now we want to make sure all the ballots that are coming in are counted correctly. so every vote counts in every election. the importance of every vote could not be more evident than in the district 16 race to replace congressmember anna eshoo. good evening, and thanks for joining us, everybody. i'm dionne lim, and i'm dan ashley, former san jose mayor sam liccardo has already secured his spot to move

ahead to the general election. but just a handful of votes separate evan low and joe simitian, who have been battling it out for the second candidate spot. and according to the latest numbers, simitian leads with a five vote difference at 30,246 votes. low currently has 30,241 votes. >> abc7 news south bay reporter zach fuentes is live at the santa clara county registrar's office, where these votes are being tabulated with more zach. >> yeah, this congressional district is made up of santa clara and san mateo counties. and today at 5 p.m. was the deadline. it just passed for people who needed to come in and fix their ballots to come in and correct them. and now that that deadline has passed, that means that the votes that can be counted will be counted. meaning we're finally on track to getting those final election results for the primary elections happened march fifth. but in the race to replace retiring congresswoman anna eshoo, the results have been far from final. march 12th was the last day county election offices received ballots sent by election day. now april 2nd at 5

p.m. was the next important deadline. the last day to cure any ballots that were out there that weren't. >> they weren't signed or the signatures didn't match. >> election officials say voters have had weeks to fix or cure their ballots. >> we send them multiple letters, emails, texts. however we can get a hold of the voters so we could tell them, like why their ballot isn't counted yet and they can come in and cure it. that's what the ballot process is, where they can come fix it or sign something saying yes, this is my signature. >> in santa clara county, many people have taken officials up on the offer, and total they were nearly 1500 challenge ballots that needed to be fixed by deadline. there were around 500. san mateo county reported just over 400 before the deadline. each number significant as they could be the final votes that decide the close race for second in the california congressional district 16 race candidate and former san jose mayor sam liccardo is in first place by a long shot, but who is opponent will be is unclear. santa clara county supervisor joe simitian and state assembly member evan low have been back and forth in

the second place spot at one point, the two were separated by as few as two votes, but until the april 2nd deadline, numbers were still changing as challenge ballots were being cured and processed. simitian sent us a statement tuesday that said, in part, the election offices in both counties have been verifying voter signatures over the past few weeks to make sure that every vote that can be counted will be counted. right now, we're waiting to hear from them. lowe's team said they will make a statement after the county certify the election. the counties will issue those final results on april fourth. after that, the secretary of state will then certify the results on april 12th. now, in the final stretch of counting, officials say this race serves as an important reminder. >> we like to say every single vote counts, right? we want to make sure that every voter knows they make a difference in every election. >> now, of course, either of the candidates could ask for a recount after the certification dates, but right now, as soon as we get the election results from both counties and the number of challenge ballots that were cured, we will be sure to bring them to you right now. live in san jose. zach fuentes, abc

seven news okay, zach, thanks very much. >> in the sierra. governor newsom was on hand for today's april snow survey to unveil his updated plan to protect the state's water supply. and while the snowpack is currently above average, officials say we should be preparing for a new normal. abc seven news reporter suzanne fawn is here with us to explain the importance of today's survey and the updated water plan. suzanne. >> so, dan, water experts say this snow survey is critical. it helps forecast how much will melt and how much will run off to state reservoirs. now, with growing concerns about our water supply. governor newsom released an updated plan for the state to capture more water and deal with extreme weather in california. >> we know that winter snows bring summer flows. >> big news for california's snowpack and what that can mean for reservoirs later this year. today, the april snow survey got underway at phillips station off highway 50, with governor newsom making a special appearance. here's how things looked. >> our survey today. we recorded

a depth of 64in and a snow water content of 27.5in, and that results in 113% of average for this location. >> statewide, the sierra snowpack was 110% of average for april 1st. that's up from 28% on january 1st. dwr says our snowpack shows significant improvement, but it also says a dry start to the water year and a drier environment overall may still impact snow runoff. we saw a number of atmospheric rivers over the past two winters, with extreme conditions becoming the new normal. state leaders say it's important to invest in water storage. >> the snowpack in california has traditionally been about two thirds of our overall storage, so what it means into the future is we need to continue to invest in how we store this water when we know dry conditions return. >> i'll remind all of you the water system in california was designed for a world that no longer exists. it was designed

for a world uh, 50, 60, 70 years ago where there was some normalcy. >> today, governor newsom unveiled the state's updated water plan, one that's based on a future with climate change effects. as it relates to the huts getting a lot hotter, the dry is getting a lot drier and the wet is getting a lot wetter. the governor says the golden state needs a plan to deal with aging water infrastructure and limited water supplies. the updated california water plan addresses that. >> we talked about the importance of desalinization. we talked about the importance of stormwater capture while our snowpack numbers reflect us getting back to average or slightly above average, governor newsom says we need to prepare for a new normal in the future. there's nothing normal about this average year. it's just the new reality and the new normal. >> and the sierra could be getting more snow this week through the rest of the month, so that could mean more good news for above average snowpack. the central sierra snow lab says the slightly above snowpack means our state reservoirs are in good shape, that they are at

