next at 5:00, the state's top health official says up to 300,000 new covid-19 cases are up in the air. how long before the system failure might be fixed? also tonight, an alleged bribery scheme at the santa clara county sheriff's office. who is accused of exchanging gun permits for campaign funds? plus, bay area business leaders demanding transparency. why they want to know who received billions of dollars in coronavirus business loans. also, getting tough proves tough to do. fining people for not wearing a mask isn't easy. this is abc 7 news. you deserve better. the governor demands better of

us, and we are committed to doing better. tonight the state's top health official admits his team blew it. california's coronavirus case counts are off because of a computer system failure. and now the investigation into how this could happen is under way. good evening. thank you for joining us. >> the system broke down, or i should say break down comes as the state records 10,000 deaths from covid-19. >> abc 7 news reporter melani woodrow is on the story. >> reporter: for months california's leaders have emphasized they are making decisions about reopening based on science and data. now a bombshell announcement. >> our data system failed and that failure led to inaccurate case numbers in case positivity rates. it also prevented counties from having some of the data they need to monitor and respond to the virus in their communities. >> reporter: secretary dr. mark ghali says most are coronavirus test samples.

he says no changes to california's response policies were based on the incomplete data. also, that health officials believe the trends they discussed earlier this week remain the same. a delay in lab records coming into the state's reporting system. he says data from a large commercial be lab was also not received for five days due to a certificate the state neglected to renew on time. >> you deserve better, the governor demands better of us and we are committed to doing better. >> reporter: county health officers are disappointed. in emailed statements contra costa health services writes, quote, we have had to stop calculating our positivity rate because positive results come back faster and were likely making our rate look artificially high. contra costa says delays hurt contact tracing efforts. santa clara county writes the residents and businesses of the county of santa clara and the state of california must have accurate and reliable data about the spread of covid-19.

the doctor expects the backlog of records to be resolved in 24 to 48 hours. in the meantime counties are not being added or dropped from the watch list which will only be unfrozen once state health officials are confident they have it right. the state is making changes to servers to increase capacity and strengthening oversight and monitoring. governor newsom has also ordered a full investigation of the issue. melanie woodrow, abc 7 news. sonoma has joined other bay area counties in saying it will write citations and issue fines for not properly wearing a mask to prevent the spread of covid-19. do these citations and fines really do anything? >> reporter: outside a restaurant in petaluma the signs about wearing masks have not changed in weeks, but after today there are some teeth behind them. >> we've been pretty strict about wearing the masks. >> reporter: and now is sonoma

county had a has joined others in issuing fines for those caught not wearing masks. supervisor james gore. >> this is not to go out and slap everybody with a fine and get out of ticket book. this is to deal with people who are straight up jerks. >> reporter: how sharp are the teeth in those new county ordinances? the answers surprised us. we checked across the bay area, berkeley, san francisco, san jose, oakland reported back that they had not issued a single mask citation nor from county sheriffs. >> they are not enforcing customers to wear masks. >> reporter: as for marin county the job of enforcing masks landed on the desk of rebecca ing. since july she has received some 200 complaints. how many have you followed up on? >> not that many. >> reporter: blame bureaucracy,

to have 31 cities and towns on the same page is much the same as herding cats. here and elsewhere expect disconnects on questions about how to enforce or how to. >> appeal. >> i hope for voluntary compliance. >> reporter: they do not expect it to happen overnight. the threat is a barring of those teeth, the bite, that comes later. >> you're rigr right not to weak isn't more important than my mother's right to not be coughed on because she's at risk. >> reporter: in the north bay, wayne freedman, abc news 7. owners of small businesses in the bay area say they are facing failure unless they get help from the government quickly. talks between the administration and democratic leadership in washington for a new round of stimulus grants collapsed and no plans for future meetings o talks about this. and this comes as a cloud continues to hang over the ppe

