oh, my god, they took the statue down. >> i think it's a sign of the times. >> a sign of change. where the columbus statue once stood near coit tower now remains only that empty base. good afternoon, i'm kristen sze. >> and i'm larry beil. under the direction of the mayor of san francisco and two supervisors, the statue of christopher columbus was removed from its position near coit tower. this took place in the early morning hours. that statue had been a source of controversy. protesters were threatening to remove it tomorrow as part of the juneteenth demonstrations. abc 7 news reporter lyanne melendez joins us live now. it sounds like a preemptive move. >> reporter: absolutely, larry. san francisco was concerned so imagine a two-ton statue falling from that pedestal that you see behind me. that was reason number one. now reason number two, and i'm

going to quote the city here, at a time of great unrest and deep reflection by our country, we recognize the pain and oppression that christopher columbus represents to many. the removal of the controversial statue of christopher columbus began at 3:00 a.m. by crews from the department of rec and park. it was then driven to an undisclosed location and placed in storage. the mayor and the san francisco arts commission made that decision because they said it doesn't align to san francisco's values or our commitment to racial justice. >> christopher columbus is a deeply polarizing figure in our history and a deep symbol of pain, oppression, particularly for many indigenous people in our communities. >> reporter: the city also took action after this flier began circulating online, encouraging people to remove the statue themselves at a demonstration scheduled for tomorrow. the statue was vandalized three

times last week. >> to ensure the safety of organizers and really to spare them of having to do that labor, you know, we took it upon ourselves to make the decision to take it down. >> reporter: abc 7 news was here yesterday and took one of the last videos of the statue. the pedestal now sits empty. >> the reality is it may not be a bad idea to keep things upthat reminding us of the past. we should really learn from what we have done from the past. >>reporter: many people have made their way up the hill to see it for themselves. >> i was up here on a run running the steps and i was on the phone with my best friend. my reaction was oh, my god, they took the statue down, word for word is what i said. i immediately took a photo and sent it to everyone that i know. >> reporter: and the mayor and supervisor aaron peskin said we have to honor all heritages here in san francisco, all

communities, especially of course the italian-american community, but they both said that we have to do it by picking symbols that unify us. i'm live in san francisco, lyanne melendez, abc 7 news. >> so columbus is gone. any idea what will go in its place? >> reporter: well, i asked that and that hasn't been determined. it's too soon. but i can tell you this, larry, that both the rec and park and the san francisco arts commission will lead that effort, but they told me this afternoon it will take the participation, the input of the public. >> all right, thank you. lyanne melendez reporting at coit tower. house speaker nancy pelosi says four portraits of former house speakers who served in the confederacy are being removed from the u.s. capitol. she originally asked for them to be removed tomorrow. they were taken down today. the speaker said there's no room in the halls of congress for memorializing men who embodied

bigotry and racism of the confederacy. a major new development from governor newsom. he is ordering all californians to wear a face covering in most indoor and outdoor settings when distancing is not possible. most bay area counties already require wearing a mask in public. there are exceptions for children ages 2 and under and for eating and drinking at a restaurant. newsom says part of getting people back to work is wearing a face covering. it's unclear how the order would be enforced. here's a look at what's reopening tomorrow. alameda catching up opening up outdoor dining and indoor retail. san mateo county will allow nail salons, tattoo parlors and other personal care services to open up. solano county also allowing nail salons and tattoo parlors to open. half moon bay open for business. the city says visitors can safely enjoy hotels, restaurants, shops and outside recreation. most beach parking lots and

bathrooms are back open, but the city does say businesses can open on their own schedule, so not everybody will be open in that case. santa clara county resuming jury service and trials this week. everybody must wear a face covering. avoid shaking hands and maintain a social distance of at least six feet. there will be tape and other markings on the floors to help that. the court says fewer jurors will be directed to report on any given day. contra costa county is cutting jobs and scaling back hours in its public library system. economists say it could be the start of a flood of local government cutbacks sprouting from the covid-19 crisis. aaron thomas reports from walnut creek. >> reporter: having to drop off and pick up books outside the contra costa library is a visible sign. covid-19 effect, but it's what you can't see that's going to hurt. >> we will be reducing at some locations because our city partners have been struggling with the effects of the economic

