ead. you got this. the comcast business five-year price lock guarantee. switch today for a limited time. but we have a lot of work still to be done. that is three oakland's police chief pushing back on perception. >> what he's saying. violence in

the city and criticism of his officers. good evening. >> i'm ama daetz and i'm dan ashley. thanks for joining us. chief floyd mitchell is not just speaking from the heart or off the cuff. he's backing his claims with new numbers out tonight. and he says they show violence in oakland is trending downward. >> today in a lengthy news conference, the chief talked about where the strides are being made, but admitted they have a lot more work to do. >> abc seven news reporter anser hassan has more. >> we are seeing a reduction in total crime across oakland, but it's important to understand that when you look at our violent crime, it is decreasing. and we know these numbers are very accurate. >> just three months into his new role, oakland police chief floyd mitchell is praising the gains oakland is making fighting crime, which includes targeting crime corridors and working with community-based partners and increased police presence. >> we're focusing a lot of our efforts in the area on international boulevard where we know sex trafficking is occurring. >> the department highlighted arrests made in connection to

four different homicides from the summer. community activist george galloway says crime may be trending downwards, but it's not necessarily the result of better police work or the increase in number of arrests. >> the question is, is who was arrested? is it more of the same kind of scandalous behavior that we've seen in the past, in which people are just being arrested because and racially profiled evidence is being planted? >> galvez says many residents are still skeptical of a police department, which is still under federal oversight. even chief mitchell admits the department faces challenges dealing with property crimes, but adds an upgrade to the computer system should resolve problems with the backlog, which we hope will help us in regards to those property crimes and getting more accurate and up to date and timely data out to our public. chief mitchell says the department is also reviewing its police chase policy following last month's request from governor newsom to ease restrictions, and he says staffing shortages continue to present challenges. it means, in some cases, violent crimes are prioritized over property crimes. >> i don't like where we are

now, but from a staffing issue, we have to stay within the prioritization of this and we're going to get to you. it just may take a little longer. >> he adds a new staffing study is due out soon. the outcome could be to redistrict the police beats in oakland, anser hassan abc seven news. >> an investigation is underway into a deadly shooting in berkeley. it's the city's third homicide of the year. police say they were called for reports of gunshots on adeline street, near martin luther king junior way, just before 1 p.m. today, about lunchtime. that area from woolsey to harmon streets is still affected by road closures while detectives investigate. >> former ufc champion cain velasquez pleaded no contest today to attempted murder charges and several other charges. velasquez is accused of shooting at a man during a high speed car chase in south san jose in 2022. the person he chased was accused of molesting a relative of velasquez. >> we think that this is the next step that is holding him

accountable and is going to keep our community safe from people who engage in this type of vigilante behavior and put the community, our community, at risk. >> velasquez is intended victim still faces felony molestation charges. a sentencing date has not been scheduled at this time. >> governor newsom just signed ten new bills into law to fight retail crimes, car thefts and sales of stolen goods. it's the latest action from state leaders on a problem that worsened, of course, during the pandemic. the property crime and retail theft crackdown bill promises stronger enforcement and more serious penalties and sentences. >> if you ransack our stores, if you attack our people, if you endanger our communities, we will come for you. >> program passing is not problem solving. signing a bill doesn't solve a problem. it's the hard work that comes over the course of the next weeks, and months. >> the ten bills hold criminals accountable from crimes involving property, retail and vehicles. for example, enhanced

felony charges and punishments for those selling stolen goods. the aim is to bolster prosecution of repeat offenders through increased probation and retail theft restraining orders. >> so now that the governor has signed this package of bills into law, how are small business owners responding? abc seven news reporter lena howland set out to find out and joins us live from the newsroom. >> lena san francisco has been no stranger to retail crimes from major luxury retailers hit repeatedly by smash and grabs to small business owners wondering when they'll get hit again. some say they need the support now more than ever. >> definitely. retail theft is out of control. >> every day it's a problem. >> it's been just three months since two thieves broke into mariana o'connor's clothing store in san francisco's cow hollow neighborhood. they got away with more than $43,000 worth of inventory and o'connor's sense of safety. >> every day i come into my space, my store, and then i'm asking myself, so those people,

