many of these shops, but certainly nobody home here. it appears most people have heeded the evacuation order. but we did find some who decided to stay. dana lamb and her family decided to stand their ground in downtown oroville. so no thoughts of evacuating? >> no. we have family that lives outside of town, so if anything hand, we would just go that direction. >> reporter: are you satisfied with the way it's been handled? >> i feel like the priority is being taken care of. >> reporter: both work at a local grocery store. >> it was chaos down there. all of us as employees, we have to stay calm and think probably nothing is going to happen. it seemed like everything was okay. >> reporter: in the meantime, in the older part of town, a low-lying section of downtown, the streets are empty. and tens of thousands of evacuees are doing their best to ride out the emergency. what's going on at the dam? >> it's pretty crazy. al the traffic we saw. >> some came better equipped than others. >> we have our cats right now. we have room for all of us to sleep and a heater and we can cook if we have to. >> reporter: some here are locals just trying to do what they can to make this difficult time a little easier for their neighbors. >> we just wanted to help, so we made up some big spots of soup and drinks. >> reporter: any help at all is appreciate, because no one knows how long they will be here. >> we're kind of on the safe side. we won't go back until they tell us it's safe. >> reporter: and again, we're downtown oroville. we've seen quite a few of these. sand bags in front of some of these businesses. this happens to be a local outcenter. -- local youth center. in oroville, laura anthony, "abc7 news." >> thank you very much. the good news is that the water level at lake oroville continues to recede. officials are releasing about 100,000 cubic feet per second to create a little bit of breathing room. so far everything is going as it should. >> public official safeties did their job and we were able to get people evacuated out of the community in a timely fashion. at the same time, our partners at the department of water resources were working to save that structure and prevent further damage so that we could go on. >> trucks have been bringing in broken pieces of concrete and being put in giant bags to shore up the eroded spillway. a federal official reveals that the dam has been running under a series of temporary licenses for about ten years. its old permit, which was good for 50 years, expired in 2007. a new permit was applied for. the federal agency says it just received all the information it needs this past december. >> the oroville dam is 770 feet tall, the tallest in the nation, beating the hoover dam by almost 50 feet. it has a capacity of 3.5 million feet, making it the second largest water reservoir in the state. the lake level is so high because of all the winter storms obviously. and more rain is coming later this week. spencer christian is here with a forecast. >> rainfall totals have been significant in the area so far this year, both january and february have delivered significant amounts of rainfall. let's take a closer look where the flash flood warning is in effect until 4:15 tomorrow afternoon. rainfall totals as you can see for january, over 7.5 inches. nearly half an inch. and there is more rain come thing week. we have three storms headed that way thursday, friday, and sunday, and the projection is the three-day rainfall total could be as high as three more inches of rain. so flood concerns with rain and we'll watch the situation very carefully. dan? >> thank you, spencer. just a few minutes ago, emergency responders briefed the governor about the flood threat. this is video provided by the state emergency operation center. the governor voiced encouragement for the evacuees. >> government and representatives are doing everything they can and will continue to do whatever it takes to make sure we have a safe dam up there, and all the other places where we have these kind of potential threats. >> yesterday, the governor declared a state of emergency to help mobilize the disaster response and support evacuations. >> the state >> fulsome lake is over 2/3 full. lexington reservoir in santa clara is over capacity. the lexington reservoir is one of three in santa clara county with the water spilling over. we haven't seen this 234 a while because of the drought, but it's not as rare as you think. >> our dams have spilled fairly often. anderson has spilled at least ten times in the last 70 odd years. >> releases are been done at all ten santa chaira county reservoirs in preparation for more rain. we will continue to keep an eye on the situation at oroville and send out updates on the "abc7 news" app. the president and canadian prime minister have been vocal about their different views on immigration and refugees. today, president trump had justin trudeau at the white house. the president plans to sign several new executive orders on immigration this week. trudeau says he kept his opinions to himself. >> the last thing canadians expect is for me to come down and lecture another country on how they choose to govern themselves. >> also today, the senate approved president trump's nomination for treasury secretary. steven mnuchin is a former goldman sachs executive. he'll help overhaul the tax laws and renegotiate trade deals. "abc7 news" was