breaking news. >> and good evening. thank you for joining us. i'm dan ashley and i'm dionne lim. >> we begin with that breaking news. the iconic long time leader of san francisco's glide

foundation has died. >> reverend cecil williams passed away today at the age of 94. according to glide. he died in his san francisco home surrounded by family and friends . williams was widely respected on the national and local level. mayor london breed calls him the conscience of our san francisco community. williams was at the helm of glide for 60 years. >> that's not easy for a kid from texas who years or years ago i said, i'm going to do turn the world upside down. >> and boy, did he ever. williams transformed glide from fewer than 50 members to tens of thousands from all walks of life. he also helped create dozens of community programs. now, in a statement, glide writes, as a minister, author, social activist, lecturer, community leader and ceaseless champion for the poor and marginalized, reverend williams was a long respected as a national leader on the forefront of change and in the struggle for civil and human rights.

>> and joining us now to talk about the life and the legacy of the late cecil williams, former san francisco mayor willie brown. mayor brown, always great to see you. it occurs to me that you had several things in common. first, you're both from texas. you came to san francisco, both of you, and had an enormous impact on this city and this area. reflecting on his life today, what are you thinking about? >> well, i'm thinking about all the great times, frankly, that i had with cecil williams. there is one the public doesn't know about until tonight, and that is that when i got bill clinton to agree to stop the train in mineola, not too far away from where cecil originated in san angelo, texas, cecil went with me to texas, to mineola to stop that train. >> wow. no kidding. wow. and mayor brown, so often times, thank you, by the way, for sharing that story that we have not yet heard until this moment. >> so often times we think of

him as a leader for all communities, one to bring together not only san francisco, but parts of the entire country. can you share a little bit more on that thought? >> well, cecil was frankly more than that, believe me. when cecil arrived in san francisco, accepted the methodists or offer to run that church in the tenderloin, cecil apparently read all the materials and knew that the two sisters who had left all of those resources to the methodist church, but only to be used in the tenderloin they were not using it there, because the kind of people they lived in, the tenderloin were not churchgoers. cecil fought with the methodist church to get the right to implement what those two sisters who donated all those assets are to the methodist church, and not only did he fight for that, he

proceeded to see that, in fact, housing was built there. per that operation, that hotel that was there. the resources came to do for people in the tenderloin. and then he set about to feed the people in the tenderloin, and he set about to resurrect the people in the tenderloin. he removed all the barriers for the circum stances to be for the people of need. and the tenderloin, and advertised it. he reached out to the world to let you know if you really want to do something and clear your conscience, come to glide. and he did that with regularity. remember, he literally got the widow. i suppose you call it the widow. but she was warren's widow, the guy who owned that huge financial operation in in nebraska. and he got them to do the business of the lunch and doing the business of the lunch. the last time i think somebody

paid several million dollars to have lunch and benefit glide. cecil did all those things. never did he say, i want to run for public office. i'm not sure anybody else would have done that. >> well, it's true, he just stayed with what he had done his whole life and the fundraiser with warren buffett was massive over the years. the mayor, willie brown, former mayor willie brown, thanks so much for coming on. >> all right. thank you. >> all right. we do want to bring in now. abc seven news insider phil matier to join us. phil, can you tell us about reverend williams impact on san francisco? i know we spoke with mayor brown about the tenderloin , but what else? >> well, it was interesting. he was really a trailblazer, not just in san francisco for the nation. and let me tell you how it was in the mid 60s when people weren't even necessarily thinking of gay rights, that cecil williams made that church a warm and welcoming place for san francisco's gays and for gays, all around the country. that was revolutionary. that was

as black power rose, he incorporated that as well. so his church became one of the cornerstones in a cultural shift. and in the process, he went from sort of a fringe person to a front and center in san francisco's liberal political establishment. he was very close with former mayor and senator dianne feinstein and, as i said, as though he started out on the corner of the tenderloin, he evolved into a huge social service agency and a cultural, political statement that didn't necessarily take party lines but became a defining sort of in embellishment of san francisco values, as they're now called. >> he he served those in need his whole life and those less fortunate. but he moved in some respects with the rich and powerful, or the rich and powerful moved with him and the prominent. what do you think the key to that ability to move so effectively and harness so

