they are getting closer each day they can't change the timeline they have with their labor unions. and by the way, the california teachers association is encouraged by the governor's plan. we have yet to hear from the united educators of san francisco. >> we want schools to safely reopen. period, full stop. i've been saying this for months. >> reporter: the headline after today's press conference could well be that vaccinating teachers and staff is not a requirement to returning to in-person learning. governor gavin newsom made it clear, just follow the science. >> that's not my opinion. that's the opinion of the cdc, dprauch yirks the opinion of experts around the globe including the opinion of president joe biden. >> reporter: still the governor has promised additional vaccines to be given exclusively to teachers and staff at two fema sites in northern and southern california this thursday and friday. the plan states that school districts that reopen by april 1st will get a share of the $2

billion promised by the governor and the legislature. districts will lose 1% of that money for each day they remain in distance learning. >> i think financial incentives are always a good thing. our schools need money. >> reporter: a large district like san francisco faces a budget deficit of $169 million over the next two years. the plan will allow counties in the purim tier to reopen grades tk to second. those in the red tier would resume classroom learning at all elementary schools and at least one grade of middle or high school. yet san francisco unified struck a deal with its labor unions stating that all members would have to be vaccinated if they remained in the red tier. and both sides have yet to agree on how many in-person days would be required. how will that be resolved in time? it won't. san francisco unified said their timeline cannot be changed. there are still many steps we need to take to get there, and many of those aren't able to be

expedited even with financial incentives. disappointing for governor newsom, who had said that after weeks of negotiations with all parties most students would have a full two months of in-person learning. >> i'm sure you'll find some people that will have strong opinions. the bottom line is we created a framework that we believe is consensus. >> reporter: and before i forget, that vaccination site in northern california is at the ring central oakland coliseum. now, we talked about it last week. i'll remind you once again that what the district and the unions in san francisco are debating over is what the school day will look like. how much in-person instruction will they have in a day. in a week. do they go hybrid? et cetera. just so you know, as of last week the teachers union was asking for a meediator. can they get it done, larry, in a month? well, i heard the superintendent made it clear, nope. >> as a parent thinking that we've been in this pandemic for

a year now and still going back and forth on how to reopen is -- has got to be so frustrating, but let's focus a little bit on the extra money. the 4.6 million that schools will be getting here, what will that go toward? >> reporter: yeah. it's talked about a lot. the governor knows it will cost a lot of money to support those kids who are behind. whether you add a month in the summer or extend the learning day, the state says it will pour money into these programs. and it's not only the state. the federal government is adding to that pot, and so are cities, larry. >> all right. lyanne melendez reporting live. thank you, lyanne. the governor's plan comes as bay area school districts are all in different stages of trying to reopen classrooms in different ways. as abc 7 news reporter laura anthony discovered, the educators' reactions to newsom's announcement are as varied as their situations. >> in terms of being helpful, not so much. >> reporter: the reaction to governor gavin newsom's schools reopening plan is decidedly

mixed among bay area educators. in oakland where some parents are demanding reopening and the district has yet to reach agreements with its labor unions, the oakland education association was not particularly impressed with newsom's announcement. >> it generally creates panic because people don't -- there's a lot of jargon in there folks don't necessarily understand. that's the first layer. then we have to dive down, like what's the plan in there and those details aren't really clear. >> reporter: the mount diablo unified district is also still in the process of negotiating with its labor groups. the superintendent there xwleevz having greater clarity from the state on at least some issues is helpful. >> what it does do is it provides consistent guidance on some of those sticky points that we're still working through. some of those sticky points might be testing of staff or students and the cade ebsence of those tests. >> reporter: here in the san ramon valley the district does have its k through 6 students

back in class in a hybrid model but not at the high school level. not until the county moves into the red tier. after surveying families only about 30% of the district's high school students want to return in person this spring. it's what happens in the fall that most concerns superintendent john malloy. >> and we know that our community wants to be back in school full time safely. and where we need clarity is on the notion of the physical distancing. six feet, four feet. what is safe? because we need to get our kids back in school full time and with that clarity we can work towards that goal. >> reporter: in danville, laura anthony, abc 7 news. >> joining us now to talk more about it is state superintendent of public instrution tony thurmond. superintendent thurmond, thank you for joining us today. >> thank you, kristen. >> do you think this incentive-based plan will get the vast majority of elementary school students in california back to in-person learning by the end of march?