downturn because of covid-19, and they have had to make some really hard decisions. >> reporter: more than 30 library workers will be laid off and hours will be cut back at about half the 26 branches. it's just one department of county government, but it may be the canary in the coal mine. kim reuben is an economist with the brookings institution. >> we know that revenues are down for cities and states, and spending demands are up. >> reporter: she said cities saw a steep drop in revenues from income and sales taxes. she warns that libraries are low-hanging fruit and more and deeper cuts may be on the way. >> we might see cuts for fire and police, though again, there might be other calls for cuts for police. but also we'll see a lot of cuts to the social safety net. >> reporter: she says local governments often look to the state for help, but in this recession, the state is looking to a dysfunctional washington for federal aid. and with that much uncertainty, there are tough choices ahead. >> they're going to need to

assume that revenues aren't coming back, especially those tourism dollars, and figure out how they can budget accordingly. >> reporter: county supervisors are considering something that may be difficult to swallow in tough financial times, a potential sales tax increase. they have commissioned a survey to see how voters feel about the idea. in walnut creek, eric thomas, abc 7 news. our region is the center of biotech research. a small number of labs have been making synthetic elements of the covid-19 virus to allow researchers to develop treatments and vaccines. abc 7 news reporter david louie takes us inside a lab in newark. >> reporter: if you're a scientist or researcher, this is probably where you turn to get a sample of the covid-19 virus. this is a biotech lab that took the genetic code first provided by chinese scientists to produce synthetic versions of proteins and genes so scientists and researchers could begin to work on vaccines and therapeutic

drugs. >> we don't need to ship the whole virus around, so it makes it a lot faster, a lot safer and a lot more efficient. >> reporter: in just five days, the 100 software engineers, organic kem cychemists and mole biologists took these vials for bits and pieces of the virus for research. as covid-19 emerged in the u.s., corrections were made. >> we could just overlay the chinese data on the seattle data and so on and get a very good understanding of what the accuracy and the sequences were. >> reporter: the earliest benefit led to the development of diagnostic kits for antibody and nasal swab testing. the genes are used to perform potentially billions of tests to determine how covid-19 reacts to different kinds of antibodies. it's a repetitive process aided by artificial intelligence and robotics. >> using that same underlying logic and algorithms, we can use that to build antibodies, we can

build diagnostics and build all these things using the exact same logic. >> reporter: depend for the synthetic virus components has the lab operating seven days a week and up to 20 hours a day to fill orders. in newark, david louie, abc 7 news. new developments today as the supreme court blocked the trump administration from ending the deferred action for childhood arrivals program, better known as daca. it allows young people brought to the united states illegally as children to stay in the u.s. and work without being deported. this was a 5-4 ruling written by chief justice john roberts emphasizing that the administration failed to provide an adequate reason to justify ending the program. chris nguyen with reaction. >> reporter: in santa clara county, a collective sigh of relief from the dreamers among us. >> daca does not define me, i define myself. my community defines me. our power, our strength defines us. >> reporter: county officials applauded the supreme court's decision to uphold the deferred action of childhood arrivals program which was originally

introduced through an executive order by former president barack obama. >> our dreamers won. our families won. our county won. but the fight is not over. >> reporter: daca currently protects 700,000 young immigrants across the country from being deported. >> we are very pleased with the supreme court's decision, but the most important thing here is that our dreamers have this momentary respite. >> reporter: in trying to end the program, president trump has said that creating or maintaining it was beyond the legal power of any president. >> one thing that i love hearing about the people around me and the people who are also daca recipients is the phrase meaning moving forward. >> reporter: the court, however, did say the administration could try again to provide adequate reasons for shutting down daca. john dennis, a chairman of the san francisco gop was concerned about today's decision, saying congress needs to decide whether or not to grant dreamers a path

to citizenship. >> it doesn't really get to resolve the issue in the end, so now we've opened the door for donald trump and any future president to claim powers that before now didn't exist. >> reporter: despite that, leaders in santa clara county, which sued in 2017 to challenge the trump administration's appeal of daca are looking ahead. these dreamers, now able to step out of the shadows once more. >> today i stand before you proud, undocumented and unafraid. >> reporter: in san jose, chris nguyen, abc 7 news. cougar captured. an animal found roaming the streets caught by authorities today. we'll tell you what's next. open for business. pier 39 reopens. the changes you can expect. almost showing. movie theaters getting ready to reopen. what it could look like. i'm spencer christian. we had a bit of a heat spike inland today and it's going to be rather slow to recede in inland areas. i'll have the a

managing type 2 diabetes? you're on it. exercising often and eating healthy? yup, on it there too. you may think you're doing all you can to manage type 2 diabetes and heart disease... ...but could your medication do more to lower your heart risk? jardiance can reduce the risk of cardiovascular death for adults who also have known heart disease. so, it could help save your life from a heart attack or stroke. and it lowers a1c. jardiance can cause serious side effects including dehydration, genital yeast or urinary tract infections, and sudden kidney problems. ketoacidosis is a serious side effect that may be fatal. a rare, but life-threatening bacterial infection in the skin of the perineum could occur. stop taking jardiance and call your doctor right away if you have symptoms of this bacterial infection, ketoacidosis, or an allergic reaction and don't take it if you're on dialysis or have severe kidney problems. taking jardiance with a sulfonylurea or insulin may cause low blood sugar. lower a1c and lower risk of a fatal heart attack? on it with jardiance. ask your doctor about jardiance.

