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he left his heart in san francisco, and our hearts are heavy today from his passing. iconic singer tony bennett died today at the age of 96. we will talk with the band leader who knew bennett well pure also bustling lively night markets so popular throughout asia might be coming to the bay area more under a new bill. we will chat with the san francisco supervisor and a celebrity chef about the big idea. california's elitist the culture wars that you know unified unified school board approved the policy to notify parents if their child identified as transgender. california's school chief was there to speak against the policy and support lgbtq students. school board president, the superintendent was escorted out by security to the cheers and

some jeers of parents. here to talk about the stunning turn of events is tony thurman. superintendent thurman, thanks for joining us today. i've covered a lot of news, i'm sure you have been to many school board meetings, but what happened last night, the state superintendent kicked out of a school board meeting, that is extra ordinary. are you still in disbelief yourself? >> i would just i have never seen this. i am a former school board member, i've never seen such lack of decorum. i'm worried about the message that it sends to young people. we should be able to debate issues and be civil about it. we saw the worst behavior that you could expect in a school board setting. but we are going to stand up for our students and protect them from those who promote hate and harm. we are on the job. we will keep moving in support of our students. kristen: what was at stake?

we knew it was going to be heated. what was the board proposing, that they later passed? >> the board proposed that school staff would be required, forced, really, to notify parents of a student identified as transgender or changed the pronouns by which they wanted to be seen. we made the case this was very dangerous. we made the case that this could contribute to the high rates of suicide ideation that many lgbtq plus students experience. and that we shouldn't be doing things that hurt students and we think that this policy would fall outside of the laws to protect students' right to privacy and safety and we will continue to make that case going forward. kristen: the attorney general sent a letter talking about the possibility this could be violating rights and the law. state senator scott weiner sent a letter and you explained to us

just now what the fear is in terms of the harm to kids. were you invited to attend, to make a speech to talk about or stand on behalf of the students? >> the people who are invited me where the students of the district. many of them have reached out and have said that they feel threatened and bullied, that they feel attacked on social media, they are in the meetings, and as you saw last night, students themselves were booed and jeered. no matter what we are talking about, we should always encourage students to be able to express themselves. and so, when students tell me they don't feel safe, i will show up. i've met with students who also felt intimidated by a board that is engaging in reckless behavior, dangerous behavior that threatens students of color and lgbtq plus students. i was glad to be there. the students told me they felt so much better that i was there. i am inspired by these students who were telling me they feel

hopeful, despite the actions of the board last night. we will continue supporting our students and making sure that they are safe and have a right to privacy about their sexual orientation and that they can be safe in our schools. kristen: just want to dissect what actually happened last night. because it was just so unbelievable. first there were accusations the school board president leveled against superior let's go ahead and run this particular clip from last night. >> tony thurman, i appreciate you being here, tremendously, but here's a problem, we are here because of people like you, you are in sacramento, proposing things that pervert children. kristen: proposing things that pervert children. do you know what she might be referring to? >> yeah, i think that this is a public official who has demonstrated reckless behavior towards her children. the whole time that i was there i watched the president throwing people out of the room, it was

worse than any reality tv show i've ever seen in terms of how it's being conducted. again, i think it builds on and creates an atmosphere that will and does make it difficult for voices to be heard. i disagree with the board president. the language that she is using is offensive to many. it's offensive to me, to many in the lgbtq plus community. she is suggesting things that are just not true. we are saying that students have the right to inclusive education. when students learn about content that reflects the diversity of our communities, they do better academically. everyone does better. so i believe that the statements -- the underlying statements for the board president and the rest of those who voted for this policy are faced -- based in bigotry.

this board majority and similar boards to the state have made statements against students of color. and i heard just disgusting things in this school board meeting. things that have nothing to do with the benefits of inclusive education for our kids. we are not going to stand for it and allow students to be treated this way. we are working on a number of bills that would protect and preserve inclusive education. that literally would block any district that tries to ban a book as a discriminatory practice and imposes a fine on that district to mitigate the impacts of those behaviors. kristen: you're talking about temecula, which for those of us in the bay area, it's not too far from chino. recently they were in the news, too, because they didn't want to teach the state approved curriculum which mentioned harvey milk and the assassinated supervisor.

can i just ask you, in terms of the school board president saying, this is not about this termination against lgbtq kids, this is about parental rights, should parents have the right to know? what do you say to that, for people who feel that way? >> i have sent to the school board president privately and my message last night was, a lot of us care about parental rights, i'm a parent, i care about parental rights. we have to balance parental rights in a way that it doesn't harm the right of our students to be safe. in this about parental rights as much as it is an assault on students who may not be in a safe space to talk about their sexual orientation. and i've worked on a number of pieces of legislation that go the other way. we train educators on how to support students who may be

exploring their sexuality or need information, who need safe information, so they don't have the harmful effects that this bill would have. we will continue to do that work. and i believe that really what is being said here by the board majority and the board president and many who spoke in the audience -- they spoke in very negative terms about the lgbtq plus community. they used stereotypes and offensive language about lgbtq plus community, and we won't stand for that. kristen: i will just our viewers a couple of examples, when you talk about parent notification, what they passed last night, if the school found out that kids wanted to use a different name than they were given or a different pronoun, different bathroom or do programs like sign up for a sport that didn't match their birth gender, those are the types of things, you are worried about kids being outed when they are not ready to talk to their parents perhaps. what is your recourse?

