will not be charged with a crime because i am innocent. >> four days after federal investigators raided her home, the mayor of oakland broke her silence, addressing her constituents. good afternoon. i'm kristen sze. >> and i'm julian glover. not only did mayor qingtao repeatedly say she was innocent, but she also expressed anger for not being given an option to cooperate with investigators, a courtesy that she claims has been given to other public elected officials in similar circumstances. >> let's get right to abc seven news reporter ryan curry. >> he was there when the mayor addressed the city. he now joins us live outside of oakland city hall. ryan >> yeah. julie and kristen. good afternoon. the mayor was emotional at times while reading her statement. she wanted to make one thing clear that she is not resigning. oakland mayor shengtao, appearing publicly for the first time since the fbi raided her house, law enforcement sources tell abc

seven news the raid was part of a public corruption investigation. mayor tao says she is innocent and i want to be crystal clear. >> i have done nothing wrong. i can tell you with confidence that this investigation is not about me. >> the mayor read a prepared statement questioning the fbi's tactics. when agents showed up to her house early thursday morning. >> i want to know what probable cause the fbi has. what evidence have they collected that justifies raiding the home of a city mayor without notice, and without the courtesy of a conversation outside of city hall, resigned today following the mayor's media conference calls for her to step down were once again shouted by a group aiming to recall her. >> you can bluster and everything and pretend that you are a victim. we don't need victims. we need leaders, we need leadership, tao says. >> the recall is backed by people outside of oakland. >> i want to know more about the

handful of billionaires from san francisco and from piedmont who are hell bent on running me out of office. >> the recall supporters say they are willing to accept donations from groups outside oakland, but they say the effort is led by oaklanders. >> those signatures that we gathered were not based on some kind of conspiracy. that's right . these are people coming every day, people who are hurting and who are looking to you for leadership. >> the mayor says she has no intention of heeding calls for her resignation. i'm seeking the truth right now just as much as you all are. >> but i will not be bullied and i will not be disparaged, and i will not be threatened out of this office. >> you can hear it was a very fiery speech from the mayor. she did not take any questions from reporters. her staff said her attorneys advised her not to. we did reach out to the fbi office for an update on the investigation. we're waiting to hear back. but for now, reporting live in oakland. ryan curry, abc seven news.

>> ryan, thank you so much for that. we're joined now with abc seven news insider phil matier, i want to get to your thoughts about the mayor's statement in just a bit, but we have some more information about a bit of a shakeup with her legal counsel. >> yeah, her legal counsel, tony brass, who is a very well known and respected defense attorney, former federal prosecutor, basically bowed out of the case. and when asked why, he told me, you know, for starters, he didn't know that this press conference was going to happen at all. he didn't know, and he didn't know what she was going to say. and i don't believe that he was comfortable with her insinuations that the fbi was somehow acting out of political considerations, that they were somehow involved with the recall effort, that the recall effort happened, and that she found it, quote unquote, troublesome that the fbi showed up the next day or within two days. and even she even questioned, how did we in the media find out about it, hinting that possibly the fbi leaked it, when in fact we found out about it because the next door neighbors started seeing fbi officers going in and out of

her house. and that's what attracted the attention. and that person was from makes it very difficult for him, you know, to represent her or others in front of the federal authorities. and it's going could make it even more difficult for her to work something out with them. >> we know that the mayor is clearly fighting for her political life right now. as we mentioned, the recall will be on the november ballot. this was very much, in my eyes, an appeal to oakland voters to say, hey, i can still do this job. do you think that she made that clear? do you think that she made the case that she's still the person to lead the city of oakland through what is, by all accounts, a very tough time right now? >> she made her argument that she is the one she think people buy her argument. the case will be made by events. julian. it is not going to be by rhetoric. it's going to be. can she do something about the violence in oakland? we had 15 people shot on juneteenth celebration. can she do something about the reductions of the numbers of police and other vital services in oakland? there are facing a tremendous budget deficit. can she come up with the money? can