you can still order all your favorites. because right now, denny's is offering free delivery. just go to dennys.com for free delivery right to your door. see you at dennys.com.

firefighters battled a six-acre grass fire south of san jose this afternoon located just off of highway 101 south of bailey avenue. that fire burned near some high-power transmission lines but there were no reports of any damage. cal fire was busy with another blaze in the north bay. this fire burned in sonoma county this afternoon, burning about two acres on stony point road west of highway 101. you can see all the smoke from that fire. this image given to us by cal fire. the number of people filing first-time jobless claims continues to grow. the labor department said about 1.5 million laid-off workers applied for unemployment benefits last week, evens as the economy increasingly reopens. the latest figure brings the total number of claims filed since march to 45.5 million.

construction activity is rebounding after a sharp downturn during the pandemic. a new survey of major u.s. markets by construction industry trade group shows activity has returned to pre-coronavirus levels in 34 states. dallas had the biggest gain. san francisco was down 8% as of may 31st, but that's an improvement. it had been down as much as 53% in early april. time for consumer news now. 7 on your side's michael finney here with today's headlines. hi, michael. >> hey, you guys. there is some good news tonight for those trying to hang on to their homes. homeowners keep their homes. fannie mae and freddie mac are extending their moratorium on foreclosures and evictions until at least august 31st. there is good news for buyers and those refinancing. the average rate on a 30-year mortgage is now at its lowest since freddie mac began keeping track back in 1971.

last week the average rate dropped to 3.13%. amtrak is cutting back service on most of its long distance routes. low ridership is being blamed. the routes will drop from one per day to three times per week. the cuts are set to begin on october 1st and last at least through the summer of 2021. among the routes being cut is the california zephyr, the one that runs from san francisco to chicago. lyft has announced its commitment t reao reach 100% electric vehicles by 2030. in a blog post today, the ride-sharing company said this is a collaboration with the environmental defense fund. the fund's president says as we work to repair the economy post-pandemic, there is an opportunity to rebuild better and more eco-friendly. lyft says it will work to help drivers switch to electric cars with some incentives and financing. we'll see how far they actually

go. larry, kristen. >> all right, thank you, michael. changes may be coming to cream of wheat. today b & g foods issued a statement saying it's initiated a review of its packaging of that product. the breakfast food features the image of a black cook, believed to be based on chicago chef frank white who died back in the 1930s. yesterday aunt jemima was the first food brand to announce a logo change. uncle ben's and mrs. butterworth's followed suit. the mountain lion stalking the streets of san francisco for days was captured this morning and is being returned to the wild on the peninsula. the department of fish and wildlife sent us this photo of the 68-pound mountain lion being evaluated at the oakland zoo. it was spotted several times this week, including just outside our kgo studios. it was captured early this morning in mission bay. it took two animal control officers, a fish and wildlife officer and two nets.

>> some unbelievable video of that mountain lion roaming around the street. some popular lake tahoe area destinations are getting ready to reopen. heavenly mountain resort and north star california resort announcing today they'll be open for select activities in early july. heavenly says it will reopen hiking trails, chair lifts and gondolas, and its ridge rider mountain coaster on july 3rd. north star plans to reopen its golf course on july 15th, which leads us into weather this weekend and father's day. >> happy early father's day. you got a treat for everybody, spencer? >> i think so. i think the weekend holds a treat for us. summer starts on saturday and that is followed by father's day on sunday. it looks like the weather will be nice both days. it's certainly nice and summery right now. sunny skies and warm to hot conditions across much of the bay area. a little bit breezy. you can see here the surface wind generally 13 to 18 miles

per hour so nothing extreme in terms of wind but the warmup has continued the last couple of days. we're now 5 to 10 degrees warmer in many locations than we were at this time yesterday. yesterday was even warmer than the day before. so let's take a look at some current readings. 74 degrees in san francisco right now, oakland 81, low 90s in mountain view, san jose and gilroy. 76 at pacifica, which is pretty warm for coastal temperatures. on we go to santa rosa, where it is 91 right now. petaluma 94. 85 in napa and mid to upper 90s in concord and livermore. we'll see cooling coastal fog returning overnight along the coast and pushing along the bay. heat will hold on inland tomorrow, but a little bit less warm than it was today. and summer begins saturday afternoon at 2:43 pacific daylight time. here's a look at the overnight conditions. you'll see the fog developing and expanding along the coastline and moving slightly out over the bay and pushing