loan program designed to save small businesses suffering in this pandemic. >> reporter: the owner of this franchise in san jose pays $10,000 in rent and overhead per month. survival will depend on a second round of ppe loans. >> our people will not be able to survive. we really need this kind of a life line. >> reporter: 44% of small business owners say they expect to fail in the next six months. 35% have tapped their retirement account to stay open. 16% have considered filing for bankruptcy. the survey was done by the group small business majority. small business advocates complain they can't measure the success of a $310 billion program because the small business administration won't release names of companies that. >> people have a right to know

whether it's worked and whether it has served the people it was supposed to benefit. >> reporter: a freedom of information act suit has been filed in san francisco to get the complete list on behalf of the bay area's american small business lien. >> you can only withhold information that meets one of certain criteria -- exemptions. and this information does not qualify legally under any of those exemptions. >> reporter: we contacted the sba. the sba does not comment on pending litigation. some have argued names of smaller ppe loan recipients should be shielded for competitive reasons. but i would like to see data on how many minority businesses got loans and where they were located. an estimated $120 billion in ppe loan money is unspent. david louie, abc 7 news. in santa clara county a grand jury has indicted four people connected to sheriff laurie smith for allegedly arranging political bribes in exchange for concealed gun permits.

>> reporter: this afternoon an investigation into allegations of pay-to-play politics in santa clara county involving sheriff laurie smith's inner circle. district attorney jeff rosen announcing multiple charges in connection to a scandal over the long time sheriff's 2018 re-election bid. >> the mission of the district attorney's office is to vigorously pursue justice in a way that is fair and treats everyone equally under the law and with respect. >> reporter: named christopher shoom, michael nichols and captain james general son who once oversaw the carry application program. the charges include bribery and conspiracy to commit bribery. and in the case of jensen falsifying public records. he faces up to 11 years in prison. the others face up to four. >> the d.a.'s office is continuing to investigate more crimes and more individuals

related to sheriff smith's issuance of ccw licenses. the investigation is active and ongoing. we will follow the evidence where it leads. >> reporter: prosecutors say jensen worked with the defendants as well as seattle-based executive security contractor a.s. solution to secure a number of hard to come by ccw permits in exchange for $90,000 in donations to the santa clara county public safety alliance, an independent expenditure committee supporting smith's most recent re-election. a sheriff's office spokesperson said jensen will be placed on administrative leave and they would continue to monitor the situation and have no further information to provide at this tme. the sheriff, who has not been charged with a crime, also declined to comment. however, abc 7 news did speak to her opponent in the 2018 election, former under sheriff who called it a sad day for the department. >> she made us certain assurances and promises during

the campaign to make the department more transparent, to change the culture in a positive manner. that needed to start at the top. >> reporter: all members of the county board of supervisors turned down request for interviews. the four defendants will be arraigned at the hall of justice at the end of the month. in san jose, chris nguyen, abc 7 news. a chp officer got hurt in this motorcycle crash on interstate 880. that officer is at the hospital now being treated. there's a heavy backup through san leandro and into east oakland because of the crash. drivers using the shoulder to go around the scene south of marina boulevard. the crash happened just after 4:00 p.m. so about an hour ago. no word yet on the motorcycle officer's condition. developing news in alameda where gunfire broke out on santa clara avenue this our cameraman found a woman and

her daughter who was in a car hit by a bullet. they were shaken but otherwise okay. one person was hit by flying glass and got a minor injury. a lot more to come. still ahead anxiety but also excitement. bay area teachers sound off on the start of the school year. and later, 7 on your side's michael finney is here with the electronics best for for spending a perfectly reasonable amount of time on the couch with tacos from grubhub? rewarded! get a free delivery perk when you order. - [group] grubhub. an army family who is always at the ready. so when they got a little surprise...

