>> building a better bay area. moving forward. finding solutions. this is abc7 news. ♪ julian: thanks so much for joining us for "getting answers" on abc7. i'm julian glover. every day, we talk with experts about issues important to the bay area and we get answers for you in real time. millions of californians who rely on state assistance to to n a tighter budget starting tomorrow, the vice president of the united way bay area be joining us to discuss the changes coming to the cal fresh program. also san francisco is launching an effort to spruce up the city's parks. we will talk about why april will be a big month and how you can help out. first up --

the latest on the historic unprecedented indictment of former president donald trump. la to plead not guilty and will aggressively fight those charges. >> this is unprecedented in this country's history. i don't know what to expect other than an arraignment. julian: trump's attorney says the legal team was caught off guard by the new york district attorney's investigation, even though trump tweeted about a possible arrest last week, calling for his supporters to protest. sources now telling abc news that new york law enforcement, meeting with the secret service and other federal officials to coordinate on trump's surrender. this is expected next week. details of the charges remain under seal until trump is arraigned which is one of the many details of the very secret grand jury process. joining us live to talk about all of this as well as what might come next in the case is robert weisberg. a professor of criminal law at stanford. appreciate you joining us.

can you walk us through the grand jury's process and the procedure so far? how did we get to this indictment? >> a grand jury under new state law is very similar to the ones under federal law, and that means a prosecutor goes to the courthouse where there are these good citizens, usually between 16 and 23, it is called a grand jury not because it is wonderful but because it is bigger than a regular trial jury. the prosecutor presents evidence usually in the form of actual witness testimony, and the job is to convince the grand jury to the level of what's called probable cause that a crime has occurred, that an identifiable person has done it. and we know the testimony was pretty extensive. it took quite a while. and we know that the grand jury has found probable cause to hold donald trump forward for trial.

obviously it's a long way from the actual trial. as is not uncommon in situations, the indictment has been temporarily sealed, it has to be made public very soon because he will be arraigned in court and the charges have to be read to him and he will have to plead to them. so we will find out about the charges. it sounds now like it will be a tuesday afternoon. there's been all this political theater, talk about whether he will be visibly arrested or subject to the so-called perp law. but he's not running away and it appears he's voluntarily coming from florida so he doesn't have to be extradited and he will simply appear in court. he will also be approached by police officers for the purpos s of fingerprinting him like any other criminal defendant. julian: you mentioned the former

president will be making his way to new york city, as you also mentioned, cnnil hap tsday in the afternoon at 2:15 p.m. we will have to see how all of this plays out. we are hearing from inside of trump world, something the mug shot that might follow could be a win for the trump campaign. this might be something they use as campaign material. we are waiting to see what is inside of this indictment. as you mentioned, we won't know what is exactly inside of it until it is unsealed. that could happen during that arraignment. an abc news source, and confirming he faces about two dozen counts, including felony. what more do you expect to see in this indictment of course the actual charges? >> the best we know, and it's limited, is that the heart of the charges is a misdemeanor in new york law which is a falsification of business records but it could become a felony of it was done for the purpose of committing some other

crime -- if it was done for the purpose of committing some other crime. and we are told from leaks the crime was some kind of campaign finance violation. that is why the critics what mr. bragg is doing have said this is somewhat of a contrivance. we are told that there are more than 30 counts. that by itself until we learn more doesn't mean very much because the strange way criminal law works, if it is all about hush money paid to stormy daniels, with 30 different checks, the of could be a separate count -- each of those could be a separate count. it could be that he's making the case that the falsification business records was done for other kinds of either political violations or business of some kind, we just don't know. julian: that's a great point that you made there. we could be hearing to doesn't

come up to 30 counts, but if these payments were different payments to stormy daniels, that could be why we are seeing that many counts. we know it is certainly unprecedented for a former president to be indicted of a crime and appearing before a judge but of course the procedure certainly predictable, hundreds of not thousands of folks are indicted, brought into that same courthouse there in new york city in manhattan every single day. what do you expect to happen when the former president, donald trump, actually turns himself in? >> i think there will be some political theater. and he may even be wishing that there be the dramatic perp walk, he will be able to mock that and profit in his campaign from it. as you shows us the -- as you suggested, the photograph has to be taken, the mug shot, that is a public document, and that will probably be all over maga t-shirts all over the

country. despite this peripheral political theater, the events on tuesday are going to be kind of mundane. the booking procedure will be done. he will plead not guilty. and we won't hear anything legally for quite a while because that -- because then in theory we would be preparing for trial. discovery is going to occur. in theory, there could be discussions of guilty pleas. it is inconceivable to me that he would take a plea. his lawyer said that is out of the question. and at some point we could conceivably see jury selection. then of course we will have some motions about change of venue because the irony is that although this is pretty much at donald trump's home turf, he is pretty much loathed by most people in manhattan and he will argue that he can't get a fair trial there. i don't think the change of venue motion will work but he probably will make it. julian: we will have to see how it plays out answered only quite

