right now. >> another major blow to san francisco's effort in the recovery and revitalization of downtown. today, bloomingdale's announced plans to close its flagship location in the city's largest mall. good evening. i'm ama daetz. >> and i'm dan ashley. thanks for joining us. bloomingdale's was the last remaining anchor store at san francisco center. >> but as abc seven news

reporter tim johns joins us live to explain, the store will be closing at the end of march. tim. >> dan. that's right. now, it's difficult to overstate just how significant this closure is for the san francisco center. bloomingdale's is the mall's largest remaining tenant and occupies over 300,000ft■!s of retail space here at the center. now, the store has operated here for almost two decades and is the company's second largest location after its store in new york. as a part of its closure announcement, bloomingdale's cited the shifting retail landscape as well as its so-called evolving strategies for its future operations. now, as you guys can imagine, news of the store's closure has come as a shock to many customers here. we spoke to one woman who told us she's frustrated. >> i love bloomingdale's, i'm going to be sad because i don't know where another one is at. so probably in san jose or santa clara is the next place i would have to go. >> now, bloomingdale's closure is also a big hit to city

leaders. for several years now, multiple retailers have closed up shop in san francisco, especially in this area close to union square. early last year, macy's, which owns bloomingdale's, announced it too was shutting down its flagship west coast store. abc seven news reached out to new mayor daniel lurie's office following today's announcement. the mayor said this in a statement, quote, we don't take this news lightly, but i am confident san francisco's best days are ahead. although this closure is disappointing, i'm energized every day by businesses of all sizes opening and growing in our city. now, guys, bloomingdale's did tell me that they plan on remaining open here at the san francisco center until the late spring, but for now, i'm live in san francisco. tim johns, abc seven news. >> it's a shame to see it go. big presence in the city. all right, tim, thanks very much. moving on now. new details. after a deadly weekend crash in san francisco, seven cars were smashed up, including a waymo driverless vehicle. the crash killed a man and his dog. abc7

news anchor dion limb spoke with that man's girlfriend, who is still in the hospital. >> i don't understand why it happened the way it did, and i don't know how i how i'm how i'm alive. and i honestly just want to trade places with him. he had such a purpose on this world. >> zooming from her hospital bed, lin liu still can't believe how her world came crashing dow. sunday night. she and her dog keepers and boyfriend, 28 year old misha romanenko, were on their way to pick up her grandma and aunt to go to the airport when tragedy struck. >> other than remembering looking over at him and saying i love you and him saying i love you too, back to me. it was just one moment after that. the next moment i was being wheeled into different rooms. >> just after 6 p.m, officers responded to the area of sixth and harrison, where a black tesla had plowed into seven cars, including a waymo. waymo

says its records show the tesla was traveling at 98 miles an hour. it was all a blur to lu. >> i do have like a little flashback of when i was in the car where i saw that he was like, just motionless, and i was just like, oh my god, misha! >> sfpd officers arrested 66 year old jialing zhang, who was booked on vehicular manslaughter. i obtained this police report which indicates zhang did not give off an odor of alcohol after he was arrested, nor did he have any alcohol in his system. after a screening was done several hours later, he told investigators that he kept stepping on the brakes of his car, but the vehicle did not slow down, nor did it stop. as lu recovers from several broken bones, she wonders about the safety of the intersection. >> i really want to know what exactly happened. the way that sixth street exits. you can go as fast as you want until you hit that stoplight. >> lu wants the world to remember romanenko for his positive spirit and willingness to help others. >> it was just so much joy being around him and anyone who's

crossed paths with him, who's had him in his life and in their life, they would definitely have a story or two, or maybe a handful of stories about how he had made them laugh, how he put a smile on their face. >> she asks for their tragedy to serve as this reminder not to take life for granted. >> after losing everything and everyone, the love of my life, just please hug your loved ones. tell them you love them. >> in san francisco, dion lim, abc seven news. >> just awful. now to oakland, where we are learning the oakland city official who was referenced in the federal indictment linked to an fbi investigation, resigned friday as fallout continues related to a grand jury indictment that was unsealed friday. abc seven news reporter anser hassan has more. >> if these allegations are true, it truly shocks the conscience. the idea that mayor tao was selling out oakland even before she won the election. it

