symbol like that is like a ndrk of fremont be cut down like that. it's just it's heartbreaking. and i i'm having trouble making sense of it. >> heartand even anger today over the destruction of a bay area landmark. the pole atop mission peak cut off by vandals. good evening. i'm ama daetz. >> and i'm julian glover. for many of that pole is known as

the peak of pole, a special spot for hikers who reached the top of the east bay mountain in mission peak stands more than 2500ft high, overlooking the city of fremont wi a panoramic view of the entire bay area. >> abc seven news reporter lena howland has reaction to the act of vandalism for whoever did this. >> i hope you're ashamed of yourself. this is really messed up. this is what fremont hiker joyce lee came across on saturday evening. >> what she calls the mission peak trails, iconic or pole slashed in half with the top portion missing. >> i just can't imagine what would be going through someone's mind that would compel them to do that because it's not just a landmark like people interact with it. lee says the one of a kind pole first installed in 1990, has four faces, showing you the direction of north and south and is covered in peeker holes. >> so you can see the other iconic peaks around the bay. lee believes it was cut off sometime between sundown on friday and sunrise on saturday. >> say this was premeditated.

you need a specific tool to cut something like that down. you need to spend time to bring yourself up 2100ft over three miles. it's not low effort crime, a symbol she's visited for decades and not only serves as the marking place for reaching the summit that everyone gets a photo with, but it's been there for every holiday birthday. >> and yes, even tea party, even though it's a thing, it's along with us. >> you know, through life's journeys. >> yeah, it's not the same. >> people just want to take that picture. >> claudia bejarano out of tracy says she had just hiked the same trail last weekend, even snapping these photos, only to be disappointed by the time she reached the top on labor day to find this. >> it's really upsetting because that's the peak. that's where you actually know that you finally made it up. >> quite the shame. if the intent was to stop people from coming, clearly it failed because today's packed the east bay regional park district issued a statement saying, we

are saddened to learn about this incident in our park. >> any vandalism from destruction to graffiti effects, what should be a positive, happy experience for community members to enjoy open space? >> nothing will ever really replace it. >> in fremont, lena howland, abc seven news. >> and we're just getting word here from the park staff that the sawed off portion of that pole has been located. they're not saying where or what condition it's in. >> currently, a stray bullet hit a woman who was the pedestrian on the pedestrian path at lake merritt this afternoon. she is in critical condition. the shooting was a drive-by. happened around 1230 this afternoon on lakeside drive in madison street, not far from snow park. police haven't released many details about the shooting. other than that the woman was an innocent buyer stander. >> there is a mass exodus happening right now in the nevada desert this afternoon as thousands leave that muddy mess that replaced the playa during this year's burning man festival. yeah, an unusual later summer storm soaked the festival site, making it impossible for

anyone to leave this weekend. the roads are now dry enough to allow the revelers to get out of there, which many are doing even though it means they'll miss the festival's signature event. the burning of the man, which was rescheduled for 9:00 tonight. abc seven news reporter j.r stone begins our team coverage live from sparks, nevada, not far from the event site. j.r. well, julian, the good news today is that the sun is out and that means all of that mud is drying, making it easier for those who attended burning man to leave the area and leave when they want to. >> now, one thing i do want to show you is all of the dirt in this in and out parking lot here in sparks. you can see it right here. this was all mud earlier today when a lot of these attendees came out and they had to clean off and then get a burger. they tell me it was about helping other people when the rains came down and when they dealt with those muddy conditions as we brought some people in, we let them use our communal structure as we fed

them. >> you know, some people's tents blew over, some tents flooded. so we were fortunate enough to take care of others and bring them into our camp. >> we stayed in doors for about 16 to 18 hours. after that, we went out like a regular night. there was lots of parties. every camp had its own parties. we had to wear garbage bags around the boots, yuck it out in the mud. but it was amazing. this is probably with some of it cleaned off, it's definitely like clay out there. >> so it's an interesting texture. so tough to walk around, but we made the best of it. >> i think it was bad for the people that didn't listen to the officials, the workers at burning man, they told us not to leave until it dried up a bit. so that's why we waited for the clear this morning. >> and those folks there, they waited and didn't have any problems. now, this is what the mud looked like as those from burning man worked to get it off of their shoes. today, it's not as easy as just wiping it off. it's a process of finding a rock and using that rock to really scrape it off. i've also seen festival attendees or burners as they're called, with no shoes,

