- cheers. (bright upbeat music) i think this was a political hit job from the beginning. i know. i know it was. i never did anything criminally wrong. i never assaulted anybody. >> tonight, an embattled wine country politician is breaking his years long silence after allegations of sexual assault from multiple women cost him his

job. good evening. >> i'm ama daetz, and i'm j.r. stone. california's attorney general is announcing the criminal investigations former windsor mayor dominic foppoli has been suspended due to lack of evidence. >> abc7 news reporter cornell bernard spoke with foppoli and one of his accusers about the announcement. >> it's a blend of relief and obviously, i'm going to be honest, some anger that it took this, you know, took this long. >> dominic foppoli, in his own words, speaking from his home in italy alongside his fiancee maura. the former windsor mayor says he's feeling vindicated after california attorney general rob bonta announced a criminal investigation into the former wine country politician is suspended due to lack of evidence. >> i'm sure the attorney general had a tremendous amount of pressure to find something, anything to charge me with. so, i want to thank them for having the courage to finally make the statement ag bonta saying, at this time, we don't have enough evidence to warrant filing charges on cases, not barred by

the statute of limitations. >> however, our investigation remains open and we urge anyone who believes they may be a victim or who has evidence to come forward. this comes three years after multiple women accused foppoli of sexually assaulting them. foppoli resigned from office about six weeks after the allegations were revealed. in a scandal which rocked this small wine country town. did you assault any of these women? >> absolutely not. and i've been very, very clear since the first day. the first minute that this came out, that there was no truth to any of this foppoli claims the encounters were consensual. take some responsibility from the fact of there's some of them that were involved that i do have a genuine history from, from 20 plus years ago. and i realized now i was not a perfect partner. not really surprised. >> this foppoli accuser, who wants to remain anonymous, says she is disappointed the case is stalled. she's part of an unrelated civil suit with other alleged victims, and it just feeling like, you know, you hear the same passed around about the good old boys club. >> and it just feels like a lot

of, you know, protection and delays that felt really purposeful in our eyes, you know, enough delays to maybe where you know, evidence could have been destroyed. the claims the case was politically motivated. >> it's been i think they saw and were told that there was an opportunity for an easy payday and to get somebody that they didn't like in office, out of office. and they made up stories. >> his fiance, maura, says the two met about two years ago. >> what i can say is, i believe in him. since day zero. i knew everything since eight zero. >> will you ever come back to windsor? >> of course. absolutely. come back. >> but paul says he can't rule out a return to politics. the couple now planning their wedding this summer in windsor. cornell, bernard. abc seven news. >> now to breaking news out of east oakland. we've just learned a person has been shot along louvain avenue near sobrante park. sky seven was over the scene just a few minutes ago. as you're seeing here, the person

is being taken to the hospital. we will bring you an update here when we know more. and on the abc seven news app. >> two men have been charged in connection with a deadly chase on i-580. last tuesday, el cerrito police identified the men as 34 year-old patrick shekels from oakland and 56 year-old andre alberti from san francisco. police say officers started chasing the men's pickup truck after a burglary at a tobacco shop in san pablo. police say that right after they called off the chase on eastbound i-80, the men made a u-turn and started driving the wrong way on westbound i-580, where they slammed into a car and killed a driver. both men face multiple federal charges. >> now to a plan in oakland, where four of the struggling city's largest companies are teaming up tep their workers safe as they travel through downtown to their offices. a $10 million plan from p-g-and-e'skaer, clorox and blue shield and will provide private security, escorts and transportation for employees.

abc seven news reporter suzanne fawn has more. blue shield of california kaiser permanente, pacific gas and electric, and clorox. they're all headquartered in downtown oakland. in january, blue shield and kaiser told employees to stay on site and not to leave for lunch because of concerns about crime. clorox and blue shield offered employees security escorts to their car or bart or location within two blocks. now, the company's ceos are joining forces to make downtown oakland safer for their employees. >> is our first obligation to our employees, is to ensure that they are safe. >> the ceo and president of blue shield explains the three basic components of the new $10 million plan. >> we're using off-duty oakland police officers to increase the feet on the street. security in the downtown oakland area. >> secondly, there will be an ambassador program that allows people to get escorts to, to, and from work.