it it speaks of an arrogance and malicious intent that i think few people can wrap their heads around. >> justin burton worked five years in oakland city hall. he was director of communications for mayor libby schaff, the predecessor to recalled mayor shengtao. on friday, tao pled not guilty to six counts related to bribery, conspiracy and mail and wire fraud. tao's lawyer spoke after friday's hearing, calling the government's case weak. >> the case is built on allegations from an unknown coconspirator that we believe when the evidence is revealed, will show that my client has committed no crimes. >> one of the allegations unsealed friday is that, quote, once in office, tao took steps to carry out her end of the corrupt arrangement, including using her influence to help appoint a high level city of oakland official. the indictment states that city official was to be approved by david and andy duong. there, a father and son of a high profile family in oakland, which has contracts with the city for its recycling

program. >> the wong's have been known entities in oakland politics for more than a decade, and the concerns about them have been well known. >> the east bay times identified the alleged individual to be larry gallegos, who is listed as a project manager for the economic and workforce development department. in a statement to abc seven news on tuesday, the city of oakland confirmed that gallegos resigned on friday. there are now concerns about the recycling contract with the duong's company, california waste solutions. >> any city council member who wants to raise concerns about who the city of oakland does business with, now would be the time to speak up. >> the agreement that dates back to july of 2015 is a 20 year service contract with an option for two five year extensions, which adds up to the ten years the duong's wanted tao to get them, as indicated in the indictment. >> not only was oakland for sale, it was on sale for cheap $95,000 and a few other things. it's just boggles the mind how

cheap they were willing to sell out the city. >> tao faces a maximum of 95 years in prison. she'll be back in court on february 6th. in oakland, anser hassan abc seven news. >> and happening right now. the effort to narrow the field of candidates for alameda county's next district attorney is underway. right now, the board of supervisors is continuing interviews with the seven finalists after the previous d.a. was recalled. abc seven news reporter leslie brinkley has the latest now on the process. >> i am a candidate for district attorney of alameda county. >> i am very honored and humbled to have the opportunity to present my vision. >> seven finalists who aspire to take on the embattled role of alameda county district attorney, convened in the hallway outside an alameda county board of supervisors special meeting, ready to be publicly interviewed. annie esposito is currently an assistant d.a. in contra costa county, but she formerly served as senior assistant d.a. in alameda county. ursula jones

dixon is now an alameda county superior court judge, but she is a former deputy da for alameda county. latricia. lewis is deputy counsel for alameda county and formerly an assistant da for alameda county. elgin lowe is alameda county's senior deputy d.a. right now, but he's worked in the da's office since 1996. venus johnson is chief deputy attorney general with the california justice department and is a former director of public safety in oakland. jimmy wilson is a former plumber who is now working as an alameda county senior assistant. da ibn shen is currently the city attorney for alameda, and formerly served as chief deputy city attorney for santa monica. all seven had a chance to present their vision to the board of supervisors for how they would rebuild the da's office, just months after the contentious recall election that ousted d.a. pamela price in

november. whoever is chosen will serve until the next general election in 2026. >> they have to be able to be a leader who can make changes, and also to revitalize the da office so that we can regain trust from the community. >> safe alameda for everyone. the group behind price's recall today endorsed two of the seven candidates california attorney general rob bonta endorsed another. the county supervisors had chosen the seven finalists from 15 applicants last week. the lengthy public interviews today included time for questions and answers. the supervisors will announce their choice for the new alameda county da by next week, and that person will be on the job by early february. i'm leslie brinkley, abc seven news. >> today is president trump's first full day back in the white house. he has signed dozens of executive orders, some of them already facing legal challenges. more than 20 states, including

california, filed a lawsuit today challenging his move to end birthright citizenship, citing the 14th amendment. officers enforcing immigration laws will now be able to arrest migrants at sensitive locations like schools and churches, after the t administration threw out policies limiting where those arrests could happen while attending a prayer service at washington's national cathedral today, the bishop had a message for the president. >> in the name of our god, i ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now. >> i didn't think it was a good service. now. thank you very much. >> thank you. press thank you. >> press much. they can do much better. >> president trump's executive action to create a new department of government efficiency, to be led by elon musk, is also being challenged in court. >> today, president trump announced a major investment in artificial intelligence. this happening less than three hours ago from the white house with openai ceo sam altman in

attendance. the san francisco based company is partnering with oracle and softbank to pour $500 billion in the coming years into an ai data center project called stargate. altman says as a.i. technology progresses, it will be able to cure diseases at unprecedented rates. >> after the break, an investigation underway in the south bay after police officers were shot at and then returned fire. what we know about the incident so far. >> plus, taking a live look outside right now as we get ready for another chilly morning tomorrow. abc7 news meteorologist sandhya patel will be here with details of the first frost advisory and freeze warnings. abc

