abc seven news starts right now.

>> it's a great win across the board for the federal government in general. and all of those employees who were wrongfully terminated. it feels great. >> a legal victory today for federal workers, and a blow to the trump administration's efforts to slash bureaucracy. a federal judge in san francisco ruling that thousands of fired government workers must be immediately reinstated, calling their mass terminations unlawful. good evening. thank you for joining us. i'm dan ashley. >> and i'm ama daetz. the decision follows an intense courtroom battle over whether the office of personnel management orchestrated the firings to bypass legal protections. >> abc seven news political reporter monica madden was in the courtroom today and has the story. >> imagine you had just gotten a stellar job performance review saying that you were successful in every category, only to get fired shortly after on account of your performance. that is a real example that the judge used in federal court today, about one of the many federal employees who was fired by the trump administration, something they are doubling down on. last

month's mass firings of federal probationary employees was sweeping swift. and according to a california u.s. district judge, illegal. judge william alsup ruling thursday that the office of personnel management had no legal authority to direct agencies to fire workers, calling the move a sham. an attorney for the trump administration argued these actions followed president trump's directive to shrink the workforce and that the agency leadership had independently taken these steps. judge alsup refuted that, saying, quote, the reason the opm wanted to put this based on performance was, at least in my judgment, a gimmick to avoid the reduction in force act because the law always allows you to fire someone for performance. the judge's order requires probationary employees from the va department of agriculture, defense, energy, interior and treasury to be reinstated immediately. >> it's a great win across the board. >> union representatives celebrated the ruling outside the courthouse, sharing the

impact the terminations have had. >> because many of them are veterans, one third of the workforce are veterans and disabled veterans, and they're not brand new employees. they lost their income instantly. you know, they're at home wondering how they're going to make their mortgage payments, how they're going to pay their car. note buy groceries. >> while they call this a win. the case is not over. the white house vowing to appeal. press secretary caroline leavitt says the ruling is a single judge attempting to unconstitutionally seize the power of hiring and firing from the executive branch. the trump administration will immediately fight back against this absurd and unconstitutional order. it's worth noting the judge also slammed. >> the u.s. assistant attorney today for not making the opm. >> acting director available for cross-examination in court thursday, saying, quote, the government, i believe, has tried to frustrate this judge's ability to get at the truth of what happened here. part of his order also includes discovery immediately moving forward in san francisco. monica madden,

abc seven news. >> stocks, stocks slid as president trump threatened a 200% tariff on alcoholic beverages from the european union. that's after the eu imposed a 50% tariff on u.s. spirits. after trump's remarks, the markets dipped to their lowest level of the day. all three markets closed the day in the red. here's a look at the numbers. the dow fell 537 points. the nasdaq was down 345 points, falling nearly 2%. the s&p 500 fell 77 points. >> temperature is down two. let's turn to our weather. live. look at the golden gate bridge showing things have cleared up this afternoon after the rain. there is no rain at the moment and just a few clouds. but it was cool. >> and quite breezy today. and don't get too comfortable because the rain is about to return. abc seven news meteorologist sandhya patel is here with that timeline. sandhya. >> yeah. ama and dan. this break is going to last through later tonight. and then as you're sleeping, the rain will start to move back in. look at this gorgeous shot from our east bay hills camera. you can see the green hills. the blue sky.

absolutely beautiful. all right. yes, we did have showers today. we had snow over mount hamilton. and believe it or not, we had some thunderstorms as well. there were a few of them earlier in the day. those thunderstorms are gone. the showers are gone. we are in this break, but the next system is knocking at our door. it's a level one and it is right over the pacific. so let's time this out for you. while you are sleeping. the rain moves in 4:00 tomorrow. commute time. you're going to see some pockets of downpours snow over the higher peaks. this goes on at 7 a.m. and it really continues to be scattered in nature. for the latter part of the afternoon, i'll be back to let you know if this rain is going to get out of here before your weekend plans begin in just a few minutes. >> dan okay sandhya, thanks a lot. the south bay saw some snow today. sky seven captured the view near mount hamilton as the sun peeked through the clouds. we captured just a glimpse of snow on the peaks. >> yeah, it's all about the snow as well. in the sierra you can see some snow there. and the falls from the tree branches. there you go right around tahoe

city. it is looking beautiful too, in south lake tahoe. this view is from the pioneer trail along 50 from snow in the sierra to rain here in the bay area. stay connected with the abc seven bay area app. you can check out live doppler seven and see what's next in the forecast. we'll also post updates on our website, abc seven news.com. >> an investigation is underway after a house fire that killed at least two people in san leandro. fire officials say it broke out just before 530 this morning, and they've been on the scene all day long trying to figure out exactly how it started. abc seven news reporter anser hassan is live in san leandro with news that is still developing. hunter. >> dan. good evening. crews are getting ready to clear the scene here. as you mentioned, they've been out here for almost 12 hours. still no update about this missing person who may be a minor. we have confirmed nine people were in the house when the fire started. six were taken to the hospital where two people died. >> what happened is. >> very big. about 20ft height.