give us your best projection. >> i really think this is the best pathway that you could hope for. this says 10% of vaccines are being set aside for educators. it gives schools $2 billion to buy things like rapid covid tests. i think this is absolutely the path that we need to get our schools open. i think this is an amazing step in the right direction. >> all right. can you explain the provision that once in the red tier to get the incentive money middle and high schools need to open at least one grade. what does that mean? >> i think it recognizes that we are being given new data that shows that with the right measures in place we believe that elementary schools can be opened safely. it recognizes that our older students, they need support too but it scaffolds a safe way to get to middle and high school by saying once the conditions in the community, the covid rates are much lower, you know, 7 for every 100,000 cases, that that is the time where districts are expected to open at least one

middle or one high school in their district. >> so let's say my kiddo's a freshman in high school in san mateo county which is already in red. presumably that means the one grade would be freshman, right? getting them on campus before the end of march. that's what the goal is, right? >> it certainly would be. but at the end of the day these are decisions that are made by the local districts. we have 1,000 school districts. i know that's a lot, but that's the way decisions get made. it's local decision-making. i think it does give flexibility to districts to make decisions that if it's more important for them to open middle or for high school for various needs of their students they can make decisions appropriate to the needs of their school community. >> today the governor said with proper protocols schools can safely reopen in the purple tier. why do you think we're still having that battle when many private schools in california and public schools in most other states have done that months ago? >> unfortunately, a number of districts for whatever reason have never pursued the waivers that would have allowed some schools to be open even in the

small cohorts in purple tier. and at the same time there's been i would say a lot of debate about whether or not it was safe or not to open. and there's no one to blame other than covid itself. people are fearful when we saw these high rates of transmission they were fearful. but the law had been provided to us for several months to at least look into whether or not we can open with small cohorts where there's, say, 14 students for two adults. this really makes it a clear desire to get there and certainly provides important resources that school districts can use if they're still in the purple tier. >> the governor said he wants schools open full stop. but when pressed on it, what about this fall, what about if some school districts still have not reopened in person, right? would he commit to force them to reopen? he did not in the briefing. what's your position on what if some schools are just not doing five days a week in person come fall? assuming that vaccines had been widely available and the numbers

are low. >> everything that is being provided to us. new research from the cdc, the availability now, 10% set aside of vaccine for educators. all these things really spell a pathway for us to safely open schools. but at the same time we still need to monitor the rate of transmission in the community. we have new variants that have been -- have now evolved. we don't know what the full impact of those variants is going to be. especially how vaccines react to those variants. so we just have to make sure we provide some flexibility. that's why you're not seeing things being mandated. but i think that everything is showing us that we have a path to get schools open and we all know that in-person instruction is going to be the best way to serve our kids. with the chance we have to try to offset any challenges that our students have experienced during this time period. >> superintendent, i recognize this is probably a complex question, and i only have about 45 seconds. but i do want to ask you about summer school, right? there is money here, incentive

for summer school to make up for learning loss. but do you think a year of learning loss can be made up through a few weeks in the summer? >> short answer, i do. i think teachers will always assess where a student starts. it may not all happen in the summer. we have to just give schools the resources and the flexibility. we could be working on learning loss right now. as a matter of fact, our office is with school districts. small group or tutoring work, after-school work and summer. all these things combined. of course training for teachers. i do believe we can offset learning gaps. it doesn't all have to fall in the summer or after school. but we do have to try all the things that are available to us to get there. >> all right. state superintendent of public instruction tony thurmond, thank you so much. >> thank you. up next, the johnson & johnson vaccine shipping out today. but will it make a difference and how much? we'll check in on the effort to vaccinate america. could really help places like east palo alto. just 10% of residents there have received a shot.

compare that with 44% in nearby atherton. what county leaders are doing to try to make things right. i'm spencer christian. march is off to a mild start. but when will we get some rain? i'll have the answer in my managing type 2 diabetes? you're on it. staying fit and snacking light? 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