she make the cut? can she get them through these rough times? that's going to be the argument over the next couple of months, because the election wouldn't happen until after the recall would be in november. so she between now and then, she's going to do what she can. >> let's talk about the fbi investigation, because that's why we're here in the first place. right. what more do we know about the fbi investigation at this time? obviously, the fbi known for being very tight lipped with these things, and they're no doubt going to slow walk this well when we take a look at who is involved. >> and it was the fbi, the internal revenue service, which is taxed, and the us postal authority that spells financial questions when you put those together. and so what we have here is questions about possibly financial irregularities or something between either her or her longtime live in partner andre jones and the owners of the california waste solutions, a company that owns the exclusive right for curbside recycling in oakland. they are

big political donors. they have a history of giving it. they helped put together a trip, a trade mission for the mayor to vietnam. they are. so we are seeing that we've seen similar cases unfold in san francisco in recent years, and the fbi moves at their own pace. they don't. you're not going to she's not going. they're not going to call her and say, hey, we've decided that you're not involved. they're not going to issue a statement saying you're innocent. that's not the way it works. >> and there's no rushing an fbi investigation either. i want to get in the soundbite right here, because the mayor certainly went on the offensive today, claiming that there were other city officials who are under similar allegations, but they aren't facing an fbi raid in the manner that she did. let's listen in to. >> but what i do know is that this wouldn't have gone down the way it did if i was rich, if i had gone to elite private schools or if i had come from money. i know that for sure, because former elected officials are sitting safely in their

houses in the hills right now with campaign finance violations piling up mountains of evidence that prove actual wrongdoing. their front doors remain intact, their reputations preserved, their innocence presumed until proven guilty. they will never face this indignity. >> she's referring or veiled reference to former mayor libby shaft, who is being under investigation by the oakland ethics commission for questionable financing on a ballot measure. okay was was she working behind the scenes for a committee on a ballot measure? it was sort of an interesting travel log there from the mayor, who says that we are innocent until proven guilty. but i know that she's facing charges and they're piling up when in fact, those charges we haven't seen anybody charged with anything. >> and, of course, a local ethics investigation versus an fbi investigation. not exactly. >> you know, the mayor is portraying herself as a victim. that's the bottom line. she's a

victim of the billionaires who were out to get her out of office. she's a victim of the fbi's investigation. she's a victim of being born and raised poor in the united states. will that victimhood uh- messed resound? we will see. >> we'll see this november for sure. phil matier, we appreciate it. thank you. >> and of course, the abc7 news i-team is following the money, uncovering new information linked to the fbi's political corruption investigation. i-team reporter stephanie sierra discovered the alleged fraud scheme dates back to 2016. >> new details about the man seemingly at the center of the fbi's political corruption investigation that raided the mayor of oakland's home last week. and now it's getting more interesting. a short search on andy duong's instagram page shows he frequently posts with people in high places in the political world, including president joe biden, vice president kamala harris, governor gavin newsom, multiple

pictures with attorney general rob bonta and health and human services secretary and former ag javier becerra. the list goes on, including some in other states like nevada ag, aaron ford, according to an investigation by the fair political practices commission, which is a state oversight arm. andy duong was the true source of at least 93 contributions to multiple local campaign committees when he created a campaign contribution laundering scheme to benefit his family owned company, california waste solutions, or ors, for using the names of intermediaries or straw donors. instead of disclosing ors as the true source of the contributions. according to the fppc, this is an ongoing investigation, with evidence suggesting it started around 2016 through at least 2018, and included some campaign contributions that were fraudulently concealed from the

public. all but one of the campaign committees targeted were in jurisdictions with local contribution limits, and to make matters worse, the investigation found during this time, the city of oakland prohibited any campaign contribution to contractors providing services to the city that would require oakland city council approval. yet documents show many of the targeted committees were candidates running for city council. for example, in 2016, the duong's maxed out $700 contributions to oakland city council committees for larry reid, dan kalb, rebecca kaplan, viola gonzalez, and friends of desley brooks. in 2016, the donations extended to the milpitas city council election, including anthony phan, and again in 2018, where the duong's maxed out $800 contributions to city council campaigns for desley brooks able guillen and xiang tao, according to an abc

seven analysis of state and federal data. both andy duong and his father, david, have made contributions totaling more than $200,000 to at least 28 candidates across california, moren 300 other contributions, totaling $1.7 million, were sent to candidates or political action committees across the country, including leading donations to the campaigns for congressman eric swalwell, adam schiff, congresswoman barbara lee and even former president donald trump. we've reached out to each public official directly, but haven't immediately heard back for the i-team. stephanie sierra, abc seven news. >> very connected. stay with abc seven news to learn the latest about the fbi investigation and its impact on mayor tao and the city of oakland. we'll continue to update abc seven news.com and the abc seven bay area app. >> another longtime business along oakland's hegenberger corridor is closing. park hotels

