the golden gate bridge. late this afternoon, around 4:00, a third person, who was also taken out by the waves, was able to get out of the surf and call 911. >> rescue units shortly arrived within 25 minutes and recovered two bodies, one male adult and one child. >> reporter: the water, a chilly 53 degrees. there was a high surf advisory today. he says the beach is popular for fishing and picnicking. it's also dangerous. when the victims went in, it was getting dark. >> we do have 14 lifeguards, seasonal lifeguards on staff, for just these reasons. last year, they conducted over 70 saves. >> reporter: but no rescue tonight. the bodies were recovered and taken to fort baker. now an investigation into the deaths begin. >> our national parks are beautiful but they're unforgiving. >> reporter: and the names of the victims have not been released, but officials tell me they were relatives. new at 11, a two-alarm fire burns out one apartment and displaces four people. it happened on 26th street between castro and diamond streets at around 7:00 tonight. authorities say a firefighter broke his arm but no one else was hurt. signs of compromise tonight as the country teeters, just steps away from the fiscal cliff. the automatic tax increases and spending cuts kick in january 1 unless lawmakers find some common ground. cbs reporter danielle nottingham on what both sides are saying about the looming deadline. >> reporter: congressional leaders met with president obama at the white house, trying to avoid the automatic tax hikes and spending cuts set to kick in january 1. the president reminded lawmakers there's not much time left. >> we're now at the point where, in just four days, every american's tax rates are scheduled to go up by law. >> reporter: senators harry reid and mitch mcconnell returned to the senate floor, pledging to work through the weekend. >> we are engaged in discussions, the majority leader and myself and the white house, in hopes that we can come forward as early as sunday and have a recommendation. >> we're gonna do the best we can for the caucuses we have and the country that's waiting for us to make a decision. >> reporter: democratic and republican leaders have agreed to extend jobless benefits and some tax increases. but the income threshold is not yet clear. the president and senate leaders are expressing optimism that they'll get the job done. but the president has a backup plan just in case. >> if an agreement isn't reached in time, between senator reid and senator mcconnell, then i will urge senator reid to bring to the floor a basic package for an up- or-down vote. >> reporter: that bare bones bill would preserve tax cuts for the middle class and extend unemployment benefits. it would also lay a foundation for a broader deal to come. danielle nottingham, cbs news, the white house. wall street certainly not impressed by today's developments in washington. the dow last more than 158 points. it's five-day losing streak is the longest since july. the s&p 500 also closed down. going over the fiscal cliff will have several impacts on your wallet. a 2% payroll tax cut and a series of other temporary tax cuts will expire, along with other credits and deductions. your grocery costs, especially for dairy products, could suddenly skyrocket. federal long-term jobless benefits would expire. but the price of gas could actually go down because of the declining demand. another tax you'll see rise is the estate tax. cbs reporter john blackstone shows us how tumbling off the fiscal cliff could destroy the legacy of a napa valley vineyard. >> reporter: when his great grandfather started farming her in the late 1800s... >> they farmed orchard fruit and cattle. >> reporter: but much of the land he grew up on is gone, sold, to pay estate taxes after his grandfather's death. >> had to sell all of it. >> estate taxes? >> yes. >> reporter: his grandfather died in 1972 when estate taxes were at an all-time high, 77%. >> it was a big tax bill. it was, you know, half a million dollars. we sold off 150 acres. it gave us something to pay the tax with. >> reporter: now, jeff and his wife marry worry their dream of passing the land on to their two daughters will be ruined by the fiscal cliff. the estate tax rate would rise from 35 to 55% on estates worth over $1 million. at today's prices in the napa valley, the land could easily be worth $8 million. >> you're wealthy, but it's all in the dirt. we're dirt rich, cash poor. >> reporter: for the paiges, more than money is at stake. they want the land which is part of their family's past to also be part of their future. >> you can keep tabs on the fiscal cliff talks in washington. just log on to cbssf.com. heightened patrols for drunk drivers are getting underway starting tonight. police agencies from every corner of the bay area are going to be setting up dui checkpoints. the drunk driving crackdown come as bay area lawmakers are proposing tougher penalties for repeat offenders. they include ignition interlock devices that would prevent a car from starting if the driver is intoxicated. >> we've tried increasing fines. we've tried to revoke licenses. but we need to do more to save lives. >> during the christmas holidays, the chp make nearly 1200 dui arrests. another friday night road hazard, critical mass taking to the streets. you see only a handful have showed up tonight. this year marks the events 20th year. but clearly, the rolling protesters had more important things to do tonight. checking bay area headlines, three more murders bring the city's homicide rate to its highest since 2006. two men were shot to death about 1 a.m. 90 minutes later, a woman was stabbed to death. police made an arrest in her murder. the shootings were in an area of west oakland known for gang activity. a sixth person faces murder and other charges in the case of a man and woman found gagged on a san francisco street. authorities say 26-year-old catherine uong is being held on $2 million bail. her nickname on the street is killer. and some of san francisco's most beautiful murals have become