story is about race and social justice, and that is part of building a better bay area. >> plus new charges filed on that georgia high school shooting, not against the teenage gunman, but his father. >> always live. abc seven news starts right now. >> in one case, a black marker, in the other a black eye. both signs of what we need to overcome to ensure racial and social justice in the bay area. good evening. i'm ama daetz and i'm dan ashley. >> thanks for joining us. building a better bay area means fighting for justice, especially when it comes to cases involving race, religion and ethnicity. >> tonight we have team coverage and two examples from across the bay area. we begin with abc seven news reporter tim johns. >> he has the story of a san francisco chef who is now speaking out after she was beaten in a racially charged attack. >> yeah, dan, the woman tells me she had just left a business meeting in san francisco's financial district around 9:30 p.m. on sunday when that

incident occurred. and i want to show you guys some video from just a couple of hours ago. the man who was facing assault and hate crime charges for attacking her appeared in court for an arraignment this afternoon. irvin laura rivera pleaded not guilty. the remnants of the vicious attack against wendy drew are evident on sunday night. drew says she was walking through downtown san francisco when she passed her would be attacker. >> the guy with his dog walk by, and then he calls me while he walks by. he calls me the n-word. >> drew says in shock. she stopped to ask the man why he called her the racial slur. then she says he attacked her. surveillance video obtained by our media partner, the san francisco standard, captures part of the altercation after drew, fighting back, pushed the man into a nearby store. the man eventually ran out of the store, but not before punching drew several times, covered in blood. >> customers got up and ran after him and i was like, get in, get him! he can't get away. and just when they got him, the

police came around. >> drew, who is a native of south africa, says the events have left her not just physically but also mentally traumatized. she tells me she no longer feels comfortable in san francisco after having lived here for 20 years. this is not the first time the suspect, who was homeless, has been arrested for attacking a stranger last year. abc seven news reported on an incident in which he randomly attacked a haight street sandwich shop owner. he was arrested and ultimately released. >> that is the part that really irritated me when i was told that he has a history of violence and that when i got off the phone with the sergeant hearing that he's got a history of violence. and i'm like, why is he on the streets? >> sunday's incident is part of a growing trend of hate inspired violence against african americans in san francisco, according to reverend amos brown. >> they feel upset. some are angry and others are depressed. >> on thursday, brown hosted a special news conference at his third baptist church to discuss

the issue with city leaders. district attorney brooke jenkins says over the past few years, her office has seen an explosion of cases involving hate crimes. >> i take it as my full responsibility to make sure that we have a justice system that does what it is supposed to do and that it does it fairly. >> as for drew, she hopes her attacker will now be off the streets for good, and she's encouraging elected officials to do their part to make the city safe for everyone. >> part of me feels that if i didn't have the media attention, what would have had happened? you know, because i have media attention is is the necessary steps getting taken? >> andrew tells me while she knows the physical injuries will eventually heal, she worries the mental and emotional ones may last a lifetime. i'm live in the newsroom, tim johns, abc seven news. >> all right, tim, thank you for that. an east bay coffee shop has been repeatedly vandalized. and now the palestinian-american brothers, who own it are concerned the attacks could escalate. berkeley police are investigating it as a possible

hate crime. abc seven news reporter anser hassan spoke to the owners and has more. >> reporter it's a blend of coffee and community. at this cafe run by the gay brothers in berkeley. they've come up with a unique drink list as well. >> we hold very near and dear to our heart the jaffa orange latte that is our signature drink. >> not an orange fan? try strawberry sage creek. >> that does two things for us. one, it reminds us of the strawberries that are grown in gaza. although we don't get our strawberries from gaza. of course, but we also have the end of it creek to kind of pay homage to the ohlone land. we are standing on. >> the brothers quit their jobs to open jaffa coffee roasters, just as their coffee drinks blend new flavors, their shop does, too. the vibe is part palestine, part california. >> we're very outspokenly palestinian, you know, we're very proud of our heritage. you know, we're also very proud of being californian. we have one of the coolest cultures in my opinion, in the world. you know what i mean? with surfing, even the music behind me playing historic beach boys, right? i've

