safety, this is abc7 news. >> we don't need to be baby and told what to do. >> main street california needs to open up. >> protesters in cars and on the grass in front of the state capitol in sacramento today, calling for an end to california's shelter-in-place order. meanwhile, here in the bay area, we have just the opposite. protesters calling for the state to stay closed in order to keep people safe. good afternoon and thanks for joining us on this friday afternoon. i'm larry beil. >> and i'm kristen sze. about 100 people showed up at san francisco city hall, calling on the governor to reopen california so people can get back to work. some held up signs, including one saying "freedom is essential." and a counterprotest showed up on the van ness side of city hall opposing an immediate reopening of the state. the group observed social distancing as they demanded more testing and personal protective

equipment for health care workers. thousands of californians descended on the state capitol today, take a look. in a noisy protest against governor gavin newsom's shelter-in-place order. they say not only is it an unreasonable burden on small business, they argue he didn't are the right. eric thomas reports from sacramento. [ honking ] >> reporter: you only had to get close to know something big was going on. >> usa, usa! >> reporter: in sacramento, thousands of protesters from all over california crowded on to the capitol grounds, the majority not wearing masks and ignoring social distancing to argue that their freedoms were being taken away. >> california needs to open up. people need to go back to work. >> reporter: their arguments seem to fall mainly into two categories. either governor newsom didn't have the authority to do what he did, or even if he did, it's time to reopen california. >> i do think it's unconstitutional.

i don't think the governor -- i think the governor has reached well outside of his boundaries here. >> i have a salon. i have girls that work at the salon. if it was just me, i would open. but i have to think of everybody else that works for me. >> reporter: but governor newsom has repeatedly said opening parks, beaches and small businesses would be like giving a known kill area second shot. >> let's not make the mistake of pulling the plug too early, as much as we all want to. ♪ we the people >> reporte >> some of the protesters even called for newsom's impeachment, as unlikely as that might seem at this point. in sacramento, eric thomas, abc7 news. my coworkers are in danger. their health and safety is in danger, and amazon refuses to help out. >> this is what it looked like from sky 7 at the amazon distribution warehouse in richmond. a small group appeared outside to protest what they say are inadequate measures being taken to protect them during the

pandemic. amazon says health and safety are their top priority, and they're spending $800 million on safety measures. >> so far today, we've sheltered in place for 46 days here in the bay area. new rules take effect on monday and will last for the rest of this month. the stay-at-home order did come up again today during the governor's daily press conference in sacramento. abc7 news anchor dan ashley joining us live now. and dan, the governor hinted that changes could be coming and perhaps coming pretty soon? >> yeah, he did indeed, larry. and it certainly injects a needed dose of optimism. but it also comes with an equal measure of caution. tonight the governor is talking about easing restrictions in a matter of days, and that could include restaurants. >> i can only say this. we're getting very, very close to making some announcements that i think will be very meaningful to people in retail sector, hospitality, that includes in the second phase restaurants, again, with serious

modifications. we've got teams of people working not just internally, but externally to look at each type of business within each type of industry, and looking at sectoral and augmentation guidelines that will be necessary and a requirement of any meaningful reopening. the own thing that is going to hold us back is the spread of this virus. and the only thing that is assured to advance the spread of the virus is thousands of people congregating together not practicing social distancing or physical distancing. if we can avoid that, then we're going to get to the other side of this with modifications a lot quicker. and i just hope people will consider that, because i don't want to -- i don't want to be up here month, two, three, four months from now saying the same old things. i want to be here every week, every month announcing new

things, give people more confidence, more optimism about their future and their family's future. and i'm confident we'll get there, and i'm confident because i really believe in this state and its people. >> the governor today. so we are heading into the weekend with some optimism that if things go well, the governor could be making some major announcements, adjustments, really, larry, as soon as next week. >> yeah. apologies for the landscaping in the background. the beauty of live television here when you're working from home. it's silent for hours and then as soon as we come on. anyway. back to the governor. you will never know, but you wonder how much the protests are having an impact on the move to slowly ease the shelter in place. but the governor has been clear in saying no guarantees, right, dan? >> absolutely, larry. send your guy over to my house when he is done, by the way. he has been very clear. keep in mind he is talking about the second phase businesses like restaurants, lower risk