into a couple of inland spots up in the north bay. it will linger there going into the midday hours so we'll have sunny skies inland and around the bay but some fog will linger in many coastal locations. overnight lows will be generally in the mid to upper 50s so it will be another relatively mild overnight period but not quite so mild or warm and uncomfortable as last night was. tomorrow's highs will range from low and mid-60s at the coast to mid-80s around the bay and low to mid-90s inland. now, saturday we'll see a bit of cooling inland as the marine layer expands and exerts its cooling influence in our inland areas, but then it will start to warm up a little bit more on sunday, which is father's day. that warming will continue into monday. so here's a look at the accuweather seven-day forecast. we endi the week on a warm note inland. summer begins on saturday but it will be cooler on the first day of summer than the last day of

spring. then we go into father's day on sunday, and it's going to be a dandy day for dads with the typical summertime spread of temperatures. there will be gradual cooling going into early next week and temperatures will bounce back on wednesday and thursday of next week and be pretty warm to hot inland mid-week and late week next week and warm around the bay as well. coastal temperatures will bounce up into the middle 60s. it's going to be a mild to warm forecast all the way through the seven-day period. larry and ama -- i'm sorry, larry and kristen. >> that's okay, it's an honor to be called ama. she's gorgeous and intelligent and all that, so there you go. thank you. helping black businesses. a new app that's getting a lot of attention. plus -- >> it's a factory steeped deep in tradition now standing in solidarity with the black lives matter movement. i'm di

well as to how a have reverse mortgage works. people think that the bank takes your home, but that is not true. that's absolutely 100% wrong. the home is ours. we can sell it if we want to at any time. i like the flexibility of not having a payment, but i can make the payment if i want to. you're responsible for keeping up your property taxes and you're responsible for paying your insurance on the property. for us, it was a security blanket. the value of our house, was to fund our long-term health care. for years, reverse mortgage funding has been helping customers like these use the equity from their homes to finance their lives. they know the importance of having financial security. make an appointment so they can tell you how it works. it's a good thing. access your equity.

stay in your home. have peace of mind. theand we want to thank times, 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 to help keep cosentyx accessible and affordable. if you have any questions at all, call us, email us, visit us online. we're here to help support you when you need us. take care, and be well. to learn more, call one eight four four cosentyx or visit cosentyx.com lookentertainmentour experience, xfinity x1. it's the easiest way to watch live tv and all your favorite streaming apps. and now x1 also comes with peacock. ooh la la. this rare bird lets you stream tons of movies, shows, news, sports and more. with x1, it's all at your beck and call. show me "parks and rec."

see? the best really did get better! magnificent. xfinity x1 just got even better with peacock premium included for no additional cost. no strings attached. tomorrow is juneteenth. that is the celebration of freedom for black americans. this yoear there's a new way to elevate black voices. it's coming from silicon valley, a place often criticized for its lack of black voices. abc 7 news reporter julian d glover has the details. >> it's sparking -- >> reporter: that's the app

shade promoting black-owned business in the bay area. the app launched on apple's store november 19 and is getting popularity at a time when people are actively looking to support black owned business, many forced to close down or hit hard by the pandemic. >> we really need support in the black community and need to come together and unify. >> reporter: shade has brought a number of clients to the salon since its launch, and she's hoping it will help her bounce back when nail salons can finally reopen in alameda county. the app helps users find everything from salons and barbershops to black-owned coffee shops in the bay. >> shade has helped certain business owners get a new customer base. it just gives me more juice to go harder at this thing. >> reporter: this friday on juneteenth, the apple app store will feature a number of apps like shade created by black developers. silicon valley has long been criticized for its lack of diversity.

the editor in chief of the app store, smoky fontaine, explains how the company is working to change that by elevating black voices. >> and we believe apps are for everyone and so they should be made by everyone. and so the whole app store just gets stronger when we add these diverse voices to it. >> reporter: the first step in adding those diverse voices is investing. now apple is relaunching its entrepreneur camp focused on giving more young black developers the one-on-one training and the tools they need to thrive. >> we keep the foot on the gas pedal and we can really effect some positive change in people's lives. >> reporter: there are more than 100 black-owned businesses added to it and he tells me they're looking to add more and they may expand this app to other metro areas in the future. i'm julian glover, abc 7 news. >> in honor of juneteenth, abc will air a special tomorrow night, "juneteenth, a celebration of overcoming" right

here at 8:00 p.m. today we take a look at movie theaters now getting ready to welcome back customers. and hitting the road you spoke. we listened. tiny tacos are back for good! grab a box of 15 or try them loaded. get 'em now with no contact delivery.

