all right. let's take a live look outside. after a month of spare the air days, the streak ends tomorrow. look at the blue skies. the air quality has begun to improve. good afternoon. i'm kristen sze. >> i know you remember it from a week ago. it was orange. all these shots were taken of the bay bridge at 10:00 a.m. on the respective days. spencer christian joins us on whether blue skies will last. >> yes, they will last a little while. and weren't you impressed? we're seeing around the bay ciulation offshore to our

northwest. sweeping in cooler, cleaner marine air. i should point out, it's not going to last very long. that counterclockwise circulation will start bringing some northerly flow. which means smoke from the fires to our north. we'll start sweeping to the bay area over the weekend. let's enjoy the clean air over the next few days. i'll have more a little later. >> thank you. the governor gave an update on wildfires and covid-19. those fires have been the source of all the smoke have been clouding our skies. stephanie sierra has the latest. on the wildfire front, there are some staggering totals that were released today. >> yes. we report on these wildfires every day. it is pretty sobering to

comprehend these as the big picture. there are more than two dozen anprarg ito getng across ere ar wiliresave scorched the state so far, forcing more than 38,000 people to be evacuated from their homes. staggering statistics that the governor says underscores a sense of urgency to address climate change. >> we need to reconcile that there are no democratic thermometers and no republican thermometers. there is fact and there's reality as well as observed evidence. it's not a belief system. it is an acknowledgement. the facts are the facts. >> and the facts during times like these are hard to comprehend. 25 lives lost and thousands of homes are gone. >> 4,200. that's why we say plus. we anticipate this number to

grow. 4,200 structures so far have been destroyed. >> the destruction is disturbing to see. specially as a big picture. this graph illustrating the number of acres burned from california wildfires over the past nine years. notice a significant jump from just last year. >> last year this time, this date, we had 5136 fires only burning 152,000 acres. this year, 3.4 million acres. close to 8,000 fires. a sobering mile stone but one of many. thankfully covid-19 cases aren't moving in the same direction. >> we are moving forward in seeing a decline in the rate in the spread of transmission of covid-19. >> the numbers are below california's current seven day average of roughly 3300.

>> the seven day average that is substantially lower than in a number of months in this state. >> the governor pointed out, there has been a two% reduction in both hospitalizations and icu admissions reported across the state. for more, we have all this data posted on our webb. abc7 news. >> thank you. the federal government is outlining plans to make a covid-19 vaccine free for all americans. congress, the defense department, and federal health agencies are in the process of developing a play book for how the vaccine will be made available. the cdc chief dr. robert redfield told the appropriations committee today that any widespread vaccination campaign won't begin for a while. >> if you're asking me, when it will be generally available to the american public, i think we're probably looking at late second quarter, third quarter,

2021. >> that time frame would mean late june or july next year. redfield believes the vaccine could be available for a limited number of essential workers as early as november and december. after the remarks, president trump was asked about it this afternoon. and he said he thinks redfield made a mistake. >> we will start distributing it immediately. the general public. i mean really to the general public immediately. when we go, we go. we're not looking to say, gee, in six months we'll start giving it to the general public. >> he says it was his estimate for when americans would have their vaccinations completed. health officials said they need more than $25 billion to make the vaccine available to all americans. in the south bay, santa clara officials are calling on private health care providers to make it more accessible. now they're being threatened with fines if they don't come

my. >> with santa clara county in the red as part of the color coded framework for reopening the economy, experts say any improvement will be depend on the expansion of covid-19 testing throughout the region. >> it is really foundational to community wide safety and foundational to being able to reopen more and get people back to work and back to school. >> county leaders called on local health care systems to do moren it comes to testing a wider range of people. private providers are required to test all essential work here's want to get tested. the new health order requires results only the reported back within three days. those that don't come my could face a $5,000 fine for every violation. >> they can accrue daily. so our expectation is that there will be a real meaningful, full, complete commitment to

