president biden calls it a great milestone. dot of your face covering yet. new help for struggling small businesses, more than a billion dollars worth of grants. the state attorney general steps if. the new investigation into the shooting death of sean by vallejo police. flames engulf a building at an east bay church. twelve hours later and investigators still haven't been able to get inside. we'll take you to the scene. the fbi is stepping in to add dress hate crimes in the bay area. >> building a better bay area, moving forward, finding solutions, this is abc 7 news. the head of the cdc makes

it official today if you're fully vaccinated, you can start doing the things you stopped doing because of the pandemic, people who are vaccinated for covid-19 can ditch their masks and social distancing in most places. we have all longed for this moment. when we can get back to some sense of normalcy. >> some sense of normalcy. good evening, i'm dan ashley. >> and i'm ama dates. you're watching abc 7 news at 5:00. live on abc 7, hulu live and wherever you stream. people have to wear masks on planes, trains, and medical facilities, three things have prommed the turn around, cases have dropped by 1/3. the vaccine has become moshows vaccine effectiveness against variants and transmission. >> what the guidelines changed for us was putting together this data that vaccines block me as a fully vaccinated person from passing on the infection

to you. and that means that a fully vaccinated person doesn't have to mask around an unvaccinated person. and that would include inside. >> it's not clear what today's announcement will mean for schools, offices, and businesses which interaction with the public especially when there's no perfect way to confirm someone has been vaccinated. in marin county, reaction was mixed. >> fourth street downtown san ray rafael. >> i feel a sense of freedom to walk around without masks and get fresh air, and see people smiling again. >> word began filtering down with a pronouncement from rochelle, who directs the cdc. >> anyone who is fully vaccinated can participate in indoor and outdoor activities, large or small. >> most things any way. not including flying. but concerts, yes, sporting

events, yes. the cdc concluded that not only do the vaccines work. but enough of us have received them to ease mask restrictions both inside and outside. but not so fast. states and counties will need to approve those guidelines. >> to me, it's an incentive to get vaccinated. this is not a sign that the coast is clear and that we can abandon mask wearing. >> that's dr. matt willis. he spent the day waiting for word from the california department of public health and he worries about people congregating based on the honor system. not everyone packs a vaccination card like tom ryan. >> i just carry it. just in case. >> in case of what? >> somebody wants to know. >> but this is good news for restaurants. it's equally good news for nail salons. pique i'm ready to rip it off. [ laughter ]. >> same for health clubs which relaxed their rules today. >> thank god we're free. [ laughter ]. i can breathe again. >> as to whether this move

arrives too early, the question in my mind is when? what's the right time? this feels premature. >> in short, mask-free does not mean worry-free. in marin county, wayne friedman, abc 7 news. keep in mind, california has yet to sign off on the new cdc guidelines. right now the state only requires vaccinated people to wear masks outdoors at crowded settings like sporting events indoors, nothing has changed in california. marin county health director, matt willis breaks down the differences. if you're vaccinated, you can now remove your mask, when you're outdoors, and you're not in a crowd, if you're unvaccinated, you need to continue to cover your face. both outdoors and indoors. and everyone , everyone, regardless of vaccination status needs to cover their face indoors in any public setting across the state currently. >> we have a full list of what fully vaccinated people can and cannot do according to the

cdc's new mask guidelines on our website, just go to abc 7 news.com when you have a moment. >> it's a great resource. there's a lot to remember as things keep changing. more than a billion dollars worth of covid-19 relief grants may be available to hundreds of thousands of small businesses across the state. it's the latest component to the governor's come back plan. stephanie sierra is in the news room tonight with the details for us. stephanie. >> today the governor is proposing another $1.5 billion worth of small business grants become available after hundreds of thousands of business owners could not qualify because the money ran out. >> everything unraveled on us. >> joe field is still struggling. he's the owner of a small comic bookstore. based in concord. in the past year, 20% of his business. >> super challenging to get through. i never worked harder in my life. >> he's waiting to i a

