abc7 news starts right now. >> today on getting answers as electricity bills soar. can a new intelligent home heating and cooling system brought to you by ex-google and nest leaders, be the key to saving money and the planet? and the biggest conference for professional business women in california is back in just eight days. and the

young women who will be the leaders of tomorrow need your support today. but first, frustrated by the more than two dozen transit agencies in the bay area that don't seem well coordinated, could a bay area lawmakers new bill be the solution? thanks for joining us. i'm kristen sze we'll get to some of those interviews in just a moment. but first, we want to tell you about a plan to provide more housing for farm workers in half moon bay. it is moving forward as city leaders faced mounting pressure from governor newsom. the half moon bay planning commission debated for hours last night on the plan to build a five story, 40 unit building. the final vote came in early this morning. abc7 news reporter gloria rodriguez has the story. >> it's a great, you know, that the planning commission approved this project. although we aren't claiming victory yet. there's quite a few steps ahead of us. this house at 555 kelly avenue in half moon bay could become a five story, 40 unit housing for senior farm workers that would

also include a resource center, nonprofit alas and mercy housing have been working on the project . we're going to have resources for the farmworkers that are going to be living here on 5-5-5, kelly uh- with medical, dental and again, it's a prime location because they're able to walk, you know, to the clinic, to the church, to the grocery store. >> but there have been concerns about the height of the building, parking that could cause traffic congestion. and that's not all. tuesday marked the third hours long meeting the commission discussed and questioned the project. >> just reassure me that your financing is not going to fall apart. the questions we're asking are not about the importance of these services. >> we're trying to understand the land use. >> supporters of the project packed tuesday night's planning commission meeting that went until after midnight, with the commission voting in favor. the push comes after last year's mass shooting, where seven farm workers were killed on two

farms. the tragedy exposing their poor living conditions. last week, the governor threatened legal action against the half moon bay planning commission, calling for a delay to vote egregious. but mayor joaquin jimenez says it was not delayed but is just part of the process. >> i know they were accused of delaying the process, but they were not. it's something that it takes, you know, for a half a bit to develop half bombay. and i'm glad they came to a conclusion. so it's looking into details, the size, the space, what the space is going to be used for, so what is being proposed and that was abc7 news reporter gloria rodriguez is before the project can move forward, though, it needs to be approved by the city council. >> are you tired of pricey power bills? well who isn't? well, now? a new invention by one of silicon valley's top tech minds could be the answer. quilt is marketed as an all in one smart

home climate system that will help your home go green while saving you some greens. joining us live now to tell us all about it is paul lambert, quilts ceo and co-founder. paul, thanks for joining us. nice to see. thank you for having me. yeah, likewise. >> thanks for having us here. >> so tell us about your previous background real quickly . >> yeah. so before quilt i was at google for six years, most recently i was actually an investor within google, which is a really cool role. and prior to that, i worked on, intelligence for gmail. >> okay. so you know, why did you get behind quilt? what is the big idea here? what inspired it? >> i wanted to make the biggest difference i could, on climate change because i felt like that was the most important problem facing the next generation. and i have two young kids, and, it was just really motivated to try to make an impact. and i was shocked when i learned the percent of emissions that come from homes is actually about 20, which is larger than cars. so and the go ahead, i was gonna

say the largest contributor to that is the hvac system. and you know, a lot of people don't think about it, but they're burning gas in their home just like they are in their car. and there's a lot of excitement around evs and cars right now, of course, and the electrification of vehicles. and i just didn't see the same level of innovation happening in the home space where we thought if we brought great, great, great product design and sort of world class technology to the home electrification space, we could really jumpstart it, the home electrification movement. >> okay, so of course, we all know what hvac is. the traditional heating and cooling system. but how does this room by room approach work? what does the technology that makes it work kind of walk us through it? >> yeah. so it's called a heat pump. and it's an electric way of, getting heating and cooling to the home, but it doesn't convert the electricity into heat. so it's not like a toaster or something like that. it just powers. it's called a compressor that moves the energy around and

because of that, they're super duper efficient. in fact, more than 100% efficient, the system is usually more than 400% efficient. so that means, like one watt of electricity will actually turn into four watts of heat in the house, it almost sounds like magic. and the other really interesting part about it is that you can miniaturize them and put them in every room, which is something you could never do with a fossil fuel system. you would never put a fire in every room of your house that would be really unsafe, but with heat pumps, they're very safe. so you can do that. and that allows you to create a new architecture of heating, cooling homes where you can do every room individually, which is a much more efficient. so you don't have to waste energy on empty rooms. but it's, also a lot more comfortable because many people have rooms in their house that are hard to control, like too hot or too cold, and that just goes away. >> so can i just ask you, how does it know? because i think the whole idea is you save energy when you don't heat or cool unnecessarily. so that is, if somebody is in the room, there's a human. oh, that human needs to be comfortable. how does it know when someone's in

