for freedom for convicted killers eric and lyle menendez. focus is now on governor newsom's office, the new move the brother's attorney made today. but first up against the clock. both presidential

candidates today begin a battleground blitz in the final week. good afternoon, i'm kristen z. making every minute count. donald trump and kamala harris are hitting up several states right now in a last ditch effort to get some votes. just five days remain until election day. today, two states are in the spotlight. abc news reporter christiane cordero has the latest in the race for the white house. >> as the election enters its final few days. today, former president trump is rallying in front of a new crowd, visiting democratic stronghold new mexico for the first time this cycle. >> look, i'm only here for one reason. they all said don't com, i said, why? you can't win new mexico. i said, look, your votes are rigged. we can win new mexico. >> he and vice president harris are on a battleground blitz, both campaigning today in nevada and arizona. in his closing message, trump has largely focused on the issue of immigration, promising the largest mass deportation in american history. he's also trying to boost support among women voters, though some

republicans warn trump's rhetoric could turn them away. >> i'm president. i want to protect the women of our country, they said. they said, sir, i just think it's inappropriate for you to say, pay these guys a lot of money. can you believe it? i said, wel, i'm going to do it whether the women like it or not. i'm going to protect them. >> the harris campaign quickly turned that line into an ad for the women. >> like it or not, whether the women like it or not, whether the women like it or not. the vp then responding on her way to phoenix. >> it actually is, i think, very offensive to women in terms of not understanding their agency, their authority, their right and their ability to make decisions about their own lives, including their own bodies. >> with five days to go, harris is highlighting her priorities on the economy, reproductive rights and more recently, uniting the country. harris insists she is the underdog. >> donald trump's been running for the last decade. i've been in this race about three and a

half months, and the stakes are so high. >> and today, harris spoke out against house speaker mike johnson's suggestion that congress may try to get rid of the affordable care act. trump has tried distancing himself from that. christiane cordero abc news, washington. >> instead of knocking on doors or calling on the phone, more and more groups are turning to social media to reach gen z voters. both the republican and democratic national conventions had social media influencers posting from the convention. santa clara county's registrar of voters is leaning into using social media platforms to engage the youngest voters. the registrar's office is creating content on instagram reels and anime inspired pamphlets. as of yesterday, santa clara county had pre registered 7000, 16 and 17 year olds. abc seven will help you navigate through all the races and measures on the november 5th ballot. we have a voter guide on abc seven news.com. you'll find it under the election section. developing

news and a new effort to get convicted killers lyle and erik menendez released from prison. this attempt rests with governor gavin newsom. abc news reporter jacqueline lee tells us about this latest bid for freedom. the future of the menendez brothers now lies with california governor gavin newsom on wednesday, l.a. district attorney george gascon filing a letter to support their release from prison, writing they have respectively served 34 years and have continued their educations and work to create new programs to support the rehabilitation of fellow inmates by law, the governor cannot make a decision on the case for ten days until november 7th. >> if the da actually believes that you should have your sentence commuted, that's going to go strongly with the governor when he considers it. >> the governor, discussing the case on his podcast politicking. >> what matters are the facts. what matters is justice and fairness, not treating them any worse because they're celebrities, not treating them certainly any better because they're celebrities. >> the menendez brothers case has come under intense scrutiny

on social media after a new television series and documentary were you scared, larry? new evidence supporting their bid for clemency includes allegations by a former member of the boy band menudo, who claims the brothers father, jose, raped him in the 1980s. there's also a newly discovered letter that eric wrote to his cousin, describing his father's alleged abuse months before the murders, the family's defense attorney saying it's time all of these family members will uniformly ask one thing, which is bring them home, bring them home, bring them home. there are three possible tracks for their release the first is that request for clemency from the governor, which could shorten their sentence to time served. the second is the da's call for them to be resentenced. that also requires a parole board's approval. and ultimately, the governor's okay. and lastly, a so-called habeas hearing in which new evidence of the sexual assault they say they endured could lead to a change in their conviction. if governor newsom