apply for the state's incoming relief grants. >> $4 billion. that's the total package of small business grants. not loans. grants. $2.5billion of that package has been allocated. the governor is proposing $1.5 billion for the next rouped. that's going to essentially allow something on the scope of 430,000 businesses to get a grant of 5 to $25,000. didi meyers is the director of the state's business and economic development department. for small business owners watching at home. once this latest round is approved, what's the easiest and fastest way for them to qualify and get this aid. >> we worked hard to make the process simple. the first step is to go to gran ca relief grants.com. that will provide all the information businesses need to apply. >> can any small business apply for this money? what are the specific requirements ? >> they have to be california based businesses. they have to have been in business for more than a year.

and they have to have revenue of $2.5 millions or less. so these are really our smaller businesses. >> there are 200,000 businesses all ready on the wait list leaving space for an additional 150,000 business owners to qualify in the coming weeks. he hopes he'll make the cut. >> we're just hoping for any help we can get. >> like many business owners, field had a tough time navigating the application process for the paycheck protection program. but meyers says this application process is easier and much more streamlined. once the application portal is live in the coming weeks, there will be translators and a call center available to help those navigate it. stephanie sierra, abc 7 news. california's departme of justice is opening an investigation into the shooting byvallo police. officebreak-in wall n neof 2020. an officer thought he saw the

butt of a han gun and fired five times through his vehicle's front windshield. it turned out it was a hammer. attorney general, rob, says his department is stepping in because solano county district attorney krishna abrams declined to act. >> it's unfortunate that up to this point the solano county district attorney has not acted as many of you know. the solano county district attorney has recused herself when there was no basis to do so. >> abrams has not responded to our emails for comment on this. outrage this evening over the decision to grant parole to the convicted kill nerf a brutal san francisco murder case. according to the san francisco das office the state parole board granted ramirez his freedom the mexican national fatally stabbed his estranged girlfriend 21 times in front of her two young children in october of 2000.

ramirez was kicked of second- degree murder in 2008 and sentenced to 16 years in prison. san francisco da called the board's decision very disappointing and he plans to ask the governor to reverse it. >> a rare apology tonight from san francisco police chief, bill scott. >> the shooting of mr. pittman, quite simply sowl not have happened. >> the shooting happened last friday afternoon. police say 23-year-old xavier pittman was being detained in connection with a burglary investigation when he was shot in the wrist by a police officer. chief scott says the da will decide if the officer will face criminal charges. the fbi in san francisco is taking action to prevent asian hate crimes by implementing a series of new strategies. today their outreach efforts focused on oakland where there have been a number of assaults against seniors. leigh-ann melendez is here to tell us more about the speak up be heard campaign. leigh-ann. >> everything the fbi said

today, we know well. okay. hate crimes are under reported making these types of crimes hard to prosecute. but the fbi went to oakland today to tell that community which has been really targeted, we're here, and trust us. the fbi today spoke in oakland of the aggression against the asian american pacific islander community. witnessed repeatedly by many. >> which has seen an increase and a spike in recent times. >> the fbi is among many law enforcement agencies warning it will not tolerate this kind of hate crime while stressing that no one, especially the elderly should be afraid of being targeted. yet they acknowledge there are challenges. they may have a fare or distrust of law enforcement. they may have fear due to their immigration status. or a fear of retribution by their attacker. >> the fbi in san francisco now has a social media campaign encouraging people to speak up

and be heard and report these crimes to the fbi. there is a website where a person can file a china town chamber of commerce says these attacks have increased since the pandemic. the rhetoric, if the former president has something to do with it. the covid-19 plus the competition between you know china and the u.s., there's so much rhetoric. >> prosecuting a hate crime on a federal level is harder because you have to prove there was bias. >> one out of santa cruz recently where there wasn't -- during the commission of the act of violence, that bias was expressed verbally. >> it's easier to prosecute on a local level. because if that hate crime enhancement doesn't stick, they can still prosecute the person for that assault.

