the>>ha y foroing mountain lion in the heart of san mateo. >> it was spotted at a home near hobart and edinburough, just two blocks from el camino real. it comes less than a month after one was captured in san mateo. that incident put a neighborhood on lockdown, the same one where this latest sighting happened. >> carlos is live in the neighborhood with how people are reacting. >> reporter: a lot of shocked residents. they say they never saw a mountain lion roam these streets. the house behind me captured these remarkable images with their home surveillance system. the sighting caught on surveillance video is quick, but it quickly shows a large 45-pound mountain lion roaming through a san mateo resident's

yard. >> the video captured in the back yard first and it tont.igh. the motion triggered camera sent an alert to his phone this morning. >> for me, the first time i saw in my life. >> reporter: it exits towards the front of the property, onto the street and disappears. >> 40 years and the first time i know a cat has been awe round here. >> reporter: mike troy lives two houses down and thinks the lion was in his driveway probably looking for food. he accidentally left fish bait out on his boat. >> i could hear something walking. if i could hear something walking, it wasn't a raccoon. >> reporter: this is the third sighting in san mateo within weeks. last month nearby residents were on edge after being told to shelter-in-place while police searched for a young female. hours later she was captured and released back into the woods.

>> we're getting a couple more sightings. i can't tell you why. it's a good thing our community members are keeping us informed. >> reporter: police say he did the right thing by alerting them right away. police issued a warning so neighbors could be cautious. they said if you have small pets, keep them indoors. that's what he'll be doing with his cat astro, hoetding on a little tighter tonight. he also tells me he won't be going outside to his yard at least for the time being at night. meantime, officials say these types of sightings normally occur between dusk and dawn. live in san mateo, carlos sal sado, abc 7 news. >> what should you do if you ever see a mountain lion in your neighborhood. experts say there are five things you need to know. we have a video on our website, abc7news.com. former stanford swimmer brock turner was denied his appeal to overturn his sexual assault conviction. a state appellate court said the

argument put forth by his attorney lacked merit. they claim he never intended to rape the 25-year-old victim which is why he was found clothed by the two graduate students who found him. there were protests against trial judge aaron persky and a successful recall election removed him from the bench in june. crews are still working to put out the mendocino complex fires, but more residents are back in their homes. >> the river fire has burned 48,000 acres. it's more than 80% contained. the ranch fire burned 250,000 acres and is 46% contained. that's nearly 470 square miles combined. with fires still burning, the air quality isn't great, as you can imagine. wayne freedman is live with the story. >> reporter: good afternoon, dan. the air is thick today, thick with smoke, thick with smoke and

98 degrees. you might call this ground zero for bad air quality. take a look. this is some of the cleanest air in lake county. you can't see it. you just hear it. smoke from the mendocino complex fire so thick you might need a compass to find your bear rings. >> i live up on the mountain and i can usually see all the mountains around me. they're not visible at all right now. >> is that disorienting? >> yeah, it is. it's a strange feeling. definitely. >> reporter: this is what happens when the fires burn and smoke billows into the air. it settles in this basin. here is the view yesterday looking down on lake county from highway 175. now from the same spot today, it looked even worse in a region known for the third cleanest air in this nation. pollution here averages less

than ten micrograms per cubic meter. today doug gerhart from air quality management measured it in excess of 100. >> we won't be number three anymore, after this fire. >> reporter: the smoke is so thick lakeport has given away 2, 500 respirator masks in the last few days, that in a city of 5,000. karen thompson took three of them. >> i just leave my house, go to work, go back to my house. i don't do anything i don't have to. >> among them, evacuees who received all-clears. attorney ed riddle brought back files he removed for fear of losing them in the blaze. >> as we left, we saw the flames coming down the hill. it was a little frightening. >> reporter: with so much work to do, he knows the difference between getting back and being back. getting back to the subject of weather, a catch 22 situation.

