>> california became more fair and more just and more safe today. >> cash bail opponents say california made a move today to fix the system. we're now the first state in the nation to eliminate cash bail. thanks for joining us. i'm kristen sze. >> and i'm dan ashley. supporters say people will no longer be stuck in jail simply because they are poor. will this law be putting public safety at risk in creating a whole new set of problems? >> kate larson has the story now on this landmark legislation. >> reporter: dan, kristen, for those who feel like the bail system is unfair, it penalizes low-income defendants and their families, this is a huge victory. there are many questions about how the bill will affect public safety and how the new system will be administered. >> it ends money bail, period, full stop, end of story. >> reporter: today california governor jerry brown made history in sacramento. the state is doing away with bail and instead will rely on a risk assessment when determining whether suspects should be released before trial.

however, those accused of violent felony crimes will not be eligible for pre-trial release. assemblyman rob bonta says it levels the playing field for those accused of crimes. >> it will no longer be based on money anymore, that is wrong, it is based on the individual's circumstances, their risk to the public, their risk of flight. it's a better thing to do, a much more just, more safe approach. >> if someone is arrested for a non-violent misdemeanor they're supposed to be released from jail within 12 hours. for other suspects officials will have 24 hours to determine whether that person should be let out. >> we're concerned that it's going to lead to really more people being incarcerated. >> reporter: jeff adaachi is glad to see bail reform but still has reservations. >> it sets up this huge bureaucracy and gives judges all the power to decide how to score the tools and what tools are going to be used. >> the change will take effect

in october of 2019. the bill goes further than any other state to remove money from the pretrial detention system. guys, we'll send it back to you. >> kate, thanks so much. new details now about a grim discovery inside a home that launched a murder investigation, a corpse without a head and hands was found in a fish tank in a home in san francisco on clara street near 5th. abc 7 news reporter vic lee is live with the latest. >> reporter: well, kristen, the san francisco man, 65-year-old brian egg, has been missing for at least two months. now, neighbors say he was a fixture in the community. he was a nice man, they said, who would often take in transients, some of whom he might meet at st. anthony's church where he ate lunch regularly. >> he was somebody that i'd see on almost a daily basis. >> reporter: scott free has been friends with brian egg for almost three decades.

in june he thought something was wrong. 65-year-old egg had disappeared. he feared the worst. >> unfortunately he had a few not so nice friends from the streets that would come in and, i guess, stay with him. >> reporter: in late july/early august, free called police for a welfare check at the home and egg's sister filed a missing persons report. >> on both occasions officers responded to the residence, but received no response to the door and saw no suspicious circumstances. >> reporter: the voice mail on egg's home phone said -- >> though brian's away, he'll be back on the 12th of august, the 12th of august came and went, still no sign. >> reporter: suspicious because egg never had an answering machine. and the voice on it was not his. also, neighbors saw strangers in the home. mid-august, a big break. >> a big, white crime scene cleanup crew arrived. >> reporter: neighbors called police again, this time they

detained a person in the house. >> officers, however, found evidence that included cleaning products and suspicious odors inside the residence. >> reporter: police got a search warrant. they found the body in a large fish tank inside a room near the stairway, a body without a head or hands. free believes the stranger in the home hid evidence as well. >> he had also been doing a lot of cleaning on his own. >> three points to this notice, from the water department saying there was increased water use and to check for leaks. >> reporter: well, police arrested 52-year-old robert mccaffrey. he was at the home when the crime scene cleaners arrived, also arrested 39-year-old lance silva. he was taken into custody the next day at a south of market hotel. now abc 7 news has learned that police are looking at what they call suspicious financial transactions. and they believe the motive for the crime was financial gain.

their words, vic lee, abc 7 news. vic, before you go, would you give us more information about the charges these two were booked on? >> reporter: sure. both men were initially charged with id theft, financial crimes and homicide. but the da's office decided not to formally charge the two men because they said they needed more time to investigate the homicide. now, silva is being held at the alameda county jail for probation violation. mccaffrey, on the other hand, is out of custody. back to you. >> okay, thanks a lot, vic, vic lee, reporting. in the east bay there are concerns tonight that state lawmakers may give bart too much power when it comes to building housing at bart stations. abc 7 news reporter leslie brinkley is live tonight with a look at a bill that would let bart override local zoning standards. leslie? >> reporter: that's right, dan and kristen, this bart parking lot, any land that bart owns within a half-mile radius of its