in san francisco's south of market area, as workers protested the president's immigration plans. they want to speak out for immigrants of any visa status, asking for more protections and a pathway to citizenship. >> i am actually angry to see what people had to go through because of this one person. we all belong here. we're not going. we aren't afraid. >> organizers say they're working to help cafeteria drive e -- workers, bus drivers and others help with their rights. tonight, we dig into the personal and political motivations of a man behind the effort for california to leave the union. we have three to four times as much traffic on black road because the other roads are closed. >> a damaged road becomes a tourist destination. what some people are now doing to keep their only route home open. next, a man shot and killed by a man. police s ♪ ♪ when you find something worth waiting for, we'll help you invest to protect it for the future. financial guidance while you're mastering life. from chase, so you can. sky 7 flew over the oroville dam today to give us a better look and a deeper understanding really of the damage and the ramifications of somewhat's happening there. and abc 7 news anchor kristen sze is here with a lot more. >> reporter: sky 7 is really helping us understand what's going on here at the oroville dam. this part is the dam, and that's struck chturally just fine. when it get toos full, water is released through this main spillway right here, made of concrete. it is supposed to look like a water slide, but you can see because of the hole that opened last week, right now it looks more like a waterfall. and that forced officials to start releasing water right over here. that is the auxiliary or emergency spillway. that's just a dirt hillside. as you can see, it has eroded badly. now, here's a closer look at the main spillway. this is where part of the wall broke off last week. so instead of a straight stream, you can see the water the force of the water. now, let's look at the emergency spillway. it is so bad, i'm going to pause it once again so we can check out this roadside right there. but what happened to the road right here? it's been washed away. that is the problem. and crews are going to have to fill in all of these holes, the gaping holes right there real quickly, because if more of that erodes, then the concrete wall could certainly collapse, and that is what could lead to catastrophic flooding. the latest damage is estimated at $200 million, but that number could become astronomical should the spillways fail and the downstream communities you're seeing here along the feather river would likely be wiped out. so they're working desperately to prevent that. new at 6:00, a train hit a person on the tracks in redmond city about an hour ago. the pedestrian didn't survive. trains are delayed. ski 7 was overhead as firefighters recovered a body this morning. the alameda county coroner's office is trying to identify the victim. shot and killed last week is talking about what happened. we're also hearing more from the police department. melanie woodrow has the story. >> reporter: 911 was called to report this man, who police say grabbed a phone from an employee, hit him and threatened to kill him. officer james taylor located him, and during a fight shot him. he died at the scene. >> all we ask him for is the truth. >> reporter: his brother says he was suffering from mental illness but was never violent. according to the police department, he hit the police officer in the head. part of the confrontation was captured on video. >> it was such a violent and sudden attack, that i think officer taylor did a fantastic job trying to survive that particular situation by going through and considering the tools that he had available for him at the time. >> reporter: captain shawn washington says those tools included a taser washington taylor did not use. >> he rationalized that it wasn't going to be effective without first using it. >> reporter: police say the canine nipped the officer while in the fight. >> we prefer that the dog overcomes the resistance that we're trying to overcome. >> reporter: he says the offi-- say the officer fired three shots. >> he didn't deserve to die this way. >> reporter: officer taylor is on paid administrative leave while the district attorney's office investigate the shooting. melanie woodrow, "abc7 news." new problems in the syracuse mountains. "abc7 news" learned that part of san jose road is closed indefinitely. >> these are new pictures of the unstable roadbed between olson road and mya ridge. meanwhile, residents near a damaged part of skyline boulevard say people coming to check out that wiped road are causing damage to another essential road. the group of residents near black road are even asking drivers to turn around. david louie is live on black road with the story tonight. david? >> reporter: you can see black road is only two lanes and in some sections where there's been some damage caused by mudslides or cracks in the pavement, it's down to one lane. that's what has caused some local residents to take the steps of shoeing away people if their only purpose is to see the damage on highway 135. the washout has become a tourist te destination. ods are drivers will encounter some local residents asking them to turn around. their concern is black road is getting clogged by the volume of