using your position or the other tools available to the state, what now that that board has passed this? >> our office has put out guidance that talks about what is in the law. we believe the law continues to provide for safety and privacy of our students, as it relates to their pronouns and how they identify and they should not be forced to disclose that. given that this policy has passed, now we have to look into further avenues within the law and possibly legislation that might clarify any to provide even stronger clarity and stronger support within the law for our students. we just want to make sure that they are safe. we will continue to look into those measures. we will certainly update you as we have some new information to share on those avenues. kristen: state school superintendent tony thurman,

thanks for coming on with us today after a very tumultuous night last night at the chino valley school board meeting. thank you. coming up, remembering a as the world says farewell to singer tony bennett, we turn back the clock for eight look at his love affair with san francisco. here from one of the bandleaders -- hear

kristen: he left his heart in san francisco. and today our hearts break because we have to say goodbye to the iconic legendary singer tony bennett. he died just shy of his 97th birthday after battling alzheimer's for seven years. he was considered the last of

the great saloon singers of the mid-20th century. joining us to discuss his life and legacy is dick bright, the band leader at the fairmont hotel and author of the book, "working for a living: making it in the music business." thank you for joining us today. >> thank you so much for having me. kind of a sad day. kristen: it really is. but so much to remember, too, and to appreciate. i understand you worked with the great tony bennett on several occasions. tell us about that. >> for those that don't remember the venetian club up at the nob hill at the san francisco fairmont, from 1947 to 1990, i was the bandleader for the last eight years, and my 10 piece big band would do a little new york, new york than the headliner, ella fitzgerald, -- then the headliner, ella fitzgerald, bb king, then tony bennett. it was two shows a night for two weeks, so you would do 24 shows

with tony bennett in two weeks. kristen: that being the case, i'm sure you have stories. any special tony bennett stories that you are most fond of that you can share with us? >> it's really interesting, in the book, i called that showbiz grad school. watching the greats like tony or ella fitzgerald, i learned so much. for example, wh use offstage was the exact same person -- use offstage was the exact same person on stage. what you are seeing on stage is that person. he was gracious, humble. he usd to -- he used to stand in the lobby and shake people's hands as they were coming into the room. one it's good business and two he just generally like people. imagine if you're going to see the show, how special that night is, you will always remember that. kristen: how long was his career? he was popular pre-rock 'n' roll, right? >> very much so. much before --

long before you were born. believe me. he started with all the great big band singers in the 1940's. part of why they were so humble, back in the 1930's and 1940's, the real stars with the bandleader's,, james or benny goodman. in the singers -- and the singers, they would sit in a chair off to the side and the band would go, come on, sing a tune, so there was humility, the musicians were the star and the greats like tony, it is all about the music for them. always about the music. rock 'n' roll can sometimes be about being a star. stardom is not a profession, it is a byproduct of hard work. he was always about the music. kristen: oh, and that his famous song, that has special meaning to us, "i left my heart in san francisco." i'm sure you've seen him sing that imprison, how does that feel? >> have been playing rock 'n' roll, god only knows whether

they hired me for the good, but i'm standing up to the side, i have just introduced him and his trio and there's this little window on the side of the room and i'm staring at the rooftops in san francisco and then literally close my eyes and -- because we all grew up with that song on the radio. i just closed my eyes that first night i worked with him, he was so gracious. it sounds corny but i started to tear up, just to hear that voice and be in the same room looking at san francisco, it was pretty amazing. kristen: it's not silly or corny at all, i think i even shared about giants games, here tony bennett's song, it gets me every time. i wonder why you think he has so much staying power. yes, a 20-year-old might know tony bennett and love him as well. >> his son became his manager and he actually had kind of disappeared for -- from the public eye for many years and then with the advent of mtv, his

son was really smart, and he got him to do a video of stepping up. i think christopher walken is in it. it was a very hip video. not only was the video also, but it opened him up to a whole new generation. kristen: he's done some songs recently with contemporaries like lady gaga, mariah carey and the likes. >> amy winehouse. in his later career, he is very big on doing the duets. that is a business thing that a record company will have you do, but it's obvious that he totally enjoyed it. he loved musicians, he loved music and he loved people. kristen: tony bennett, there will never be another, how will you remember him? >> on a personal note, of the set up at the venetian room, you really got to know these people personally. there was no dressing room, so you hung out in the kitchen, the hotel was built in 1906,

with the stars and the waiters. very rarely, he'd go, let's go have a drink at the bar, and he would sit and he didn't want to talk about himself. he will talk about film noir, we would talk about movies. it was never about him. he was so humble and generous. kristen: it's just too bad that that era was before iphones. so therefore you have no pictures of all these wonderful moments. but thank you. >> i'm pretty much i have an iphone and i probably wouldn't take a picture now. rest in peace, tony. kristen: up next, bringing night markets to your neighborhood. two supporters share why this could help california bounce back from the pandemic. we'll be right back.