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the first day of distance learning, school for oakland schools, begins monday but now it appears talks between the district and the teachers union are breaking down. the two sides have been negotiating for weeks. still, they can't find agreement over the number of hours in a work day, the amount of prep time, or professional development. today union officials say district officials were a no show to a recent meeting scheduled for midnight. district officials have not

returned our call for clarification but they said earlier today they couldn't comment on the negotiations. across the bay the teachers union reached a tentative deal with the school district on what distance learning will look like. it guarantees two hours of live one-on-one instruction per day, key for parents. teachers would have the discretion to offer more if they would like to. union members will begin voting on the agreement starting at 6:00 tonight. as school begins next week at several large bay area school districts we wanted to find out what teachers are expecting from the upcoming school year. take a listen. >> my home is not my classroom. >> yes, i would love to go back to the classroom this fall. however, as a parent, i would have to say no. >> i've had a lot of years to work on my craft and everything i've known about school is different. meeting my kids and checking in with them every day is everything.

for me teaching to a blank screen is going to be a real challenge, right? and so it's finding ways to engage and to build a community with kids that i've never met before. >> this will be new for teachers and new for students to start off the school year not having established relationships. i am excited to make sure that our students actually have a fun time learning considering what's been going on. >> i'm hoping they have cameras on, just because i need to know who's who. i need to know what they look like. i need to know who's on the other end. >> i would say that i'm probably most worried we might try to rush in person interaction too quickly. i would hate to see a student pass an illness to another student or to someone in that student's family, and it could be entirely preventible. >> i am worried about the future of public school education with

continued budget cuts as well as families wanting to unenroll their child from school. i'm worried about the potential increase in the achievement gap of our black and brown students. >> in the spring we called it crisis teaching. we left school due to the closures and we did the very best we can and i feel that now we are in a better place to embark on this journey of teaching every day from home in the same way i would try to do it if i was in the classroom. >> last spring was able to have intentional, intensal groups with students or one-on-one groups and really push my students' reading, which couldn't actually happen in the classroom because of all the distractions that happened. i think once we get families re-established, and have all the devices and wi-fi, we can have some deeper learning than in the spring. >> from a student's perspective last year ended with an opportunity without a whole lot of accountability for learning. and so when we go back kids are

going to have to learn that school is real now and school counts and the expectation is that you show up prepared to learn and assignments get turned in. >> just terrific to hear from so many of our wonderful teachers who are so committed. now education has been a tomorrowic we've addressed all weeklong. we started with preschools and elementary school, middle and high school. teachers we focused on today. you can watch the conversations of back-to-school week on abc7news.com, on the abc 7 news app and anywhere you stream. next up the weekend forecast. foggy here at the golden gate bridge. abc 7

inflammation in your eye might be to blame.ck, looks like a great day for achy, burning eyes over-the-counter eye drops typically work by lubricating your eyes

and may provide temporary relief. ha! these drops probably won't touch me. xiidra works differently, targeting inflammation that can cause dry eye disease. what is that? xiidra, noooo! it can provide lasting relief. xiidra is the only fda approved treatment specifically for the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease. one drop in each eye, twice a day. don't use if you're allergic to xiidra. common side effects include eye irritation, discomfort or blurred vision when applied to the eye, and unusual taste sensation. don't touch container tip to your eye or any surface. after using xiidra, wait 15 minutes before reinserting contacts. got any room in your eye? talk to an eye doctor about twice-daily xiidra. i prefer you didn't! xiidra. not today, dry eye. happy friday, everyone. let's take a look at the satellite picture this afternoon

and evening. we saw some of that fog just pull away, and that was a result of this circulation that formed off the coastline. so everyone enjoy the sun today, but the fog is rolling back in and we'll continue to see it right near the beaches in the overnight hours. sierra nevada seeing the thunderstorms flaring up as we expect around this time of year, and those storms will remain in the forecast for the weekend for the tahoe area. a live look from our santa cruz area, people enjoying the beach, fog and sun. the temperatures 65 in the city. 73 in oakland. in the 80s around san jose, mountain view, gilroy, 78 degrees. from our san jose camera seeing sunshine over the shark tank. low 80s around santa rosa and petaluma. it managed to get up into the 90s around fairfield. 89 in concord. from our sutro tower camera you can see the buildups in the mountains in the sierra from our sutro camera am limited fog in the morning. dense in patches. watch out if you have early plans. warmer weather this weekend and then the heat eases early next