grants clemency or if the brothers are resentenced, the parole board needs to approve it, which could take up to a year. the brothers could get out faster if a judge reduces their conviction from murder to voluntary manslaughter. jacqueline lee abc news, los angeles. now to your accuweather forecast. halloween halloween weather will be a treat this evening, but we are tracking another round of rain. abc seven weather anchor spencer christian has a look at the timing of some wet weather. >> bright and sunny skies will continue into the early evening hours. the witching hours after sunset will be really nice for trick or treaters. i mean, the wind is going to be calm. it'll get a little bit cooler after the sun sets, but the weather is going to be nice and dry and calm, so enjoy the trick or treating. and then late tomorrow into early saturday, our next round of rainfall will come through. so be prepared for that. meanwhile, we're looking now at the projected high temperatures for this afternoon under mainly sunny skies, 60 degrees at half moon bay, 64 san francisco, all around the bay shoreline. we're talking about

highs around 64 to 66 degrees. up in the north bay, a fairly a little bit wider range of 63 at napa, 66. santa rosa 69 will be the high at san rafael. notice the absence of 70 plus degree readings because it's getting seasonably cool right now in the inland east bay. we'll see upper 60s as well as down in the south bay, 68 at san jose, 67 at morgan hill. now let's talk about the next frontal system approaching us that will start to sweep into the bay area late tomorrow. by about 5:00 in the afternoon, if not sooner. we'll see the first rainfall developing in the north bay as the front continues its movement. the rainfall will expand to other parts of the bay area. that's our goal. late tomorrow night, up to about midnight or so. then overnight tomorrow night into early saturday morning, the rain continues, but it starts to taper off a little bit. and then by about midday to early afternoon saturday, it should be all over, giving way to drier conditions. so here's the accuweather seven day forecast tomorrow. rain arrives in the nighttime hours, if not early. evening continues into saturday

morning. this system will rank level one on the exclusive abc seven storm impact scale. a storm of light intensity. then, on sunday, don't forget to fall back to standard time. it will be a bright and breezy day on sunday. then it will be bright and warmer on monday, tuesday and wednesday. >> all right, so bottom line, you're going to be okay. a few sprinkles possibly, but all good tonight. one of the most hotly contested races on the ballot on tuesday is out in the south bay. former assembly member evan lowe will be joining us live, and we'll ask him about his campaign for congress against form

seen ten straight quarters of growth. so why, despite the data, do so many voters have concerns? we're getting some answers from abc news reporter andrea fujii. as millions of americans cast their ballots early. new evidence that the economy widely seen as the top issue this election is growing. the gross domestic product, a measure of the goods and services produced, grew by 2.8% in the last quarter. the 10th consecutive quarter of growth and good news on jobs. the private sector added 233,000 jobs this month, exceeding expectations. consumer confidence also just posted the highest monthly gain since early 2021. >> the economy is going to be performing next year, much like it is this year. not bad. relatively strong growth. a lot of jobs, low unemployment, inflation. back close to the federal reserve's target and wages are up. >> so why aren't voters feeling

so rosy? >> i can barely afford gas. my groceries are really, really expensive. >> analysts say those wages aren't making up for years of rising costs. food prices, while stabilizing, are still 25% higher compared to the last presidential election. gas, although down in the last year, is still nearly a dollar more per gallon than during the pandemic in 2020, and the monthly mortgage payment on a typical home has nearly doubled since 2020 to nearly $2,200. merry christmas! with the holiday shopping season right around the corner, major retailers know shoppers are worried, so they're launching black friday sales early. target has announced a three day early black friday event next week, and walmart's black friday discounts will begin in mid-november. the federal reserve is expected to cut interest rates again next week, and tomorrow we get the government's monthly jobs report. the final reading on the economy before tuesday's election. andrea fujii abc news,

new york. and our live interview with assemblyman evan low, running for congress. be ri

it has a rare opening with longtime congresswoman anna eshoo retiring. it is democrat versus democrat, but if you've seen the ads and mailers, you know there's nothing friendly about this competition. >> former san jose mayor sam liccardo is running against state assemblymember evan low. the race came down to the two candidates after a nearly three way runoff in the primary. that runoff happened when low and former candidate joe simitian tied for second place. a recount requested by a former staffer of liccardo's found simitian falling short. low accused liccardo of being behind the recount, arguing it would help him. it's a claim that

liccardo's campaign denied. since then, accusations have been going back and forth. liccardo accuses low of illegally using state campaign funds to pay for ads to promote his race in congress. a federal seat, while not directly bringing up the district 16 congressional race, the ad in question shows low touting accomplishments he made as an assembly member. the graphic on the ad stating it was paid for by evan low for assembly 20-24. >> all right, so that's some of the context of this race so far. abc seven invited both candidates to our program this week. sam liccardo joined us yesterday. and here today is state assembly member evan lowe. assemblyman lowe, thanks for your time. >> happy halloween christine. >> it is halloween. hopefully nothing too scary. look, i want to start here. i want to give you a chance to talk about, you know, the issues you care about. but in press releases or letters on behalf of both sides, we've seen references to maga or trump tactics, which for two democrats is probably the label you want least. do you regret the contentious tone that this race has taken on?

