welcome to assignment 7. today on our program. it's f e.t. calls there may not be anybody picking up. why they are pulling the plug for life outside our solar system. >> plus, how the hearing impaired will be able to enjoy movies along with everybody else. and... one county's trash is another one's treasure. we begin with education spending. there is new online tool to help you get the numbers in how state budget cuts could affect your child's school. lyanne melendez shows us how it

works and what you'll find. >> there have been numerous marches throughout the state bringing attention to cuts in education. and then there are the numbers. >> we've been reduced over 20% already from the state. >> but how much of that information is understood or digested by parents? >> a new online tool that maps funding of schools. clicks and information pops up. it shows how much districts will lose if the tax, tensions do not pass. >> for every school district potential cuts to that district and this is based on downward projections, if there is no additional revenues. >> oakland unified. that represents 764 fewer dollars per child with 30 kids in a classroom that is $22,922.

it shows the number of teachers who received layoff notices. the create rs of the website from los angeles. >> we got our hands dirty and realized we need to simplify the information. >> cynthia lew is a mother of an elementary school student she worked on it for a month volunteering their time. one works for google. the maps are powered by the internet search giant. per school district it's one more tool to help them deliver the facts. >> california has a very complex school funding system. so any help we can help in that regard is certainly appreciated and any way we can make it clearer to parents we want to do that. >> they also have ways for parents to contact their local lawmakers. some of the world's finest radio telescopes have fallen

prey to budget cuts, that means the end of popular research for extra terrify es tree yals. >> as a place for radio as tron any, it is perfect. the 42 telescopes do nothing now. >> we have lost the research. >> it feels criminal. >> if you sense the frustration of the doctors bear in mind they are holding back as the result of state and federal budget cuts the hatch creek observatory is now in mothballs and deep space research abandoned perhaps indefinitely. >> we're talking science. that has always been my interest in it. >> a portion of that science,

for these radio telescopes, seti institute was looking for radio signals for other intelligent life. the irony with recent discoveries of planets they finally knew where to look but now they can't. >> there are planets that have been newly found that may be somewhat like here. >> but that is the headline. academics say the broader story is how budget cuts hurt the prestige of american universities. if those universities become second rate the best students will go elsewhere. >> their opportunities are in europe, australia, south africa, they are not in the united states. >> what does that say about us as a country? >> i think we have misguided priorities. >> the funding came from paul allen of microsoft.

state of california paid for the operation of the telescope. if every american contributed one cent the telescope could continue to operate. >> is there a way to accurately predict when and where a quake will strike? recently a lecture was given about fact and fiction. >> when he stepped up to a podium to talk about earthquakes seismologists listen. >> we look at gps that shows us how the plates are moving. >> he has dedicated two decades of her life to figure out what makes the earth move. her opinion predicting earthquake says science fiction. >> if people were making headway one, would have predictions now before the earthquake happened,

not after the earthquake happened. >> it's a plausible theory to moon tides is a precursor and devastation in japan is most recent example but no no one knows when or where they will strike. >> japan was waiting for an earthquake and wham they get blind-sided they. >> the best guess is a 30-year forecast, 90% chance that 6.7 earthquake will strike california and 4% chance of an 8.0 quake. hayward fault is a prime candidate. >> in the northern part of the bay area, a lot of the houses are built directly on the hayward fault and they will be cut in half. >> it comes back to being prepared for when the big one hits, not if. no one should wait on prediction.

>> i don't see any method you can promise, we could keep working on this for another 50 years. >> she reminds us in geo physics an earthquake tomorrow or 50 years is right on schedule. a major breakthrough for silicon valley. computer chips that could bring changes to the electronics you have at home. new technology at the movies. why close captioning may be could mg to a theater near you. and unique story that is popping up in a san francisco neighborhood. [ male announcer ] nature is unique... ...authentic... ...pure... and also delicious. ♪ like nature valley. granola bars made with crunchy oats and pure honey.

