higdon says governor newsom was looking at potentially running in 2016, and higdon doubts newsom will stop looking at which year could be his year to run. live in the studio suzanne phan abc seven news. it will be interesting to see what's next. >> suzanne. thank you. coming up, an emotional ceremony in the south bay acknowledging the change of name or gender for many people. and we'll hear from the judge who organized it all. >> and an exciting announcement from us here at abc7. we're going to tell you all what's the definition of character to you? umm... would you be a superhero or a supervillain? if you could say one thing to big tobacco, what would it be? it's so important in this time of change that we reclaim our sacred ways. i had to open my eyes. you can't continue to do this. deep breath. i'd want to ask them “why?” (♪) the lunar new year celebration, the largest one outside of asia, is coming to abc seven this february. we are now the official broadcast partner of the san francisco chinese new year parade earlier today on abc seven mornings. parade organizer tony lao said pr

higdon says governor newsom was looking at potentially running in 2016, and higdon doubts that newsom will stop looking at which year could be his year to run. live in the studio suzanne vaughan, abc seven news. >> all right, suzanne, thank you. and today, the state legislature passed two reparations bills. the first would issue a formal apology to black californians. the other would require the california freedmen affairs agency to compensate families who have had their property taken from them in racially motivated applications of eminent domain. two other bills are also up for a vote. they revolve around creating a fund for reparations, policies that are approved by the legislature and governor, and creating a state agency to dispense those funds. watch the abc seven originals documentary california's case for reparations. it dives into the groundbreaking work of the reparations task force, examining bills that came out of it. it's now streaming on demand on the abc seven bay area app. and we just heard a bill is going to the governor. it will require public schools to come up with

doctor higdon, first of all, it's different. we had always introduced you before as being with cal state east bay. this is a new role. >> yeah. just moved over this year. >> all right. well congratulations on the new role. we can certainly get used to saying that uc santa cruz is a lovely place. look, let's get down to business, because trump and most people thought those federal cases against him were dead on arrival and not likely to impede him any more heading into the election. but jack smith is not giving up. so explain how he's able to refile those indictments. >> absolutely, kristen, good to chat with you. my understanding is that jack smith is trying this case again with making a few alterations. a few charges have been dropped, but not a lot of the major central charges. and he's basically trying to circumvent this supreme court ruling that said that jack smith could not move this case forward because the evidence presented was coming from trump's so-called official duties when he was president. but jack smith thinks he

professor higdon, great to see you. >> thank you so much for having me. >> all right. let's just pull back a little bit and look at that 30,000 foot view. this is not the convention that democrats expected a month ago, right? in just about every way. >> absolutely. just about 4 or 5 weeks ago, democrats were concerned they were going to lose the white house and congress. they were divided about their candidate, president joe biden. now, you know what a difference a month makes. here you have a candidate who's has a lead in some of the polls and vice president kamala harris. there's clearly enthusiasm and excitement in the party. so it's a much different party and race than it was just a matter of weeks ago. >> right, right. i mean, as we showed through that new poll. right. it's actually an average of several new polls. she's got a small lead over trump nationally and is tied with him in battleground states. i mean, you know, that's close, but isn't that an extraordinary shift for democrats fortunes in the last three weeks? i mean, how much have they really come up and

cal state east bay professor nolan higdon says harris will likely pick a less progressive choice. >> i think harris is probably going to try and choose a candidate who she thinks will get more of those center, center right voters, i think with the history of sexism and racism in this country, she's also going to keep an eye toward that, what candidate might be able to overcome some of those challenges with polls showing harris and trump nearly neck and neck, higdon expects the vp announcement to give harris a boost. >> she's expected to make a decision by tuesday. then the two will go on a battleground state tour together. this all comes as donald trump and his running mate, jd vance, held their first rally together in georgia. one of the seven states that could prove pivotal in november. at the same time, there's a disagreement about when and where the two candidates will debate. there was a debate scheduled on abc for september 10th, when biden was the nominee. trump had previously agreed to it, but now wants to do a debate september 4th on fox, instead saying if harris doesn't agr