compliance. >> the saratoga mayor is a kaiser patient who ran into trouble with the website today. >> i tried three different platforms, four different browsers. you get the same results. a real citizen cannot schedule a test at kaiser without making a phone call. >> this chart shows how far private providers are in comparison to the county when it comes to weekly covid-19 testing in the community. kaiser officials responded by saying, they're working increasing testing capacity in the county. herring providers previously cited issues with the supply chain. >> we know these requirements are one hundred% achievable. in fact, the county's own health system is already meeting these expectations and exceeding them. that means there is no excuse. >> in san jose, abc7 news. more businesses are allowed to reopen in contra costa county today. they updated the health order to align with the state guidelines. contra costa county is in the

purple tier.ne busisses with close contact with the face can operate outdoors except for tattooing. professional sports can resume without live audiences and music, tv and film production can resume. the pandemic has drastically changed our lives in a short time. join us at 6:00 torpg as we look back since then and how our actions made an pact. >> now they have to figure out how it started. eric thomas reports, noble was hurt but the economy has taken another hit. >> the smoke could be seen for miles. but they had to take us in pretty close to see the flames poking through at seventh and webster. >> this morning, they called me.

so your building is on fire. >> it sounds like it was a did you everster fire in the rear of the building. they ran the building. >> it is home to at least three restaurants and a marketoo anndtocond. the first 911 call went out after 8:15 this morning. >> noble was working yet. >> the few people inside were evacuated without injury. the response was massive due to the size of the building. >> approximately 70 firefighters actively working to put the fire out. >> some of them were just back from the front lines. the last thing the economically battered chinatown needs. >> they took an 80% hit with the start covid-19. they managed to claw back to about 50%.

and then this. we'll be setting up some funding and some help and i think we'll be working at the city, twho ca help out small businesses. >> the building was out. the chamber of commerce abe thomas, abe you have. police are investigating a shooting that left two men dead and others with nonlife threatening injuries. it appears people were gathered for a candlelight vigil. >> this is a very tragic situation wefl two people who are deceased. people who have family. so we really need the public's help. >> authorities have not released

the names or the victims' ages. the shooter or shooters are still on the loose. we sent out a push alert about this update as well as the fire in oakland. if you want breaking news alerts like this on your phone, it is free to download. how are your teeth doing during the pandemic? state regulators are taking a look the a fire insurance policies. the changes that could be coming for customers. and we're digging how federal ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

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talk to an eye doctor about twice-daily xiidra. i prefer you didn't! xiidra. not today, dry eye. dentists across the u.s. including in the bay area have been treating more denialal emergencies since the pandemic began than they have during their entire careers. the connection between mental health and your mouth. >> usually a pretty calm personal. but i think that changed with the pandemic. >> several months ago, mill valley resident tom goldman started waking up with mouth and even tongue painful. >> i'm also a veteran. i have found during this time i've been having dreams about war that i had not had for several years. >> his new found anxiety has created a dangerous and

expensive condition. >> i'm going to have two extractions and a root canal. >> i don't think either of us have seen this. >> they are san francisco doctors. tom is their patient. he's been grinding his teeth. so that he cracked a tooth down to the root which led to an abcess. and he's not the only one. >> our patients we're seeing, very unusual fractures. tremendous force to cause that fracture in your teeth. >> in normal times, teeth with big fillings and a lot of decay would chip off. now we're seeing solid good teeth fracturing. we've never seen that. we used to see wubl every couple years. now we're seeing it routinely. >> a denialit. she was seeing one to two a week. now she's seeing four five a

day. they come to the office and they try. >> even health young adults are coming in. >> this is just a symptom of a mental health issue. and we have to very quickly deal with this. because it is an epidemic of its over kind. we would rather do that. >> he said headaches, pain and even loose teeth are all signs of immune clevlging at night and during the the goal should be h together, teeth apart. >> a mouthguard may help. >> that shows you how anxious people are. michael finney here now with a look at the headlines including something a lot of people are concerned about.

fire insurance. >> yeah. i think this is very good news. at least it's a very good start. the california insurance commissioner has included a hearing looking into the fir an exact of getting fire the commissioner hopes to work with insurance coils and policy hold orders insurance rates and wildfires. and transparency, something i've been calling for. >> an update to a story i brought you last year. lg has announce ad class action settlement after complaints bts refrigerators not working properly. customers who made a claim of cooling issues caused by a compressor defect may be eligible for cash payments.