they're going to come back again. we're going to happen so that is, this is something we really, really, really need to fix that i don't feel safe inside of my store in the mission district, someone tried to break in to miranda's market wednesday night, cutting the lock on their front gate. >> the thieves didn't get away with anything this time, but it's not the first time someone has tried and it seems like it's like, might be the same people more than anything. >> it's stressful, unnecessary, and annoying because everyone's already struggling in this economy and it's just just a waste of time. >> san francisco saw a dramatic increase in shoplifting incidents during the pandemic. videos like this one showing organized retail thefts in union square seeming more common. the thefts led to economic losses, contributed to store closures and some upscale stores have since changed to appointment only. efforts to combat retail theft ramped up in 2022, when the state set aside more than $200 million for crime fighting

grants. san francisco got 17 million, but senator scott wiener of san francisco says more help is on the way. >> it is incredibly harmful to our retailers, to our grocery stores, to the community, and we need better accountability. >> he wrote one of ten theft bills governor newsom signed into law friday. >> if there's no accountability, then people are just going to keep doing it. and you know, when you walk into a walgreens or cvs and everything is locked up, that's just negative for the customer, for the employees, for everyone. and we need to move past that. >> part of the legislation signed by governor newsom today also targets car break-ins, known as beiping. senator wiener says this removes a loophole where the da had to prove the doors were locked on a car during a car. break-in. live in the newsroom lena howland, abc seven news. all right, lena, thanks so much.

>> weeks after a fire destroyed a beloved east bay bookstore, a book lovers are coming together to help it recover. east bay booksellers in oakland's rockridge neighborhood is just a total loss. as we reported to you after the fire last month. other bay area bookstores are working together to help. organizing a gofundme that's raised nearly $220,000 so far. they're also planning a fundraiser in berkeley on sunday featuring local authors. >> an appeals court has ruled that california state law, designed to protect children online likely violates the first amendment. the age appropriate design code act prohibits social media platforms from using children's personal information, but a panel of judges objected to a portion of the act which calls for online businesses to mitigate the risk that children may be exposed to harmful materials online. the panel determined this would likely fail first amendment scrutiny. the law was supposed to go into effect this summer, but it's now on hold while the federal courts weigh the merits. >> tonight, the economy is the focus of the presidential

campaigns. in her first major policy speech, vice president kamala harris outlined her economic agenda in north carolina, building up the middle class will be a defining goal of my presidency. her plan includes up to $25,000 in down payment, support for first time home buyers. she also wants to expand the child tax credit and create the first ever federal ban on price gouging for food and groceries. meantime, former president donald trump is accusing harris of wrecking the economy. >> she destroys everything she touches, and if she wins, your finances and your country will never recover, you're never going to recover. >> trump's economic plan includes increasing domestic energy production and eliminating taxes on tips and social security benefits. the democratic national convention is next week. abc seven news anchor julian glover will report live from chicago starting on monday. he'll be there through thursday for harris's big speec. >> coming up, it's a festival

that has roots here in the bay area. but now ticket sales to this year's burning man festival in nevada next week are down. we'll hear from some local businesses feeling the i

a heatwave, it's kinda chilly in here. oh, that's because i'm pre-cooling the house with the ac before 4 pm.

then i'll turn our thermostat to a comfortable 78 or higher that way i could stay cool later. ooh, what about me? you're never cool. oh. the bay area economy. abc seven news reporter tim johns is here with a look at the effect on local retailers. tim. >> yeah, folks at home might remember last year's burning man received a lot of negative press towards the end. that was because torrential rain stranded thousands of people in the middle of the desert, with one person even dying. and this yea, the leftover effects of that mess is impacting bay area businesses. after being mired in controversy last year, burning man is set to return next weekend. but this year, ticket sales are down as many so-called burners appear to be staying

away. one person who won't be staying away, though, is david date, who says he's gone to every burning man since 2016. >> people came last year and you have these expectations of going and dancing and having fun. and it was not that experience. and people, you know, people there's a certain percentage of people that will never come back after having an experience like that. >> even though the event takes place in the nevada desert, the slow ticket sales are also being felt here in the bay area in san francisco's haight-ashbury neighborhood. several stores that cater to burners say they're also being impacted. >> they can come and be part of that art by what they choose. so they won't look like anyone else out there. >> at piedmont boutique, owner says she's noticed less burning man foot traffic than normal. >> that fiasco was publicized as really negative, extremely negative nationwide, worldwide. so that may have scared off a lot of newbies. >> a few blocks down the road at

