infectiousness of the virus. >> reporter: dr. ghaly says the state is actively sequencing more than one thousand mutations of california's two west coast variants, both of which have been detected in the bay area. but questions still linger whether these mutations are affecting how treatments work or the efficacy of moderna and pfizer's vaccine. >> again, unclear about its exact role in either making people sicker because they have the variant strain. >> reporter: as of today, more than 3.5 million doses of covid vaccine have been used. abc7's analysis found that's only 63% of the state's available supply. yet there is no indication how much of it has gone latino and black communities disproportionately affected. dr. ghaly, you said today we don't have to make a choice between speed and equity when it comes to vaccinations, yet the state is not releasing any race or ethnicity data to show which

groups are actually getting vaccinated. can you explain why this isn't happening? >> we're working on it with our local partners to make sure that we have as accurate as you can. i'm glad you pointed out. it's going to be incomplete at the beginning. so stay tuned. i'm not exactly sure when we'll be release it. we want to make sure we release as complete a picture as we can. >> reporter: meantime, no information was released regarding how blue shield will be organizing a vast network across the state. more details are expected next week. stephanie sierra, abc7 news. in san francisco, a change in the method for delivering the covid vaccine, at least in one location. age will no longer be the only factor. abc7's wayneas more y u, bayvt' nurpriseow fou oro face it >> reporter: social distancing,

waiting in line for something new, a drop-in clinic for the moderna covid vaccine. >> have i been. >> reporter: as the city sees it, this is a new way of distributing vaccine, a bit of an experiment based on zip code and based on reality. here in the bayview, roughly 10% of the population has been infected. >> what the city is wanting to do is to make sure that the communities that have been hit hardest by the covid-19 areshor zip code is -- >> 91424. >> or 91425, they'll have 200 doses a day, seven days a week for an unknown amount of time. it's also open to 65-year-olds anywhere in san francisco's health net work. being here was a relief for 81-year-old laurence blount. he used to work for united airlines. >> oh tshis a

yo g i. just not even knowing you have it. >> reporter: that same relief holds true for sal alcala, now that his mother has received the vaccine. >> it must have been hard worrying about your mother. >> oh, yes, yes. for the last year. every day. >> reporter: but no longer, at least not in this corner of the bayview. she gets her second dose in a month. in san francisco, wayne freedman, abc7 news. >> abc7 news is monitoring the vaccine roll-out in california. we've got our own vaccine tracker, see how many doses the state has received and how many have actually been administered to all at abc7news.com. in the south bay, large businesses may soon be required to pay essential workers more money. today the san jose city council is considering a hero pay propo. it would force large grocery store chains and retailers to pay employees an additional $5 an hour until the end of the pandemic. the proposal would only apply to businesses that have more than

500 workers nationwide. if passed, the extra pay would go into effect immediately. oakland is considering a similar proposal. a plan is now in place in alameda to get school kids from tk to fifth grade back in school. the system plans to test elementary school staff members on empty middle and high school campuses beginning tomorrow in preparation for reopening. administrators must still work out details with the teachers union, but staff and students will be required to get weekly or biweekly covid tests depending on case rates. no word yet when they're aiming to get middle and high schools open. happening now, the san francisco school board is meeting and expected to vote to end the selective admission process of lowell high school. what does that mean? lowell would become part of the district's random lottery system just like any other school. abc7 news reporter lyanne melendez takes a look at the impact this divisive issue will have on students. >> reporter: lowell high school

is the oldest public high school west of the mississippi. it's quite often referred to as one of the nation's academic gems. there are two main factors to get into lowell, a high grade point average, and students must do well on their admissions tests. no other high school in san francisco other than the ruth azawa school for the arts has such high requirements. >> the hardest working kids in terms of academics. >> reporter: richard shapiro is a physics teacher there. all the other high schools in san francisco participate in what the district calls its random lottery system. adding lowell to that regular selection process is something that several previous and present school board members have wanted for some time. here is commissioner gabriela lopez in a recent interview. >> i hope to get to a place where all of our high schools are high schools that students want to go to. that students dream of going to, just like lowell. i inthey should all be at that level. >> they have an agenda. they've politicized what i would