cuomerhave uil 11th claim. retail sales continue tories for the fourth straight month since the start of the covid-19 pandemic. but the growth is beginning to slow down. that's a little scary. the u.s. commerce department says sales rose 0.6 last month.. that's down from july. it is for those who lost their jobs and then they lost the $600 a week boost. if you want to get those all in, it is possible the number could have gone you a little bit more. >> all right thank you.

certain certainly. we hope this keeps up. >> it will keep up a couple of days. we're happy to have this with us. let's look at the blue sky. hook. the wind speeds over 20-miles-per-hour. 70 degrees in stid gilroy, 89. here's another view looking north wafrd rt 88 in concord and willer these are the forecast features. it will get included cooler air tomorw and friday and smoke will returns weekend. during the overnight ouds.

i mentioned the chance of drizzle near the coast. it will be cooler tomorrow and friday. highs tomorrow, inland areas will warm to low to mid 80s for the most part. it will be good friday. it will be good in the north bay and the coast at central bay on friday. and we expect moderate air quality going into the weekend. our record string of 30 air day has come to an ends. the reason for the cleaner, cooler air coming in. just offshore over the next couple days, it it will be a northerly flow which means smoke

could return to the bay area. the accuweather forecast looks like this. partly cloudy to mostly cloudy. breezier, cooler. warming up over the weekend. once again, smoke will return over the weekend. air quality will decline. and then going into early next week, look for cooler and breezier conditions as fall arrives next tuesday morning at 6:31 a.m. pacific daylight time. >> i'm going to call you at exactly 6:31 just to celebrate. with both of you, actually. >> leave me out of this. unpredictable. we're examining issues surrounding race and social justice as part of our efforts to build a better bay area. coming up, how business leaders are pushing for more diversity. plus, making golf more

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we sand my heart fell.okete at usaa.com/quote i knew we'd lose our home... and we did. over 24,000 homes have been destroyed by wildfires in the past few years. wildfire victims need help so i'm voting 'yes' on 19. it limits property taxes on wildfire victims so families can move to a replacement home without a tax penalty. you never know what you'll be faced with. please, vote 'yes' on 19.

a golf tournament in san francisco was decked out in the rain bow colors of pride. as part of our efforts to build a better bay area, we're focusing on issues of social justice, something many sports leagues are grappling with right now. inclusion has long been a challenge. but the pg&e and san francisco' hardy park are working to change

that. >> reporter: the clear blue sky above was not the only reason golfers were breathing a sigh of relief. >> it is a really special place. >> what makes it so special for her is that she feels welcome to play. >> i played when i was a young kid. i played on my own to get out of the house a lot. then i played in my 20s and 30s, and i was with a lot of male friends. then i quit playing when i transitioned. and i didn't play for five or six years. >> fast forward to today to sf pride's second annual golf day. the first of its kinds sanctioned event aimed at bringing the lgpq community. >> in the past it was known as a white man's sport. those days are well behind us.

>> he is a golf professional who believes he is the first male pga memberubclome out hrrs ago. >> the sports world has been behind the sims. >> reporter: golf is no exception. he's determined to change that. for her, it means the world be on the course. i forgot about when you were 12 and you were pitching in a little league game. take that out. yeah. i was excited this morning. i was going to go play. right in trans women need to go play. >> abc7 news. >> continue our coverage on race and social justice issues. businesses are being hit hardest. the thing that had make or break

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this week we're devoting more resources to race and social justice. one of our pillars of building a better bay area. how the pandemic has exacerbated challenges for minority owned businesses. the number of small businesses has plummeted to 22%. in other words, 3.3 million businesses are gone for good. that's according to a national population survey. that's the largest decline on record. minority owned businesses are being hit hardest. speciatn' seeing itarea. followe shelf

built red door catering from scratch. poured her life savings into the oakland based business and this weeks marks her final-year anniversary. one that had little to celebrate. >> i cry every time you come here. you can't do it in front of employees. because you cannot -- you can't show that you're scared. >> she received a loan for the paycheck protection program. lying in many her position, it's not enough. >> it's not me. it is so many businesses. >> according to the most region data from the small business administration, only 14% chose to identify race on their application. black owned business received