now, the fbi says it is training more special agents to investigate hate crimes. leigh-ann melendez, abc 7 news. leigh-ann, thank you very much. still ahead here, a church building goes up in flames in

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i heard about prevagen and then i started taking it about two years now. started noticing things a little sharper, a little clearer. i feel like it's kept me on my game. i'm able to remember things. i'd say give it a try. prevagen. healthier brain. better life. fremont police officers arrested a man today after they saw him sexually assaulting a woman. it happened this morning in a neighborhood near irvington high school. the 67-year-old victim was taken to the hospital. police identified the suspect as 28-year-old alexander lomax. they say he's a suspect in another assault of a woman that happened earlier today. gure out what started ncord th se fmeintomorning asseng, fortunately, no one was hurt. but investigators haven't been able to get in because the structure is unstable.

abc 7 news reporter amy hollyfield explains what we know so far. >> firefighters tried to fight their way into this burning building if concord but were underwhelmed. you can see the two-story section of the building was burning. from the ground floor to the ceiling. the pastor of the church of the nazarene calmly but sadly watched from the sidelines as firefighters did their work. >> i'm emotional inside, yes. it's kind of my job to be calm and composed but honestly, waking up to this news is not the kind of thing you'd ever ct >>s reliev fi builnghey haot in used rebut in at least a year. my first thought is we have people that occasion untilly break into the building but it's also the oldest part of the building. so those are both possibilities. the 911 call came in at 5:30 this morning the chucialg is located on ashbury drive a half mile from concord's downtown plaza. the pastor says the homeless

are sometimes sleep here and use the building's kitchen. >> we don't have any knowledge of anybody inside the structure at the time of the fire. but our investigators ma will do a complete investigation. >> investigators are pursuing all possibilities at this point. even asking about who meets here to worship. >> the fire investigator did ask some questions, because we have a korean congregation that meets here and an indonesian congregation that meets here. we haven't received threats. we done think that would be what's going on. she says they do have a security guard on site. she was relieved when she heard no one was hurt in this fire. that is the good news and the most important thing,no one hurt. our micro climates are definitely on full display. it is sweater weather fo

some days, you just don't have it. not my uncle, though. he's taking trulicity for his type 2 diabetes and now, he's really on his game. once-weekly trulicity lowers your a1c by helping your body release the insulin it's already making. most people reached an a1c under 7%. plus, trulicity can lower your risk of cardiovascular events. it can also help you lo0 trulicity is for type 2 diabetes. it isn't for people with type 1 diabetes. it's not approved for use in children. 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,

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this morning for vaccinations. it's the first day kids between 12 and 15 could sign up for a shot. the state began accepting poim this is morning. the site will only vaccinate people who show up in cars. it was a nice day to get outside and get your vaccination because it was pleasant. >> it sure was. the heat is abated a little bit. sandy patel is here. noticeably cooler, sandy. >> yeah, you really could feel it. and dan and alma, it's easier to actually warm up by putting on layers than to cool off when it's hot. we know that, let me show your our natural ac from our east bay hills camera. you can see that marine layer, it's about 1400 feet deep. that's driving those temperatures down. down 11 degrees today in fairfield. hayward down 6 degrees. it's a cooler air mass. live doppler 7 showing you the

fog along the coastline. along with low clouds we rning. showers and thunderstorms around susanville around the sierra crest locations. with the showers and thunderstorm possibility continuing, there's a red flag warning for the far northern end of california from 2:00 tomorrow afternoon until 11:00 p.m. tomorrow night. so obviously we want to see rain and not the fire danger due to dry lightning. 54 in the city. 59 in oakland. 68 in san jose. half-moon bay, 58 degrees. nothing out of the ordinary, your typical spring sea breeze but that's keeping temperatures in comfort zone. 65 in santa rosa. mid to upper 70s from concord to livermore. our warmest spots in the san jo seeing sun out there in the south bay, low clouds, fog, patchy morning drizzle.