effectively those kinds of people? >> you're absolutely right. you're absolutely right, dan. he was a he could minister and get the money from the pacific heights and presidio heights, and he could walk and spend it in the tenderloin. and there was a lot of suspicion about cecil williams. i'm going to tell you, it's not like he had a halo around his head all the time. uh- we have to remember that when the symbionese national army radicals, kidnaped patty hearst, he acted or tried to act as a go between for a deal to get her released. it included a food giveaway in the tenderloin that brought a lot of repercussions from people saying, hey, that's not the way you do things. but cecil was sort of consistent on that, and he did blend those things. when you went to glide and you would cover glide and cecil, you were always sitting there going, okay, how does this really work? and it did work by bringing the money down to the hood. that was as simple as it. and everybody was always looking and checking to see if the money was being spent very well. and there was

never any questions about that raised. so he ran a clean operation. and i have to say, that's not something you always see. and in a town that was known for people who go up and go down, cecil managed to maintain both his integrity and his popularity until his retirement. yeah. >> no scandal. >> yeah. well said. and not just blurring those socioeconomic lines, but also ones of different communities, different cultures. >> that was his real strength. phil, thank you very much. it was thank you. >> now, san francisco mayor, london breed released a statement on the passing of reverend cecil williams. she said in part, quote, he led with compassion and wisdom, never relenting in his pursuit of justice and equality. >> the abc seven bay area news app sent out a notification about the passing of cecil williams. remember, when news breaks like this, we'll let you know immediately. just download the app and enable push alerts to get notifications sent right to your mobile device. >> well, moving on now to other breaking news. we're following the bombshell announcement from alameda county district attorney pam price this afternoon, her office now preparing to review

every death penalty case in the county in the past three decades. after an investigation uncovered a pattern of misconduct. abc seven news reporter stephanie sierra joins us live now in the newsroom. with these breaking developments and what this could mean, stephanie. >> yes, diane, this could have significant implications. means a federal judge has ordered da pamela price and her office to review every death penalty conviction to see if there are any signs of misconduct. the judge issued that directive after evidence of potential bias came to light in the case of ernest dikes. he was tried and convicted in 1993. now the jury found him guilty of murdering a nine year old boy in attempting to murder his grandmother during a robbery in east oakland. dikes now sits on california's death row. the review of that case found prosecutors may have excluded black and jewish jurors, and that's leading to the latest allegation of a larger systemic problem involving death penalty cases in

the 1980s and 90s. the thought is black and jewish jurors may have been excluded because they were more likely to oppose the death penalty. >> when you intentionally exclude people based on their race, their religion, their gender or any protected category, it violates the constitution. as a constitutional officer, i am mandated to investigate and root out unethical behavior. this is not about left or right or any kind of politics. this is about ethics. >> price says her office is now in the process of contacting the family of every victim who was impacted in a case that resulted in a death penalty conviction. if the investigation finds other instances of bias, price's office will work with the federal judge to decide how to remedy the situation. now, it's important to note that while the death penalty is law here in california, the state hasn't actually executed anyone since 2006, and governor newsom put a moratorium on capital punishment

back in 2019. but there are still 640 inmates currently on death row across california. that is the most of any state in the u.s. dan. >> stephanie, thanks very much. well, today, the supreme court agreed to take up the legal fight over ghost guns. the court will decide whether the biden administration can regulate gun kits that people buy online to assemble untraceable, homemade firearms. a 2022 rule changed the definition of a firearm under federal law to include unfinished parts so they can be tracked more easily, but a judge struck down that rule last year, saying only congress has the authority to change the law. the biden administration appealed, and now the case will be heard before the supreme court in the fall. >> also in the supreme court today, they took up a case that could influence how cities across the country confront the issue of homelessness. it all centers around a grant pass oregon law, which prohibits