grab a box of 15 or try them loaded. ♪ ♪ we've always put safety first. ♪ ♪ and we always will. ♪ ♪ for people. ♪ ♪ for the future. and there has never been a summer when it's mattered more. wherever you go, summer safely. get zero percent apr financing for up to five years on select models and exclusive lease offers.

grab a box of 15 or try them loaded. get 'em now with no contact delivery. abc 7 news is working to build a better bay area. part of that includes the economy as the bay area starts to reopen for business, we're here to help you navigate new rules and new realities. movie theaters facing some major challenges going forward. a lot of large theater chains will be reopening in july, but there's still so much uncertainty about what that movie going experience will look and feel like. we did get a look inside

oakland's grand theater and get a better idea of the future of theaters. >> it's a very, very special communal experience. there's nothing like seeing a great movie with an audience. if it's a comedy, it just seems funnier with everyone laughing. if it's a horror film, it just seems scarier with everyone screaming. i love going to the movies. this has become such a void in our lives, in the lives of people who love movies, and it's hopefully a very temporary thing. it's strange, it's almost ghostly to see the place abandoned like this and just empty. empty and waiting. just waiting to come back.% we were one of the first theaters to shut down here in the bay area. as a responsible operator, i don't want to put our customers at risk, i don't want to put my staff at risk. and so we closed the theater on march 15th.

personally, i probably will be one of the last theaters to open and not jump the gun because i want safety. the studios might decide to push back the big releases. obviously with no film to play it makes no sense to open anyway. see what the industry does. i can't even imagine showing any movies until mid-july. i think by that time we'll have a much better idea whe on the contagion and where we are with the regulations. if we are restricted to 25% capacity and have to do things like sanitize seats between shows or put disposable seat covers on between shows, it could be way tough. if the guidelines and rules and regulations really don't allow us to operate in a way that we can even break even, we might be better off waiting. i just don't know yet. when we get to the point of where it's real that, okay, we

have to do these things, one, two, three, four, five, an specific dates or whatever, we'll see whether we can make it work. amc is talking about bankruptcy and some of these other firms are talking about bankruptcy. and i can see how that's possible if you have hundreds of locations. i only have to pay my mortgage on this building, and i can wait. the question is, is it going to be this summer or is it going to be christmas or is it going to be next summer? i don't know. we'll bring this all back and we'll bring it back as soon as we can, as soon as we safely can, and we look forward to that day. >> all right. well, if your summer entertainment is more along the lines of travel rather than the movies, we have some help for you. joining me today is chris mcginnis, senior travel correspondent for sfgate.com. good to see you again, chris. >> thanks for having me on. >> you just published an article today about taking your first

flight in the covid-19 era. what did you discover on the flight? >> well, i think that probably the biggest overreaching thing was that it was mostly unremarkable. it felt pretty much like a regular flight except for the fact that there were very few people at the airport and very few people on the plane. i did wear a mask the entire time as required by the airport and the airline. i flew alaska airlines from here down to palm springs and back on just a quick trip to see what it was like out there. the plane felt squeaky clean. everybody was more o less i would say disengaged on the plane. they were regular old travelers. everybody had a mask on and everybody kept their mask on, which is something that has bubbled up today and proved to be quite controversial about wearing masks on planes. >> i was going to say you did, your flight mates did, the airlines got tougher saying that if you don't wear a mask

onboard, we could, for example, ban you from future flights. but we're seeing these battles emerge. one that turned decidedly racial that you wrote about, can you talk about that? >> yeah. well, there were a couple that we wrote about today. the main one was about a -- someone that was on an american airlines flight, refused to wear a mask. they ended up kicking him off the flight, which he claimed was against the law. and he was right because there is no law against it because, unfortunately, the federal government refuses to step in here and require that all passengers wear masks. they're leaving it up to the individual airlines, which is causing a lot of confusion and consternation. what ended up happening is american airlines came out and said it may not be against the law, but it is against our rules. since we're a private company, if you want to be on our private property, you have to follow our rules. if you don't, we reserve the

