It's the choke point for 175,000 Valley commuters and now there's a plan to ease the commute
right over Interstate 580, but this one is not forever that age.
No it's not because you would have to pay for the privilege not to sit in traffic.
Edmund Aguilar is live right along 580 with a look at how this would work, Eddie.
Well Sam Brandy if this project is approved another lane would be added to this very busy
freeway.
It's sort of like a carpool lane but for one person.
It's the second most congested corridor in the Bay Area and tens of thousands of Valley
commuters drive it every day.
The traffic gets pretty bad.
Could a fee help ease traffic on Interstate 580?
Some people have more money than time I think it could.
But others say no to a toll.
Where do all our taxes go?
Now they're talking about a toll road so I don't get it.
And others need more information.
I'm not sure.
The Alameda County project would cost around 164 million dollars.
It would build a special lane that anyone could use if they pay a toll.
The exact fee is still up for debate but some people say any price is too high.
It certainly discriminates against people who can't afford it.
But officers who patrol 580 and pretty much everyone else agrees on one thing.
Something needs to be done.
There has to be a solution.
It cannot continue with projected growth in the immediate area here and also in the Central
Valley.
The projections are for more and more traffic.
Now the county goes on to say that carpools and buses will not have to pay to go on this
lane.
That is of course if it passes.
Alright Eddie thanks very much for that live report near Livermore along I-580.
Here's a look at exactly where those toll lanes would go.
There are two toll projects including the 12 mile stretch on 580 plus a separate 14
mile stretch of 680 on the Assinole grade.
Now both could open in less than three years if, and this is a big one, if they get funding.
Now with this new plan in the works we want to know what you think.
Would you be willing to pay if it meant you would shorten your commute time?
You can log on to CBS13.com and you can cast your vote for that.
Brandi?
The Republican lawmakers unveiled a package of bills here in California aimed at cracking
down on illegal immigrants in our state.
Now there are 20 bills that would have wide reaching impact on everything from education
to jobs.
$11 billion a year, that's the price tag on the government benefits and services provided
to people living illegally in California.
Assemblyman Jim Silva joined the fight after hearing the story of an elderly couple forced
to choose between food and medication.
You have people that come into this country undocumented, they get their food through
food stamps and social programs and she said they live better than we do and they've only
been here a few months.
The crackdown on three million illegal immigrants looks like this.
If approved, less expensive in-state college tuition would be eliminated.
Proof of legal status would be required to receive services like health care.
Cities that hire illegals would be barred from receiving lucrative government contracts
and cities would be banned from calling themselves sanctuaries for illegal immigrants.
Kevin De Leon represents a heavily Latino district in Los Angeles.
I think what they're doing in an electoral year is to find political fodder, to find
a scapegoat, to blame certain individuals in California for all the debacle that we
have.
The costs really add up in local jails and state prisons.
In Orange County, one official says on any given day there are 600 to 800 illegal or
undocumented immigrants behind bars and in one year that can cost the county as much
as 19 million dollars.
One solution involves billing the federal government for the cost of incarceration and
local police would be asked to report suspected illegals arrested for driving under the influence.
When asked about those bills today, Governor Schwarzenegger said he is in favor of anything
that improves border security.
There is a big debate over pay raises at the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors meeting
today.
The board decided to give its chief executive a 10 percent pay raise that would boost Terry
Shutton's salary to about $250,000 a year.
Officials say it will keep the pay competitive.
Unions argue, however, the county should not raise salaries when they're cutting programs.
We find that Mr. Shutton is fourth from the bottom of the list of counties compensation
that we received.
So we felt justified.
Well Sacramento County is currently more than $40 million in debt.
Question for you, how much is too much to pay for art at Sacramento International Airport?
That's the question some were also asking at the Board of Supervisors meeting today
and Elise Kershner is live with why some say $8 million is way too much.
Elise?