saying the shoes didn't make it through the festival. and back out here live in sparks, you see all of that dirt there. the good thing is it will just blow away because it's no longer mud. now, one thing you don't think about, but we ran into those burners, often use a policy called no leave, no trace. and that's to bring your garbage and throw it away elsewhere. so some of the folks who are in rvs, yeah, it was muddy for them, but their main concern was getting all of those garbage bags out, out getting that smell out and moving along. yes, they were concerned about cleaning the mud, but the garbage was the number one concern in their mind . reporting live in sparks, j.r. stone, abc seven news. >> j.r, you spoke with so many of those burners today, a lot of them just excited to finally get out of there. >> how many of those folks that you spoke to are making plans to return next year? julian >> i talked with at least a dozen burners today. you can

hear some of them driving by here. all of them said they would love to come back next year. i said even with all of that mud and with all of that rain, they said they had a phenomenal six days going into it. and really humans helping humans, people helping people was amazing to see. and they would come back next year if they have the chance. but, you know, it's a whole process of organizing everything. julian it definitely is. >> they'll remember burning man 2023 for quite some time. thank you, j.r. and all that mud that covered black rock desert is now raising health concerns for the thousands exposed to it at burning man. >> abc seven news reporter loose pena spoke to an infectious disease expert who says being covered in mud for multiple days can lead to a skin infection. she's live in the newsroom with details. loose >> yes, ama. and there were approximately 64,000 people on site as of this afternoon, according to burning man's website. many have been trying to leave, but the roads are packed. the number one suggestion by one infectious diseases doctor is clean off the

mud. as soon as possible. the exodus has begun. thousands begin to leave black rock desert in nevada, where burning man takes place. one of them is san francisco resident matt schuster. the highway outside of the event is know it's like a one lane highway, so they have to pull cars out. >> you know, they can't just kind of like let them all out at once, he began to drive this morning and is still stuck in traffic and we spoke to him yesterday. >> he was waiting for the organizers to lift the driving ban as the desert floor or playa as burners call it, turned into mud. this following heavy rainfall. everybody's shoes are covered in mud and maybe the bottom of your pants in some situations means that mud is what's concerning. ucsf infectious diseases. doctor monica gandhi in mud and dust. >> there's actually a bunch of organisms that sit in our soil in california and nevada, we tend to have the same dry conditions and the same kind of

soil organisms. an and if you really drag yourself through the mud, like at the tough mudder competition in sonoma last month, you and if you especially if you have skin abrasions, you can get skin and soft tissue infections or cellulitis from those soil organisms. >> less exposure to mud in these conditions is key to avoiding infection, according to dr. gandhi. >> i would say do not be covered with mud for more than two days because you really can get those organisms crawling in and causing skin infections. >> burningan organizer are reportg nditions improving and urging burners to stay on hard packed roads and out of standing water. dr. gandhi suggests cleaning off the mud with water as soon as possible. >> there's always going to be inconveniences of climate and weather, and people choose to go there and luckily, we haven't heard about any major outbreaks of anything. and that's the relief because i was more worried about the skin infections with the mud. >> and according to schuster,

burning man's organizers have been great at checking in on people on their website. the festival is encouraging burners to delay their departure from the desert until tuesday to alleviate large amounts of congestion on the road. and despite the conditions, no outbreaks of any kind have been reported as of yet in the newsroom. luis pena, abc seven news. >> thanks so much, luis. labor day travel is slow around the bay area after a freeway closure was causing some difficulties out on the road. we're taking a live look at i-80 in vallejo right now as those lanes are just beginning to reopen. the stretch of westbound 80 between vallejo and hercules had been closed since friday, friday. so caltrans could repave a four mile stretch of the road there. caltrans says the work went more quickly than expected and overnight fresh concrete was poured. there have been some hefty detours around the area. by early afternoon today, mega backups started the 680. cordelia junction near fairfield was slow and go and highway 37 was like a parking lot for some

time, leaving many drivers with long commutes going only short distances just ahead, the celebrity chef san francisco mayor london breed is turning to as she tries to bring people back to the union square area. and people wanted the tarps and scaffolding gone. but now that they are, we'll explain the new concerns about this downtown san jose landmark. abc seven news at five will be right but his vision dimmed with age. he had amd. i didn't know it then, but it can progress to ga,

