Morning Digest: 9 Stories You Should Know About Today

Oakland’s housing boom is bringing more than 11,000 new apartments, condominiums and lofts to the city, but it’s not nearly enough to satiate the Bay Area’s seemingly endless need for new housing, regional planners say. Despite the onslaught of development in Oakland and San Francisco, the Bay Area is far short in reaching its goal of 188,000 new units by 2040 to accommodate the projected growth in jobs and population, according to planners at the Association of Bay Area Governments.

Shoppers poured into stores around the Bay Area on Friday, part of a shopping binge that in numerous instances began as soon as they pushed away from their Thanksgiving feasts.

…The five-day storm, which should last Saturday through Wednesday, is expected to deliver a windy mess of broken branches, flooded streets and clogged gutters throughout the Bay Area. More happily, it promises precipitation. Weather forecasting is always tricky, but the Bay Area could get 2 to 4 inches of rain. The Santa Cruz Mountains could get 5 to 7 inches, the Diablo Range, 3 to 4 inches. The Sierra Nevada may get some rain, but also more than a foot of fresh powder.

An online petition calling to put an end to a proposal that would implement a pedestrian and bike fee for people crossing the Golden Gate Bridge has already gathered thousands of signatures. The Care2 petition was launched after the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District Board of Directors voted in October to keep considering a pedestrian and cyclist fee for those crossing the span.

With the launch of the 2015 enrollment period for Covered California this month, San Mateo County health officials and community organizations have partnered to help increase awareness and access for thousands of county residents who are eligible for the health care coverage. …. The agency is hoping to continue to pull in big numbers for the 2015 application process, as an estimated 30,000 county residents still need health coverage, according to agency figures.

Two small earthquakes hit a few miles northwest of the city of Napa on Thursday, providing a weak reminder of the Aug. 24 south Napa earthquake. A magnitude 2.5 earthquake happened at 10:27 a.m. at a depth of 3.4 miles. The epicenter was six miles northwest of Napa and two miles south of Yountville, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It was followed by the magnitude 3.1 earthquake at 12:36 p.m. at a depth of 5.2 miles. The epicenter was six miles northwest of Napa and four miles south southwest of Yountville.

Starting Jan. 1, gas and diesel fuel will be subject to California’s cap-and-trade market, a 2-year-old regulatory mechanism that puts a price on carbon spewed into the atmosphere. The result will be higher gasoline and diesel prices, and probably more controversy for a state program that’s already been attacked in the courts by the business community.

Ten months after taking a punch-in-the-gut loss at Seattle in the NFC Championship Game, the 49ers took a punch in the face at Levi’s Stadium: Seahawks 19, 49ers 3. Ten months after taking a punch-in-the-gut loss at Seattle in the NFC Championship Game, the 49ers took a punch in the face at Levi’s Stadium: Seahawks 19, 49ers 3.