the jury summons to appear on this jury, as they could be hearing this case about the now former president, donald trump. every few seconds left here, rob, one more question, how long do you think we could see this playing out? good this dragon to 2024, where we have months ago -- drag on into 2024, with months to go before the next election? >> i think this will get resolved in a w ell befo -ou get a republican, r example, that is my guess.beca't that complicated but it depends a lot on whether the judge might even consider granting a motion to dismiss, in which case it may be over very quickly. if it were to go to a jury trial and i have no idea if it will, my guess is a few months. julian: robert weissberg, we appreciate rubbing your crystal ball and helping us see what we can expect in the days and weeks, and as you noted

months to come with this ongoing case. we appreciate your time. up next -- another pandemic program benefiting california families is getting cut in a big way. we will talk about how calfresh recipients will be affected by the change

♪ ♪ ♪ you can beat it! ♪ visit youcanbeatit.org or call 833-422-4255 to ask for medication to treat covid-19. tice a decase in the food

joining us to exp dip recien expect as the vice president of the united way bay area.

we appreciate your time. thanks for being here. this is a very important topic for so many californians. we know additional benefits started in 2020, ending at the end of this month, so today. what does this mean for bay area families? >> well, it means that we are going to see a big hike in hunger and food insecurity. we know that 5 million californians received calfresh benefits. so to lose this extra money every month, about $200 per household, we know 1 in 4 of bay area neighbors are facing food insecurity and struggle paycheck-to-paycheck, so this is going to be a big hit for them. at the end of 2022, united1 llee

caoo programs are going to see more people coming to lines. julian: it is so tough to hear andemic, covering so many of those food distribuop offs, which just saww great the need was. can you compare how great the need is now to earlier on in the pandemic where we saw those lines that would stretch blocks and blocks at a time? >> so, yes, our food pantries were heroic in 2020. they pivoted and moved to drive-thru's. they had to go from client choice pantries that they had set up that were shopping experiences, to these big drive-thru lines. we all those lines. and the demand at most food banks doubled. in san francisco, up

88% since 2019. all the food banks have similar numbers. it dipped in 2020, inflation, the costs, gas prices, they've never really had a break. everyone thinks they did, but they have not, a lot of them are moving to client choice pantries and that kind of thing, but the need is still there and great. just to give you an example --ir as part is my job. they spent $250,000 a month to buy food for the system, but they spend more than $1 million a month on food right now. julian: that was comparing 2019 to 2023 numbers. 250,000 a month to 1 million a month. quadrupling the need. that is truly something. tell us how the united way

area helps people experiencing food insecurity, we know it can often times be tough for people, say i am in need and i do need to know -- do need the additional assistance, now with benefits being slashed dramatically, how will they united way bay area step in to help? >> we have operated for decades, our 211 helpline, you can call 211 and be directed to a pantry near your house. for hours that are convenient for you. a lot have gone back to client choice. so it's like shopping, right? you get a cart and you go around. they have staff with volunteers that will help you. it is a good experience. i encourage people who need food to call 211. find out where your local pantry is. the other things we do here is -- what i do every day is we

processed some federal money that comes in to support food and shelter agencies. we've been doing that for 40 years. we also fund the emergency assistance network and santa clara county -- in santa clara county. a lot of our centers have food pantries because during the pandemic people needed that kind of support. whenever labor partnerships does a food pantry, in san mateo county, we are doing a lot with food. last year's impact report over 5.2 million meals served in the bay area. julian: here in the bay area. not statewide. that is so much help to the eight counties here in the bay area. one = -- when folks call the 211 number, do they have to provide information about them and their

family? >> we need to know about their services, it is confidyou' talking to ason,'sch ofumbers, youo gall specialist. it is confidential, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so you can call when it is convenient for you and be connected to food and any other information about social services in the bay area. that is how i started here at the united way. i took those calls. it is a really good service. julian: real people, ready to help you, in a big way, connected with the services. you might not ask for support often but you will need the support, too. how could our viewers support the work that you all are doing at the united way bay area whether it is volunteering or maybe donating some cash so you all can stretch those dollars and get more food? >> yes, you can go to our website,

we appreciate donations, big and small to united way bay area. volunteering, these pantrie need volunteers to come o and b- bag up food from bins to family sizedand advocate for policies. there's a bill right now in california to get statewide funding for 211. there's not a lot of public dollars in 211. there is a bill that would help get some state money for the 211 system throughout california. give, advocate, volunteer, that is our motto. time, talent, treasure, we will take it all. julian: we really appreciate your time and the hard work you

do at the united way bay area. 211, if you or someone you know needs that food assistance. we appreciated. thank you, laura. it looks like we have a beautiful weekend on top. want out and abou ne up,ou wl hear fe ouan parks and support a good insurce thm.h e ynsurce and looking to buy life insurance on a fixed budget, remember the three ps. the three what? the three ps? the three ps of life insurance on a fixed budget are price, price, a price that can't increase, and a price that fits your budget. i'm 54 and was a smoker, but quit. what's my price? you can get coverage for $9.95 a month. i'm 65, retired, and take medications.