businesses, maybe by next week. the third phase, high risk businesses, things like gymnasiums, salons, those type of businesses are in phase 3. we went get to phase 2 unless we're showing real progress, and we certainly won't get to phase 3. and what the governor made very clear today they're monitoring testing, they're monitoring hospital admissions and depths, and if those numbers do not continue to flatten, we're not going to those next phase israel in time soon. so it really is incumbent on all californians to cooperate as best we can and to continue to work, even though it gets tiresome, to flatten this curve. >> all right, dan. i'm going to send you a picture of the yard after this is over, and you decide whether you want to make a change with your landscaping. but thank you. >> i do want to make a change because i'm doing it. so a change is needed. >> thanks. today the county of modoc is defying the state's lockdown.

it is bordering oregon and nevada. today county officials plan to reopen schools, hair salon, church, restaurant, and their only movie theater. modoc county has 9600 residents. it's one of four california counties without a single confirmed coronavirus case. kristen? >> well, larry, santa cruz county authorities today reaffirmed that all beaches there are closed to everyone from 11:00 in the morning to 5:00 in the afternoon. this is a live picture from our camera at the boardwalk. the rules don't apply to people accessing the water to surf, to swim, or to boat, and you do see a boat out there. people are allowed to walk, run, or per size on the beach before or after those hours. in fact we don't see any humans walking on the sand right now, violating that. officials say they're taking action after large crowds packed some beaches last weekend. access to beaches this the bay area really varies from place to place. sky 7 flew over ocean beach in san francisco where a handful of people were out for a walk or

run. we did spot one group sitting on towels and blankets. rules are tighter in pacifica, where only residents can access the beach, but cooler, beach chairs and umbrellas are not allowed. parking lots near beaches have been closed for weeks to discourage people from traveling and gathering here in large groups. in marin county, the city of sausalito plans to crack down on nonessential travel and social distancing violations this weekend. it's in response to visitors who crowded the town last weekend. police will issue $500 citations to anyone violating the rules. officers will also enforce parking restrictions. city lots have been closed since sunday. the fda will allow emergency use of an experimental drug that's the first really shown to fight the coronavirus in studies. remedesavir is made by gilead based in foster city. the ceo met with president trump today in the oval office. >> making a contribution to really people that are not doing

well, people that are sick, people that have this horrible plague that is set into our country, and we're getting rid of and we're going to be -- we're going to be having some really incredible results. >> the fda says the intravenous drug will be admitted for hospitalized patients with severe disease. preliminary studies resulting from a government sponsored study show the drug shortened recovery time. the fda says that warranted their decision, but there is still a lot that's unknown about this drug. gilead is ramping up construction and will leave to it the government to decide are where it's actually distributed. starting monday, face covers will be required for all passengers on santa clara valley transportation authority buses and trains. the mandate is part of the county's shelter-in-place order that was extended this weekend until may 31st. passengers muss maintain social distancing to the extent possible while on buses and trains. drivers and operators are also

required to wear a face covering that covers their nose and mouth. and face cover also be required for all passengers on united, delta and jetblue flights starting monday as well. delta and jetblue will make it mandatory for passengers to wear the masks from the time they check in to the time they get off the plane. frontier airlines will make face covers a requirement next friday while american airlines will make it mandatory starting may 11th. well, our habits quickly changed with the stay-at-home order. and that means retailers were also forced to change. what happens once this order eds? plus, a local sheriff stepping up to help his community. the close shave he got to make a difference. winds of weather change are still blowing. i'll show you what changes are coming our way in my accuweather coming these are extraordinary times, and we want to thank the extraordinary people in the healthcare community, working to care for all of us. at novartis, we promise to do our part. as always, we're doing everything we can

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it's only human to find inspiration in nature. and also find answers. our search to transform... ...farm waste into renewable natural gas led chevron to partner with california bioenergy. working to provide an alternative source of power... ...for a cleaner way forward. macy's says it will begin reopening stores in states where

the shelter in place orders have been eased. 6 stores will be reopened with rules to make sure people are safe. macy's says it aims to reopen all of its 775 stores, including bloomingdale's in the next six to eight weeks. shelter in place orders obviously had a huge impact on consumer spending as shoppers changed their buying habits, and now those trends are being analyzed to help decide whether to bring back laid off retail workers when stores do actually reopen. abc7 news reporter david louie looks at how we've all changed. >> the minute we learn shelter in place orders were coming, our shopping habits changed dramatically. we saw grocery stores stripped bare of goods and aren't even part of earthquake preparedness kits. >> i don't think we realized that people would be buying up all the flour, all the pasta, all the toilet paper. those are things that we hadn't thought of necessarily to put in our earthquake supplies. >> grocery spiked 81% in mid-march. retail up 33%.