>> finally, there's a shared transportation system that we are setting up with mini busses where people can move, for example, from public transportation or get a ride from public transportation. >> like many other cities, oakland is dealing with budget cuts and challenges, with hiring more officers. mayor shengtao says she is so grateful for the deep collaboration with our four largest employers during this time of change and opportunity in oakland, and see this as an example of strong public private partnership. the new program will be rolled out in the coming weeks. oakland councilwoman carol fife says she's optimistic about this plan from the four big companies. i am encouraged that the four largest employers in the city of oakland are coming together for creative solutions to make our downtown and uptown area safer. >> they're investing and they're putting their money where their mouth is. they're not pulling out of oakland. so i am deeply, deeply appreciative of this effort. >> we are ultimately committed to the safety of our employees and to being a part of the

solution to help oakland address this kind of post-covid challenges that many cities have faced in oakland, suzanne phan. >> abc seven news. >> well, happening now. this is a live look from sky seven, which is over the oakland coliseum for the a's home opener. certainly some excitement there, but frustrated fans are holding a protest in the parking lot and have no plans of going inside the ballpark in light of the team's future plans. abc seven sports anchor casey pratt is there and joins us now live. casey, i saw your tweet a little while ago. it looks like they opened up the parking lot a little early. >> yes. obviously, a's fans are frustrated by the circumstances. this is supposed to be a happy day. it's supposed to be opening day. hope is supposed to spring eternal. but now the parking gates are open and people are a little happier because they're inside amongst themselves. you can hear the crowd getting fired up as they know we are live. they are giving away over 5000

of these sell flags, and this is looking like reverse boycott 2.0. i'm going to bring in anson casanas, one of the board members of the oakland 68. anson, how bittersweet is this day for you? >> it's bittersweet, but it's a celebration of this community, this beautiful fan base, the beautiful city of oakland, the east bay community. we are still here showing the world that we are still here. we still care. oakland a's fan base is one of the most unique fan bases in the universe. you here right now sell, sell out. >> it's going to keep getting louder and louder as the night goes on, and i know they hope that the players can hear this inside. are you ever surprised that when you throw these events that they go this well, i never surprised because it only gets better and better. >> and as soon as y'all keep doubting us, we keep showing up. so what are you going to say now? i mean, we're still out here. we're still here. why aren't you here? why aren't you all not here? come join us, man.

it's not over again. it's not over again. >> this is going to be going on all night. jr. i'm sure you're telling me to wrap and i can't hear you because it's going to get louder and louder, but i'm going to send it back to you and just let these fans voice their opinion. >> i love hearing that, but let's hope for an a's win at the same time. casey, thank you so much. that's casey pratt there in oakland. >> i like that one. >> all right. well, in san francisco, it's been a decade since the city launched vision zero, the traffic safety policy, pledging to eliminate all traffic fatalities by this year 2024. has it worked? abc seven news reporter luz pena is here with the latest numbers and the city's plan moving forward. luce. >> that's right. in 2014, san francisco pledged to make changes to eliminate all traffic deaths. but traffic deaths have actually climbed over the past five years, rising to 39 deaths in 2022 and 26 fatalities in 2023. the 2022 tally was the city's highest since 2007, when

the city recorded 41 deaths. the goal is to have zero traffic deaths, but this map by vision zero sf. org shows the heartbreaking reality ten years later. since 2014, more than 500 people have died in traffic related collisions in san francisco. >> the data doesn't lie. we have around 30 people killed every year and about 3000 people injured. >> the city's vision zero tracker also shows that more than 200 others are seriously injured while traveling on city streets every year, numbers that look bornheimer, a sustainable transportation advocate, says paint a clear picture. >> it's objectively failed. you know, we were supposed to have zero roadway fatalities and severe injuries this year, and by my count, we had about over 30. we had 39in 2022 uh- fatalities and about 500 severe injuries every every year. >> today, mayor london breed acknowledged the need for more

enforcement, pointing to the tragedy in west portal this month when a family of four was killed after a driver crashed into a bus stop. >> we are still all i know, processing the grief and sadness for a family whose life was lost. >> mayor breed said the city is planning to increase their efforts. >> i've asked for three specific things a daylighting plan and policy to prioritize the treatment of intersections citywide, a no right on red policy and increase parking control enforcement to ticket people who park on sidewalks and block our crosswalks and bike lanes. and i will continue to do everything i can to deliver on street safety in san francisco, expediting the installation of 400 automated license plate readers across the city is also part of the plan. >> the city is hoping these cameras will help catch drivers who flee the scene after hitting a pedestrian or a cyclist. we are committed to being the first

city in california to finally be able to implement the speed safety cameras that we fought so hard to legalize both sf and the san francisco bicycle coalition are asking for more while staying hopeful for the next ten years. >> the san francisco bicycle coalition will play our part, holding decision makers accountable, and these groups are asking for the city to limit vehicles from more areas across the city, like what was done at the jfk promenade in golden gate park. >> now, the mayor is also directing sfmta to come up with a plan to tackle dangerous intersections. luz pena, abc seven news. luz thank you so much. >> coming up, an outbreak of whooping cough in the north bay. a majority of cases are at one school. >> i'm meteorologist sandyha patel, tracking another storm. it moves in tomorrow. i'll show you hour

