i'm on the rise. cracking down on copper thieves may not come easy. >> cuts in the classroom. another school district is slashing jobs to close a massive financial gap. >> plus, a shocking stunt on an iconic bridge. law enforcement now warning it's not just dangerous. it may be illegal. all coming up tonight on abc seven news at 11. >> always live. abc seven news starts right now. >> we're closing down a street to open up a community. >> celebration in the south bay.

embracing a solution to downtown problems. tonight, san jose is swapping car traffic for foot traffic on one busy block. good evening. i'm ama daetz. >> and i'm dan ashley. thanks for joining us. the city is establishing a permanent pedestrian mall on part of post street downtown. it's just a block off first street, but the city sees a whole lot of promise here. >> this comes a little more than a year since nearby san pedro square closed to cars, which the city says has boosted business and helped speed up pandemic recovery downtown. abc seven news reporter lauren martinez shows us the block party with a bigger purpose. >> woo woo woo. >> one block of post street in downtown san jose is officially closed off to cars, but open to welcoming more people. on wednesday evening, officials celebrated the city council's vote to create downtown's second pedestrian mall. >> we've sometimes been overshadowed by our smaller neighbor to the north when it comes to nightlife and activation, but the area of san

jose being the less cool cousin to the south is over. >> post street is a hidden gem that's starting to sparkle more with new businesses. >> been here for three, but we did some remodeling at taqueria and so we came in and we just completely renovated everything. >> george gonzalez owns the restaurant called the club on post street. this closure allows him to build outdoor seating. >> so when we heard the news, we were like, right away, my mind was just like, what are we doing? how are we going to, how are we going to like, capitalize on this and to make it just more approachable from the from the outsides of the streets? >> yeah. the hope is poetry can be a public space for more entertainment and gatherings like san pedro square, which became a permanent pedestrian only walkway in january of last year with the super bowl, march madness and world cup matches slated for the south bay in the next year. i asked, are you gearing up for it or. >> oh yeah, absolutely. we have a couple of other business owners that we all get together once a month, and we try to bounce around to different restaurants to support them, one and then two to get ideas going. >> across the street is velvet

house, a women's boutique owned by dana gonzalez, george's wife. >> to be born and raised in the city and not have one but two businesses. here is just a dream come true for us. >> in recent years, post street has been known to be the city's lgbtq plus district. community leaders plan to continue making it a welcoming space for all. >> we have great visions and i promise you, in the coming years ahead, this will be a delightful, exciting, vibrant, colorful, clean place that everybody will want to come to. >> in san jose. lauren martinez, abc seven news. >> you can feel the excitement and energy there in the east bay. a financial crisis is forcing another school district to make some major cuts. tonight, the oakland unified board voted 6 to 1 to issue layoffs and eliminate about 100 full time positions. usd needs to cut $25 million from next year's budget. it faces declining enrollment and

increasing operational costs. before the vote, the board heard from concerned teachers. >> and when we talk about supplies and resources in the classroom, the most important supply and the most important resource to these kids are caring, loving adults providing care and education to children in the room. >> by state law, preliminary layoff notices for the next school year need to go out by march 15th. >> seven of the nine candidates seeking to become oakland's next mayor shared a stage tonight. they faced a variety of questions at the forum hosted by oakland side. the first being what would they do on their first day in office? >> i would on day one, follow the will of the voters by implementing measure n n, which requires a comprehensive public safety strategy and plan. >> the first day of office. what i'm going to do is make sure we change the city ordinances of oakland, when most people don't realize that's hindering the ability of our police to do

