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tv   Today in the Bay  NBC  July 4, 2020 7:00am-8:01am PDT

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good morning. it is saturday, july 4th. america's 244th birthday. here is a live look outside at aquatic park in san francisco, which will not be seeing a fireworks display this evening. thanks so much for joining us on this 4th of july. we have a look at your micro climate forecast and it's a beauty.
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>> it is. good morning. welcome back. nice to see you. we will be seeing a lot of sunshine, but we'll see hot temperatures and conditions really dry. 58 degrees right now in san jose. we're seeing the 50s, cool and comfortable now, but by this afternoon look what happens to the temperatures. we've got temperatures in the 80s and 90s and that humidity right now is about 33% for the south bay. taking us further inland into the east bay, humidity at less than 30%. 22% right now with the temperatures in the 90s. any time we're seeing the hot temperatures and the dry conditions, imagine all of that dry brush that's out there. no illegal fireworks of any kind. if you will be out grilling with your closest family, please be careful when lighting any sort of fires near any dry brush. i'll have a closer look at your forecast in a few minutes. >> we'll see you then. thanks so much. bay area health officials are
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serious when they urge people to avoid big 4th of july celebrations that people usually go to this weekend. they're fervently spreading the message as coronavirus cases see another spike. all this as one of the bay area's premier restaurant destinations was packed for the second night in a row. we'll go to santana row. >> reporter: even as covid-19 cases have risen across california, and hospitalizations are up more than 50% in two weeks, the stay-at-home order may be facing its toughest test yet on the celebration of our nation's independence. that's why health officials hope to spread the message faster than the virus. >> one thing i think about is what we do now matters later. i don't want to be doing this at christmas time. >> reporter: most cases are contracted through community spread like a gathering, but will people listen? this picture was given to us appearing to show a packed
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santana row thursday night. san jose mayor sam le carto even tweeting, friends, we can prevail over coronavirus pandemic if we're taking risks like this. >> there are definitely a lot of people around. >> reporter: people getting out for the holiday weekend with traffic jams on foot though outdoor dining is allowed with social distancing and limitations it is busy. >> i'm a little nervous but being very wise and cautious. not getting close to people not from my household. >> reporter: with many beaches closed and fireworks canceled can people avoid the barbecue with friends and family? >> we thought a lot about it. we really had a lot of conversations and decided that for one year we could do it. >> on 4th of july? obviously it is a big party. we go out and have a lot of fun but i think there are more important things to think about right now. >> reporter: the message? to celebrate the land of the free by being brave and staying home. in san jose, ian cole, nbc bay area news. let's look at the latest
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numbers. there are more than 26,000 covid cases here in the bay area. santa clara county reporting 99 new cases since thursday. contra costa county added 106 additional cases. and a bay area county has been added to governor newsom's county watch list. marin county is now one of the 21 counties across the state considered high risk and in need of closer monitoring. it was added because of a surge of cases and hospitalizations there. now to several grass fires that kept crews busy last night in contra costa county. illegal fireworks are blamed for some of them. the fire department gave us these photos of a fire in pittsburgh that is believed to be caused by fireworks. this is near highway 4 and love ridge. fire crews tell us they are prepared for the long holiday weekend. a big blast and a big scare for a san francisco neighborhood last night where investigators say someone put a big fireworks
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in a drain pipe just before 8:00 onned inboro street a few blocks from mclaren park in the excelsior district. the explosion blew out three windows from a nearby home. no one was hurt. no word on any arrests. senior trump campaign officials say kimberly gilfoyle has tested positive for covid-19. she is the girlfriend of donald trump jr. and was in south dakota and was planning to attend the fireworks celebration at mount rushmore with president trump last night. donald trump jr. tested negative. neither traveled with the president. it marked the first fireworks display at mount rushmore in more than a decade. president trump spoke at the patriotic celebration, drawing criticism as well as supporters and protesters. demonstrators blocked access to the monument ahead of the president's arrival for two hours. the lakota nation was behind the
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protest. the national guard moved in and dispersed many demonstrators. a clash broke out between them and trump supporters. this weekend the president faces mounting concerns over surging coronavirus cases as well as protests from social justice groups. >> reporter: the kick-off to an independence day weekend unlike any other. with the backdrop of mount rushmore, president trump addresses a crowd of more than 7,000, including supporters and protesters. >> we gather tonight to herald the most important day in the history of nations, july 4th, 1776. >> adding fuel to dueling controversies, whether the event itself puts those who attend unnecessarily at risk of spreading covid-19 with social distancing and masks optional. >> we know that large gatherings
