>> i thought america is better than this. next at 5:00, the sonoma county vice mayor speaks out about oasis went from a vote. why she says small town politics is not what they hate. two attacks on asian men in san francisco. the city is intensifying the crackdown on these types of assaults. also increased security in oakland as they react to the shootings in georgia. one assembly member claims he has should never have been in the running for the job. how oakland's historic women's college is a covid-19 casualty. building a better bay area for a safe and secure future,this is abc7 news.

. we begin with no incidents of what seem like racism and the response to it. a vice mayor anonymous caller that called the racial slurs. and san francisco there's new fallout after another attack on asian senior. the new police chief reacts to criticism about his past. good evening and thank you for joining us. we will start in the north bay with a city official. she has surprised a lot of people with her response. wayne freedman has the response where a vice mayor is turning the negative into a positive. >> reporter: here is the story of a naturalized citizen from the congo living her american dream. when we caught up with jackie she said that it is pretty challenged right now. did you ever expect what happened to you yesterday? >> male. i thought america is better than this.

>> reporter: as the sign says, they like to call themselves the friendly city but it did not feel that way for jackie elwood yesterday. she was taking a call from an unidentified citizen who was complaining how the council had canceled the sale of fireworks. at that point, the conversation turned ugly. >> he basically went off, saying [bleep] you better go back to africa where you belong. >> reporter: those words cut jackie to the heart. >> this is my community. i'm raising my children here. i belong here. this is my home. >> reporter: what would you do? she did not sever the insult silently. she wrote about it on facebook. the reaction was overwhelmingly positive with anger from people like the mayor. >> i do not care what the issue is. the way that she was treated

was terrible. no public official should be treated like that. >> reporter: as we know, the hate in this stressful year has extended beyond public officials. racism has been new victims. she had a choice to go negative or harness the moment. >> i won't give up. this has given me another channel, another source of strength to fight for the voiceless. >> reporter: doing that, she said, does not begin by following hate with more hate. a truly strong step goes the other way. she took it. >> i will stop that cycle by saying, i forgive you and there is still sign time for you to change. >> reporter: she took a horrible mama and chose level over hate. in rohnert park, wayne freedman, abc seven news. new details on the attack

of this man and a chinatown laundromat in san francisco. police have arrested the suspects you see in this video. detectives have identified the mastery 19-year-olds from antioch. the victim was treated for non- life threatening injuries. the suspects face robbery and elderly abuse charges. the san francisco police chief has stepped up patrols in predominately asian neighborhood after a series of incidences. the latest happened this morning involving two elderly people on market street. lyanne melendez has more on the response to this. >> reporter: they are acknowledging that there has been an alarming spike in the number of attacks against some in the asian community. this morning, just as the police chief was tweeting about it with the hashtag starvation hate, yet another incident was taking place. wednesday morning, two elderly people were attacked on the corner of market and seventh street in san francisco. the incident happened shortly

before we spoke to the police chief about the escalating number of assaults against members of the asian community. >> i do not have any details for you, but i will follow up. >> reporter: they later told us that a 75-year-old woman and 83- year-old man were attacked. both are asian. they were transported to the hospital after police say they were punched by a homeless man who was immediately arrested. >> here in san francisco, we have seen a rise in hate crimes against our elderly asian community. i want to make it clear that we will not tolerate it. >> reporter: mayor london breed said that many communities have seen an increase in asian directed hate crimes. she found the mayor of atlanta to express our condolences for the murder of eight people, mostly asians. investigators believe that the crime is not racially motivated. regardless, san francisco police have increased the

number of patrols in predominately asian neighborhoods. >> we have to investigate these cases. we need to make arrests and we have done that. the asian-american and pacific islander community needs to know that we stand with them and support them. >> i am feeling scared to get out of the house. >> reporter: we also showed an interview with this man, a travel agent who was attacked on monday in san francisco. he has decided to leave the bay area. >> san francisco was deteriorating right now. it is all gone. >> reporter: during this time of so many physical attacks, san francisco have also seen burglaries go up significantly from january 1 of march 14 of 2020 there were 1100 reported burglaries compared to 1698 during that same time this year.