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and it's yours free just for calling. so call now for free information. julian: a big part of san francisco's charm for so many people as a number of very distinct and beloved parks across the city. it seems like every neighborhood has its favorite, too. the san francisco parks needs your help to spruce up parks and playgrounds. joining us as the senior project manager for the sf parks alliance in san francisco. tell us about the work that you do at the sf parks alliance. >> i'm the senior project manager on the activation team.

we are responsible for putting , some of our better-known programs include sundown cinema, free movies in the park, concert series at the golden gate park, down at the jerry garcia amphitheater, we also help with alley and block parties as well as lighting installations, such as the beautiful insulation in golden gate park. we are wrapping up its third season right now. we having a sunday as well so if you are in the area, come by from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. for a free closing shindig of the beautiful light installation. julian: today is the last day for intertwined, is that right? >> this will be the last weekend for intertwined. julian: ok, so you still have a little bit of time to go out and

enjoy it. you put on so many fabulous programs for the folks in san francisco to enjoy parks. tell us about the heart your parks program and what that's all about. >> one thing we love in san francisco are our parks. we have all learned over the past couple of years how critical these green spaces are for the mental --re health, all. the campaign is a way to allow the public to give their love back to the parks. this appreciat tn he sf parks ae does. as well as our communi network, we sponsor over 35 different community groups who make san francisco shine. it sort of started out in it was a pivot from our normal

in-person annual gala called party for the parks which were obvious reasons could not happen. so we pivoted to an online campaign and works closely with the city to install social distancing parts. -- hearts. a set of circles at various parts over the city. then we flipped into an instagram campaign, installed 30 hearts at 30 parks over the course of 30 days. including a giant 50 foot flower installation at alamo square. we are really pleased to have another free benefit component of screenprint pop-ups. please are free. we are inviting the public to come out to san francisco's most beloved parts over the next four saturdays and get your unique print, limited edition print, that correlates to each park site. julian: you took me back when you said pivoted,0,hen also

when we were c, the heart a bun, as well. i want to highlight the awesome work that you are doing. over two dozen parks and playgrounds either were debuted or reopened in san francisco since 2020. a lot of that comes from the funds that you all raised to really renovate these parks and make them what they can be. that's exactly what you all are doing once again with the heart your parks program. i want to talk about -- i want you to talk about the really cool screen prints people will be able to get that will be free when they come out to the program. but you are looking for donations, too. >> we hope that while people come out and enjoy the free print, we are obviously hoping people can make a contribution to help support our work, continue to maintain and activate parks all over the city. we have a goal of $50,000 we are

trying to raise. but yes, you will receive a free screenprint. we partner with the local artist orli kay. we have theamlocal or theasl s.a differenco a difre typeof paper. re hg people can get all four, frame them up.s e workwe work with the city angovd members of the public to help support things like playground renovations and we also work and a lot of community gardens, child care spaces and other public spaces. julian: a great program for everyone to go out and enjoy and experience the beautiful parks in san francisco.

it looks like we will have some nice weather during the weekend. we appreciate your time. if you're looking for anymore information on the sf parks alliance, if you're looking to support or donate, san francisco parks alliance dot org is the website you want to visit. a reminder -- you can always get our live newscasts, breaking news, weather and more with our abc7 bay area streaming tv app. available on apple tv, google tv, fire tv, and roku. just search "abc 7 bay area" and download it now. we will take a short break and we'll be

julian: thank you so much for joining us today for "getting answers." we will be here every weekday at

3:00 p.m. aner xperarndhe bay area. "world news tonight" with david muir is next. see you at 4:00. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] >> david: tonight, breaking news, the tornado emergency playing out right now. reported tornadoes on the ground late today across several states and the warnings as we come up on the air tonight. one of those tornadoes already being described as catastrophic cutting through little rock, arkansas. there are reports of significant damage tonight. downed trees, homes destroyed, vehicles tossed into the air. at least 80 million americans on alert tonight for severe storms. our weather team telling us this is just the beginning. the threat after dark tonight for damaging winds, long-track tornadoes and this threat continues into the day tomorrow. first in the middle of the country in the south and then in the east, victor in the storm