Yeah $8 million is certainly a lot of cash, especially during these tough economic times,
but in the art world I'm told that's just a marginal number.
Take for example the artwork here behind me already at the airport.
When that was put in here several years ago, that cost almost a million dollars.
This is kind of odd to see a bunch of suitcases piled up.
Imagine how you like it.
Suitcases stacked almost to the ceiling at the Sacramento International Airport.
It isn't cheap.
$1.3 million.
A drop in the bucket compared to the $8 million the Board of Supervisors approved for art
at the new terminal.
It actually helps people develop a sense of place about the airport.
It helps them be distracted and calm a little bit as they come to the airport environment.
But it's money some travelers say could be spent in other places.
After you've fed all the starving people maybe that would be a good idea.
If they're saying oh we could take this money and use it for other programs in the county,
we can't.
The money can't be transferred elsewhere.
And by law a percentage of construction dollars, officials say, must be set aside for the arts.
There is a 2% ordinance that's been established by the city and county of Sacramento to support
art in public places.
Back at the airport, still not everyone is convinced.
We don't need our work.
Get the bags rolling on the baggage claim and we're good.
And what will that $8 million buy you?
It will go to changing exhibitions, gallery space, and we'll go to purchase new art work
here.
The entire $1.1 billion project for the new terminal should be completed within 5 to 7
years.
Back to you in the studio.
Alright Elise, thanks very much.
Live report at Sec International Airport.
Tackerville police are looking for a man they say sexually assaulted a female worker at
the city's outlet shopping center.
This alleged attack happened last night at the Oshkosh Bagosh outlet store.
Police say another employee helped fight off the attacker.
But he got away before police could get there.
Of course, I was really surprised because I never expect that, especially in a kid's
store.
The suspect is described as Hispanic.
He's in his late teens, about 5 feet 7 inches tall, weighs about 170 pounds.
He has a neatly trimmed goatee.
Operations back to normal at the Los Angeles airport after several tires burst on a jumbo
jet during takeoff.
That Qantas flight was headed to Australia when those tires exploded.
Emergency crews got all 232 passengers off without any injuries, but the jet was stranded
on the runway for several hours.
The pilot aborted takeoff right after he noticed the warning light go off on the jet.
The U.S.
Government admitted to a big mistake today.
Saying they sent parts of a non-nuclear missile to Taiwan.
Let's go to Lisa Gonzalez at the World and National Desk with a monumental screw-up.
Yeah, a bit of a mishap, that's for sure.
The U.S.
Defense Department says they shipped the components to Taiwan instead of the helicopter batteries
they had requested.
This morning, government officials talked about the mistake.
When an organization as large as DOD, the largest and most complex in the world, there
will be mistakes.
But they cannot be tolerated in the arena of strategic systems, whether they are nuclear
or only associated equipment as was in this case.
Now, officials say the missile parts have been recovered and the incident is now under
investigation.
It's a new tool that can literally see a threat coming.
A British company unveiled their new X-ray device today that can see through clothes
from 80 feet away.
The makers say it can be a powerful tool in the war on terror.
That gives you then more time to react, time before they get close to you or to your facility.
And that's what we're doing, pushing the perimeter out.
The device picks up electromagnetic rays from people, making the screening harmless.
The makers hope it will be used at airports, border checkpoints and even major political
and cultural events.
It's allergy season and for some, you can no longer get the medicines you need over
the counter.
The question is why.
All you can blame, methamphetamine.
Marianne McClary explains.
This is or was a home meth lab busted earlier this month in a quiet Vacaville neighborhood.
The ingredients they found are pretty easy to buy.
Lye, drain opener.
That's used in the process.
I don't know, I think it's probably ephedrine in a small bottle there.
Yes, he did say ephedrine, as in pseudoephedrine, the stuff in strong cold medicine.
Because of the meth epidemic, in September of 06, the law changed, limiting how much
you can buy.
But not everyone got the word.
