over the counter eye drops can provide temporary relief. xiidra... can provide lasting relief. it targets inflammation that can cause dry eye disease. xiidra treats the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease. don't use if allergic to xiidra. common side effects include eye irritation, discomfort or blurred vision when applied, and unusual taste sensation. why wait? ask your doctor about a 90-day prescription and pay as little as $0. xiidra. oof!

who is paid for this? >> well, dan, police officers are paid through tax dollars. patrol specials are not. they're a type of private security where the police, police officer type of uniform. so businesses will need to come together and decide to pay them. and that's where the equity aspect of this also comes in. >> interesting. okay, lewis, thanks very much. >> today, president biden unveiled a new white house office of gun violence prevention. >> we've reached that point today, in my view, where the safety of our kids from gun violence is on the ballot. at the end of the day, whether the democrats or republicans are all want our families to be safe. we all want to go to school houses of worship, grocery stores, gyms, malls, movies without constant anxiety.

>> the office's mandate will be twofold implementing the bipartisan safer communities act , biden's signature gun legislation and finding more ways to stem the current tide of gun violence. vice president harris will head the new office . there have been more than 500 mass killings in the us so far this year, according to the gun violence archive. that averages out to almost two mass shootings a day. >> governor newsom is urging the supreme court to reconsider a ruling that blocks cities from clearing homeless encampments. he filed a brief today warning the high court that cities are paralyzed by the decision. the case, martin versus boise bar us cities from criminalizing people sleeping in public. if there are not sufficient shelter beds to accommodate them. the governor argues it undercuts efforts to move people out of dangerous and unsafe sanitary conditions. >> happening now, we're continuing to monitor the air quality across the bay area as again, the spare the air alert has been extended. here's a live

look outside at the conditions right now. so you can see it's not too good. so for all the details, let's get to abc7 news meteorologist sandy patel. >> yeah, kristin, we're still hanging on to some of that smoke and haze. i'm going to show you a live picture from our east bay hills camera and you will see that it's really hard to make out mt. diablo because of that smoke. air quality advisor excuse me. spare the air alert has been extended through tomorrow, as you just mentioned, because the air quality is suffering so poor for north bay, coast and central bay, moderate for the rest of the bay area, some day is when we are expecting good air quality. here are some of the pm 2.5 levels 109 right now in oakland. that's poor for sensitive groups. but san jose, you're at 140 excuse me, 142 right now as we take a look at the region here around the area, it's in the moderate to poor category. a few locations in the north bay are in the good category. the smoke forecast will show you it's lingering heading into tonight and tomorrow as well. and then sunday, the winds pick up and

we'll get a clean sweep as the winds pick up. you will notice our by hour, those gusts saturday not so strong, but sunday stronger. and that's going to help to turn over the atmosphere. we also have a storm on the way. i'll let you know when that will arrive. some of the closer look at the forecast details coming right up. >> dan, interesting on the satellite there behind you. thanks, sandy, very much. today, crews began repairing a beloved santa cruz county landmark after it was nearly destroyed. avoid during those intense storms we had in january, abc seven news south bay reporter zach fuentes has more on the $7 million project to not just repair for the capitola wharf but make it more resilient in the future. >> the path to recovery hit a major milestone in capitola friday. this ceremony, a groundbreaking for wharf breaking, if you will, marks the start of the project that will bring in long awaited repairs to the city's iconic landmark. >> it means everything. it's iconic. it's kind of the centerpiece of the whole city.

>> but the wharf has been closed since january after high surf, during winter storms ripped out the center of it. businesses along the esplanade were also hit extremely hard. the damage was so bad it prompted a visit by president biden. >> when i was here the day of the storm and watched the waves come out and take out the wharf, i was in tears. >> while businesses have since reopened, the wharf has remained closed. the city has been planning to make improvements since 2016, including widening the area and adding restroom facility. since the storm damage led to even more work. >> we're taking out all the decking, all the railing. once that's exposed and we can do a full assessment of some of the piles. we know some of the damage that we have, but we want to make sure there's no excess damage from not being able to see it because it's been under the decking, though the groundbreaking is to usher in that project. >> it's going to widen and reinforce the wharf. the community is coming together to bring in some all new, different improvement. >> daetz well, the city is going to rebuild the wharf, but our goal is to put the bling on the wharf. we want to have binoculars, a new seating, new

benches, shade structures, new lighting. just make the wharf better. these community members have called their project the capitola wharf enhancement project. >> they set a goal of $250,000 to add the enhanced lights to the wharf in just a few short months. they've raised $210,000. >> we're blessing this community. everybody steps up to help. >> the hope and expectation is that both the city and community projects to bring the wharf back better than ever will be finished this time next year in capitola. zach fuentes, abc seven news. >> 618 million p-g-and-e's customers will likely see their bills increase very soon. that's because the california public utilities commission is expected to approve the proposed increases addressing this

