With snow looming in the forecast for the Northeast region of the United States, several airlines announced this week the option for their passengers to change their scheduled flights from Wednesday to Tuesday or Thanksgiving Day for free.

Travelers with American Airlines flights on Wednesday to 18 different aiports along the East Coast, including Philadelphia International and Newark Liberty International Airport, can change their tickets so they fly Tuesday or Thursday, according to a company news release.

Passengers scheduled to fly into 19 Mid-Atlantic airports -- including Philly's and Newark's -- with Delta Airlines Wednesday can also change their flight. Delta ticket-holders can rebook their Wednesday flight for Thanksgiving Day or Black Friday.

JetBlue also announced the ability to adjust one's Wednesday flight to 17 airports in the Northeast, free of charge.  JetBlue passengers can move their Thanksgiving Eve flight to Thursday or Friday.

United Airlines and US Airways also announced similar waiver deals.

Residents with a little extra food to spare this holiday season could help one of more than 500 families in need in El Cajon.

The Salvation Army in El Cajon is looking for canned and boxed foods and frozen turkeys during their Thanksgiving drive-thru food drive Tuesday from 6 a.m. to 12 p.m.

People can donate a frozen turkey or fixings, black olives, bread crumbs, bread cubes, brown sugar, cans of pumpkin, veggie and chicken broth, cornbread mix, cream of mushroom soup, cranberry sauce, green beans and more – including a cash donation if you happen to be passing by without any food in your car.

Terry Masango of The Salvation Army said the families in need are local families struggling to make ends meet. They are looking to help get a Thanksgiving meal on their tables in the holiday spirit of giving.

Readers that want to donate can drop by the El Cajon location at 1011 East Man St. up until 12 p.m. or call The Salvation Army in El Cajon at (619) 440-4683.
 

The window washer who fell  about 11 stories in San Francisco last week is a "stubborn, strong man," who is "fighting for his life," according to his family.

The 58-year-old window washer, whose name has not been publicly revealed, has had several surgeries at San Francisco General Hospital and was still in critical condition on Monday, when his family issued a statement by email to the media asking that their privacy be respected.

The statement, provided by the hospital, added that the family is so grateful to everyone at the accident scene at the bottom of the Sterling Bank and Trust building in the 400 block of  Montgomery Street who assisted the window washer when he fell on Friday about 10 a.m.

"We would like to thank everyone at the scene of the accident who helped, especially the nurse who ran to him, the firefighters and the driver of the car that broke his fall," the statement read. "We are amazed that he fell from such a high distance and still survived. Landing on the car really helped, and we are so thankful for that."

The window washer, who is married and has three children, landed on top of a green Toyota Camry, driven by Mohammad Alcozai, who at first thought it was a bicyclist who accidently hit his car. Despite his own car being severely damaged from the fall, Alcozai quickly ran to the man's aid. About 20 others, including a nurse and a retired Army general, were also there helping out.

"He was shaking pretty bad. He was shaking and wasn't able to talk," Alcozai said. "He was breathing hard."

The window washer worked for Century Window Cleaners of Concord, which has been fined for safety violations in the past. A complaint from 2008 resulted in a $2,700 settlement. The state ordered the company to train and “supervise the use of equipment and safety devices to insure that safe working practices are observed.”

NBC Bay Area contacted the company for comment, but the man who answered the phone declined. The company's website states it carries a $5 million worker compensation insurance policy and a $5 million general liability insurance policy.

The fall comes about two weeks after two window washers were stranded on top of the World Trade Center in New York City. On Nov. 12, two workers were rescued in dramatic fashion after scaffolding collapsed.

Window cleaning is one of the safer industries, according to Stefan Bright, the safety director for the International Window Cleaners Association based in Zanesville, Ohio.

Among the 15,000 to 20,000 professional cleaners working on high-rises each year, there are typically fewer than three fatalities a year, he said.

While figures for window washers specifically were not available, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that seven workers in the janitorial or cleaning professions died as a result of on-the-job injuries sustained while working with scaffolding from 2011 to 2013.

NBC Bay Area's Mark Matthews and Cheryl Hurd, and NBC Universal's Noreen O'Donnell and Torey Van Oot contributed to this report.