hobbies and toys up 29%. specialty food and benches spiked 63%. as lines grew untolerable to get into stock, amazon fresh saw a spike of 400%. food was clearly a priority. and traditional retailers and retailers left with only takeout orders fell victim to that. over the first four weeks of shelter in place, their sales fell about 32%. as unemployment rose, clothing store sales dropped about 50%. >> we were already spending more than half of our money on online purchases, and so because of that, we're more inclined to make that swift shift away from the brick and mortar stores. >> a costco executive indicates outdoor furniture is on the rise with warmer weather and families cooped up seeking fresh air and sunshine. discount pricing may be partly responsible. the shift in spending to online and how the sheltering orders influence what we stocked up on is now fodder for business owners to digest as they look ahead. hard decisions will have to be

made about reopening stores, and how many furloughed employees to bring back. david louie, abc7 news. earlier this week, we told you about a restaurant owner in lake county who was helping others, despite his own struggle to keep his business afloat. so the sheriff saw our story from abc7 news reporter wayne freedman, and he jumped in to help, and has made a difference. so joining us live today, we have a double treat for you sheriff brian martin and mike lindell, owner of lindell sports grill. thanks for joining us, gentlemen. folks, do we have their audio? how are you guys doing? >> doing well, thank you. >> fabulous. now sheriff martin, not only do you feel well, i think you look fantastic. what is behind your new look there? >> so i saw wayne freedman's story about mike lindell supporting our health care

workers by providing meals. we have such a small community here. we support each other during times of tragedy. our community is so small that my wife actually used to work for mike. mike has been a tremendous support as is everybody in our community. i wanted to find out how he was paying for it. i went down and asked him. he said he was paying out of his own pocket. i thought we can do something with this. somebody shouldn't have to shoulder that burden by themselves. i told mike i would set up a fundraiser called buzz the fuzz. if he was able to raise $3500er, he could come down to my sheriff's office and shave my head. it was less than an hour and they came up with quite a bit of money. we well exceeded our expectations and now i'm sportinging a new do. >> it's all going to support your local community. for folks who are wondering what mike did, wayne freedman told the story. through his restaurant, which is of course having a hard time, you guys are putting together 100 meals a day or more and

delivering those meals to the frontline workers at the hospital near you, the sutter lakeside hospital. tell me what motivated you to do that, and the response that you've gotten from them as you bring those meals several times a week to them. mike? >> well, it was kind of strange. i was watching the news late at night after i got home from work, and they had a thing on there where the doctors and nurses were really struggling, and some of the hospitals getting food because they were only able to feed the patients. so i started thinking about it, and they started talking about how stressful it was and just going home, and those people going become to their kids. so when i woke up in the morning, i had a meeting with my employees, and i said we're going to feed the hospital, and we're going the feed them for free. >> well, mike, i got to ask you what, do you think about the sheriff's response and the unique idea, the buzz the fuzz? let's take a look, by the way.

i want to show the buzzing. we have some video of that. oh, there you are, mike. walk us through it. >> yeah, it was -- it was incredible, and it was an incredible gesture. and the response from the community and lake county has been incredible. i mean, i don't even know. my family, we don't even know how to thank people. it's been overwhelming, and it's still going. people are still flocking. it's crazy to me. but in our community, we've struggled with fires and all this stuff, and power outages and this community is super strong, and everybody helps everybody. that's all we were trying to do is do our part. >> yeah, i got to say, sheriff, you do not look nervous one bit, and you each had your masks on, n95, no less. so it was proper social protection, i should say, ppe, even as you did that. mike, i've got to ask you one

more question, and the sheriff too really. lake county has been lucky in that it's had very few cases of coronavirus, and you really worked hard to flatten the curve there too. but the businesses such as yours, you know, they've really taken a hit. what is your big hope for when this is all over? >> well, i hope that it's -- the economic part of it is not lasting for people. i hope that we can get become to work as soon as possible and i hope the people unfortunately had to close or chose to close and their employees go can bounce back from this. lake county's tough, and we've been through a lot. and we have tough people, and we have incredibly great people in this community. we'll figure a way to make it work. >> absolutely. and sheriff martin, you know, by giving up your hair, you raised over $3500. would you now go back and come up with the next thing that you can do something else that you