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[ cheers and applause ]

the first doses of the johnson & johnson vaccine are being walked out of i facility in kentucky to cheers and applause. millions of doses will follow as the vaccine is shipped across the country. the doses in that box could be in people's arms as soon as tomorrow. governor newsom says california can expect to get about 380,000 doses this week. this as we're now at a positivity rate of just 2.3%. the lowest since the start of the pandemic. here's how the johnson & johnson shot stacks up against the other two vaccines. only one shot is needed while moderna and pfizer require two. the johnson & johnson vaccine can be stored in a regular refrigerator for up to three months. the other two vaccines need to be kept in ultra cold freezers. johnson & johnson overall efficacy rate 72% of the u.s. when it comes to preventing severe disease and death the j&j vaccine 86%. the other two are higher. 94% and 95% respectively. now, there's another vaccine

on the way. we could see it soon. it's from a maryland-based company called nova vax. expected to win approval first in the uk where it was found to be 89% effective in a phase 3 trial. novavax received a fast track designation from the fda in november. it began enrolling some 30,000 volunteers for a phase 3 trial in the u.s. and mexico in late december. like the johnson & johnson vaccine the novavax product can be stored, shipped, and distributed at ordinary refrigerator temperatures. on the peninsula community leaders in east palo alto are calling on state and federal officials to prioritize their city when it comes to vaccine distribution. abc 7 news reporter chris nguyen has more on why they feel as though their efforts are essential. >> reporter: on the southern edge of san mateo county one community says it's being left behind in the rollout of the covid-19 vaccine. >> we have been waiting for our turn. >> reporter: this is east palo alto, one of the hardest-hit cities in the bay area where more than 14% of residents have tested positive for the virus.

overall the cases account for at least 1/10 of the county's total. >> sometimes the last needs to be first. we cannot constantly take communities of color and put them on the back tier of distribution. >> reporter: former mayor larry moody is among those who are calling on state and federal officials to prioritize vaccine distribution in communities like epa. many residents work frontline essential jobs but only 10% of the total population here has been vaccinated. >> there are still two sides of the bay area. one, more well off. with instant and immediate access to basic resources. and the other, living paycheck to paycheck. struggling to figure out how to keep their families safe. >> reporter: san mateo county currently has two mass vaccination sites. one at the county events center and the other at sfo. but local leaders say the inconsistent vaccine distribution has hampered their ability to set up additional infrastructure. >> if we have consistency from the state and the federal government, we can vaccine everyone. the problem is the numbers shift every week.

and that puts us in a tough position. >> reporter: some also want the johnson & johnson vaccine to be sent to areas that have been disproportionately hit since it only requires one dose and will be easier to administer to those who work multiple jobs. >> we need a lifeline to resume to some level of normalcy in our community and right now that lifeline is a vaccine. >> reporter: a push for this community to not be forgotten. in east palo alto, chris nguyen, abc 7 news. >> and you can follow along with your county's vaccine rollout with our interactive vaccine tracker. you can easily compare california's progress and find your place in line. it's on our website at abc7news.com. several people were injured when a house went up in flames in san francisco's outer mission neighborhood. the fire department took some video and you see the front of the home on huron avenue. that's a big fireball right there. firefighters were told six people had to be rescued. ended up being seven. all of them needed some sort of medical attention. they were taken to the hospital.

their injuries thankfully not considered to be serious. abc 7 news caught the aftermath of that fire. you can see the extensive damage. much of the front of the home is blackened. the cause of that fire is under investigation. a new foot patrol group that will walk the streets of oakland's chinatown hit the ground today. the group held its first meeting, complete with dancing drago dragons. a number of community organizations joined together to create the patrol in response to an increase in attacks on asian americans. it's among the largest of the community watch walking groups in chinatown. city and community leaders say the approach is working. >> a group of volunteers that will be doing the foot patrol, they're really committed because they're part of the chinatown community, as am i, to keeping our streets safe by being eyes and ears and showing people come down to chinatown, do your business. have fun here. >> the oakland chinatown foot patrol group will not be arms and aims to partner with oakland