>> i think it is important that we lower temperatures as best as possible, but look, what it matters is the importance of the truth and the fact of the matter is that this this race, i'm the only candidate endorsed by the california democratic party as a sole endorsed candidate, whereas my opponent, mr. liccardo, is endorsed by the american independent party, a party that was founded by segregationists. this is in the voter guide. so these truths do matter. and i am excited to have the opportunity these next five days to earn the trust and support of voters in congressional district 16. >> since you bring up endorsements this week, you did get governor newsom's endorsement. and of course, you have the san jose police and firefighters unions. but notably, mayor liccardo does have the major newspapers and many of your colleagues in the assembly. right. so how do you explain the endorsements you got and didn't get to the voters? >> well, i think it goes into a wide variety of different experiences and nuance. given the relationships, politics, geography, a wide variety of

different issues. and so what does matter, though, is that in this election, we're thinking about the existential crisis facing that of our nation, who is best equipped and working with our future president, kamala harris. and that's why the california democratic party, when assessing both of our candidacies, lent their support. that's why governor gavin newsom, i'm honored to earn his support as one of the most prolific lawmakers and governors in the nation. as the highest ranking individual in our state, i'm proud to have worked with him and know that he has given his nod to continue the service and the legacy of service of congresswoman anna eshoo in this district. >> i just want to circle back to kind of the way this campaign has played more time, because i think this is important. people have seen those ads, and we show them in my colleague zach fuentes piece of yours that tout your work in the assembly. right. using your state account or the state campaign funds. but it airs at a

time when you are seeking a federal seat. you're running for congress right now. and so defend the vote concludes its quote in substance, a campaign ad several congressional members have signed a letter urging you to stop using your state campaign funds this way. how do you respond? >> my response is that it's nonsense. and in fact, the fact of the matter is that multiple news stations, including this one, continue to air the ad because of the permissibility of this. what is important is that we follow the rules accordingly. the organization that you referenced has endorsed mr. liccardo. so there is a vested interest in this effort. but i'm hopeful that in these remaining five days that we get through the noise and working hard and diligently and earning the trust and support of who is the best to continue the legacy of service, of congresswoman anna eshoo. and i'm excited in these next five days to do so. >> okay, so you believe those ads are both legal and also ethical, which you can argue those are different things. >> absolutely. and in fact,

that's why the news stations, including this one, continue to air them. okay. >> i want to talk about some of the biggest issues facing the voters in district 16. crime. certainly one of the biggest issues in the bay area, certainly for the south bay as well. so prop 36, which reverses some of prop 47 reforms and toughens up penalties for some drug and theft crimes, is polling you probably know very strongly with voters in likely to pass. you are against it though. can you explain your position? >> yes. the most recent polling is somewhere upwards of the 70 plus percentile. so i have full confidence that it will pass. but look, the fact of the matter is, in the state legislature, we have tackled and passed a wide variety of measures this year to tackle retail theft, increasing penalties and actually solving the problem. look, this problem is actually about enforcement of the law, the criminal activity that we see currently is unlawful. so what we need to do is enforce the current law. that's why we've helped to provide greater funding for law

enforcement. we need more police officers. my brother is a police officer in san jose. so this is not just rhetoric, but it's personal, lived family experience. that's why i'm endorsed by the san jose police officers association and kristen sze also been named legislator of the year from the california police chiefs association. i've authored numerous pieces of legislation to strengthen public safety, so i know this issue quite well. but we need to be cervical surgical in this approach and not go back to the era of mass incarceration. >> okay, the cost of living is another big issue, right? in san jose, it's 75% higher than the national average. the peninsula pretty much the same. what measures would you propose from congress if you got there to alleviate the cost of living burden on families? >> well, let's provide that context that you also highlighted. so well, which is an individual making close to $110,000 will qualify for low income within our region. and this congressional district in fact, one needs to earn close to