no-wind situation. the fact we had no wind meant the firefighters were able to make some advances. however, wind will blow the fog and smoke out of here. and when it does, the fires will have an opportunity to grow again. so pick your poison. live in mendocino county, wayne freedman, abc 7 news. >> a spare-the-air alert is in effect. this is a picture from our sutro tower cam. even though the alert is for the east and north bay, experts say you should stay indoors as much as possible and keep windows and doors closed. let's get right to abc 7's spencer christian. >> what wayne said is worth repeating. the wind is a blessing and a curse. if you have a favorable wind flow, it can blow some of the

smoke away, but it won't help in keeping the fires from spreading. tomorrow will be another spare-the-air day. poorest will be in the inland east bay and the santa clara valley. over just about all of northern and central california, this color-coded chart indicates the poorest air quality. here in the bay area, up until yesterday, we had mostly yellow and green dots, indicating good heir quality. notice the orange and red which indicate that our air quality is declining as well and is not likely to improve tomorrow. i'll have the weather forecast in just a few minutes. now to the latest on the ferguson fire burning in yosemite. >> the valley reopened today, but only to residents and park employees. a large portion of the park

remains open with other areas including yosemite valley closed indefinite indefinitely. >> the forest service says the fire is now 43% contained. calmer winds are helping fire crews. >> the moderated fire behavior the past couple of days have really given our crews a chance to go directs on the fire line, direct means they're working right on the fire line. one foot in the black, one foot in the green and building fire lean right along the edge of the fire. >> late this afternoon, officials decided to extend the camp mather, canceling an upcoming event. a winery near yosemite is helping preserve the national park's fire as the ferguson fire rages inside the park. the winery off highway 41 teamed up with the yosemite conservancy to come up with a sierra gold

white wiped blend and proceeds go back to the park. >> yosemite is such a beautiful park, and we want to make sure it's here for generations to come. >> it remains open but is getting smoke coming down from the ferguson fire. the winery's manager san joses the fire is impacting business, especially with many areas of the park closed. she says 80% of their customers stop there n the way to or from the park. it could be one of the largest climate marches in recent memory will take place one month from today. abc 7 was at hairy bridges plaza where leaders behind this rise for climate, jobs and justice rally spoke before this big event. the september march is part of an international day of action. hundreds of events are planned across the world. >> if we keep acting like this, we're -- good-bye to humans.

at the end of the day, we're only harming ourselves. that's why we're organizing september 8th so people can come out and prove to world leaders, prove to governor brown that we're not okay with these solutions. >> the march next month here g a global climate action summit in the city. representatives from around the world will be in attendance including members from the united nations climate action team. a science experiment in the east bay didn't work out. alameda county's bomb squad blew up a suspicious device only to find out it came from san jose state university. >> katie utehs has more. >> reporter: drivers saw the box along redwood road in castro valley and called chp. i'll show you a picture and you can decide for yourself if it looks like a bomb. alameda county sheriff's department michael norton approached this white sigh foam

box monday night in his bomb zwaud gear. >> the string ran off into the trees. >> reporter: commuters reported the box near redwood road and grove way. >> it looked suspicious to us, because we normally don't encounter unattended boxes. it was making a mechanical noise. >> reporter: after scanning it from a safe distance, sergeant norton decided to destroy the suspicious devise. only then did he learn what it was. >> once i pulled it out of the tree, i saw that it was a weather balloon and then i realized all my buddies were going to give me a hard time. >> reporter: the balloon came from san jose state university researchers. they launched the equipment in order to measure the ozone layer. when the balloon pops, the equipment lands, hopefully protected by the styrofoam box. >> the ozone project has been going on for months. this is not just something that started and the first one fell out of the sky. >> reporter: what started as a science experiment turned into a lesson for all, clear labeling matters.

>> here is my contact information, here is my e-mail information. we could have handled this in no time at all. >> i think we're going to put the labels more clearly on it and very official looking to emphasize that this is gathering weather data and it's not dangerous. >> reporter: the research equipment lost in this explosion is worth about $1,000. the investigation did cause traffic problems during the peak of the commute and a few nearby homes were evacuated as pecaution, a small price for safety and science. live in castro valley, katie utehs, abc 7 news. coming up on abc 7 news, a push to keep you safe on b.a.r.t. why one group is pushing the agency to ask for help and why b.a.r.t. says it can't do that. then, scam warning. 7 on your side's michael finney shows you the social media post that you should not trust. a new commuting experience.