police to report incidents. all right. te start of another workweek. spencer christian is here with a look at the forecast. bright and sunny so far, spencer. >> that's right, larry. not only the start of a new workweek but the start of a new month. this is the beginning of what we call meteorological spring. we start in the area -- in the world of meteorology we consider march 1st the beginning of spring. and we're looking back right now at how dry february was versus the average rainfall for february. santa rosa got only 1.77 inches of rain this february versus the normal 6.4 inches. san francisco 1 1/4 inches versus the average, over 4 inches of rain. you can see all bay area locations. san jose only .32 inches of rain this past february versus 3.11 inches generally, or normally in february. on we go to current conditions. sunny skies as larry pointed out. it's mild. although some locations as you can see from san francisco and oakland northward are several

degrees cooler at this hour than they were this tim yesterday. looking out over toward alcatraz from sutro tower, 67 degrees right now in san francisco. oakland 69. 71 in mountain view. pretty mild will tl. upper 60s at san jose and morgan hill and 59 at half moon bay. blue sky over the golden gate right now as we look at some other temperature readings. mid 60s at santa rosa, novato and 73 in fairfield has been mild all day. 68 in livermore. here's the view from our roof tomb camera. looking across the embarcadero and these are our forecast features. a few clouds will develop overnight. mainly high clouds. it will be chilly inland, though. dry and warmer than average for the next few days right on through friday. next chance of rain will develop late friday into saturday. overnight conditions. the forecast animation shows the passage of some high clouds. so the sky won't be completely clear. nevertheless it will get fairly chilly in some of our inland

valleys overnight. low temperatures will drop into the mid up toer 30s in the chilliest spots. right in the bay, though, cool but not cold low to mid 40s and low 40s mainly on the coastline. tomorrow's highs down in the south bay 69 at san jose, 70 in morgan hill, on the lens peninsula we'll see highs mainly in the mid to upper 60s, 67 at redwood city, 66 in palo alto. upper 50s will be the high temperature range on the coast. downtown san francisco will max out at about 62 degrees tomorrow. north bay look for highs of 68 at petaluma. 69 at sonoma. 70 at napa. the east bay shoreline mainly mid 60s 66 at oakland and hayward and the inland east bay will have highs in the low 70s for most locations from livermore to walnut creek to concord and pittsburg, about 71 degrees in each of those locations. here's the forecast animation looking ahead for the week. we will remain dry although there will be active weather to our north and south until late friday and friday night we'll see a little bit of rain aroechg the coastline beginning to push

into the north bay and then by saturday it will sweep through the remainder of the bay area. here's the accuweather seven-day forecast. mild conditions the next two days. warmer than average through the end of the week. clouds will increase on friday. then that little rainfall system comes in on saturday that will rank 1 on the abc 7 storm impact scale and we'll start to get partial clearing with cooler weather developing for sunday and monday. larry and kristen? >> all right. enjoy it now. thanks. >> yeah. up next, who is that man? hosting "jeopardy." well, he's been with the show well, he's been with the show actually for a number of wait up, wait up... papa john's has a new stuffed crust...? we did it... we did it!!! all our tweets, dms and carrier pigeons worked!! this ain't just stuffed crust. this is papa john's crust, stuffed.

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a long-time executive producer on "jeopardy" now getting a taste of the spotlight himself. mike richards has become something of an overnight sensation while filling the shoes of the late alex trebek. so here's the back story. richards had to step in after several people who were scheduled to guest host backed out because of a covid scare in los angeles. proving that the show must go on, he is now taking the reins for two weeks. questions already swirling about whether richards could host permanently. he addressed that on abc's "good morning america 3" today. >> there haven't been conversations. i think the main focus that we're all looking at as the standard bearers for this show is what's going to be best for the show. so we'll look at every option. we'll talk to a lot of people. you're going to see a lot of guest hosts coming through. >> richards will kick off tonight's episode with a tribute

to johnny gilbert, the show's long-time announcer. he's been the voice of "jeopardy" since the show began in 1984. that is a good run. you can watch "jeopardy" weeknights at 7:00 right here on abc 7. up next, the bay area family who wanted their son in school so badly they moved out of state. plus, we'll take a closer look at the plan to get ♪ ♪ are you ready to join the duers? those who du more with less asthma.