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revitalization of union square and surrounding areas. the city has partnered with renowned chef tyler florence to open two cafes on the plaza. abc7 news reporter leah melendez is in the newsroom with the details on this new project. >> liane well, you know tyler florence moved to mill valley from new york city in 2007. so he is basically from the bay area. he has become a big name in cooking shows, but we know him here as the owner and chef of wayfare tavern in the financial district and most recently miller and lux steakhouse at the chase center. today he told me he wants to contribute to the recovery of downtown san francisco. ask any san francisco resident and they'll tell you it's not only the crime and homeless situation keeping people away from the downtown area. >> and also, if you look around the streets, there's a lot of garbage. the streets aren't very clean. >> the recovery following covid

has been slower than in other major cities. >> our neighborhoods are booming , but our downtown has a 31% office vacancy rate. and that is really going to take a while to chip away at as part of the larger plan to revitalize the area the city has invited renowned chef tyler florence to take over the two cafes on the plaza. >> both will be called miller and lux provisions. one will be on the stockton side, the other on the powell side on stockton. >> it's going to be what we're calling the savory shop. it's going to be rotisserie chicken and spectacular farmers, market side dishes and all day brunch menu. >> the second cafe will feature the works of pastry chef carla morrow. >> we're going to have spectacular croissants, piano, chocolate, beautiful barista craft coffee chef. >> lawrence's proposal managed to beat other competitors. the cafes will sign a three year lease with the recreation and park department, which oversees union square. the news was welcomed by the san francisco hotel council restaurants and

coffee shops all benefit if the hotels do well. >> you know, for every $100 that's spent in the hotels $200 are spent outside of the hotels. >> tourists still consider san francisco a favorite destination . >> it's history and the fact that it's really a european city from italy. so that's why. and also the climate. >> it's hard to explain to people in other parts of the country about what's happening here. but i think it's really important. as you know, citizens in san francisco that have the ability to contribute, we should we should all contribute suit to create a better world that we want to live in both cafes will open in a few weeks. >> and there are also plans to refurbish the stage at union square to allow for more concerts. all part of that plan to bring the downtown area back to life, including changing office zoning laws to allow for other practical uses in the newsroom, leanne melendez, abc seven news. >> all right, thanks so much,

leanne. new concern over the condition of a landmark church in downtown san jose. last week, crews removed the scaffolding and tarps that had covered the old first church of christ scientist on saint james street for years. while the clean up came after city leaders threatened to increase fines for property owners slow to clean it up. now preservationists are expressing real concern about the removing the tarps could promote further deterioration of the 120 year old building. >> just ahead, labor unrest on labor day. hundreds of the streets demanding a new contract. it didn't end well for some. that story is next

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and several unions that represent the workers are negotiating with kaiser permanente for improved workplace conditions. they like more staff hired as well as higher wages, as some kaiser workers say. if a deal is not reached soon, patients will continue to see delays in receiving care. kaiser released a statement saying they are committed to ongoing negotiations with the unions and to providing compensation above the local market wage. the contract expires september the 30th in los angeles, police detained 23 people outside a kaiser facility this morning for failure to disperse. >> they were part of a rally held by thousands of health care workers represented by the same unions as the bay area. kaiser workers police declared an unlawful assembly when a handful of the demonstrators held a sit in blocking traffic. they were

all cited and later release, but hundreds took part in a free labor day breakfast honoring unions and their members this morning in santa rosa. the north bay labor council hosted its annual labor day breakfast. this month marks the labor council's 26th anniversary, representing more than 70,000 working people in sonoma. marin lake and mendocino counties. all right, let's get a check on our weather for this holiday. >> yeah, we check in now with spencer christian for a look at the forecast today. not bad, spencer. not bad at all. >> julian and i'm off for labor day compared with the weekend i'll take this here's a look at our weather in motion over the last 12 hours on the satellite radar composite image you see that area of low pressure just off the northern california coast with this counterclockwise circulation that's generating a rather brisk onshore flow which is evidenced by this graphic. we have wind speeds right now at the surface from 15 to nearly 25mph. so it's not terribly gusty, but nice and breezy and pleasant. it's also quite a bit warmer in most locations away