This week, as Santa Ana winds bring high fire potential to the county, San Diego Fire-Rescue officials reflect and learn from a similar day in May, when those winds stoked a fire that burned 1,500 acres in North County.

The city of San Diego released its 72-page after-action report on the Bernardo Fire Monday, evaluating what went right and what sparked problems with the SDFD response on May 13, 2014.

“I would give us a good ‘B’ on this one. I think we can do even better,” said SDFD Chief Javier Mainar.

The main reason for the good grade is no homes or lives were lost over the five days it burned. The fire started off Nighthawk Lane, southwest of Rancho Bernardo.

But the report made it clear they have room for improvement, especially in training. Procedures that were fixed after the devastating 2003 and 2007 wildfires were lost when multiple firefighters retired or moved in recent years.

Because of the turnover, staff manning the department operations center had not properly trained to command such a large operation that involved multiple agencies from across Southern California, according to the report.

Mainar told NBC 7 the community emergency response team did not deploy as quickly as it should have, which was another lesson they thought they had corrected after 2007. The department also lacked medical and personal hygiene supplies and suffered communications issues when they did not have enough radios and batteries for all firefighters.

“So these are things that you've fixed along the way, sounds like low-hanging fruit, and then they pop up again when you do another review,” said Mainar.

In all, the evaluation lists 90 recommendations to improve preparedness – 35 of which Mainar says have already been completed in the SDFD.

One of the biggest changes Mainar would like to see is the addition of a third helicopter. The report said having two firefighter helicopters working the Bernardo Fire was instrumental to saving many of the homes in the area, but if one or both were forced to go down for some reason, things would have been very different.

Therefore, the SDFD hopes there is enough room in the city's 2016 budget to add another chopper so at least two will always be available for large-scale incidents.

“We’re going to have to go back to the city council and mayor and say we think it is in the region’s best interest and city’s interest to spend another $14 million to buy a third fire-rescue helicopter,” said Mainar.

The chief would also like hire more people to inspect properties regularly to ensure they have adequate defensible space. Homeowners who cleared brush near their homes made a huge difference in fighting the Bernardo Fire, the report says.

Better coordination, better air support – including night flying – and an organized, aggressive fire attack were some of the accolades included in the report.

The Bernardo Fire was the first of nine blazes to engulf in county in mid-May, forcing thousands to flee their homes. Officials later determined construction work sparked the Bernardo Fire, which scorched 1,548 acres. It was fully contained by May 17, leaving three people with minor injuries.

An appellate court on Monday upheld a lawsuit challenging how the San Diego region plans to address future transportation needs in what is largely seen as a test case for planning agencies across the state.

The three-judge panel issued a 2-1 split decision Monday finding the San Diego Association of Governments has not fully complied with state mandates in preparing its environmental impact report, thus shooting down their 40-year transportation plan.

A representative of SANDAG declined to say whether the agency would appeal the decision to the California Supreme Court, saying the agency's board would have to make that decision.

"SANDAG received the ruling Monday and is still evaluating the implications," a statement from SANDAG read. "The SANDAG Board of Directors has not yet been briefed on the ruling. It will be up to the board to assess options and decide how to respond to the court's decision."

Local transportation and planning agencies statewide have their eyes toward this lawsuit for help from the court in determining what the state legislature meant when it enacted a series of laws over the last 10 or 15 years mandating greenhouse gas level reductions.

If the ruling is upheld or the SANDAG chooses not to appeal the ruling, transportation agencies will have to look for alternatives to expanding freeways and easing traffic congestion. Not only that, but the appellate court went further than the local court to say agencies are required to look for greener alternatives to achieving transportation goals.

"What this means is: it's not enough to continue to expand freeways. It's not enough to continue to add lanes. It's not even enough to do sorts of transit projects that rely on buses," said Andrew Keatts, Voice of San Diego reporter. "What this would mean is: You need to fundamentally change the way you go about transportation planning, and even housing development as well."

For example, the $6 billion Caltrans project to widen the I-5 between La Jolla and Oceanside is the type of project that may not meet state mandates, if the appellate ruling is upheld by the California Supreme Court.