9.1% of loans while white owned received 83%. >> some of our black owned businesses have been marginalized in a lot of ways. i feel that there is some level of systemic racism. >> kathy adams is the home of the african-american chamber of, they're saying i don't know what we need to do. >> the painful question also facing her. a staple in chinatown for 24 years. >> if we don't get the financial help, it will be really rough. i mean, it will be more layoffs. we won't even know if we can make our rent. >> the china town community central conducted a survey of a third of traunlts in chinatown. it found 37% of businesses applied and received ppe funding while 38% applied and their loan

is still pending. 16% didn't apply. and 9% were rejected. >> more than anything, what it tells me is we need a second round. or a third round. it is crucial for these businesses. they spent the money. >> she owns la palma, a restaurant. >> you put your whole high of into it. the ppe was something that we are glad that we received. now they're able to keep their food on the table. but most businesses didn't get the money because there were few resources like translators. available for help. >> i can see where someone would

put a wrong answer or plain give up. you had no one to ask. nobody was answering the phone. >> carlos, he latino owned businesses employed for ppe loans across the bay area. yet 480 were decldecldecldecldel >> you can really feel the frustration for sole of those business owners. for many, it is more urgent than ever to diversify. and talking about that is the ceo of the silicon valley businesses group. thanks for joining us. >> thank you. it's a real pleasure to be here. >> where are we now in your

mind? what are your big picture goals? >> that's a great question. where we are now isn't where we need to be. you had a segmen a couple everythi segments. i heard golf is a white man's sport and you can say the same thing about being a ceo in silicon valley. as you see me step into this role recommending 350 of the most influential in the is silio valley, the state, i think they know it is time to change. our companies are getting off the sidelines. our companies know it is a time to act now and we have a limited window to act. to answer the question very

succinctly, where we are isn't acceptable. and i'm here working on ideas that i think will be pretty huge to change the make-up of our boards and try to better reflect the communities that we serve. >> all right. i'm ready for a football conversation. for now, what are the big ideas? >> we only have a limited amount of time. >> sure. i'm focusing on three things. from a large business association, it is around competitiveness. and also, revenue. we talk about i have business school, down the list, study after study shows

output which creates more rev knew. so it is around hiring and funning and specific had you for our black executive candidates in silicon valley. i think the same hold tros for latin x, asian pacific islanders, and especially for women from all of those if we can take steps, look in a way that is more representative of the community that we serve. many have done that. if you give 150 of our members to do that, it is no

regional across america and across the u.s. >> all right. . so more to cover including the 49ers which we'll have to do on another occasion. he. >> we're huge fans here. i'd be glad to come back on. >> we'll have more stories focused on race >>

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time for the four at 4:00. the big ten has decided to play football starting this month. today's decision comes after university president's reverse their decision that they made last month to postpone because of the pandemic. several schools are dealing wit performing rapid result testing. the rapid tests are theye lyne not scheleo may foblhescols in theie

inth it. sul mention there are a lolayersho feel the same way.there were some test result indicating there be heart problems linked to covid-19 down road. butppently the doctors within cared it. b i'm hearing 11% body fat. that was just a rumor. would you feel comfortable playing or having one of your kids or grand kids playing? >> i wouldn't feel comfortable playing or having one of my grand kids playing. i'm a little suspicious about this, having, the 11% body fat is real. i just got my results and my

comprehensive physical back yet. >> michael and i are not revealing our to if a. no way. >> go ahead. >> if. >> i think this is so odd that you won't hold an english class where you can be six feet apart from each other but you will go to a football game where you're breathing each other's air. >> right. and ls you were coached said they've had it. >> they were fine with it nypd technology used to clean crew ships is now, spraying a

chemical over supposedly it creates a microscopic barrier that can kill viruses and illnesses inassistantly. >> along with with with with wih moving. >> the chemical which is till waiting approval will be used once a week. the medical contributocontributo da data. does this, or do you think it won't realget to the heart of te issue. >> it is a concern that it is a unsanctioned chemical. if i was a traveller, i was

going across the country once. i would be comfortable with it. it tends to be and poesh you are over time to these chemicals which says to me, i'm concerned with the staff on the planes. they're getting on every day.y. there is so much going on. stay in your own car. stay in your own home. the fact that united is doing this once a i know they are using between flights. so i'm wondering.