from the coast and bay right now than at this time yesterday. in fact, 90 degrees warmer in santa rosa, eight degrees warmer at fairfield, ten degrees warmer in livermore. so the warm up has begun and we'll have a week of warming up coming our way. here's the view from sutro tower. looking out over san francisco. we see some little patches of low clouds just beginning to move out over the city and over the bay. 64 degrees here in the city right now. oakland, 66. we've got 70 at mountain view, mid to upper 70s at palo alto and san jose and 61 at half moon bay. and here's a view at the golden gate, which was quite cloudy just a little bit earlier. and now we're seeing some breaks of blue in the sky there. but clouds will reform during the overnight hours. we have temperatures right now in the mid to upper 70s at napa, novato and santa rosa, 86 at fairfield, 83 at livermore. and here's the view from mount tam looking down onto the bay and these are our forecast headlines. we'll see low clouds expanding near the coast and bay overnight. gradual warming trend will be with us the next several days and it'll be heating up inland over the weekend. forecast animation

shows the low clouds pushing out over the bay and locally inland overnight. but moving quickly back to the coast tomorrow, giving us another sunny day, much like today, overnight, low temperatures will be generally in the mid to upper 50s highs tomorrow, low to mid 60s at the coast, mid 70s around the bay shoreline and mid to upper 80s inland. and here's the accuweather seven day forecast and i mentioned earlier a week of warming. here's how it looks. we'll see mid to upper 80s inland through friday mid 70s around the bay shoreline, mid 60s on the coast. then on saturday it gets a little bit warmer up to about 90 inland. but look at sunday and monday, mid 90s inland low 80s around the bay mid to upper 60s on the coast. not exactly a heat wave, but certainly a good little taste of summer's warmth coming our way in early september. yeah that's what we're looking for right? >> well, you know, september summer, right? i just found it. >> exactly. finally yeah. >> all right. thank you, spencer. >> okay. well we come back. >> the group of people who wanted no part of a lazy,

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streaming app on apple tv, google tv, fire tv, and roku. all you have to do is search abc7 bay area and download it. >> well, hundreds of cyclists returned to san francisco for a labor day tradition. the giro de san francisco bike race had cyclists pedaling throughout downtown in levi's plaza and right by our own abc seven studios as you see there. now, previously it was known as the san francisco grand prix. the race has been held annually in the city since 1975. the event is part of the california cup and is open to men and women of

various age groups. always fun to see. >> yeah, a nice day for a bike ride too. we have a lot more news ahead here. >> let's go to abc seven news anchor karina nova for a look at the stories that are coming up at 530 karina. all right. thanks juliana and alma. >> tonight, we're going to get more answers about an abc seven i-team exclusive investigation into what neighbors say is a strip club being run out of a san jose townhome. uh- i-team reporter melanie woodrow tells us more about the man allegedly running the business and why he says he's not doing anything illegal. plus we remember bay area native and singer steve harwell. we'll hear more about his rise to stardom with the band smash mouth out of san jose. join us for those stories and more at 530 on abc7 bay area streaming tv. julian alma. >> all right, thank you so much, karina. and you can download the abc seven app or head to abc seven news.com to join karina in just two minutes. that's right. and if you're watching us on tv world news tonight with david muir is next for spencer christian. all of us here, thank

you so much for joining us. i'm ahmad. >> and i'm julian glover. we'll see you back here at six. in the meantime, we leave you with this beautiful shot of santa cruz and people soaking up the sun on this labor day holiday. take care. every business deserves a great deal. that's why comcast business is launching the mobile made free event. with our business internet, new and existing customers can get one year of unlimited mobile for free. it's our best internet. powered by the next generation 10g network and with 99.9% reliability. plus one line of free mobile for an entire year.

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in jellyfish. in clinical trials, prevagen has been shown to improve short-term memory. prevagen. at stores everywhere without a prescription. tonight, tens of thousands racing to escape a major festival in the nevada desert. stranded for days after monsoon rains. and new details in the manhunt for a murderer outside philadelphia. first, the mass exodus now under way. thousands of vehicles trying to get through the muddy mess at burning man. attendees at the counterculture festival wearing plastic bags as shoes. some just going barefoot. matt gutman on the ground. late today, authorities confirming four sightings of that convicted kil