can give up? i don't know if it's cutting your fingernails or what else, the ice bucket challenge. come up with something and we'll put it out there for folks to donate and support your efforts more. >> well, i hope this catches on and we have a buzz the fuzz challenge that goes out to other law enforcement officials throughout. i've already talked to sheriff mack kendall and from mendocino and humboldt county. i put it out there. every sheriff, law enforcement leader in this community has a cause that they're aware of. this is a great way to support your community, to show we're part of the community and do something good for those people like mike lyndall that are out there making our community safe and making california a great place to live. >> all right. lake county strong. california strong. thank you, gentlemen. appreciate it. >> thank you very much. >> all right. i want to shift your attention now to a couple other wonderful gentlemen, larry and spencer. wasn't that amazing what they're doing? >> it's great, but i was thinking of mike lyndall, he can put a mini barbershop in the

corner of his restaurant. suddenly he's got a new business model, all kinds of people coming in. spencer, we're heading into the weekend here. what's the forecast looking like? >> before i get to that, i just want to say i wish i had more fuzz to buzz. but since i don't, let's talk about the weather. the weekend is looking continued breezy, larry, much like the pattern we've had lately. and it's going to be relatively cool over the weekend. might even have a spotty sprinkle or two. right now looking at live doppler 7. mostly sunny skies at the moment. tonight we're going to see another increase in low clouds pushing along the coastline. it's still windy as you can see. 29-mile-per-hour winds in san francisco. 25 in novato. 22 at fairfield. temperature change is a little bit of a mixed bag, although most locations as you can see are anyfrom where from 2 to 5 degrees warmer right now than at this time yesterday. however, places like napa, san jose a degree or two cooler than they were at this time yesterday. so on we go. a look at current readings in san francisco at 65. 71 at oakland at redwood city.

74 san jose and gilroy 78. 59 at half moon bay. looking up north to santa rosa, 75 degrees. petaluma, 71. napa 74. 82 at fairfield. it's been pretty warm at fairfield all week long. mid to upper 70s at concord and livermore. and our forecast features are these. clouds will increase overnight, as i mentioned. breezy and cooler over the weekend. it may be an isolated shower or two in parts of the north bay tomorrow. summer-like warmth will return next week. here is our forecast animation. notice that tonight we'll see the clouds increasing and we'll start the day tomorrow with lots of clouds in the morning, and maybe even a sprinkle or two up between santa rosa and cloverdale and farther north near ukiah. between noon and 5:00 p.m., we'll see another little wave of moisture come on shore up north. it produce isolating showers along the coastal areas of northern sonoma county and up into mendocino county as well. then a cold front sweeps through tomorrow night. clearing out the clouds, giving us mainly sunny skies on monday.

that will be those sunny skies will be accompanied by strong sometimes gusty wind and fairly cool temperature readings. overnight tonight as the clouds increase, low to mid-50s and chance of some spotty coastal drizzle. and then tomorrow, under partly to mostly cloudy skies, highs will range from upper 50s in the coast to upper 60s around the bay shoreline to mainly upper 60s and low 70s inland. and the temperatures won't change very much on sunday, if they do at all they'll be even cooler. upper 50s in the coast. mid- to upper 60s around the bay. barely breaking 70 degrees inland. but monday is when our next warm-up begins. we'll see a bump up in temperatures by, oh, maybe 6 to 10 degrees in some locations from sunday to monday. and then on tuesday, the warming continues. here is the accuweather seven-day forecast. look at how those temperatures increase rather forcefully next week. by midweek mid-80s inland.

and by thursday and friday next week, up to 90 degrees inland and mid-80s around the bay shoreline. larry and kristen? >> all right. thank you, spencer. coming up, protesters stake claim on a vacant house in the bay area. the effort to draw attention to the plight of the homeless. plus, the real estate recovery. the change for realtors tha that could mean an increase byin energy bills.. you can save by setting your heat to 68 or lower... unplugging and turning off devices when not in use... or just letting the sun light your home.