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engineers say they have overcome a major stumbling bock for computer chips to keep up with the speed of new devices. david louie reports, that intel's rivals may not be able to catch up for several years.

>> the excitement is over this new 3-d transistor that took them ten years to create. it will speed up performance, use less power and take up less space. those are important as devices such as smart phones and tablets get smaller. the flat design wasn't keeping up with computing needs. a chip analyst in silicon valley. he was briefed by intel ahead of the announcement. >> when they were lying down you had a transistor gated that was getting smaller and smaller and the number of electron trons that could flow it was being con zbliand they say it whether l allow the number of transistors on the chip to continue to double every four years. the key to this is giving the chip so there is more space for electrons move. >> all the devices it will

continue with moore's law and you can pack more things in the same space if you go up rather than sideways. >> watches movies and videos streamed is a big trend on handheld devices and new design should allow them to play more smoothly and be able to watch the entire movie before the battery wears down. >> it gives you a huge advantage if you can get the power envelope where you don't drain the power in a single movie. >> they have mass production by the end of the year. known as the tri-gate 6 million fix them on a dot the size of a period. it's been a real breakthrough for people that are hearing impaired th want to go to movies. they are changing the theater experience. don sanchez has more.

>> more than a million deaf or hard of hearing people in california experience elements in the theater. >> simulating how they will see 61 theaters that are installing close captioning. >> i'm so excited. >> this is just wonderful news. >> she is deaf, s she hasn't ben able to go to theaters in years. >> i have missed all the movies. >> but that will change. >> it actually is major breakthrough. >> they filed suit against the theater charging discrimination. the company agreed it's time for close captioning and suit has been dismissed. >> they were very accommodating and willing to work with us. >> the cost is under $2,000 a theater. >> it coincides with converting

to digital. at the same time they will implement close captioning for deaf and hard of hearing people. >> the device in lobby that will feet in a cup holder and captioning is transmitted to go it. they will be installed by every one of is theaters in may of next year. the hope is tle they will be close captioning in every theater in america. it makes sense, opening up a new market. >> there is a large deaf and hard of hearing community out there that is untapped. >> in alameda county, don sanchez. >> a new type of store is popping up in hayes valley neighborhood. they are special with what they sell but where they are housed. >> she is making her special brand of ice cream from scratch one small batch at a time.

>> it's incorporating the nitrogen in the freezing process. >> it freezes in about a minute. >> we built this machine for the reason of creating it and doing it right. >> this used to can her store. a wagon she pulled around the financial district. now this is her store. a former shipping container customized for her business. >> we're building them off-site. we are able to drop them on to the site and connect them to utilities that we've already connected in the ground. >> the store smitten ice cream is the first of a dozen shipping container businesses set to occupy vacant lots in hayes valley neighborhood. it's part of a city redevelopment program. >> it's very art san and it's up

and coming in hayes valley and very creative. it was the old freeway and it's come alive. >> we see this as a new model of development. we call it a flexible urbanism. it's something that can respond to the pace of our contemporary culture. things happen quickly and we are gauging in all different content. >> six new businesses will share space with them on this lot. this vacant lot will one day host a beer garden. there be nine pop up retail businesses all in containers that are as easy to take down to put up. and taking them down is exactly what the city expects them to do at the end of their four-year lease. >> it's an interesting compromise, being temporary. it's rethinking what a retail environment looks and feels like. >> costing from $7,000 to $40,000 to fix up the containers

and $2,000 to month to lease one. >> a plan to put san francisco's garbage on trash train out of town. it will save the city millions but raising environment questions.