people from sleeping in public places using a blanket, pillow or cardboard box. abc seven news reporter luz pena joins us now with a look at what this ruling will mean in san francisco. hi, luz. hi diane. >> since the fall of 2022, san francisco has been facing its own lawsuit from the coalition on homelessness. that case argues that san francisco has been conducting dehumanizing encampment sweeps. the case in front of the supreme court today could make it a crime for anyone without a home to sleep outside the case. city of grants pass versus johnson is the most significant case on homelessness in more than 40 years. it will make it a crime for anyone without a home to sleep outside when they have no other option. >> try as hard as possible, you know, to find some shelter. but the shelters that they have in the city, they're not too good. james johns has been homeless in san francisco for eight years. >> he may sleep on the streets, but he's well informed of what

the supreme court is hearing today. >> i think it should concern everybody, whether you're homeless or not. >> there are more than 7700 homeless individuals in san francisco. the supreme court's hearing comes as the city fights an injunction that blocks it from removing homeless encampments from streets. if there's no shelter available, we have in recent years invested billions of dollars in a compassionate services and shelter first approach to addressing homelessness, city attorney david chiu is hopeful the supreme court's decision will help san francisco. >> many of the justices pointed out how these complicated issues are best handled by local cities, local communities, local policymakers, not necessarily by a federal judge or a number of federal judges from our perspective, you know, we think cities like san francisco, we need a bit more flexibility to address the crisis on our streets today, the majority of supreme court justices appeared sympathetic towards the city of grants pass at glide foundation. >> that's concerning. >> our population would really

be impacted by just being more criminalized than they already are. you know, we know people are across the board looking for ways to help the unhoused community. but jailing fining is not the solution yet the president of the soma business association is hoping for a change. >> he points to people sleeping on sidewalks as a huge challenge to businesses. >> if we were to take up the space on the sidewalk, we'd get a penalty in no time at all. we'll get a bill from dpw saying you up to a thousand bucks, and yet these folks can put up a tent, taken up the whole tent, the whole sidewalk, just not then accessible for ada. and it's okay for them. >> and last month, governor newsom submitted a brief in support of the overturning of grants pass. the supreme court is expected to make a decision by the end of june. luz pena, abc seven news. >> all right, luce, thank you. coming up, a sting operation that's led to the arrest of more than 20 suspected child predators, including several

people who work in very trusted positions. even a south bay firefighter. details on those arrests when abc seven news at

abc seven. south bay reporter lauren martinez joins us now from san jose with details. lauren >> diana and dan, the goal of this large scale operation is to arrest suspects attempting to contact children. authorities are really emphasizing to parents they cannot sit back and assume children will be safe online. >> sheriff's office. keep your hands, hands. >> the sacramento sheriff's office released this video of a three day sting operation centered on internet crimes

against children on the lead case agent for this operation, undercover detectives posed as children 13 years old and younger on various social media platforms. >> suspects often directed these kids to commit sexual acts and or asked for material. >> the operation led to 24 arrests. several were people entrusted public positions with access to children. the rest of san jose firefighter who lives here in sacramento, a sunday school teacher, a united states postal service worker. court documents show the sacramento district attorney's office is charging san jose fire captain spencer parker with three felonies. parker is charged with attempting lewd acts with a 13 year old girl, a san jose city spokesperson said parker's last shift was march 31st. he was put on leave on april 11th and resigned the next day. what social media platforms were utilized? we spoke with legal analyst and former prosecutor stephen clark. >> were city resources involved

in any way? was this individual on city time during any of this investigation? it's an important, i think, for the city of san jose to figure out what exactly happened here. >> during monday's press conference, sacramento county sheriff jim cooper emphasized the men arrested during the sting operation don't fit a particular profile, and they range in age from 20 to 70 years old. they got on a walker. >> there's no one model for someone that's involved with this, but but i can't stress enough to parents do your job. you're the parent. it's not negotiable on phones, on social media platforms. know what your kids are doing. >> clark says. these investigations are designed to prevent sexual assaults. >> so i think that's the takeaway that that's why we're doing this, not to entrap people, but to prevent certain people from committing a crime against a child. >> now, according to court records, the former san jose

fire captain will return to court this wednesday morning for a mandatory settlement conference live in san jose. lauren martinez abc seven news a story i know we will continue to my name is david. i've been a pharmacist for 44 years. when i have customers come in and ask for something for memory, i recommend prevagen. number one, because it's safe and effective. does not require a prescription. and i've been taking it quite a while myself and i know it works. and i love it when the customers come back in and tell me,