116% of average levels. back to you. all right. we like to hear that, suzanne. thank you. repair work continues on a collapsed portion of highway one between carmel and big sur. caltrans is warning drivers convoy passage at the repair site will be canceled thursday and friday because rain is expected. saturday's collapse was caused by rain. since then, caltrans has been organizing convoys for vehicles to safely pass through the area south of the rocky creek bridge. crews will be on site during the storm to inspect for any changes in road conditions. >> abc seven news was near oakland airport, off hegenberger drive, as crews cleared out an rv and homeless encampment. crews used tractors and tow trucks to clear leet drive near the martin luther king regional shoreline. the work is being done after the regional water board sent a letter to the city expressing concern that the garbage and human waste from the encampment were polluting the nearby waterway. officials say the garbage is not all coming from the people living there. the site is also a magnet for

illegal dumpers, illegal dumpers and people who are trying to dispose of something the wrong way. >> we'll use an encampment as camouflage effectively to drop stuff off. >> this is what the site looked like a few days ago. look at this. now when governor newsom announced a network of safety cameras that is coming to oakland, social workers were also on site today to provide resources for people living there. >> representatives from the a's, the city of oakland and alameda county all agree on one thing they are nowhere close to a deal that would extend the a's time in oakland. officials from all sides have wrapped up a meeting to discuss a lease extension that would allow the a's to continue playing at the coliseum past this season. no deal was reached today, but city and county officials called the talks productive. the city is proposing a deal that would include a five year lease extension with an opt out clause after three years. >> and as for the latest in the effort to change the name of oakland international airport to san francisco bay oakland international airport, well, we

have now learned that san francisco's board of supervisors plans to introduce a resolution opposing this proposed name change. sfo officials also sent a letter asking that the proposal be scrapped because it could cause potential confusion in the port of oakland's. commissioners are set to vote on the name change proposal april 11th. >> meantime, a proposed chick fil a restaurant in walnut creek has raised concerns for some residents. the city's planning commission approved a new outlet of the fast food chain to go in the walnut creek shopping center on ignacio valley road. now, the restaurant would not have a drive thru, only dine in and takeout options. however, the east bay times reports that neighbors are appealing the city's decision, saying it will bring too much traffic to an already congested intersection and attract more crime. >> some nurses in santa clara county have been on the picket line since 5:00 this morning. it's day one of their planned three day strike, and they are demanding raises, better workplace conditions and more staffing. the strike affects

three hospitals operated by santa clara valley health care santa clara valley medical center in san jose, o'connor hospital in san jose and saint louise regional hospital in gilroy. but as abc seven news south bay reporter dustin dorsey explains, a deal is still a long way away. nurses using contract nursing, noting only one thing is on everyone's mind. >> at santa clara valley medical center, a contract for the registered nurses professional association of santa clara county, the county hasn't come to the table to actually listen to what we're saying, and they're continuing to push their agenda and not really coming in considering what we are asking for. >> and so the nurses felt the need to make this bold stand to get the county to actually listen to us. >> nurses voices were heard on this day, packing every street corner. last friday, many nurses from the trauma center staged a sick out as well. it led to a temporary closure of the level one trauma center. >> the nurses only do things like that because they're driven

to the point where they feel like they're not being heard to make a point. they're doing it because they care about the patients and the patient's safety. and that's why they stood up that day. >> the county wants to make sure that never happens again. while some scheduled surgeries were postponed, nearly 1000 nurses have been brought in to cover shifts to keep all essential care operating during the strike. >> we remain open for the community because we know that the services that are provided through the county health system are life saving, essential services, and we are prioritizing ensuring that those life saving essential services remain fully available. >> the strike is only three days, but a contract deal is not close. there's been no negotiating since the npa rejected a mediator proposal. wages and protections against moving nurses to other units in case of shortages are still major issues. county executive james williams hopes to reach a deal soon. the strike has cost the county 20 million to replace the picketing nurses, and that's money that we then don't have as a system. >> we're facing a $250 million structural deficit as the county organization, and in a matter of

weeks, i'll be bringing forward a recommended budget to the board of supervisors. it's going to reflect cuts across our county organization, ensuring a fair and sustainable deal is a must for the county to prevent more cuts going forward in san jose. >> dustin dawsey abc seven news. >> coming up, a disturbing new report out today detailing a rise in anti-muslim hate across the country and right here in the bay area, what experts believe is fueling this troubling trend. when we

