it's an all out effort to get ahead of washington before the new year and the new administration. good afternoon. thanks for joining us i'm kristen z. >> and i'm dan ashley. governor newsom announced plans for the special session shortly following donald trump's reelection. >> abc seven news reporter monica madden is live in sacramento with a look at what happened today. monica. >> kristen. earlier today, governor newsom announced that he wants lawmakers to dole out $25 million for a legal defense fund in anticipation of some of the lawsuits they might file of against the incoming trump administration. but today was largely about pomp and circumstances and assembly members decided to give the gavel back to speaker rob reavis for a second term. and he gave us a sneak peek at what some of his top priorities are going to be. this upcoming regular session. >> californians are deeply anxious. they're anxious about our state's cost of living. they're anxious about the challenges of doing business

here, and they're anxious because they feel it. so our task this session is urgent, and it's clear we must chart a new path forward and renew the california dream by focusing on affordability. >> reavis says their constituents sent a clear message about wanting change during the election, imploring his colleagues to listen to it. california republicans have long called for a smaller limit on the number of bills members can introduce during a session, and the speaker lowered it today from 50 to 35 bills. he says this is going to help lawmakers focus narrowly on affordability related policy that he wants to see passed. but many leaders in sacramento are still looking at other issues. they say the incoming trump administration will threaten. that's why attorney general rob bonta put his support behind bills to protect reproductive rights in california. >> this legislation is us planning to stay ahead of the curve, regardless of what the

trump administration has in store. >> now, lawmakers didn't actually do anything policy wise on the special session today. they just gaveled in and then quickly gaveled out to really formalize starting the process. governor gavin newsom, though, says that he expects to getgh, legislation related to the special session on his desk and sign that into law by january 20th, which, of course, is inauguration day for president elect donald trump. >> monica, the california legislature is so overwhelmingly democratic, it's a supermajority. so sometimes there's a same sameness to the way they want to approach thing. but with regard to this, the way to handle this incoming administration and what to do about it. do you sense that everybody is in line? are they all on the same page, or are you hearing maybe, perhaps some divisions or debates? >> there certainly seem to be a little bit of division, especially hearing speaker riva say that he wants to listen to

what the majority of californians said during the election. after an underwhelming performance for democrats statewide. so we kind of see a little mix where some democrats are ready to go full on defense, whereas rivas, who is known for being bipartisan, was focusing more on coming in the middle and finding policies that really are pleasing to both democrats and republicans in the state. and then, of course, republicans said that they have long wanted to see democrats focus more on these kitchen table topics. so whether we'll see some alignment from both parties and, of course, with the super majority of democrats, time will tell. during the regular session. kristen. >> all right, monica, thank you so much. >> a slew of new laws aimed at curbing retail and property crime will take effect on january 1st. they include san francisco state senator scott wiener's bill, which no longer requires vehicle burglary victims prove that their cars were locked in order to press charges. legislation from menlo park assembly member mark berman allows retail stores to seek restraining orders against people who steal, vandalize, or assault an employee. and

assembly speaker robert rivas bill increases jail time for people who steal or destroy more than $50,000 worth of property. >> hundreds of people marched around the state capitol asking lawmakers to protect immigrants from deportation. pablo espuelaso the star. the marchers held up signs that said we are human and sanctuary. california is already a sanctuary state, restricting how much police can cooperate with immigration agents. the marchers want the governor to pardon people with criminal histories so they won't be targeted for deportation by president elect trump. >> he only sees my crime. that's all he sees. he doesn't see what i've been doing to my community. he doesn't see i've been an asset. he hasn't been. he doesn't see none of that. he just says immigrants, criminals. and that's what i'm afraid of, that he's going to target us because of my past history. >> this march was organized by faith organizations. some of them are preparing to declare their temples a sanctuary to

protect people at risk of deportation and some developing news. >> a 72 year old man is believed to have gone overboard a cruise ship just before it docked in san francisco. this morning. according to princess cruises, they searched the ruby princess ship several times and reviewed surveillance footage before coming to that conclusion. the man was traveling alone. u.s. customs and border protection is investigating. the disappearance delayed the ship's departure for a 16 day cruise to hawaii. in novato, a scare for a pilot whose plane ran off the runway at gnoss field airport today. as you can see, the plane is stuck nose down next to what appears to be a drainage ditch. according to officials at the airfield, the plane experienced a ground loop during takeoff, similar to a car fishtailing. the pilot was unharmed and no one else was on board the plane. >> new developments in the tesla cybertruck crash that killed three college students from piedmont. federal investigators are now looking into the deadly