$300,000 to afford a single family home in this district. that is not the california nor american dream that is attainable for the vast majority of individuals living in growing up here. so it is imperative that we're tackling this issue with the urgency that it requires. that's why i'm in partnership with kamala harris in supporting the $25,000 new homebuyers tax credits, providing record amount of funding for our state as well, to go into local communities where we also need local communities to do their job to help ensure that we're seeing the type of housing commensurate with the general plan and maintaining our suburban integrity near major transit corridors as well. these are all the type of partnerships that i have the experience to be able to do. and again, the lived experience is important, not just what i will say, but what i have done and what i will do. >> okay. and this is kind of a silicon valley issue, which is there are growing ethical security, economic and ethical concerns about ai. but the technology is definitely a

driver of the economy in the district you want to represent. how would you balance those concerns while encouraging innovation still? >> well, we are the innovation capital of the world, so let's acknowledge and be reminded about that. but we're also fiercely competitive, not just in the united states with other states, but also globally. so how do we make sure? how do we help ensure that we maintain our global competitiveness, maintaining the innovation economy and keeping that secret sauce, strengthening our educational institutions, lowering the cost of housing so that we can attain and attract new talent? how do we help expedite our antiquated immigration system to allow for those to continue to take the jobs that are so required, while also as a government value, not losing sight of who we fight fo? ultimately, we know that machine learning and the future of technology will tackle and have a concern with the displacement of workers, the future of work.

but it is our fundamental goal to provide that opportunity and making sure that we are providing that that effort on protecting everyday citizens consumer protection and privacy must be our utmost priority in this regard. >> all right, assemblymember evan low, we are out of time. have more questions, but we're going to have to leave it there. thank you so much for your time. >> thank you kristen. happy halloween. >> happy halloween. all right. and we'll take a short break and we'll be right back with a lot more about halloween, including a spooky boost

entertainment zone event. it's happening in the same place as

oktoberfest on front street between california and sacramento streets. the event, called nightmare on front street, kicked off about one hour ago. abc seven news reporter lena howland has a look at how businesses were getting ready for the finishing. >> touches are being made as california's first ever entertainment zone prepares to host its second event. this time, it's nightmare on front street. >> it means that people can buy a beer from any one of these establishments and hang out like normal human beings outside, not in a cage and drink. and guess what? nothing goes wrong. >> ben bleiman is the owner of harrington's bar and grill, one of three bars that will be able to legally serve to go drinks for the eight hour block party, complete with costume contests, live music, and spooky decor. i'm really excited. >> just as a city kid, for things like this to happen in the city, especially downtown, bleiman says. >> their first entertainment

zone event for oktoberfest was a huge success, with thousands showing up for the one day block party. >> it's one of the craziest service days of my life. we sold about 5000 beers, about 43 kegs of beer that day. we had zero incidents. it was one of the most fun and spirited events i've ever been a part of. however, i was behind the bar for ten straight hours. >> this time around. he's hired ten extra staff members to help with the rush. >> as you can tell, i'm ready to go tonight. this afternoon, i'll be there, buddy the elf, otherwise known as rodney fong, is president and ceo of the san francisco chamber of commerce. >> while business owners say they're not quite to prepandemic levels of service yet, he says the data shows events like these are bringing people back to san francisco. >> the chamber of commerce has a data dashboard on sf chamber .com, which actually shows you like open table reservations, spiking and pedestrian traffic on the sidewalks, rising. so there's certainly indications that things are getting much better. >> today's nightmare on front

street goes until 10:00 tonight. their next event is already set for mid-december in san francisco. lena howland, abc seven news. >> in the south bay today, san jose firefighters distributed thousands of glow necklaces to schools to help trick or treaters be more visible tonight. they kicked off the giveaway at santee elementary school on audubon drive. san jose firefighters bought more than 3000 glow necklaces this year. and amazon owned zoox is moving forward with plans to start offering rides in its self-driving vehicles. the company's co-founder made the announcement yesterday. he said the rides will start very soon in san francisco's south of market neighborhood, also on the las vegas strip. at first, only zoox employees will get to ride in the driverless vehicles. public rides will start, they hope, early next year in las vegas before expanding to san francisco. remember, abc seven news is streaming 24 over seven.

get the abc seven bay area app and join us whenever you want, wherever you are. that's going to do it for now. thank you so much for joining us. world news tonight with david muir starts right now. and i'll see you back here for abc seven news at four. happy halloween. tonight, breaking news as we come on the air. five days to go. kamala harris and donald trump in the battlegrounds tonight, both making news at this hour. outside new york city, the new york state trooper shot, rushed into surgery. the hunt right now for the suspect. and the record highs this halloween, from new york to philadelphia and beyond. and the big c