so two blast. very dangerous. i saw that maybe a gas cylinder is a blow up. so i don't know exactly. >> but you heard an. >> explosion were very hard. yeah, very. i heard that one. >> neighbor, gurmeet singh, says he was one of the first on scene after a fire broke out at this home in san leandro. >> then i saw that lady. i asked her what? what happened? somebody inside the house. she told me. yes, my baby inside. i don't know. baby means he she. the kids over inside or some is the boyfriend. >> fire officials don't know what caused the fire, but did confirm the fire started inside the house just before 5:30 a.m. alameda county fire division chief randall west says one of the challenges early on was not knowing how many people were inside the house. >> we relied on the information to know exactly how many people we're looking for. but our our members in the department are trained to make sure that they go through every part of the house to do the first search and rescue efforts.

>> when firefighters arrived, it was fully engulfed in flames. some people evacuated on their own. firefighters were able to pull out several people. >> alameda county fire public affairs manager confirmed that nine people were inside the house. six were taken to the hospital, two of whom died. cadaver dogs were also brought out to help fire crews with the investigation. >> they'll be sifting through all the debris and the damage to the structure, looking for any other potential victims that may be in the in the home. they'll be investigating the cause of the fire. and what additional circumstances may have been included in the destruction. >> again, no update on the four individuals are still hospitalized or this individual who is missing again, who may be a minor. we'll continue to bring you the very latest as any developments are made available. reporting live anser hassan. abc seven news. >> okay. thank you. two people

are under arrest for a robbery at a santa clara county massage parlor. san jose police say on january 20th, a man entered the business and paid for a massage. they say moments after a second man burst in, pulled a gun and demanded the employees turn over their money. >> the initial suspect then took both victims and placed them in separate rooms and forced them to stay there against their will. while the second suspect then searched the business and took the victim's belongings as well as cash. both suspects fled the scene in a vehicle operated by a third suspect. >> now, according to san jose police, one of the suspects was also involved in similar robberies in other cities, including milpitas. >> coming up, a small step forward as the south bay transit workers strike continues for a fourth day. where where negotiations stand now between vta and the union. also. >> at first, we've been trying to oppose the project, to choose another location because this neighborhood is already burdened. but then but then, like at the end, the project got approved.

>> san francisco business owner, in a dispute with the city say they were blindsided by plans for the building where they lease. what those plans are and how the city is responding. ♪ it's a little pill with a big story to tell. ♪ ♪ i take once-daily jardiance... ♪ ♪ ...at each day's start. ♪ ♪ as time went on, it was easy to see. ♪ ♪ i'm lowering my a1c! ♪ and for adults with type 2 diabetes... ...and known heart disease, jardiance can lower the risk of cardiovascular death, too. serious side effects include increased ketones in blood or urine, which can be fatal. stop jardiance and call your doctor right away if you have nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, tiredness, trouble breathing, or increased ketones. jardiance may cause dehydration that can suddenly worsen kidney function and make you feel dizzy, lightheaded, or weak upon standing. genital yeast infections in men and women, urinary tract infections, low blood sugar, or a rare, life threatening bacterial infection between and around the anus and genitals can occur. call your doctor right away if you have fever

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to avoid cutting city services to close a nearly $46 million budget deficit. dozens of workers stood in the rain outside san jose's main library to rally against the cuts. san jose already has a hiring freeze, and now mayor matt mehan asked the city manager to look at trimming nonessential services to avoid layoffs. unionized city workers want a seat at the table to help find a solution to the budget deficit. >> we are projecting a smaller budget deficit, so let's work with our city council and mayor to find solutions that work for everybody. >> san jose has been able to trim its budget deficit by

moving reserve funds around, but it's still facing a drop in sales tax revenue. mayor mehan will present his budget to the san jose city council next week. >> developing news on the south bay's vta strike. both the union representing transit operators and the transit authority met today for the first time since sunday. the mediation session came in an attempt to finalize a new agreement. abc seven news reporter dustin dorsey is live and has more on how the negotiations went. dustin. >> yeah, those negotiations really important because we now know, according to the court's website, that that injunction that vta tried filing against these workers for a breach of contract that's not scheduled, at least right now until september, six months from now. that means, in the meantime, the 100,000 people that use vta daily continue to wait for a deal. through rain and even hail. nothing will stop. atu local 265 workers from their strike against vta. nothing