this year of some shooting at police. >> right now, there are a lot of questions about exactly why it happened. >> abc seven news reporter zach

fuentes explains why investigators say they're not even sure the suspects involved knew that they had fired at the cops. >> these roads are quiet now, but just after 1030 monday night, san jose police say someone shot at police and police shot back. >> two plainclothes san jose police officers were targeted in a brazen shooting in a residential san jose neighborhood. >> san jose police chief paul joseph said the officers were conducting a surveillance operation in an unmarked vehicle. it was unrelated to the shooting that happened later in the area of mclaughlin avenue and highway 280. >> while stopped at an intersection, they were confronted by two by unknown suspects in a vehicle, who indicated they were armed and appeared to be provoking a confrontation. >> chief joseph said the officers went through the intersection and pulled over to radio for help. that's when he says things quickly shifted. >> the suspect vehicle then made a sudden u-turn and drove toward the officers while driving toward the officers. at least one occupant opened fire, striking the officer's vehicle multiple times. in response, one officer exited their vehicle and

returned fire. the suspect vehicle then fled the scene at a high rate of speed. the officer's vehicle was hit multiple times by gunfire, disabling its ability to safely pursue the suspects. >> no officers were injured, and police say it's not clear if anyone in the suspect vehicle was hit. chief joseph said the motive behind the attack is under investigation, and it's unclear whether or not the suspects even knew that the two plainclothes officers in an unmarked vehicle were police. >> two of our officers were victims in this cowardly attack, but it could have been anyone who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. >> right now, there's no information on the suspects and their vehicle because the officers were in plain clothes. their body worn. cameras weren't activated. the chief would not elaborate tuesday on any other footage they're using in their investigation in san jose. zach fuentes, abc seven news. >> still ahead. first there was fire. now there could be rain. we are looking at the preparations underway to protect neighborhoods in southern

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tonight, this time in san diego county, firefighters are responding to three fires that started today. the lilac, paola and friars fires. the friars fire is now under control, but this afternoon it was threatening multiple structures. cal fire says the lilac fire is about halfway contained after burning 85 acres. mandatory evacuations are still in place for that fire. the fire is now 100% contained. the causes have not been determined. >> and in the los angeles area, rain is on the way. and the eaton fire burn zones, which is good news in some ways to reduce fire risk. but it is posing new challenges for a recovering community. a cal fire team from northern california spent today filling sandbags to help residents prepare. about 15,000 sandbags are on the way to homes on the hills for altadena and pasadena. even a small amount of rain will send mud and debris. debris flowing. >> definitely a concern. all the

vegetation has been burned away, so there's nothing there really, to hold the soil from sloughing away with. if we do have heavy rains coming in the future. >> with the sunshine the next few days. let's get these sandbags picked up and brought to the homes that need them. >> residents are just getting back to their homes in hastings ranch. toxic ash could flow in their properties just as they're trying to clean up. >> two bay area sports teams are joining forces to help the victims of the southern california wildfires. the valkyries and bay fc are collecting new and unused toiletries and cosmetics for those impacted by the fires. the teams have set up drop off sites at several locations, including one outside chase center. there are also drop off locations in oakland, mountain view and san jose. >> and if you want to help the wildfire recovery efforts, scan the qr code on your screen. right now, all you have to do is take a picture of it with your phone you can take that will take you to a list of verified and vetted organizations that are helping survivors.

>> and of course, we're always keeping an eye on how the weather is down there. >> we are, because it's so critical. we saw what happened when the santa ana winds kicked up. more fires happening down there today. and sandhya, now the threat of some rain. >> yeah, absolutely. and right now, dan. and amid the danger is the winds and the very low humidity. but we do have an opportunity for wet weather this weekend. and that could cause problems with mudslides. that red flag warning going until 8 p.m. thursday. gusty winds, very low humidity. look at that. 2 to 10%. and the combination of the two combining with that severe drought leading to the issues. browns canyon right now 54 mile an hour winds there out of the northeast. the winds are going to remain gusty as we head through the night. 29 miles an hour in simi valley. those winds pick up going into wednesday 37 and then eventually 43 simi valley thursday morning. so those winds will continue to cause issues down in southern california with regards to fire danger. now here is the deal. they need the rain. but the problem is they're going to be dealing with mudslides. if this

model verifies friday we start to see more cloud cover. same thing for southern california. they see the higher humidity. this is the wetter computer model. it is bringing rain into the bay area and southern california and snow in the sierra. the other model is much drier. so i just want to caution you on this. i think southern california definitely will be in for some wet weather, but that is obviously going to be problematic as well. we have nothing but dry skies. here's a view from our skystar camera at fisherman's wharf on that skystar wheel. and there are a few passing clouds, but absolutely gorgeous right now. low to upper 60s for the highs after the morning chill. we had upper 20s in the coldest spots. get ready for another night of it. the freeze warning is for the north bay interior valleys. the rest of the region except for san francisco and parts of the coast under a frost advisory. midnight to 10 a.m. freeze down to 28. frost down to 32. so you know what to do. it's nothing in comparison to the south. historic snow storm continues to pound the region.