kimono dave, david carr says they've seen a similar trend. carr, whose store is largely inspired by burning man, says the event accounts for a significant portion of their overall revenue. >> anywhere between 25 and 40%, depending on what products you have in stock and you know how well business is going. >> carr tells me. while he attributes some of the slowdown to the bad press that surrounded last year's gathering, he also thinks there are more factors. he says the slowing economy has hit attendance at festivals around the country. carr says with the week still to go until burning man kicks off, he's optimistic sales will pick up over the coming days. >> it would impact, you know, everything. it would mostly impact, like, what am i able to invest in moving forward? what new projects can i do? what new designs do i have ready to go? >> as for daetz, he says he couldn't be more excited for this year's burn. ready to get back to the true roots of what the festival is meant to be about sharing in that suffering with the community and transcending it was the highlight of my burn. now, this year's burning man is scheduled to take place from august 25th

through september the 2nd. i'm in the studio. tim johns, abc seven news. okay, tim. >> thanks so much. a week after outside lands music fans will descend on san francisco for another concert. a sold out crowd of 50,000 people will attend the inaugural golden gate park concert series, headlined by alternative rock bands system of a down and deftones. organizers say 90% of the audience is coming from outside san francisco, which will bring an economic impact to the city. >> coming up the weekend, i mean, almost here. wait, today is friday. it's here. it's here. come on. we're taking a live look at the conditions outside right now. i had to double check, though. we're going to check in with abc seven news

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is finding solutions. so we want to tell you about a charity founded and based here that is

doing something so simple really, but so profoundly life changing. and yet the impact it's having is being seen in towns and communities all around the world. these smiling faces are in mexico, and they're smiling because the physical challenges they live with just got a little bit easier here in the u.s. most people who need a wheelchair can get one, but that's not true in so many places around the world that need is what the wheelchair foundation was created to fill. it started in 2000 by the late ken bering, the developer of blackhawk and one time owner of the seattle seahawks. his sons have stepped in to keep this charity well, rolling. when you deliver a wheelchair to someone around the world and you see the reaction on their faces, what goes through your mind? >> well, i tell you, i think what i'm most fond of in the wheelchair foundation is when i give them away personally, in someone's home, we do in-home deliveries as well as large

distributions, but those in-home deliveries is what really touches your heart. >> this is a recent trip the foundation made to mexico. they brought hundreds of brand new wheelchairs with them to date, 1.2 million distributed to those in need in 156 countries around the world. what does that feel like when you deliver those wheelchairs? >> we feel like ambassadors of the united states. i mean, we're coming to their country helping them. we want nothing in return. my father had a saying. all we want in return is a smile. >> and do they ever see smiles in return? the gift of mobility and the comfort of knowing that strangers from america care. >> so you don't know exactly what you're getting into. you do know when you walk away from it. when it's all said and done, you are going to. they're going to leave their fingerprint on your soul. you just don't know how they're going to do it. but it happens. >> you know, you will have changed their lives. >> yeah. and they changed our lives too. it makes us look at life through a different lens, and about how we need to look

about connection and not correction and be more, you know, interconnected with each other. >> well, glenn, jeff, david and everyone who brings desperately needed wheelchairs to people around the world. talk about that connection. and if you'd like to feel it too, by supporting this effort, maybe even making a distribution trip, that's a possibility. just go to wheelchair foundation.org 1.2 million wheelchairs on 156 countries and 25 years. amazing. >> something that you might think is so simple that can make such a big difference. yeah. huge difference. right? yeah. okay. okay. i hereby do declare it the weekend. it's official 519 on friday, even though we're here, we still have a few hours to work left. >> abc seven, we give you the weekend. >> we give you the weekend. >> that's right. you know what? at least some people have made it to the weekend. dan and let's take a look. good evening to everyone as to what we are expecting. some changes will be getting underway as early as

tomorrow got this trough that is developing water vapor and live doppler seven showing it to you. it is going to impact our weather starting during the overnight hours. it's certainly going to kick up the winds strong enough over the sierra and parts of northern california heading into oregon, that a red flag warning has been issued due to gusty winds and low humidity. so the fire danger will be running high tomorrow. looking at live doppler seven here locally pretty quiet. picture a lot of sun out there and the temperatures in the 90s for our warmest spots like brentwood, saint helena 60 right near the coastline. it's been a beautiful day. i hope you had a chance to get out and enjoy the sun. the winds have been gusty right now. 37 miles an hour at sfo, 24 in san mateo, even out towards concord, we're getting gusts to 23 miles an hour. it will remain gusty tonight. you will notice as we go hour by hour, 25 to about 30 mile an hour. winds. they taper tomorrow morning and then pick right back up again around 11 12:00 tomorrow. looking at a beautiful

