san francisco is on the rise. >> people will come. and so we need to keep building to give people more and more reasons to be downtown. >> energy, excitement and nightlife. it was all on full display in san francisco this past weekend, with crowds spilling into the city for the chinese new year parade and the nba all-star festivities. and now, city officials are hoping to recapture that permanently. >> always live. abc seven news

starts right now. >> good evening. thank you for joining us. i'm dan ashley. >> and i'm stephanie sierra. so how can the city's downtown nightlife be revitalized? >> good question. abc seven news political reporter monica madden is here to explain the legislation that aims to. monica, really breathe new life into the area. >> dan, as you know, a city's overall health is often measured by its downtown activity and economy. so that's why we're seeing so much emphasis from mayor daniel lurie and other elected officials who want san francisco to really become a destination city again. nightlife is a big part of that, and a new proposal could make it easier and cheaper for businesses downtown to get liquor licenses. >> it was a welcomed return, a downtown that has struggled with crime and. >> building vacancies post-pandemic. >> booming over the weekend. >> a light switch went off. the energy is alive. >> leaders are looking to

sustain that energy by bringing nightlife back to downtown. >> it is absolutely essential for san francisco's recovery. >> state senator scott wiener's newest bill would create 20 new low cost liquor licenses for a downtown hospitality zone. he says currently, it can cost about $125,000 to get a liquor license in san francisco, but these specific ones would cost $19,000. it builds upon wiener's work with former mayor london breed to get entertainment zones legalized, allowing alcohol in those areas during events like oktoberfest. >> this is about new liquor licenses and trying to promote more nightlife down here. >> mayor daniel lurie says. it goes hand in hand with his initiative to help small businesses get permits more quickly, all part of his bigger promise to revitalize the city's economy. >> state law limits our number of liquor licenses, and they are expensive and hard to get. the message from. our administration is san francisco is open for

business. >> the reputation of san francisco over the past four years has made business difficult. >> hotel manager david lewin welcomes the idea of bringing more bars and restaurants for his guests to visit. >> foot traffic and activity makes any environment feel better. >> but says public safety needs to come first. >> just being able to walk down the street and feel like you're in a safe place, that's a bare basic, and it's what san francisco is, is recovering from. >> if the legislature and governor sign off on wiener's proposal, the san francisco board of supervisors would then define the parameters of this hospitality zone. and they would also be tasked with granting liquor licenses to those 20 businesses. dan. stephanie. >> all right. monica. thank you. alameda county officially has a new district attorney. ursula jones. dixon was sworn in just a short time ago before a packed board of supervisors meeting. she replaces pamela price, who was recalled this past november. jones dixon held a news

conference that is this afternoon and touched on the direction she plans to take the office. >> we need to get back to business. and that just means for me that we keep the main thing, the main thing. this is a district attorney's office, so we'll do the work of a district attorney. and in addition to that, hopefully facilitate other good things in the community. but we have to do what the community is asking us to do first. >> because of the recall. she'll be in office through 2026 and the seat will be up for election again. jones dixon says she plans on running and will run in 2028 as well. >> an investigation is underway after concord police shot and killed a man who they say stabbed a member of his family. it happened just before 2:00 this morning at a home on natoma drive. that's near willow pass road. police say when they got to the scene, a man was stabbing someone. officers opened fire, killing the man with a knife. the stabbing victim is

hospitalized and is expected to survive. >> now to new developments in the cult like group linked to multiple murders across the country. today, the leader of that group was ordered to be held without bail in a maryland court. jack lasota, from berkeley, was arrested on sunday along with two other members of the group. abc seven news reporter leslie brinkley has been following the story of this bizarre case. >> the three suspects appeared in a maryland courtroom tuesday morning, facing gun and trespassing charges, but they have apparent ties to a cult like group called the with bay area connections. prosecutors said 34 year old jack lasota from berkeley, appears to be the leader of an extremist group known as visions that has been linked to six murders in three states. also appearing alongside lasota were michelle, from pennsylvania and daniel blank from sacramento. the three were arrested in maryland over the weekend, ap reported. they wore