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it that shows the largest spike in muslim hate in 30 years. in some instances, reports of violence toward muslims are even higher here in the bay area. abc seven news reporter anser hassan

. >> in 2022, care saw a significant drop in complaints and we were hopeful that hope was. end in october 2023. >> zahra belu is the executive director of the bay area chapter of the council on american islamic relations, or care. she says the israel-hamas war set off a huge spike in anti-muslim and anti-palestinian sentiment and hate crimes across the u.s, the bay area was no different. >> our data in the san francisco bay area is consistent with the national trends, and unfortunately, in certain instances, even worse. we've seen a number of violent crimes in the san francisco bay area. >> on tuesday, the national office of care issued their 2024 annual hate crime report titled fatal the resurgence of anti-muslim hate in 2023, care reported a 419% increase,

reporting 607 complaints of hate crimes or hate incidents. care reports it received over 8000 complaints, the highest ever in its 30 year history, even more than after the 2017 muslim travel ban and during the wars in iraq and afghanistan post nine over 11. >> unfortunately, it's american tradition that when we are at war, including proxy war, for example, here where we are funding israeli military actions, that which communities or countries are being attacked abroad are also dehumanized. right here in the united states. >> the report documents employment discrimination targeting of pro-palestinian activists and suppressing free speech, even students being bullied not just by other students, but in some instances by teachers as well. >> both the rhetoric has become more hateful and that that rhetoric has translated into violence. another big concern is that the data suggests that 85% of the muslim community does not report hate incidents or

discrimination, possibly due to fear of retaliation, losing their job or mistrust of law enforcement. >> billoo believes despite this new report, the real numbers are likely even higher. >> part of our work includes continually encouraging them to come forward, even if they don't want to take action, even if they don't want to go public. we can't tell our community stories without data. >> in san francisco, anser hassan abc seven news. >> loads of much needed medical supplies are waiting to be shipped to the ivory coast. a group of bay area physicians and the nonprofit ivoire alliance are trying to raise $25,000 to ship the items to the west african country. the equipment will be given to underserved clinics in abidjan, which has been a sister city to san francisco since 1988. supplies include examination beds along with x ray machines, office chairs and syringes, which are currently at an oakland storage facility. one doctor who donated equipment urges others to

contribute to the cause. >> and i hope that people out there who are aware of what we're doing will donate to help, you know, get this the supplies over to where it belongs. >> the african health center serve more than 150,000 people. >> all right. we want to pause for a moment and give you a look outside on this gorgeous day across the bay area. isn't it just stunning? hope you got outside for a walk or something today, but enjoy it while it lasts. meteorologist sandhya patel will be here to tell us.

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a "perfectly delicious" day... - mm. [ chuckles ] - ...a "love my new teeth" day. because your clearchoice day is the day everything is back on the menu. a clearchoice day changes every day. schedule a free consultation. say in morgan hill. william giusto says he couldn't believe his timing when he started recording the storm and instead caught that exact moment, according to the national weather service. commercial passenger planes can expect to be hit by lightning an average of 1 or 2 times a year, but

planes are designed. look at that. planes are designed to make that harmless. it doesn't cause any real problems to withstand it, but still hard. a little creepy if you've ever been on a plane hit by lightning, which i have been. >> oh, how was that experience? >> it's strange. i mean, you wear something, you feel it, you feel it, but you're safe. but it is strange. >> oh, boy. well, the weather is a little bit strange. also, sandia, because they're so warm today. >> spring like, gorgeous, but changing again. yeah. >> you know, it's going to be wet and cold and windy before you know it. and we're even going to see the possibility of snow. so dan and dion let me show you some live pictures right now. just get outside and make the most of it. as you will notice, lots of sun there. but way in the distance from our volmer camera, you can see that the marine layer is regrouping temperatures right now. unbelievably warm inland in the mid 70s. san jose 75 livermore same thing. 74 in fairfield. now along the coastline, we have seen a change. you know, this morning we did have some fog around the north bay and the coast. 60 in the city, 64 in

