in stores for his son. his search now limited to the internet which is flooded with price gadgets. >> i feel like messaging these people and telling them, what are you doing? reporter: case in point, craigslist. the cheapest one you will find is $80 to $100 for one covid diagnostic test. >> price gouging is illegal. reporter: the executive order prohibits anyone from marking up the cost more than 10% and for those new to the market, selling for the first time. >> they can sell no more than 150% of cost. reporter: the attorney general says there will be consequences. >> this is a crime.

a violation is punishable by a fine of up to $1000 and up to six months. in jail. reporter: his office will prosecute these grounds when it broke and is currently investigating tips from the public. >> i encourage anyone to file a complaint. reporter: you can do that directly on the website. abc 7 news. kristen: an east bay company will play a vital role in the white house plan to send free test kits to americans. they have a $190 million contract to provide at-home test. it's not clear how many tests that will buy. the contract is estimated to be january 24. new numbers from the state show how big of an increase we are seeing in covid cases. today's test positivity rate is 22.1%. last month, that number was 2.2%.

the number of people with covid in the hospital nearly doubled from last month. there are 11,000 confirmed covid hospitalizations across california. the figure was 5800 at the end of last month. still, it's down 10,000 from january of last year. dan: in the meantime, a back-and-forth between a school district wanting to go virtual and the office of education wanting kids in the classroom. students were back in person today. dustin dorsey explains how state and county guidance factored into the decision. reporter: even on a monday, there was at least one student happy to be back in person after the school districts plans to go virtual reverse course. >> i believe learning online is not as effective as learning in class. reporter: saturday, they announced the previous line was not happening.

the office of education told abc 7 news that the school is following the latest public health mitigation strategies as we manage the surge. school districts no longer have the option to offer remote or virtual learning because the state stopped funding last summer. >> being in class gives you the opportunity to feel prepared for whatever you have to accomplish that they. at home, you have little siblings, internet problems. you have that lack of motivation. >> schools should stay open. reporter: monica says virtual learning can be damaging for students area she says the cdc made it clear -- >> the reason schools have been

safe is if we put -- we put in mitigation, and combined with that, hopefully the students become safer. reporter: m usd says parents concerned can opt into short-term or long-term independent study. dustin dorsey, abc 7 news. dan: nurses are pushing back against protocols for health workers. under the new guidelines, those who test positive without showing symptoms will not have to isolate and can go back to work. this goes against what the cdc recommends and what the nurses union says is in patients at risk. doctors who favored the new plan say it will help with the health care staffing shortage. >> we know that even before there were vaccines, the rate of transmission from providers to patients is minuscule.

now in the age of vaccines, boosters and ppe, we feel if someone has a negative test, even with symptoms, they should be able to come to work. dan: the state says hospital should do this only as a last resort and should make every effort to have employees who have tested positive -- kristen: we are hearing several childcare centers and preschools have reported positive cases. many are affected by the latest wave and are encountering unexpected costs. our seizure education reporter has that story. reporter: chatham nursery school in oakland is quiet today after administrators made the tough decision to temporarily close. two kids tested positive for the omicron variant and the other little ones were exposed by siblings to attend schools elsewhere. >> we felt it was our due diligence to make sure with so

many cases that occurred that we had to close. reporter: the decision is hard on parents who work full-time. this is video from july 2020. chatham had closed for two months when the pandemic first hit. today, the nursery school says the health system is so overwhelmed that it is still waiting on guidance. the other issue is the cost of testing. chatham gets no outside funding. they could never afford to pay for weekly test kits for their 120 kids. >> that's 120 tests every sunday we need. there is no possible way we can fund that. >> our youngest children are not able to get vaccinated. reporter: the children's council of san francisco has updated its website to include resources. >> we want early educators to

know that there are resources, grants and loans and rent relief they can apply for. they need to visit children's council.org or give us a call. reporter: meanwhile, centers and preschools that have had to close are hoping this will be short-lived. >> they will bounce back but it is still hard to go back and forth and get into the routine theories two. -- routines they are used to. kristen: immunocompromised americans who received a booster five months ago will be eligible for another dose. the move comes following a change in guidance which previously recommended boosters after six months. dan: pfizer confirmed at expects to have a covid vaccine to treat the omicron variant ready by march. the ceo says a vaccine is in trials but will likely not be

available until the fall. moderna expects the drug would be administered as a booster. dr. anthony fauci previously dismissed the need for an omicron specific vaccine, saying boosters would be effective. kristen: governor newsom unveils his proposed budget. how he plans to spend $200 billion. dan: the death toll changes in the massive new york city fire. the latest on the investigation. >> did you enjoy that sunshine? warmer than average temperatures. more of that coming out. short-term,

dan: durst died today prosecutors claim durst killed berman because she knew too much about the 1982 disappearance of his first wife. kristen: today, some survivors of a high-rise apartment fire in new york city got to return to their homes.