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and today as well. meteorologist sandyha patel is here. >> sandy? yeah dan and diane spent a lot of time outside this weekend because it was so gorgeous. and today as well, i want to show you the 24 hour temperature change. though as you will notice, things are really changing 17 degrees cooler in santa rosa, right now. livermore 11 degrees drop, eight degrees cooler in san jose. onshore breezes ramped up 37 mile an hour sustained winds in san francisco, 30 gusts in napa and that is blowing the tree pollen around, which is running high right now along with grasses. grasses are coming up. they're moderate. they've been increasing since last week. so oak, juniper, cedar, pine and grasses may be the culprits. as

führer suffering from allergies right now on live doppler seven, you can see the marine layer as well established. it came up from the south, what we call the southerly surge. and the visible satellite picture really captures it. it's moving all the way up the coast. we're on our way to much cooler days, and all of this being set into motion by a trough that is developing out over the pacific. it is going to move in our direction and it will continue the cooling trend. temperatures in the 50s to 80s right now. the warmest spots today did manage to make it up into the 80s. live views from our tower cameras and while you're seeing the sun from walnut creek in san jose, even some from exploratorium, the fog is back and it is obvious from our golden gate bridge camera. here's a look at the highlights overnight tonight. low clouds, patchy drizzle tomorrow. noticeably cooler and breezy and late in the workweek. we are talking about chance of some showers. i wouldn't change your plans just yet though. regarding the showers 10:00 tonight. marine push is pretty well establish. tomorrow morning we start off with some drizzle gray skies and those gray skies will

never quite clear along parts of the coast. it's going to be a gray day, so get ready for that. and then going into the evening it marches back in. so we're starting to go into what appears to be more of a summer like pattern, 40s and 50s minus the temperatures, that is tomorrow morning. gray start drizzly conditions, and tomorrow afternoon we are looking at a cooler day 50s coast side, low 70s inland. so forget about the 80s we're dropping to the 70s now. here's a look at what you can expect later on this week. so tomorrow the sierra northern california will see some showers. that trend continues on thursday day. we may have a chance of a few showers thursday night and going into friday. certainly snow levels will be running high in the sierra, and then this pattern pretty much quiets down after we move past friday. the accuweather seven day forecast. much cooler and breezy. the most noticeable drop is going to be inland as we look at wednesday. cooling continues. chance of a few showers thursday night going into friday and then

we'll bring back nicer, milder weather for outdoor plans. diana and diane this upcoming weekend. >> really nice. nice to meet you. >> absolutely. >> well, rising temperatures and climate change have prompted the cdc to launch a new initiative to protect americans from heat exposure. that plan includes a seven day nationwide heat forecast that will tell you when the temperatures reach harmful levels. it will also have information on local air quality and help keep at risk people safe when it's hot. more on that. more news to come when we return this is abc 724 seven. san francisco, live at levi's stadium in san jose. >> live in oakland. yeah, you're watching abc seven news live anytime, anywhere. >> we are, we are, we are, we are, we are, we are where you are. >> never miss a moment of the news that matters to you. download our abc seven bay area streaming app. join us and start

watching

on the new high speed rail line between las vegas and san

bernardino county. a rail company called brightline west plans to lay 218 miles of new track, mostly in the median of interstate 15. the company will also build new stations, including one near the vegas strip and another in rancho cucamonga. the $12 billion project includes $6.5 billion in federal funds. brightline ceo says the goal is to have trains running for the summer olympics in los angeles by 2028, so no time to waste. we shall see. >> well, much more news ahead at 530 on streaming tv. >> and if you're watching us on tv, world news tonight with david muir is next with sandhya patel. a

♪ >> david: tonight, breaking news, the criminal trial of donald trump. the first witness takes the stand, and what now happens first thing tomorrow morning. tonight, the prosecution's first witness facing the jury. david pecker, the former publisher of "the national enquirer," who prosecutors say was part of a scheme called