been dying to catch them. >> they just opened in june. business is booming, but just as they're trying to build their brand, their free palestine sign was vandalized. now, a total of four times in just two months. most recently, the person added the word. >> now, to me, that's a little, lewd. in my opinion. it's just not nice to have even. okay, like, even if you wanted to affect the palestinians. what about kids that walk across and see the word? as a company, we just stand against hate and violence. they believe it's the same person. >> after the fourth instance, they reported it to police with concerns it could escalate. in a statement to abc seven news, berkeley police say the department is investigating the vandalism as a hate crime and it's still under investigation. nur says they expected they would face some backlash when they open. but he says the outpouring of support from the community has been tremendous. he says they're not mad, but they do want to stand up for their rights. >> we aren't doing anything wrong. we thank the community, one and two, that we stand against hate and we won't. we

won't stop talking about palestine and we won't stop talking about what's going on in berkeley, anser hassan. >> abc seven news. >> now, if you or someone you know is dealing with discrimination or hate crimes, there is help and there are resources available. we've put together a list of those local resources. you can find it at abc7 news dot com. slash. take action. >> new at six. the driver involved in last week's fatal wrong-way crash on highway 85 is scheduled to be arraigned tomorrow. today, the suspect, duncan mcquarry, was released from the hospital and booked into santa clara county jail. the charges include two counts of murder, vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, as well as reckless driving. on august 26th, 14 year old charlie olson and his mother rebecca were killed when a wrong-way driver hit their vehicle head on. >> we're following closely the story of ricky pearsall and the shooting. of course, the start of the forty-niners season is just days away with monday night football, and the rookie wide receiver is going to miss at

least the first four games. but take a look at this. pearsall was on the practice field today in santa clara. there he is in a gray shirt and pants, holding a football, walking around talking with his teammates. pearsall was shot in the chest five days ago in san francisco's union square. and what police call an attempted robbery. this is video of him walking to the ambulance. coach kyle shanahan talked before practice today about the shooting, specifically where pearsall was hit. >> it's a miracle. i mean, where he got shot is like two inches below his tattoo with praying hands. like it was it's kind of the whole story is kind of amazing. >> only abc7 news has this surveillance video of the suspect. the suspect running and dropping the gun shortly after the shooting. the 17 year old is due back in juvenile court on tuesday for a pretrial conference. now he's charged with attempted murder, assault with a semiautomatic firearm, and attempted second degree murder. he's being kept in custody. san francisco's district attorney told us that

it will be at least two weeks before she decides if she will try to prosecute him as an adult. ultimately, it will be up to a judge to decide if the case will be moved out of the juvenile system. >> oakland leaders today announced an upgrade to the city's flawed 911 system. it's the first time it's been updated in 20 years. the improvements include a modern software system that's fully hosted on the cloud. every part of the electronics that go into the system got upgraded as well. mayor shengtao says this will improve emergency response times. she says the goal is to meet the state standard of 97% of calls being answered in 15 seconds, or less. >> we've taken huge steps towards implementing reliable, secure, resilient infrastructure that our public safety agencies can use to continue delivering the high levels of service that the city of oakland residents want and deserve. >> the new system was heavily vetted after the city's massive 2023 data leak. personal data

was exposed and city services were taken offline. during that incident. >> a service disruption today for samtrans riders as bus drivers stage a sickout. they're not reporting to work amid a prolonged labor dispute. last month, the union, representing 400 operators, rejected the san mateo county transit district's latest proposal. but today's sickout was not sanctioned by the union since negotiations are ongoing now, with fewer drivers on the job, the transit agency is prioritizing some routes over others to keep things rolling. >> the priority comes with the schools that we serve throughout san mateo county. also, early morning and last pickups because we don't want to leave anyone stranded. >> the route running from san mateo county directly to san mateo county, directly to downtown san francisco, is also still running, and so are paratransit shuttles for passengers with disabilities. >> developing news. the father

