nbc bay area sergio quintana has what that change is. it's opening day at the contra costa county fair, and for some who know this event well, this is the day to be here. why come opening day? because it's cheap, you know. dollar thursday. hello richard bell is here with lots of his family on the way into the fairgrounds, he read the signs spelling out the new entrance policy. everyone under 18 must have an adult chaperon who's at least 25. it's a policy adopted after a series of fights broke out during last year's fair involving groups of minors. bell and other fair goers say they understand why the new policy is needed. it's not just last year, it's every year. kids don't know how to act. everyone wants to try to act grown and beat up the people from school. you know what? i think it's a pretty good idea. i know they had a little bit of problems last year, so i think it's better that they have more supervision. the contra costa county fair is only a four day

event, but organizers say this new policy is intended to try to keep people safer through its duration. the fair ceo says the new policy also places a limit on the number of minors each adult can bring in for each chaperon. they can only have four youth 18 or older with them. the contra costa county fair isn't the only site that has adopted a similar policy. after brawls on its grounds last year, great america in santa clara adopted a similar policy requiring minors to have a chaperon who is at least 21 years old, at the fairgrounds in antioch. sergio quintana, nbc bay area news. sergio, thank you. tonight some highs and lows for san francisco struggleith homelessness, the city says despite its efforts, there's been a jump in unhoud people over the past two years. take a look here. these are new numbers from this year's point in time count. you can see how this has trended since 2019. the city says it identified more than 8300 unhoused people. that is up 7% since 2022. but the city says

progress is still being made. the number of people living in tents or on the street is down to a ten year low, with fewer than 3000 counted. but now the city is also trying to keep up with the rise in homeless families. city identified nearly 440 unhoused families living mostly in vehicles. mayor's office recently announced a plan to expand emergency shelter and cut the wait time for those families. more drama in the san francisco mayor's race. will any of the candidates actually make it to the debate stage? here's what's happening a planned forum between mayor breed and supervisor aaron peskin has now been canceled. that was supposed to happen monday, and the chronicle's reporting that a separate debate that was also scheduled monday at the same time has lost another participant, danielle lurie, mayor breed and peskin have all dropped out of that debate. hosted by together sf mayor breed cited concerns that that group is too closely connected to her opponent, mark farrell. another debate is planned for

next month. so far, all five major candidates have agreed to participate in that debate. well, protesters are putting up barricades around uc berkeley's abandoned anna head alumni hall. this is the second day protesters have occupied that hall, which was boarded up two years ago after a fire. university wants to be clear that this is a group of non-students who are not connected with the protesters who left their encampment at sproul plaza after reaching an agreement with the university. one protester says that this takeover is for nakba, which is a day in which palestinians remember hundreds of thousands of their people being displaced. back in 1948. university says it is not going to comment on what it may do. police and security guards are already on scene but have not engaged with the demonstrators just yet. the president of sonoma state university is apologizing for an agreement that he struck with gaza protesters on campus that led to him being placed on

administrative leave. the student protesters had been camped out on the university's person hall since april 26, demanding an end to the war between israel and hamas. on monday, university president mike lee announced that he reached an agreement with those protesters, pledging to seek divestment strategies and end collaborations with israeli academic and research institutions. yesterday, though, the csu chancellor placed lee on administrative leave for insubordination. some faculty members were unhappy with lee's actions, but others believe he deserves a second chance. i think there's a lot of repair work that needs to be done on our campus, and i hope that president lee can come back and facilitate that, and i hope that we can have some more open and safe dialogs about it in the fall. messages of support for president lee were written on in chalk on a university sidewalk, but those messages were washed away this morning. you see, academic workers across the state authorized a strike today. workers say it is in response to

the way universities have cracked down on pro-palestinian protests these past few weeks. this comes from a uaw local post on social media, includes teaching assistants, student researchers and tutors. in the post, the union says that the university is using intimidation and retaliation against protesters, and it's demanding, among other things, amnesty for all students and faculty arrested or facing disciplinary action. it is unclear at this point when the strikes will happen. uc president's office says such a strike would set a dangerous precedent by introducing non-labour issues into labor agreements. the statement goes on to say, quote, to be clear, the uc understands and embraces its role as a forum for free speech, lawful protests and public debate. however, given that role, these non-labor related disputes cannot prevent it from fulfilling its academic mission. well, record highs on wall street, but what about main