week. our forecast shows you that fog will be very much confined to the coast and a little bit over the bay. and notice that it just pulls away briefly only to hang around there in the usual spots well into the afternoon and the evening hours. temperatures anywhere from the 50s to the 60s out the door tomorrow morning. if you're going out for taking the dog out for a walk or just doing a nice bike ride or a hike, beautiful weather. in the south bay 87 in san jose. 91 in gilroy. up to 83 in sunnyvale. on the peninsula, 84 in redwood city. 65 degrees pacifica. downtown san francisco, 69. similar to today. 64 degrees in daley city. north bay, 84 in san rafael. you'll need the sunscreen. 82 in napa. and just a beautiful day in the east bay. blue skits. head inland and it'll be hot but no extremes are expected.

93 concord. 91 san ramon. here is your accuweather seven-day forecast. turning up the heat just a little bit on sunday. mid-90s inland. temperatures will moderate as we start off a new workweek. low 90s inland. low to mid-60s. and then by thursday those temperatures will come down into the 80s. i think it's one good looking forecast for summer so enjoy. >> completely agree with you. thanks, sandhya. still ahead, a look at the best buys on school

coming up at 6:00, the i team digs deeper into the pay to play allegations at the santa clara county sheriff's office and why several say laurie smith should be looking over her shoulder. also -- >> we condition wait for other people to beable to engage in that conversation. >> we continue this week's focus on education with a look at how issues of race and social justice could play out in the classroom all coming up in half an hour on abc 7 news at 6:00. finally tonight some advice if you are shopping for

back-to-school stuff. it's different this year. >> michael finney is here with that story. michael? >> reporter: it is different this year, done. if you're in the market for electronics you're in luck you're watching us right now. consumer reports has been out shopping and here is its recommendations. it's back to school for many. so if you're looking for some ideas on electronics but haven't started yet consumer reports deals editor says to start now. >> retailers are started their back-to-school promotions earlier this year. >> reporter: for students who need a new laptop to bring back to their college dorms or for distance learning consumer reports recommends the lg gram 14. it weighs 2.2 pounds and has a battery life of 20 hours. if you're looking for something a little more affordable, consumer reports recommends the mid range lenovo yoga laptop. >> this laptop is a two in one so it can be used as a tablet as well and has a good processor, lots of memory, which is great

for running all the different applications students will be using. >> reporter: of course if you use a laptop and internet you need a router. the netgear solid performance and built-in cyber security protections. gorton says headphones are important for back to school, too. >> a good pair of headphones is a great way for kids to really zone into what they're doing and not be distracteded. >> reporter: she recommends the microsoft surface headphones because of its noise cancellation. for younger children gordon says headphones from puro sound labs has a volume limit feature which prevents it from getting too loud. so when should you buy? the answer is right now. these back-toschool deals are expected to last through

mid-september. after that prices will go up until we're back into the holiday season. >> good information, michael. thanks so much. a banner reading haas ton astacio t-- houston asterisks flew over. a fan raised $1,800 through a go fund me can the to hire this play and there's an asterisk by their world series win. >> someone rubbing their nose in it a little bit. >> a little bit. >> that is our report. world news tonight with david muir is next. i'm dan ashley. >> and i'm kristensze. thanks for joining us tonight. >> our next news cat is at 6:00 p.m. connect 24/7 at abc7news.com. see you in a bit.

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symptoms develop or worsen, or if you've had a vaccine or plan to. serious allergic reactions may occur. learn more at cosentyx.com. tonight, breaking news. the nation's largest school district getting the green light to reopen with children in the classroom. at the same time, the cdc reveals a grim new estimate about how many americans may die by december. the death toll here now topping 160,000. u.s. cases approaching 5 million. the constant concerns over some of the nation's hot spots. in hard-hit mississippi, the teacher and football coach losing his covid battle. a 7-year-old in georgia dies. he had no pre-existing conditions. this just in, the new headline about that mysterious illness in children linked to covid-19. and tonight, we take you to what may be the nation's biggest gathering since the pandemic began.

250,000 bikers at the annual sturgis motorcycle rally, moving