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has since just december, and the majority of those have been at tamalpais high school. >> abc seven news reporter tim johns has the details and tips on what you can do to keep your family safe. >> whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is continuing to spread around marin county since december. county health officials say they've seen 113 cases across the county, with 65 of them coming from tamalpais high school typically starts off very nonspecific and very mild, with a runny nose. >> it could be a sore throat or even just some fatigue. couple of days, or even up to a week later is when the cough starts. >> lindsay termini is a nurse with marin county communicable disease. she says if you feel sick, you should see your doctor and get tested. if that test comes back positive, termini says there are rules you should then follow. >> we do recommend that you isolate during your infectious

period and isolate at home. so no school you know, no work. >> while most cases in the county are tied to the high school, doctors say for teenagers, whooping cough usually isn't very serious for other age groups, though, like infants, it can be deadly. often they're not vaccinated enough. >> so for infants under two, we don't give the pertussis vaccine until babies are about two months old. so if they were to get this illness before that vaccine, it would be a much more serious illness. >> doctor lisa dana is a pediatrician at golden gate pediatrics. she says in recent times, outbreaks of whooping cough seem to have become cyclical, with new ones happening about every 3 to 5 years. >> it's not clear if it's just the efficacy of the vaccine, if it's waning after five years and not as strong. >> county health officials say. so far, no cases in infants nor hospitalizations have been reported. the tamalpais union high school district says while masking isn't required at this time, they're recommending it to anyone with a cough or cold symptoms, taking as many precautions as possible to keep

people safe. >> we're making sure that everyone knows to get up to date on their pertussis vaccine. there's a childhood schedule and an adult schedule in marin county. >> tim johns, abc seven news. >> a san jose charter school will be closing down this summer because of low enrollment and major budget deficits, the mercury news reports that dcp alum rock high school has had a 30% decrease in enrollment since the 2019 2020 school year. most of the remaining 200 or so students of the school will transfer to el primero high school. the chief executive of downtown college prep says the alum rock campus, facing a deficit of up to $1.7 million. we have reached out to the school for comment but haven't heard back. >> planning for the future starts with finance. high school students learn why money matters when it comes to

today, 700 students say independence high school attended a workshop called money matters. it was put on by the local nonprofit 10,000 degrees. the goal is to help low income students understand the importance of making informed decisions about money when it comes to planning for college. >> if i'm going to a community college, obviously i want to start saving money, but if i go to a university, i'm going to have to plan to know where to work and where to live. >> at the workshop, students were given a mock college acceptance letter, then had to set a budget for things like tuition, books, housing, transportation. they also got information about available financial aid options. >> well, our fingers are crossed right now because it is time to get a check of the weather. >> we don't want the easter bunny in like mud. sandhya. >> okay, you know what? we're not going to allow the easter bunny to get muddy, but there might be an isolated shower or two. okay uh- and j.r, let's show you some live pictures

right now from our tower cameras. beautiful views statewide snowpack now up to 104% of average after yesterday's snow that came in through today. and we have plenty of sun mixing in with clouds. but i do want to show you live doppler seven because we are tracking the next storm. this is a level two. and here's what's going to happen. this piece of energy right here is going to merge with this area of low pressure. and the two are going to come together right here. and we're going to get wet and windy, and we're going to have a chance of thunder. as you look. snow showers and rain showers still lingering across the northern two thirds of the state, but nothing major. we have some isolated showers right around the north bay at this hour. light to moderate right around knoxville, knoxville road and in the southern part of our viewing area. still seeing a couple of showers right around monterey road. coyote near morgan hill. all right. rainfall totals look like this. most of you were under a half an inch, but 8/10 in ukiah. ben lowman over an inch of rain. oakland