right to kick you off the plane and we reserve the right to ban you from our airline, which they have done. they say that the passenger will be banned from american airlines until masks are no longer required on flights. >> all right. we don't have too much time but there was another incident where an asian american passenger asked their seatmate next to them to put on a mask and the person said to them go back to china. >> yes. >> that was very disturbing. i've got to ask you, though, you talk about there not being a federal law. do you expect that the faa or tsa or whoever would step in and mandate that and give it some teeth? >> yeah, unfortunately i don't given the current situation in the federal government and the head of the federal government having issues about wearing masks at all. he's not going to ask that his agencies enforce any type of mask ruling. so the faa came out today and very specifically said that it was not going to regulate this,

that they didn't think it was in their purview. that they are there to have planes fly safely and it's up to the airlines to decide how to maintain the health of their passengers onboard. so they're not going to do it. >> all right. so we may see more of these conflicts, we'll see. isn't another concern of yours about what's happening actually at the airport? hearing some stories about people returning to sfo from other countries, encountering very few things in terms of checking their health. >> yeah. i have not come back into sfo from an international flight yet but i do monitor social media and have seen a few posts from people saying they're coming back into sfo, finding some lines which is not surprising, but the disturbing thing was that they were not being -- they didn't feel like they were being sufficiently screened for health reasons. so they, for example, were not asked -- they didn't have to go through any sort of temperature screening. in some cases there were health

questionnaires that were distributed to passengers, but then never collected. so we don't know kind of what's coming back into the country. one thing we do know, very few people are coming back in. >> all right. chris mcginnis, always good talking with you and these are issues that we'll have to continue to stay on as more americans take to the skies and travel again this summer. good seeing you, take care. >> all right, thank you. a new report shows freeway travel is slowly inching back to normal as the bay area reopens. according to the bay area council of economic institute, travel on local freeways stood at 52% of pre-covid levels as of last friday. sonoma county residents are the biggest numbers, 84% of normal levels. san francisco was the lowest at 33% of pre-covid travel. this is a big rebound from mid-march when the stay-at-home orders began. back then, travel was just 10% of normal. san francisco's pier 39 now

back open for business mostly. the occupancy level has been reduced so people can maintain social distancing. there are new hand sanitization stations and everybody 13 or over has got to wear a face covering. extra outdoor seating at restaurants has also been added. one notable spot that is not open is the aquarium of the bay. the president and ceo is really frustrated and says he's submitted a comprehensive reopening plan to the city. >> the last 14 weeks or so we've lost over $2.5 million in revenue. that's a significant amount for a nonprofit such as ours, which does not have an endowment or does not get any support from the city or the state. >> he's hoping that the city will have an answer as to whether the aquarium can reopen before the fourth of july weekend. masks now required everywhere in california, but will people really follow the rules? plus, a new plan to get more people loaded onto planes. the open road..

the wind in your hair... the feeling of freedom that drives us to go out and discover.. at chevy, we're committed to getting you there with confidence and peace of mind. that's why your chevy clean dealers commit to using enhanced vehicle cleaning measures with cdc-approved cleansers. if you need a new equinox, get 0% apr for 72 months or, four thousand five hundred dollars cash allowance on most models. you may even shop online and take delivery at home where available. so you can find new roads with confidence.

all right, everybody, time for the four at 4:00. good to see spencer back, dan here. you know masks are now required across the state in california. in a new order issued today people will be required to wear masks inside or outside. in public settings waiting for transit and where social distancing is not possible. most counties have some mask mostequirements already.mask the only exception is solano county. the order comes as california broadly reopens the economy. many bay area counties moving into stage three. dan, what's your thought on that? >> well, i think we all have our masks with us all the time. i keep an extra in my car. as we are beginning to reopen in california and certainly what we're seeing in places like texas and in florida, a sudden surge of cases as people get back out and about. we have to take this seriously. the coronavirus has not gone

anywhere, we just flattened the curve by our good behavior the last three months so i think discipline is required here and we should continue if we're going to be out and about a little bit more, it's not a huge imposition to just wear the mask for a little bit longer and protect each other. >> spencer, do you think making it a statewide mandate will really affect behavior? >> well, it may. i mean there are some people who just are totally in denial and are defiant and want to do what they want to do. but yeah, i think making it a state requirement is a good idea because if we learn from those states that began to open perhaps sooner than they should have, if we learn from those areas where people have been going out and gathering in large groups without their masks and they have had sudden spikes, then of course that underscores the need to continue wearing them for a while. >> all right, moving on, as we told you earlier this hour, the christopher columbus statue in front of coit tower has been removed. we'll show you the empty spot from a video that was taken by sky 7.