what bus service will look like when the new (sound of footsteps) (sound of car door opening) (car door closes) (sound of engine starting) ♪ ♪ you know when you're at ross and that cute dress gets even cuter? yes. or when you can say yes... to both? sure. or when you find that brand at that price? are you kidding me? yeah. that's yes for less. and that's what ross always has in store. whoa. (sighs) yes... oh, yeah. get your yes for less at the newest ross store in south santa rosa. (sound of footsteps) (sound of car door opening) (car door closes) (sound of engine starting)

in the midst of b.a.r.t.'s effort to fight violent crime -- >> why not declare mutual aid and ask for help. abc 7 news reporter vic lee is live near the embarcadero station with the story. >> reporter: the reality is, getting mutual aid could be complicated. b.a.r.t. police would first have to go through the state emergency management agency and also through the alameda county sheriff who coordinates mutual aid for the counties b.a.r.t. service. the request comes after three recent deaths at b.a.r.t. stations. the most publicized, the fatal stabbing of 18 yrd nia wilson by

a transient. at bayfair station, a man killed by another assault. at pleasant hill, another death after an attack. b.a.r.t. has ordered officers to work longer days, all of this while b.a.r.t. police is faced with a serious staffing shortage. the bay area council wants mutual aid from the communities the train system serves. >> local cities served by b.a.r.t., that benefit from b.a.r.t. service could provide local police resources to help supplement b.a.r.t.'s ports. >> reporter: b.a.r.t. says in a written statement, the collective bargaining agreements make clear only bat police may provide security at b.a.r.t. that doesn't mean another agency can't respond to an ongoing incident if we need their assistance. b.a.r.t.'s former police chief gary gee says mutual aid has been used during emergencies. he says b.a.r.t. could be in one now. >> if this were an emergency staffing situation, i believe

b.a.r.t. can call this as an exception. >> reporter: staffing is also a problem with many of the police departments of communities that b.a.r.t. serves. richmond has a station. the police chief says the question is who has officers to spare. >> that's the issue. i know that all of my counterparts in the region have the same struggle with staffing. we're all down. >> reporter: the b.a.r.t. police union issued a statement responding to the proposal. they say b.a.r.t. police officers have in their word, saturated the system with their presence and i quote, in part, having officers who know our system patrol it is the best way to address the issue, unquote. vic lee, abc 7 news. first look at the new transbay transit center in san francisco. it's pretty impressive. abc 7 news got to go inside today days ahead of the big grand opening. the ground the floor is the grand hall. the big board features ads and

bus times. train service is at least ten years away. buses will have a dedicated route. buses will officially start rolling in and out on sunday. here is more on what that commute will look like. >> ac transit driver's are already making practice runs into the transit center today, getting ready to whisk transbay riders not just into a new terminal, but a new commuting experience. >> this is an amazing accomplishment. ac transit is excited to be moving in. >> reporter: spokesman robert liles says the first thing commuters will notice are the digital pylons. >> it has touch screen information. so riders can walk up, choose their bus line, look at a map and gather up to daet information. >> riders will glide from the bay bridge over city streets on a cable bus ramp leading the to

and from the terminal, cutting as much as five minutes from the commute. asc transit will switch from the center a few blocks away. there are ambassadors on site to inform riders about the change and answer questions, and maybeen ties you with details of a new terminal with its rooftop garden steps away. >> what's amazing about the bus duck, we are just one flight down from this 5.4 acre park. the park features all these various bio spheres, will ultimately have eateries. it's fully combined experience. >> combined experience and it is stunning. it's impressive. you can check it all out up close on saturday. that's when the transbay transit center will host a block party. bus service begins on sunday. find more on our website, abc7news.com. another sunny, hazy day

around the bay area. we have fog at the coast. a look at live doppler 7. breezy conditions still. the wind is generally out of the northwest. you can see the wind direction is fanning out, fanning out in various directions. 24-mile-per-hour surface wind in san francisco. 16-mile-per-hour wind across the bay. again, most of this out of the northwest to the southeast. you can see it blowing out into the northeast and northeast and north bay locations. let's take a look at our 24-hour temperature change. it is barming up. five degrees warmer in novato than this hour yesterday. nine degrees warmer in hayward. virtually all locations were a bit warmer today. that pattern will continue tomorrow. here is a haze. a look at the thick smoke over san francisco and a thin marine layer pushing out over the city as well. 61 in san francisco, oakland 67 degrees right now. mountain view, 74. 82 at san jose. 93 at morgan hill. 55 at half moon bay.