the death toll is down from 19. rainer roy says fire alarms and open doors our focus for investigators. reporter: the mayor of new york returning to the scene of the devastating fire. officials announcing a change in the death toll. >> we have 17 lost. nine are adults and eight our children. reporter: that number expected to rise with more than a dozen ending for their lives in the hospital. >> we do not know where the wife is. reporter: this apartment building just before 11:00 a.m.. >> god, please help us. it was too much. reporter: officials say a space heater because the mattress to burst into flames. >> my kids screamed and said

fire. i saw the fire in the mattress. reporter: investigators discovered the apartment door was left open along with a stairwell door. the smoke spreading fast. >> close your door. that was embedded in my head as a child. reporter: the main focus, those open doors. in 2018, the city mandated a law mandating self closing doors. >>'s only as good as it's enforcement. the property owner claimed the building had self dozing doors. that is the investigation. if these doors were self-closing, why was left open? reporter: local officials are helping those who have been displaced. others will be let in sometime this back afternoon. dan: as the investigation continues, local first

responders are reacting to this terrible tragedy. as abc 7 explains, they are urging everyone to be aware of devices that could become dangerous. >> our hearts are with the people of the state of new york. the city of new york. going to a fire with a s f fatality is very traumatic. i can imagine. reporter: the captains is that while it is still early to draw too many inclusions for what happened in the bronx, brings up a lot of important points. >> the number two cause of home fires is space heater's. the number two cause is heating equipment. reporter: what can you do? >> if you are using something like a space heater or any heating element, maintain three feet of clearance around it.

reporter: use the way it's meant to be used. >> do not use equipment that is designed for outdoor use indoors. that's another common cause of fatalities in the home. using heating equipment indoors that produces carbon monoxide. >> on that note, have working fire extinguishers. smoke attackers and carbon monoxide alarms. >> if it has replaceable batteries, replace and at least the last year. those units themselves need replacement every 10 years. reporter: tips he says we have to prioritize. >> as we deal with everything politically, we can take our eye off the ball of the basics of fire safety, ensuring our friends, family, neighbors stay safe. dan: time to check in on the weather. it was nice to see

>> it was a wonderful day. it felt pretty nit felt pr temperatures rose into the 60's in many areas and are still in places like san francisco. look at san jose. gorgeous look and we look and we everybody else all around around 63 degrees. here is what i think is going to happen. cooler tonight. we will have less fog formation. that's good for the morning commute. average high's and just about all seven days of the forecast. an extended pattern that looks dry into next week. for this evening, we are still around the 50's.

52 to everyone into the 40's by 9:00. the breeze will hold onto 50 along the coast. you can see the green, that is the offshore breeze. if you are down by the beaches 47. if you are around the bay, low to mid 40's. look at this. mid to upper 30's. high clouds will roll into night as high pressure gets a little dirty from the upper level moisture, and it will not too much. note to mid 60's. the rain season is off to an awesome to record-setting start. anywhere from 135% of average to nearly 205. that is going to dwindle. those are going to shrink.

sunshine sandwiched between the morning's departing storm. two areas of high pressure that will keep the rain away from us. mixture of sunshine. high clouds. no significant chance of rain. the u.s. or european model tries to bring rain into the south bay in around yosemite. here's a look at next week. you can see that gesturing. for below average precipitation. along the coast, low 60's. we will back off just a little bit. thurthurthur fog in the morning. closer to average thursday

friday. no rain in the seven day forecast. kristen: governor newsom unveiled his first lutheran for the year, one that includes a surplus. newsom says his plan attacks the state five biggest issue. fighting covid-19, the climate crisis, confronting homelessness, tackling the cost of living, and keeping our streets safe. the governor says the surplus will allow the state to cut taxes for businesses and hold a scheduled increase in the gas tax. he will be seeking free care for low income residents. california already covers 2600 and 50 and older. >> california is poised to be, if the proposal is supported, the first state in the country

to achieve universal access to health coverage. kristen: given the huge surplus, newsom did not rule out direct cash payments. right now, the state surplus is above the threshold that allows the state to provide monetary relief for taxpayers. dan: next, what an incredible site. the warriors and fans welcomed back klay thompson. we will show you some of the