their duties. >> from day one, i'm going to overhaul the culture. we're going to get our officers out of the cars, off paperwork, and we're going to change the culture of opd. so our officers are not afraid to do their jobs. >> the candidates were also asked how they would address the current budget crisis that had the city looking at closing as many as seven fire stations. >> we need more fire stations for sure. we need a massive jobs program to put people to work. actually working on fire prevention. >> i think we should push for creative revenue in oakland, for example, what if a company were to sponsor a few companies were to sponsor the fire department? if that would be a lot better than cutting 2 or 3 fire stations? >> we need to clean house, refocus, do zero based budgeting, and start with our priorities. what are the most prioritized items that we need to do the core services as a city? start with those and then gradually add the next priority,

the next priority and the next priority. >> one of the programs that i would cut is oakland promise. we don't need millions of dollars of overhead and employees to give out about $80,000 in scholarships. so our city needs to manage our money better. >> the special election will be held on april 15th to serve out the remainder of former mayor sheng tao's term. she was recalled last november. >> one south bay city will have to shell out about $20,000 to fix the damage done by copper wire thieves. a morgan hill police caught them in the act last night. it's part of a bigger trend turning into a trial by wire for cities facing costly repairs. now, abc seven news reporter j.r stone has the story. >> this is some of the copper wire stolen from multiple light poles in morgan hill this week. ben stickle is a criminal justice professor at middle tennessee state university. >> unfortunately, when you look at street lights, it's pretty

easy. targets. thieves are able to pry the bottom access door off and just pull the wire out. >> he studied copper thefts like this for the last decade. in this morgan hill case where two people were arrested. the estimated cost of copper theft and light pole vandalism is $20,000, according to police. >> and the value of that wire may not actually be as high as you might actually think. but the damage done to the utilities, both underground and in the pole can be very significant. >> stickle says when the value of copper rises, the rate that it's stolen at rises, too. right now, copper prices are up. last month, thieves stole so much copper from this vallejo school that classes had to be canceled. last summer, thieves stole 400ft of copper wire downing 9-1-1 lines in pinole. hercules and san pablo. in richmond, detective carol marchek stated just a few months ago that he's getting three copper theft calls a week. >> we actually have the.

unfavorable stats. we are number one in the northern california for the theft. >> as to what can be done. >> some cities are starting to actually replace traditional powered street lights with led lights that are battery operated, solar powered at the top. i've also talked with some highway departments who go in and just fill the bases of these with concrete. of course, that makes it very hard to then service the light if you need to. later, you have to jackhammer the concrete out, but i guess your copper is still there. >> purchasing reinforced doors at the bottom of the light pole is also an option, but not a cheap one. j.r stone abc seven news. >> now to your accuweather forecast. the calendar may say february, but we are feeling more like may with this warm weather. abc seven news meteorologist sandhya patel has another spring-like 24 hour accuweather forecast. sandhya. >> yeah. and really we're talking about shorts and short sleeve kind of weather. not just today, but tomorrow as well. take a look at the high

temperatures for today. got up to 75 in san jose, 74 in santa rosa, 76 in oakland, 70 in san francisco, concord. here's a live view. it is absolutely clear as we look at san francisco from sutro tower. here's what you can expect. tomorrow morning starts off clear a cool excuse me. and it's going to be in the 40s. warms quickly at noon time. we are talking about above average temperatures low to upper 70 for your 4:00 hour, and then partly cloudy heading into the evening. don't get too used to this idea of shorts and short sleeves, because we're going to have jacket weather and umbrella weather coming right up. dan, i'll tell you when. in just a few minutes. >> okay, sandy, we'll see you shortly. a happening tomorrow. we're heading into day two with thousands of uc health care workers on strike. unions representing uc service and patient care workers are striking at all ten uc campuses and uc medical facilities. nearly 10,000 workers are on the picket lines at ucsf campuses.