all right doctor nolan higdon from csu, east bay thanks for that. ahead finding fame thanks to one particular presidential candidate california? comedian is really leaning into this political season >>>>the bay area events calendar, brought to you by broadway san jose. >>>here's what's happening in the bay area this weekend. enjoy island cuisine ukulele music, and celebrate the spirit of the pacific islands at the 29th annual bay area aloha festival in san mateo, or sink your teeth into the gravenstein apple fair in sebastopol >>>>somewhere in the middle of nowhere, >>>the award winning best musical come from away is returning to san jose for one weekend only this november. download the broadway san jose app now to access the pre-sale code. tickets go on sale tomorrow at 10 a.m. at broadway san jose. dot com. the event calendar is bro >anne>well, social media influencers are not the only ones capitalizing on the presidential campaign season. some comedians are also getting a boost online reporter elizabeth wagmeister has that story >>>>the former >>

>> cal state east bay professor nolan higdon says harris will likely pick a less progressive choice.y and choose a candidate who she thinks will get more of those center, center right voters. i think with the history of sexism and racism in this country, she's also going to keep an eye toward that, what candidate might be able to overcome some of those challenges, with polls showing harris and trump nearly neck and neck, higdon expects the vp announcement to give harris a boost. >> she's expected to make a decision by tuesday. then the two will go on a battleground state tour together. this all comes as donald trump and his running mate, jd vance, held their first rally together in georgia. one of the seven states that could prove pivotal in november. at the same time, there's a disagreement about when and where the two candidates will debate. there was a debate scheduled on abc for september 10th, when biden was the nominee. trump had previously agreed to it, but now wants to do a debate september 4th on fox, instead saying if harris doesn't agree to the new one, he won't debate her

>> higdon says whoever she picks, she's going to try to keep the momentum that she has going.at convention, two weeks away in chicago, that's where harris will formally accept the nomination. right no, polling shows harris and republican nominee donald trump essentially neck and neck. so these next few weeks are crucial for both of their campaigns. i'll send it back to you at the desk. >> yeah. and whoever she picks is a vp, too. amanda. thank you so much. and despite heavy lobbying from donald trump, the republican presidential nominee, a powerful labor union will be supporting vice president kamala harris for president. the hospitality workers union unite here announced that it's endorsing vice president harris. this group plans to knock on more than 3.3 million doors for her in battleground states such as pennsylvania, michigan and nevada. trump had been courting this labor union, including proposing to exclude trips from federal income tax. the idea has the support of both nevada's democratic senators, as well as former president jimmy carter approaches his 100th birthday

there was a lot of fear within the party and the donor base that supports the party. >> professor higdon says harris is building on the enthusiasm her campaign has ignited, sparked by the addition of walls hoping to turn enthusiasm into donations. >> so harris, despite the fact that she had low approval ratings and there was a lot of doubt behind the scenes about her uh, she's seen as a, you know, a game changer. >> but not all are as enthusiastic protests are planned for sunday, led by pro-palestinian supporters who have taken to the streets across the bay area for the past ten months. >> a lot of groups like the uncommitted movement and the abandoned biden movement are also really pushing her to come out with a policy platform that includes an arms embargo against israel to end the genocide in gaza. >> nadia rahman is a longtime political activist, previously leading the san francisco women's political committee. even volunteered for biden's 2020 campaign. she thinks harris and waltz can win, but she says they can't ignore the undecided voters and the swing states, which is what she sa