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the warriors. chris alvarez is here to talk about a winning day. reporter: what a day it was. appropriate that i ago today, joe montana. that kicked off the niners dynasty. san francisco t t t t t t must win game. game-tying touchdown right here

klay thompson made his long awaited return debut. clade returning after rehabbing. playing his first game ever at shea center last night. three-time champion. here is clay, look at him. one-handed hammer. dubnation just exploded. >> missing 2.5 years.

>> i will never forget. genuine that was. klay thompson came out for warm-ups, the crowd went nuts. you heard a roar, it was 49ers fans watching the niners clench on the big screen. i was one of the most normal things sports was since the pandemic. that was amazing. that was a special moment to be a part of, and feel. kristen:

back, he came back. the warriors took time during the game to recognize an oakland woman who has reached a milestone. here is an abc 7 anchor reporter: cheers directed at chasen or sunday. not only for klay thompson's return, but also for a special guest who happens to be a warriors fan. chris alvarez caught up with jeopardy supergiant and oakland resident amy schneider. >> it is unbelievable. i had not made it yet, obviously with the pandemic. i have been wanting to. to come this day is amazing. reporter: clad in her current jersey, she is the first woman to break $1 million in prize money. >> she says she was a warriors

fan before the team is good. reporter: he is the reason i got into the warriors in the first place. >> while schneider cannot exam a rate -- she is proud of transgender woman the jeopardy platform has helped change public perception. >> it's been incredible. not just from trans people, but parents and grandparents of trans people. for me to go out and do a normal thing as being on jeopardy, i think you can change a lot of people's lines -- months. keeping yourself. don't let any part if you limit any other part of you. kristen: dan, we are not betting against her.

jeopardy airs weekdays on 7:00 p.m. here on abc 7. you can watch amy try to continue her winning streak tonight. dan: still ahead, getting the best customer service possible. how effective is complaining online? kristen: plus, remember in bob saget. his

everyone needs health insurance. covered california is making sure more people can get it.

new federal funding of $3 billion is available to help more californians get covered. julie and bob are paying $700 less every month. dee now gets comprehensive coverage with no monthly premium. and the novarros are paying under $100 per month. check coveredca.com to see your new lower price. covered california. this way to health insurance. enrollment ends january 31st. death of bob saget.

the unforgettable and loving father from full house and america's funniest home videos was found dead inside a hotel room and already yesterday. the medical examiner's working to determine the cause of death. morgan norbert has more. reporter: america's dad. winning the hearts of millions as danny tanner on full house. in hosting america's funniest home videos. bob saget was a quickwitted actor and comic who dedicated his life to laughter, continuing to perform standup, on saturday playing the show. sackett sharing this photo one instagram, writing i am back in comedy. i guess i'm finding my new voice and loving every moment. hours later, he was found

unresponsive inside his hotel room. first responders forming the ritz-carlton >> i was waiting for the punchline. reporter: jody sweden sharing you were supposed to be here longer. how rude. john stamos saying i am broken. family home in san francisco, leaving hearts and flowers in his honor. the examiner says they found no evidence of felt light or drug use. the cause is under investigation. that could take up to 10 to 12 weeks.

kristen: up sack up sack u for his advocacy work and raising awareness. amy hollyfield talked to the chairman of it this will loma research. .-reporter: fans of bob saget say when they heard of his death the first thing they thought of was full house and the house. >> i want to cry, it's very sad. >> definitely sad news. he was the dad of the 1990's. reporter: it was his work on the board of a research foundation that really left a lasting impact. reporter:

was a delight to work with him. his death came as a complete shock. >> never imagined. it is the saddest thing. thing. reporter: the attention sackett -- saget pro to the cause made a huge difference. he says he changed the room. they are distraught but will keep his memory alive. >> we will miss bob. foundation.