union members say they have been dealing with a staffing crisis, and they're also demanding annual across the board wage increases. >> we want to take care of our patients. we want to get back in the labs. we want to take care of the students. but we can't do that until they come and come back to the table. address the crisis. provide us the data that we requested, and stop trying to put barriers on our way. >> uc officials say they've offered each union meaningful wage increases, as well as health care premium reductions. ucsf health says it intends to continue regular operations, including emergency care, during the strike. >> stanford is implementing a hiring freeze because of uncertainty with its budget. a post from the school's president and provost cites the trump administration's proposed reduction in payments from the national institutes of health for research, as well as a possible increase in the endowment tax. stanford's endowment helps pay for everything from salaries to financial aid to research. the

freeze does not affect faculty positions or student workers. >> a key fda meeting that was supposed to discuss next season's flu vaccine has been canceled without any explanation. a number of sources tell abc news some experts are concerned the cancellation may delay the rollout of the vaccine this fall. the annual meeting with the fda's outside advisers was scheduled for march 13th. advisory committee members received a cancellation email today. however, it typically takes six months for vaccine manufacturers to prep flu vaccines before the season peaks. >> this is a story we've been following now for almost two years. all the repairs from the storm damage at stern grove in san francisco back in march of 2023, numerous trees came down and one of them landed on the historic trocadero club house, crushing the roof and triggering a flood inside. it took $2.5 million to restore the landmark. and now it's back open and ready to host weddings and other celebrations. the city expects to get reimbursed by fema.

>> more to come. psychologists say artificial intelligence is taking their jobs with deadly consequences. the push to crack down on ai chatbots pretending to be therapists. >> a daredevil dive off an iconic northern california bridge has first responders issuing a warning. >> plus, a casual conversation on a plane turns into a major poaching bust, tracing back to one bay area trophy room. >> first, a look at what's coming up tonight on jimmy kimmel live! right after abc seven news at 11. jimmy. >> thanks, dan and ama. stay up late. i'll make donuts. >> when you got a lot of kids, you got multiples 60 teeth per kid. what isn't? >> what are you having? sharks. are you.

as governor throws another curveball in the menendez brothers case, the brothers have a chance at clemency. more than 35 years after the murders of their parents. abc seven news reporter melissa don explains governor newsom's new request. >> a new order by california's governor could grant clemency for eric and lyle menendez. the beverly hills brothers, imprisoned for the last 35 years for their parents murder. gavin newsom, sharing on his podcast that he has directed the parole board to conduct a risk assessment investigation into the brothers application for resentencing. >> the question for the board is a rather simple one. do eric and lyle menendez? do they pose a current, what we call unreasonable risk to public safety? >> in a letter obtained by abc news, the governor says he'll weigh the impact on victims and survivors. the brothers self-development in prison and their use of available

rehabilitative programs. the move for resentencing is a way to change their sentences of life without parole, and give the brothers an opportunity to be freed from prison. all this follows new evidence submitted to the la da's office of a letter written by eric menendez detailing how he was the victim of molestation by the hands of his father, jose menendez. new los angeles district attorney nathan hochman questioned if that letter truly existed, telling abc's matt gutman that he's casting doubt on the brothers claim of sexual abuse by their father. >> they absolutely testified to it in great detail. i also understand that when it came to any corroborating information about that sexual abuse, it was extremely lacking. >> last fall, more than a dozen family members of the menendez brothers gathered at la's hall of justice to call for eric and lyle's release. >> lyle and eric have already paid a heavy price. they have changed and they have become better men despite everything

that they've been through. >> a news conference scheduled today by family advocating for their release has been postponed until thursday. melissa don, abc news, los angeles. >> well, as you may know, we pay very close attention to the future of artificial intelligence here on abc seven news at 11. and tonight, there's growing concern from mental health leaders about the impact of ai chat bots. the american psychological association is urging the ftc to regulate chat bots that pass themselves off as therapists. it specifically points to companies like menlo park based character ai. the company was sued last year by a mother, claiming that her its chat bot was connected to her son's death by suicide. the apa says ai chat bots should not be allowed to pose as mental health professionals. in a statement, character ai says, quote, for any characters created by users with the words psychologist, therapist, doctor or other similar terms in their names, we have included additional