stay well and keep it golden.

shame! shame! shame! >> two homeless women attempted to move into a vacant home in san francisco's castro neighborhood today. they say they need somewhere to stay safe amid this covid-19 pandemic, but they're also protesting for all people to be entitled to housing during this time. and they've teamed up with the organization reclaim sf. police cited the two women and then released them. it's unclear where they're going to go right now. one other person was also arrested. well, real estate home sales will be kicking into a higher gear on monday when owner occupied homes for sale can be

toured in person now with stringent protocols. leslie brinkley looks ahead to what we can expect here in the bay area. >> it's been a strange march and april for real estate. vacant homes we could sell. we could not sell homes that were occupied. >> but the buyers are out there, say realtors, like this home in hayward. >> put it on the market by a friday. by wednesday we had multiple offers and went pending. >> even in this market? >> even in this market, leslie, yes. >> things are expected to take off starting monday when owner occupied homes can again be viewed in person. but the own kerr not be inside the home. and a maximum of two people from the household can tour with proper protective gear. but don't expect to open cabinets or closets. no touching allowed. >> we will not be doing any open houses, no broker tours. >> many sellers took their homes off the market since the shelter-in-place order took effect. many are expected to relist them

now. some agents say expectations among entires could also be shifting. an extra room that used to be considered a luxury might now be considered a necessity as a home office. >> i think that this is going to shift their mind-set and what they want and may not be the four-bedroom home. it may be the three bedroom, two bath with an office. i do know some people are wanting to move out to more open space and maybe commute longer, work from their home more. i believe that we will still have our spring/summer home buying season. it will just be later. it will be more third quarter, fourth quarter. >> prices are expected to remain stable. i'm leslie brinkley, abc7 news. well, a big issue for parents right now is child care. but what will child care look like in a post pandemic world? we'll have a look at some possibilities. plus, you have virtual meetings, virtual cocktail

parties. so why not virtual baby-sitting? how does that even work? that's comin

now your health, your safety. this is abc7 news. >> as you know, abc7 news is focusing on issues that can help build a better bay area, and we know there are so many of you out there who are trying to work from home at the same time taking care of young kids. and it's really hard to juggle both responsibilities. with their child care on hold, some parents are wondering if they should continue to pay to hold a spot. abc7 news reporter lyanne melendez in the newsroom with a look at this complicated issue. lyanne? >> it's difficult, larry. i think it's more than just holding a spot. it's understanding there is a link, right, between child care and the economy. now i think governor newsom said it best earlier this weekend in that child care drives our economy. without it, some of us couldn't go to work. and if that teacher or city

worker doesn't show up for work, guess what? the economy collapses. >> hey, steven. >> this is what a day in the life of parent working from home while taking care of their child looks and sounds like. >> oh, my gosh, this is maybe the best coffee i've every had. >> in ordinary times, 4-year-old marion would be in child care and mom would be at school teaching her special ed students. still, heidi downs herself as one of the lucky ones with a job. >> i cannot imagine not having a paycheck. so i think that it puts families in a really challenging position. >> mara newman, a single mom had to take a week off from work to regroup and learn how to balance both. >> two hours of work, one hour with him, three hours of work. >> she is back at her dining room table working full-time while taking care of her son. here is the stingerment she is still paying a portion of her child care fees, even though she can't choose it. she says she wouldn't have it any other way.

>> it goes to the teachers. they still need to pay their teachers. >> cb hearst preschool continues to pay their teachers and staff, all 18 of them. the school secured a loan and for years has had a rainy day fund. >> we've taken money to support our staff and we have money going forward to support our families. so each one of our families will now receive in july pandemic tuition waiver of $2,000 per family. >> if families don't need it, they can return the money. phoebe hearst also has extra rooms to practice social distancing once they can reopen. >> it sounds like this. ♪ >> in the meantime, most of their 85 students continue to work with teachers online posting creative videos. but smaller home-based child care programs have fewer resources. angelina runs billy goats. >> there is no income coming. there is no new contracts coming. and like any other business, it's hard to stay afloat when there is no movement of this funding that is necessary.