except a new deal. for the first time since sunday, leaders from each side met for mediation. there was some give and take, but no agreement yet. >> at about 2:00, my understanding is they were still together, which to me is a good sign that there is discussions occurring to try to come to a solution. i would call this the first steps for a while for fruitful discussions and negotiations to occur. >> while the details are worked out, busses and light rails remain down and those who rely on them, like raymond cartagena and adrian elazari, are forced to find other options. >> it's much more critical than you could possibly imagine. walking from the outpatient to here, i clocked it. it was like an hour and 31 minutes, something like that. >> a lot of walking to get to where i need to get to. >> a lot of walking. how far have you had to walk? >> i've had to walk 17 blocks. >> 17 blocks all the way to city hall. probably hasn't been fun in the rain either, right? >> no, sir. no. and the rain? it's even worse. >> cartagena and l.a. are both

participants of pathway society, inc, a nonprofit specializing in substance abuse services. these men are among the 60 clients served by pathway in santa clara county. without a way to afford other transportation, vta is a lifeline. >> people in recovery residences have just come out of treatment, usually residential treatment, and they're running concurrent with outpatient treatment. so folks are trying to get jobs. they're trying to get get around town. maybe they have to do something in the legal system. a family visit, et cetera. et cetera. and they cannot. >> pathway is working on renting vans for clients, but these are the real side effects felt by many experiencing life without public transportation reasons why vta, atu, and the community want to find a solution to the strike. for people like yourself that don't have a way of getting around besides vta. how long can people like you continue this strike? >> i mean, not much longer. >> no one has to think about these things until. until they're gone. and how much they actually affect you. but we'll be more appreciative now. >> yeah. no question about it now. of course.

>> vta tells us. today in that availability that it will take a few days to get everything up and running. once an agreement is reached by both sides. that brings to mind the nvidia conference that starts on monday that will bring thousands of people to san jose for it. and they all utilize vta during that conference. that is, they will if an agreement is reached. we're live in san jose. dustin dorsey, abc seven news. >> okay, dustin, thank you for that update. it's going to be more expensive to ride ac transit this summer. today, the alameda contra costa transit district approved a 25 cent fare increase for adults starting july 1st. that will bring the cost of an adult fare to $2.75. that will go up to $3 by july of next year. this is the first fare increase by ac transit in five years. >> barring a court order, san francisco will permanently close down a portion of the great highway between sloat boulevard and lincoln way. voters approved the closure in november to convert the stretch of road into

an oceanside park, but a group of residents sued this week to prevent that closure, saying it will send more traffic into nearby streets. san francisco says the closure will help mitigate coastal erosion caused by rising sea levels. >> owners of a san francisco business speak out, claiming the city flipped the script on them after they opened. what? they're what they're taking issue with and ho

say they're feeling trapped after the city bought the building where they lease to turn the upstairs into housing for formerly homeless individuals. >> abc seven news reporter luz pena spoke with the business owners, who are getting increasingly concerned about crime in their neighborhood. >> with over 100 google reviews raving about their food, you may think bay of burma has been around for ages. well, no. they opened in 2023 after over a year

of renovating and getting permits. >> we didn't have any clue what is happening on the building. >> the burmese restaurant is located on the ground floor of 1174 folsom street in san francisco's south of market neighborhood. on the first day they opened, kazin said, a neighbor broke the news to them. the city had purchased the building, and the tenants above them were moving out to make way for a new city project. >> at first, they were intended for the safe injection center. >> kay and ryan co-own the restaurant and have invested over $300,000. for over a year, they've been communicating with the city's homelessness and supportive housing department, trying to find solutions. >> asking for them to reimburse for the construction costs because that's all of our savings. i just wanted to relocate to another, safer place. >> in 2024. the city changed plans and said a different project would go in. the new plan is to turn it into supportive housing for homeless

youth. kay and ryan said their business has been robbed twice at gunpoint, and they have seen crime spike in this area, which is home to other city programs like an addiction treatment center and a homeless shelter in the same area. >> we're asking for right now is more safety. >> in a statement, hsh described the housing complex as a critical and much needed step toward solutions for young people struggling to exit homelessness and gain stability. supervisor matt dorsey said safety will be key here. >> 24 over seven ambassador services outside of and in the adjacent neighborhood. there's also going to be on site security during especially key overnight hours. >> the city is designating this site as a drug free community. >> if anybody is using illegal drugs on site, it would be grounds for eviction. >> will the tenants get tested? drug tested? >> no. >> supervisor dorsey said his office will help the business owners if the outcome is not