kristen: a new bill could make it easier for cities across california to open a gathering spots like night markets.

they are very popular in asia, and earlier this week, san francisco assembly member matt haney introduced a bill to facilitate such night markets. here to tell us more about how this would work if the bill passes is to champions of the idea -- two champions of the idea. thanks you both for coming on the show. i'm want to start with you, chef, what are night markets for the unfamiliar? >> if you ever travel, all of the world, particularly in asia, anyplace in asia, city big and small, and china, taiwan -- in china, taiwan, every single city has a huge market. and they've got restaurants, places to eat, shop, have fun, you can buy gifts. you go to taiwan, bangkok,

singapore, malaysia, osaka, kuala lumpur, any city big and small, they will have a net market. this is one of the most interesting and most popular entertainments ever. kristen: i agree with you on the yummy food thing. i was just in taiwan -- can i just share some of my pictures from the foot i had in the night markets? they were just to die for and so inexpensive as well. there were so many people out there, it was so festive. can you talk about -- i know you worked with assemblyman amy on this, what inspired you to say let's make it easier to bring that here and have these markets? >> my husband is from taiwan. he grew up in taipei. we go back every year to visit his family, so we visit the night markets. when i was newly elected, we were there in december, i thought, we should bring this to the sunset district in san francisco. we had a little bit of a roadblock bureaucracy. the city department said, we

can't streamline a permit because state lies in the way. so i called up assembly member haney and said, let's change the state law, because we want to make it easier for any city in california to have a net market. because to me night markets bring joy, we need more joy in san francisco. but they also address some of the key issues that we need to fix in san francisco. public safety, helping small businesses. when people are out in the middle of the street and taking back their community, it is good for public safety. and all the businesses participating, it's good for small business. so all around it is great for san francisco and it just brings joy to our city. kristen: did you have beef noodle soup at mango shaved ice? you did, did not you? [laughter] >> absolutely. >> my favorite. kristen: how would this bill remove the roadblocks? i understand the cross help farmers markets, too. >> it is making it easier for neck markets to exist. instead of having to get

multiple permits every couple of months, we can just do one permit for a whole year. so you have the year's worth of night markets. it also applies to farmers markets. it is just streamlining things and making it more cost effective and easier to produce. kristen: do you think this could be an economic boost? >> absolutely. we need to focus on our downtown recovery, but in the sunset district, we have a lot of businesses, merchant corridors, this is going to drop people out, small businesses can participate in the night market. i think it is just a boost to our local economy all around. kristen: we have some pop-ups here and there, in san jose we have one. are you envisioning evidence? >> the goal is to have monthly regular night markets. that's why we changed the state law to make it easier to have these regular occurrences

throughout the year. what is unique about the san francisco sunset night market is, like in taipei, we are doing it in the middle of the street. so although boths are down the middle of the streets and people can walk through the boots and also go in and out of the businesses and stay open later, to help the small business owners. kristen: hef, it will do the first cooking demonstrations in september when we have that pilot. >> yes. in fact, i will be dancing with the chicken that i bought from the butcher. i'm going to dance with the chicken and show people how to do something quick and easy. delicious, but everybody can do at home. kristen: if people have seen you do that dance with the chicken, it is something to see. [laughter] telus about the variety of food at food markets. people watch reality shows, there's so much focus on the street foods. is that we are great culinary ideas are born? >> i think the whole idea is,

the street compared to the main boulevard, so people can walk around and also there are more varieties of restaurants and groceries and gift shops all over the street. people are you see an unbelievable night market. i want -- i will definitely be eating and shopping there. i will never miss the the mochi donuts. you've got to try the mochi d onut. it is very delicious. unreal. kristen: do you think there's enough support in the legislature for this to pass? >> i think so. everyone wants to have a good time. night markets celebrate all the fun things in life. food, entertainment, games. who wants to be against joy?

it should be a unanimous vote. the night market and the sunset strip will have a lot of things in addition to food. we have a lot of musicians. kristen: we will keep following this. we are out of time for now, but keep us posted. thank you so much.

kristen: thank you so much for joining us today for "getting answers." we will be here every weekday at 3:00 p.m. answering questions with experts from tonight, the storm threat as we come on the air, the potential for severe thunderstorms tonight and flash flooding. and the passing of a legend. we celebrate tony bennett and he told me not so long ago about the