say is victim hood and victimization. they turned it into politics. >> reporter: for a long time, the school board has had an issue with lowell's lack of diversity. 2% of the student body is african american. but you have to put that in context because african americans make up 5.2% of the population in san francisco. like at other high schools in the city, the issue of systemic racism has also plagued lowell as recently as last month when anti-black and anti-semitic slurs appeared on a school messaging platform. and in 2016, black students rallied in front of city hall after this poster created by another minority group showed rappers and a picture of president obama wearing a diamond stud earring and the #gang. the poster was meant to acknowledge the accomplishments of african americans. >> the that follow us have been we're not as smart as other races or we're lazy.

>> a vote by the board is expected later after today's resolution is introduced. in san francisco, lyanne melendez, abc7 news. coming up, san francisco's mayor, police chief, and district attorney band together to address recent high profile crimes in the city. plus, what a new uc berkeley poll reveals about the effort to recall governor newsom. our insider phil matier will join us to talk about both of those stories. plus, our california dreamin' series continues. today how experts are working on ways to lessen the effects of wildfires. i'm spencer christian. a bright spot in the sky today. a few more showers to follow, and then a light more b

i've seen how cancer can affect the people i care about. that's why i'm helping protect myself against some cancers

like certain cancers caused by hpv. for most people, hpv clears on its own. but for those who don't clear the virus it can cause certain cancers. gardasil 9 is the only vaccine that helps protect adults through age 45 against certain diseases caused by hpv, including cervical, vaginal, vulvar, anal, and certain head and neck cancers, such as throat and back of mouth cancers, and genital warts. gardasil 9 doesn't protect everyone and does not treat cancer or hpv infection. your doctor may recommend screening for certain hpv-related cancers. women still need routine cervical cancer screenings. you shouldn't get gardasil 9 if you've had an allergic reaction to the vaccine, its ingredients, or are allergic to yeast. tell your doctor if you have a weakened immune system, are pregnant, or plan to be. the most common side effects include injection site reactions, headache, fever nausea, dizziness, tiredness, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and sore throat. fainting can also happen after getting gardasil 9. if you're an adult through age 45 who hasn't been vaccinated talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your risk

for certain hpv-related cancers, and gardasil 9. help protect yourself. all right. abc7 insider phil matier is joining us today, discussing a couple of big stories in the bay area and statewide. lots of headlines, phil. >> thank you all for joining us today. i appreciate the fact -- >> first, a recent wave of particularly violent crimes in san francisco brought out the city's top leaders today to bl fety to questions about the died yesrobbers. and shocking video showed a deadly attack on an 84-year-old man. pressure has been mounting, particularly -- it's hard to watch -- particularly on the district attorney's office,

which has faced criticism for not charging or holding suspects who have later gone on to commit more crimes. >> you will be held accountable by the police as well as the district attorney. there will be consequences. let's dispel the myth right now that there are no consequences for committing crimes in san francisco. >> today district attorney chesa boudin did announce charges would be filed in both cases. but phil, he is defending himself right now on several fronts. >> he is, and so is the city of san francisco. each of those crimes that you just described and we saw on the video have gone national. they've gone viral. they're all over the place, and it's not an image that london breed as mayor of san francisco is relishing. this was particularly a shocking incident that happened in broad daylight and is completely unexplained. now the question is what does the city do about it, especially in light of the new year's eve incident on second and mission when a guy that was out on parole, after having committed

several crimes, being arrested but not being charged by the district attorney, was out, ran a light, hit two women, killed them. you add that, at that time everybody was pointing fingers at each other. this time the mayor said we're not going to point fingers. we're going to get together and actually show the world that we're united in trying to do something about these crimes. exactly what the city is going to do remains to be seen, however. >> all right. let's move on and talk about the ongoing pandemic, which is taking its toll on governor newsom's job approval rating. a new poll by the uc berkeley institute of governmental studies shows 46% of californians like the job that governor newsom is doing, and that's down from 60% four months ago. despite the falling numbers, 45% of those surveyed are opposed to a recall effort that is now under way. 36% support it. more than 10,000 people participated in this online poll that was taken last week. now san diego's former mayor officially announced his candidacy for the republican nomination for governor next

