police chief says a new report clears him of any wrongdoing, proving he was unfairly fired earlier this year. loooooong armstrong was fired in february for allegedly mishandling two cases of officer misconduct. but an independent report discovered inaccuracies in the independent auditor's probe that led to armstrong's firing. the former chief claims city leaders

retaliated against him and it caused him to lose wages and benefits on top of causing emotional distress. i said from the onset of this that i was not guilty of any of these allegations and that the facts would come out in this case. >> and when the facts did come out, i felt like i would be vindicated. and today is that vindication. >> now, oakland mayor chantel has just released a statement defending her decision based on that independent auditor's finding to fire armstrong. >> our breaking news coverage continues on abc7 news at four for later today. but right now here are today's topics on getting answers as industry experts expect higher prices for travelers this holiday season thanks to high gas prices and increased demand. so what can you do to score some travel deals? also, scientists are predicting a strong el nino. this winter doesn't mean endless rain for california. but first, goodbye ties and traditions. hello, hoodies and shorts.

today, senate majority leader chuck schumer dropped the senate's customary dress code. many see it as a rule change, specifically for pennsylvania senator john fetterman, usually seen in casual attire in the chamber. and to some, he's a hero for flouting antiquated rules. to others, he's disrespectful and lowering the bar. joining us live now to discuss the role and evolution of dress codes, stanford law professor and author of the book dress codes how the laws of fashion made history. professor richard thompson ford, thanks for joining us. >> hi. thanks for having me on your show. >> all right. very interesting topic to me. schumer's move was praised by some today, but criticized by others, not just republican ones, but even some democrats who believe a place of business fighting to retain public respect should have some decorum with regard to dress. what do you think? >> well, i think it's pretty debatable as a workplace dress codes have gotten much more

casual over the past couple of decades. so this is just the latest in a pretty long trend toward things becoming more casual in places like silicon valley in particular, but also even in investment banks and fancy law firms who started it? >> was it steve job was a silicon valley? >> well, i think silicon valley plays a very large role in this. the success of silicon valley, the fact that there is so much wealth in silicon valley meant that a lot of other professions sessions needed to cater to the norms and expectations of people in silicon valley. and, you know, one silicon valley entrepreneur famously said, never invest in a company where the ceo wears a suit. so as a consequence, when lawyers and investment bankers and other people come to silicon valley, they feel they probably had better not wear a suit and think that that's bled over into much of the rest of society, including now congress right, right.

>> although i could say that in silicon valley there's the casual yet expensive, well-made casual gear. right >> which is a little absolutely right what we're talking about. >> but many people think that this change today was made for senator fetterman. but as you said, it's not. but senators and congressional reps in the house have been pushing the old boundaries for a while now right ? arizona senator kirsten cinema has been criticized for wearing a denim sleeveless jacket. other women have caught flak for wearing nice dresses that are sleeveless. who decides what is acceptable? >> well, that's just it. i mean , typically we all decide by our reaction to people that we encounter, but more specifically, people who are in positions of power and authority decide. and so when an elected member of congress like kirsten cinema, like john fetterman, say , i don't want to wear the conventional dress code, what they say carries some weight in over time, they're able to shift

those expectations in a new direction. >> and i guess the way the public responds, right, does it depend on what the individual has been through or who they are like, for example, i'm thinking fetterman had the stroke, right? and right. he had depression. and i wonder if people go, you know, we're going to cut him some slack, and then gradually it becomes okay for more people . >> well, i do think that some of it has to do with identity. i mean, in particular, the relaxation of dress codes in congress really started with the reactions of women in who objected to dress codes that they, i think correct. perceived to be sexy or at the very least created at a point of time when congress was pretty much a boys club. and so, you know, that's a first step. um also people like john fetterman and kirsten sinema have really built a persona, kind of a personal brand. if you will, in large part around rejecting some of the convention norms of washington and the beltway. and

so that carries through in their clothing. and for them, it's a real asset. it's a source of strength to resist the convention dress code, right? >> that is a really good point. >> it does reflect that slightly rebellious attitude that they take with them into their policymaking. right. but i also wonder if dress codes have always been around. right. and have they been used for politics purposes or other purposes? >> oh, yes, absolutely. dress codes have been around for centuries in my book, i start looking at dress codes in the late middle ages. in the 1300s. and these from then forward politics and clothing have always been linked. clothing has been a mode of statecraft. it's been a way to make a political statement, to make a statement about who you support and who you oppose. that's always been true. and i think it's just as true today. the dress codes are changing, but they're not going away. >> right. do you think there