sprinkles or isolated showers for saturday. and it's going to be a sunnier milder pattern for the middle of next week. tomorrow morning toabt don't be surprised if you run into slippery spots. as we head into the evening, we're going to keep the drizzle- mist in the forecast, particularly over the coast and the hills. tomorrow morning, 40s and 50s for your temperatures, tbrab grab the sweater before you go. give yourself extra time. visibility will be low. and there will be wet roadways out there. mid 50s to the low 80s. breezy. not just near the coast but the inland areas as well. the hour by hour forecast showing gusty winds along the coast. inland areas 25 to 30 miles an hour going into tomorrow night. tomorrow night a system drops southward over the bay area, saturday morning, 8:00 a.m. might see a few spotty showers over the sierra nevada going into the weekend. if you have travel plans, keep

that in mind, accuweather, seven-day forecast, sprinkles or drizzle saturday. keeping it on the cooler side of average and then those temperatures will come up y 7 is live in marin county. authorities are looking for a bear reported to be in someone's backyard, can you imagine that? these are live pictures from sky 7. we've reached out to the marin county sheriff's office. we'll bring you more details as soon as they come into the news room. but as you can tell, we are live over the story as they look for a bear that was spotted in someone's backyard. well, coming up, a farmer with a story to tell, how his family's history is putting a

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around the world are still very much ongoing. >> and a reminder that you can get our live news casts, breaking news, weather, and more on our abc bay area app. apple tv, fire tv, and roku, search abc 7 bay area and download it. reflections from a family farmer. he lives in fresno county but is aware of the attacks on asian americans in the bay area. >> reporter dale from our sister station kfsn shows you how the issue of equality is playing out for the son of japanese immigrants. >> from his farm in dell ray california, 14 miles south of fresno, david has been reflecting on recent attacks on asian americans. >> it's hard to look at that. because people think that some of the anti-asian discrimination that's happening is only happening now. we don't have that sense of

history. when my grandparents immigrated from japan, there were laws specifically targeted at asians so they couldn't buy land. it was the asian exclusion act. they were among the 112,000 japanese people forced into internment camps during world war ii. >> when i was growing up. i said how come my parent use generation doesn't talk about relocation camps. that swren recreation, they internalized so much. it was about holding things within. the backlash to the anti after asian immigrant experience ia a coming out. they're going public with their voices. with their stories. and i think atoccurred from a prior generation. >> while his family was locked up, his father served in the u.s. army. he bought 40-acres here in 1948. though grandma wasn't happy. >> she looked at him and said

you don't do this in america, because they take things away from you. the ebs it's not about trying not the be color blind and not see difference. it's understanding that difference is part of the history of america and we need to accept that difference. i did grow up understanding i was different. and here's the key, at first i wanted to be accepted. and now, as i grew older and mature, i think it's not about acceptance, we want to belong. we want that feeling that we belong here just as else. >> dell ray, california. >> and dan , it's so important to hear all these stories and experiences. >> oh it absolutely is. i love what he said. we want to belong. very important. >> world news tonight with david mueller is coming up next. >> for sandy patel, all of us here, we appreciate your time.

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it was a total game changer. have a lot more to do. learn more at factsonhand.com today. tonight, the cdc says no more masks for vaccinated americans indoors or outdoors, with just a few exceptions. president biden in the rose garden late today celebrating the new cdc guidance, allowing fully vaccinated people to go without their masks. cdc director dr. rochelle walensky saying the science is there. and tonight, your questions. if you're vaccinated, can you still transmit the virus to others? and if you're in a crowd or back at work, how do you know if someone near you has been vaccinated or not? and does that pose a risk? dr. jen ashton answering your questions tonight. also this evening, those gas lines and rising gas prices. news coming in just as we come on the air tonight. with the colonial pipeline restarting, a reality check. what is the situation right now across several s