i don't know. >> i think it's you. >> it is? >> we're talking halloween. you've got the little kids. oh, right. i'm so used to our normal and there is a debate over whether trick or treating is safe. it is not advised. it is difficult, he considered trick or treating to be a relevant i i'm sure every 3-year-old is going to do just that. spencer? >> i might be worried about tra who are putting the treats into the kids' baskets. what about their hands? you go knocking on a strange

door. you cone know how sandal taker they are. i'm worry f do you have an eternal i have the plan for distributing candy thissier? >> what i think people ought to do is clean with the candy themselves. put it out on the sidewalk or nearby. i think homeowners they're already wearing a mask. they're already outdoors. so i think you made a good point. i think all candies are wrapped anyway. i agree. i think it can be done. >> i don't worry about the

candy. i worry about all the kids running around >> some big celebs on social media today. they're freezing their facebook and instagram accounts par of they are tackling vile and hateful content and election misinformation on the platform. there is a lot of. on facebook. i mean, personally, i would love to see a week-long reset. just shut all these things down for a week. and let's try to remember what life was before hand. i would desperately miss spencer's weather dance on tiktok. i live for that.

i'm fine with all this. we need longer. >> i'm all for freedom of speech and freedom be to speak. i find this fast this fast thist people saying they're. you have to jump in here. >> no. i was going to. i have a huge following. so working that on for tiktok >> oh, come in right here right now. >> all

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cleaner, cooler air. as we get into the weekend, we can expect a shift in the wind flow which may bring some smoke but also a weekend warm-up and then a cooldown. >> we'll be ready. >> he's setting his alarm clock. thank you. a hallowe tradition for generations of east bay restaurants coming to an coming up, if you see something, say something. police need and a father and child reunion. he's home after weeks on the california fire

contra costa issued new halloween guidelines today just as east bay pumpkin patches are making a big decision to open or not to open. it's the latest economic blow amid the coronavirus pandemic. abc 7 news reporter leslie brinkley looks at the implications for halloween this year. >> reporter: might as well nap. after all, the animals have a lazy fall ahead at clayton valley pumpkin farms this

>> their kids come and you go through the gates and it's been magic. >> dozens of people at once in the field with their carts searching for the perfect pumpkin. >> reporter: but this year is different >> i think we can be open. no we can't. i think we can b reporter: in j made the choice to close and let their supply chain know >> i had to say, i can't put you guys at risk. just don't grow the pumpkins for us. every day it is being verified we made the right choice. we have the train, which about 26 people can sometimes go on that at once. and then disinfect and then hav. we are a c ugsthiso social distance. >> reporter: so the pumpkin patch has opened an online story than stead. >> we'll also be holding instagram and facebook contests. >> reporter: other pumpkin

patches are making plans to open like the classic pumpkin patch at raul's ranch in castro valley. >> pumpkin patches are considered agricultural just like the farmers markets. we think it is important to keep that tradition going for the holiday with, you know, small business in mind. >> reporter: contra costa health services just issued their new halloween guidelines. they advise against trick or treating, haunted houses, and large, crowded gatherings. instead, they suggest remote zoom costume parties, decorating your house and yard, and drive through parades. so a scary new kind of halloween ahead. maybe next year? >> if we can do it, we will be back. >> reporter: in clayton, i'm leslie brinkley, abc 7 news. >> fingers crossed, everybody. thank you for joining u hey, my twitter is blowing up! still waiting for the spicy chicken strips, so many about spicy chicken strips.

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on the rise inside shows. san francisco's mayor says the pandemic has only made the situation worse. she wants to start impounding cars and installing cameras to catch the culprits. in oakland crews are still on the scene. 100 firefighters were called in. also tonight the governor says the state has turned a corner on covid. from amusement parks to college football governor newsom sounds upbeat. this is not the ka is case in s. officials spoke about why the county is so far behind everyone else. a new timeline on a coronavirus vaccine. >> building a better bay area for a safe and secure future, this is abc 7 news. do not come to our city with the side show crap that creates the problems we don't want to see in o