crash. >> it was awful. sean dixon, krista tsukahara and jack nelson died when the tesla cybertruck, they were riding in slammed into a tree and caught fire. a fourth person was injured in the crash and is still in the hospital. >> all were 2023 graduates of piedmont high school and were home for the thanksgiving holiday when the crash happened early wednesday morning. abc seven news reporter leslie brinkley has the latest. >> students at piedmont high school wore black and purple ribbons as they gathered on the quad. this morning for a moment of silence for 320, 23 graduates who lost their lives in a fatals car accident while home from college for the thanksgiving break. >> the principal just said a few words, just acknowledging the tragedy, and then led us all in a moment of silence, which was it was really powerful. it was three students who died and one who's in the hospital are expected to survive. but it

sounds like with pretty significant burn wounds. so it's going to be a long recovery. the feeling is very heavy in the community right now. the school's wellness center has counselors on hand, although the clinical supervisor said the students who died were the youngest children in their family, so there are no siblings currently enrolled in piedmont schools. >> the three students were killed just after 3 a.m. last wednesday morning in a tesla cybertruck that veered off of hampton road and slammed into a tree and a cement wall as the vehicle went up in flames. residents came by the accident scene in a steady flow, leaving candles, handmade cards and flowers. captain chris monahan, with piedmont police, said. we are looking into actions that occurred before the collision. chp has the vehicle, both the nhtsa and the national traffic safety board have made inquiries about the collision. the nhtsa often investigates crashes

involving electric vehicles with self-driving features. the cybertrucks have had six recalls and three investigations, including an august 2024 crash in texas in which the vehicle veered off the road and burst into flames. in this piedmont crash, officials said last week that speeding is possibly a contributing factor, but they have not yet said if driver assistance features in the cybertruck were engaged at e time of the accident. inged at e piedmont, i'm leslie brinkley, abc seven news. >> the san francisco federal building is now officially the speaker. nancy pelosi federal building. >> the dedication to a long time san francisco congresswoman comes after some big changes in the area. >> abc seven news reporter suzanne fawn is here with reaction to those changes. suzanne. >> dan. >> christine. congressional leaders, past san francisco mayors, the building architect. they were all there to honor speaker nancy pelosi today and celebrate the federal building dedication. now, the building

was named after her and it's controversial piece of architecture in a neighborhood that has struggled to be inviting to workers. it's a new name and a new look for the san francisco federal building. the speaker emerita poses for a few photos on this monday in front of what's now the speaker, nancy pelosi, federal building the 18 story tower at mission and seventh streets was dedicated to honor a woman who has represented san francisco for 37 years. >> for me to have a building named. speaker nancy pelosi saying to the people of san francisco, your representative was the speaker of the house, the first woman, first californian speaker of the house really fills me with great emotion. i'm very proud of that. >> on this day, there's plenty of security surrounding the building. some say the area has been dramatically cleaned up. back in august of 2023, employees at the federal building in soma were told to work from home as much as possible because of concerns regarding safety and crime in downtown san francisco, supervisor matt dorsey

represents the area where the federal building is. >> they did step up with security. >> the federal protective service now plays a more active role in keeping drug dealers off the corner. >> the mayor's office released this statement saying that the city has taken aggressive steps to shut down open drug markets, saying, quote, this effort focused on the tenderloin and south of market areas, includes additional police presence and efforts to address illegal fencing and unpermitted vending on seventh and market. the fence stood up by federal agencies has also helped deter illegal and problematic behavior around the federal building. things have gotten a little bit nicer around here. joshua herbert, who ls a block away from the federal building, says the problem has not been solved. >> the problem isn't gone. i feel like it's been moved. if you go one block that way to sixth street, you'll see a tons of activity over there. >> maria parker pushes her dogs around in a stroller. >> the streets are very dirty and sometimes there's fentanyl in the street. >> a few blocks away from the