oakland. so it's starting to turn a little bit cooler. santa rosa, six degrees cooler, half moon bay, 5 degrees drop as we look at a live picture from zephyr cove. nice to see all the snow on the ground. the phillips station, as we reported earlier in the broadcast, they did a snow survey. today it's at 113% of average at that site. statewide, sierra snowpack is at 124% of average, and this is the second straight year that we're seeing above average snowfall, which is great to see. more snow is coming winter weather advisory 11 p.m. tomorrow until 11 p.m. friday. looking at 5 to 12in of snow with those gusty winds, travel may be difficult. here's the system that's going to bring the snow. it really doesn't have a whole lot of moisture with it, but it certainly has all the cold air with it. so you're going to notice the difference. fog is off the coastline. it'll be here before you know it. and from our santa cruz camera, lots of sun tomorrow. cooler and breezier thursday. mixed precipitation. we're talking snow over the higher terrain. thunderstorm chance here locally and on friday showers will linger mainly in the morning because we

all know it's the giants home opener against the padres. 135 on friday. it is going to be cool. so layer up 52 degrees. partly sunny, ninth inning, brighter skies, gusty winds. so be prepared for that. we're going to go hour by hour this evening. if you do want to step outside. still pretty mild, especially around 7:00 along the coast though. cooler with the fog rolling in 50s 60s tomorrow morning we start out with gray skies for more areas, a little bit of patchy drizzle, and then as we head into the early afternoon, the biggest thing you're going to notice is the sun gets dimmed by more clouds and the breeze begins to pick up. your morning temperatures will be in the 40s and 50s to start the day tomorrow afternoon . you're looking at nice weather, but just not as bright or as warm as today. we're looking at upper 50s to upper 60s breezy conditions. now we're going to fast forward to thursday. here comes the showers. 6 a.m. thursday. it's going to be wet for the commute and we will start to notice the snow over mount hamilton at 9 a.m. those scattered showers will be with us even into the

evening. continuing into friday morning, you will notice more snow over the higher elevations. santa cruz mountains highway 17 area could see some snow as well, so the snow level will be dropping around 2000 to 3000ft, 3500 at times. rain fall projections anywhere from about 1500 of an inch to just over an inch in the wettest spots. your accuweather seven day forecast. it's breezy and cooler tomorrow. it's still going to be nice. level one for thursday and friday to start the day. and then as we head into saturday it's dry. but sunday we do have a chance of showers. don't worry. dionne and dan for the eclipse viewing on monday. we're going to brighten it up and warm it up. so here we have a 44% eclipse. we're not talking about a full eclipse, but at least you'll have a good chance of seeing it. >> see something a plus? >> absolutely. >> sandia. thanks. >> all right. get ready for golden gate parks outside lands festival. when eager beaver tickets go on sale, and when the musica

with our abc seven bay area streaming tv app. just search abc seven bay area and download it. when you have a moment.

>> and speaking of much more news ahead, this year's outside lands music festival lineup hasn't even been announced, but a pre-sale tickets are going on sale tomorrow, 10:00 is when concert goers can purchase the three day general admission eager beaver wristbands for $425. >> the music and food festival is scheduled for august ninth through the 11th in golden gate park, and the lineup is expected to be announced later this month. and it's always a great lineup. >> is it going to include dan ashley and his band? >> i hope so, we played last year, so we'll have to see. it was fun. great experience. >> all right. much more news to come. >> let's go to abc seven news anchor stephanie sierra for a look at the stories coming up at 530. >> stephanie thanks, dan and dionne tonight, a closer look at the april snow survey and the impact on california's water supply. march storms gave us a boost for the second straight season. so we're looking at the local impacts, plus details on the state's new water plan. then a unique way to fight parkinson's disease. we'll introduce you to the bay area assisted living community using the power of tai chi and boxing

to help join us for those stories and more at 530 on abc seven bay area streaming tv. dan and diane. >> thanks, stephanie. >> okay, and a reminder you can download the abc seven news app or head to abc seven news.com to join stephanie in just two minutes. >> and if you're watching us right here on tv world news tonight with david muir is next for sandyha patel all of us, we appreciate your time. i'm dan ashley and i'm dionne lim. >> we'll see you right back here tonight for abc seven news at six. ♪ we belong ♪ ♪ we belong together ♪ ♪ we belong ♪ hulu on disney+. available with disney bundle. plans starting at $9.99 a month.

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