they've had the arctic blast. look at these wind chills. new orleans 20 right now atlanta. it feels like 12 degrees here in the bay area. it is quite comfortable in the 50s and the 60s. here's a look from our mount tam cam tomorrow morning. cold and frosty next to afternoon, sunny and milder. and saturday is going to be gusty and cooler with a slight chance of a few showers. so temperatures going down by 8:00 already seeing those 40s pop up. and by 10 p.m. in the 30s for the coldest spots below freezing for a few locations as we head towards tomorrow morning before those temperatures do recover in the afternoon and then in the evening getting cold again. so tomorrow morning, 29 santa rosa, 31, in livermore. some of the coldest spots tomorrow afternoon. sunny and above average. low to upper 60s. our mildest spots will be places like santa rosa and san jose at 68 degrees. accuweather seven day forecast. we are looking at chilly starts next couple of days, warmer afternoons, maybe even a 70 around the bay on

thursday. cooler with gusty conditions. saturday a slight chance of showers, but i think it's going to be more the wind and the cool. and then next week that dry pattern continues. >> dan thank you. you know, you mentioned 20 degrees in new orleans. so weird to see snow on. >> bourbon street. >> oh i know it's crazy. and blizzard warnings for parts of texas and louisiana for the first time. >> thanks very much, sandy. >> well, the bay area's oldest independent bookstore has gone bankrupt. books inc. says its in-store sales have failed to bounce back since the covid pandemic. the book retail chain dates back to the mid 19th century. its berkeley location will close its doors next month, and more stores could follow, depending on finances. but the company website says this isn't an end and asks people to support the business by visiting its stores. >> well, still ahead, the ballots are in. so who's going to cooperstown? we're going to tell you the major league ball play

with the way that pg&e handled the wildfires. yeah. yeah. i totally, totally understand. we're adding a ton of sensors. as soon as something comes in contact with the power line, it'll turn off so that there's not a risk that it's gonna fall to the ground and start a fire. okay. and i want you to be able to feel the improvements.

we've been able to reduce wildfire risk from our equipment by over 90%. that's something i want to believe. [skateboard sounds] weather and more with our abc seven bay area streaming tv app. just search abc seven bay area and download it. >> major league baseball has announced its newest hall of fame class, and it includes a

player with deep ties to the bay area. vallejo native cc sabathia has been selected for induction. sabathia won 251 career games, a cy young award and was a six time all star, and he is one of just 19 pitchers ever to strike out 3000 hitters. sabathia is joined in the new class by pitcher billy wagner and ichiro suzuki, the first japanese born player to be elected to the national baseball hall of fame. >> good group 3000. >> strikeouts. incredible. >> all right. we still have more news ahead. >> let's get to abc seven news anchor karina nova for a look at the stories at 5.30. karina. >> all right. thanks, dana. tonight, we're going to dig into the criminal indictment against former oakland mayor xiang tao. specifically, a negative mailer that was sent prior to the 2022 election. i-team reporter dan noyes has more on the significance of an alleged bribe tied to that election. plus, older dogs are in need of homes after the wildfires in southern california. what san francisco

based muttville senior dog rescue is doing to help, and how you can too. join us for those stories and more at 530 on abc7 bay area streaming tv. dan. >> those dogs are so sweet. >> sweet. we need to help them. >> yes. all right. you can download the abc seven app or head to abc7 news.com, and you can join karina in two minutes. >> and if you're watching us here on tv. world news tonight with david muir is next for sandhya patel all of us here. we appreciate your time. i'm dan ashley. >> and i'm ama daetz.

>> david: tonight, we have several breaking stories as we come on the air. this dangerous cold. wind chills below zero tomorrow in the northeast. and this historic snowstorm. interstates and highways shut down tonight. multiple accidents. also breaking, president trump, after pardoning 1,500 january 6th defendants, explaining just moments ago why he did this. first tonight, the brutal cold from the northeast, all the way to the south. the images coming in. whiteout conditions around new orleans.