the san francisco arts commission says it took down the statue under the direction of the mayor because it does no align with the city's values or commitment to racial justice. it strikes me that this situation really exemplifies what we teach in schools, because as i remember the stories of christopher columbus when i was a kid, i mean he was the conquering voyager, 1492, the nina, pinta and santa maria. conspicuously act from the descriptions of columbus back then was, oh, he was a tyrant who enslaved a lot of the people that he ran into in the islands that he visited and he killed so many people who didn't produce enough gold or as much as he wanted and ended up going back to spain in chains under arrest. so, spencer, what we teach kids in schools is so important. this is a vivid example of that. >> it is.

and we're seeing many other vivid examples of that when it comes to matters of race and ethnicity and, you know, brutal treatment of ethnic minorities, racial minorities. i don't think much is being taught about slavery and about the civil war in schools in the last, i don't know, generation or so because i know so many young people who are well educated who know very little about that period in our history. and while we're talking about that, by the way, you know, you hear a lot of people who are defending confederate statues or confederate heroes. the confederacy had a five-year life pspan. it was not something that lasted long enough for people to talk about heritage. it lasted five years and it ended. anyhow, we're learning a lot of lessons now and, yeah, we need to teach real history. >> and that does start with the curriculum, including the voices and primary sources and things written by people of color from all backgrounds. all right. next up is san francisco's

startup is heralding a new seating configuration that will give airline passengers more privacy, comfort and virus protection. so the concept replaces the standard seats and overhead bins with the new seats that can lay floot. check that out,,,,, allow airlines to maintain the same seating density now offered in premium economy cabins. it would need to undergo safety tests which could take three years. it's going to be a while but, dan, what do you think? looks enticing? >> especially these days when they have us all packed in like chickens prior to social distancing of course. anything that makes flying a little more comfortable i think is probably a good thing and fliers would welcome in. >> yeah. spencer, what do you think on your next cross-country flight? >> i'm all for it. yeah, i am all for it. it looks pretty comfortable, i'd love to try it. i got back from a cross-country

flight. it wasn't very comfortable. >> three years? we have to wait three years? >> that could be your next flight, three years from now. >> you're right actually. a north carolina woman who planned a family visit to a drive-through zoo got more than she bargained for. take a look at this video. >> no! [ screaming ] >> she captured this video of her mother and nephews reacting after a herd of friendly cattle approached their car. as you can see, the woman's mother in the driver's seat is desperately trying to get the animals to get their head out of the vehicle as they peer in. the children can be heard screaming and they're yelling in the background. they're never going to forget this trip. it's a cow! the woman says the tears were

from uncontrollable laughter, although i'm not sure that i buy that based on this video here. >> it's not like it's a bear. it's a cow. they don't really bite. >> it's a cow! [ laughing ] >> this is the zoo coming to life in your car. kristen, any thoughts? >> you know those drive-through zoos, they always have the potential to offer excitement. what is the one called in sonoma county? safari west, that's it. did that and it was fabulous. but in the back of my head i was thinking of scenes kind of like that one. it didn't happen, though. it was fun. >> those vicious cows. >> i know. >> and that's no bull. >> oh! >>

that could mean an increase byin energy bills.. you can save by using a fan to cool off... unplugging and turning off devices when not in use... or closing your shades during the day. stay well and keep it golden. that's why usaa is giving payment relief options to eligible members so they can pay for things like groceries before they worry about their insurance

or credit card bills. discover all the ways we're helping members today. i wanted my hepatitis c gone. i put off treating mine. epclusa treats all main types of chronic hep c. whatever your type, epclusa could be your kind of cure. i just found out about mine. i knew for years. epclusa has a 98% overall cure rate. i had no symptoms of hepatitis c mine caused liver damage. epclusa is only one pill, once a day, taken with or without food for 12 weeks. before starting epclusa, your doctor will test if you have had hepatitis b, which may flare up, and could cause serious liver problems during and after treatment. tell your doctor if you have had hepatitis b, other liver or kidney problems, hiv, or other medical conditions... ...and all medicines you take, including herbal supplements. taking amiodarone with epclusa may cause a serious slowing of your heart rate. common side effects include headache and tiredness.

