His. He has been swallowed in a wave of controversy in recent weeks pl allegations of Sexual Misconduct with underage teenage girls from decades ago when he was in his 30s. Democrat doug jones faces the uphill battle. Alabama has been red for decades. Voters say they are sick of the spotlight and the allegations. It makes alabama look like, you know, like it always does. And its just its just not right. Im fed up with the whole political mess. Im tired of it. Im sick of it. Ill be glad when food is over. Statewide turn out has been brisk. The race so extremely tight like we said, moore with 50 of the votes. And doug jones with 49 . Experts say a winner wont be named until late tonight. We will be following in special election closely. Im going to be keeping track of the numbers and have another update in 30 minutes. Raj. Thank you. Well track the results here with us. Janelle also. And coming up in 25 minutes our political analyst Larry Gerston will be in studio with us to share his thoughts. Now to top local story. The bay area woke up to stunning and heart breaking news today. The sudden death of San Francisco mayor ed lee. San franciscos 43rd mayor died shortly after 1 00 a. M. This is him being taken to the funeral home. The sky ranger captured firefighters and motorists pausing to salute the mayor. He was shopping near his home in glenn park when he suddenly collapsed. Mayor lee was rushed to sf general wrp doctors tried for hours to save his life. A small memorial popped up there in honor of the mayor. We have Team Coverage remembering the life and legacy of the mayor wells whats next for San Francisco. We begin with sam brock joining us live at city hall. Sam. Reporter jessica, good evening, in the words of Lieutenant GovernorGavin Newsome earlier shock is not the right way to characterize this. No one new of any health issues. He seemed vibrant and energetic and jovial, understanding this is the background there, they tell me they are shaken to their core over this. They described the imprint he left on San Francisco. A heart broken city hall. With all the harmings of an immeasurable loss, honoring the life of 65yearold mayor ed lee. Nobody saw this coming. This is truly an absolutely shock that i think is going to take a while for everyone to recover from. Were you aware he had any sort of health issues. I was not. But i do i never saw anybody work harder. I never saw anybody work harder the hard work and lengthy list of results highlighted much of acting mayor london breeds remarks underneath the rotunda. San francisco was enduring the recession and rising unemployment and growing worry. But the mayor was undeterred. Lee championed prominent tax breaks to lure twitter and other Tech Companies to the area reenergizing the job market. He led with housing creation and oversaw the rehabilitated affordable homes. Then the Public Service prior to office. We all remember him as a civil rights attorney who fought for tenants fighting rent increases. And a civil rights advocate. And its a very difficult time for many of us. Reporter lee kept up his lifelong effort to help those in need with stints on the human rights commission, the department of public works and city administrator before entering public office. The common thread. Opponents may have disgrd with him on policy. But everyone agree that is our mayor was a good man with a good heart. Reporter also, of historic significance here mayor lee was the first asianamerican, the first chineseamerican to serve as mayor. Former supervisor david schuh told me there was little representation of the asianamericans before his arrival. But he is proud to pass the to cast his ballot for mayor lee as mayor. And that his legacy will get quote live forever. Reporting live, sam brock. Yes, politics aside San Francisco lost an important Public Servant today. Mayor lee did not speak the spotlight or even the title of mayor. He was humble. He was smart and passionate. He became acting mayor of San Francisco in 2012 when Gavin Newsome was elected as the Lieutenant Governor. Today, a heart broken newsome shared thoughts with us about his friend. He was a mentor. He was an adviser. He was a supporter, a incredible father, great husband. I saw so many things he did that, you know, were never in the news or never in print. Decent, honorable person. Well said by the Lieutenant Governor. He adds that ed lee was the type of manna lived his eulogy and not resume. He was without ego. Mayor lee had challenges in the city and region this diverse there are a lot of issues he leaves behind. The question now, who takes over . All in the hand of the board of supervisors. Mark maungtss is at the office and he was a unique politician almost antipolitician. This is a critical time for San Francisco. What happens next . Reporter well, it is, raj. And you mentioned it when you talked about Gavin Newsome. We have seen this before when ed lee took over the office from Gavin Newsome because gavin went to the Lieutenant Governor office. Ed lee was not elected by the voters to be the mayor. He was appointed by six votes. Well more than that. From the board of supervisors. And the board could do it again. Today board of supervisors president london breed is acting mayor. And i ask for your patience and i ask for your support. But without the support of her fellow supervisors breed to be replaced soon. If the board of supervisors collects six votes from the membership and you cant vote