the room? >> so we have really great occupancy sensors built into the product, it's actually a it's a new technology. the technical word is a millimeter wave and all the, all the sort of newest occupancy sensors use this. and they're it's really quite accurate. and, you know, so if anyone has ever used sort of the old ones where you sit in an office, you have to wave your arms to, you have the lights turn on for too. still, for too long, this is a totally different technology and it's quite dependable. >> all right. so what are the advantages here. because i know it's kind of marketed as is going to save you money. but i wonder when you consider the startup energy needed to change temperatures in vacant rooms. right. does it really give us some cost comparisons? >> so that's actually not as simple as just, you know, turning room off when you leave. when you walk back into the room, you want it to be comfortable. and so if it's gotten very uncomfortable, like, say, you know, it's coming into summer now, so say the room got really, really hot. you're going to want the ac to work as hard as it possibly can for those

first few minutes. and you actually lose a lot of the savings you might have gained by the room being off. so what our algorithms do, they sort of it's kind of like how you never let a hot tub get too cold. they sort of let the room drift to a point where we save energy, but we're never so far away that we can't get you back to comfort really quickly. and and, and that's, that's actually a really key technology that we've developed now. >> but those mini split heat pumps are i've heard they could be less efficient in cold climates. is that true? and if it is, do you have a solution for that? for you know, its use? i mean obviously in the bay area it's fine. but what about colder places? >> so, our, our unit is top of the line when it comes to cold climate performance. we wanted to just make it not be an issue. older models of heat pumps, many actually at this point decades ago had had issues there. but for example, we are 100% heating output down to negative five fahrenheit, which i think it's close to -20 celsius. so, and we'll go well below that. we're above 90% down to -13 fahrenheit, i'm actually from canada originally, so i might

have a soft spot for this, but we just wanted to make sure that there was no, no question. and also we didn't want a company named quilts to not be able to keep you warm. >> all right, paul, i've got many more questions, but unfortunately, due to some shifting around of today's show, i've got to let you go. but the website is what quilt.com, right? >> com yes. >> the quilt that keeps you warm at night. okay. paul lambert thank you very much. >> thanks for having us. >> up next, a bill to improve bay area transit. more on that

a california state bill being considered may ask voters to pitch in to make transit more seamless in our region. joining

us live now is state senator aisha wahab of fremont, a co-sponsor of sb 1031. senator wahab, thanks for your time. >> thank you for having me. >> what are the main goals of the connect bay area act in terms of improving transit? >> definitely. so there's two parts of this bill. number one is definitely consolidation and coordination to prioritize speed, affordability, safety cleanliness and our climate goals, and the second part is also funding our transit agencies right now. last year we saw, that significant cuts were being made to transit across the board. and we have 27 different agencies in the nine bay area counties. so we want to make sure that we are prioritizing funding long term. >> all right. so let's break that down into the two halves. first the seamless part. yes i understand we have 27 different transit agencies across our nine counties. and there are people who complain about, oh this

doesn't match with that. i have to wait here for too long and it doesn't connect to that. explain how you know, this bill, envisions us making it all more seamless. >> definitely. because we have 27 different agencies. they all operate very differently. and the goal is to hopefully consolidate a lot of these agencies and the work that is being done. so trying to prioritize again our ridership and making sure that we are competing with the automobile, you know, not that we're competing with each other, but we're actually competing with the option of driving ourselves. right? we want to. >> are you saying some agencies may be eliminated, for example, no more ac transit? i'm not saying that one in particular, but it's like some could be gone so that you're saving on administrative costs and things like that. >> so it's not necessarily the agency because the work still has to be done. it is the operation and administration of those agencies. and again, this bill is to study how we would potentially consolidate. so 27 agencies. you're talking about ac transit, which covers alameda