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you've heard the stories about bay area residents leaving the state for a number of reasons. now a san francisco family has uprooted their lives and moved to denver so their son can go to class in person.

they made the drastic decision in about a week and they plan to stay in colorado through the end of the school year. abc 7 news anchor jobina fortson has more on why they made the move. >> jen, you moved really recently, as in today is your first day in your new city. you moved from san francisco. tell us where you went and why. >> well, we came to denver. we haven't fully moved. we are in an airbnb basically, a rental. so that my 6-year-old could go to kindergarten. he's a kindergartner at alvarado in san francisco, which a bilingual elementary school, but he's never been to school. and he's -- you know, he's struggling with online and the lack of socialization, and we just got tired of waiting, so we came. we're not officially moving from san francisco. you know, we still have a home there. i've lived there 30 years. and we called the school and they said yes, you can come monday. >> there are people in san francisco that have been able to

get their kids into in-person learning through private school. why did you all decide to not go that route and just change cities altogether? >> well, the privates are full and there's waiting lists everywhere. that's the first reason. my son is in a bilingual school, alvarado. he speaks spanish and english. there really isn't that option in any of the privates. we want our kids to be around lots of different people, lots of different kinds of families. and you just find that more in the public school system. >> today everyone is learning about this new agreement the state has reached to bring most public school students back into the classroom by the end of the month. if that's the case, will you all be back? >> i am still somewhat distrustful. you know, san francisco has chosen at every step of the way to be more strict than what th state allowed. i don't even have a ton of faith if that's true for california. i'd love to be proven wrong. i will continue to push for open

schools across the country. just because my kid gets to go now, that's not enough. too many kids don't. >> reporter: jobina fortson, abc 7 news. >> that's a really interesting story. as we mentioned earlier in the newscast, the governor announced that most california kids through second grade will be back to in-person classes by april 1st. but here's the question. what's to stop some school districts from meeting let's say for just an hour a day? is the governor concerned about that? >> i'm not for one reason. our teachers and our cafeteria workers, our food workers, our bus drivers, our custodial -- they want the sights and sounds. they want kids back safely in school. >> abc 7 news insider phil matier joining us live now to discuss this issue. phil, the governor's plan defines what in-person instruction means but it doesn't set a time limit for how many hours a day that they have to meet in person. so do you see this becoming an issue, a problem? >> well, it depends on the

school district. as you point out, there's no issue there or at least guideline or even mandate about what constitutes going back to school. is it a half a day five days a week? is it two days a week? is it two hours a day five days a week? what exactly is that going to be? that depends on the school district and is teachers union, what they work out. once again the governor is, as he likes to say, incentivizing. he's basically encouraging sxoolz school districts to go this route in return for getting billions of dollars in extra money. but there's no mandate that they have to. also in there is the idea that the teachers' unions get to sign off on this as well. so while there's no -- he's not picking sides, he's definitely saying everybody in here's got to still work it out. >> this feels just like the pandemic rules in each county where everybody's doing their own thing and there isn't a cohesive plan. the governor's facing a possible recall election. how much will getting kids back into school help him avoid that?

maybe he's not going to be able to avoid the possibility of the election but he could win the election. >> right. i would say that the main thing right now that's going to decide the governor's fate is vaccine,, schools, and economic recover yip. so you've seen him out there working hard or at least present presenting himself working hard saying here comes vaccine, although often once he opens the super sight they ran out of vaccine. the other thing is schools. 6 million kids in the state of california. that's a lot of parns. that's a lot of parents who would vote. and they want to see their kids back in school. but larry, this is proving to be a difficult thing. and one of the questions that people are asking isn't so much let's say we've got the details of this supposed plan or the goals of it but why did it take so long? we've had months and months and months to sort of say this is what it's going to be, but like this pandemic it seems to flip with every color code.

>> yeah. i saw one parent say this announcement is not a breakthrough, it's a failure, because not all schools are open. it's not like okay, everybody's back, especially when you talk about the older kids, the high school kids. we don't know what's going to happen with that. >> well, what we're talking about is elementary school or possibly elementary school with one grade above elementary school. but you're right. most middle schools and high schools, still a big question about when they're going to reopen. one of the ironies here is that the governor's cleared the way for interscholastic sports on the high school level. so we might have people out playing baseball before they're inside the classroom learning. >> wow. let me move on to another subject here. more people are getting vaccinated. restaurants starting to open up for indoor dining all over the state. it feels like we can finally start to see the light at the end of the tunnel here. but with the government leaders you talked to is there any concern, human nature, we get