gun belts, holding ammunition and possessed several weapons. a state attorney said lasota previously faked her own death, leading her bay area family to declare her dead from a san francisco bay, drowning a few years ago. the visions have ties to a 2022 murder in vallejo and an attack on a landlord there. suspect michelle joshua's parents were found murdered in pennsylvania that year as well. then in january of this year, the vallejo landlord, curtis lin, was found murdered and maximilian snyder was arrested and charged in what prosecutors say was a plot to prevent lin from testifying in court. snyder's fiancee, teresa youngblood, was then arrested in vermont a few days later for killing a border patrol agent, and a passenger in a car was also killed. snyder will be back in court in march in solano county, known as la sota publishes a blog about ending the human consumption of animals

and espouses a theory that two hemispheres of the brain can hold separate values and genders that want to kill each other. a uc berkeley professor who teaches a class on cults says cults are now inside homes online. >> we talk about cults. we're really talking about forms of belief that disrupt our social equilibrium. but there's no legal definition for cults. >> soto asked the judge in maryland to be released, saying she didn't have the means to travel. she also requested a vegan diet. the judge denied bail, citing concerns about her being a flight risk and a danger to public safety. le blanc and co will be back in court on march 24th. i'm leslie brinkley, abc seven news. >> new administration president trump signed new executive orders this afternoon while at his mar a lago estate in florida. he signed one order to study how to expand access to in vitro fertilization and make it

more affordable. the white house says it calls for policy recommendations to, quote, protect ivf access and aggressively reduce out of pocket and health plan costs for such treatments, end quote. he also signed a presidential memorandum calling for more transparency from the government. >> as waste, fraud and abuse is uncovered as programs are canceled and ultimately as taxpayer dollars are saved. this presidential memorandum would require departments and agencies to make all of the details of that freely available to the public. >> the second executive order, signed today, outlines the oversight functions of the office of management and budget. >> an urgent investigation is underway into the delta plane crash in toronto. new video shows inside the plane moments after this crash, with passengers hanging upside down in their seats, their heads nearly resting on the overhead compartments. airport officials say two runways remain closed as

investigators examine this wreckage. they expect delays and cancellations for at least the next two days. the delta regional jet, operated by endeavor air, departed from minneapolis yesterday before it crash landed in toronto. >> we hit the runway really hard and like, extremely hard, and we kind of popped up and it felt like we were leaning to the left and then we were going sideways. i'm not even sure how many times we, like, tumbled, but we ended upside down. i was hanging there in my seatbelt, upside down. >> very scary. well, the plane was carrying 76 passengers and four crew members. 21 people were taken to the hospital. most of them now released. no cause has been determined yet, but airport officials say the wintry weather was rougher than usual in the days leading up to this crash. >> overseas, pope francis has now been diagnosed with pneumonia in both of his lungs. the vatican says this latest health complication poses a, quote, complex picture for

treatment. the 88 year old pontiff has been in a hospital in rome for five days. he was first admitted because he was struggling to breathe and speak at length. he has a history of vulnerable respiratory infections, but for now, officials say he is stable. >> well, still ahead, we've been talking about the speed cameras going up around 33 intersections in san francisco, where some were installed today, and when fines will be imposed. >> plus, honoring a community activist from the east bay, the remarkable, life changing impact she has made on more than 130 students from first grade all the way to college. abc seven news at

to build a better bay area. and today, oakland community activist ora lee brown was honored for her contributions to

education and the local community. abc seven news reporter lena howland shows us how the state is thanking her for her work. >> today is lee brown day in california. thank you for your service and congratulations. this is for you. >> a moment of honor for the same woman who made a promise to a class of 23 first graders nearly 40 years ago in the same bright yellow and red school she stands in today. >> she said if you stick to it and you graduate, i will pay for you to go to any college you want to go to. so and she stuck to it. >> 43 year old cory edwards remembers the moment lee brown walked into his class at brookfield elementary school. he credits her with saving his life. >> once you heard that, everything changed. she helped us dream, you know, to hear something like that. like you immediately start dreaming. because depending on what? like what type of house? i came from a good household, but it's just everybody don't get a chance to dream. >> brown went on to serve more than 160 students from low income families who may not have

otherwise had a chance to go to college through not just a check upon graduation, but tutoring, mentoring, field trips, banquets and more. >> we can either work with them and take care of them now, or we can take care of the rest of our lives. >> she credits her humble beginnings in the deep south with leading her on this mission. >> lived in batesville, mississippi, picking cotton for $2 a day, and i survived off of that. and so when god blessed me to leave there, it's nothing that he will not ask me to do that i won't do it. >> state superintendent tony thurmond says there's a reason he chose to honor brown during black history month. in front of a gym full of oakland students. >> miss brown shared a lot of her personal experiences. her migration here from the deep south, overcoming racism, and we hope that the students from all backgrounds take something from that. >> and brown's final message to students watching. >> don't settle for the bottom.