>> the home-based child care programs are always the most vulnerable. as a result of the great recession of 2008, between 10 and 40% of these sites in the bay area closed permanently. gina frommer is with children's council of san francisco which supports child care providers and families. >> the aawareness is child caree society. >> in order for us to get back to work, we have to keep a stabilized child care ecosystem in san francisco. >> she says now more than ever, during and after this crisis, these programs need funding and help from state and local governments. and on april 10th, the governor directed $100 million for child care. of course some of that would go to purchase cleaning supplies for the child care sites like masks, gloves, et cetera throughout the entire state. now nonprofits say more money is needed to support many of these

sites during the next several months while they try to recover their losses. live in the newsroom, lyanne melendez, abc7 news. >> lyanne, we know that child care sites for essential workers are reopening. do we have any indication at this point of when the rest of the preschools will start accepting kids? >> i tell you, no idea. some working parents would like it to be yesterday, larry. the day cares and the senders i spoke to said it's not likely to happen in june. they're not optimistic about that. they're hoping perhaps july, but like everyone else, they want to make sure that the kids are safe, the teachers and staff are staying healthy. >> yeah. lyanne, thank you. there is a lot of parents out there anxiously awaiting for that. >> as parents continue to navigate today's normal. some in the child care have pivoted to provide online option. we're talking about virtual baby sitting meant the offer a little

relief for parents. our team coverage continues with amanda del castillo. >> the workplace has changed now that so many people are working from home. so now child care is changing. we're talking virtual baby-sitting. parenting during the covid-19 pandemic has introduced a world of new talent and tasks. for many, it means balancing a full-time job from home with kids. taking on remote learning responsibilities, preparing meals, completing chores. social distancing doesn't allow baby-sitters to simply pop in for a few showers. but virtual baby-sitting could give parents the breck they need. >> it is not a replacement, and certainly not for hours of child care. it's just another tool in the tool kit as patterns are trying to of navigate this situation. >> sitter city ceo elizabeth haar says virtual sessions can last up to 90 minutes. in that time sitters connect with children through various online platforms. >> this is really to give

parents a bit of relief the take dinner, to take a phone call themselves, to workout. maybe they're going to help another dmield the home. just to give a bit of relief for them while they're close by. >> rachel, owner of the baby-sitting company says activities are essential for engagement. >> we have sitters who are art teacher, yoga instructor, dance instructors, singing instructors. >> and others introducing kids to something different. >> this is nutkin. he is my family's rescued squirrel. >> a new option to keep kids occupied as parents navigate the new normal. >> a few months ago if you talked about virtual baby-sitting, paying someone in a different state or house or building to entertain your children, people would think that was a bit beyond their scope. but now it's a very practical and helpful tool. >> covid-19 changing the way many think about child care. in san jose, i'm amanda del castillo, abc7 news.

a show of support today for front line medical workers at zuckerberg san francisco general hospital. >> thank you. [ cheering and applause ] >> they deserved cheers for sure. multiple agencies showing their gratitude to staffers during a shift change today. also a show of appreciation at seton medical center in daly city. sky 7 flew over the hospital where first responders stood under a large american flag honoring medical workers leaving and arriving for work. abc7's better bay area project thanks is all about sharing gratitude for people giving back during this pandemic. one south san jose neighborhood wanted to thank first responders and health care workers with a special parade. here is abc7 news south bay community gist dustin dorsey. [ siren ] >> the sounds of sirens and cheers of thanks rang through the kiowa circle neighborhood

friday morning. dozens of families celebrated first responders and health care workers who are serving our community during the coronavirus pandemic. >> it kind of felt like for one moment that we weren't in selter in place. i almost started crying. it was kind of surreal. we were saying thank you to them, and then to have them say thank you back to us, it reminds you that they're human and they deserve to be thanked just like everybody else. >> this uncertainty has really united our community. i think that some people took this really serious. they were working three, four days before the parade to get everything ready. we just wanted the say thank you there is a lot going on in the world, and really, this is something that brought everyone together, and we're very proud of our neighborhood and community. >> thank you. >> growing up in this neighborhood, i always felt a sense of love and community from these neighbors, and today these local heroes felt the love as well. >> i really came out here to represent my brothers and sisters from my hospital, and i didn't expect to cry. i expected to come out here and

wave and be happy, but it was so overwhelming. thank you to everybody who put this together. >> it gives us a sense of like togetherness. we're getting an acknowledgment for doing our job, which we committed to, but we're also getting the recognition of the sacrifices that it may take to do this job. hopefully it builds our morale as a team and really reinforces, you know, why i do what i do and why i chose this career path, to serve a community where i grew up. >> words may not do justice for how the community truly feels for local hero, but still we say thank you. >> be safe, everybody, thank you. >> from kiowa circle in south san jose, dustin dorsey, abc7 news. >> and we invite you to join better bay area project thanks and share your gratitude for people helping out during the covid-19 battle. you can use the #better bay area to show us how you're saying thank you, and we'll share it

with the community. we'll be right back.