traffic. >> it is our only way out, because the other roads are closed. more importantly, it's the only way in for emergency services. we have a local volunteer fire tent. but our professional fire crewks no longer get here because of the washout. >> reporter: in addition, residents say the two-lane road is deteriorating from storm damage. cracks in the pavement have formed and there have already been mudslides. we talked some climbers that made it up black road but had no idea highway 35 was washed out. >> had no idea. we figured we would hear something on social media, but nothing. >> reporter: sky 7 has the best view of the washout. we also hiked in to get a closeup look from the ground. the road looks unstable. more of it could collapse. there is also highway damage just to the south where another section is washed away, forcing the closure of one lane. >> it's going to be years before they get some of these problems straightened out. years. >> reporter: caltrans says it has no estimate of when highway 35 will reopen. in santa cruz county, david louie, "abc7 news." >> live doppler 7 hd, we have dry conditions in the bay area right now. in a few days, moisture will be working back into the bay area, but dry and mild conditions for a while. let's take a look at a live view here from our roof top camera. it is currently 56 degrees here in san francisco. upper 50s at san jose, 54 at half moon bay. temperature readings in the 50s in napa, concord and livermore. one more live view from our exploratorium camera. these are our forecast features. dry and mild weather for the next two days. a rainy pattern begins thursday morning. wet and unsettled right into next week. overnight, nothing but unsettled. nothing but skies with fog forming and lows in the mid to upper 40s. tomorrow, valentine's day. midday hours will be nice and bright and sunny with temperatures rising into the 60s. clear conditions going into the evening. another storm is coming our way on thursday. it may arrive in the north bay wednesday night. but thursday morning, the rain will reach all parts of the bay area. this will produce moderate rainfall in the morning and breezy at times. wednesday night at 9:00, there's the rain developing in the north bay. by thursday morning, rain will have reached all parts of the bay area. followed by another storm coming in on friday, continuing into the evening hours friday and into saturday. we have quite a period of wet weather coming our way. here's the accuweather seven-day forecast. mild conditions of highs near 70 degrees in the warmest inland locations. that will last through wednesday, even though clouds increase. thursday starts the wet weather pattern. every single day for the next five days will be sunny, each day the storm impact scale is a one. >> thanks, spencer. well, wet weather turns a vandal's actions from bad to worse. >> today, it all g ♪ ♪ the hydrogen fueled mirai. its only emission is water. toyota. let's go places. some members of the 49ers took to the field today in walnut creek. the crew known as the sod gods at levi stadium are making sure a field is once again safe to place. someone drove on the field and tore it up doing donuts. the 49ers heard about that and jumped in to help. >> we sent the grounds crew out to do some seeding. >> they don't have to do be here, but they want to make a difference in the community and we're so grateful. >> isn't that fantastic? the go fund me drive helped raising over $10,000 for a fence to make sure it doesn't happen again. san francisco state university freshman is competing in jeopardy's college championship. >> wayne, chris, and the lesser known luke. >> what is wisconsin. >> fernandez and 14 other students were battling it out for $100,000 and a spot in the tournament of champions. catch jeopardy tonight right here on abc 7. san francisco public schools are dealing with a surplus, not coming from the budget but the sky. and they're making sure none of it goes to waste. >> i know personal reasons i want to be here. >> it's personal and political, next, an exclusive on the man who is leading the effort to take california out of the united states. and -- >> our livelihood, you know, you have to leave it behind. it's just very, very overwhelming. >> trading home for a crowded hotel room. amid the uncertainty of the oroville dam emergency. a lot more to come. stay with us. live where you live, this is "abc7 news." >> i have never met or spoke with a russian government official, or been in the premises of any russian government building or met vladamir putin. >> the leader of a ballot initiative that would pave the way for california to withdraw from the united states. a claim that he's working with the russian government. >> dan is here with what he's found out. it's raising some serious questions. >> reporter: it would be easy to dismiss this as a fringe group trying to make california into its own country, but intelligence officials say this raises some serious questions whether russia is involved. the yes, california campaign. he's an american who lives in russia, but his movement is getting a lot of attention here. a recent reuters poll found 1 in 3 californians support the idea of the state withdrawing from the united states. last month, his group started collecting signatures for a ballot initiative that would amend the state constitution. are you still a u.s. citizen? >> yes. >> reporter: we talked to him from his home in russia recently. tell me why you're in russia. >> for a number of reasons. i have personal reasons that i want to be here. i also have political goals to achieve while i'm here. one of which is to build a bridge between california and russia. >> reporter: he says those reasons center around his marriage. >> immigration is personal for me. my wife is from russia, as you can imagine. and we've had difficulty navigating the american immigration system. >> reporter: he says california's approach to immigration and political ideology no longer mirror the rest of the country, and for that reason it should be its own country. the ballot measure would change california's constitution to begin the process for leaving the u.s. it would force a special election, asking californian it is they want to be independent. if yes, congress would have to agree, and so would 2/3 of the state legislatures. >> we'll be able to establish the liberal/prerogative republic we want but can't have because of congress, the white house, and because of the conservative supreme court. [ inaudible ] >> reporter: promoting the idea of an independent california in moscow last year, now that's raising questions about whether russia is behind the secession campaign. the event was partially funded by a kremlin backed charity linked to vladamir putin. the anti-globalization movement of russia is providing rent free office space for what he calls a california embassy in moscow. >> we're a big state with a tremendous impact in terms of this country's economy and politics. >> reporter: former defense secretary leon panetta says californians should be wary of russia's involvement. >> you can weaken the leadership of the united states in the world, russia can be able to get away with a lot more of what they want to do. >> reporter: he says the cia has long suspected russia of using political turmoil as a weapon. > they always believed that the primary strategy of russian efforts to come at the united states were aimed at destabilizing the united states. >> reporter: if he does have a close relationship with russia and is attempting to weaken our country, that could be criminal. >> because then that couwould constitute treason and a violation of the row. >> reporter: he says his goal is to empower californians. are you planning on moving back? >> at some point in time i hope to return to california and live under the california flag without the american flag, sure. >> reporter: the i-tell reached out to the fbi today to see if they launched an investigation but they wouldn't comment. we'll keep track of this issue and report back what happens next. what is a story. >> interesting. thank you, dan. now back to the developing news that we're tracking from oroville and that spillway that's at risk of flooding communities. an evacuation order was given yesterday for people living near lake oroville. engineered are concerned the secondary spillway may break. today, trucks brought in concrete rocks to shore up that backup spillway and nearly 200,000 people remain out of their homes indefinitely. some evacuees are staying in shelters, churches or friend's homes. we found one large family that looked hotel rooms in the bay area. >> reporter: 40 members of an extended family from yuba city are staying at this hotel in fairfield after leaving their homes, forced out by the potential danger from the emergency stipillway. >> you're not thinking of anything, just getting out. >> reporter: unlike the chaotic exodus of bumper to butmper man evacuees endured last night, their drive was smooth because someone that works at the dam gave them a heads up before the order came out. >> i just grabbed my laptop and shoving materials in suitcases. but we got out of there as fast as i could. >> reporter: the children have calmed down but last night was scary. for these cousins, it's been surreal. >> the typical thing in yuba city, it's a boring time. yesterd yesterday, it felt like it was a city in the movies. >> i recognize what a hardship this has placed on our community, but we did this because our primary purpose is to assure public safety. >> reporter: and the county sheriff describes the crisis as a dynamic situation. in fairfield, caroline tyler, "abc7 news." and we're looking live at the view from our east bay hills tower camera. rain is going to return in just days. spencer will pin point who gets the storm first. >> that holds about 3,000 gallons. >> they received too much of a good thing and making sure it afoot and light-hearted i take to the open road. healthy, free, the world before me, the long brown path before me leading wherever i choose. the east and the west are mine. the north and the south are mine. all seems beautiful to me. anything with a screen is a tv. stream 130 live channels, plus 40,000 on demand tv shows and movies, all on the go. you can even download from your x1 dvr and watch it offline. only xfinity gives you more to stream to any screen. download the xfinity tv app today. well, we have a few dry days and in danville, they're taking advantage of it. "abc7 news" was there as pothole crews went to work today. the city made a list friday of all the potholes around town and now they have a chance to tackle them since it won't rain for a few more days and they can do a permanent fix. >> what's going on now is a hot mix. it's stronger