And with cold and allergy season back, some are just finding out now.
And now when you go to the store to buy Sudafed, you're going to find a card like this that
you take to the pharmacist.
The pharmacist gets your Sudafed or allergy meds from a shelf in the back.
You show ID, you sign a log book, and they keep track of who's buying and how much.
There have been stories of customers coming in and buying larger amounts and quantities
of boxes at one time.
And so this is just a safeguard to really monitor and track the amount of medication
that is going through the stores.
Not everyone's happy about it.
One cashier told us she gets a daily dose of people complaining about the hassle of
taking this step.
But customer Greg Haskin says it's no big deal.
So it doesn't bug you that you have to take that extra step to buy it from the pharmacist?
Not really, no.
If it curbs the drug problem, then that's a good thing.
Well tomorrow night you're going to have the opportunity to learn a lot more about the
problem of methamphetamine throughout Northern California.
And it is a huge problem.
The specialist called Crystal Darkness.
It'll run both on CBS 13 and CW 31 at 6.30 tomorrow evening again.
Wednesday night, 6.30.
It is a very good program to watch.
Coming up next I knew at 6, smokers under fire from the city and the state.
Where else people could soon be banned from lighting up?
And I'm Curtis Wing live in the CBS 13 newsroom.
Millions of people are at risk of not getting their tax rebates.
Are you one of them?
We'll tell you how to make sure you get your money.
Will Sacramento ever turn this dirt into dreams?
I've got the latest on what the insiders are saying about the rail yard development and
its possible collapse.
I'm Ari Graslich.
I've got the scoop.
And I'm David Live in the CBS 13 Weather Center.
Well, we're going to get gusty, but will it be truly a windy Wednesday?
Those answers and more coming up here in just a little bit.
A few high clouds and yep, the camera's shaking.
So that's a hint.
Yeah, it's winds are picking up.
Details stick around.
Brittany's comeback could.
Welcome back.
The Berkeley City Council is taking another step in its fight against smoking tonight.
Council members are looking to expand the city's smoking restrictions.
In an initiative passed in November, this ban smokes actually banned smoking within
25 feet of buildings on certain designated streaks and in all parks and recreation areas.
Well, now city council members are hoping to push the ban to sidewalks as well.
The council is likely going to vote on it tonight.
Also there's a state senator looking to make it even more difficult for people lighting
up statewide.
Senator Jenny or Pasa introduced a bill today that would ban smoking at all state parks
and state beaches.
This follows the law of several cities and counties recently taking it on themselves
to ban smoking at those local parks and beaches.
Or pays.
I also created that law.
You may remember that banned smoking in cars that have children inside the struggling economy
could mean some big trouble for teenagers this summer.
There's a new study.
It finds employers are not going to be given out nearly as many summer jobs as they have
in the past.
Let's go to Christina Lee.
You talk to those teenagers who are looking for work and I assume some of them are still
looking Christina.
They are still looking Sam and Brandy.
Many managers I spoke with say they're facing an uncertain summer.
So they're not going to be hiring new employees, which means that those hoping to fill their
wallets well, they may be out of luck.
Can I get an application?
I would like to apply.
Oh yeah, for sure.
Lisette Azevedo is a high school junior.
I've looked for jobs in the mall and I haven't been hired anywhere.
That's because a new report says work opportunities for teens are shrinking nationwide.
Teens are competing with older, laid off workers with work experience.
It makes you kind of feel hopeless for the future and California is really expensive.
So how do we build up?
It's difficult.
According to snagajob.com, nearly half of hourly hiring managers will not hire new seasonal
workers this summer.
Some employers say their budget won't support adding more employees.
I know that there are a lot of stores that are not hiring and I've also heard that people
are leaving because they're not getting enough hours.
Terry Carpenter with Sacramento Works Youth Program says she's training teens so they
can have a competitive edge.
We are going to be doing an intensive week long training through a series of workshops
that are week long through Sacramento County at our career centers.