live view from. okay, look at the blue skies. if you are getting away out of. okay, here's a look at your travel. aloha travel forecast. oakland 20% chance of seeing a little bit of drizzle or a shower 72 degrees in the afternoon. we're looking at plenty of sun in honolulu. kona's 71 degrees and breezy in kahului. mount tam cam showing you a lot of sun out there overnight tonight into noontime saturday. cloudier areas of drizzle tomorrow afternoon. it's going to be cooler. gusty winds and sunday through early next week. sunnier skies will greet you with a warming trend on the way. so let's go hour by hour tonight. clouds will start to make their push once the winds back off a bit. tomorrow morning you will notice that some places east ba, shoreline, other areas just spotty are going to wake up to some damp roadways. so you may need those wipers briefly at noontime. still an isolated pocket of drizzle showing up, and then in the afternoon and evening it will be partly to mostly cloudy skies. rainfall totals. in terms of drizzle,

we're expecting a couple of hundredths of an inch. but look at oakland five hundredths of an inch expected, so can't rule out an isolated shower with that trough passing mostly to the north. 50s and 60s. first thing in the morning. watch out for some damp roads wet roadways if you have early plans. mid 60s coast side, breezy to gusty low 80s inland. a far cry from the 90s today so dropping below average and it's a damp and cloudy start tomorrow morning. tomorrow afternoon you'll see a little bit of sun breaking through, but it's really going to be late in the day. sunday sunnier and breezy, so sunshine and warmer weather greeting you all the way through early to middle part of next week before it starts to cool down into the 80s. yes ama and dan, we made it to the weekend. >> we did well, most of you did. >> yes. >> we'll get there soon. thanks andrea. >> all right. here's your travel forecast. if you

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area streaming tv app. all you have to do is search abc seven bay area and download it. >> there are signs that the a's new ballpark in las vegas is

getting closer to construction. the president of the las vegas convention and visitors authority says he's optimistic three critical documents will be approved by december. the team is planning for a $1.5 billion, 33,000 seat stadium on the vegas strip. the a's hope to open in time for the 2028 season, and this comes as bay area baseball fans get ready for the final bay bridge series in oakland. sky seven was above the stadium earlier today, where the giants and the a's are set to play the last two cross town games before the a's leave oakland. the two game series begins tomorrow with the first pitch at four and then sunday at 1 p.m. tickets are still available for both games. >> of course, we have computers. cell phones, and even ai. but nothing can replace a good book. so said one oakland school district principal today as her school unveiled its newly renovated library. the space is designed for kids and their wellness and is full of books, magazines, encyclopedias and

board games. >> i want you to know that we are building success here at markham. we are building success through reading and literacy. >> i love the variety of things that you want to be, but do you know that you have to study in each one of these things, even to be a basketball player, you have to be a student athlete first. >> yeah he's right. the renovation was sponsored by the golden state warriors. read to achieve program and ross stores. its aim is to improve students reading proficiency through year round literary activities. >> so profoundly important effort. okay, well, we still have much more ahead for you. >> yeah. let's go to abc seven news anchor louis pena for a look at the stories that are coming up at 530. louis. >> thank you. donna we have a packed show today, starting with the latest on mpox, previously known as monkeypox. it was detected in california wastewater, specifically in san francisco this week. the last outbreak in the bay area was in 2022. we'll be speaking to a medical expert on what this means for the bay. also, the

wine industry is struggling. we'll have a report on a local winery and what experts believe is contributing to the decline in business. and we're diving into the history of the bay bridge series with longtime bay area sports columnist chuck nevius. i hope you join us for those stories and more. at 5.30 on abc seven bay area streaming tv. >> all right, luce, thanks so much. >> and you can download the abc seven app or head to abc7 news.com and join us in two minutes. >> and if you're watching us here on tv. world news tonight with david muir is next for sandhya patel. all of us, we appreciate your time. i'm dan ashley and i'm ama daetz. >> we'll see you again at six.

to the next.

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