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present the biggest risk right now. wouldn't you advise someone to go to a large gathering? yes or no. >> craig, it is not a yes or no. every single person has to make up their own mind. >> reporter: at the same time vigorous, national debate over our country's history including the south dakota landmark, itself, including washington, lincoln, jefferson, and teddy roosevelt. the land once promised to the lakota native american tribe in an 1868 treaty with a divided nation hopes a weekend celebrating this country's founding principles might somehow bring americans back together. nbc news. back here in the bay area most fireworks shows have been canceled. the goal of course is to keep people from gathering this 4th of july. that goes for the coastlines, too. all of the counties in yellow are closing beach parking lots. that is sonoma, marin, san francisco, san mateo, and santa cruz counties. the beaches will be open but county leaders are encouraging
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people to stay home. all the areas in red have closed both their beaches and their beach parking lots. that goes for pacifica, half moon bay, and all of monterey county. even with those closures, county leaders are almost anticipating people to descend on popular beach spots in both half moon bay and pacifica, so law enforcement is patrolling the beaches to make sure people comply and stay away. half moon bay's mayor tells us that the first time violators will get a warning but their names will be put into a data base. a second violation comes with a citation and a fine. 7:08. much more ahead on today in the bay coming uch. taking a stand against racism and demonstration. the demonstration organized by local high school students. plus closed as quickly as possible the underground night club police shut down in san francisco as coronavirus continues to spread. businesses are starting to bounce back.
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welcome back. a gorgeous look outside. we look at the sun shining all across san jose on this 4th of july. it will be a beautiful day to get out and celebrate the nation's birthday socially distanced of course. we'll have a warmup forecast in about five minutes. in santa clara, teens inspired by the black lives matter movement led a march. members of the wilcox high school black student union put together the event, beginning at the school and ending at santa clara's central park. organizers tell us one of their goals was to raise awareness at their school. >> a couple things are pushed under the rug. there are cases of kids just blatantly saying phrases teachers don't check them on it or teachers saying things that are harmful to the students.
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they are aware but i want it to be better. >> there are several similar demonstrations planned throughout the holiday weekend. in oakland a cars around lake merritt event for social justice. organizers hoped for about 1200 cars so they could form a line all around the lake. the exact count isn't clear but it was an attention getting sight when drivers completed one slow revolution of the lake honking horns for equality. we have much more ahead on "today in the bay" coming up. a scary start to the weekend for one south bay family. take a guess what they say sparked a fire at their house and why firefighters are worried it will happen to someone else this weekend. and we are waking up to a lot of sunshine but it is going to be dry and very hot. i'll talk about the elevated fire danger for the 4th of july weekend coming up. stay with us.
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welcome back on your saturday morning, 4th of july sunshine as we look from aquatic park in san francisco. a gorgeous start to the holiday
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weekend. we have an intense warmup, 80s and 90s. now to a secret night club. a second secret night club operating illegally in san francisco during the pandemic. it, too, has now been shut down. here is the unlikely location where the club had been functioning. >> reporter: you are looking at time lapse video of people going in and out of an illegal san francisco night club on shafter avenue. it was rated and shut -- raided and shut down in april. san francisco police along with health investigators believe the people behind the club are the same ones operating an underground club here in the 1600 block of armstrong avenue in recent weeks. city leaders say thes night clubs are endangering people's lives during the covid-19 crisis by giving the deadly virus a
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perfect opportunity to continue to spread. >> under ground night clubs operating illegally and in violation of the health order, it's important to get it closed as quickly as possible. >> reporter: on thursday police confiscated four gambling machines, a pool table, a bog machine, and de-jay equipment. in an ironic twist authorities were aided in part because of a security guard watching a nearby covid testing site. the guard noticed a lot of activity and reported it to police. according to the warrant marino pena rentd the warehouse and the other building in april under a cleaning company name. >> crazy. >> reporter: adrian's bedroom faces the back wall of the building and she says the noise from the club kept her family up for more than a month. >> it went from 10:00 p.m. to
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like 1:00 a.m. the first two weeks. from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 in the morning. >> reporter: the building was shut down under a health order. police are working with the da's office on possible charges. >> we're all doing our part to shelter in place, social distance. i was telling the police, this is not social distancing. this is definitely not sheltering in place. >> reporter: in san francisco, nbc bay area news. only on nbc bay area it was a close call for a san jose family whose home caught fire possibly from illegal fireworks. early yesterday morning their shed caught fire and then the entry way to their basement. an alert neighbor smelled smoke and called #the -- called 911. they rescued an elderly man in a wheelchair and then went back in to rescue a son still asleep.