federal building is the former headquarters of x elon musk and president elect donald trump are calling for federal employees to return to their offices five days a week. even with the federal building now heavily guarded, some wonder if san francisco's federal employees are able to return safely. >> i think they should be okay. >> they have armed security. i don't, so it should be okay. >> the pelosi federal building is heavily patrolled, but it appears very few people are working in it now. we reached out to general services administration to ask, just how many people are working from their offices. we have not heard back live in the studio. suzanne fawn, abc seven news. >> suzanne. thank you. santa clara county's version of care court is now up and running. the program, first unveiled by governor newsom in 2022, connects people with severe mental health challenges with housing treatment and support services. the individuals must be referred to the program by family members, first responders, mental health service providers, among others. care courts are already up and running in eight counties,

including san francisco. all counties must have the program in place. this month. >> an empty road is all that's left after a van used to earn income is stolen. the search for what the owner calls a hotel on wheels. we'll take you inside one of the busiest places. this cyber monday. and the dangers in the plastic. you probably use and reuse every day. all of that's coming. >> i'm meteorologist sandhya patel. it is the start of a new workweek, and we have beautiful weather out there. above average temperatures with the spare, the air alert. i'll let you know what's in store

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finding her stolen van. but this isn't just any van. >> as abc seven news anchor diane lim explains, it was a source of income and helped bring a little piece of california to the world. >> it was a really beautiful van and everything was very custom, and it was kind of like a little hotel on wheels. >> for missy tompkins, her 2019 ram promaster van is more than just a recreational vehicle. it was her pandemic lifeline. >> i was out of work because i work in the beauty industry, so i decided to build a van and it turned into a way to make money for six months. >> missy, her dad and a woodworker customized the van into a totally tricked out tiny home on wheels, complete with outdoor shower and kitchen.

>> it makes me very proud of her. >> the van, which missy named crescent moon, even has its own instagram page and has been rented by people from all over the globe. >> a couple did get engaged in yosemite. i've had people, multiple people from toronto, germany, all around the us, which made what happened the day before thanksgiving all the more devastating. i got home one day from work and it just wasn't where it was parked. it was parked on fulton and 45th and 46th avenue, where it's been parked there for years, and it's been fine. >> it's a kind of a upsetting sickness, you know. i mean, the fact that all that work goes for nothing. >> according to abc7's neighborhood safety tracker, vehicle thefts across saner, francisco are down 13% over the last 12 months compared to the previous four years. the richmond district has the lowest rate of vehicle thefts in the city over the past 12 months, making this all the more surprising. >> we've all kind of keep an eye on each other.

>> while sfpd tells me this is an open and active investigation, missy and her dad make this plea to police and anyone watching their story. >> i hope they were out there looking for it. i hope we get it back relatively intact and she can go on from there. this is a learning experience for her. >> in san francisco, diane lim abc seven news. >> happening tonight san francisco drivers will have a chance to vent over a controversial new parking plan in one of the city's densest residential neighborhoods. an open house is being held tonight at five at the moscone recreation center. if approved, parking spots in parts of the marina and cow hollow would be converted into metered spots. residents with permits would not have to pay for metered parking. >> alum rock union elementary school district board of trustees is meeting at 530 tonight to consider and approve a plan to close six schools and redesign or consolidate several others. the superintendent's

proposed plan is meant to help address a $20 million budget deficit. this follows a trend of other bay area school districts considering school closures. another area district or bay area district grappling with shortfalls is hayward school district. they're holding their third community meeting tonight to discuss the budget deficit. it's at 530 at cherryland elementary school. a fourth meeting is scheduled for saturday at king middle school. >> all right. hope you had a lovely holiday weekend. the weather could not have been more cooperative, i know, and now it's downright springlike. >> it's true. >> sandhya patel is here. sandhya. >> yeah. dan and kristen, these temperatures are above average. no doubt about it. so let me show you the lovely view from our mount tam cam. we're seeing a lot of blue sky out there, a few passing high clouds as we look towards san francisco, richardson bay. it is 66, in santa rosa. mid 60s napa. fairfield. concord. almost 70 right now in livermore. some of our cities, like san jose, did hit in the 70s. earlier today. a live view