san francisco's trash may soon be taking a train trip. dump contract is ending and they

are shopping for a new deal. rail plan will save millions of dollars and help the environment but as dan ashley reports, critics say it may be too good to be true. >> san francisco has the best recycling rate in the country but it still produces more than a thousand tons of garbage every day. city doesn't have its own dump so the trash goes to the altamont landfill in livermore. that ends in five years. waste management the company that owns the landfill bid on new contract but another company with a bid less than half the cost. >> it is good for rate payers, it's better economically and better for the environment. >> the low bidder is recology but instead of trucking it to the landfill they plan to cut costs by taking it to oakland and then sending it by train 120 miles to their own cheaper

landfill near wheatland. they made a video promoting the idea. >> it's four times more fuel efficient. san francisco will reduce fuel consumption by 100,000 gallons a year. >> but the new contract is not a done deal. hate is to be okayed by the board of supervisors and in yuba county, many farmers are fighting it. >> i don't understand why we should be responsible for the waste disposal of other regions and assuming the risk of the potential environmental contamination. >> san francisco trash would more than double the amount of garbage going into the landfill. they say its multilining and elaborate monitoring system but there is a wetlands and a slew right next to the landfill and it runs downstream right on bill

middleton's farm. >> this is where the water comes down from the valley. i'm afraid it's going to contaminate our water. >> yuba county supervisors are divided about the plan. the landfill has a permit to bring in more trash and supervisor says it's a well run operation. >> they have the right to bring trash from nebraska much less from san francisco. >> but another supervisor is leery of taking more garbage. >> at some point the landfill when it's full, the residents will have to search for an alternate site to take their garbage. >> a spokesperson say the landfill will have 60 years of capacity left even with san francisco's garbage and they are doing everything they can to protect the environment. >> the benefit, increased fees, tens of millions of dollars will

off set any environmental impact that could be imagined. >> another track on the trash train idea is coming from the san francisco bay sierra club. there are too many unknowns and wants it rebid. >> there be impacts from hundreds of train cars going through the city of wheatland. there is watershed issues, wet land issues. >> one more impact, money. as it stands every time trash is dumped at livermore, on court settlement requires the owner pay into a fund to buy open space in alameda county, $12 million so far. >> the city trash stops coming so does the money. >> open space acquisition is important. we'll have to find other ways to save property in the soon. >> the company also runs the extremely successful recycling program.

city officials the new contract will be the last. they are committed to zero waste by the year 2020. dan ashley, "abc 7 news." >> waste management told us if they do get a chance to rebid the contract. they will propose trucks powered by natural gas. that will be better for the environment than trains. either way rates will go up but the question is by how much. >> up next, celebrating a program that provides affordable housing and more to respect dents of one of sanpspspspspspst

in the heart of one of san francisco's most challenging neighborhood is a program that has provided thousands of people. it's quiet and a home they can afford and sheryl rejection as a

focus on solutions report. >> she and her family of five live in a well maintained two bedroom apartment in san francisco thanks to the tenderloin development corporation. it provides affordable housing. >> my life is building and my apartment is quiet. >> she is from el salvador and left because it wasn't safe for her family there. she feels secure in her house in the tenderloin. >> at the gave you all the information. >> it's unique because tenants can turn to social workers like her, to food bank for counseling and jobs.

>> it started in 1981 with one run down single room occupancy hotel and we have grown to 30 buildings, 2500 units, rental housing units. >> there is also the tenderloin afterschool program for children. it's run by manager laura chey. >> we provide homework assistance for all ages. >> young people came here as students when they were younger. >> i wanted to help my community because it helped me out. i'm not doing other things i'm not supposed to be doing. >> maybe a teacher or something. it's like a family experience. >> they know they belong to a community that offers hope. cheryl jennings, "abc 7 news."

program celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. there is a link to the website at abc7news.com. you'll also find information on the other stories on our program today. just look under the news links on the left side for assignment 7. >> that is all for this edition of assignment 7. i'm eric thomas. thanks for joining us. we'll see you next time. next at 5:00, the bay area norj weekian community grieves that has shaken it's nation to its core. >> i feel this is a very high stakes game. >> senator dianne feinstein thinks she has