targets for taggers. the problem runs from north bay to the tenderloin. vandals even defaced parts of claireon alley. they have more than 21,000 requests for graffiti cleanups this year. you can still get a free ride on muni tonight. the transit agency celebrated its 100th birthday today by waiving fares for all passengers. the offer continues until 5:00 a.m. tomorrow. muni carries nearly 700,000 people every day. well, the death of a woman brutally gang raped half a world away is causing repercussions here in the bay area. >> i'll be dad. i'll be murdered. >> what protesters are demanding in memory of the new delhi victim. >> i can't say it on camera, to the people that done this. a dog left to die. rescued. why they decided to bring him here for treatment. and a step back in time, courtesy of the dmv. how you can buy a piece of the past to accessize your favorite ride. indications that it might be a wet beginning to 2013. we'll have all the details when we cover the forecast in a minute. ,, francisco. we're getting word of policd ity at the we're following breaking news right now in san francisco. we're getting word of police and fire activity at the intercontinental hotel on howard street. this is a live picture right now. people are pouring out of that building, according to our crews on scene. we're being told the response is medical in nature. we're not sure what's prompting the mass exodus, but there are multiple police cars and fire units outside the hotel. you can see the flashing red lights right now. we'll bring you more information as it comes into our newsroom. a 23-year-old woman gang raped earlier this month in new delhi, india, has died. christin ayers was at the consulate today. >> i'm so heartbroken and sad. >> reporter: the news came as activists were preparing for this candlelight vigil at san francisco's indian consulate, honoring a 23-year-old new delhi woman who had been brutally raped. her death added fuel to a growing fire, triggering outrage in new delhi. today's gathering in san francisco, somber by comparison, but punctuated by the same demands. protesters are handing over a petition to the indian consulate, demanding more security on public and private buses, including surveillance cameras and gps tracking. >> this is not okay. women have to speak out. >> reporter: she grew up in fear in new delhi, certain that as a woman, she could be attacked any day. >> every day, i thought i'll be raped. i'll be dead. i'll be murdered. i may not come home. >> reporter: activists claim not much as changed. they claim incidents of rape have increased 17%. >> i think it's a turning moment. if we get more women to speak out about it and make a difference, i think we can make a change. >> reporter: in san francisco, christin ayers, cbs 5. a driver who fled a traffic stop in oakland is now facing vehicular manslaughter charges. the chp says it pulled over a bmw on 90th avenue but the driver took off as officers approached the car. a short distance away, it collided with a car, killing a 21-year-old woman. the suspect ran, but officers caught him. >> he did not appear to be very much under the influence. he was able to exit his vehicle and flee the scene, so that would show that he is coherent. >> police are still looking for a passenger in the suspect's car. a pasadena police chase that left a daly city boy dead will mean murder charges for two suspected gang members. the d.a. will prosecute 22-year-old darrell williams and 21-year- old brittany washington. the couple was in an suv fleeing police when they broadsided a minivan carrying 11-year-old kendrick ng and his family. he and his cousin died coming back from an ice skating rink christmas night. an abused german shepherd brought to california. the people and airline that stepped in to help. >> reporter: meet thor, in desperate need of medical attention. >> if you leave a dog to die, the dog is not worthy, and you can see he is worthy. >> reporter: doctors say the dog may have been abused. he was severely underbeat. >> he weighed 46 pounds. he should weigh close to 100. >> reporter: thor is struggling to eat. he can't even open his jaw. teresa says he smashes his food with his left paw and then pushes it into the portion of his mouth that he can open. >> i was hurt to think that somebody could go to bed at night thinking that he was starving as he was. >> reporter: alaska airlines gave thor a free ticket from alaska to sacramento to receive help. >> i could not believe they let me just walk on the plane with this dog. >> reporter: doctors took a cat scan of thor's jaw to see what's going on. >> our goal is to go in there and remove all of the bone and calcification that's fusing his jaw together and allow him to open his jaw. >> reporter: the reason thor was taken here is because of recommendation, because of the canine involved in a shooting over the summer. sean bennett, cbs 5. let's take a quick look at the hi-def doppler. heavy rain coming on to the coast. brian hackney has an update. in addition to a few showers coming down, we've also got the high surf advisory posted until 10:00 tomorrow night. waves could be up to 22 feet. strong rip currents as well, so if you're going to go beach combing this weekend, don't turn the back to the ocean. make sure you're aware that the waves are going to be pretty high this weekend. cloudy and showers tonight. clearing later tomorrow. unsettled weather for new year's eve. first, the showers being triggered by low pressure moving close to the bay area. most of the rain hanging offshore. nevertheless, we would pick up from a quarter to a half inch of rain. by tomorrow afternoon, there could be a dusting of snow on bay area peaks. expect clouds and shower tonight. maybe snow up top. then we'll get sunshine coming into the bay area tomorrow afternoon. the futurecast, we roll it back a few hours to show you how it looked earlier tonight. by tomorrow afternoon, things begin to clear out with just a few clouds around, so we'll get more sun tomorrow. and if you're heading out tomorrow, we'll get a few light showers in the very early morning. temperatures will be in the 40's. after that, we'll get the sun. if you're heading around northern california, we'll have sunshine in eureka. if you're heading out on monday, expect increasing clouds with maybe a few showers coming in monday night as well. it would be on the light side. not a big deal. sunshine in the southland. but at new york, they're going to get some partly cloudy skies. for us, tonight, the lows will be 34 in santa rosa. not quite as cold tonight as it was last night. 