas just baking to have time together. >> reporter: something anonymous letter senders probably didn't know. >> just because you're having off day that you felt you needed to write this letter, maybe my day was just as bad. >> reporter: says will decorate next year but not because shamed into doing so. rather wants to put out final decorations her mother painted before she passed. mom was artist behind these displays from christmases past. timeless tradition for the family, even if it doesn't show on the outside. >> really goes to show you never know what is going on below the surface. >> absolutely right. stay with us. when is next hope of rain in the forecast? actress rose marie, best known for role as wisecracking sally rogers on "the dick van dyke show" has died. later endeared herself on another sitcom. star on the walk of fame in 2001. 7 on your side's michael finney has been getting out word about the affordable care act since it baegan. >> joins us with a victory. >> i hope to get health insurance information to those in need. angela talbert and i enjoying the day in san jose part. telling me she was watching abc7 news when i highlighted stride health in 7 on your side report. >> i saw that, i don't know his name, but blond kid you interviewed. watching him. hey. want to give that one a try. >> here's part of that report. noah lang, ceo and cofounder of stride health. company specializing in finding health insurance for independent contractors and part-time workers. >> more and more people are working either for themselves or work for employer that doesn't give them benefits. there's a lot of really hard things that come along with working in that way. >> stride health looks for best insurance deal for you and costs you nothing. works on commission and worked for angela. >> had answer within minutes. qualified for government grant for help. and after i did all the numbers, hit enter and $1 per person per household, yes, i can do that. >> wonderful example of somebody who is inspired to look into it, figured out she could qualify for a lot of financial assistance to the point of almost paying nothing. >> called up her daughter, who lives in los angeles. >> wonderful. >> she signed up for $4 a month. >> amazing. >> works for covered california. although deadline has passed for getting insurance january 1st, 2018, you can still sign and have it kick in a month or two later. >> seems clear to me and many people that affordable care act is absolutely working in state of california. >> that must be calming. >> oh, it was a relief big time. >> insurance through the affordable care will be available at least through 2018. after that we're not sure. washington is washington. i want to hear from you. 7 on your side hotline open monday through friday, 10:00 to 2:00, (415)954-8151. and reach me on facebook and through abc7news.com. never too late to sign up. if you need insurance, check in now. >> looking for victories. coming days. bay area is beautiful place. viewers prove it all the time. >> josh captured blue skies over blue water in sausalito, has the #abc7now. so we could find it and use it. sandhya is back. new year's eve forecast. as you ring in the new year, dry at noon. mostly cloudy. peeks of sun in afternoon. not a drop but dry end. tomorrow is mild, hazy. temperatures ranging from upper 50s to mid-60s for friday. traveling tomorrow for holiday, 59 in tahoe, warm in l.a. 81 degrees, had records there. opposite, very cold in fargo, minus six. 13 degrees in new york. arctic blast continues. and get another taste as we head towards new year's eve. chicago is 18, midwest snow, seattle 51, new york 23 degrees, chillyist of the weather. no chill here, mild and hazy. new year's day, dry start but showing up a level one system showing up. we have chances of rain. >> i love your excitement talking about this. >> i'm very excited. saying dry, dry, dry most of december. >> thanks. looking past that privacy screen on the warriors. >> like the hunt for steph. >> he's not playing on friday but we have a better idea when we might see him on the court. steph curry scrimmages at practice to test out sprained right ankle. when is t ♪ [ splash ] [ horn sounds ] dang! ok, i gotta run. hey, wait, there's something i need to tell you- dang. dang! dang! dang. dang. see zero in a whole new way. get zero down, zero deposit, zero first month's payment, and zero due at signing on select volkswagen models. now with the people first warranty. steve kerr is not ready to pencil steph curry in at starting lineup. warrior star is out for friday's game but closer to returning after spraining right ankle in early december. today curry took part in scrimmage. our cameras were there. didn't see much. warriors saying no. because of the privacy curtain didn't see much. curry has missed last ten games but should be returning any day now, assuming it's really steph curry behind the screen. >> i don't know what's going on there. bob wouldn't let me back there. no, scrimmage. steph is playing. i doubt tomorrow. but if all goes well, saturday. but not friday. >> and now to college football. stanford is going bowling deep in the heart of texas. facing tcu in alamo bowl. shaw had guys ready to play. first after missed field goal, could have run but throws down the middle. picked off by buckham. returns to tcu 23 yard line. bryce love pounds in from 15 yards for the touchdown. right now stanford leads 14-3 in the second quarter. 22 virginia tech and 19 oklahoma state, mason randolph out of the pocket fired for dylan stoner. inbounds? yes he was. 20-7 cowboys. hokies respond with drive capped by nine-yard touchdown pass. virginia tech down six. strike to james washington. step on the defender. 65 of 126 yards receiving. oklahoma state wins. after the handshake, both coaches doused by gatorade. not good. virginia taking on navy. midshipmen attempted one pass entire game. 16 carries, two touchdowns. but third quarter taken down awkwardly and had to leave with foot injury. no problem. backupckup zach avie had five touchdowns, that's right, five, on 13 carries. navy with 452 yards rushing, 49-7. raiders disappointing season comes to end sunday against the chargers with nothing but bragging rights on the line. beginning of the season oakland was super bowl favorite but offense struggled. 23rd in the league points per game. derek carr said don't blame anybody with him. but todd downing is on the hot seat. >> i try to be the best version of myself each day. task right now is get offense ready to play the chargers. until sunday is over, i won't even think about it. >> 49ers won four straight and hope to end on good note. win over the first place rams. good chance. los angeles not playing most of their starters. bummed out the 49ers. >> would like them to have everyone out there. our guys would too. but it is what it is. got to make sure that doesn't affect us. line up and play whoever you play. if you lose your edge at all you'll get humbled very fast. make sure it doesn't affect us. >> 49ers and raiders both end season sunday in los angeles. sports report by river rock casi casino. you can understand from rams point of view. >> join us at 9:00 on kofy tv 20. man trying to escape leads police to end of pier. what happens next? >> at 11:00, east bay police department untraditional training for officers. >> that's it for us. appreciate your time. i'm dan ashley. >> i'm dion lim, have a wonderful evening. see you back here in a little bit. y, mom, why was dad out front washing my car? oh, some kids drove through the neighborhood egging cars last night. only in colorado. 30 days you gotta wait for a gun permit, but anybody can buy eggs! admit it. you just washed my car so you could scrape off my obama sticker. i think your obama sticker's the reason you got egged.

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