lax, see another spike in cases and here we go again? >> or we get a variant that throws a monkey wrench into everything. but wrar, most of the leaders fact, all of them have sort of dropped that idea of the surge or the fear of a surge or a slipback. they're all about getting people vaccinated. they say that is the best way to in the short run and the long run get a handle on this and get things back reopen. and that's why they are looking every day to say where's the supply and how is it coming in. the johnson & johnson one-shot new vaccine, everybody's been waiting for that as well. but it's got to get into people's arms. i don't care how much is manufactured, if it's not getting into people's arms that's the deal. but that's what they're looking for, larry, is vaccination. that is the key right now. and that's what they're pushing for. >> all right. abc 7 insider phil matier, thanks for the time. good to see you, phil. >> thank you. california phones offers free specialized phones... like cordless phones.

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now california phones offers free devices and accessories for your mobile phone. like this device to increase volume on your cell phone. - ( phone ringing ) - get details on this state program visit right now or call during business hours. the medical board of california is investigating a sacramento plastic surgeon who appeared in virtual traffic court while apparently operating on a patient. this is an unbelievable story. dr. scott green could be seen in full ppe. his hearing was being livestreamed and posted to youtube. the court commissioner and the court clerk were in total disbelief of what they were

seeing. >> so unless i'm mistaken i'm seeing a defendant in the middle of an operating room appearing to be actively engaged in providing services to a patient. is that correct, mr. green? >> yes, sir. >> as dr. green was being sworn in, you could see the blood on his gloves. green told the court another surgeon was in the operating room so no big deal, he was able to multitask. he later apologiapologized. the judge postponed the hearing to a later date. the arrogance here is just -- i mean, on a level that is epic. i don't know who should be more upset, the judge who's clearly being disrespected -- it's traffic court. so it's not a murder case. or the patient. what about my nose, doc? you know, like dan, i mean, come on. >> you're right. it is clearly a lot of attitude directed toward the judge by doing something so clearly -- an exercise in poor judgment. it's contempt of patient, i

think, too. the fact that he would even think to come up with some plan like that is a little staggering in the middle of a surgery. just the optics alone, never mind actually being distracted from helping a patient. it's bizarre. >> yeah. spencer, i'd prefer to have my surgeons actually paying attention to me. but i don't know. maybe that's -- i'm just being selfish, spencer. that's just me, right? >> yeah. just thinking about yourself all the time. >> i know, right? >> especially when you're on the operating table. >> yeah. >> i don't even know what to say. i feel guilty laughing but i can't help it. >> it's inexplicable. >> his yelp reviews, the most recent ones, are a one star with people saying ub believable, things like that. he wasn't at a high number, tho, because he's down to a 4 average. before they was a pretty good surngon.

according to yelp anyway. for what it's worth. a bay area business is celebrating a rebirth during the pandemic. specialties bakery reopened its mountain view location today. in may the pleasanton-based company closed all 50 cafes across california, washington and illinois citing financial hardship. the co-founder tells abc 7 he thought the closures would be perfect. but specialties is back on its feet, enough to reopen the ella street location. others could follow in a few months. the cafe's debuting new sandt wichz and salads and those fan favorite cookies are still a staple. spencer, you know what we're talking about. those cookies are gigantic. >> like a pizza. >> they are good. they have some pretty good muffins there as well. i had a couple of muffins. i miss specialties. i'm glad it's back. absolutely. >> me too. i hope there are more stories like this coming out of the pandemic that businesses that we thought maybe were shuttered for good will find a way to reopen as things begin a little bit.

but that's encouraging news. and the cookies are something. >> exactly. >> despite the pandemic and the huge number of people out of work the salvation army was still able to raise more money in 2020 than it did in 2019. the non-profit says it raised more than $557 million during the holiday season. that's a 27% increase year over year. there were fewer red kettles but the salvation army had more online and mail-in donations than ever before. that money will help provide food, shelter, and social services to more than 30 million americans in need. you know, it's great to see. and maybe, you know, for some organizations will represent a shift in how they attempt to raise money going forward because you can be really effective, dan, online now. and it's encouraging just to see that people were -- who do have the ability to help are willing to help. >> absolutely. the united states is one of the most generous countries in terms of charity around the world.