35 at napa. 33, fairfield. 36, livermore. we'll do no better than mid 50's for the bay area tomorrow. but with increasing sunshine, we're at 54 in the city. extended forecast calls for mostly cloudy conditions on new year's eve. a few light showers tonight. sun on sunday, maybe a little bit coming in on monday and tuesday. rest of the week looks high and dry. so have a great weekend! the fiscal cliff, no concern for these consumers. why they're dropping a truckload of cash for a cool ride. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, legal settlement. a district judge has given preliminary approval to the payment in a class action st acceleration. th tonight, toyota is now one step closer to paying a $1 billion legal settlement over sudden acceleration. the carmaker recalled 14 million cars worldwide to deal with the defect it blamed on drivers and floor mats. final approval of the settlement is not expected until june. when it comes to luxury cars, economic speed bumps don't seem to get in the way. they're going to finish the year at their highest level since 2007. it's expected to grow more next year. that's especially true for higher-end luxury cars. >> we're very excited about sales. cars are flying off the lots. >> they can fly? car sales are traditionally up around the holidays, because that's when bosses get their big bonuses. but dealers are also reporting increases in the more moderate vehicles. well, fans of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, have a new way to show it. replicas of the vintage license plates will be offered by the dmv will be offered january 1. it includes yellow letters over a blue background. the legacy license plates cost $50. and it's a welcome way to kiss the year good-bye. hundreds gathered today in new york for good riddens day, an annual event to toss out the old before you ring in the new. people dump bad tax returns, pictures of old lovers and anything else that really wasn't that good in 2012. a giant shredder and dumpster and a rubber mallet completed the task at hand. >> i don't want to know if i'm in that group. one bay area retiree is going to be celebrating 2012 for quite a white. robert bought a winning superlotto ticket. it was worth $23 million. those are his winning numbers. he says he didn't even realize he won the jackpot until last night. a friend asked him, hey, robert, did you check your tickets? so he did. >> good friend. very good friend. >> good thing he didn't lose that ticket. >> i checked mine immediately. i maybe got one number. hey, we have a quarterback. the raiders announced their starter on sunday. and the warriors love playing teams from the east. and how about this? there's the quarterback. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ♪ [ female announcer ] no more paper coupons. no more paper lists. [ dog barking ] ♪ no more paper anything. safeway presents just for u. ♪ save more. save easier. saving more, starts now. just for u on the safeway app. start.. coach mark jackson said from e the basketball world is starting to take notice of the warriors hot start. coach says he's getting messages from everyone in his black phone book. his buddies are rooting for him. 76ers, not so much. second quarter, how about this highlight? hunter stevens. haven't seen him all year. comes up with a big block. and wright loses his shoe. jarrett jack picks it up and tosses it into the stands. then next possession, warriors up five. they led at the half. david lee's points helped them pull away. lee with 25 points. warriors win 96-89. they are now 20-and-10. with no carson palmer this week for the raiders, who would get the call at quarterback? matt leinart wanted it but terrelle pryor got it. coach dennis allen made the call to go with pryor. this will be his second nfl start. it's an audition, if you will, and auditions can be scary. terrell, nervous? >> yeah. i'll be nervous. i even talked to carson a little bit. i'm a little nervous. he said, you know what? i'm nervous every game until the first play is over. you know, you're human. you're supposed to. when i heard that, it kind of reminds me, back in college days, i was nervous every day, until the first play, too. like i said, i'm nervous but i'm also -- i'm ready. niners, justin smith update. he will miss his second straight game because of a torn tricep. he was injured september 16. when reporters asked if he would be ready for i the postseason, smith said -- for the postseason, smith said, yeah, i'll be ready to roll. time now for your friday night top five. 5, it's the nuggets and mavericks. andre iguodala missed the lay- up. but kenneth faried with the slam. no. 4, austin finishes with a dunk. pistons upset the heat. no. 3, kyle looks to have the fast- break lay-up. no. 2, clippers rally in the second half to beat utah. the clippers have won 16 in a row. no. 1, the kings led the knicks by as many as 27. look at that! james johnson of sacramento, hits his first three pointer of the year. kings win the game. don't go away. more news after the break. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, newscast is tomorrow mornin 4-30. david letterman is next with bill murray. ( band playing "late show" theme ) >> from new york, the greatest city in the world, it's the "late show" with david letterman. tonight... plus paul shaffer and the cbs orchestra. and now with soothing, eucalyptus vapors, david letterman! captioning sponsored by worldwide pants and cbs ( cheers and applause ) ( band playing "late show" theme ) ( cheers and applause )