that is what is most important to him. kristen: abc entertainment said bob saget will always be a member of the abc family. whether playing a loving father on full house or hosting the early years of america's funniest home videos with his signature charm, bob always knew how to connect with families through heart and humor. dan: everyone who knew him as saying the nicest thing. let's move on. it is supposed to be the easiest way to get the best customer service. make your voice heard on social media. kristen: does complaining online work? michael is here with the answer. reporter: as it turns out, shouting complaints might not get the results you want. if you use social media complaints, you are not alone.

almost every company big and small is on social media. if you have a beef, why not use those channels? a writer says it's important -- a good idea with this caveat. use common courtesy. don't twitter shame. >> whatever platform you are using, try direct messages. companies know you can put them on blast. they may appreciated when you don't. reporter: you can get a faster or more helpful response and there were other benefits, like going the private message rep. it can help you avoid scams since no one can see your complaint. that is especially important when dealing with a bank or financial services company. make sure you are reaching out to an interactive, on twitter,

facebook and instagram, they should have a checkmark and blue circle. no matter how angry or frustrated you may be. >> it's important to be nice. remember, there is a person on the others of that message. reporter: you want the person on your side. be response. don't expect one immediately. instead, give it a day or so. dan: good advice. still ahead, a software company offering employees thousands of dollars to wait after aewweeks . dollars to wait after aewweeks . thousands of women with metastatic breast cancer

are living in the moment and taking ibrance. ibrance with an aromatase inhibitor is for postmenopausal women or for men with hr+, her2- metastatic breast cancer as the first hormonal based therapy. ibrance plus letrozole significantly delayed disease progression versus letrozole. ibrance may cause low white blood cell counts that may lead to serious infections. ibrance may cause severe inflammation of the lungs. both of these can lead to death. tell your doctor if you have new or worsening chest pain, cough, or trouble breathing. before taking ibrance, tell your doctor if you have fever, chills, or other signs of infection, liver or kidney problems, are or plan to become pregnant, or are breastfeeding. for more information about side effects talk to your doctor. ♪ be in your moment. ask your doctor about ibrance. new year, new start. be in your moment. and now comcast business is making it easy

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california nurses are pushing back against new state protocols. under the guidelines, those who test positive for the virus without showing symptoms will not have to isolate and can go back to work. this goes against the cdc and the nurses union says these are putting patients and hospital staff at rest. i will about this and he agrees, no easy answers. mike: shortstaffed we are?

kristen: overall, he believes one in 10 people have covid. we are stressed here. perhaps not as much as other areas. he said it's a tough concession, but hopefully those folks and take care of covid patients. mike: plus, traveling nurses. dan: t t company is offering to pay you $5,000 to after just two weeks on the job. company, you will turn down the money and stick around. none of the 38 people he has

hired since the policy has gone into effect have left. they are still on the job. interesting concept. it is a loyalty litmus test. i admire putting his money where his mouth is in giving people a chance to walk away. chris: as a side do that. dan: maybe if this catches you can quit that job. mike: how much is he paying these folks. dan: especially these days, so many people are reevaluating their lives after the pandemic. a lot of employers are saying it is tough to find people. kristen:kristen:kristen:kristenr the recruiting game. he will get a lot of applicants.

pepperidge farm is hoping to boost the appeal of goldfish by launching a new product. the goldfish are bigger. the company says the association between goldfish and kids is relatively new. they launched in 1962, they were marketed as a bar snack. pepperidge farm says never stopped eating the crackers. dan: the case. would have those. that and a juice box and you were set. dan: now that have all kinds of flavors. chris: i was just thinking, i am

more of a cheese that guy. a handful turns into the full bag. kristen: in an attempt to feel more dough, -- more adult, cheerios will make the cheerios bigger. dan: another touching moment from yesterday's game. after the game was over, klay thompson was gifted the game ball. it was made even sweeter because it was delivered by steph curry's three-year-old son. steph make sure to get the game ball. he scored 17 points in his first game back. it was a triumph was a t chris, very sweet. it speaks to to to to to team. it's a family.

chris:chris:chris:chris:chris:c: saw steph, i asked said kanaan gave him the ball. i said this is the best thing ever. i've heard kanaan is more in love with golf as a three-year-old. steph loves both. he is going to be something else. that was a really cute video. kristen: another amazingnother g like the one we just described was i think klay habit dunk. dan: they were psyched. klay said he did not think he would dunk on anyone. mike: the bunch -- the bench are up to. that two-handed chest pass.

fundamentally sound from the get go. chris: he joked he has better court vision than his dad. steph said he was proud. kristen: the only question is, is he going to become a golf or - hi mommy! - hi honey! oh i missed you! you just want to video call the kids. ok. ♪ hush little baby...♪ ♪...don't say a word...♪ but if slow upload speeds turn your goodnight call into an accidental horror movie...