from our east bay hills camera right now. and it is 64 in the city. 65 in oakland. 70 in redwood city and 68 in san jose. but air quality is definitely suffering with the pattern we're in. so a spare the air alert is in effect today. the next two days we're looking at moderate air quality across the entire bay area. and part of the issue is the winds are so light. we have high pressure overhead. putting a lid on the atmosphere. and that's what's preventing the atmosphere from turning over right now. oakland hills that's about as breezy as it gets 14 miles an hour. looking at the air quality, it is moderate in san jose and oakland right now, indicated by the yellow dots. so high pressure in control of our weather, sending that storm track well to our north into canada. and it will shift into the pacific northwest eventually. but it's staying away from here for the time being. passing high clouds in the northern part of our viewing area right now. a lovely view from san jose camera to the next several days. mild winter weather will continue tomorrow morning. we're talking about

patchy fog at the coastline and this upcoming weekend. it is going to be dry but cooler conditions are expected so we go hour by hour, 50s and 60s at 515. notice as we head towards 720 we start to see a few 40s popping up and then by tomorrow morning 30s and 40s not as cold as we saw last week, as you recall. and then in the afternoon it's going to be another mild one. in the evening hours those temperatures will come down. here's a look at the morning temperatures down to about 38 in fairfield, 41 in livermore and santa rosa, upper 40s, oakland, san francisco, 46. in san jose. looking at the afternoon. highs up to 70. in santa rosa, 71 in san jose. some of our mildest spots 65 in the city napa 67, oakland, 66 degrees in concord and 68 degrees in san rafael. accuweather seven day forecast. if you like what you have been seeing today, you're going to enjoy the pattern we're in because really, the mild weather continues with above average temperatures all the way through the rest of the

workweek. over the weekend, temperatures will start to come down a little more cloud cover, a stronger sea breeze, and we will start to notice those temperatures dropping closer to average, especially as we head towards sunday. so kristen, i think mid to late next wee could see some showers. >> okay. really nice. >> it's still pretty in the meantime, enjoy all this. yeah. >> why not? thank you. >> and we can enjoy this. we're getting a first look today at this year's holiday decorations inside the white house. more than 300 volunteers and staff spent the weekend transforming all the rooms and the hallways. first lady jill biden says the theme is a season of peace and light. national guard gold star families were the first to tour the decor today. every year, the white house welcomes in around 100,000 people to check it out in person, and it's beautiful. >> okay, if you want to get into the holiday spirit, we're streaming this yule log again. look for it on abc seven news.com and the abc seven bay area app. there are versions

with and without music. you can do your own music if you want. >> yeah. why not? all right. the holiday season of giving. record breaking black friday. and now cyber monday is here. we'll take you behind the scenes at one of the biggest retailers. >> and why it might be harder to return some of those gifts after the holidays thi

is in full swing. lots of shoppers scrolling for 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. >> 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 packages were just still coming in. 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 this 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. >> shoppers spent a record breaking $10.8 billion online on black friday. that's nearly $1 billion more than last year. online shopping was definitely the preference this year, with a near 15% increase in sales in person. shopping also grew, but less than 1%. >> before you buy this holiday season, let's get to the cost of returns. a growing number of retailers now charge you when you send purchases back. here's abc news reporter elizabeth schultz. >> an estimated 40% of retailers now charge return shipping fees, ranging from 5 to $10 per shipment from brands like zara,

h&m, abercrombie and fitch, j. crew, macy's and saks fifth avenue. amazon charges a $1 shipping fee if you return at a ups store when options like whole foods, amazon fresh or kohl's are closer to your delivery address. >> retailers are charging more return fees because it's very expensive for retailers, not only to send the product to customers, but also pay the fees when it comes to returning that product. >> the fees are part of a broader crackdown from retailers who can spend an average of $30 to process a single returned item. the national retail federation telling us with more than $743 billion in merchandise returned in 2023, merchants and brands are prioritizing efforts to minimize losses from returns, particularly those that are fraudulent. the simple way to avoid these fees is to do that return in store. also critical to read the return policy for some brands, you'll have just 14

days, or you will only bejust 14 eligible for store credit, not a refund, and check when the clock starts ticking. so, for example, at zara you have 30 days from the shipment date, not the date that the package actually arrives at your house. elizabeth schulze abc news, washington. >> okay, so we heard it over and over that president biden would not pardon his son hunter. >> is there any possibility that the president would end up pardoning his son? >> no. i can speak for the president. and he said he would not pardon his son. our answer stands, which is no. >> why? the president changed his mind and the startup asking employees to work 80 plus hours a week and weekends. >> would balanced nutrition for strength and energy.

