starts right now. >> at times in this nation, when people's rights and freedoms are under attack, when they're threatened, when they're at ris, as is so often the case, people look west across this country. they look west to california.

>> california attorney general rob bonta. governor gavin newsom and state lawmakers are meeting in sacramento for a special session to look at ways to protect california policies ahead of president elect donald trump's second term. good afternoon, i'm kristen z. thanks for joining us. the special legislative session called for by governor newsom is now underway at the state capitol. one of governor newsom's first moves following donald trump's reelection was to call this special session. and it didn't take long before we got details about what lawmakers hope to accomplish. so we heard from attorney general rob bonta, state lawmakers and reproductive rights advocates. bonta announced two assembly bills he says will safeguard access to reproductive care in california. he says the state will not back down. >> the truth is, this is an urgent and dangerous situation. the right wing extremists continue to wage attack after attack on our bodily autonomy,

at the expense of the health or life of pregnant persons. >> abc seven news reporter monica madden is in sacramento covering the special session. she'll join us live starting at 4 p.m. and we'll have updates as they happen on our abc seven bay area apps and abc seven news.com. all right. we are also at the start of a pivotal month for the future of local public schools. financial struggles and shrinking enrollment are certainly issues, creating a big budget problem for many bay area public schools. several districts will hold critical votes on school closures and budget changes in the weeks to come. today, oakland unified leaders will meet to figure out how to tackle the district's $95 million budget deficit. the school board has been considering a number of options. now, you might remember last month the idea of school closures was back on the table. a hiring freeze, eliminating positions and restructuring. some departments are also being considered. the board is

scheduled to finalize cuts at its meeting next week. the alum rock union school board is expected to vote tonight on possible school closures as well. the district says a decline in enrollment and a severe budget deficit is to blame. ten schools are recommended for closure or consolidation, all shown here on this map. these schools were recommended by the superintendent last month. it's estimated that each closure would save the district nearly $1 million in operating costs. parents and students have expressed their concerns over the recommendations. the meeting will start at 5:30 p.m. and can be accessed by zoom. closing arguments are underway in the nearly two month long trial over bob lee's killing. he was the san francisco tech mogul who founded cash app. the jury could get the case as early as this afternoon in the trial of nima momeni. prosecutors say he stabbed lee in the chest during a confrontation in the south of market neighborhood in april of last year. momeni testified he acted in self defense after lee

attacked him. abc seven news investigative reporter melanie woodrow is inside the courtroom and will join us live at 5:00 with today's developments. now to the reaction today after president biden's decision over the weekend to issue a full pardon of his son, hunter biden, ahead of his sentencing. the president calls it a politically motivated legal saga. hunter biden potentially faced decades in prison for gun and tax convictions out of california and delaware. abc news reporter karen travers has more on the dramatic turnaround by the president. >> president biden today traveling to angola for what's probably his last foreign trip. but before departing a surprise announcement, he pardoned his son, hunter. hunter biden was convicted of lying on a federal form about his drug use when he purchased a gun in 2018, and in a separate case, he pled guilty to tax charges. the president had repeatedly promised he would not intervene in his son's

criminal cases. >> and have you ruled out a pardon for your son? >> yes. after spending the holiday weekend with his family, including hunter, the president, in his statement saying no reasonable person who looks at the facts of hunter's cases can reach any other conclusion than hunter was singled out. only because he is my son and that is wrong, he added. in trying to break hunter. they've tried to break me and there's no reason to believe it will stop here. enough is enough. the pardon goes beyond the gun and tax charges, also covering offenses against the united states, which hunter has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from january 1st, 2014 through december 1st, 2024. president elect donald trump calling the pardon an abuse and miscarriage of justice. and trump has repeatedly called the justice department weaponized against him in the federal and state cases brought against the former president. but it was president biden's justice department that also prosecuted hunter biden. >> it's interesting when you hear the president's team, the president elect's team, talk

about the department of justice and weaponization. it's a little tough to say that because this department of justice is the department that went after hunter biden. >> hunter biden could have potentially faced more than a decade in prison, though a much lighter sentence was more likely. the white house said this was not an easy decision for president biden that he wrestled with it, but they wouldn't say more than his statement. karen travers, abc news the white house. >> the supreme court is divided over whether the food and drug administration unlawfully rejected millions of flavored e-cigarettes for approved sale in the u.s. today, the court is hearing arguments in the case the justices grapple with tobacco industry claims that the government gave unclear requirements for new product applications and failed to provide proper notice to the companies. federal law requires sellers of new nicotine products to give regulators scientific evidence to show that the products would promote public health, but the statute does not spell out specifically what evidence is necessary. we're