of the suspect in the georgia high school shooting has been arrested after his son confessed to investigators today. two students and two teachers were killed. according to the barrow county sheriff, the 14 year old said, i did it while being questioned. he's being charged as an adult. the father told investigators he bought the ar 15 style rifle as a holiday gift for his son. the father faces four counts of involuntary manslaughter and two counts of second degree murder, and eight counts of cruelty to children in the case. >> these charges stem from mr. gray knowingly allowing his son, colt, to possess a weapon. >> the nine injured are on the mend and are expected to make full recoveries. people came to school today with bouquets of flowers for the victims. >> coming up next, a seven on your side investigation. bay area victims who are part of an international cryptocurrency scam. some lost their entire life savings. >> well, san francisco changed its city charter after charter after 30 years. we dig through

what's become a 538 page document to see what revisions could help build a better bay area. i'm meteorologist sandhya patel. bay area baking in triple digit heat. >> i'll let you know how long before relief arrives when abc seven news at six continues. >> and pride is coming to oakland this weekend and abc seven is a proud sponsor. we are live streaming the parade starting at 11 a.m. on sunday. watch wh

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pig butchering are bravely sharing their stories in an effort to warn you. our story is part of an abc news nationwide investigation and abc seven news reporter melanie woodrow has this seven on your side investigation. >> warren deng was dancing his way through retirement until he got duped out of his life savings. i was angry. >> i'm as angry for the last few years. >> warren was previously a 30 year scientist in big pharma. college educated? yes. master's degree? yes. in spite of his education, he says he trusted people who contacted him on linkedin with enticing investments. >> hey, i got this great investment. here's some numbers. look at the statistics on these. and so you dive in a little bit, maybe 5000 or 10,000 at a time. and you return with like 20%. then they entice you to get more and more money until they pulled out my 401. and that's the downfall. each of those

platforms disintegrated. one was my account got dissolved the second the scammer just took off and the third i couldn't even get my money out. the fbi tells abc news that losses from investment scams rose from $3 billion in 2022 to 4, and a half dollars billion in 2023. >> fraudsters are going to fatten up the victims by putting more enticing the victims to put more money into an investment. and then they're going to slaughter them by walking away and stealing their money. >> single dad and thai massage therapist shai polonsky met sandy online, who he says broke the bank and his heart. >> she spoke in a very kind of poetic way that spoke to me and that's how we got started talking to each other. >> it was shai who ultimately asked for sandy investment advice. his initial investment, $2,000. >> i made about $300 in a few minutes. you know, we did probably 3 or 4 trades that

first night. >> he was even able to take out some money at sandy's suggestion to celebrate. no problems until i made a decision to essentially put in my life savings. friends helped shai realize he was a scam victim. >> you know, my heart just broke. >> soon after, scammers told him his account was flagged and that he'd have to pay a $10,000 refundable deposit to take out his money. again >> i certainly thought that that was baloney. >> it's not clear who he was actually talking with, but abc news did track down the woman she thought he was communicating with in these pictures. the real woman in these photos has nothing to do with what happened to shai. but she says she knows her photos have been used in scams for years. she's even received text messages from victims asking for their money back. >> they're very good at building trust. they know how to do that, santa clara county deputy district attorney erin west has taken on the battle against crypto scammers. >> unfortunately, we find ourselves in a period of time that we need to be wary of

anyone that comes into our circle. >> the people who lose their life savings aren't the only victims. >> some people are being kidnaped and forced to scam others. it happened to sarah, who agreed to speak with abc news using a pseudonym and with her voice and face disguised, she was living in south africa when she applied for a new job she believed would be in bangkok. >> well, i was expecting to be a customer service consultant. >> instead, sarah was kidnaped and brought to a compound in myanmar where her passport was taken and her cell phone sim card destroyed. sarah took this photo outside the compound. when i got the first three days, they couldn't tell me what i was doing. >> all i could see people that were stressed, they were not happy and they would just had their eyes glued on a computer. >> sarah says she was instructed to play a part. >> so i had to actually, i need to learn to be an asian woman. i used to work for like 20 hours. i wanted to make an honest living, be an honest citizen.