>> higdon says whoever she picks, she's going to try to keep the momentum that she has going.hicago. that's where harris will formally accept the nomination. now. right now, polling shows harris and republican nominee donald trump essentially neck and neck. so these next few weeks are crucial for both of their campaigns. dave, back to you. >> all right, amanda, thank you. and ktvu is your election headquarters leading up to the november election. you can find the latest stories, see announcements and developments around the clock by downloading the fox local app on your streaming device. time now. 604 in oakland, police investigation continues. this morning after five people were shot during a sideshow over the weekend. it happened early yesterday morning in the fruitvale neighborhood. police say they were either watching or attending the sideshow at fruitvale and macarthur boulevard around 4 a.m. we talked to several people who lived near that shooting scene. >> there's always been sideshows when i was in high school and such, and now it's just a more prevalent. there's happe

senator and now vice president, professor nolan higdon says harris is on friendly territory, tapping into a familiar and wealthy donor base. >> just two three weeks ago, democrats, you know, assumed that donald trump was going to take the white house. there was a lot of fear within the party and the donor base that supports the party. >> professor higdon says harris is building on the enthusiasm her campaign has ignited, sparked by the addition of walls hoping to turn enthusiasm into donations. >> so harris, despite the fact that she had low approval ratings and there was a lot of doubt behind the scenes about her uh, she's seen as a, you know, a game changer. >> but not all are as enthusiastic protests are planned for sunday, led by pro-palestinian supporters who have taken to the streets across the bay area for the past ten months. a lot of groups like the uncommitted movement and the abandoned biden movement are also really pushing her to come out with a policy platform that includes an arms embargo against israel to end the genocide in gaza. nadia rahman is a long time political

nolan higdon says while young voters are certainly more energized following biden's exit, they're still concerned about key issues. >> the gaza issue is going to be critical for her because those young voters were turning against biden, either refusing to vote or some threatening to vote for trump. she's going to try and keep those voters. >> reporter: criticism aside, harris returns to san francisco having reset the race for the white house and having fired up a key democratic base. >> her candidacy and the choice of governor walz has really turned the dynamic around in terms of young people's involvement. >> reporter: the fairmont hotel did tell us they are preparing now getting everything ready. they've got signs up to let you know where you can and can't park. we should know at this point all tickets for this event are sold out. >> wow. quite a price range, too, for all the donors. we'll know when she's along her route, shows streets will be closed off and we'll know someone is coming through, a dignitary. thank you so much. >>> meanwhile former president donald trump is expected to

professor nolan higdon from cal state east bay, thank you so much for your insight this morning. appreciate it. thank you. >> it will not cost you a few bucks to spend the day at one of our south bay's most popular shopping centers, starting today, parking garages at santana row are no longer free. ktvu james torres is live in san jose, explaining the changes, james. >> yeah, sal. the changes are subtle, but folks that we've talked to all morning long about it say it's a pretty big bummer because they like to spend a lot of time here at santana row. let me show you a garage that we're standing in front of this morning. it's one of a couple around the area here. you see that some of the construction is actually put in those pavement equipment is still in the works. you see the cardboard that is covering part of a part of this pieces of equipment. some of those other garages already have the arm installed already have it all in place here. so you'll certainly see the new changes in effect over there. this garage behind us still in the works, each car parked at santana row will stil

senator and now vice president, professor nolan higdon says harris is on friendly territory, tapping into a familiar and wealthy donor base. >> just two three weeks ago, democrats, you know, assumed that donald trump was going to take the white house. there was a lot of fear within the party and the donor base that supports the party. >> professor higdon says harris is building on the enthusiasm her campaign has ignited, sparked by the addition of walls hoping to turn enthusiasm into donations. >> so harris, despite the fact that she had low approval ratings and there was a lot of doubt behind the scenes about her uh, she's seen as a, you know, a game changer. >> but not all are as enthusiastic. protests are planned for sunday, led by pro-palestinian supporters who have taken to the streets across the bay area for the past ten months. >> a lot of groups like the uncommitted movement and the abandoned biden movement are also really pushing her to come out with a policy platform that includes an arms embargo against israel to end the genocide in gaza. >> nadia rahman is a longtime poli