street? while the economy seems to be on the rebound, you wouldn't know it if you were in a certain part of san jose today. the line of cars. take a look here. stretch for a few blocks. this is the line for food. food boxes at a san jose church. volunteers at the crossroads calvary chapel say this is the case. every thursday as they struggle to fill a growing need. crossroads used to feed about 80 families per week. but since covid, that number is now up to 650 families a week. across town at sacred heart community services, workers can't help but notice how a boom on wall street only impacts certain people. i really think it highlights how success for some is not success for all. and so we know that there are folks within, within this economy that are doing quite well within this valley that are doing quite well. but here at sacred heart, we're seeing 700 plus families come per day. that's a sobering number. back at crossroads, volunteers say they used to hand

out a whole chicken with eggs and milk every week. now they have to alternate the items because donations have declined. so don't take a look. live. look now at the state capitol, where lawmakers are scrambling to advance bills ahead of a deadline next week. assembly just approved a bill to apologize to black californians for the state's role in slavery stems from recommendations from the state's reparations task force, while california wasn't legally a slave state, the task force found that more than 2000 slaves were brought over and forced to work in gold mines. the apology bill requires an acknowledgment of the actions of members of the state's government in advancing slavery, and decades of discriminatory policies. it also requires a plaque memorializing the apology be installed at the state capitol. that bill now heads to the state senate. entertainment zones are also one step closer to becoming a statewide law. you may remember earlier this year, san francisco mayor london breed

and state senator scott wiener announced plans to create an entertainment zone in san francisco. once approved, restaurants and bars can sell alcohol outdoors in specific areas. well, today, senator scott wiener announced that a broader version of that proposal will head to the senate floor for a vote if it eventually passes, it means cities across california would be able to create their own entertainment zones. let's take a live look over downtown san jose. they're down below on the street level. there's a party that's just getting started. it's a community block party. think of it as a night market to revitalize downtown businesses. let's bring in nbc's robert honda joins us from the festivities to tell us all about it. robert, take it away. well, raj, we are here in the area known as fountain alley, which connects first and second streets. this is the first in a series of community block parties put on by the city of san jose and the nonprofit urban

vibrancy institute. as you can see, there's already a pretty good crowd here, but they certainly are hoping that more people will come over the next few hours. it's a party designed to be fun, but with some serious goals. san jose's summer block party series sets up live music, lots of food and drinks, and tours of new local businesses in different districts of the city. today's party is designed to bring much needed foot traffic into the downtown historic district. one new business, the rec room, combines a cafe during the day and a dance club at night, and operators embrace the block party strategy. i think it's awesome. i mean, personally, i think there needs to be more things like this in san jose, especially with after covid. a lot of the mom and pop shops kind of being either closed or shut down. the block party not only aims to bring more visitors, but also more businesses, including so-called temporary pop up stores. we're bringing a total of 11 businesses retail businesses to

our downtown in clusters and two different clusters that will also bring more vibrancy to downtown, the association points out a recent study shows san jose's downtown activity has gone up about 20, while san francisco's has dropped considerably. many people we talked to who live in downtown san jose, say they hope the block party keeps that trend going. it would give us a chance to get out and do more things out and about on the streets around here, because it's a beautiful area and downtown is one of the most beautiful downtowns i think i've ever lived in. so i would love to see that it would flourish and more people would come. as the association likes to say, a downtown is the heart of a healthy city. so it would be really a good sign if a lot of people came out today and then came back. even when there isn't a block party going on. live in san jose, robert honda, nbc, bay area news. good turnout so far. robert. thank you up next, san francisco's push to fill empty storefronts is paying off. we're

hearing from a denim maker trying to bring some life back to a struggling market. also paying for pickleball. we'll tell you how much you need to shell out to play on some of san francisco's most popular courts. i've never played pickleball, but i know raj has. maybe he can give us some insight on how we do have 71 degrees right now in san jose. look at the icons. it's clear right now, but you'll notice we will start to see that cloud setting in into the overnighhours. what does thist

to san francisco's mid-market neighborhood, today an area that we've reported extensively that has a lot of empty storefronts. holistic is part factory, part education, and part retail with custom designed clothes. the owner has high hopes. here's nbc's christy smith. well, it's the grand opening of holy stitch