and here i am now i'm a prisoner forced to do things that i don't want to do. >> i feel for the people who are being trafficked in that way and who are being conned. on the other side, the crypto con has law enforcement and prosecutors working overtime. >> this is so pervasive and is happening to so many people. >> it's very difficult on the back end when money goes to china and foreign countries for us to recover the money and for us to necessarily work with the different law enforcement agencies and some countries that may be the united states doesn't have the best diplomatic relations with. >> i come to the realization i'm never going to get that $2.5 million back. so that's why i went back to work as a consultant, and i owe $600,000 in back taxes to the state, and feds. >> no, no, i definitely was not able to get it back. >> sarah says the compound she worked at is still operating with increased security and

worsened conditions. >> i escaped, this is an ongoing battle with wounds beyond broken trust and obliterated savings. >> i don't want to lose my heart. i don't want to lose my love of life and of the world and the way that i live my life. i don't want to become a cynic. >> so what to do if this ever happens to you? law enforcement officials tell us you should file a report with both your local police department and the fbi internet crime complaint center, or ic3. but as we heard, these crimes are very challenging to investigate and prosecute, and the victims rarely, if ever, get their money back. first seven on your side investigates melanie woodrow abc seven news. >> isn't that infuriating? just devastating? what's happened to those folks? don't let it happen to you. if you have an issue you'd like seven on your side. to investigate, go to abc seven news.com/7 on your side. that's also where you'll find this story. if you'd like to watch it again, and really make sure you absorb all the helpful

information. i just feel so bad. >> i know it's just awful. all right, let's get to the weather. when i woke up, i thought, did i get things wrong? but no, it's still heated up. it did heat up. it seemed a little cooler this morning. >> sandhya patel is here. sandy. >> yeah, it was wishful thinking. all right, but i tell you what. >> after tomorrow, temperatures are going to drop, so hang in there. if you don't like the heat. let me show you a live picture. maybe this will cool you off from our santa cruz camera, where some people are enjoying the beach. it was definitely a good day to be at the coast. here's a look at the temperatures 63 degrees in half moon bay, but heading out towards fairfield and livermore. it was 102 degrees. so yeah, it was definitely another scorcher. inland 99 in concord 93, san jose 95. santa rosa, upper 80s around places like san rafael, san francisco 71 and oakland. you manage to get up to 83 degrees. other than the coast, most areas running well above average for this time of year. from our walnut creek camera, we are seeing bright skies in the inland east bay, mid to upper

90s still concord, livermore. napa is at 83 degrees. you're getting a good breeze in petaluma 72 and santa rosa. you're at 86 degrees from our mount tam cam. we are looking down on sausalito. richardson bay. beautiful view. 66, in the city, 74 oakland hayward is at 80. san jose 89 and 59, in half moon bay. high pressure in control of our weather. that's what brought us the heat that is going to continue. so the heat risk continues for tomorrow as well as today. moderate to major heat risk inland. we also have that heat advisory that is going all the way through tomorrow at 8 p.m. and that's because we are still dealing with the heat. so one more day and after that we're done tomorrow sizzling inland triple digit heat, elevated fire danger inland and in the hills. and we are looking at the weekend forecast to gradually cool off. right now it's not super strong in terms of winds, but oakland hills at 15 miles an hour you combine a little bit of breeze with single digit humidity values in places