going to shift gears here, a sunny and mild start to the workweek today. abc7 news meteorologist lisa argen has your forecast. >> it feels like spring kind of out there, certainly not december. average highs in the upper 50s. so a bit of haze with that dome of high pressure overhead. 60 in santa cruz right now. mid 60s this afternoon. sunny and mild. our warmest day of the week looks to be on friday. and then by the weekend we should see temperatures cooling off a little bit. here we go. hour by hour. a few high clouds from time to time in the north bay, but then everyone else is sunny. we have fog setting up along the shoreline for tuesday. remember, this is december. this is not the pattern we'd be used to. this is more like summer, right? and then we get into tuesday afternoon. the fog sits at the coast. wednesday, same deal. and we are looking at a rain free forecast. this takes us out nine days. the pacific northwest getting all the rain here and we could see even windy conditions after that system moves through. so we want to bring in some

rain, right? it's not in the forecast though, so we have these upper 60s to enjoy today. low 70s in the south bay and even on the coast. quite mild. so the winds will be light the next several days. we may deal with a little bit of fog and some haze. otherwise, the accuweather seven day forecast featuring the dry warmer than average weather, the spare, the air alert today and then looking at that december warmth hanging on for your tuesday. above average temperatures. we'll get into a little bit more cloudiness on thursday and then by friday that should be our warmest day. upper 60s to around 70. slightly cooler over the weekend. >> still ahead. an honor. more than three decades in the making. the name change in san francisco today to honor one of the bay area's iconic political leaders. also, a chance for you to help the club's known for keeping kids out of trouble. the event this week to raise money for the boys and girls a cherished tradition

set in 1915 san francisco. delight in a fun-filled holiday experience. ♪ tickets on sale now at sfballet.org

name. one. two. three. three. all right. >> all right. >> it's now the speaker, nancy pelosi, federal building, the 18 story tower at mission and seventh streets was dedicated to honor the speaker emerita in a ceremony this morning with pelosi herself handling the big reveal. pelosi has represented california's 11th congressional district for 37 years. the building houses offices for pelosi and other u.s. department services. it's a big week for organizations that have been impacting the lives of bay area kids for decades. the boys and girls clubs of oakland are holding their ninth annual town

ball wednesday, celebrating oakland's youth and raising much needed money to support their fabulous programs. boys and girls clubs of oakland ceo john sculley talked with abc seven news anchor julianne glover about the town ball. >> tell us about this annual tradition that you all have with the town ball. what is it and how can people get involved here? >> well thank you. yes, we're really excited about this. it's on wednesday. we're at the newly renovated in oakland. the rotunda. sorry about that. $50 million renovation. it is beautiful. we've got secured free parking there. we're celebrating some some incredible people. tommie smith, living legend carlos reyes is a game changer. and it's just going to be a opportunity for us to raise critical funds, celebrate our achievements and build community connections. >> it looks like it's going to be such a phenomenal event. and

like you said in a truly awesome historic space there at the oakland rotunda. so i know a lot of folks are looking forward to it, and it's all to support the work. as you mentioned, to raise funds, critical funds that you all need. you all serve thousands of children there in the east bay, and you've recently taken on about a thousand more students. so you really do need the support. talk to us about some of the programs and activities that you all provide year round. >> well, we do, and thank you for bringing that up. yes, we were up to about 3000 students. we it typically costs us about $2,000 a year for one student. we provide so many services and life and health skills, but it's really character and leadership education career development, life and health skills, sports, art. and you know, the oakland school system spends about $6,000 less per child than the san francisco school school system. and we try to make that

up. we give the kids an opportunity just to empower to overcome challenges and discover their potential. but it all takes money. and so we really do rely on events like the oakland, the oakland town ball to support us because, you know, we've been around for 85 years. we've got three locations, but we're still, you know, grassroots. it takes a lot to keep these doors open, and we just appreciate any help we can get from the community. >> and, john, i want to brag on you all for just a bit here, and i want to make sure i get this right. you all have a 100% graduation rate and a 90% college acceptance rate for the participants of the oakland boys and girls club. how are you all able to do this and really connect with and touch these young folks in this way that makes them so successful in the years to come? >> oh boy, it is. we are so proud of that. i mean, it literally, you know, warms my heart when we see that because it makes such a difference. just being there. we prioritize education. we prioritize one on