"This would say, in no uncertain terms, you need to develop dense communities that are more connected to transit and that you cannot simply allow people to continue driving their cars as their primary mode of transportation, everywhere they go,"  Keatts said.

Some examples of alternatives would include a trolley line that connects Pacific Beach to El Cajon through Mid-City neighborhoods like Kearny Mesa and Clairemont, Keatts said. And a fast track from downtown through El Cajon Boulevard and North Park out to College Area.

The $200 billion plan allocated more funds for public transit ahead of highways and local roads, but it pushed those projects to the back of the line, Keatts said.

Critics who have sued including the Cleveland National Forest Foundation, the Center for Biological Diversity and the Sierra Club say it's not enough to spend billions expanding freeways first and then hypothetically talk about trolley lines 30 years down the road.

Marco Gonzalez, an environmental attorney representing multiple environmental groups, including the Sierra Club, said SANDAG is basically being sent back to the drawing board and needs to prioritize mass transit, something he says his group has been advocating for all along.

"But there's an arrogance to it. They really just look at us and think that we're a hindrance or a nuisance and that they know better," Gonzalez said. "You know, unfortunately, it took a lower court and now an appeals court to tell them that they are really doing it wrong, and we were right all along."

SANDAG argued that it followed the direction it received from the state for interpretation of various laws regarding greenhouse gas emissions. And today, in a statement, a spokesman for the organization said: "But in some instances that direction was ambiguous," pointing to SANDAG's role as the guinea pig  -- the first planning organization to produce an environmental review under the state's new greenhouse gas reduction laws.

Moving slowly assisted by a cane, a white-haired and weary Michael Hanline saw the outside of a Los Angeles-area prison cell for the first time in more than three decades Monday.

Hanline ambled his way to freedom after spending 36 years behind bars for a murder he was wrongly convicted of before his release Monday, reuniting with his wife and family.

"There's no words for it," he said. "I have emotions just charging through me."

Hanline posted $2,500 bail Monday afternoon, following a morning hearing where a judge ordered that his movements will still be monitored electronically.

Prosecutors said they are no longer sure whether Hanline, now 68, killed Ventura resident J.T. McGarry in 1978.

Hanline’s was the longest wrongful incarceration in the state’s history.

He was convicted in 1980, after prosecutors argued that he was jealous of McGarry because the two were romantically involved with the same woman, according to the California Innocence Project website.

"I've always believed in his innocence," said his wife, Sandee. "I'm just happy it's done. I just want to go home."

The California Innocence Project, which dedicates legal services to helping release wrongfully convicted inmates, took up Hanline’s case in 1999 and has been working to prove his innocence ever since, said Alex Simpson, attorney for the case and associate director of the San Diego-based organization.

"The case really rested on two pieces of evidence. There were documents that had never been handed over to the defense which showed other people had knowledge of the crime and were likely responsible for the crime," Simpson said.

Some of the documents proved people knew specific facts they couldn’t have unless they were involved, he added.

Recent testing showed DNA at the crime scene matched an unknown man's, not Hanline's, according to the attorney.

Still, prosecutors will decide whether to retry Hanline at a hearing scheduled for Feb. 27.

But Simpson and his team were not the only ones convinced of Hanline's innocense. His wife Sandee clutched a pair of cowboy boots while she talked with reports Monday, saying sh wanted him to have something to wear later.

"I'm just so happy it's done, over with. I just want to go home," she said.

For now, Simpson said Hanline aims to get his Social Security card, go home with his wife and go fishing — and is excited to spend Thanksgiving with  his family for the first time in over three decades.

"It feels like I'm on the front of a missile, going through space and stuff is just flying by," said Hanline.

Gordon Tokumatsu and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Cities around the country girded for another round of protests Tuesday, a day after a grand jury decided against indicting a white police officer, Darren Wilson, in the fatal shooting of an unarmed teenager in Ferguson, Missouri.

In Philadelphia, demonstrators were already spilling over into the streets by Tuesday afternoon, chanting "Hands up, don't shoot," while activists in Chicago were planning to remain outside Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s office for 28 hours in an act of civil disobedience. The group called on Emanuel to change what they said was a culture of racism within the Chicago Police Department.