county bus systems in the county . but we also have, for example, a union city bus system, right, hitting some of the same routes at the same time. and so we want to see what we can do to really make that more efficient. and spend less money on it. >> okay. now let's talk about the funding piece. right. because i know there's a lot of infrastructure you guys want. i mean, we're not talking building freeways, but really bike pedestrian friendly and things that encourage transit smoothness. so where would the money piece come from? is this is this something people will vote for? say yes. taxes more? is sales tax. what is it? >> yeah, it is going to be up to the voters as to how we are going to fund these agencies. and again, this is a joint bill to both have the carrot and the stick right to make sure that we are being efficient in how we operate, but then also making sure that we prioritize, public transit, the bay area is largely a metro area. you know, we are getting bigger. we have an influx of population and much more. and yet people still choose to, you know, drive on the freeways and we want to make

sure that we are prioritizing, public transit and making sure that it's faster, it's cleaner, it's safer. it incorporates technology. you can get work done while utilizing public transit. and not everybody can bike. not everybody can walk to their destinations. you know, we're living in fremont and commuting to san francisco or to san jose or oakland, so we need better solutions like under this , how would you how would low income and underserved communities benefit? definitely. so low income individuals in particular are, you know, part of the vulnerable community that i prioritize. and i know senator wiener, who's the joint author on this bill, deeply care about. we want to make sure that, you know, taking public transit is cheap. it has to be cheaper than what we're seeing today. it has to be faster than what we're seeing today. it has to be cleaner and safer. that is the priority of this bill, and of course, you know, the seamless part, you know, making sure that, you know, you can utilize one system to pay for everything and much more, the transfers is

on time. it's very clear to the rider, and we're prioritizing the ridership experience. right, that's really the reality of this bill. >> so this bill is now in the senate appropriations committee, right. and if the whole senate votes on it later this month and approves it, then what would it make it to the ballot? and when would that happen? >> so it's very early stages right now. if it moves out of a process which is going to be tomorrow, and we'll see what happens with that. it moves to the senate floor. the senate votes on it, and then it goes to the assembly and then through the committees there, and more amendments are going to be made to make this bill better, and once the assembly votes on it, it comes back to the senate and it goes to the governor and to the voters. >> i know it's still early, but are you not able to give me any sort of estimate on the financial or economic impact to individual californians, so for the most part, it will be, you know, right now it's still being discussed as to whether or not it's going to be a sales tax, a

parcel tax, or a payroll tax or a vehicle. miles traveled tax, we are prioritizing, you know, districts like my own, the east bay and south bay communities and how much we're trying to really focus on. and the goal of this bill is to raise roughly about 1.5 billion, annually for ongoing operations costs. as far as what this bill is going to cost to implement and much more, we're going to see what the analysis is in regards to appropriations and how it's going to be, you know, tailored after it comes out of appropriation. so it'd be premature to kind of put a dollar figure on it right now. >> all right. i know you have about 30s, so i'm just going to ask you, why is this so important? i mean, i know taxes are always a hard sell, but why is this, important? >> it's important because we need to keep our bay area public transit alive, but also make it more efficient to compete with the vehicle and prioritize our climate goals. and also our region as a whole. we are one of the few metro regions that don't have a seamless transit system,

and that is a priority for everybody here, state senator aisha wahab fremont, co-sponsor of the connect bay area act. >> thank you so much. >> thank you. >> we're counting down to a major conference celebrating women in the professional world. wel look at what it means to be you i

the annual gathering celebrating women and their careers will take place this year at the fox theater in redwood city, new location on may 23rd. it's their first in-person conference since the pandemic. joining us live now is shirley gordon, pb, pwc board member and scholarship committee co-chair, and leah mimoun, a pb pwc scholarship award recipient and abc seven's race and social justice and community engagement intern. shirley and leah, thanks for joining us. >> thank you for having us. >> absolutely. shirley. leah, i

see that background by the way, is that our control room? i think it is, i love it, yes it is. all right, shirley, i'll start with you. explain to our viewers what the pb pwc conference is all about, the conference is about empowering women and supporting each other. and so it's a terrific time to be together for the first time. as you just mentioned, since the pandemic. and it's just that whole vibe around supporting one another and learning and being inspired by and being encouraged by some dynamic speakers. and so we're really excited about all of our headliner speakers and just the day will be fantastic. >> yeah, i think this year you have martha stewart, right? i know it's always a great list. you've had hillary clinton before, jane fonda. who else do you have this year, we also have kara swisher is here, of course, with her podcast and being an editor and, bestseller list and new york, of course. and then chip conley will bring a new