for yourself. They can select any person of frist who is of legal voting age to serve as mayor through june 2018. Thats how lee got the job. Now a few weeks later i stand before you as your mayor. [ applause ] reporter before his appointment there was extraordinary pressure on the board of supervisors. Today that pressure is building again. Though none of the supervisors are ready to acknowledge it. Right now, all i can think about is mayor lees family what they are going through. Politics will come. I get that. We will deal with that. City attorney dennis haira told me the board doesnt have to vote to appoint the interim mayor. For that entire period of time should they choose not to take any action mayor breed will be the acting mayor and the president of the board of supervisors. And whether it is in the coming weeks or six months from now, the future of city hall politics will likely hinge on who ever is selected. They put together the most important policy document in the city, our 10 billion budget we creates funding priorities. They set the tone for San Francisco and provide leadership. Who is in that role is important to the continued success of our society. Now within the past hour former secretary of state Hillary Clinton had this absenting on twitter saying mayor lees death is a terrible loss for the people of San Francisco. He was a good friend and vocal advocate for the city he served and loved. My thoughts with his family. Senator Diane Feinstein also played a major part of the San Francisco mayoral history. She says he was an excellent mayor of great but sometimes challenging city. His quiet style was effective and allowed him to solve problems as they occurred. The last time a San Francisco mayor died in office, feinstein was pressed into service. She was appointed deputy mayor back in 1978 when the mayor George Mosconi and supervisor with were assassin eighted. That was a water shed moment in feinsteins career. Many are talking about lees legacy. The mayor recently talked about how he one day hoped to be remembered. The mayors very last sitdown interview was with the nbc bay area report bigad shaban. During that interview the mayor talked about the ongoing series on illegal evictions in the midst of the housing crisis. The mayor who grew up in Public Housing revealed to us the kind of legacy he had hoped to leave behind. We have not built enough housing to accommodate. We havent made it affordable enough. San francisco hasnt been able to do it in the past, why should anyone trust San Francisco will meet the goals in the future. In the past we have failed because there wasnt a sincere effort. When i sent a goal of 30,000. I meant 30,000 units at 2020. This was a dpoel i set in 2014. Then im able to say today, 17500 are built bauts we are holding everybody accountable to get the units done. Now the mayorent spent a decade working as a tenantsants rights attorney before getting politics. You can see more the interview on the website. Nbcbayarea. Com. Our coverage on ed lees sudden death continues throughout this newscasts. Coming up in 25 minutes well take you back live to San Francisco with another look back at the city he leaves behind. Also ahead at 6 00, the end of an emotional and highprofile murder trial. The sentencing today in the sierra lamar trial and the strong words for the convict the killer. Trying to solve the housing crisis of the Silicon Valley, the decision made tonight involving google. Im chief meteorologist jeff ranieri. A chilly 49 in oakland right now. We have a full look at the morning forecasts plus where the drought is the worst across california at 6 19 this evening. Sfx tinny headphone music sfx feet shuffling life can change in an instant. Be covered when it does. With a health plan through covered california. We offer free expert help choosing the best plan for you. And all of our plans include free preventive care. Financial help is available, so check for yourself to see what savings you qualify for. For Health Insurance starting january 1st, enroll by december 15th. Because you never know when life. Will change. Get covered today. Teenager sierra la mar learned his fate today. Li i the man convicted of killing 15yearold morgan hill teen sierra lamar learn his fate today. Life in prison without parole. Before the judge sentenced Antolin Garcia torres. Sierras parents said their painful peace to the man who murdered their daughter. And the lamars have waited so long to finally have their say, marianne. Reporter youre right, jessica. This has been a long and painful journey for the family. I first interviewed Marlene Lamar back in march of 2012 after sierra disappeared. Now more than five and a half years later she finally got the opportunity to ask Garcia Torres to tell her where her daughter. The only thing we can hope for is that prison will be a hell for him, and that what he has done will eat away at his brain like a cancer while i rots in prison. Thats the message sierra lamars father delivered directly to his daughters killer in court today. Sierras mother made an emotional plea directly to the killer asking him to come forward where sierra is to give us the real closure that we deserve as a family. After hearing from sierras parents and her aunt and uncle, a judge sentenced Garcia Torres to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Garcia torres was convicted of kidnapping sierra from morgan hill and then killing her. Today many of the