year, claiming that newsom has botched the state's covid-19 response. >> so when you shut outdoor dining with absolutely no science behind outdoor spread of the transmission, the governor came out and shut down playgrounds for a couple weeks. outdoor playgrounds, and then changed his mind two weeks later. there is no science behind that. that's the difference that i would make. >> kevin falconer served as san diego's mayor through last year. he says he has raised a million since launching an exploratory campaign just last month. governor newsom's team issued a statement saying, quote, falconer isn't the first trump supporter running for governor, but he is the first former lobbyist who bungled a local pandemic and homeless crisis. so already slinging the mud back and forth here. people kind of seeing the vulnerability with gavin newsom at this point. are his people concerned that the recall effort might be really getting some steam, and who else might throw their hat

in the ring here? >> yes to the first two, larry. look, let's take another look at those numbers if you are gavin newsom. five months ago an approval rate of 64%. that means everybody likes you. this time it's dropped to 46%. that's a 20--point drop over five months. you haven't seen that before. what's behind it? his handling or mishandling of the pandemic. these days, when it comes to the pandemic, he's got very little support for it. he's got 31% support that says he is doing a good or excellent job on it, and 43 says he is doing a poor or very poor job of handling the pandemic. that's the vaccinations. that's the closures. those are the schools. these are the issues that affect each and every person individually. and that is a troubled water to be in, because people are saying, look, i'm not crazy about how you're doing your job, and you better get this one done. and this, this vaccine i know his staff knows about this.

his advisers know about this. they have reshuffled his top advisers. they have reshuffled his chief of staff. they know that the time of sort of philosophy and politics is gone. trump's out of the white house. the spotlight is on gavin newsom, and people still can't get their appointments to get vaccinated. and larry, that translates into people not feeling good about the governor. >> okay. so let's go to the last question here. who else might be encouraged to join in some sort of a recall campaign or run for governor to try to take gavin newsom out? >> that's going to be the interesting one. they've got until march 17th to submit the signatures. there is still a couple of 100,000 short, but they are doing a very good job of it. if republicans, not only in california, but around the effo, it runs oney io hel against him. well, like you said, a former san diego mayor is one. johncox who ran against him last time, he said he is in as well. the big question that is going

to be facing democrats, do they stick with the governor and say it's all or nothing. if he gets recalled, somebody else on the ballot is going get the job. do they say we're all in with gavin or do we put a democrat or two in there to say okay, this would be our plan b. and if they do that, that's in effect saying the governor is halfway gone. >> that's a tricky position for democrats to take, but they may have to hedge their bets. by the way, guys, as we're having this conversation, john cox reached out to me to say i'm in the race. i've put in over a million dollars to start. happy to tell you any time about it. hopefully that's tomorrow. yeah, it's a free-for-all right now. >> nothing like a poll to get them coming out of the woodwork, and this is the one. >> indeed. our very own abc7 insider. phil, thank you so much. >> thank you. >> kristen, i love john cox texting you in the middle of the program. we could have had him in on this. here is spencer christian popping up on the screen with our accuweather forecast. are you running?