A Miami jury deliberating the fate of a woman accused of killing her husband's business partner was dismissed early in anticipation of a protest at the Miami courthouse.

Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck said he was hoping for a calmer day after Monday night's marches stopped traffic briefly on the 10 Freeway.

"I know that this isn't over," Beck said. "This is a wound of the nation that will not heal immediately."

The announcement Monday night that the Missouri grand jury had brought no charge against Wilson in the Aug. 9 killing of 18-year-old Michael Brown sparked rioting in Ferguson and some unruly protests elsewhere.

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon vowed that the violence would not be repeated and said that the National Guard presence would be "ramped up significantly."

"Last night criminals intent on lawlessness and destruction terrorized this community, burning buildings, firing gunshots, vandalizing storefronts and looting family businesses, many for the second time," he said at a Tuesday afternoon press conference in Ferguson. "I am deeply saddened for the people of Ferguson who woke up this morning to see parts of their community in ruins."

Protesters had hurled bottles at officers near police headquarters, and flames engulfed at least a dozen businesses. St. Louis County police deployed tactical units and fired tear gas and smoke to break up the crowds. At least 150 gunshots were fired and a semi-automatic handgun was seized, St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar said at a news conference early Tuesday. 

Sixty-one people were arrested in Ferguson on charges that included burglary and trespassing, The Associated Press reported. St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay said early Tuesday that 21 were arrested in the city.

"I'm disappointed I didn't see more peaceful protests out there," Belmar said. "What I've seen tonight is probably worse than the worst night we had in August."

Attorney General Eric Holder said Tuesday that he had briefed the president in the Oval Office about the violence. He said they talked about the need to bring people together.

"This is a difficult time for people in Ferguson," Holder said. "It's a difficult time for people in our country. I think this is an opportunity for us to find those things that bind us as a nation, to be honest with one another about those things that continue to divide us and to come up with ways in which we make this union even more perfect."

Across the country, reactions ranged from marches that threatened to shut down busy streets to gatherings near national landmarks. Most remained peaceful, officials said.

In California, large crowds marched through the streets of Oakland and Los Angeles. Demonstrators shut down Interstate 580 and the USC campus was placed on lockdown as demonstrators marched by.

Angry protesters took to the streets of Philadelphia after the announcement, chanting "No Justice. No Peace. No Racist Police," and holding both arms in the air. Albeit loud in voice, they remained peaceful in actions as police trailed their march.

A man was arrested after hurling fake blood on NYPD Chief Bill Bratton in New York's Times Square during a demonstration. Hundreds marched from Union Square to Upper Manhattan through traffic-clogged streets, with signs such as "Jail killer cops."

At the Chicago police department's headquarters, several hundred people chanted "This is what democracy looks like," and carried photographs of those they said were killed by officers.

Outside the White House, roughly 300 gathered for a peaceful demonstration, chanting "black lives matter." Some carried signs urging the demilitarization of police.

One of the women hit by a car while waiting in an El Cajon food bank line has died.

Theresa Nasser, 74, was among about 230 people standing outside the Seventh-day Adventist Church on Madison Street on Nov. 18 when Ridhab Abed, 42, began to pull her Volkswagen Jetta out of the parking lot.

After backing out, Abed put her car in drive and somehow lost control, El Cajon police say, colliding with a parked Ford SUV. Her vehicle continued across the parking lot and slammed into three women standing next to a cement wall.

Nasser and a 33-year-old woman were pinned between the car and the wall.

Paramedics took the two women to the hospital for serious injuries to their lower bodies. A third woman, who is 60 years old, was treated at the scene, and Abed and her 62-year-old female passenger were taken to the hospital for minor injuries.

On Saturday, Nasser died from the crash, according to the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s office.

The driver has not been cited for the accident, police say, but investigators are still examining evidence and speaking to witnesses.

Food bank volunteers told NBC 7 a person directs traffic coming in and out of their parking lot, but after the crash, they will be re-evaluating their system for next month’s distribution. The church’s food bank is opened the third Tuesday of every month.

Is anybody healthy enough to snap the ball around here?