should be any dress codes in this day and age? well i think it's inevitable that there will be at least informal dress codes, that people will make judgments based on what other people wear. >> you know, the example that you just gave of the expense of silicon valley dress code is a good example. you know, if you're a venture capitalist in the silicon valley, you do actually adhere to a dress code. it's just not written down. so i think we continue to have that kind of dress code for sure in terms of written dress codes, i think there's a place for them in some environments, but we need to be very careful that they're not exclusive, vary, that they don't reflect out dated ideas of who belongs. and i think that's a lot of what's being challenged today. >> right? i mean, certainly we've seen even in recent history. dress codes being used to oppress minority his right, whether it's religious or cultural. >> absolutely. dress codes that forbid head coverings are injurious to members of religious minorities that require head coverings. the

crown act that is sweeping the nation in california is one of the first states to adopt a version of it addressed dress codes that forbade hair styles that were used primarily by african americans, in particular, african american women. and so there are a lot of dress codes that reflected, you know, exclusionary ideals that were just kind of thoughtless with respect to an increasingly diverse workforce. >> all right. i mean, just to clarify for our audience, i think the senate's dress code was also informal in that it was not written down like you must have tie, must have suit, must have. but it was expected. it was, you know, what was enforced really. so i want to ask you, is there an issue, though, with senators no longer having to dress up now? but apparently there are staffers who are governed under other rules still do. is that fair? because isn't that sort of like executives at a company get to go casual but not the employees? >> yes, i think it is. and this is a very common trend as well.

you know, just to take one example, look at the banking industry, the people working at the bank teller, the people you know, the middle management need to dress and wear suits and ties or traditional formal attire. but the people, the analysts, the people making the big deals, they're wearing a patagonia fleece and, you know, a buttoned down shirt without a tie. and so that kind of hierarchy, in a sense, it's almost an inversion of a typical dress code where you're status is demonstrated by the fact that you don't have to dress to impress other people. >> that is so interesting. and that's come a long way, really changed since a few hundred years ago. right but i want to ask you, given what's happening now, how can respect which you would want in a place like the senate doing the nation's business, convey respect without the formality? >> that's a challenge. and so i think in one sense, most people have a good intuitive understanding of the kind of clothing, the kind of self-presentation that conveys

respect. and most people try to adhere to that. but but you'll have people who are outliers either because they're pushing the boundaries for some specific purpose and think that's what's going on with people like john fetterman and krysten sinema or people who just don't care or don't know what the appropriate boundaries are. and so right now, i think we're at a time in history where a lot of this is in flux at and some of the messages are going to be confused and hard. you know, it will be harder to read what people mean to convey by what they're wearing. >> fascinating fashion influx may be the title of your next book. i like it. stanford law professor and author of dress codes how the laws of fashion made history. richard thompson ford, thank you so much for your insight today. >> thank you. >> get ready for an el nino winter. but that doesn't necessarily mean as much rain as you might think. 'lexplain that with meteorologist professor who

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that term tends to strike fear in our hearts and conjure up visions of massive rain. but that may not be the case. so what exactly does it mean for california? joining us live now is jan null, adjunct professor of meteorology at san jose state university. professor null, thanks for your time. >> good afternoon. >> so can you explain, first of all, what el nino is and how it forms? >> sure. el nino is a warming of the eastern tropical pacific ocean. warm air that's usually in the western pacific

periodically every 2 to 7 years shifts into eastern pacific. and along with that shift, it changes the jet stream pattern, the storm track patterns around the world. >> okay. so then how does that translate into any influences on our weather pattern as well as the storm track shifts? >> the one of the signatures we sometimes see is that the southern latin to jet stream across southern california, the southern tier of states gets stronger. we see more storms there going farther north in the pacific northwest, we get sort of gets left out and it's drier than normal. however, that that's just the average pattern. we just it's really important to keep in mind that that average is made up of a huge range of somewhat years and some dry years. >> okay. so the federal climate prediction center today predicting a 95% chance of a strong el nino this winter. you know, given what you just told