But when it comes down to making a decision.
Most employers are looking for individuals who have a great attitude, they're a team
player and you know they know the basics.
They can show up on time and they're dependable.
That is key, a good work ethic and more than half of those surveyed say that teens these
days need a better one to keep the job.
Alright Christina, thank you very much.
Live report, Arden Firm, all in Sacramento.
Tax aid coming soon and if you want that refund check from the government, well you better
file this year.
So we call Mr. Curtis Ming with how the IRS is helping you get your money.
Well some people don't make enough money to actually file for taxes but you've got to
file in order to get this rebate, in order to get that economic stimulus payment coming
out this spring.
You have to file a federal tax return by April but many people still don't know that so the
IRS is stepping in to help out.
They will open locations this Saturday from 9 to 3 to help people fill out tax forms even
if they're not required to pay taxes.
All you have to do is go to their offices in Sacramento, Stockton or Modesto.
We've linked the IRS website to ours at CBS13.com so you can find out those addresses and where
exactly those offices are in relation to you.
A new study suggests California's new hands-free phone law will not save lives.
The research from the University of North Carolina finds a driver on the phone will
be distracted regardless of whether they are holding the phone.
It claims the risk of crashing remains about the same.
California's new law goes into effect on July 1st.
Tonight on the CBS13 News at 10, a Cameron Park family says their home is making them
sick literally.
The builder admits it's unsafe but has not fixed the problems.
I'm safe in your own home.
We'll see about that tonight on the CBS13 News at 10.
And if you have a consumer problem you can't solve, maybe I can.
Call the hotline Monday through Friday or go to CBS13.com, click on call Curtis and
fill out the form.
Thank you, sir.
Now to Sacramento's troubled rail yard project.
When the city council gave grant money to Township 9, the developers of the rail yard
project fought to keep that money.
So could the money loss end the entire project now?
Ari Grasswitch has a scoop on how it's all about the almighty dollar.
So the big question this week, is Stan Thomas and Thomas Enterprises ready to pull out of
the Sacramento rail yard's development?
That's the question being asked at the Sacramento City Hall and within the Thomas organization
itself.
Everyone wants to know, is the Sacramento rail yard project dead?
Thomas is in a tough spot.
He needs tons of public money, more than 700 million dollars to rebuild the rail yards.
But the city has put a Richards Boulevard housing development ahead of the rail yards
on the charity list.
And there's nowhere near 700 million dollars lying around.
This story is ready to blow wide open and you're hearing it here first.
There are people inside the Thomas organization who say now's the time to bail out of Sacramento
that it's a loser.
The Sacramento City Council is hoping that won't happen.
They say they've got Thomas over a barrel, that he's got too much invested in here.
Either way, you'll hear it here first.
I'm Ari Grasswitch and that's the scoop.
Ari Grasswitch is here every Monday through Friday at 6 o'clock.
If you've got a scoop for him, log on to CBS13.com and send him an email.
Windy weather.
Yes, beautiful outside, but once you step outside Dave, you really feel those winds
picking up now.
Yeah, they are starting to pick up and the cooler temperatures are around the area as
well across Northern California.
All the result of a leading edge of a weak weather system.
We got one more tomorrow that will really start to drop those temperatures down.
Look at that.
The high this afternoon, 72 in Sacramento.
So still above average, but it is definitely cooler than what we saw on Monday.
Anywhere between about 3 to 5 degrees in a lot of spots.
73 in Stockton this afternoon, 74 for Modesto and down about 6 to 7 degrees at Pollock Pines
with a high there at 60 degrees this afternoon.
There you go, Sierra Tahoe.
And as you can see, a few clouds up there, possibly a few snowflakes flying around in
some of those clouds.
Of course, you can see the winds picking up.
We do have the potential for some pretty strong winds up at the crest line.
Ridge top, we could be upwards of maybe 70, 80 miles per hour.