>> we have a lot of work to do. we just have to keep at it. >> here is a question that many are asking. should there be released surveillance cameras to help deter this kind of violence? if you remember, san francisco became the first city in this country to say no to the use of facial recognition technology by any city department including san francisco police. lyanne melendez, abc 7 news. part of building a better bay area is fighting for racial and social justice. we have more on the deadly attack in georgia that is sending peer through the asian- american community and putting some local police department on alert. oakland police are monitoring a case. a man faces charges in the killing of eight people at three massage parlors in georgia. six of the victims are of asian descent and seven are women. the community views it as an attack on the asian community given the recent wave of

assaults. police recently took action following a jump and attacks in china town of oakland. >> we have concerns about assaults against the elderly. we have more police patrolling the chinatown area as well as citizens patrolling and private security. >> in san jose, officials are also keeping a close eye on what is happening. this wave of hateful attacks against asian americans is causing community leaders to demand that local and state leaders step in the stop anymore violence. >> in particular, not just yesterday's motors but attacks on two more asians and san francisco and oakland on top of thousands of others. this must be an inflection point. enough is enough. >> today, several asian- american and pacific islander leaders met to address the killings as well as solutions for us here in california.

they are urging governor newsom to appoint an attorney general as soon as possible that will focus on stopping these hate crimes. the bay area's largest city formally. announced its pick for police chief. the decision did not come without controversy and internal strife. chris nguyen has more . >> reporter: a new police chief will soon take the reins in the capital of silicon valley. >> my vision for this police department is that all residents and visitors of this city have the highest trust and confidence in our department. >> reporter: the deputy chief was unanimously confirmed by the san jose city council and formally introduced to the public today capping off her monthlong process following the retirement of the former police chief, eddie garcia. what would normally be a celebratory announcement took a more serious turn as he answered questions about his past, including an incident more than 20 years ago in which he fatally shot an unarmed man.

>> it was a traumatic incident that changed my life. it is something that i do not want any officer to go through. my continued thoughts and prayers go out to that family. >> reporter: and assembly member thought he should have been disqualified from the process as a result. >> i am saddened by the decision that has been made. i respected and i hope that the chief of police will work to earn the trust of all committee members knowing that there is a cloud on this appointment. >> reporter: critics have also pointed out his role in a lawsuit of involving a police officer alleging alleging presided over briefings in which other officers made up from a phobic comments. earlier this week a retired transgender officer questioned his acceptance and embrace of the lgbtq community. they said that they immediately looked into the matter and said that it did not violate city policy. >> just because we have a new chief does not mean we have a more progressive pathway forward. it will take a lot of

accountability and scrutiny to make sure that we get the change we need. >> reporter: nonetheless, city leaders expressed confidence in their chosen candidate. >> tony has demonstrated throughout his career the strong bond of the community, passion for service and a deep commitment to this department. >> reporter: a 25 year veteran of the force, now tasked with moving the department forward. >> as we move toward reimagining public safety we will work together to find solutions. >> reporter: chris nguyen, 7 news. mills college will no longer grant degrees in the next few years. they reached the decision after considering declining enrollment and financial burdens were sent by the pandemic. the last class of freshman will enter this fall. eventually the college will shift to become thto become institute. the president said that a lot still has to be sorted out, including her role, but she thinks the sky is the limit.

>> they promote the women's leadership and advanced justice and encourage student success. >> it first opened as a women's seminary in 1852. it now serves self identified women and gender done by mary undergraduate students. students of color are more than half of the college population. still ahead, for those hurt most by the pandemic. how business owners in santa clara county can get help. clara county can get help. why the irs is delaying the ♪ ♪ are you ready to join the duers? those who du more with less asthma. thanks to dupixent. the add-on treatment for specific types of moderate-to-severe asthma. dupixent isn't for sudden breathing problems. it can improve lung function for better breathing in as little as 2 weeks and help prevent severe asthma attacks.

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if you have not filed your federal taxes yet, you will have a little more time. we have learned that the irs extended the filing deadline to may 17. they said the decision was made to give people more time to navigate tax situations complicated by covid-19. it is up to individual states to change their deadline. in the moment it remains april 15 in california. the economy is a major pillar for the bay david louie shows you what a

south bay assessor is doing. >> reporter: the pandemic has had a big impact on business. they could be getting a break from the taxman. that is assessor larry stone. >> we assess real property but also we inspect business property. >> reporter: he is doing an online survey asking for the impact of covid restrictions which could mean a reduction in the assessment of business equipment and even heaters added for outdoor service. the process statements each spring. the taxes generate about 400 to $450 million to force schools and other services. >> assessors want to assess property uniformly. we are talking to other bay area counties right now to see

what their approaches and how they will do it. >> reporter: the pandemic has hit some businesses hard. during the 2008 recession some homeowners got hurt because property values fell the $26 billion of the county assessment role. business owners will know what they are getting a tax break on july 2. david louie, abc 7 news. san francisco said that they are topping the goal of giving out 10,000 vaccines per day. tonight they are putting out a challenge. london preset she wants to see 20,000 daily vaccinations. this new goal comes on a one- year anniversary we will never forget, the day that san francisco and five other bay area counties were the first in the country to enter a shelter in place order.