The Chargers once again placed a center on injured reserve, as Rich Ohrnberger will miss the rest of the season with a back injury that might need surgery. That’s the third time this season they’ve had to put someone from that position on the season-ending list.

For Ohrnberger, it ends an otherwise productive season in which he played in eight games, starting seven.

For the Bolts, the position has been a question mark for most of the season. Veteran offensive co-captain Nick Hardwick was supposed to be the rock to solidify the offensive line. But he left the first game of the season with a neck injury that ended his season – and perhaps the career of the 33-year-old.

Then it was Doug Legursky, who went down with a knee injury after Week 5.

Now it’s up to Chris Watt – for now – to fill the role. He started in Sunday’s win over the St. Louis Rams, earning praise from Chargers coach Mike McCoy.

“The way the offensive line played, it gave (running back) Ryan (Mathews) and the rest of the backs the opportunity to make the plays that they did running the football,” McCoy said. “They did an outstanding job with one of the best pass rushers in the league.”

He was referring to Rams defensive end Robert Quinn, who finished second in the league with 19 sacks last year, but was held in check on Sunday.

Linebacker Cordaro Law was called up from the practice squad, making his second appearance on the active roster. He played with the team for three games starting in Week 4, recording seven tackles and one sack.

Undrafted rookie guard Craig Watts may also get his first crack at the active roster if the Bolts see a need to bolster the offensive line.

E-cigarette users charging up through a USB port on a computer may want to be more cautious about plugging in.

The devices may be responsible for harming your computer when plugged in to charge, at least according to one report on the social news site Reddit.

One Reddit user said an executive at a large corporation had a malware infection on his computer from which the source could not be determined. The executive’s system in question was up to date with virus protection, so people helping him asked about change in habits.

“And that was the answer they were looking for, the made in china e-cigarette had malware hard coded into the charger and when plugged into a computer’s USB port the malware phoned home and infected the system,” he wrote.

The technology to transmit viruses and malware through a USB port exists, according to research done by the Security Research Labs firm in Germany, a security research firm and consulting think tank that released the code.

E-cigarettes are usually charged using a USB connection, whether that be with a special cable or by plugging the device directly into the computer.

“Ultimately any USB device that you can plug in can be reprogrammed to do malicious things to your computer,” Dmitri Alperovitch, co-founder and chief technology officer of CrowdStrike, a cyber threat research firm, told the Washington Post.

Because a variety of devices plug into the same connector, one type of device could become malicious without the user noticing once reprogrammed, RSlabs said.

“Once infected, computers and their USB peripherals can never be trusted again,” the study said.

E-cigarette users may want to think twice about purchasing their cheap e-cigarettes from untrustworthy suppliers online.

A landscaper has died while trimming a palm tree in downtown San Diego.

San Diego Fire-Rescue crews got word Tuesday afternoon that an unconscious man was stuck about 40 feet above the ground in the 1000 block of 14th Street.

Firefighters say the man was trapped by the weight of several palm branches he had just cut, which caused him to pass out.

Because the man was so high, rescuers had to climb up a fire engine ladder to reach him and cut the palms away one by one.

When they lowered his body, he was unresponsive and soon died, despite efforts to revive him. 

Investigators did not name the company that the man works for but said they were contracted by the building's owner and appear to be operating within state regulations.

Check back here for updates on this developing story.

The conditions in the East County were so windy and dry, firefighters said a small overnight fire could have easily grown to the size of the most destructive fire in state history.

“It could’ve been a big fire, as big as the Cedar Fire,” said Cal Fire Capt. John Fiehler. 

Most San Diegans will never forget the 2003 fire that destroyed more than 2200 homes and killed 14 people.

The fire that had the potential to grow to such a serious threat according to Fiehler was a wind-driven fire that broke out Monday night north of Julian, in the foothills east of downtown San Diego.

Those fires are what firefighters fear in red flag conditions.

Cal Fire crews cut down brush and used shovels to keep flames from a five-acre fire from spreading along Julian Orchards Drive, north of downtown Julian.

The fire was first reported just after 11 p.m. east of the Menghini Winery, north of State Route 78.