today, and the founder has a connection with the neighborhood and activating spaces that have eventually transitioned to something else. but this could be the start of a new pattern. a celebration is underway for this grand opening on market street in san francisco. we specialize in denim. we have the capacity to do all different types of things. julian prince dash is the founder of holy stitch and holy stitch factory fellowship. but what it is as a business is a hybrid of a nonprofit sewing school, factory and retail shop, all encompassing with a alterations and tailor shop also. so it's like a one stop shop where you're able to buy and create and learn or get service. creative designs are featured along with a space to learn and grow in the city's mid-market neighborhood. it's where i'm supposed to be because in the antithesis to consumerism, the youth that are just finding their ways in the street, clothing can become the source of empowerment and confidence. the image of this

neighborhood has had its challenges. though the city is making investments in it, and some see real opportunity. this is the first market street arts creative hub. it's part of market street arts, which is funded in part by the mid-market foundation and the office of economic and workforce development. our hope here is that this is viable enough to become a long term tenant, and long term contributor to this neighborhood. holy stitch was part of the city's vacant to vibrant program to help boost downtown, and the founder has enlivened mid-market spaces before a connection with the past and looking at the future. and so it's a kind of a testament to paving that path and making sure that i can be permanent in san francisco. christie smith, nbc, bay area news. good luck. all right, here's the game that everyone seems to be playing now. pickleball now, to play pickleball or even tennis, you might have to pay. that could become a reality soon in san

francisco, the rec and park department came up with a plan in response to a surge in demand for courts. the city wants to crack down on players who overbook and misuse the courts. today, the parks commission voted yes on a $5 reservation fee. it still needs to go through the board of supervisors , though, for final approval. the new fee will be charged at 28 of the 66 courts across the city. the rest will be like it is now. first come, first serve. well about a dozen businesses have said that they will bring jobs to the solano county project that plans to develop a new city. california forever unveiled the list today. 12 companies in tech manufacturing and finance developers want to build the city on land between rio vista and travis air force base, a group of billionaire investors behind this plan. we've been talking about this project leaders say it would include thousands of homes, walkable neighborhoods, shopping, dining and open space. the group has secured more than enough signatures to qualify for the november ballot. well, $20

billion that's the estimated cost for california's largest water project in decades. it's called the delta conveyance project. it would build a 45 mile tunnel beneath the sacramento san joaquin river delta. it would carry water from the sacramento river to a new pumping station near tracey. that water would then be steered to cities and farms to the south, including here in the bay area. state officials say the tunnel will make water supplies more resilient during extreme wet and dry periods. the project is expected to take decades to build. state officials say it wouldn't start operating until at least 2040, so that is a big deal. vianey arana is here. you report extensively on these types of things. that's going to be a long time in the making, and that's going to cost a lot of money. it is. and the adaptation process is probably one of the biggest components is incorporating not just on a government level, but the local level to the involvement of the residents is becoming a big thing. and, you know, that's

what we're building for weather extremes. it's happening. it's happening in real time. we've seen it time and time again. another thing that we've seen day after day is the fog that's still lingering around the coastline. and we are also going to be seeing some clearing. but if you look at the current cameras right now, temperature wise, we are in the 60s in san francisco, 64 degrees. the wind speeds light breeze from the west at about 13mph, but you'll notice the breeze as well in through areas like san jose from the northwest at about 14mph. look at the camera differences, though. you can see inland, it's clear. meanwhile, around the coast, that marine layer still hanging out the 24 hour temperature change is doing an excellent job of showing that slight cooling that we had talked about earlier in the week , especially into the interior. the most noticeable areas, of course, concord and livermore, about 11 degrees cooler compared to the past 24 hours. and check out the marine layer on satellite radar. now, the thing with this is when it hits about 2500ft to 1000ft, you know, if you're going to be checking out the golden gate bridge in san francisco this weekend, you might have a tough time seeing the top of that bridge and capturing an image, because that marine layer is here to stay

through the weekend. here's what it looks like early friday morning. now we're going to stay dry, but if you do catch some drizzle around the coastline in the peninsula, it is because of that marine layer. and we can also expect to keep that gusty condition. or i should say those gusty winds into the weekend. but notice down through gilroy that limited visibility is expected to remain through the afternoon. we could see visibility down to less than five miles, which could cause some issues out on the roads in the early morning commute. as far as your daytime highs for tomorrow, we're going to be comfortable in the 70s. we're going to remain in the 60s throughout the coast. a look ahead at your saturday plans now. your saturday will also be great temperature wise, but you'll notice the wind speeds do begin to kick up just a little bit breezy from the west northwest, depending on where you're going to be headed into the evening. right around dinnertime, you're going to notice right here. if you look at the key right here, the green and the yellow, we see some of that picking up, especially through parts of the tri valley. but as we inch closer in towards the weekend, you'll also notice that picking up a little bit further to the north bay,