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hearing a lot of reaction today to president biden's surprise pardon of his son, hunter. >> with just weeks left in office, the president issued a sweeping pardon stretching over ten years and helps his son potentially avoid jail time. >> abc news reporter karen travers is in washington. >> president biden today facing tough questions about his pardon of his son, hunter. why did you change your mind and pardon hunter biden? the president did not answer. but at the white house today, the first lady did. the white house said today, the president wrestled with the decision while spending time with his family this thanksgiving weekend. hunter biden was just days away from being sentenced after being convicted on federal gun related charges in june and pleading guilty to nine tax related charges in september. the president had long promised he would not intervene in his son's criminal cases. >> have you ruled out a pardon for your son? >> yes. >> is there any possibility that

the president would end up pardoning his son? >> no. i can speak for the president. and he said he would not pardon his son. our answer stands, which is no. >> the president now 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. >> one of the reasons the president did the pardon is because they didn't seem like his political opponents would let go of it. it didn't seemd like they would move on. >> the pardon covers 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. republicans and even some democrats are criticizing president biden's decision to pardon his son, hunter. one democratic senator said that the president put personal interest above duty. president elect trump called the pardon abuse and a miscarriage of justice. karen travers abc news the white house. >> house minority leader hakeem

jeffries says congressional democrats will not back down, despite the republican sweep in last month's election. the new york democrat shared his views during an appearance at the commonwealth club in san francisco. jeffries says democrats accept the results of the election and will look to find bipartisan common ground whenever possible. >> the american people are clearly saying, we want you all to work together to solve problems in a common sense fashion, and that's what we're going to work hard to do. >> but jeffries does not believe the election gave president elect trump and the republicans a mandate to enact what he calls a far right wing agenda. he says democrats will do all they can to protect medicare, social security and the affordable care act. >> a crucial hearing today for the e-cigarette industry at the highest court in the nation. the supreme court examining whether the food and drug administration unlawfully blocked the marketing and sale of more than a million new flavored nicotine products. abc news reporter reena roy

looks at the concerns. >> justices in the nation's highest court hearing oral arguments in a crucial case for the e-cigarette industry, the supreme court divided as they weighed whether the fda unlawfully blocked the marketing and sale of sweet flavored nicotine products in recent years. according to the cdc, in 2024, e-cigarettes were the most commonly used tobacco product among middle and high school students. the agency, denying over a million applications to sell candy or fruit flavored products that appeal to kids. according to federal law, companies must show evidence that the products would promote public health and the benefits to adult smokers would outweigh the risk of youth addiction. the fda saying manufacturers did not do that. >> they didn't have that sort of evidence. instead, they have inconclusive evidence about whether adults really need flavors to switch. >> the agency's guidance on how to meet that requirement is at the center of the case. >> the reason they say it's not sufficient is because of the new standard that they adopted after

the fact. >> the companies later suing and while acknowledging their products may appeal to kids, they claim their scientific evidence that flavors help adults stop smoking. a federal appeals court sided with the companies last year, saying the agency had acted arbitrarily. if the supreme court upholds that ruling, it could clear the way for broader marketing and sale of flavored nicotine products. the court's three liberal justices all seeming to share the government's view. the fda followed the law. while vaping among kids appears to be declining. still, more than 1.6 million children use the products, according to the cdc, nearly 90% of them consuming flavored brands, many of them illicit. the case is expected to be decided before the end of the supreme court's term in june of next year. reena roy abc news, new york. >> a, then on wednesday, the supreme court will consider the reach of equal protection for transgender youth. the case challenges the tennessee law that bans gender affirming care for trans patients under the age of 18. the high court will hear

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