Strong winds kicked up embers as crews worked to get a handle on it.

“We were chasing the fire to the north,” Fiehler said.

He explains that Cal Fire crews eventually spread out and tackled spot fires that sparked as far away as a quarter of a mile in the strong winds.

There were estimates of gusts from 30 mph to above 60 mph in parts of the East County overnight.

"When these winds come up, the winds control where the fire’s going and the direction of the fire," said Cal Fire Capt. Kendal Bortisser.

Eleven engines, four hand crews and bulldozers contained the fire and kept it from damaging any homes and businesses.

"It’s important that we put a lot of equipment on these and jump on them quick to keep them small," Bortisser

Fire crews won't be letting up until they know any hot spots are extinguished.

The fire's point of origin was traced to just outside a trailer on top of the hill, officials said. Investigators have the area blocked off and are looking into who owns the trailer.

An online tool provided by the U.S. Forest Service, SDG&E and UCLA suggests the risk of a wildfire from this Santa Ana wind event will be moderate on Tuesday meaning upon ignition, fires will grow rapidly and will be difficult to control.

The Santa Ana Wildfire Threat Index, a classification system that analyzes the fire threat potential of the powerful Santa Ana winds, was rolled out in September to help homeowners and fire officials prepare.

Chargers fans came out in the spirit of giving Tuesday to donate blood and meet their favorite players.

The San Diego Blood Bank said the holiday season can be especially difficult for them as people tend to donate less blood.

This Chargers-sponsored drive, now in its 36th year, helps the blood bank out during a crucial season.

During that time, more than 73,000 pints of blood have been donated to 219,000 patients in the San Diego area.

People who give blood can meet their favorite Chargers players, take advantage of free bone marrow registry testing and enjoy a wellness zone where people can get their blood pressure and body fat tested. .

The drive runs from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Town and Country Convention Center in Mission Valley. 

The San Diego State University campus may be thousands of miles from Ferguson, Missouri but students wanted to stand in solidarity with those protesting a grand jury decision not to indict Officer Darren Wilson.

Approximately 60 students walked in a circle and chanted just after noon. Some held their hands in the “Hands up” position that has become synonymous with the Aug. 9 shooting death of Michael Brown, an unarmed African-American teenager.

Others carried signs demanding action.

The scene was far from the violent and destructive response on the ground in Ferguson and not nearly the size or scale of those in New York City or Seattle.

Protesters in the Los Angeles area staged a sit-in Monday night on the world famous Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills.

In Oakland an estimated 1,000 protesters staged a "die-in" before a large group moved the protest onto a nearby highway.

This was after St. Louis County prosecutor Robert McCulloch announced the grand jury composed of 12 people determined there was no probable cause to charge Wilson after reviewing hours of witness accounts and law enforcement interviews and examining evidence in the case for the past three months.

On Tuesday, attorney Benjamin Crump and the Rev. Al Sharpton appeared with Michael Brown's father as they disputed the grand jury's findings and pointed to a federal investigation that was ongoing.

“This process is broken. The process should be indicted," Crump said referring to the legal proceedings in Missouri.

A brush fire in the San Onofre area impacted traffic coming into San Diego County Tuesday afternoon.

The fire started burning around 12:30 p.m. along southbound Interstate 5, just past the scales.

Firefighters from Camp Pendleton extinguished the fire by 1:30 p.m., officials told NBC 7. Crews are still on the scene watching for flareups.

Firefighters blocked the far right lane of I-5 South during the brush fire, prompting the California Highway Patrol to issue a Sig Alert in the area.

No injuries were reported. Fire officials have not released the cause of the fire.

A Red Flag Warning remains in effect for San Diego County until 6 p.m. Wednesday, meaning conditions are favorable for wildfires. Overnight, a fire fueled by strong winds burned five acres in Julian. 

A woman in her 50s, using a walker to cross the road, was hit by a truck in Chula Vista Tuesday.

The pedestrian was crossing G Street at 2nd Avenue just before 4 p.m. when a black Dodge truck hit her while turning onto G Street.

Chula Vista police say the woman suffered a serious head injury and was bleeding from the ears before she was taken away by paramedics.