is egregious increase. we certainly understand our customers concerns about affordability and bills, p-g-and-e's says. >> the rate increases are necessary to put 2100 miles of power lines underground, but that the cpuc c plan isn't enough. we think that they fall short of the funding that we

need necessary to continue making the really important wildfire safety enhancements that we've been making. the utility reform network, aka turn advocates on behalf of ratepayer was heagney wants to put most of its many of its power lines underground that is far too expensive an approach for wildfire safety. >> the much better approach is to insulate the power lines, which is a faster and cheaper way, p-g-and-e's explains why undergrounding is a better option to reducing wildfire risks when you put those lines underground, it reduces the need to do things like tree trimming and maintenance around those lines, and it also far increases reliability. >> it reduces it in some cases, eliminates the need for safety shutoffs. >> today, state senator scott wiener released this statement, quote, this rate increase. places an absurd burden on californians pocketbooks to pay for updates. p-g-and-e's should have performed decades ago. once again, p-g-and-e's is saddling its ratepayers with the consequences of its failure to plan and budget effectively.

again, cpuc will vote on november 2nd on whether to let p-g-and-e's raise rates by 9% or 13. the utility reform network says ratepayers can express their concerns online by going to the cpuc website. live in the newsroom, suzanne fan, abc seven news. >> okay, suzanne, thanks very much. coming up, rain in the forecast plus smoky conditions causing concern for some winemakers in the north bay. we're going to tell you about the adaptations they've already had to make this harvest and what it means for this season's wine. c7 news at five continue was

you didn't choose your hairline. hot flashes, the flu, or that thing when your knee just gives out for no reason. you didn't choose your bad back or this. or... that. you didn't choose depression, melanoma, or lactose intolerance. but with kaiser permanente you can choose your doctor who works with other best-in-class specialists to care for all that is you.

spring, which delayed ripening. and now with potential rain in the forecast. but many vineyards are moving to pick some varietals quicker, having to adjust. >> right. but despite the weather challenges, many are optimistic that 2023 will in fact be a good vintage. abc seven news reporter cornell bernard is in wine country. >> i'm really happy with the way the my crew has gone through here and balanced this canopy. >> it's a busy week for steve letson, a fifth generation winemaker in kenwood. i'm up at 3:00 in the morning getting people organized, and i'm out in the vineyards checking fruit and stuff. it's harvest time for many white grape varieties. most of the picking happening overnight to keep the fruit cool . >> we picked a day last week.

it's a small block up in mountain terraces. it's just incredib. we only make 50 case of an incredible wine and so now we're looking at chardonnay and sauvignon blanc. >> steve says the 2023 harvest has been delayed. 2 to 3 weeks after a cool wet spring which slowed grape ripening. and now there's more weather challenges ahead. all the smoke in the air from wildfires up north. not a huge concern to steve and his crew because the particles are so high in the atmosphere. but rain in the forecast is a different story for grapes still on the vine. >> our red grapes, cab, merlot, all the reds that won't really bother them that much. that's not going to do anything. but, you know, white grapes. what can happen, especially if you have a tight clusters get the or some mildew bunch rot and stuff like that in there. >> the approaching rain is accelerate the picking of the grapes. >> normally this time of year we're we're in the 80s and even in the 90s in mid september. so that's been a concern. it's kind of stalled the ripening process. >> brooks painter from victory winery in saint helena says his priority is harvesting white

grape varieties at the label's vineyard here in the anderson valley, which could see three quarters of an inch of rain in the coming days. >> last thing you want is a heavy rain right at the end of harvest when we're essentially ready to pick the grapes. >> i've been doing this my whole life, ever since i was a little kid, steve says. >> as farmers, you have to pivot with changing weather conditions, and he believes when the harvest is done, they'll be something worth toasting to. >> as far as the vintage quality, i think it is going to be one of the best. just incredible and kenwood, cornell bernard, abc seven news. >> coming up, major roadwork in the south bay begins in just a few hours. >> we'll tell you about the highway closure you need to know about and how long

but his vision dimmed with age. he had amd. i didn't know it then, but it can progress to ga, an advanced form of the disease. his struggle with vision loss from amd made me want to help you see warning signs of ga. like straight lines that seem wavy, blurry, or missing visual spots that make it hard to see faces like this one, or trouble with low light that makes driving at night a real challenge. if you've been diagnosed with amd and notice vision changes, don't wait. ga is irreversible. it's important to catch it early. talk to your eye doctor about ga and learn more at gawontwait.com at cretors, talk to your eye doctor about ga we handcraft every batch of our delicious popcorn. like our cretors cheese and caramel mix. great on their own, even better together. try cretors, handcrafted small-batch popcorn.

five will be closed until at least five monday morning. the hope is to get it open by the morning commute on monday, another closure will take place the weekend of october 20th, when the southbound lanes will get repaved. so be warned. >> all right. it's time to get a check of the weather. >> yeah, meteorologist sanjay patel is here with the weekend forecast watching the haze, watching a potential storm. you're busy in the weather department, sandy.