rise to the top. be all that you can be. it's yours. take it and run with it. >> in oakland, lena howland, abc seven news. >> great message. great life. well, speed cameras are officially going up around san francisco. abc seven news captured this video at the intersection of geary and seventh avenue, where cameras have been installed on the light poles, as you can see. the cameras will be turned on next month at 33 intersections around the city. violators will get citations in the mail. but the city will not impose fines for the first two months. >> and we are out here in scottsdale, arizona. spring training day, two of our giants coverage coming up in just a couple of minutes. we'll hear from the players on some

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] arizona as usual as spring training continues for the giants. >> and today, the team held its

second day of full squad workouts. abc seven's chris alvarez is live from scottsdale stadium. >> and chris, you got an up close look at some of the team's live batting practice today. that must have been fun. >> yes. yeah, and you mentioned the weather. absolutely perfect. as the sun sets here on a weather day that was 74 degrees and sunny. and i did see logan webb, the giants ace, coming this year throwing fastballs and batting practice. and look, i played some baseball in college. there's a big difference between college and the major league level. a little bit more of my natural position here. holding the microphone, talking to you guys about baseball. and it was another great day here in scottsdale, arizona, as i mentioned. look, baseball is unlike any of the other four major or three major sports football, hockey, basketball, short ramp up time here in spring training. and then they get right to games this weekend. cactus league play long season about six weeks of spring training. and then you have 162 game regular season if you're lucky, and play postseason baseball even more games in october. these guys get asked a lot of the similar inside

baseball questions all year. i kind of gave him a little bit of a break. i want to ask what were their highlights from the off season? and here's what they said you posted. what a year. a kind of a collection of photos. what was that year like for you? >> it was crazy. yeah. moved fast. obviously. it's just a dream. that's that's the only word i can use to describe it. it was a dream. and hopefully we can keep keep doing that. >> new dad. fun question for you. who took the photo of you walking the baby out? because i have the same photo with when you're walking out of the hospital. >> yeah, so. >> my wife did it. but i always thought, you know, i'd obviously never done that before. i always thought that that's actually how you walk out. and then the nurse was like, no, you can't actually do that. you have to you have to do something different. so but yeah, we had to my wife wanted to do that and i wanted to do that. so it was fun. >> something different because i walked out of the and walked to the car like that with it. >> i think they said we couldn't do that. if i remember correctly, it was a long time i

was in there, so. but that's what i remember. >> so when you're sleep deprived, you just forget a lot of things. i did think it was cool to. i think his hat said dad gang on it. mine said dad. so logan webb and i are on the same wavelength, just a little bit different age, and he's getting a little more sleep now that he's at spring training and working out for the giants. but that was funny to see logan and i. same thing. i guess maybe i broke the hospital rules taking the baby out like that. i'm not really sure, but she's safe and sound now. >> yeah, we won't tell. thanks, chris. >> too cute. yeah, well, the warriors are going to honor the 2015 championship team. it will happen during halftime of the february 25th game against the charlotte hornets. several players from that team are expected to be in attendance. however, klay thompson will not be there. the 2015 team kickstarted the dynasty, beating lebron james and the cleveland cavaliers in the nba finals. the team won a combined 83 games, and that's the third highest total for a season in nba

history. in just two days before that celebration, the team will retire. andre iguodala number nine jersey. that ceremony will be held after the warriors host the dallas mavs. and you can watch it all right here on abc seven. that game is at 1230, followed by after the game with larry and the guys. >> all right fun. let's talk about the weather forecast. just a little spring teaser. it's awfully nice out there. >> right i know we enjoy it while it lasts because changes are coming. abc seven news meteorologist sandyha patel is tracking the latest. >> that's right. and steph and dan, we are talking about some spotty showers that are coming into the picture tomorrow. but let's take a look at some live pictures right now. good evening everyone. it was a beautiful day. upper 50s to upper 60s for the highs. and as you look at a gorgeous sunset from santa cruz and pier 39, seeing some filtered sunshine from our walnut creek and golden gate cameras. this is all because cloud cover ahead of this next system is moving in. as you look at live doppler seven, and certainly the clouds will continue to come in and out