The driver stayed at the scene to answer questions. Investigators do not believe alcohol or drugs were a factor in the crash.

The clock may be ticking on a new funding scheme to expand San Diego's Convention Center.

In August, state appeal court justices ruled against room-tax surcharges passed by city hotel owners in a controversial private election, saying that the levies should have been put on the ballot.

Now, with rumblings of imminent NFL plans to put two teams in L.A. -- and the Chargers touting a hybridized stadium-convention facility in East Village — delaying a decision on the expansion project for long could have major downsides

Meantime, NBC 7 has learned that behind the scenes, there's been extensive lobbying and maneuvering to come up with alternatives.

The $520 million project’s upfront cost was set to be underwritten in large part by the room-tax surcharges, with additional funding from the city and Port District.

The Convention Center recently observed its 25th anniversary, and it's beginning to show its age and the effects of $30 million worth of deferred maintenance.

Officials say it's essential to expand the center to keep Comic-Con, its prime tenant, and attract a greater share of the large-meeting market in competition with other cities.

The attorney for plaintiffs who prevailed in the lawsuit said they've told "the city" they want the expansion to take place north of Harbor Drive instead of on the waterfront, that they’re opposed to "corporate welfare" and that they believe that any form of tax funding should go to the ballot.

"After the appellate ruling,” attorney Cory Briggs told NBC 7 in an interview Tuesday, “we shared some ideas for alternatives, five different alternatives that are dependent on going across the street that wouldn't involve the level of corporate subsidies that you're talking about here.

"The city was completely dismissive of those ideas under the prior mayor. I think Mayor Faulconer, he's at least shown to me that he's willing to listen to other ideas and actually spend some time and resources vetting them somewhat."

A spokesman for the mayor's office confirms that discussions have taken place with Briggs and numerous other "stakeholders” — although there’s no memory of five specific alternatives — and that "all options are on the table," including the bay front expansion proposal.

City Attorney Jan Goldsmith said he buys the ballot approach: "It is case law and it's sound case law. Let's move on from that and not test the boundaries of the law any more. Let's go with the most legally supportable — and I agree that ought to be voter approval. This is, after all, a tax."

Goldsmith apparently hasn't been privy to the talks going on behind-the-scenes.

In an interview Tuesday with NBC 7, he said he thinks whatever Cory Briggs and the mayor's office have been talking about should be made public, in the interest of "transparency and open government."

As for the notion that voters and other financiers could be swayed by the Chargers’ concept of extra convention space within a stadium footprint, a leading local taxpayer advocate is skeptical.

"If the idea of a downtown stadium is the tail that wags the dog in whatever circuitous route they get to it, that's not something voters want,” said Richard Rider, chairman of San Diego Tax Fighters.

“They don't want to go downtown. They like the stadium where it is. We can argue about rebuilding it, renewing it, improving it. But nobody wants a stadium downtown except the downtown establishment."

Nick Streeper doesn't spend much time looking at the calorie numbers on the menu.

Does it influence what he orders? "I think my wife would care, I don't. Personally it does not influence my decision at all," said Streeper.

Now the calorie numbers are going to be even more obvious as the FDA announced new government rules requiring chain restaurants, supermarkets and convenience stores to display calorie content of food on their menus.

"Sometimes this really does change behavior and sometimes people ignore it," said Anita Jones-Mueller with HealthyDiningFinder.com.

She said besides calories, those impacted by the rules will also have to offer additional information like sodium, fats, sugar and more upon request.

"I think it is definitely one step in helping people find the healthier choices for them," said Jones-Mueller.

California and some other states have already had calorie posting rules in place, but these federal guidelines go even further. Movie theaters, amusement parks and vending machines will have to post the information "clearly and conspicuously."

However there are exceptions; food and ice cream trucks won't have to offer calorie information, and neither will food on an airplane.

Griselda Arellano said she'll notice the calories but it may not change her mind.

"If it's something that I'm already set on, then it's not going to matter," said Arellano, "but if I'm trying to stay within a certain calorie count, I'll notice and I'll order that."

The new regulations will apply to businesses with 20 or more locations, and they will be given until November 2015 to comply.