one interaction with our with the volunteers that we have our full time and part time people that work for us and with us. but it does take a village to raise a family and to raise our kids. and it's just it's the backbone of what boys and girls club has done and what we've been able to do here for 85 years. so yeah, we are, we are very proud of that, julie, and thank you for bringing it up. >> there's a lot to be proud of and a lot that folks watching right now can help contribute to. if they go to that website. oakland town ball.org to get tickets and information. john, can you tell us how we can donate while we're on the website? >> absolutely. you can go to that website that you just mentioned. you can also go to bgc boys and girls club, bgc oakland.org. we have everything on that website. also. you can donate. you can donate individually. you can come to the ball if you want. we're almost sold out. but you can do that. you can sponsor. you can

have your if the if your you want to sponsor if your work wants to sponsor. we love that advocate for us. just let people know that we're here because we do need the community support. and then finally you can volunteer. you can go to that website. we'd love to have you come help, be a participant and just help change kids lives. >> making a difference. one child at a time. john mccauley, the ceo of the boys and girls club of oakland. we really appreciate your time and we're wishing you all the best for this ninth annual oakland town ball. thanks for being here. >> all right. are you looking for a few gift ideas as you head into the christmas shopping season? the sf standard has put together a guide to help you shop local. we'll talk to their culture editor about some great places to load

deals with businesses hoping to beat black friday records. abc seven news reporter gloria rodriguez spent the morning in

milpitas at one of amazon's newest and busiest delivery stations on the west coast. >> so you may not have known this, but more than 60% of the items that are sold on amazon come from small to medium sized businesses. and today they are offering some deals from those businesses like this local business. jaden kai 15% off both of these products right here. other big draws for today. this is the fuji instax. >> it's normally $79. you can get it for 39 today on cyber. >> wow, that's 40 bucks off. amazon employees were working very early this morning at this delivery station in milpitas. with the holiday shopping season underway. they prepared to deliver nearly double the volume they normally do on this cyber monday. and black friday was their biggest yet. the facility has more than 400 to 600 employees, plus 100 seasonal workers. they processed some of the highest volume of packages on the west coast. products come here from fulfillment centers, then get loaded onto delivery trucks to be delivered to homes in san jose, santa cruz and palo

alto. >> we had carts just full of packages everywhere, and once we got down to like 9:00, we had to get everything ready for the delivery trucks and the packages were just still coming in. and i was like, it is black friday time. >> and i did ask about the strike and the protests at some amazon workers on six continents are participating in through today. they're asking for improved pay and working conditions and climate accountability. i'm told the strike is not impacting amazon deliveries. another deal you'll find on amazon on this cyber monday. the sony wireless headphones 38 bucks today in milpitas. gloria rodriguez, abc seven news and as the holiday shopping season builds, you're going to be encouraged to shop local. >> the staff at the sf standard has some recommendations for unique, offbeat and affordable gifts for the people you love. joining us live now is emily dreyfuss. she's the culture editor at the standard. emily, welcome to the show. >> thanks so much for having me.

oh, yeah. >> this is a fun one, especially now after thanksgiving. everybody starts thinking about doing their holiday shopping. but tell us why the standard decided to put together a local shopping list. >> you know, san francisco is known for being a place where artists live. people flock here for the creativity of the city, and there's just so many unique and amazing artisans making stuff and really great, fun places to shop for the holiday season that we wanted to highlight some of our favorite makers, and some of the places where we're going to be doing our own holiday shopping for our readers. >> got it. okay, so what types of vendors you sought out? i already understand you saw local, right? kind of unique, but what categories, what kinds of things are they making and selling? >> we really wanted to go run the gamut from like really expensive pieces to the $4,000 sheep, sheep skin stools that i think you're going to see that are made by this incredible local design studio to really kind of more affordable and artsy things that could go inside stocking stuffers. i also personally managed to include my favorite local tattoo artist on the list, who's selling a $5

flash booklet. >> okay, i'm going to hold you right here because i do believe we have some video that, you know, was made available from your story. so hit us with some of your staff recommendations and check out the video that we have and tell us about some of these. this one i think, is the pastry pro mugs. >> oh yes. okay. so these are these luxurious mugs made by a woman named zoe doering, who before she became a ceramicist, was a really amazing pastry chef in san francisco. and she worked in some of the best cafes and restaurants around. then when she decided to stop molding pastries with her hands, she started molding clay. these mugs are available in noe valley at a pop up of the pinckney clay collective. right now, it's running just until the end of the year, and zoe's work is there. but so are the works of nine other people. pinkney is a great ceramics and clay place where they teach classes, and it's just it's women owned. they're so beautiful. and the thing i love the most about these mugs and why i picked them, is when you hold them in your hand, they just feel so