positive. the housing complex is set to open in april. >> our hands are tied. >> in san francisco. luz pena, abc seven news. >> it's tough. yeah. okay, let's get a check on our weather. we got a break from the rain. >> and wasn't that a nice break and a much needed break? sandhya patel is back with the forecast. sandhya? >> yeah, and dan and ama right now, we are still in that break. it's going to last for several more hours. a live view from our sutro tower camera. it's a little shaky. we do have snow falling still in the sierra. chain controls on all routes leading up to the mountains. taking you back in time. you will notice that we had our share of showers, snow over mount hamilton, thunderstorms. those thunderstorms are across parts of the valleys now of california. southern california has been slammed as well. they had a tornado that was just southeast of los angeles, pico rivera, earlier in the day. it was an ef zero, which is the weakest form of a tornado. but regardless, not something that you see all the time in

california. here is our next storm. it is heading in our direction, and it will be here overnight tonight, going into tomorrow. it certainly is. prompting a winter weather advisory for the higher elevations above 1500 feet in lake county from 2 to 11 a.m. tomorrow. because guess what? they're expecting up to a half a foot of snow. as you will notice, the snow forecast showing you some of that. we will see some more snow over mount hamilton and the santa cruz mountains. a couple inches expected there, 40s and 50s on those temperatures. yeah, it is chilly out there. the wind is onshore. it is gusty. 29 right now in concord, 31 napa 38 in oakland. so if it feels a little cold to you, you're not imagining things. level one for tomorrow. it's a light system, rain with brief downpours, snow on our peaks and gusty winds coming in. so first thing tomorrow morning it is going to be a messy morning commute. 5:00 we are looking at rain and some snow over the higher peaks. 7 a.m. it continues and then turns really scattered for the afternoon hours. we're not expecting a ton of rain, but you

will notice the showers continue at 6:00 in the evening, and then they're pretty much winding down after that. rainfall projections with this system. highest totals up in the northern part of our viewing area. 8500 santa rosa over an inch in ukiah. but we will get up to 4/10 of an inch in san jose. winter storm warning for the sierra. that was just until tonight was extended until 11 p.m. tomorrow for tonight's system. additional 5 to 10in of snow. so far, the snow totals have been between one and almost three feet. now for tomorrow's system, the winter storm warnings above 2000ft, expecting up to two feet for the peaks. with those gusty winds, it's going to be tough to get up there. 30s and 40s. you'll need the jackets. you'll need the umbrellas tomorrow morning. tomorrow afternoon. hang on to both because it's going to be windy and we will still have scattered mixed precipitation across the region. accuweather seven day forecast. it's a level one for your friday break on saturday, sunday night into monday, which is saint patrick's day. we do have a level one again and then a chance of rain wednesday before spring arrives on thursday.

>> dan okay sandhya, thanks very much. a reminder we've got dubs on seven this weekend. the warriors take on the new york knicks at chase center. catch the game live starting at 5:00 on saturday right here on abc seven. that will be followed yeah it is weird that we still call these things "phones." well yeah, they're more like minicomputers. precisely. next slide. xfinity mobile customers are connected to wifi 90% of the time. that's why our network has powerboost with speeds up to a gig wherever you need it most. so, this whole meeting could have been remote? oh! that is my ex-husband who i don't speak to. hey! no, i'm good to talk! try xfinity mobile for a year! get an unlimited 5g mobile line included with your xfinity

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irish americans certainly have come a very long way. >> today, the san francisco police department held an irish heritage celebration to recognize the group's role in local law enforcement. sfpd joined with the san francisco bay area law enforcement emerald society to honor police department members of irish heritage and to recognize their dedication to public service and pride in their ancestry. >> and today's ceremony is one of many events throughout the city leading up to san francisco's annual saint patrick's day parade on saturday. the parade starts at 1130 in the morning, but it will affect traffic and transit in the city for much of the day. the parade forms on second street and goes down market to mcallister and ends at city hall. saint patrick's day itself is on monday. >> we still have much more news ahead for you. >> we do. let's go to abc seven

news anchor zach fuentes for a look at the stories coming up at 530 today. zach. >> yeah. thanks, dan. and we have a lot to get to at 532, including the weather. sandhya is going to join us with the latest. plus, we're going to have a live report from lake tahoe for a closer look at the fresh snow there and the winter storm that is heading there right now. and then the i-team's dan noyes is discovered more about a wild shootout could be connected to the federal corruption case involving former oakland mayor xiang tao. why the man targeted in the shooting says he's viewed as a threat. so join us for those stories and more at 530 on abc7 bay area streaming tv. dan. >> all right. zach, thanks a lot. >> and you can download the abc7 app or head to abc7 news.com and join zach 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, we appreciate your time. i'm dan. >> ashley and

tonight. breaking news as we come