picking up 1900s. livermore nine hundredths and san francisco 2/10 of an inch of rain. temperatures right now anywhere from the 40s to the 60s. a little cooler than where you should be for this time of year. but those showers that we have right now that are really isolated, they'll be long gone by the time the a's home opener gets underway against the guardians. uh- first pitch mostly cloudy, 56 degrees, ninth inning. it's going to be cloudy and cooler 54. so you will need a jacket from our sutro tower camera. we're looking at the clouds stacked up. level two storm tomorrow. wet and windy with that thunder chance saturday. the thunder threat remains in the forecast, but you'll see plenty of sun along with showers. and then we're just keeping an isolated chance on easter. i'm not trying to sugarcoat it, just trying to warn you. in case you do have outdoor plans, level two rain heavy at times. chance of thunder and hail gusts 45 plus miles an hour. a wind advisory for the east bay hills, the peninsula coastline and the santa cruz mountains. 11 a.m. tomorrow until 5 a.m. saturday. wind gusts with the 45 plus

miles an hour could cause a few outages. may topple a few tree limbs, so be aware of that. 11 a.m. the winds start to pick up. you will notice they get gustier as the afternoon goes on out of the south, 41 miles an hour, and you will also notice that it remains gusty well into the evening as we go. hour by hour. tomorrow morning the storm arrives first with just a band of rain at 7:00 in the morning, intensifying at 230, maybe a thunderstorm or two, showing up with scattered showers in the evening and the showers just continue to wrap around an area of low pressure. that's going to sit off the coast initially. so saturday is going to be a mix of sun showers, thunderstorm possibility and then sunday morning a few showers try to come back around the low that's going towards southern california. rainfall projections . most of you will be between a half an inch and santa cruz mountains almost three inches. but there will be some areas like the rain shadow of the santa cruz mountains, livermore only getting 2000/800 of an inch. the winter storm warning

for the sierra 8 to 20in above 4000ft. it starts tomorrow morning, runs until sunday night, up to 30in for those peaks and with the gusty winds, be aware that travel may not be exactly easy. 30s to 50s on your temperatures tomorrow afternoon, you're looking at 40s 50s for the highs. make sure you have your rain gear as you look ahead. that low shifts into southern california, but some moisture tries to wrap back around here in the bay area. after that, high pressure builds in and we bring on the warmth for next week. accuweather seven day forecast. it's a two tomorrow. moderate strength storm a one on saturday. easter is okay for the egg hunts and for the bunny and all of us. but isolated shower chance will remain and then we'll bring on temperatures in the low to mid 70s for the warmest spots. jr next weekend we're going to be warming it up and it's going to feel like spring. nice >> yeah. all right we like it. thanks sandy. >> well the us navy vessel named in honor of gay rights icon harvey milk is in san francisco for the first time. the usns harvey milk is a replenishment

oiler delivering fuel, water and food to navy vessels at sea. the ship will play host to a special ceremony tomorrow in observance of national vietnam war veterans day. milk served as a naval diving offic business. it's not a nine-to-five proposition. it's all day and into the night. it's all the things that keep this world turning. the go-tos that keep us going. the places we cheer. and check in. they all choose the advanced network solutions and round the clock partnership from comcast business.

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the local street festival on telegraph avenue kicks off next friday, april 5th. first fridays is a night market filled with local vendors from food to entertainment, art performances and a vibrant culture right in the heart of the city. this event typically happens on the first friday of each month. all right, we still have much more news ahead. certainly do. >> let's go to abc seven news anchor stephanie sierra for a look at the stories coming up at 530. >> thanks, j.r. and ahmed tonight baseball is officially back and it comes with protests to the season opener in oakland happening right now. a's fans are gathering outside the coliseum with a strong message to send abc seven's casey pratt and chris alvarez are immersed in this crowd and will join us live with all the action. then more safety reforms could be coming to school zones across the state. assembly member mark berman will join us live to discuss his bill that aims to

reduce speed limits. join us for those stories and more. at 530 on abc seven bay area streaming tv. i'm on jr. >> all right. thank you so much, stephanie. and you can download the abc seven app or head to abc seven news.com and join steph in two minutes. >> and if you're watching us on tv world news tonight with david muir is next for sandhya patel and all of us here. thanks for joining us. i'm j.r. stone and i'm ama daetz. >> we'll see you again at 6:00.

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salonpas, it's good medicine. >> linsey: tonight, the stunning new images just in as we come on the air. the first look onboard the cargo ship that took down the bridge in baltimore. what the images reveal. the former billionaire sentenced in one of the worst cases of financial fraud in american history. and what has four presidents past and present in new york tonight? first, that video coming in