western sky is bright but hazy. 80 degrees in santa rosa right now. fairfield 92. concord and livermore also 92. the view from the east bay hills looks hazy as well. these are our forecast features. warmer in most areas tomorrow. smoke and hayes will continue to fill the air as tomorrow will be another spare-the-air day. we'll have a cooler pattern beginning over the weekend. overnight look for mainly clear skies inland. once again we'll have fog at the coast, pushing locally over the bay. overnight low temperatures will be in the mid to upper 50s and tomorrow's highs will range from mid and upper 60s at the coast where it will be breezy to upper 70s and low 80s along the bay. 97 to almost 100 degrees livermore, concord, antioch and firfield. 101 at lakeport and 103 at ukiah. on friday we'll see temperatures moderate just a little bit.

the heat holds on in the inland areas. on saturday we'll see temperatures in a slightly cooler range, mainly low 90s inland. lots of upper 80s in other inland locations. around the bay we'll see low to mid 70s on saturday. further cooling on sunday as temperatures finally settle down to what we consider an average range. here is the accuweather seven-day forecast, tomorrow will be the warmest day in the forecast, gradual cooling going into the weekend. once it cools down to the levels we see on sunday, our temperatures will remain in that range for about four days or so with very little fluctuation. we'll finally get a steady pattern for about four days. >> that will be nice. >> thanks, spence are. back-to-school shopping. can you believe it? for a car, if your student needs one, 7 on your side's michael finney joins us with four of the best options out there. new at 6:00, a

possible property tax relief if your house was destroyed or damaged in a recent wildfire. >> 7 on your side's michael finney has more on that. >> at least for a while. not personal npt, but for a while. wildfire victims could be eligible for tax relief from the state. the state book of ekization say it will refund some taxes on damaged properties from fires declared as state of emergencies. the property can be reappraised in its current condition with taxes refunded to the property owners. if the home or business is rebuilt, it may retain its fire value for tax purposes. the in between time you get the lower rate. you must file a claim within your local county within one year of damage. if your favorite celebrity reached out to you on social media, you could be the victim of a scam. the federal trade commission issued a warning today about

imposter scams, when someone online pretends to be a celebrity or someone you trust to get you to give money. some of the schemes involve fake donations to charities or claiming a prize. the ftc advises everyone not to send money, gift cards or prepaid debit cards to anyone we don't know or haven't met, even celebrities on social media. just in time for the return of school, edmunds put out its latest list of the best used cars for college students and you and me, too. the top four picks, 2014 honda accord hybrid which ranked highly for its gas mileage, exterior cameras and collision warning system. the 2013 volkswagen gti comes in second. edmunds notes the turbo charged engine and quality inn tear your. the 2014 mazda 3, the least expensive choice our viewers found fun to drive. and the toyota rav4,

likes reliability. you want all the safety features. a lot of people buy cheap for an old car. do that for yourself. you may notice a new art installation in one bay area city. >> the cause it's calling

coming up tonight, we'll take you back inside the new $2.3 billion transbay terminal for a look at the security features designed to keep everyone safe. outrage at the state capitol. find out why a request to audit the dmv was shot down today. a big break for a local company thanks to the high-tech support vest it claims reduces pain and on the job injuries. those stories and a lot more coming up in half an hour. finally tonight, a unique piece of art is taking place in the north bay. >> artist janson phan i i i

oughting a sculpture from fallen eucalyptus branches. >> it's one of the most flammable trees. over the next week a team will harvest falling branchs from the surrounding area. >> this particular piece i'm partnering with park services, they're doing a lot of clearances, so the sapp blings, trying to clear the space to prevent fires. >> win is welcome to come out and help collect wood and held create the skal up tour, too. fann hopes to finish it all by next sunday. cool project. >> cool idea. world news tonight with david muir is coming up next. i'm ana dates. >> we appreciate your time. hope to see you again in half an hour. >> until then, have a great evening.

tonight, as we come on the air, several developing stories. the president responding to robert mueller. the special counsel wants to interview the president about obstruction of justice, and tonight, what the president is now saying. also tonight, the major arrest. the sitting congressman charged with insider trading. prosecutors say he learned a drug for ms had failed during testing and that he then warned family and friends to dump the stock. tonight, the alleged phone calls, several of them from the white house lawn. the urgent manhunt tonight, two police officers shot while sitting in their unmarked car. their conditions tonight. the wildfires exploding in size, and this evening, the arrest. the suspect who reportedly warned, this place is going to burn. the tornado of fire, and the

major threat tonight to