>> yeah, and we're tracking the season changes. dan and kristen tonight. autumn. autumn officially arrives autumnal equinox at 11:50 p.m. the sun's rays will be directly over the equator. and for this first weekend of fall, we're going to change things up because you can see how bad it still looks in san jose. and from our vollmer peak sfo still hazy. pier 39 seeing some haze as well. so the smoke continues to linger here and i will show you the improvement that is coming. spare the air tomorrow. but after that look good air quality sunday, monday and tuesday. so hopefully you can get outside and breathe some fresh air. low pressure has pushed off to the east. the wind flow is still coming out of the northwest and that's still transporting some of that smoke from the wildfires from northern california and oregon into our area. as we look at live doppler seven, the clouds have cleared the coastline. they'll fill back in overnight tonight. temps pitchers in the comfort zone for this last day of summer. 80s

inland 60s coast side. a look at that live view from our san jose camera and you can see just how hazy it is. fall arrives tonight at 11:50 p.m. hazy skies tomorrow. good air quality on sunday and our first rain of the season is expected on monday as we go hour by hour notice, the marine layer reestablishes itself and pushes back in tomorrow morning. we start out with the overcast skies and the clouds will pull away sitting near the coast and then filling right back in tomorrow night. so your morning temperatures will begin in the 40s and 50s. a sign of the season changing. so cooler air for parts of the bay area than what we've been used to the last couple of months. so you might need that extra layer tomorrow afternoon. you're looking at sunshine and hazy conditions, inland high temperatures will be in the mid and upper 70s right along the coast in the low 60s. i do want to show you what's ahead. an atmospheric river going into the pacific northwest, northern california. they're going to get a good soaking up to the north. a flood. watches have already been posted because of the burn scar areas where they may see

mudslides and debris flows. for us, we get the tail end of this front, not an atmospheric river, nothing major here in the bay area, but we will see some. it looks like a chance of some wet weather between monday night and early tuesday morning. and then that system is done. it will help to continue to clean out our air and certainly will help to lessen the fire danger here in the bay area. as we add some more moisture to the fuels. so rainfall projections looking at about a quarter of an inch in santa rosa, 100th of an inch in san jose. the farther south you go, the less you're going to get or east. but up to the north, ukiah could pick up, up to three quarters of an inch of rain. accuweather seven day forecast. we're going to go cooler than average but pleasant in terms of temperatures for the first weekend of fall. upper 70s inland low 60s coast. focus on that good air quality coming your way beginning sunday and continuing into early next week. we do have chances of showers monday, tuesday day and then we'll bring back drier weather

and warmer conditions. although i will say this much, kristin and dan, on wednesday, there's one computer model that's hinting at maybe a quick shot of showers in the north bay, but that's a slight chance right now to help flush out the air. yeah, absolutely. so we'll tak you got two jacks. and then my grand slam. i signed a ball for you. okay. and it says papa i love you. why did you do that? because you've taught me everything about baseball. oh hunny bunny, that's so sweet. (♪) (♪)

or anything. the 150 foot descent was in preparation for the over the edge fundraiser tour that supports the aneurysm and avm foundation, or trf for short. september is brain aneurysm awareness month and the event hopes to raise $100,000 for life saving research.

>> quite a sight. and they're doing good work. a rousing 106 birthday celebration today for a bay area icon. students and faculty welcomed betty reid soskin to the el sobrante middle school. that bears her name. betty gained national attention for being the country's oldest national park ranger, a job she started at the age of 85 until she retire officially at 102 years ago. the school was named in her honor two years ago today, in fact. and when asked what her secret to longevity was, betty said, quote, she has no idea, but whatever she's doing, it is working. happy birthday. >> no doubt all that time spent in the parks and outdoors, i'm sure that did not hurt at all. we still have much more ahead. >> all right, let's go to abc7 news anchor julian glover for a look at the stories coming up at 530. julian, we only have 5070 years to go or something before we hit that. >> exactly. betty rhys hoskins such a gift to us here in the bay area. coming up here at 530, we're continuing to track the air quality conditions across

the bay area. then we're hearing from the ceo behind the company that wants to build that new city out in solano county. i-team reporter stephanie sierra sat down with him to find out more about the vision and why he says it was crucial to be so secretive about this project. plus could the future of commuting be by autonomous flying taxi? we'll introduce you to the company in the bay area that's developing that right here. join us for those stories and a whole lot more when we see you at 530. dan and kristen,

>> david: tonight, breaking news as we come on the air. the tropical storm set to hit the east. so strong, now hurricane watches up tonight. from north carolina, then up through new york city and boston this will be felt. and the u.s. senator indicted tonight on staggering charges of corruption. you'll see the images here, the gold bars and cash allegedly found in his home. first tonight, the tropical storm nearing hurricane strength as it closes in on the east coast at this hour. north carolina and virginia declaring states of emergency. heavy rain, flash flooding