especially for some of those higher peaks as well. long range outlook right now leading into the weekend, things will remain dry into saturday and sunday. the biggest shift is going to be the cooler weather as we inch closer in towards monday and the start of next week. the good news is it looks like that dry weather will remain and we're going to see monday a slight rise in those temperatures back up into those 80s for inland areas. overnight lows. you've likely noticed, have been staying fairly mild in the 50s. that will remain heading into wednesday and thursday. we get some slight cooling yet again down into the upper 70s. and then if you look at san francisco, expect to keep the fog really throughout the remainder of the weekend with daytime highs seeing some upper 60s, that will definitely impact the bay to breakers event. oh great point. yeah. keep you know layers in the city is always a go to for sure and to bay breakers just keep your clothes on. that's the go to. we're so fun all the time. thanks, brittany. up next something new coming to oakland, a new food hall with big local names on tap. and there's a baseball

angle to this that doesn't include the a's. stay with us.

scott market. it's going to open in west oakland later this year. it'll be right next door to raymond park, which is the home of the ballers almanac brewing is already on board. they're

also working on bringing in horn barbecue. delish. ghost town brewing, and kilovolt coffee. so that's going to open later this year. like we said, by the way, the ballers first game at raymond park is june 4th. coming up all right for most high school seniors, getting into the college they most want is far from certain. right? so that's what makes this east bay student story so amazing. he's been wooed by more than 100 universities, with most offering big money scholarships. 18 year old helms ortega from head-royce school in oakland, was accepted to 122 units. cities offering a collective $5.3 million in scholarships. and that accomplishment comes after years of hard work, including a 3.9 gpa, some ten extra school curriculars, and spending months applying to schools all over. the aspiring singer moved to the states from uganda only five years ago. he says. he applied

to an extreme number of schools to see how many he could get into with the strategy of accepting the one with the best music program, and i wanted to make sure that i was applying to somewhere i would be really happy to go to. but having applied to so many, i made sure to care enough of course, and put in the time and the work to get that application down, but also sort of detach myself so that i don't get disappointed with. okay, so you ready? what did he decide? ultimately, helms committed to attending uc berkeley in the fall because of its music program and diversity in other courses. the college bound singer hopes to one day become an r&b and pop recording artist. well, we were talking about just just a few minutes ago. it's time for the bay to breakers. what you need to know about the classic run and walk in san francisco. stay with us, and here's a look inside rockefeller center lester holt is preparing for nightly news, one of the top stories today. rebuilding an iconic statue of

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sunday. sunday is the bay to breakers race. it's a family event, a lot of people take their kids. the streets will be packed with thousands of runners, as you see here. so much fun costumes this race has

been going on for over 100 years now. new this year they've added a relay race where you can split the course between two people and heads up if you live in or are visiting the city this weekend, there will be a lot of road closures. you can expect road closures down around the start line to take place beginning 7 p.m. saturday night. the rest of the course closes, kind of a rolling closure starting, approximately 6 a.m. on sunday morning, and we will be, yeah, building our finish line starting tomorrow down at the ocean beach parking lot. okay, so that means that ocean beach and the great highway area will also be closed if you want to take part. still spots open, sign up on the bay to breakers website. i see spider-man right there tonight at seven. how many more seasons for steve kerr? i go one on one with the coach about his future with the warriors. that story and more coming up on our 7:00 news. but first nightly news with lester holt starts right now

tonight, the courtroom drama. donald trump's attorney accusing michael cohen of lying on the stand. cohen, mr. trump's former fixer, back under a scathing cross-examination. the defense appearing to catch cohen offguard, casting doubt on a 2016 call he said he had with trump over the hush money payment to stormy daniels, saying, quote, that is a lie. how cohen responded, as he faces another day on the stand. also tonight, president biden asserting executive privilege over recordings of his interview with the special counsel who ended up criticizing his memory. a rare high risk alert for life-threatening flash floods in the south. the dangerous storms being called a nightmare scenario. just in, the man convicted of murdering a black lives matter protester. why the texas governor just pardoned him. a florida neighborhood terrorized. gunmen with high-powered firearms