daly city's francisco martin is still going strong on "american idol." all right. we're going switch stories here. here we go. in the south bay, let's talk about this. many nonprofit organizations have really been reporting a huge spike in the demand for services. one area we're seeing the desperate need is for food, of course, as thousands line up every day throughout the valley to get help to feed their families. here is abc7 news reporter chris nguyen. >> in silicon valley, another day, another drive-through distribution. >> things are a little tough right now. mom and i are both a little handicap and so forth. >> in what has become an all too familiar scene, hundreds are lined up for food at st. lucie parish. michael finds i want tough to go shopping for grocery.

>> these people being out here for us and taking their time and risking their health and support to help us, shurks it's just incredible. a show of gratitude. >> whether you're rich or poor, we're all broken and all traumatized at some level. >> officials with catholic charities say the demand for help as skyrocketed since the start of the pandemic when they began with just one drive-through describe site serving 400 families. >> we've been anticipating this. it's been a sad anticipation, but our feet have been put into reality. >> the nonprofit now operates seven pickup stops throughout the valley. >> it doesn't matter what type of life you lived before. >> each location supports up to one thousand families on a weekly basis with even more to come. >> if you're hungry now, come and get that food, because you need to take care of your families. and we need to take care of our community. we're all in this together. >> each of these boxes comes with enough food to feed a

family of four for up to an entire week. >> i didn't know what to expect. and it's crazy seeing how many people are waiting for hours just to get some food. it's really overwhelming. >> for volunteers, it's very personal. >> people are losing their jobs. so it is very tough for people. i have my brother that he lost his job. he doesn't have anything. >> for recipients, a momentary break before they go about their day. >> got to keep moving. what we do? it's all we can do. love one another and look out for one another, and we need more of that. absolutely. >> a simple smile that speaks volumes during these challenging times. in campbell, chris nguyen, abc7 news. san francisco's food scene has really been starved by the shelter-in-place order that has forced so many restaurants to close or maybe just limit their menu to just takeout items. for most of the small businesses that were just getting started, their chance of survival is so slim. abc7 news anchor dion lim tells us how one bay area nonprofit is

looking for a tasty way that you might be able to help keep some of these vulnerable food startups afloat. >> inside the kitchen of la cucina in the mission district they're hard at work processing food orders. each item carefully crafted bay local restaurant entrepreneur, like reina gurrer are ra's kitchen. >> they specialize in helping minorities and women get started in the food business. since 2005, they've helped 70 active businesses get started. >> there are 33 brick and mortar locations operated by la cucina graduates. all owned by women one by a person of color. >> restaurants had two choices. close their doors or offer takeout. >> i mean, it's like a bloodbath

as far as the industry goes. >> for many, those aren't enough to keep the doors open, let alone pay people to work. >> it's been really hard to watch how quickly business is built so carefully with hard work over 10, 15 years. just erased. >> realizing how much these businesses rely on the income they make, la cocina came up with a plan to help, including an emergency fund to help them pay their bills, services to help navigate loans and grants, and community food boxes that change every week and contain all kinds of hand-made treats and eats. chicken flaut thats, cake pops, momos, pop korb and tamales. really trying to represent a mix of entrepreneurs, every type of cuisine. >> the proceeds from both the emergency fund and the food boxes is dispersed to la cocina's businesses. >> they're able to provide some funds for our family. it helps provide our personal

bills. >> a number of limited food boxes go up for sale every friday morning and picked up the following friday at la cocina. there are veg any and omnivore each selling from 80 to $150. each box contains ten items that can be frozen or served right away. the community food boxes have been selling out, much to the joy of the locals who have been snapping them up. >> it's great. a lot of places we already went to before. and now we still get the same food. >> it's cool to kind of help support stuff and also get yummy, delicious food. >> feeding souls while feeding families in difficult times. in san francisco, dion lim, abc7 news. >> what a great idea. if you'd like to purchase a community food box or contribute to la cocina's emergency fund, go to abc7news.com.