and resorts plans to close the hilton hotel near the oakland airport effective august the 28th. that closure was confirmed by the port of oakland, which owns the land there. the hotel has been in business for 56 years. no reason was given for that closure, but several restaurants in the area, including denny's, in-n-out, have shut down recently, citing concerns with crime, along the hackenberger corridor. >> the alameda county grand jury has returned a new report that shows the oakland police department is in need of a long term technology plan. the grand jury spent a year looking into the department's it unit and pinpointed what it calls missed opportunities. it determined the unit is understaffed and there's no plan, nor any resources in place to develop a real time crime center. the grand jury also found oakland police do not respond to all shotspotter verified alerts, and the department is unable to respond to more than 100 license plate reader alerts each day. >> today in san jose, a vta light rail train partially

derailed. officials say it slipped off the tracks at capitol station. tim passengers were on board. thankfully, no hurt. the cause of this incident is still under investigation. that train was switching from southbound to northbound, so that may have been related to this issue. capitol station is now closed and an existing bus bridge has been extended to that station. >> still ahead, our shelter beds going unused. the claims now being made in santa clara county. >> plus increasing pay for health care workers in california. why it's so crucial right now and marking two years since the fall of roe versus wade, we'll take a look at reproductive rights and the effort to protect them here in california. >> i'm spencer christian after a rather toasty day in our inland communities, don't expect much of a cool down tomorrow. i'll have the accuweather forecast in just a momen

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line, the department's most wanted facebook and instagram pages will be used to generate new leads for tracking down wanted fugitives. the pages showcase violent crime suspects who have been identified but are still out on the run. many of these cases qualify for cash rewards if the information submitted leads to an arrest. >> san jose police are trying to identify the victim and locate the suspect in a recent homicide. the victim was shot on

may 9th at a homeless encampment near highway 280, interstate 280 and mclaughlin avenue. he died three days later. investigators say he was known in the area as kumar, an east indian man with a trident tattoo on his right arm. they're still trying to determine the victim's full name. police have identified a suspect, but no arrests have been made. >> getting a break from the heat is top of mind for unhoused people and those advocating for them. and now there are claims that santa clara county is not utilizing all of its shelter beds to bring people inside when it's hot out. abc seven news reporter zach fuentes has more on these allegations, and the response from officials. >> rising summer temperatures have made the toughest living conditions not only more unbearable for unhoused people in santa clara county, advocates say it can be deadly. >> a lot of the people who are dying, one of the secondary primary, secondary causes of death is diabetes and hypertension. and those are things that definitely go through the roof during heat. >> but advocate sean cartwright, unhoused people and other

community groups say the county has left at least 80 beds at this sunnyvale shelter unused. the shelter has been going through transition. the current operator is pulling out after allegations that it discriminated against black employees and residents. the new operator will eventually transition it from serving single adults to homeless families, something advocates say is a disservice to older single people. still, they say the immediate need this summer is moving people into air conditioned shelter. the county's office of supportive housing confirmed with us that the north county shelter is operating at reduced capacity, while site improvements are being made. in a statement, it said the county stopped new referrals to the shelter in late april 2024 so the remaining residents could be served in one part of the building while the county completes repairs to other parts of the building and parking lot this summer. >> it makes no sense whatsoever that they need to have less than 60 people in this half to do that. half county supervisor otto lee said. >> he's focused on making sure the shelter upcoming transition between operators goes smoothly for staff and residents, and also shares concern over underused shelter beds. >> you know, doing renovation,

maybe you can not fill every single bed, but is there a way we can increase the capacity because right now, from what i heard, they have not been accepting climb for a few months now. and to me that's not that's not right. >> those who say they've been waiting for shelter beds say they're upset knowing that beds are going unused. >> why do they say they're going to help you and they don't do it? i mean, if you're going to help me, then let's do some help . >> the office of supportive housing said that if there are high overnight temperatures, it will work to offer resources such as cooling centers in santa clara county. zach fuentes, abc seven news firefighters brought a grass fire near highway 85 and 87, in san jose, under control this afternoon. >> heavy smoke and flames could be seen from the road. the blaze left traffic at a standstill. emergency crews shut down the santa teresa boulevard off ramp once they cleared the highway, they were able to gain ground on the flames and the all clear came shortly after 2 p.m. >> it is certainly clear that fire season is here, and early this year for sure. let's get a