language, making it clear that users should not rely on these characters for any type of professional advice. >> on the peninsula, notre dame president says the university is searching for a new buyer for the 46 acre campus in belmont. stanford announced it would not purchase the land after exploring possible uses for the historic catholic university's campus. stanford entered into an agreement with endnu in september of 2001, which gave stanford the option to purchase the property through june of this year. this week, the university backed out, citing financial challenges and an extended timeline to convert the campus. >> all right. now to a case of law and order. a simple conversation on a plane turned into a huge investigation that led to a trove of illegal animals that had been taxidermied in the bay area. two officers from the state department of fish and wildlife were flying back from training when they struck up a conversation with a couple discussing hunting. the couple eventually revealed that they

had a family member with a huge trophy room in napa county, featuring mountain lions and even a wolverine. both are protected species. the couple also had a large collection of illegally collected animals at a home in butte county. the couple and their relative were charged with poaching crimes and had to pay fines. >> authorities are warning people not to baseump off the bixby bridge like this. two people recently caught on video leaping off of the famous bridge in big sur. while they managed to land safely, others have not. two people died back in 2016. and on top of the risks, there are potential legal issues. >> it could be illegal, depending on the location that you either jump from or you landed. and so if it's a it could be trespassing, it could be breaking and entering. again, it it depends on where they jump from and where the base jumper landed at. >> i mean, besides the jump itself, the location can be

particularly dangerous. the descent is fast and a jumper could wind up in the pacific ocean. it's not smart. >> how people get the nerve to do. >> i don't know. >> i can't even imagine. >> i don't know, i'll just be out somewhere enjoying the sunshine, feeling it on my skin. sunblock? of course. >> what's wrong with that? >> yes, it's perfectly fine. afternoon. >> that's enough of a thrill. >> yeah, i think so. i mean, you know, dan. and there's nothing wrong with laying out and soaking up the sun. >> with spf. >> yes, yes. >> sunblock. uva, uvb. >> absolutely. let's take a look at some live pictures tonight. hey, it's going to be a good day to enjoy a clear view tonight. good evening, everyone from our tower cameras giving you some gorgeous ones. here's a look from our exploratorium camera at san francisco. tomorrow it's going to be warm again with sun and clouds. that's going to be the biggest difference this weekend. noticeably cooler. and then saturday night, going into sunday, rain is back. so just a little reminder it's still winter. high pressure in control of our weather. but this area of

low pressure is going to get cut off. it's going to head towards southern california. as it does it's going to send us some more clouds starting tomorrow, continuing into friday. here's a look at live doppler seven. and we don't have any clouds right now. temperatures at this hour. pretty mild 40 and 50. here's a look at tomorrow's forecast. when you get going at 8:00 in the morning. inland areas will be in the 40s coming up into the 60s, and eventually the 70s pretty quickly around the bay from the low 50s to the low 70s and warming up into the upper 70s for some parts and along the coastline. yes, there will be clouds in the morning, but then heading into a mild to warm afternoon with 60 eventually into the 70. here is the change that is coming this weekend. we're going to start to notice rain chances increasing, and it's going to remain unsettled going into next week. so yes, we do have some opportunities for some wet weather in the next seven days. morning temperatures will be in the 40s and 50. you're going to see a lot of

high cloud cover filtering the sunshine throughout the day. tomorrow afternoon. san jose 78 degrees 76, in milpitas. on the peninsula, you're looking at well above average temperatures 75 san mateo, los altos, 70 and half moon bay, downtown san francisco 72 degrees 70, in the sunset district. north bay numbers upper 70 around santa rosa. cloverdale, ukiah 72 san rafael, napa. it's going to be a gorgeous day in the east bay, but the sun will be dimmed a bit by the higher clouds. 75 in oakland, 76 castro valley. head inland. you're in the mid 70s. san ramone, pleasanton, livermore, 73, in concord. and here's a look at what you can expect as we head into the next couple of days. so more cloud cover tomorrow as that cutoff low starts to head towards southern california. next system comes in saturday night. we have an opportunity for showers. sunday looks pretty much off and on wet, and then we head into monday morning and still some more showers. there's a system that's coming in on wednesday. that one a week from today looks actually stronger. this will mean snow in the mountains in

the sierra. that is the accuweather seven day forecast. warm tomorrow. mild still above average for your friday. and as we head towards the weekend, it's a change in our weather cooler for march. oscar sunday wet and breezy level one system. it's a one for monday and