are you a candidate? let's get you on the record right now, spencer. >> i'm going to send kristen a text as soon as i finish doing the weather. i'll let her know after the weather. whether i'm in or out. speaking of what's in and what's out, this morning's rain, which was in, is now out. here is a look at live doppler 7. it's well out of the bay area at the n this view from sutro tower, looking out over san francisco, where it's 55 degrees right now. 54 in half moon bay. low 60s right now at oakland and mountain view. some mild spots showing up here. a view from emeryville toward the golden gate. mainly clear sky in just about every location that we're viewing right now. mid-50s right now at san jose -- actually, 56 at san jose. santa rosa, i beg your pardon. santa rosa 56. upper 50s at novato and livermore, and low 60s at napa, fairfield and concord. so it has turned into a fairly

mild afternoon. and a lovely view from our rooftop camera looking out across the embarcadero. these are the forecast features. it will be dryer and chillier tonight with some areas of morning fog. another round of showers will arrive tomorrow. it will be mainly a north bay event. and the warming and the drying trend will begin on thursday. the approaching light storm ranks 1 on the abc7 storm impact scale. it will produce scattered light showers tomorrow. the best chance will be in the north bay. and there is a remote chance of some isolated hail. here is the forecast animation starting at 7:00 this evening. notice watch a clear sky during the early portion of the evening. overnight a slight increase in clouds. early tomorrow morning, a weak frontal system will start dropping through the north bay. it may produce enough shower activity to dampen some of the roadways for the commute, but most of the remaining area will not be bothered by this rainfall in the early morning hours. however, as it sweeps southward, the storm, and weakening, it will still produce isolated and

scattered showers tomorrow so the evening commute could encounter -- even commuters could encounter wet spots. rainfall totals will be really, really light from this storm. up in the north bay, a few hundreds of an inch, and most of ather 6 to ihe swfeet, and peaks could be foo and a ha ow and there co to mostly cloudy. becoming mostly cloudy overnight. low temperatures will range from upper 30s in the inland valleys to low 40s just about everywhere else. tomorrow's highs, mid-50s everywhere. mid 50s on the coast. and mid-50s around the by and inland. here is the accuweather seven-day forecast. sunnier, dryer conditions on thursday and a bit milder. as we get to the weekend, look how warm it is going to be. mid-60s inland and around the

bay. up to 60 degrees on the coast. and then they'll just be minor cooling going into early next week. so after tomorrow's showers, the weather is looking pretty mild and dry. kristen, he will email or text you my decision whether i'm running for governor right after >> the mystery, the suspense. all right. >> i'm working on a campaign slogan. so far i've got vote for spencer, you better weather you like it or not. >> oh, clever. >> don't hire larry. all right. thank you. would you go to debt for a valentine's day gift?

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amazon announced this afternoon that jeff bezos will step down as ceo later this year. andy jassy will become ceo of amazon. in a statement, bezos said, quote, right now i see amazon at its most inventive ever, making it an optimal time for this transition. he founded amston as an online bookstore in 1994. time now for consumer news. >> that means 7 on your side's mihael finney is here now with a look at today's headlines. hey, michael. >> hey, guys. che tesla is recalling 135,000

vehicles for defective touch screens. that's a lot of cars. a certain model s sedans and model x suvs built through 2019 can go dark. the malfunction can affect turn signals, disable the backup camera, cause the windshield defroster to malfunction. tesla agreed to the recall after the national highway traffic safety michigan the process of taking the car company to court. the automaker says it will start notifying affected owners next month. uber is ready to bring the booze. the ride hailing company announced today that it's acquiring the alcohol delivery platform drizzly for a billion dollars in stock and cash. the boston-based company was formed back in 2012 and delivers alcohol in 26 states. that includes california. drizzly says it partners with more than 3500 retailers in 1400 cities to deliver beer, wine, and spirits to customers through

its mobile app. the deal is expected to close in the first half of the year pending regulatory approval. now, pardon me, just in time for valentine's day, larry, a new survey about love and debt is out. acrdinaltre nearly two times more likely than women to think a valentine's day gift is worth going into credit card debt to buy. now how romantic, right? or wrong. the same survey found 47% of people wouldn't marry someone if they had bad credit. it also found that 47% would break up with their significant other if he or she spent irresponsibly. and get this, 44% said that irresponsible spending is a bigger turnoff than bad breath. now despite all of that, as it turns out, i know, i know, love is more powerful than covid because when they asked people