us about the fact that it's averages and it sounds like we don't really know what that means for us, the layman just wondering if we're going to get more rain or not. right >> that's right. and you know, this is the same climate prediction center and the same models that were forecasting last year's la nina to be drier than normal. so just to put it in that context, there's lots of things going on in the atmosphere besides el nino. so you know, if el nino was acting alone, it probably would really bump up the odds of an above normal rainfall winter in california. so whatever the other factors. >> well, there are things called like the pacific decadal oscillation. >> that's the temperatures in the in the gulf of alaska or the madden-julian oscillation. these are waves of energy coming out of the indian ocean. and sometimes they will make el nino stronger and wetter. other times they will actually damp it down . and we've seen this historically in the past. a couple of the bigger drought years have been el nino years.

>> what was last year of course, we got record rain here in the bay area. >> yeah, last year was a la nina , so that's the opposite. and again, the average of that is we're drier than normal. that certainly, certainly was not the case. real quickly, can you sum up for us and explain what la nina is and how that forms? so a la nina is when the eastern tropical pacific is cooler than normal. so that that there's more of the warm water is over in the in the western part of the pacific. and that shifts the jet stream up through alaska and the pacific northwest, making it wetter in the north and drier in the south. >> all right. so historically, though, when you have an el nino year, what did that mean for the bay area? historically so i know we're talking averages. >> sure. so if and let's just talk about the strong el nino, because it looks like we're going to be in the strong category this year. so there have been 80 of those going back to back to 1954. all of those

have been above normal rainfall . all four of those have been at or below average rainfall. so not a real strong signal there. um and but the ones that people remember are the really wet ones , like 97, 98 and 1982 and 1983 when there was, you know, almost double the amount of normal rainfall around the state. but we've had lots of other ones in in between. we've had 26 el ninos going back to back to 1950. >> okay. well if we can i just ask you then, how why does it matter? like what? what do we learn from this declaration that we have a 95% chance of a strong el nino? this winter, then? well, you know, that's a really good question. >> and in some ways, it sort of is like, you know, talking about what we're expecting at above normal number of hurricanes. this year. you have that information. what are you going to do with it right. and you know, here in california, like lots of our things, you know, like like fires and earthquakes,

you know, and droughts, you know , it's sort of we have to be prepared in any year, you know, not just because it's going to be an el nino. we know from last year that it was not an el nino and it was wetter than normal. and there was flooding. so i think we kind of need to keep the mindset to always be prepared. i guess that's the most important takeaway. >> but i'm just going to push you a little bit and ask when is when can we get a more accurate forecast? it sounds like it's too early now in terms of predicting the winter. >> it's too early now. some of the longer range models are looking at sort of the beginning of the winter, looking at it fairly close to normal rainfall and then maybe as we're getting into february and march, they're sort of leaning into the into the wetter category. so, you know, maybe we're going to be looking at one of those years with dry and then having a miracle march. >> all right. we'll see. professor jan null of san jose state university, adjunct professor of meteorology. fascinating topic and thank you for your time.

>> you're very welcome. have a good afternoon. >> all right. prepared ness is key. okay, now is the time to start pricing those holiday travel flights. we'll be right back with some advice on how

prices and airfare. so which airline has the most deals out of california? to help us navigate the soaring costs? katie nastro, a travel expert with going.com scots cheap flights formerly is the name, but now it's going to come so katie, thanks for coming on the show. >> thanks so much for having me . >> all right. so you guys pored over data and deals from the last 12 months and have some interesting results. so let's go ahead and pull that up. we see a us map, right. and you've got lots of flight deals. which airline has the most? and i guess specifically for california. go ahead. let's roll that, shall we?

>> yeah. so interestingly enough, for all those with status with american, they should be happy and thrilled to see that american is actually the us carrier with the most deals out of california. but, you know, it is surprising and a lot of people are don't really know that, you know the best deals actually are on the competitor airlines. if you live in a hub city, you know but thankfully for the bay area, there are three different airlines that actually offer a lot of opportunity. and a lot of competition. and so competition is actually a really great thing for consumers because airlines need to stay competitive against one another to earn your business. so that actually puts downward pressure on pricing, right? >> you're talking about the three legacy airlines in the bay area right? >> correct. yes a lot of people, you know, even if they don't ever fly on a budget airline or a low cost carrier, you know, we want them around. we want spirits. we want allegiance. we want frontiers, because that