So there is a wind advisory around the Greater Lake Tahoe area.
That's Stockton.
That's looking good there.
Waterfront in the Stockton Hotel.
And again, a couple of clouds around Sacramento.
Sun's starting to head its way down and the temperatures are starting to drop off a little
bit as well.
Again, we topped out in the low to mid 70s.
How are we doing right now?
How about mid to upper 60s to the low 70s?
65 in Sacramento.
68 for Stockton.
72 Modesto.
68 for Marysville.
Humidity is at 54%.
Those are your gusty winds.
Southwest sustained at 17, gusting to 26.
We may actually see some gusts at 30 miles per hour tomorrow here in the valley and the
barometer rising at 30.10 inches of mercury.
So a quick little guy came through, generated a couple of clouds today, helped to drop the
temperatures down.
That's sort of the leading edge and it's a front that just kind of fell apart.
You can see a little piece of energy with it out there.
This is the next one coming by.
Could push a little wave of moisture into the north end of the state.
We're talking a couple of showers, maybe a snowflake or two, but the big thing will be
the tightening pressure gradient and the wind that will be picking up and the temperatures
will drop to like the low 60s in spots in and around Sacramento by the time we get toward
the end of the work week.
So it is a changeover.
Tomorrow though, we'll probably be in the low to mid 60s for a lot of spots.
Gusty southerly and southwesterly winds.
And by the time you get to the north, we're talking upper 50s to the mid 50s.
And notice a couple of spritzes there in the north end of the valley.
Again, there's not a lot of moisture with this.
It's really just a wind event and also a cool down.
And maybe 50 for Pollock Pines, 61 there for Auburn.
Again, southwest 20 to 30 with stronger gusts, maybe along the ridge tops 70, 80, 90 miles
per hour.
So that's why that wind advisory is around the greater Lake Tahoe area.
Highest tomorrow there only in the forties and for the coast.
We'll go partly cloudy conditions tomorrow.
Upper 50s for Monterey, mid 60s for San Jose, low 60s for Fairfield.
And on the seven day forecast, we'll drop it down below average.
Average should be in the upper 60s.
By the time we get through the next couple of days, we're talking mid 60s.
And after that, look at that low 60s and a better, more organized situation of maybe
a tenth to a quarter inch of rain.
It's not a lot, but something Friday on into Saturday.
We'll rebound the temperatures as we get into the early part of next week.
So our real nice taste of, you know, spring weather, it's going to change back over to
something a little more winter like.
And I mean, just a little bit.
There's your check of weather.
Back to you guys with some more news.
Thanks, Dave.
Sure.
That one in the right field and is way back at the wall.
And Sanada!
Goodbye home run pass.
Next at six, the A's begin their season thousands of miles away.
How they fared in Japan against the Red Sox.
What will it feel?
That is way back.
Major League Baseball season started off with a bang this morning in Japan.
Oakland A's lost to the Boston Red Sox 6-5 before most of us even got out of bed today.
More than 40,000 fans turned out to see Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka take the mound.
By the way, Woodlands Dustin Bedroya got the first hit of the season.
Nice going.
Coming up tonight on the CBS 13 News at 10 o'clock.
She has been missing now for six days.
A local teenager gone without a trace.
Tonight, new leads in this case and why her parents fear she may be in danger.
Plus, count your quarters.
The cost to park on Sacramento streets may be going up.
How much more you could be forced to feed those meters and why.
And it's the first break in the biggest skyjacking heist in U.S. history.
The new clue discovered near the site where D.B. Cooper allegedly jumped with cash, strapped
to his back and vanished forever.
Oh man, Dave.
That's a great story.
It is.
It just keeps going.
Lots of legs.
Glad to see there's another development.
Stay tuned at 10 for that.
So we're back at 10 and we hope you are too.
D.B.'s got for Dave Bender.
Asking questions, getting answers on the CBS 13 News.