good and they hold the exact right amount of coffee. >> i was just going to say like, if it looks like the tactile experience would be wonderful, okay, i want to get to that sheepskin stool you talked about. i think this is from studio ahead. >> yes. studio ahead. it's a local interior design studio. >> i think we might have mixed up the order of some of our footage. no, this is it. is this it? oh, okay. emily, this is it, right? >> i can't see what you're seeing, kristen. but are they, like, all piled up on top of each other? >> yeah, those are the sheep stools. okay. >> yes. they are. so the photo is a little misleading. they are not legos. let me just be clear. those are actually very large. they are for you to put your feet up on and they feel incredible like a sheepskin coat. and they are actually made with sheep that are raised in sonoma. shepherds like actual local shepherds in the bay area. did you know that's a thing? it is a thing. okay. they feel fantastic. they're heavy and they have this very pacific coast look.

>> oh, they certainly do. you're right. i thought they were either lego or like, marshmallow and like, graham crackers and chocolate or something. >> yeah, don't eat them. okay, okay. >> i promise. also, if you want to take a relaxing bath afterwards, you found some stuff at effen. relax, i like that. yes. >> we all need to f and relax right now. please. it is the holiday season. we just came back from thanksgiving dinners. maybe there was some politics discussed. you know, we've been with our family. we need to f and relax. this is a store that is in nopa on davis. it's a very local shop. you can go there to get these roll on oils that will they smell great. they have like a nice musky presence. they will make you feel centered. but while you're there, you can also get reiki treatment. you can get bath soaps. it's really a great gift for anyone in your life who needs to luxuriate in some relaxation. >> okay, we've got like three more things that i really want to show, and our time is short. so let's run through these quickly. paloma with some interesting japanese bandanas. >> oh, yes. okay, these are handmade, $28 japanese bandanas.

they are fabulous. stocking stuffer or a gift for the good host in your life. bring them to the holiday party that you're invited to. this store is out in the outer richmond and just stop by. okay? >> wild feather. >> oh, okay. wild feather classic haight shopping spot. and for anyone who loves and knows how to rock a good sequin or a kimono, please stop by. these are. they will make a perfect gift for anyone who just knows how to be fabulous. >> okay, and we have plunge towels, so i'm not sure if we have video of that, but right here. what is this? this is the plunge towels. like with really kind of cartoony, cutesy, colorful designs. yes. >> so these are this is a local woman. she's based out of the richmond neighborhood. she makes these towels that are designed by local artists, and they range in price from like 48 to $150. they feel great. they look great. they can be a beach towel or a bathroom towel. >> that's fantastic. do you have some favorite stories out of these items that we've seen from some of these artists? anything that you think we absolutely need to know?

>> you know, i think the fact that the sheep that are made, that they use for those stools are actually grazing in the hillsides of sonoma was one of my favorite parts. and another thing that i wanted to say is that that zoe, during her her mugs are so incredible because she used to. she's so comfortable making things about food. and you'll just you'll love those. okay. >> and quite a number of these are under $30, right? you said the bandanas were about a lot of them. oh, yeah. >> they're 28. most things are affordable on the list. there is an $1,800 ring on there. and i think that those stools are the most expensive things we're offering. but a lot of the things on the list are very affordable. the things we're buying for our friends and family. >> you know what? something for everyone. and when you give these gifts, it won't be cookie cutter generic. like what everybody else gave. so emily dreyfuss, thank you so much. appreciate it. thanks for having me. all right, folks, you can check out her article on sff standard dot com. still ahead

evidence that mountain lions may not be so into humans. the change the animals are making that may help us coexist a little easier. also, the bay area city trying to figure out what to do with the geese who

their lives to avoid human interaction. mountain lions in the greater los angeles area are shifting their schedules to become more nocturnal than mountain lions. in more remote areas. according to the washington post, the study looked at lions in places that are popular with hikers, runners and bikers. the authors of the study say it shows a hopeful example of human wildlife coexistence. we adapt to each other. happening tonight. foster city is going to discuss a new

plan to deal with geese. take a gander at this. the city has gotten a lot of flak in years past for plans to kill geese to deal with its overpopulation problem. the new plan does not call for culling, just making foster city as unpleasant as possible for the geese. they're looking at surveilling the geese to disrupt nests. plans also call for harassing the birds with flashlights and lasers, setting off fireworks or propane cannons, and putting chemical repellents on grassy areas. the city council again will discuss it tonight. thanks for joining us. i'll see you back here at four. now, stick a tonight, several breaking stories. president biden and the backlash now after pardoning his son. sbli the horrific scene on the interstate. tractor trailers and cars colliding. and just in, video of a passenger who got past security and gate agents boarding a