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it is a first for san francisco. a 20 mile per hour speed limit has been approved for an entire neighborhood. legislation will go into effect next month in the tenderloin. right now the speed limit is 25 miles per hour. they said that the neighborhood is a small percentage of the area that accounts for a lot of traffic collisions and fatalities. a big move toward bike

safety. they are hoping to establish a 10 mile-per-hour bicycle superhighway between san jose and santa clara. one of the routes follows the portion of the guadalupe river trail. this will likely be the cheapest of three alternatives. the trail trackway is the mystery like option. it follows the coyote tree creek. the shortest option is called the short liner. this would benefit commuters who want access to the el camino neighborhood. they are holding a meeting on this plan tonight at 6:00. i guess if you are out hiking you might need a hood. that sounds easier than an umbrella. >> sandhya patel is here withi the latest on the weather. >> tonight is a great night to ride your bike but bundle up. tomorrow, this is a healthy

looking winter storm and it is coming in tomorrow. let's take a look. you can notice the cloud cover, rain arrives early tomorrow morning. we have a live look from camera of the moisture just streaming in. it is 56 in oakland. 54 in san jose and 50 and hawthorne bay. we have high clouds and mid- level clouds kind of on multiple levers. 53 in santa rosa. the mildest spots barely made it to the low 70s. as we look back toward san francisco we see that the storm arrives during the morning commute. and rain showers friday morning and spring begins at 2:37 on saturday. it is a level i storm on the storm impact scale for tomorrow and friday. light to moderate rain and mysterious will pick up between 2/10 and 6/10 of an inch.

25 to 35 mile per hour winds expected for the coast and higher elevations. 5:00 and tomorrow notice that the north bay is getting wet. the rainfall will begin to shift across the east bay around 8:00 a.m. and we will be tracking the storm. still widespread rainfall at noontime across the region. then it will taper the showers as we go through the commute th continuing for the early part of the day. later on will just be an isolated shower, perhaps. rainfall totals, you will notice around 18 hundredths in livermore. santa rosa picking up just over 6/10 of an inch. i think this will bring us more than we saw in the last system. a winter weather advisory starts tomorrow morning and runs to midnight on friday about 5500 feet. the lake level will definitely be impacted and travel will be impacted. it is best to hold off. temperatures in the morning in

the 40s. make sure that you have your rain gear and hang onto it for the afternoon. temperatures will be in the upper 40s to low 60s. here is a look at the accuweather seven-day forecast. tomorrow, wet and dusty with showers lingering to friday mainly in the morning. spring begins for the weekend and the warmth is coming our way. the real warmth is tuesday and wednesday with low 70s inland. >> that is nice. thank you.

everyone remembers the moment they heard... “you have cancer.” how their world stopped and when they found a way to face it. for some, this is where their keytruda story begins. keytruda - a breakthrough immunotherapy that may treat certain cancers. one of those cancers is advanced nonsquamous, non-small cell lung cancer where keytruda is approved to be used with certain chemotherapies as your first treatment if you do not have an abnormal “egfr” or “alk” gene. keytruda helps your immune system fight cancer but can also cause your immune system to attack healthy parts of your body. this can happen during or after treatment and may be severe and lead to death. see your doctor right away if you have cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, diarrhea, severe stomach pain or tenderness, severe nausea or vomiting, headache, light sensitivity, eye problems,

irregular heartbeat, extreme tiredness, constipation, dizziness or fainting, changes in appetite, thirst, or urine, confusion or memory problems, muscle pain or weakness, fever, rash, itching, or flushing. these are not all the possible side effects. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions, including immune system problems, or if you've had an organ transplant, had or plan to have a stem cell transplant, or have had radiation to your chest area or a nervous system condition. today, keytruda is fda-approved to treat 16 types of advanced cancer. and is being studied in hundreds of clinical trials exploring ways to treat even more types of cancer. it's tru. keytruda from merck. see the different types of cancer keytruda is approved to treat at keytruda.com, and ask your doctor if keytruda can be part of your story.

we need to know that there is true equity to ensure that those that are at higher risk can get access. >> we want to prioritize the highest risk. >> we will get there. vaccine watch, a bay area conversation. watch it wherever you stream. finally, a young back out in the bay having a whale of a time. >> they don't usually show up until april or may but a few have been spotted since last week. it's most likely because the numbers of humpbacks because of decades of conservation effort. boaters are asked to keep an eye out for them. we have to keep them safe. world news tonight is next. we appreciate your time and hope to see you again in half an hour.

tonight, the deadly and horrific shooting rampage in atlanta. eight people killed, six of the victims asian women. tonight, the gunman has now been charged with eight counts of murder, after opening fire at three spas across the atlanta area. the suspect in custody. authorities believe they halted further attacks in florida. police say the suspect's own parents identified him from surveillance images. news tonight on a possible motive, as these killings stir more fear among asian-americans. the president and vice president both weighing in tonight. also tonight, as we come on the air, the extremely dangerous tornado threat across seven states. several reports of tornadoes on the ground already tonight and you'll see the images coming in. 60 million americans on alert from louisiana all the way to the east coast for potential long-track tornadoes.