stations could be turned into affordable housing. it's a contentious debate. affordable housing or allowing cities to retain their power to control their zoning? ab-2923 would empower the bart board to adopt new transit oriented zoning standards for each of their stations. parcels owned by bart within a half-mile radius of stations could be developed for housing, and local jurisdictions would have to conform to new bart zoning standards. tim grayson co-authored the bill. >> it's past time for our cities to come to the table with real solutions for housing, whether they consider -- transit -- affordable housing development. >> i don't think bart is in that business at all. >> reporter: you get a tidal wave of opposition if you talk to neighbors. >> i have some grave concerns that with the power, they're an

agency that can't handle their coe mission, which is transit. >> that's kind of ridiculous. they have no idea what's going on around their station. who's going to police that? i mean, is it going to be bart police, is it local police, is that more of a burden on the local communities? >> reporter: the bill would allow bart to built one story above what's prescribed in local zoning ordinances throughout the system and does not give bart eminent domain to build on property they don't already own. cities like lafayette are holding the line. >> we don't want to put folks in charge of building and development and city planning who really run a railroad. >> reporter: you'll be hearing more about this assembly bill. it's up for a vote. i'm told in the next three days. if it's passed it would go directly to the governor's desk for his signature. reporting live in lafayette, i'm leslie brinkley, abc 7 news. >> leslie, thanks. investigators in contra costa county are looking into flee suspicious fires this

morning in antioch and pittsburg. the first burned a patch of grass on east 14th street. then at 3:30 this morning a mercedes burned at g street and west 16th in antioch. and then about an hour later, a truck went up in flames near west 20th and d streets. firefighters think both car fires were set on purpose, and may be linked. the fire on "g" street also damaged an apartment building. firefighters say police were a big help overnight, even jumping over flames to warn residents. nobody was hurt. new at 5:00, coyote concerns have reached a new level on the north bay after they were recently spotted near a school. they are blamed for attacking some pets too. abc 7 news reporter wayne freedman has the story live tonight. wayne? >> reporter: an attack happened a few feet away from us on a residential street. the principal of hidden valley elementary school a couple weeks ago went so far of warning

parents of coyotes on their campus. the superintendent did not go on camera. he said it's not a concern. he said let's move on. some people call the cay owe tees a danger, and others say it's a matter of co-existing. in marin county as anywhere else, people love their dogs and cats, but marin brings inherent risks, devon lives with that after losing her dog chiro. >> if i'd cry he'd lick my tears. >> this home surveillance video shows the routine morning two weeks ago when she let chirooutside just before two coyotes moved in on him. >> i did not see the coyotes actually put him in the mouth, but you hear it. >> reporter: it is becoming fairly common in a community where humans and coyotes share the same territory. stuart barbie lost his cat asia. >> she was taken off the front

porch, coyote came like a freight train, boom, gone. >> this is wrong, we should not have coyote dens within city limits because what happens? you know, the coyotes learn to hunt and take prey in a mans build environment. they lose their fear of people. >> reporter: that is as much humans fault as the chi owe tees. don't leave food out. >> haze them by screaming, clapping loudly, throwing things in their direction, super soaker squirt guns from kids work great. >> reporter: in a word, adjust, and keep your beloved pets in sight. >> they did not find him. he was six pounds. so the logical question now is how many coyotes are there in marin county. the humane society does not know. they said they found 18 dead coyotes in marin county last

year. but the animals move around so much they are difficult to count. so they and coyote.org say this time of year this is when they're the most active. they will spread out as the season goes on and they may not be as obvious as they are right now. live in marin county, wayne freedman, abc 7 news. san francisco's mayor today made a zero waste pledge and challenged other cities to do the same. mayor london breed's pledge requires a 15% drop by 2030 in the amount of all solid waste generated by the city. and a 50% reduction in trash that's sent to landfills. the mayor's office says the city has cut its landfill disposal in half since 2003. to date the mayors of paris, milan and new york have joined san francisco in this commitment. a store's security camera captured really terrifying moments for one man. you'll see for yourself.

coming up, the story behind this e-cigarette explosion at a store in southern california. it's something most of us do not do often enough, tips on the best ways to get the laptop clean. cleaner air, warmer weather is coming. i'm abc 7 news meteorologist sandhya patel. we'll take a look at that and the accuweather seven-day forecast. and a tweet of congratulations for hawaii's

a new video raises a new round of concern about the safety of e-cigarettes. without warning one of the devices exploded in a man's pocket, leaving him injured. abc 7 news reporter carolyn tyler is live in the newsroom with video of this incident. frightening, carolyn. >> yeah, kristen, it happened in anaheim.