we are well known for our willingness to give to other people in need. so i'm not surprised that that's the case. i'm very pleased to hear it. and you're right, people have -- i'm involved, as you all are, in a number of charities and we've all turned to online events whether they're banquets -- my rock the casa is going to be virtual this year. and they're very effective at raising money because people still want to be supportive and help. >> kristen, any thoughts? >> yeah, i was actually just going to build on dan's point. i think when people are being helpful they feel they're getting some sense of control back and they feel some power and it actually lifts their mood. i've heard that's one of the reasons driving more giving right now, at a time when we feel so helpless otherwise, like so out of control. so that's good to see. >> interesting. >> that's a good point. >> can i just plug kids and art? a fantastic bay area charity is coming up this team competition to try to drive fund-raising and they provide art workshops for

children fighting cancer. >> excellent. >> nice. nice. >> all right, you guys, starbucks is now taking the oat milk trend nationwide starting tomorrow. the seattle-based chain plans to ofrt new non-dairy substitute made by oatly. it's a swedish brand that's won the stamp of approval from selects like oprah winfrey. starbucks went with oatly after testing oat milk-based lattes at 1300 locationed last year. tomorrow customers will see a host of new drinks including iced brown sugar oat milk shaken espresso. now, oat milk isn't the only new item. star burkes is also adding two plant-based items, chickpea bites and avocado protein blocks. hmm. spencer, which one of those are you going to order next? >> oh, boy. those are tough choices. i guess i'll try the oat milk. although i'm a fan of actual milk if i'm going to have a coffee drink like a cappuccino or something. but i guess i'll give the oat milk a try just to see what it's like. >> i'm the same. the oat milk, my oldest son drinks it a lot. i've only taste td briefly. i tend to like real milk.

it's fine. it doesn't taste exactly like milk but it's fine. but i would imagine in a coffee or a drink it would be much harder to discern whether it's real milk or oat milk. >> right. >> ah, dan, you put sugar in your coffee? is that it? >> no. i don't, actually. i don't drink much coffee. but when i do i just drink it black. but i imagine if you're putting it in hot chocolate or something it would be fine. >> yeah. >> what's better? oat milk, almond milk, or cashew milk? i'm like totally confused by all these. >> i don't know the answer. it's a good question. and are they all better than regular milk? i guess so. >> i don't know. but judging by what we're seeing here, i don't think starbucks is targeting us. >> well, if they are, they're going to be in some trouble. do you know, by the way -- i was just, on another topic related to starbucks, they're opening -- oh, what's the number? in china like a new store every 15 hours. >> really? >> every 15 hours a new store.

yeah. huge expansion in china. so that's why their stock is over 100. >> there's an old stand-up comedian line that said he's waiting for them to open a starbucks in a starbucks. >> we laugh now. but -- >> very good. >> -- it's happening.

as if the job losses and economic insecurity caused by the pandemic were not enough,

here comes another financial headache. an increasing number of americans reporting errors on their credit reports. abc news reporter deirdre bolton has some advice. >> reporter: americans are filing complaints at record numbers with the consumer financial protection bureau. part of this goes back to the cares act in march of 2020, which was of course passed to help consumers, but there were some unintended consequences. so that act manned yailted that banks and lenders offer deferred payments on federally backed mortgages and student loans but report them as current. of course the idea here was to take pressure off consumers since they didn't have to pay for those loans, if they were out of a job. long story short, it was supposed to buy people time. but other businesses such as credit card companies and auto lenders, well, they tried to follow the spirit of the cares act and also defer some of these loans, they mistakenly reported some of these deferred payments as late, which hurts people's credit score, sometimes by as much as 100 points. and when your credit score is

weaker any borrowing that you do is more expensive. so even if you aren't seeking a loan your credit score does in fact matter because experts say potential landlords, cell phone, cable companies, employers, they may view your credit score and use that information deciding, for example, on what terms to give you for a loan or sometimes in some cases even whether or not to offer you a job. officials in the unitedkings kingdom are confirming that the flash of bright light that raced across the sky last night was indeed a meteor. another angle coming up here. more than 800 people reported witnessing that phenomenon just before 10:00. wow, that's pretty bright in the sky there. it was described as a fireball by the uk meteor network. according to reports, that meteor was visible for about seven seconds. approximately 65 million years ago a couple of dinosaurs saw something pretty similar to that, kristen. and it didn't go well after that