and it can address the issue. it's a much more permanent solution. >> during the rain, crews can only do a cold mix of asphalt and it doesn't last long. in san francisco, cisterns are maxed out. the district has never dealt with this much rainwater. but no one is complaining. >> reporter: the san francisco public utilities commission began releasing water from its five reservoirs seven weeks ago, something it hadn't done since 1997. the release started at the crystal springs reservoir to maintain a storm buffer. >> usually there's a valve below the dam that you can release from to hold the reservoir level down below the spillway. so we're using those valvie inif and on for the last several weeks. >> reporter: on a much smaller scale, one can see the recent impact through these cisterns found at 28 schools in san francisco. san francisco public schools began installs cisterns back in 2007 as a way to conserve water and maintain their gardens. schools collect rain from their roofs. >> it was right around here. and right before christmas break, it was moved up a little bit. when i got back from sfrchristm it's all the way filled up and it's been leaking out of the side, too. >> reporter: a.j. runs the garden program here at jefferson elementary. he's had to put out extra bucketing for the overflow. the cisterns hold more than 20,000 gallons of rainwater. >> that holds about 3,000 gallons, so we use about 10 every other day. so we have a lot of water for easily the next year. >> reporter: that will guaranty a better outcome for their living laboratory. stay with us. we have some timely advice for all you procrastinators who still need to shop for valentine's day gifts. >> michael finney it's okay to cry, right? no more! we don't want anymore! [crying] ahhhhhhhhhh! everyday price and no extra monthly fees, unlike cable. speeds up to 45 megs, for $30 a month. maybe you're still planning to shop for a valentine's day gift, so why not make it a good one? >> michael finney joins was a diamond buyer's guy. >> because of the internet, people have a great idea on what they're shopping for when they buy a diamond these days. these days, many shoppers are focusing in on just two of the cs. the bay area consumer's checkbook staff went undercover shopping for diamonds. they were looking for prices, quality, and very specific stones. >> undercover shoppers shopped around for two different types of diamonds at a bunch of different stores and chains. found huge price differences. the one single stone at some places, you can pay about $11,000. at others, more than $17,000, $18,000. >> his store fared very well among those secret shoppers. simoff prices beat most of the competition. >> people are last-minute shoppers. they come the last two, three days. >> reporter: he says focussing in on cut is a good idea. >> in the past, they were looking for size. right now, they're looking more into quality. so they're looking into the colors and the clarities and the cuts. so the cut became the most important component in a diamond for them. >> reporter: and that should be the most important component for you, too. >> you want to stick with diamonds with excellent cut, that are g.a. certified and worry less about differences in color grades or clarity or things like that, because you can't tell with your naked eye, but they're going to cost you thousands. >> reporter: very few jewellers will ever be inspecting your diamonds. so focus on what you see. >> what you see are going to be the cut and the color. the rest, if it's not visible to the naked eye, you just can't see it. >> reporter: i have a free link for you to the consumer checkbook undercover shopper report. go to the 7 on your side web page for a link. i want to hear from you on our hotline. the number 415-954-8151. you can also reach me through facebook and our abc7news.com page. >> thank you, michael. "abc7 news" was in arinda to get a massive landslide covered. they were tarping the hidside and drainage pipes. that slide has now moved on to the edge of the streets but no homes are immediately threatened. here's a live look from emeryville. we want to see the weather where you live. spencer is back now with an update. >> rain is coming back late they are week. here's if live doppler 7 hd. we have dry and mild conditions right now. another storm coming our way, it ranks one on the storm impact scale. a storm of light intensity. and we project that rainfall totals will range from this storm from half an inch down to san jose to inch and a half up in santa rosa. we have a series of storms, but the concerns for thursday. we have five consecutive days of rain, thursday through monday. and the cumulative effect could produce more flooding and power outages. >> thanks, spencer. the warriors on the road. >> shu is here with sports. >> warriors in denver tonight. for baseball fans, it starts today. pitchers and catchers reported to spring training in arizona. and warriors end their three-game road tip tonight in denver. shawn livingston is about to become a dad for the first time, so he's out. and klay thompson has a sore right arch. weber signed another ten-day contract today. first quarter, kevin durant to mcgee. durant turns it over to gomez, and he's going to slam it home. and then warriors kill ier will barton knocking down the three. this is hard to stop. makes it look easy. but after the ws miss, nelson hits