would you rather get a coronavirus shot or shot by cupid's arrow, they selected cupid's arrow. back to you. >> oh, okay. well, but i'm glad you clarified that going into debt is not romantic. so larry, you hearing this? spread the word. >> no, no. >> no matter what you do, it's wrong. you get a really nice whatever, oh, you spent too much. you get nothing, you don't love me. what are you going to do? >> woe to you, larry. >> can we get cupid's arrow with a moderna chaser in there so kill two birds with one stone? >> that's perfect. >> thank you, michael. that was fun. after valentine's day, we have st. patrick's day coming up. and mcdonald's, they are bringing back the shamrock shake early this year. you'll find it on the menu starting february 15th. the oreo shamrock mcflurry is also coming back.

it debuted last february in honor of the shamrock shake's 50th anniversary. our california dreaming series continues next. how experts are working on ways to lessen the impact of all those wildfires. and fires we saw in the north bay last year not only impacted people, but also health care providers. the major overhaul that had to happen amids my body is truly powerful. i have the power to lower my a1c. because my body can still make its own insulin. and trulicity activates my body to release it, lowering my blood sugar from the first dose. once-weekly trulicity responds when my body needs it, 24/7. trulicity is for type 2 diabetes. it's not insulin. it isn't for people with type 1 diabetes. don't take trulicity if you're allergic to it, you or your family have medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2. stop trulicity and call your doctor right away if you have an allergic reaction, a lump or swelling in your neck, chin vision, or diabetic retinopathy. serious side effects may include pancreatitis.

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♪ all right. today we continue our special series called "california dreaming." we take a closer look at the issues that are threatening the california dream, introducing you to the people who are trying to find solutions to all of these problems. this is a collaboration project with our sister stations in los angeles as well as the central

valley. so 2020 saw record-breaking heat the extreme weather conditions coupled with millions of dead trees have california primed for the next inferno. but there is some hope out there. experts working on ways to lessen the effects of wildfires. >> we get small fires all the time up here. every single year, there is a fire here, a fire there. it's no big deal.8 arva o times. and it's never turned into this before. >> the heat, the heat was just incredible. the wind was blowing downhill at us at least 40 miles per hour. and then sometimes it would stop and just pull air back up and trees would be explode iing wel out ahead of the flame.

then we were surrounded and it was going to cut off the road. >> between terra's family and our family, we lost six out of nine homes and the store. ne and this community over the next five to ten years, probably the rest of my lifetime is just phenomenal. it's hard to comprehend. >> it seems like he's found a way to better prevent the it. >> since the beginning of the 20th century, california has been seen an average increase of 2 degrees fahrenheit, with the summer of 2020 being the hottest on record. combine that with shorter, dryer rainy seasons and santa ana wind events in the south. it creates the perfect storm for an extreme wildfire throughout california. >> i can tell you over the last two decades plus, i have never experienced the kind of heat that we've experienced in recent years. sometimes as high as 108 degrees

inland. now tied to the heat, of course, are the droughts. >> and in january and february, we had very little rain at all. so that can happen. and when that jet stream doesn't move further south into southern california, then we go into drought periods. >> reporter: but the weather is not the only reason for these intense fires. >> a great majority of our forest has died. basically, what happens is when we don't get enough precipitation, the trees don't get the water they need. they become stressed or they become weakened, and their natural ability to resist pestilence is suppressed. >> reporter: in the sierra nevada mountains, an estimated 147 million trees have died, priming the forest with enough dry fuel to create the next inferno. but experts say it's the exclusion of fire that's causing the biggest risks. >> you know, we used to have so many areas burn pretty frequently in the past. maybe even up to every ten

years. and that included lightning strikes as well as indigenous burning. and the north americans showed up p a stop to both. that's dramatically changed the amount of fuel out there and ready to burn. >> you've seen communities move out more into the wild land. so some areas that were large ranches that maybe did prescribed fire before are now housing initiatives. >> given that we're going see more fire on the landscape in california, what kind of fire is that going to be? is it going to be the kind of destructive high intensity fire that we've seen recently, especially in 2020? or could it take the form of more good fire? >> the creek fire burned from largestdf in california rth,,ece history, but not one life lost anir lives on the line. as for the gillette family, they have a new hope for the place they love. >> some of the major components