and it is the latest accident putting the e-cigarette industry under scrutiny. >> reporter: the man was shopping for a new tv when suddenly, without warning -- >> what just happened? >> i don't know. >> reporter: this surveillance video from the store in anaheim captures the drama of his e-cigarette battery exploding in his pocket. employees thought it was a firecracker. >> you could smell burnt all over the place, there was still fire going on in the back. the gentleman screaming, running out. >> reporter: incidents like this are becoming more common, e-cigarettes are battery operated nicotine inhalers, and attorney greg bentley told us via skype he's representing hundreds of people who have been injured. >> people that are vaping need to understand that they're almost playing russian roulette because there's no rhyme or reason as to when or how these batteries are going to explode. but they are ex >> reporter: the fda regulates

e-cigarettes. it advises consumers to use safety features, to keep it away from metal objects like keys and coins and says don't charge the device with a phone charger. a group that promotes vaping as an alternative to smoking says the fda should go further. >> we would like to see device manufacturers be able to make safer devices without having to, you know, go through a very burdensome and prohibitive approvals process. >> reporter: attorney bentley says the fda has delayed stricter regulations until 2020. >> the public needs to know that this is still an unregulated industry that operates like the wild, wild west, and they're rushing -- >> reporter: and here's an interesting note. the store manager says the man finished buying the tv before he left to get treatment for his serious burns. in the newsroom, carolyn tyler, abc 7 news. >> yeah, that video is

incredible. glad he's okay at least. thanks, carolyn. here's a question, what if the best way to clean your laptop? >> "7 on your side's" michael finney is here with some advice just in time for the start of the school year, michael. >> just like that, it's back to school. >> i know. >> just came back on us. it's back to school season, time to gear up with fresh school supplies, new backpacks, that sort of thing. but experts and consumer reports say there's another important item to add to your to do list, before the bell rings, cleaning your laptop. to tackle the dirt you can see, but also the germs you cannot. consumer reports tester rich fillskey knows laptops. >> laptops get dirty, but they're also full of germs. they need to be cleaned. >> so when his daughter brings a filthy laptop home from college -- >> one of the first things i do is i grab her laptop and say i'm going to clean it. the good news, i know just how to clean them. come with me. you probably should start with

the keyboard. you can see black keys they're not going to show a lot of dirt. but trust me, they're filthy. you clean your keyboard less than you clean your bathroom in most cases. >> a hand vacuum with the brush attachment works well on dust. but to tackle germs, get more serious. dip a nice soft cloth in water mixed with a splsh of alcohol. wring the cloth out really well. next, clean your screen with a type of cloth you use to clean your eyeglasses. a small squirt of dish detergent diluted with water will help you tackle stubborn smudges. dust dampen the cloth. >> with a little bit of time, with a little bit of elbow grease, dirt free, germ free. >> that same diluted alcohol mixture works wonders on the case. >> as someone who tests computers for consumer reports,

dirty laptop is going to run the same as a clean laptop. as a dad, clean your stuff. >> consumer reports stresses using alcohol sparingly mixed in water, because besides killing the germs on the surface, you use too concentrated of a mixture, it might take the letters off the keys. >> at this point, we know it so well we don't need to see the letters, right, dan? >> that was cleaned about two years ago. >> that's what i was thinking. >> do a germ report on that, thanks, michael. >> onto the weather. >> announcer: now your accuweather forecast with sandhya patel. my keyboard is spotless. live doppler 7 right now, seeing lingering clouds, although the marine layer is beginning to shrink a tiny bit. we are starting to see some sun across parts of the bay area. low clouds below, sun above. temperatures upper 60s. san francisco, oakland, really

mild around san jose. morgan hill in the 70s. a live look from our mt. tam cam and you see the low clouds there, they'll head back in over the bay and inland tomorrow. temperatures in the low 70s right now from santa rosa to concord, most areas this afternoon have been in the 60s to 70s range. pretty cool view from our south beach camera looking toward sutro tower. cloudy, drizzly again overnight. it's going to get a little warmer on friday as we approach the long holiday weekend. let's take a look at your planner for tomorrow morning. start you off at sunrise with clouds and spotty drizzle. it's still going to be below average tomorrow afternoon with mid-60s to the low 80s. so that break from the hot weather is going to continue for a few more days. a live look from our emeryville camera and you will notice that we're seeing blue skies through the clouds. hour by hour we go between 7:00 p.m. and midnight, we'll see a