the three. denver leads by 15 early. they put up 42 in the first quarter. right now it's 50-34 nuggets. kevin durant's mother, wanda, had to put up with a lot of chants about her son in kansas city. of course, i asked k.d. after the game what his favorite cupcake was and he told me red velvet. well, the first real sign of spring isn't ground hog day, it's pitchers and catchers reporting for spring training. johnny cueto, buster posey and brandon crawford. he's part of their staff again. crawford and posey will be part of a deep united states roster that -- and crawford is not sure what to expect but recalls ryan vogelsong raving about his experience in this event back in 2013. >> i remember him that he loved it and thought it was a great experience. he only pitched once, so it's a little bit different than being a position player. but i feel like i'll be ready for it and it will be fun. >> you can get injured in spring training. so that's not what we're worried about. we want to make sure because the wbc cranks up earlier than the major league season that these guys are ready. >> trust me, bruce bochy is worried. 49er head coach kyle shanahan rounding out his coaching staff. tom rathbun will not be back, after 22 years as a player and a coach with the team. he hired bobby turner from atlanta, so they agreed it was time for a new look and tom is now looking for work. 38-year-old robert siller with the new defensive coordinator. the gm has said he wants an aggressive, attacking style defense, and this is his man. he's been a line backer coach for the jacksonville jaguars for three seasons and he'll have his hands full. last year's 49er defense allowed the most points, touchdowns and rushing yards in franchise history. he's a native of dearborn, michigan. and taylor embree was signed as an offensive quality coach, and it's tough duty for dial so late in the off-season to put a staff together, but he's going to have a lot of familiar faces of guys he's worked with before. so kind of stuff after the super bowl. we'll see what happens. >> starting again here for the 49ers, how hard is it? you can't turn it around in a season. >> it's going to be two or three years. that's why he got a six-year contract. fans are going to have to be patient. he has the number two draft choice. got almost $80 million to spend in free agency. >> fans have to be more patient. >> joining us tonight at 9:00 on channel 13. coming up, the federal government is involved with the oroville dam crisis. >> and a new dog danger. sick animals are showing up to the vets and in at least one case, dying. the health alert for pet owners. >> that is this edition of "abc7 news." we appreciate your time. >> thank you so much for joining us tonight. >> have a good night. and my life is basketball.west, but that doesn't stop my afib from leaving me at a higher risk of stroke. that'd be devastating. i took warfarin for over 15 years. until i learned more about once-daily xarelto®... a latest-generation blood thinner. then i made the switch. xarelto® significantly lowers the risk of stroke in people with afib not caused by a heart valve problem. it has similar effectiveness to warfarin. warfarin interferes with vitamin k and at least six blood-clotting factors. xarelto® is selective. targeting one critical factor of your body's natural clotting function. for people with afib currently well-managed on warfarin, there is limited information on how xarelto® and warfarin compare in reducing the risk of stroke. like all blood thinners, don't stop taking xarelto® without talking to your doctor, as this may increase your risk of a blood clot or stroke. while taking, you may bruise more easily, and it may take longer for bleeding to stop. xarelto® may increase your risk of bleeding if you take certain medicines. xarelto® can cause serious, and in rare cases, fatal bleeding. get help right away for unexpected bleeding, unusual bruising, or tingling. if you have had spinal anesthesia while on xarelto®, watch for back pain or any nerve or muscle-related signs or symptoms. do not take xarelto® if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. tell your doctor before all planned medical or dental procedures. before starting xarelto®, tell your doctor about any conditions, such as kidney, liver, or bleeding problems. to help protect yourself from a stroke, ask your doctor about xarelto®. insurance changes? xarelto® has you covered. this is the "jeopardy!" college championship. here are today's contestants -- a senior at yeshiva university, from teaneck, new jersey... a freshman at san francisco state university, from coronado, california... and a senior at mit, from decatur, georgia... and now here is the host of "jeopardy!" -- alex trebek! thank you, johnny. [ cheers and applause ] thank you, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to our annual tournament that has, in the past, produced some very exciting and unexpected moments. let's see what happens this year. today, we have two seniors and one freshman. good luck. let's go to work in the jeopardy! round. [ laughter ] uh-oh. we'll take you back... we follow that with... and finally... and, lilly, you go first. i'll take in olden times for $600. lilly. -what is acropolis? -you are right. languages for $800. lilly, again. -what is mandarin? -correct. seeing red, $600. netanel. -what is blood? -good. languages for $200, please.