volunteers who spent countless hours searching for sierra embraced each other after learning Garcia Torres will die in prison. The gutless punk who raped and murdered sierra lamar and held her family hostage six year has been served today. But for the family there is no closure. Every day is difficult for me. I think about her all the time. And whats been taken from me as a mother. Reporter well, the judge also ordered Garcia Torres to register as a sex offender. And now the defense team says they plan to appeal his conviction. Reporting live in san jose, marianne favro, nabz bay area news. Flames engufld homes in the Oakland Hills in the overnight hours. And it rekindled painful memories of the 1991 fire storm. The fire broke out before midnight immediately engulfing two homes under construction. The fire gutted two homes and scorched eight others in the neighborhood. Forcing many people to quickly evacuate. No shoes, no shirt nothing. It was scarey. I dont know how my house is still there. It was wild. It used while wildfire season was a couple months a year now almost all yearround. Part of the breaking News Coverage in the overnight hours. It turned a retaining wall and a portion of the road is closed because of the damage. So far firefighters dont know what started this blaze. Its back to work for thousand of oakland city workers. The strike suspended today. Employees were back on the job after walking off last tuesday over contract negotiations. An agreement hasnt been reached yet. However the union and city have met with the mediator. Will this help the housing crisis . And will there be Affordable Housing . A major decision in the Silicon Valley. The city of Mountain View is about to vote on a megaplan hading almost 10,000 new homes. The plan is backed by tech giants like google looking to expand in Mountain View. Anser hassan is there in the city with the city is set to vote within the hour. Anser. Reporter good evening, raj. City council is meeting. You can see the Group Gathering in support of the measure. To give you some perspective, a Large Housing Development is usually about 1,000 homes. This will be almost 10,000 new units, 2,000 earmarked as Affordable Housing. Now if passed many bay area groups hope this could be a blueprint in addressing the bay area housing crisis. Build it and they will come. Its a precise plan and its a land use policy change that is unlike almost anything thats ever been done before. Reporter in 2015, the city of Mountain View began to reexamine its land use policy in the North Bay Shore neighborhood. Bay area is home to techs global giants like google. But there was no mandate for actual housing. Tonights vote would change that. It will more than it will about 30 more housing in Mountain View. Tonights roet is critical. Tonights vote that shows even the small to midsize cities know that they have a responsibility and a role in helping our region address our collective housing crisis. Carl is with the Silicon Valley leadership group. Their report found between 2010 and 2015 the region created about 367,000 jobs. But only added about 57,000 new homes. He says californias tax laws actually penalize cities for adding homes. So Mountain Views vote could be a milestone in how cities address the housing crisis. A Broad Coalition of private and community groups, even the School District advised on the plan. They hope it becomes a blueprint for other bay area cities. Its going to really be critical in offering more Affordable Housing choice. For the people that work not just in Silicon Valley but for the bay area. Reporter in mounen view, anser hassan, nbc bay area news. Thats a big vote well bring it when it comes in during the newscasts or the twitter feed. Lets bring in jeff. And we talked about the wildfire season going on all year long. Were so dry you cant dispute that at this point. I know. We really want the rainfall in here. There is a chance before christmas not a major storm system but as jessica just mentioned we are bone dry. Lets look at where the drought is right now, the worst. You can see down across Southern California where they continue to battle all of the wildfires at the current moment. It remains under moderate drought l. A. Basin a abnormally dry for the San Francisco and Central Valley. For the bay area we remain out of the drought but definitely have to start picking up something before we start to see well, these dryer than average conditions pushing back into the bay area. Now, in terms of our forecasts for tomorrow morning its dry. Also cold. Down to 38 here for the south bay. Peninsula 40 and the trivalley at 34. Possibly frost. Down to 32 in north bay and San Francisco at 44. Bottom line tomorrow morning you need the jacket like the past couple days. Throughout the afternoon as we head throughout your wednesday forecast temperatures, well, pretty comfortable. 64 in antioch. 65 in san jose. 68 in morgan hill. 64 in San Francisco and 66 in napa. No hunl differences traveling throughout the bay area. A quick look at forecast shows droi over the next seven days. Next change would be wind coming in saturday. 10 to 25mileperhour out of the north. Thats good enough to help to clear out the air quality. But it keeps the fire danger up. Well let you know more about the shower chances for the bay area at 6 48 tonight. Thank you very much, jeff. Firing back, President Trump lashes out at an accuser on twitter. The reason some people are saying h