good push of the marine layer as it is still deep as we head into tomorrow morning between 5:00 and 8:00 a.m. do expect damp spots because of the drizzle, like we saw this morning. and then tomorrow afternoon the clouds will pull back and we start to see some sun showing up. and then high clouds come in tomorrow night. air quality will be good to moderate for your wednesday, and even for your thursday. but we start to see a little more moderate on thursday as we begin to see a shift in our wind pattern. drizzle tomorrow morning, temperatures 50s, 60s, might be a little gray in spots and/or low visibility. keep that in mind, allow yourself extra time for the commute. tomorrow afternoon, 65 in san francisco. low 70s, santa rosa, napa, a lot like today, concord, livermore, san jose in the upper 70s. 64 degrees in half moon bay. you can download the accuweather app and check out live doppler 7 anytime you want. accuweather seven-day forecast below average for your

wednesday, your thursday, mid-60s to low 80s. we're going to warm it up on friday with upper 80s inland, mid-60s coast and then a little cooler heading into the labor day weekend saturday, sunday. but it doesn't last, as we head into september we start to see a shift in our pattern as we often see. so labor day is going to be warmer, bright, mid-60s to low 90s. and we bring in some heat for tuesday, low 90s inland, mid-60s at the coast. don't worry, not everyone's going to deal with the hot weather right now. we're just going to ease you into it over the next week. >> always have the coast. >> that's right, so you can always enjoy the weather there. our greater nation zeroed in on the coliseum to rock the sunday tailgate. parking problems making that worse? plans next. coming up tonight, breaking news the police officer found guilty late today convicted of murdering an unarmed black teen shot and killed. the officer said the car was coming toward a fellow officer. but what the body cam shows.

the tornado touching down and millions bracing for major storms next. david, thank you. new at 6:00, some high tech motivation to get your kids to do their chores. yes, there is an app for that. "7 on your side's" michael finney shows you exactly what it does. that's at 6:00.

we're getting new information about plans for the raiders new stadium in las vegas. some fans could be in for 10 to 13 minute shuttle rides. four parking locations have been proposed, the biggest at the orlanes casino and hotel. fans fear the lack of centralized parking could have a detrimental effect on the raiders famous tailgating parties. county officials will consider the plan next month. the stadium is set to open in

2020. you can watch the raiders take on the st. louis rams monday night september 10th on abc 7. coverage starts at 7:00 p.m. people around the country are congratulating a team from honolulu for winning the little league world series. the tweet we're going to show you from former president hawaii native barack obama really made an impression, check this out. >> barack obama? >> yeah. >> what? >> whoa. >> did you see that kid's reaction? little league baseball posted this video of sean yaumgucci. they were crowned the best little team in the world. there's the tweet. they won on sunday. >> which i retweeted, by the way. >> good for you. >> that is so cool for those kids. >> congratulations. a race car driver gives back to firefighters who helped battle the north bay fires. >> coming up next his expression of gratitude and his personal

connection to the destructive force of wildfires, more to come.

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coming up tonight on abc 7 news at 6:00, president trump goes after google claiming bias. tonight why the tech giant operates, makes it vulnerable to the president's assault. new report on distracted drivers and who the worst offenders are, not millennials. an ambitious plan for netflix, a company poised to do something no movie studio that has done in years. a heartfelt thank you today for fire crews from a young man who is more familiar with crossing finish lines than fire lines. >> abc 7 news was at san francisco's fisherman's wharf

where charlie kimable made a pit stop at a special event for firefighters and other first responders. >> they helped put out the north bay fires last year. and ones this year, including one that threatened his family's avocado form. >> when you see how strong that community is, from first responders to relief efforts and people helping to rebuild it shows the strength communities. >> snonoma raceway sponsored th event. nice to have him here. really nice gesture to make the time to meet with those folks today. i'm kristen sze. >> i'm dan ashley. for sandhya patel, michael finney, all of us here, we appreciate your time. see you again in a half hour.

>> sutro tower in the clouds. still in the cool tonight, several developing stories. the police officer found guilty. the white officer tonight convicted of murdering an unarmed black teenager who was shot and killed as he was leaving a party. he was a passenger in a car full of young people. the officer opening fire, saying it was coming toward his partner, that car. but the body camera showing something very different. also at this hour, the tornado touching down. the severe weather, millions tonight bracing for major storms. and the stifling heat wave from chicago all the way to new york and boston. what happened since the summit with kim jong-un? tonight, the president first calling off the newest high level meeting, and now this evening, what defense secretary james mattis is now signaling. the stunning number out tonight involving puerto rico. nearly one year after maria.

the official death toll had been 64.