doctor nolan higdon is a professor at uc santa cruz. he watched it to nolan.mer president obama said he was the only guy dumb enough to go after michelle obama in a speech. he is known as one of the best orators of his generation, but i think last night we learned he isn't even the best speaker in his own family. i completely agree the energy from michelle obama was electric. anybody who watched it could could certainly feel it. she had the crowd hanging on every word she said, and it was just a really great speech where she asked voters to take action. it was really reminiscent of jfk's speech about ask not what your country can do for you. and she was just really tore the house down. even obama had to admit it early on in his speech that it was tough to follow his wife. well, the other thing that was very obvious was the, you know, incredible enthusiasm and energy, even in the state. roll call. i know you can't see what's happening on television. we're seeing obama now. the obamas now. but but i'm thinking specifically of little john in the georgia delegatio

that's according to nolan higdon, lecturer of history and communication at cal state east bay. he spoke with us about a winning strategy. >> even though this may seem like a side issue to some democratic voters, all those numbers in the periphery can really matter when it comes to determining the electoral college. as folks like, you know, hillary clinton know, even though hillary clinton had a smashing victory in the popular vote, she was unable to win the electoral college, lost it by about 120,000 votes and a handful of key states. so we're not talking about a lot of voters changing the outcome and things like the uncommitted voters in michigan could prove pivotal. >> and of course, we are counting down to election day. take a look at this clock on your screen. we are 77 days away from the moment polls open on election day. that's, of course, november 5th. >> tonight you have a chance to weigh in on public safety cameras in a high crime area in san francisco. the police department holding a community meeting to discuss four proposed locations in the bayview district. they wo

president that, according to a lecturer of history and communication at cal state east bay, professor nolan higdon, says he spoke about a winning legacy with us on abc seven news at three. >> even though this may seem like a side issue to some democratic voters, all those numbers in the periphery can really matter when it comes to determining the electoral college. as folks like you know, hillary clinton know, even though hillary clinton had a smashing victory in the popular vote, she was unable to win the electoral college, lost it by about 120,000 votes, and a handful of key states. so we're not talking about a lot of voters changing the outcome. and the uncommitted voters in michigan could prove pivotal. >> we're down to 77 days until the election. look at the clock on your screen there. it's counting down to the moment the polls open on election day, november 5th. >> bart is getting back to normal tonight after smoke stopped a train on the tracks in oakland, causing major delays. service was shut down at macarthur bart for more than an hour. abc seven news reporter leslie brinkley talked to pa

i spoke with professor of history and communication at cal state east bay, nolan higdon, about some of the key things to look for this week, something i think voters be wise to pay attention to. >> harris is, you know, really in a honeymoon phase right now. and what i mean by that is vice president harris is the new candidate. there's a lot of enthusiasm, a lot of excitement. but harris has not been forced to do a lot of interviews, take a lot of policy positions. and once that starts to happen, that's when you can sometimes see divisions. and this is where she's in quite a difficult place. i think it behooves her to echo support for president biden and president biden's agenda, but she also wants to distinguish herself as someone different while building the coalition of voters. and as you note, there are a lot of divisions within the democratic party, and she's going to have to make an effort to try and get all those different fragments of the party under one umbrella to vote for her in november. >> of course not everyone speaking at the democratic national convention is a politician

well, coming up at 8:00, we're speaking with cal state east bay professor nolan higdon about harris'syou can watch live on roku, pluto, and online at nbcbayarea.com. now to a live look in daly city. this is where a school district looking to bridge those housing gaps with 56 new affordable units. groundbreaking for this started in 2019, construction wrapping up over the summer and along east moore avenue. now teachers have been seen moving in ever since the construction made part of a bond measure approved by voters. currently, staff housing is at 90% capacity. a ribbon cutting ceremony is scheduled for 1130 this morning. team usa picking up some more serious hardware in paris within the last 24 hours. that includes one stanford alum who is bringing home gold today in the bay's jesse geguri is going one on one with a track and field star that's officially made the olympic record books. all right, check this out. joining me now. this is a special treat. valarie allman she is a discus thrower gold medalist. she doesn't have her gold medal yet. she will be getting it later tonight. but e