ask your doctor today, if epclusa is your kind of cure. having conversations about race can be uncomfortable, but a

company in the east bay is using their culture and craft to educate others. dion lim takes us inside oakland's fortune cookie factory where black lives matter one cookie at a time. >> we make everything by hand. it's an extremely labor intensive process. >> reporter: if you pay close attention through the hub of machines, more than 60 years old, you'll see oakland's fortune cookie factory is going through somewhat of a renaissance. >> we want to change what people think, how people see a fortune cookie. >> reporter: amid the sea of batter and familiar-looking cookies we're used to, shaped one by one by the immigrant women the factory implies, is a cookie of a different color. >> the black community has been suffering centuries of injustice and violence, so it is, i believe, everyone's responsibility to fight that. we wanted to take action and help. >> reporter: but there's more to this cookie than what's on the outside. it's what's on the inside that's starting a conversation. >> and when you open it, not

only are you rewarded with a delicious treat, there's a thought-provoking message on the inside. >> reporter: quotes from civil rights leaders like martin luther king jr. and from the book "how to be an anti-racist" and other resources to get educated. >> there's a lot of tension between the black and asian-american communities, but i think it's from a lack of understanding. our culture is just a really great starting point to have a conversation. it's a way for people to talk about really big issues like discrimination and racism in a way that is nonconfrontational. >> reporter: not only will she and her husband hand out the solidarity cookies to protesters, but 50% of proceeds will be donated to charities, like the innocence project and local community groups. their way of showing this chinese-american creation is not just a snack or after-dinner treat but a vehicle to bring people together. >> if you are a person living in america, it is your sole duty

and responsibility to help your fellow citizens, no matter what race. >> reporter: in oakland, dion lim, abc 7 news. the city of oakland and partners are looking for guidance on what a racially just oakland could look like. the belonging in oakland, a just city cultural fund is poised to hand out $300,000 in grants for ideas to help the cultural sector of communities of color. up to 12 grants of $25,000 each will be awarded. abc 7 is celebrating the class of 2020 by featuring bay area seniors. congratulations to you class of 2020.

>> congratulations. just ahead, a recent graduate unlike any other. this one just 14 years old and she's already got a master's degree. how she's putting it to work. and dan is here with what's coming up on abc 7 news at 5:00.

new at 5:00, we are hearing from the mayor of walnut creek about last night's protests and the vandalism left behind. >> you think it damages the goal of what they were trying to proclaim? >> it was very upsetting to my neighbors. >> meanwhile there is word that a big change could be coming. that story you say that customers maklet's talk data.s. only xfinity mobile lets you switch up your wireless data whenever. i accept! 5g - everybody's talking about it. how do i get it? everyone gets 5g with our new data options

at no extra cost. that's good. next item - corner offices for everyone. just have to make more corners in this building. chad? your wireless your rules. only with xfinity mobile. now that's simple easy awesome. switch and save up to $400 a year on your wireless bill. plus get $200 off a new samsung galaxy s20 ultra. theand we want to thank times, 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 to help keep cosentyx accessible and affordable. if you have any questions at all, call us, email us, visit us online. we're here to help support you when you need us. take care, and be well. to learn more, call one eight four four cosentyx or visit cosentyx.com

. i don't feel any different. i kind of forget a lot. and until people are like congratulations but i am class of 2020 but i'm not going to high school this year. i'm done with my masters. we're cleaning up our neighborhoods. it was a result of a lot of the riots and stuff that happened and trash that's blown in from

other places and i kind of pride myself because of my environment engineering agree. i got my bachelors from college in new york. >> she would capture information so quickly and she'd be prepared to get onto the next thing. her after school activities were high school modules. >> my biggest driving force honestly it's a tie between my mom and my grandma. they had to learn, they had to be ipschool, they had to be scholars to fight in a revolution. >> don't push your child too fast but don't hold your child back because of what is not the norm. they know they should never second goes where they come from because a lot of greatness comes out of the south side of chicago and chicago in general. >> great stuff. you can check out more great stories at localish.com,

facebook and instagram. thank you for well many people have such a misunderstanding as to how a reverse mortgage works. people think that the bank takes your home, but that is not true. that's absolutely 100% wrong. the home is ours. we can sell it if we want to at any time. i like the flexibility of not having a payment, but i can make the payment if i want to. you're responsible for keeping up your property taxes and you're responsible for paying your insurance on the property. for us, it was a security blanket. the value of our house, was to fund our long-term health care. for years, reverse mortgage funding has been helping customers like these use the equity from their homes to finance their lives. they know the importance of having financial security. make an appointment so they can tell you how it works. it's a good thing. access your equity. stay in your home. have peace of mind.

we're all talking about the second wave. we're not out of the first wave. our numbers are going up. >> numbers are up and that's a problem. the governor now ordering all californians to wear face coverings in public. too many people are failing to do so. walnut creek becomes a hub of protest. another demonstration just last night. now a local business leader is calling for a permanent change to his street. in san francisco officials remove a statue of christopher columbus before protesters apparently did it for them. ferential from cal to stanford we're getting a good idea what fall classes will look like. good evening. thank you for joining us. i'm dan ashley. >> and i'm ama dates. it's official starting today there's a statewide mandate to wear a face cin