that make this place great survived. you can't just live your life in fear like that. we love this place, and it's certainly worth rebuilding, and we'll get it done. ♪ >> now tomorrow we're taking a look at the high cost of living and how that's affecting the california dream. also talking to a bay area state senator proposing laws to change that. california dreaming continues all week at 4:30 and 6:30 here on abc7. it culminates with a 30-minute special saturday night at 9:00. but let's say you don't want to wait until saturday. got you covered right now. you can stream the whole thing, the whole special right now on demand with our abc7 news bay area connected app. you can download the app. it's free on fire tv and android tv, apple tv, as well asro. >> wildfires have not only

impacted the lives of northern californians, but have also impacted their health care providers, in unseen but critical ways. david louie looked at how the fires created a meltdown in clinics in the middle of the pandemic. >> reporter: the tubbs fire in 2017 devastated entire santa rosa neighborhoods. it also left santa rosa community health in dire need of triage. its vista campus, the largest of nine facilities suffered extensive fire, smoke and water damage. that's where its computer servers were housed, impacting patient medical records, billing, and other essential technology needs. >> so you can have power outages, brownouts that are going on in the middle of the day or data that stops working. so when you go to enter something and send to it the server, it doesn't go and it sends back error messages. >> reporter: this team was hired to do a major overhaul. the wildfires were followed by the pandemic.

they had to be set up at the time physicians or staff members were displaced from the fires or homeless. >> we were still trying to have people log in remotely, giving everybody remote access, it would have slowed everything down. it would have harmed patients. it would have been frustrating to our staff. >> reporter: medical and billing records moved to the cloud. the 18-month process required a $2 million investment. but the transition came just in time to handle the management of vaccines and inoculations. >> we now have a system that we just launched three before our big vaccine clinic that can go from our electronic health record, send messages to our patients, they can click on that message and sign themselves up for a vaccine point. >> reporter: covid has put front line health care workers under considerable stress. add the frustration of a broken computer system. the upgrade means 40,000 patients and the 5 members of the santa rosa community health team are recovering nicely. david louie, abc7 news.

the demand for vaccines remains high in the bay area. today in solano county, there was a push to help more than one thousand people. ia00 residents over the age of 75. thmeas booked within 24 hours. people hope their vaccinations will be the beginning of the end of the pandemic. >> i'll be able to socialize, you know, by the time i get my second vaccine and see my grandkids and my daughter, my son-in-law. you know, that's going to be terrific about it. >> well, i'm a real touchy-feely person. it's killing me to stay the distance. >> benicia will host another vaccine clinic. so about 1400 people can get their second doses. in marin county, more than one in ten residents has so far received a first dose of the vaccine. health officials say they're making progress daily, but obviously challenges remain. >> we are at the ready.

we have far more operational infrastructure and worker at capacity to vaccinate than we actually have doses available. and the problem of supply really starts with the manufacturing rate. >> supply is a big problem all across the country. the majority of vaccinated residents in marin county, their health care workers. right now the focus is on residents age 75 and up. residents can sign up to receive an alert when it's their turn to get vaccinated by visiting the marin health and human services website. the pandemic has made a huge impact on travel and tourism. one california town is hoping you'll come visit and put some money into their economy. in fact, i'm greg, i'm 68 years old. i do motivational speaking in addition to the substitute teaching. i honestly feel that that's my calling-- to give back to younger people. i think most adults will start realizing that they don't recall things as quickly as they used to or they don't remember things as vividly as they once did.