check of the forecast now. >> abc seven news weather anchor spencer christian is here with the details. hopefully a few degrees cooler here. spencer >> that'll happen gradually as we get later into the week. kristen and julian. but right now it's pretty toasty in some inland spots and we have clouds in the picture as well. not even not keeping the temperatures down. here's a look at the satellite radar composite image. you can see some active weather in the interior western and southwestern u.s. some of that moisture associated with high and mid-level clouds moving into the bay area actually produced a couple of sprinkles today down in parts of the south bay. but generally we've been dry and we've been warm, and we're breezy right now. as you can see, with surface wind speeds up to about 20mph at sfo, 16 here in san francisco, and it's a few degrees warmer, not a lot, but 2 to 5 degrees warmer generally in the central part of the bay area than at this time yesterday. so let's move along and take a look at exactly how mild it is. these are automated readings that come in every hour on the hour, but sometimes automation doesn't quite work. but right now we can see it's 73 at oakland, 82 at

hayward and san jose, 57 at half moon bay, looking down onto the bay from mount tam. this is a beautiful view. we've got clouds at various levels of the atmosphere, but it's mainly clear 8083 degrees right now in santa rosa, petaluma, 7780, in napa, mid 90s at fairfield, concord and livermore. and as we look across the embarcadero from our rooftop camera, we also check out the forecast headlines, morning clouds and afternoon sunshine tomorrow for the remainder of the week, bright skies and mild temperatures with a gradual cooling pattern. and then for the weekend, it looks like it's going to be sunny for the pride parade next sunday. but for tonight, we'll see a continuing passage of mid-level and high though, and in the early morning s just before it gets brighter and sunnier, some of those clouds will linger, but we'll have a mainly sunny day in the afternoon tomorrow. overnight, low temperatures will be generally in the mid to upper 50s. some locations inland, like antioch, livermore, down at san jose. lows won't drop below 60 degrees, so it's going to be pretty mild, maybe even uncomfortably mild in some spots

during the overnight hours. highs tomorrow about 60 at half moon bay. mid to upper 70s around the bay shoreline. inland areas generally in the mid to upper 80s, but a few locations like antioch and livermore will top out in the low 90s tomorrow. and here is the accuweather seven day forecast. so it does start to cool down a bit on wednesday. noticeably so, in fact, with inland highs only in the upper 80s and mid 70s around the bay shoreline. and for the remainder of the week we'll see inland highs generally mid to upper 80s maybe up to about 90 going into the weekend. sunday looks like great weather for the pride parade here in san francisco. mainly sunny skies, even mild here in the city. so we've got great weather ahead, but it looks like next monday we might have a little spike in temperatures, which could be the beginning of another. not a heat wave, but another wave of hotter weather. okay. all right. >> for the 4th of july week. >> all right. oh, yes. yeah. well, good timing, i guess. >> there it is. yeah. appreciate it. all right. >> san jose broke ground on its fourth inclusive playground

today. almaden lake regional park is being transformed to include play elements for people of all ages and abilities. the 65 acre park will feature a 21ft climbing structure. waterways, sensory plants and enclosed areas for younger children to play safely. >> this groundbreaking is a really important moment. it's a commitment to all inclusive play, recreation, mental health, physical health and not just for us today, but for our kids, our grandkids, for future generations, the mayor says. >> there's not enough money to complete all the phases of the safe community space, but he's confident it will be forthcoming. construction will include ada upgrades to the restrooms, parking stalls and a pathways to the playground. >> up next at four, recognizing the country's best in high school theater, it's time for the jimmy awards, and we'll hear from a young star from right here in the bay area

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all right. well, tonight is the night. >> yeah. broadway's future stars will get their first taste of the great white way during tonight's national high school musical theater awards. that better known as the jimmy awards , is given below, along with all you people. >> can't you see?

>> can't you see? >> the country's best high school actors have been