like brentwood, livermore. this is concerning combined with critically dry fuels. so we are facing heightened fire danger and you can certainly see that this also accounts for the winds. so this evening moderate fire danger as we head towards tomorrow moderate to high for parts of the bay area. just be aware of that. we go hour by hour, 90s inland at 7:00 along the coastline, though the fog is rolling in. and as we head towards tomorrow morning, it's making its push across the bay. tomorrow afternoon it will warm up quickly away from the coastline into the 90s and the 100 seconds. your morning temperatures in the 50s to the 70s to start the day tomorrow afternoon in the south bay, 92 degrees in san jose, 101. in gilroy on the peninsula. 88 in redwood city, 69 in pacifica. a nice day in san francisco, 74 degrees north bay. temperatures mid 90s around santa rosa. 91 san rafael heading into the east bay. it's going to be warm. 80 in oakland, 90, in castro valley head inland. you definitely want to stay hydrated. it's going to

be a sizzling day. 101 degrees in fairfield, 102, brentwood 99. in livermore, the accuweather seven day forecast does feature the heat for one more day, and then the cooling begins over the weekend, mid 60s to low 90s, i think is more manageable, closer to average by monday. and you're even cooler tuesday wednesday in the mid 80s inland mid 60s coast. so we will get a break. we just have to wait a little bit longer. ama and dan. hang in there. >> patience. thanks, andy. >> we're not good at that. >> no, we are definitely. oh come on now. all right. well, p-g-and-e's rates could be going up again. yes. we are counting to the next. did they even send my lab work...? wait, was i supposed to bring that? then there's the forms. the bills. the 'not a bills.' the.... ”press 4 to repeat these options.” [chaotic music] [inspirational music] healthcare can get a whole lot easier when your medical records, care and coverage are in one place.

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economic data. the latest monthly jobs report is due out tomorrow morning. economists are watching it closely for clues about whether it could push the federal reserve to lower interest rates. this month. the dow dropped 219 points today. the nasdaq was up 43 points. the s&p dipped 16. a milestone was reached today in vallejo city unified school district's financial recovery. the district said it made the final payment of a $60 million loan. the state loan was received 20 years ago when california took control of the district. district officials say the payment marks the beginning of a new chapter. >> this is a new beginning for vallejo city unified school district one, where we are no longer defined by our past

struggles, but by our future successes, the district superintendent says. >> since 2004, student enrollment has plummeted 53% from more than 19,000 students to fewer than 9000. vallejo unified has closed, consolidated or converted eight schools. school officials say they will continue to tighten their finances, and future school closures could be considered. the superintendent says the district will rebuild and invest in areas that directly impact student achievement. >> well brace yourself. your p-g-and-e's bill could jump another $6 per month before the end of the year. california regulators are scheduled to vote next week to allow the utility to recoup expenses from a series of winter storms. utility watchdog groups, though, are fighting this increase, saying ratepayers have simply had enough. there are no limits to how much the public utilities commission can grant in hikes. we're looking at the fourth rate hike in 2024 alone. >> and every rate hike is just

the tip of the iceberg. >> and every hike stacked on top of each other. >> p-g-and-e's declined. abc7's request for an interview, but sent this statement, quote p-g-and-e's is working to limit combined gas and electric bill increases to no more than an average of 3% per year through 2026. the statement goes on to say pg and e has adopted companywide savings initiatives to reduce operating costs and limit unnecessary expenses. >> what do you see when you take a close look at san francisco's city charter? >> so what we have at this point, i think is kind of a mess coming up. >> abc seven news reporter lyanne melendez tackles that mess and looks at how changes could help build a better bay area. coming

every 30 years. basically, we're talking about the city charter. it dictates dictates how things operate in the city. >> but in order to build a better bay area, most anyone in

city government will tell you it's time to reform the charter. >> abc seven news reporter lyanne melendez is here with a look at really what's not working. liane. >> yeah, well, a lot is not working. and here, here it is. this is the entire charter right there. now, there have been so many add ons and changes to san francisco's constitution, meaning the city charter, that many officials will argue that all of that has affected how the city delivers public services, how government serves you. let's skip over the minutia found in this 538 page document called the san francisco city charter. instead, let's ask those in the know what's not working in the charter and why it may be time for a reset. >> so what we have at this poin, i think is kind of a mess. >> a mess, according to supervisor rafael mandelman, because of how the city's governance is structured, based in part on that charter. here's