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time for the four@4. we've got spencer and dan joining us for the conversation. and let's take a trip to gobbler's knob park in pennsylvania, the only place to be on february 2nd, which is of course groundhog day. >> when i turn to see, there is a perfect shadow cast of me. six more weeks of winter there will be. >> you heard that proclamation. punxsutawney phil says we're in store for six more weeks of winter. the yearly ritual dates back to stood in place of the normal jubilant crowd. that was of course kept away because of the pandemic. so some differences, but the

same thing that applies every year which is i don't believe in that groundhog. i believe in spencer. in spencer we trust. >> well, i've been following -- i've been following palo alto patty, and pinole paul, and they differ from punxsutawney phil. i don't think we're going to have six more weeks of weather. >> no consensus. >> every year i go over to spencer's how to see if spencer sees his shadow. i guess punxsutawney phil and the gang in the bubble. they're in the bubble, although i bet the peta folks would have loved to see a card bore punxsutawney phil. >> the other groundhogs you follow, have you tracked to see which one reigns supreme in terms of the prognostications? >> we should do that. i've thought about that, but i haven't actually done it. so let's try it, yeah. >> i hope he is right because six more weeks would mean the possibility of six weeks of

rain. not that we want all six in a row. but we do need the rain. >> that's true. >> can you remember where you were at this exact moment last year? probably in front of your tv, maybe with a big crowd of people, nobody wearing mask, watching the super bowl, watching the 49ers. i hope we're not going to show the ending herehighlightsbut in fourth quarter, then the chiefs come back to win, 31-20. seems so long ago the pandemic has changed everything. only 22,000 fans will be attending this sunday's super bowl between the chiefs and the tampa bay buccaneers. of course, it's in tampa, florida, which means they're allowed to have fans because in california you'd have nobody in the stands. but we were there last year in miami. and dan, it's so striking. i'm looking back at some photos from a year ago. and if you would have told any of us, okay, you're going to be wearing a mask, you're not going to be able to go to dinner at your favorite restaurant, you'll

be doing shows from your living room, we all would have said this is insane. you just have to be nuts. there is no way. >> what did you do to spencer? stop. you disappeared our friend. >> there we go. >> two of me? this is a dream! the ratings skyrocketing right now. i can feel it. >> it is a reminder to see how much has changed in the past year, although we've got mahomes back in the super bowl again this year against ton with the home field advantage this time. should it be a good game. >> should it be. and you guy, i don't want to be debbie downer. >> there he is. there is spencer. >> oh, yay! thank goodness. >> our governor. >> i want you to be debbie downer, but dr. bob from ucsf just an hour ago. he is a little concerned about people gathering for this occasion. skip the super bowl parties. just watch from the comfort of your own home. >> i suspect a lot of people

are. maybe people will. just watch at home. >> hope so. one california city wants you to visit. so much so it will pay you to make the trip. santa maria is a community near the central coast, about a four-hour drive from san francisco. it's offering 500 tourists a $100 gift card, each for wine tastings, food and other attractions. you to use the card between february 4th and march 31st. if you decide to take advantage of the offer, keep in mind and santa clara county officials are asking people to quarantine for ten days after returning from a trip. spencer, that's kind of a, i don't know, almost a tough offer to make right now to entice people given what we're looking at, covid wise. >> it is tough. it's a tough decision to make it's it's an enticing offer. that region has much to offer visitors, as you mention wine tasting which is something i really enjoy. i don't know if i would go down there for a weekend of wine tasting only to have to come

back home and quarantine for a couple of weeks. >> you know, it's like everyone else. they're hurting like everyone else and they're doing the best they can to try to lure people to their town which is a lovely place. with any luck, some people will be able to take advantage of it and do so safely. >> larry, you know that area better than all of us, i think. >> yeah, well, because when we head down to santa barbara, our girls are down there. but this precisely points out the dysfunctional nature of governance in the state of california. one -- oh, we lost spencer again. one region is trying to get you to come visit while another region is telling you if you go any place else and come back, you're going to be in quarantine for ten days. it makes ono sense at all. no sense at all. >> and i think we're all parents here. so we know what happens when there is mixed messaging. >> with kids, no matter what the message is. >> stop listening. >> you're right. this may not mend a broken heart, but it certainly might

move the process along a little bit. if you're not feeling the love this valentine's day, you can name a cockroach after your ex. yeah! every year, the san antonio zoo holds a wildly prop lar cockroach event. you pay to name a cockroach and see it fed to a reptile. you can see a zookeeper feed a frozen rat to an animal. if you don't like critters, there is a vegetarian option. the san antonio zoo will stream the feedings on facebook life february 14th. i'm just wondering, are there any suitors from the past that you would like to name to have? >> no. i mean, that's kind of sick. and i wouldn't do that to anybody. >> it is. sort of the anti-valentine's day. >> right. >> for sure. >> although it's a lot cheaper than a dozen roses.