event. let's put it that way. >> yes. bye-bye. >> bye-bye. when you say dinosaurs, i thought you were going to say kristen? spencer? then i'd be like hey. >> oh. i missed a chance to take a shot at spencer. i feel so bad. >> i thought that was coming too. i was waiting. i was waiting for that. i was going to tell you, when those dinosaurs looked into the sky i was there reporting live on that one. here's what's coming our way tonight. mainly clear skies but a few high clouds will pass over. it will be cool to chilly in the inland valleys with low temperatures there in the mid to upper 30s, but we'll see low 40s in most other locations near the coast and bay. then tomorrow filtered sunshine with high clouds and bright skies. high temperatures will range from upper 50s at the coast to mid, almost upper 60s near the bay shoreline. 70 to low 70s inland. and as we look ahead on the forecast animation you can see that there will be a little wet

weather system moving generally in our direction all week long. they won't really work their way into the bay area until friday night into saturday. that's when we can expect our next rainfall. here's a look at the accuweather seven-day forecast. sunny and mild week ahead. a little rain overnight friday into saturday. it gets cooler over the weekend but it will start drying out over the weekend as well. larry and kristen? >> all right. i hate when i miss the chance for an unprovoked attack, spencer. it was right there. i just didn't -- >> i know. >> maybe i'm turning nice. >> on a silver platter. >> no. >> next time. next time, larry. all right. san francisco-based lime is investing $50 million to expand its e-bike division. the scooter company formerly known as lime bike plans to launch its electricity bicycle fleet in 25 cities this year. it's also adding a new bike model that will have increased motor power and automatic two-speed transmission and a phone holder. those next generation bikes will

come with an electronically controlled hub lock to protect against theft and vandalism. all right. all right. when we come back, it's totally normal to have constipation with belly pain, straining, and bloating, again and again. no way. more exercise. more water. and more fiber is the only way to manage it. is it? maybe you think... it's occasional constipation. maybe it's not. it could be a chronic medical condition called ibs-c, and time to say yesss! to linzess. linzess works differently than laxatives. it helps relieve belly pain and lets you have more frequent and complete bowel movements. do not give linzess to children less than six and it should not be given to children six to less than 18, it may harm them. do not take linzess if you have a bowel blockage. get immediate help if you develop unusual or severe stomach pain, especially with bloody or black stools. the most common side effect is diarrhea, sometimes severe. if it's severe, stop taking linzess and call your doctor right away.

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race and social jus cities one of the key pillars of building a better bay area. companies long run by white executives are developing strategies and goals to improve racial equity.

abc7 reporter david louie is one of a kind study. >> ceos of 125 companies are saying they have made inclusion and equity part of company a priority according to deloitte to make influence. >> this is part of making the equity influential and do a lot for the employee, but to think broadly and ambitiously, it can start to set the tone for society as a whole. >> reporter: it is not just that 3% of the black employees hold senior level roles, an influential group of employees, genz, they expect a company to take a stand, and 72% believe racial equity is most important

workplace issue, and they believe it is a path to sales growth and it can improve their buying power. >> income equality and health outcomes is a racial dimension to it. >> reporter: surveyed companies are walmart, pfizer and microsoft and the gap along with change makers such as valeri jarrett. >> it is hard to really drive progress if you are not willing to take account of where you are and ask to be held accountable. will every company do it? no. >> reporter: one trend has emerged reverse mentoring and a sign that old companies are disrupting the old ways and saying we can do it better. >> it is someone saying that we can, and how can we ever do that. that is what we are good at. david lui, abc 7 news. david lui, abc 7 news. that is going to do it for

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and now we have a new company coming in, and it is not clear what preparation is going to go on. >> a new vaccine plan for california, and some are skeptical about the new system. feeling behind the push to get vaccines to hard hit bay area companies. a push to reopen. the state's plan for in-person learning to push billions of dollars of incentives. building a better bay area for a secure future. this is the abc7 news. this week we will distribute more doses. this week, blue shield takes over the distribution center. i'm alma dietz and now, pfizer is going to be