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closer to competing in the australian open.

today, an australian judge reinstated his visa, overturning last week's ruling by a border official. the 34-year-old twe 34-year pleased and grateful, family tweeted they are concerned. >> i am worried. dan:dan:dan:dan:dan:dan:dan:dan: in the streets. police doused some with pepper spray. the celebration could be short-lived. australia's immigration minister can still revoke his visa. we will see if he plays. kristen: there is no mystery that it is dry, sunny and beautiful. dan: mike nicco is back.

we need more rain. mike: it will be nice to have a break. because we are so saturated, there is so much snow, if we do get a break, then we get back on the track. that should be ok for the rest of the year. it may not happen that way. let's talk about today. they look back in 2021 2021 2021 yearly billion-dollar disasters. if you are thinking weather has become more extreme, you are right. look at that, from 2016 to 2020 we averaged 16 billion-dollar weather disasters. last year, 20 which ranked second. 145 billion dollars spent on those disasters. california accounted for three of those 20. let's take a look at those. flooding was 20th. drought and heat wave, $8.9

billion. wildfires, that ranked as the most expensive billion-dollar weather climate disaster, $11 billion. just here in california, nearly $21 billion spent. what we have moving forward is la niña. it's going to weaken into neutral as we had deeper into the spring and that possibly means drier than average weather. we definitely frontloaded this winter. i sure hope that is not correct. kristen: thank you, mike. the lineup for this year's bottlerock music festival has been released. headliners are metallica, pink, 21 pilots, new poems. others included the black crows. tickets go on sale tomorrow morning.

bottlerock will be

bachelor, judge steve harvey, then stay with us at 11:00. dan: we appreciated storms, but they are putting a focus on a dangerous source of pollution. stormwater.

new research is pointing to potential solutions that might limit the threat. you will likely see trash heading towards san francisco bay. david says much of it comes coms the nearby freeway and local storm drains. >> any time it rains, anything on the streets go into the storm drains and straight out into the bay. we see this on freeways and urban roads. dan: expert say the pollution you can actually see is only part of the threat. floating alongside our micro plastics, tiny particles that can come from clothing, cigarette buds, the rubber from car tires. >> the way it wears off is when the tire hits the road, it wears off these tiny bits of tires. they are so small. dan: the effects could be devastating to fish like salmon and other marine life. in recent studies, kelly and her

colleagues set out to document the likely sources of micro plastics. they confirmed that stormwater is a main culprit. >> our study revealed that micro plastics were mostly coming from outdoor rain. downpours created runoffs that literally pulled micro plastics along with it. now, an understandingstandingstg micro plastics come from, researchers hope will be able to come up with solutions. remember the rubber particles? several companies are engineering devices to capture rubber before it's left on the road and potentially recycling.

>> throwing out hangers on your shower rock, it's cool because it will reduce the amount of micro plastics getting into the bay. dan: david lewis points to efforts by cities in the state to cut down on plastic use. >> the more we can eliminate single use plastics, the less there is. dan: limiting the pollution and micro plastics that can be washed into san francisco bay. an initiative on the state ballot this november would go a step further, creating new regulations on single-use plastic. kristen: you can get our live newscast, breaking news with our app on apple tv, android tv, fire tv and roku. just search and download it now.

with that, we will say thank you for joining us. dan: abc 7 new

>> this is abc 7 news. >> flush with cash, i am -- a major cash surplus. from covid carer to prices at the pump, we are following the money. >> you are watching abc 7 news. we are tracking the governor's budget announcement and the impact it will have on the economy. it is part of our commitment to building a better bay area. california has a record-breaking $286.4 billion budget. liz joins us now with a