until that system gets here tomorrow. temperature wise, most areas are running a little bit milder than yesterday by six degrees in livermore, 40 degrees novato, five degrees in san jose. so look at your temperatures. actually feels better when you step outside. 64 in brentwood, 62 san jose, 60 santa rosa. mid-fifties. though san francisco and oakland tomorrow, scattered showers thursday. it's going to get gusty in the hills and near the coast and not enough for an advisory weekend outlook. we're going to have springlike warmth coming our way. so today was a teaser. as dan mentioned, 7 a.m. tomorrow we'll have a few showers developing in the north bay by 830. could see some drizzle or spotty showers across san francisco, the east bay, and at 11 a.m. it's pretty much the east bay and the san mateo coastline heading into the south bay. but you'll notice it's gone pretty quickly. so low impact, low in terms of the amounts. that's why we don't have a storm impact scale on there. and as a matter of fact, some areas are not even going to measure any rain, but up to 16 hundredths of

an inch there in ukiah we will get a few inches of snow. this system is nothing like last week's storms, at least not for the bay area or for parts of the sierra four inches at donner, one inch at tahoe and kirkwood. here's a look at your morning. temperatures will be in the 40s, at least, with the cloud cover. not quite as cold as we've seen in days past. and then tomorrow afternoon, upper 50s to the mid 60s. so temperatures will dial back as that front goes through. and then here comes the warmth. friday. temperatures are going up as we head into saturday we're going to show you some more 70s on the board. and then sunday we'll hold on to the 70s actually getting up into the mid 70s for the warmest locations in time for black joy parade on sunday in oakland. it's going to be perfect for the parade at noon, low 60s and then coming up into the low 70s. julian glover and zach fuentes will be there hosting the parade. so go by, check it out. say hello, accuweather seven day. spotty showers tomorrow and then it is dry and milder heading into the weekend for the black joy parade. and even beyond. we'll

have that winter warmth early next week. dan and steph, fantastic. >> thanks so much. >> looking forward to that. yeah. well still ahead, it's been named the culinary capital of the us and it's a city right here in the bay area. we'll tell you where after the break. >> i'm reggie aqui. >> i'm lyanne melendez. >> i'm luz pena, i'm tara. >> campbell i'm j.r. >> stone at abc seven news. we deliver local stories. >> with real answers. >> to

newscasts, breaking news, weather and more with our abc seven bay area. streaming tv app just search abc seven bay area to download it. >> well, if you like food, you're going to like this. we're in a good spot. a bay area city has been named the culinary capital of the united states. san francisco earned the top honor in travel and leisure. the magazine says the city's food scene has a mix of michelin starred restaurants, legendary seafood spots and diverse global cuisine. >> a lot of people think about dining out as a fancy. we're going to do it on a saturday

night, we're going to get dressed up. it's valentine's day, but a lot of the kind of dining that most of us do are the place around the corner where they may know our names, or they may know our child doesn't like tomatoes or that kind of thing that make it feel like home in san francisco is full of those kind of restaurants. >> and those are the best experiences, aren't they? a total of seven california cities made the top ten, including oakland in second place and san jose ranked seventh. >> add those to the list. well, don't forget we still have much more news ahead. coming up at 530, including the latest on the cult like group possibly linked to multiple killings, including one right here in the bay area. the former chief of the fbi's behavioral science unit, who specializes in cults, will join us live to discuss the group that calls themselves the ins. plus, the bay area medical research community reeling from those massive federal funding cuts. what this could mean for hundreds of researchers, from stanford to berkeley to ucsf. some significant impacts there. dan, you can join us for those

stories and more at 530 on abc seven bay area streaming tv. >> yes, stephanie, we'll handle those chores. we'll see you then. and if you're watching us here on tv world news tonight with david muir is next for sandhya patel. all of us, we appreciate your time. i'm dan ashley. >> and i'm stephanie sierra. we'll see you at six.

tonight, breaking news as we come on the air. you'll see the incredible new video of that delta flight crashing in tonight, breaking news as we come on the air. you'll see the incredible new video of that delta flight crashing in toronto. also tonight, this major new winter storm set to hit. and brutal record-breaking cold. outside philadelphia, the massive warehouse fire closing schools, neighborhoods, sheltering in place tonight. and news coming in now of a break-in at nicole kidman's home. first tonight, chilling new images of the delta flight 4819 bursting into flames as it hits the runway at toronto pearson airport. on fire, rolling over. inside the cabin, 80 passengers