actually makes the full service airlines like an american delta or united again puts pressure on them to be competitive and offer competitive pricing. >> interesting. and you know what you said about actually the competitor airlines, are you talking about, you know, you said american had the most deals out of california. i'm here in san francisco. united is sort of like the dominant one. right. so does that mean, hey, i should be looking for deals on american and delta? >> it definitely can mean that even though that the very bay area looking at sfo specifically it's a focus city for united so you know there's a lot of routes in and out on united for the bay area but that doesn't mean that you should just be looking at united you know some of the best deals like i mentioned before could be on competitors like a delta or american for a specific route because again, the competition an they need to stay competitive against that bigger presence of united. >> so what's the easiest way to kind of search all those airlines at once?

>> sure. so there's no wrong way or right way of searching for airfare deals. you know, we typically see a lot of people search on a search engine like google flights or skyscanner, you know, but you just want to make sure that whatever search engine online travel agency that you're using that you're cross checking not only with the airline website directly, like, for example, southwest doesn't have their prices anywhere except their own website. so you just want to make sure that you're kind of cross checking with multiple sources to ensure that you're getting the absolute best price. >> i see what about different airports like for example, in the bay area, when we have three airports, right. san jose, oakland, sfo, definitely that, you know, just because sfo is the larger airport, you know, there might be more offerings of type size, but it doesn't necessarily mean that you're always going to get the best deal necessarily. >> it just depends on the route. and again, on the timing. >> okay. so let's talk about the

holidays. are you expecting lots of holiday travel this year for thanksgiving or christmas? >> yeah, we are definitely anticipating that. we will see pre-pandemic numbers. actually, i should scratch that. we are anticipating that we'll probably see more people traveling than we did pre-pandemic. so pre 2019 or 2019 and even further out. so, you know, these are probably going to be record breaking days of travel over the winter holidays and you know, with so many people looking to travel, we would definitely suggest not waiting too much longer to book those holiday winter flights because, you know, the longer you wait for a peak season, you know, we're kind of getting outside of our goldilocks window. you're not only going to encounter expensive fares, but ridiculously expense of fares. >> yeah, i've heard like that goldilocks window is like three months, right? or something like that for the holidays, maybe even earlier. >> sure. so for domestic travel , for a peak season like the winter holidays, you want to book between 3 and 7 months out

for international, you want to book a little bit further out between four and ten months out. now, if you're doing the math, you're probably saying, oh, no, did i miss my window? depending upon where you're going, doesn't necessarily mean you're not going to get a great deal. it just means the opportunity to find a great deal actually shrinks the closer you get outside of that window. >> okay, so you want to use like the google travel set an alert, that kind of thing. right. can i just ask you, though, is there something in going somewhere where others aren't like going against the crowds to get better deals this maybe winter break? >> yeah, sure. so, you know, a lot of popular places to, you know, kind of escape the winter blues. miami mexico, you know, those are probably going to be hotspots again, as they typically are. but you know, just because, as you know, so many other people are traveling there doesn't mean that you have to as well. if you want to beat the crowds, maybe even get a better deal, look to latin america, south america, fantastic options for less crowds and potentially better deals than if you were looking to, say, hawaii or the

caribbean. you know, some of those more popular areas. so, you know, definitely expand or what we say going is let the deal be your guide. don't be pigeonholed by one particular place just because everyone else is doing it. >> it's true. i looked at your website and sometimes there are places that pop up with deals that are so tempting. i go, huh? i hadn't considered tahiti before, but maybe i should. >> and exactly. and you know, it's just as glamorous and beautiful and sometimes a lot of our members, you know, they book one of our deals and they say this was the most incredible trip. but i didn't even realize that this is a place i should look into. but this deal was just so good and i'm so glad i booked it. >> katie nastro with going.com. thank you so much. really appreciate it. thanks for having me. we'll take a sh

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abc seven. the game will be followed by after the game. abc will simulcast espn's coverage of monday night football games all season. that means if the niners are here on monday night, you can watch it right here. thanks forng u >> david: tonight, several developing stories as we come on the air. five americans freed from iran. the emotional scene at the airport, and you'll see it. also here in the u.s., the deadly ambush of the sheriff's deputy and tonight the dramatic arrest of the suspect. the fighter jet, the pilot ejected, the jet missing for nearly 24 hours. how does a jet go missing? there's word coming in of potential wreckage te