how the san francisco bay area planning and urban research association spurr explains it. >> who's in charge and who gets to make which decisions, and who ultimately has responsibility and authority and accountability is very confusing. the charter, which was adopted in 1996, had only 173 pages. >> since then, city leaders have added another 365 pages. proposals and ballot measures that voters have also approved. as a result, a lot of that extra stuff has little by little weakened the power of mayors that came after willie brown. >> i was certainly the last mayor that had the authority to be the mayor. >> what most san franciscans don't know is that any mayoral candidate who wins in november will have limited authority over who leads san francisco's city departments. let's say the mayor wanted to pick the next police chief. the mayor can only select

someone from a short list given by the police commission. and when it comes to hiring or firing the head of the municipal transportation agency, the mayor can't even do that and has absolutely no say in the matter because that person is appointed or terminated by the sfmta board. >> all of that has made it really difficult if not impossible, for a person really to be the ceo of a city francisco. >> therefore, 1st may argue that there are too many cooks in the kitchen slowing things down. have you ever tried to open a restaurant in san francisco? sure. the health department has to be involved, but why does it take 11 city agencies just to get the proper permits and licenses? according to spur, a new restaurant has to go through 61 steps just to open. >> well, there are too many

cooks in the kitchen, but there's also too many kitchens. we actually should be consolidating a lot of this. we should be bringing these agencies with responsibility for permitting together and making them function together under a unified authority. >> san francisco also has 126 boards and commissions, some with decision making power that shape how a department operates. according to spur, with so many commissions and departments, sometimes conflicting with one another, it's sort of like a maze making passing citywide policies difficult not to mention time consuming. how do i get out of here? spur says some commissions are very useful to maintain checks and balances. still, they are recommending a review of all commissions to decide which one should stay, which ones should have their role changed, and which ones have already lived out their useful purpose and can be let go. for example, voters approved the creation of the department

of sanitation and streets, only to have it abolished two years later. even though that department no longer exists. today its own oversight commission is still there. as a result, people are not very satisfied with how things run in the city. a survey conducted last year by the city found residents gave certain departments, mainly b's and c's. there are many now calling the city charter to be reformed. how do they get there? let's just say in the coming months, lots of people are expected to weigh in to develop a charter reform measure so that the board of supervisors can place it on the november 2026 ballot. >> if we want to do better than we've been doing, if we want to improve the functioning of city government, i do think there are structural changes that we need to make to make our city government more successful going forward, and i think san franciscans deserve it. i think we should do it. >> and one of the proposals is

to allow the mayor to appoint deputy mayors to help oversee major departments like new york city has, and san francisco had them, too. but that ended during the agnos administration doing away with district wide supervisors is another proposal. before 1996, and i remember supervisors would represent the entire city, not just their district, and should the mayor have the power to fire who they want? so a lot is coming our way. the question is, will these changes make things better or worse, particularly after a slim thing? >> absolutely. >> and you hear so many of the mayoral candidates say, i'm going to do this. if i win, i'm going to do that. well, guess what? this is going to stand in their way. >> well, this is literally the definition of bureaucracy right here. exactly. >> i know you're going to take it home and read it. >> yeah. he's a little light reading. yes. >> thanks, liane. >> sure. there may be a test later. >> take it with me. >> don't hurt your back carrying

that thing out of here. so heavy. a last minute change by hunter biden as his tax evasion trial was ready to start in los angeles. the legal wrangling that resulted in a guilty plea. also ahead. >> i'm abc's perry russom in washington. former president trump talking his plan for the economy with a debate on abc just days i only meant to order five. there's not enough money in my account for these. i'm gonna get charged. two things i just can't deal with. overdraft charges. and garden gnomes. but your bmo smart advantage checking account gives you an extra day to avoid an overdraft fee. nice to see a bank cutting people some slack. mistakes happen. and we give you time to correct them. so, you don't like gnomes huh? what about that one? that one i like. a lot.

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