dimension to the program as we are talking about the diversity of our guests that will be there. and so he's talking about transformation in our different stages of your life. >> this year's theme is boo, right. what will you explore in workshops and keynotes? in keeping with that theme? >> so when you think about boo, we're talking about reckoning, using our own gifts and being able to be authentic and being able to express ourselves about what it means. advocating for those things that are important to you. so it is important for us to have that freedom and that space to be able to support each other, advocate for the things that are important to us at a time like this. today, it is important for voices heard. >> and shirley, you know, not only are you uplifting each other as professional women, you're also raising the next generation of professional women. women who are going to be future leaders. and to that end, you have the scholarship

program. tell us about it and why it's so integral to pb pwc's mission. >> well, just as you said, it is about developing and supporting our generation, the next generation. and so in fact, we don't even have to say next generation. many of them are inspiring and doing things today, just as lee is doing. so the scholarship program has been in existence more than 25 years, and it's one of the ways that pb, pwc continues to support the next generation. and we do that through reviewing a number of applications that we get every year, hundreds of them, in fact. and so this year we will celebrate five recipients. they are so dynamic. it's amazing when you get a chance to see them. they're already leading. they're already changing the world through organizations that they've created, and they have causes that matter to them. so it's going to be important for us to showcase them and have them network with people that are older than them, but yet

also people who could support them in their careers. right. >> because we all need mentors, shirley. and i think we were looking at video of last year's winners. but leah, you are now an outstanding intern here at abc seven. we're so happy to have you. you're also a pb pwc scholarship winner. i think what , in 2020, what does the scholarship meant to you? >> the scholarship was really incredible, i was class of 2020 for high school, and so i graduated at a time where my family was going through difficult financial situations, like many others were during covid, and because of the scholarship, i was able to buy a new laptop. it's actually the same laptop i'm zooming you from right now, and it was super helpful during college. it really it was really a game changer for me. >> in addition to, you know, helping you afford that laptop, i know that money always helps, but it's really what you learn and the connections, right? didn't you also attend a conference? >> absolutely. i think that year

cate blanchett was the speaker. it was really incredible. well, i got to connect with so many, so many amazing women, as well as the other scholarship recipients. and some of us still keep in touch. >> that is amazing. so, like, did it really help you with your confidence and your career and your approach? because you seem plenty confident. when i see you in the newsroom, yes, definitely. i think also seeing how amazing the other scholarship recipients were and being, i think among them was really confidence boosting for me. it showed me that there are a lot of other career paths than the ones that i was introduced to in high school. it was really just an overall great experience. >> so, shirley, when will this year's scholarship award recipients be announced? >> they will be announced next week. as a matter of fact, on the 23rd, during the conference. and that's one of the times we get to showcase them. i had an opportunity to talk to many of them ahead of time to inform them that they were recipients. oh, they were surprised that they were winners. i'm like, why are you surprised you've done so

many. so are they. it's going to be great for them not to underestimate the power that they bring. absolutely >> hey, if people if our viewers believe in this program, how can they support it going forward? shirley. >> absolutely. they can go and encourage them to go to pb, pwc, org and have a link there that they can pledge their support during the conference is one of the times we have an opportunity, like you just mentioned, to showcase our winners and talk about the organization and then an opportunity for them to share in this investment in our youth. it is important. so sincerely, shirley. >> we heard the in-person conference at redwood city's fox theater is sold out, right? but virtual tickets are still available. so do you want to talk to us about what the virtual experience is like and where people can get tickets and whether it'll still be really productive? >> absolutely. and tickets are available for the virtual experience. we learn from the pandemic area that we could do an effective conference virtually, and so we expect that

to be the situation. now, those who you can sign up by actually through may 23rd at pwc, org and , and some of the benefits include having access to on demand presentation from all of these keynote speakers. they have opportunity to network and chat during that time frame as well through the new platforms that we have. so i think sort of being there, they will have a similar experience and they will be able to connect with others that are attending the conference as well. >> fantastic. all right. shirley gordon, pb, pwc board member, and leah mimoun, our intern and former pb, pwc scholarship recipient. thank you both for coming on the show. >> thank you. we appreciate you. thank you. >> remember, abc seven news is streaming 24 seven. you can get the abc7 bay area app and join us whenever you want, wherever

it's from around the bay area. world news tonight with tonight, breaking news. president biden's surprise debate challenge to donald trump. tonight, donald trump saying yes. both agreeing to two presidential debates. one right here on abc. also tonight, the chilling images, the attempted assassination overseas. and here at home, we're tracking severe storms on the move right now. first tonight, the debate showdown between president biden and donald trump. president biden issuing that challenge, former president trump accepting. the first debate before the conventions on cnn.