>> bang! there you go. nobody wants to volunteer a name? a human from the past? >> no. no. >> no. >> but larry, how about you? don't just ask the question. >> larry has a list. >> you tell us. >> you share. >> that's exactly what i was going to say. i'm on a number of those lists, but i don't have a list. >> very good, spencer. no question than. >> a larry beil cockroach. i didn't know. >> and i liked it so much better when spencer's signal went away and there was too of me. so much better. anyway, all right. let's get o

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an iconic space for the san francisco lgbtq community could soon become a landmark. right now city supervisors are voting on a resolution that would give sf eagle landmark status. the bar at 12th and harrison is considered by many to be the epicenter of the lgbtq community in the south of market neighborhood. if supervisors pass today's resolution, the preservation commission would have 90 days to consider granting the bar a landmark designation. the resolution would then go back to the supervisors for final approval. > all right' see if there is encer ing our way. with what -- >> just a little bit.

yeah. i was going to say just a little bit. a storm is coming in. -- showers, mainly up in the north bay. then it will be all over by late tomorrow afternoon. high temperatures generally in the mid-50s tomorrow. and here is the accuweather seven-day forecast. we have clearing and drying and warming trend beginning on thursday, and that will continue all the way into next week. larry and kristen? >> all right. >> yeah we lost spencer's signal. what he is trying to say is a little bit of rain and sunny for the next few day. >> exactly. >> thank you. paying it forward with plants. up next, the east bay movement

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a family has started a new movement in the east bay to spread joy in a time when we really need it. east bay community journalist melissa pixer explains. >> it melted my heart. i was surprised i didn't know who it was from. a good way to spread the love. >> the planning love project is a really easy way to do something kind in the community. you go and get a plant, you go tag and then you anonymously

give it away. we created the planning love project when my uncle romano passed away two months ago. he died suddenly an his process grief, we wanted to do something that celebrated him and his lil. we came up with this idea, in order to feel kindness, we wanted to be kindness. >> it's a way to spread cheerfulness in a time when we really need it. so many people are going through such a rough time. it's something that can make someone's day a little brighter. >> the easiest way for people to get involved is to go out and get a plant and just start planting love. you can give it anonymously and some people may catch you in the act, which is kind of fun. sometimes they won't, which is also kind of fun. >> just thought about how amazing it was to do something so little like this and how something that could honestly be

done any time any day no matter the circumstances can bring so much joy to people. i thought i want to do this as often as i can. >> it made me feel really good that someone bothered to do something like this. i think it really shows that people care, someone taking the finiinitiative to bring joy to r people was super nice. >> most magical part about this project is that someone is in their house, and a gift shows up at their door. all of a sudden, all of those problems that they had for that moment go away. it goes right into joy and curiosity and wonder and a feeling of connectedness. it's so amazing that a plant has that power. >> plants do have that special power. you can watch all of our newscast live and on demand through the abc 7 bay area connected tv app. it's available for apple, android, amazon and roku. download the app now and start

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london breed. what's motivating her new pledge. plus, the new coronavirus variant discovered in the bay area just as the state's outlook improves. also ahead, one dose or two. abc 7 news talks with three leading experts about what works with the c9 vaccine and the vote that could come any minute now on raising the pay of grocery workers during the pandemic. >> building a better bay area for a safe and secure future, this is abc 7 news. we'll begin tonight with a new promise to fight crime in san francisco spurred on by the deaths of three people. >> for the families of jace young, jack paladino, for every