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♪ we can dance until we die, you and i will be young forever ♪ . oh, daly city's francisco martin is still going strong on "american idol," and we'll be back this sunday. the 19-year-old student at the college of san mateo joins us live now from home where contestants are competing now, of course. francisco, good to see you again. >> hi, it's good to see you too. >> it's just been amazing to see your journey, because you were back here in mid-february when this process was just starting, and the world of course was so different then. it was before the pandemic really took hold. and, you know, you came in here with positive energy, and we thought you were terrific then. but now i have to say wow, your confidence has grown so much. >> oh, yeah. it's been such a ride, and i'm just so grateful to be a part of it. >> now i know, right? and what a ride.

you really kept improving. you're dazzling your fans in hawaii. is it the top 20 or top 18? >> its top 20. >> okay. how does it feel? does it feel surreal that you're here in the top 20? >> yeah, it just feels surreal. i don't think it will ever not feel surreal. it's just such a dream to me. i'm happy that i'm chasing my dre dream. yeah, that's what most of the song "teenage dream" was about. i'm glad i got to sing that. >> we can see how competing from home is very different, just from that video from how it used to be. how are you adjusting to that experience? >> i think i've adjusted well. the fact that it's at home now and i'm more comfortable in that setting, i feel like if i was on a live show and had a big audience in front of me, i'd be more nervous. but just the thought of me being at home surrounded by my family, it's such a weight off my shoulders. >> right. you definitely have that family

support. you know, the bay area definitely is cheering for you, along with another bay area student, uc berkeley soccer player grace leer. so competing against her, right. is it friendly? do you root for each other? >> yeah. i think everyone in the -- all the contestants, they all root for each other. they're all so kind. grace is super awesome. she is super talented. we've had chats back in l.a. she gives me advice. on anxiety and stuff. that's great. >> that's great. we definitely root for both you have. during the shelter in place, we've seen how music has really given comfort to so many people. you see people singing out their windows. talk about what your music has meant to you, especially during this time. >> music has always been a big part of life for me. so during this quarantine, i've been making the most of just writing music and listening to music, and i feel like without

it, i don't know what i'd be doing. i don't know how i'd get through tis quarantine, because i literally listen to malibu all the time from the moment i wake up to the moment i go to sleep. and i've been working on my writing and trying to get that together. yeah, it's been such productive quarantine. >> awesome. all the while being a remote student, right? >> yeah. and i held off on school for now. >> okay. well, good luck to you. we certainly will be rooting for you. you can catch -- by the way, i want to take a picture of us together remotely on the same screen. we did it in february and it was good luck for you. fingers crossed. >> thank you so much. >> all right, francisco. you can catch him on "american idol" sunday nights, 8:00 p.m. right here on abc7. good luck. >> thank you. >> larry, he is just the greatest, right? >> he is so talented. he is fantastic. what a singer. also fantastic is this young

lady. here at abc7 we're honoring the class of 2020. unfortunately, they've had to -- they've lost out on graduation ceremonies and other milestones because of the pandemic. micayla graduating from lafayette. she is a three-year varsity basketball player. micayla is excited about her next chapter, heading to the university of oregon in the fall, go ducks! and congratulations to micayla. now if you want to honor a graduate, share the details on our website, abc7 news news.com, a shout out on tv or online. no professional photos. on the website you can also check out a photo gallery of all check out a photo gallery of all the seniors ere for you and we're open. wow. i'm an original. one of a kind. you feel me? love ya'. oop! you look cute! better than you? pop my 100% all-white-meat classic or spicy popcorn chicken combo for just $5.99. eveso we can stillg a answer your calls. now. and we are monitoring our system 24/7 to ensure that we have a fast reliable network,

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we want the opportunity to serve our customers in safety and economic value. >> protesters gather around the state, calling for california to open back up. a bay area barbershop did reopen amid the shelter in place. new at 5 as officials move to shut it down. money meant for small business end up in the hands of the big ones. i team investigates who received more than $69 million in federal funds. now your health, your safety. this is abc7 news. a noticeable lack of social distancing as protesters call for an end to the shelter in place order in california, they say governor newsom doesn't have the authority to make us stay home. he had a message for them as