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so on. we're just a few days away from hollywood's big night right here on abc seven. >> now, i want to make sure you guys aren't crushed by this carpet. it weighs over 6,000 pounds. here we go. >> the red carpet has officially been rolled out with host conan o'brien's help. crews are transforming a stretch of hollywood boulevard ahead of sunday's show. this will be o'brien's first time hosting the oscars. he says he's excited to host, saying it's on his bucket list. >> and you can watch the oscars this sunday right here on abc seven. our coverage begins with on the red carpet at 1230. the oscars red carpet show is at 330. then the oscars themselves begins earlier than ever at 4 p.m, right here again on abc seven. be sure to tune in. >> all right. the 49 ers have some big decisions to make this offseason. >> really big. sports director larry beil is here. larry. >> all signs point to deebo samuel having played his last

game for the 49 ers. why deebo will likely not be back. and how will losing him ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [google notification] ♪ get exclusive offers on select new volvo models. contact your volvo retailer to learn more.

i'm not happy 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]

forty-niners want is another off

season holdout, especially not at quarterback. the 49 ers have begun talks with brock purdy. he's going to make between 50 and $60 million a year give or take a few mil 40 niners gm john lynch at the nfl combine in indianapolis said the 40 niners will honor deebo samuel trade request. he had a down year last season. niners. they may have to cut him before march 22nd. he's owed a $15 million bonus on that day. deebo has been such a big part of the offense parting ways. not going to be easy. >> there's a lot of love there. there's a lot of respect there. there's a lot of shared experiences. so to let that go, that's difficult. but like i said, time happens. and you know, if it makes sense for both sides, you you at least you at least give it a chance. and so that's where we're at. >> can't pay everybody. on to college hoops where usf is a bubble team looking for their 23rd win tonight at oregon state. great energy in the crowd in corvallis. all up. osu up 12 early. dons in the half on a 14 zero run malik thomas throwing

it down. dons up by a dozen at the break marcus williams great game 21 points. hits the three. late dons up by a deuce 12 seconds left down one. williams to benjamin a bossy splash. dons up two four seconds left oregon state. parsifal blows the layup, then the put back is not in time, just late. usf survives 7472. stanford and boston college the renaud family here from paris watching their son right here. put some hot sauce on this behind the back pass to isaiah sellers. nicely done. he had 18 points. jaylen blakes adding 11. the steal here. and this would be stanford up 18 at the half. you know maxime renault leads the acc in scoring. finished with 23 points and ten boards. stanford a winner 78 to 60. cal hosting smu. first half action jeremiah wilkinson steals and slams. he went for 20 points attacking the rim there. cal down though 4229

at the break. come roaring back in the second half. smu hangs on summit lou on the alley oop. and then bj edwards steal and slam smu victorious 8177. >> now you will not have been the second leading scorer on a championship team. >> classy move by ex-warrior klay thompson giving doctor richard furcal his 2022 championship ring. the doc repaired klay's achilles tear in 2020, making it possible to win that ring. sports

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ama daetz and i'm dan ashley for sandhya patel, larry beil, all of us. we appreciate your time right now on jimmy kimmel, mindy kaling and natasha >> lou: from hollywood, it's "jimmy kimmel live!" tonight -- mindy kaling, natasha rothwell, and music from soccer mommy. with cleto and the cletones. and now, jimmy kimmel!