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an arson unit is investigating. most 4th of july events have gone viral -- virtual. we put a guide together for you so you can enjoy any fireworks displays this holiday weekend while staying safe at home. just head to our website nbc bay area.com/4th of july. all right. now let's check in for a look at the 4th of july micro climate forecast. >> good morning. i changed my setting today because i wanted to show off my new plant. i'm a plant mom now. there it is. i have not named her. so let's get right to the forecast. now, we do have dry conditions out there. san francisco, we have the shot there. not a lot of fog but a little bit of low cloud cover. that marine layer has mixed out. what we expect for the afternoon is a hot one.
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we'll be seeing the temperatures climbing into the 80s, into the 90s for inland areas. right now we are in the 50s. let's get a look and a tour of the bay area. as we head toward the south bay look at san jose. 87 degrees. los gatos 90 degrees. east san jose 91. in through the east bay 93 degrees for walnut creek. 92 in danville. 92 in concord. so notice the humidity up in the corner right below where it says east bay. 22% right now. as the high pressure begins to dominate this weekend it is going to continue to dry us out and of course we have a lot of dry brush out there that brings elevated fire danger. 84 degrees in redwood and san francisco. low 70s for this afternoon and in through the north bay. 91 ukiah and novato #l 5. let's take a look at the humidity. novato 85. as we head toward the 3:00 hour look what happens up in clear lake. 16%. livermore 20%. concord, you know, less than
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20%. anything less than 30% is considered extremely dry. we've got the hot temperatures and we've got people potentially grilling. hopefully no illegal fireworks because we've been seeing a lot of that and it is the 4th of july. this is the reason why you don't want to do that. a fire can quickly start. it can quickly spread. especially heading into the overnight hours. we'll get a little bit of recovery when it comes to the humidity. but again, by tomorrow we'll remain pretty dry overall. less than 30%. so keep that in mind. also i know the majority of the beaches are closed and as was so gracefully said yesterday i'm not going to encourage you to go anywhere. you are grown and can make your own decisions. try your best to stay home. it is the safest route. beach hazard in effect until 8:00 p.m. tomorrow because of sneaker waves, strong rip currents. you wouldn't want to be around the beach anyway chl it could be dangerous. over the next seven days we'll remain warm. the high pressure will continue to dominate heading into sunday. long-range outlook right now, we
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get a little bit of cooling heading into monday but then we get high pressure in the desert southwest and that keeps us at least dry but a little bit cooler into the work week. so how much cooler? just a few degrees. look at monday. 87 as we get the pressure change and we'll notice the breezy winds start to kick up by tomorrow and again wind, low humidity, hot temperatures. not a good mix when it comes to fire danger. so just please be safe and keep it smart out there. back to you. >> i'm right there with you. gently encourage. thanks so much. it is 7:21. still ahead on "today in the bay" the pandemic isn't stopping this man from celebrating 100 years young. how a local church helped him mark this milestone. for the sweaty faces,
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and the hidden smiles. the foggy glasses, and the muffled laughs. a simple piece of fabric makes a big statement: i care. wear a mask. let's all do our part to slow the spread. among the many things covid-19 has taken away is traditional celebrations to graduations to weddings and
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birthdays but nothing was going to stop a group of determined locals from marking one man's milestone centennial. we'll go to a birthday party on wheels to mark a century of life. >> everybody loves a birthday party. >> we would have a big, huge party for him. >> as birthdays go, mack watson has seen a few. in fact, 99. >> he is turning a hundred years old. if there is one thing watson has learned in a hundred years -- >> you never know what's in store for you. >> but even in a century of birthdays the man known around san francisco's neighborhood as daddy mack has never seen a party like this. >> today we are having a social distance car caravan. >> all going to drive by, getting a hundred cars to honk and wave.
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>> the cars carry balloons in watson's favorite colors red and black. a car for every year and for every car a wave. >> i couldn't imagine in my wildest dream anything like this would ever happen. >> you have been a mentor and a leader. >> reporter: the party was thrown by bethel ame church where watson attended for decades. watson's own secret to life, live by the golden rule. >> the golden rule. do unto everybody as you'd have them do to you. >> watson was born just four years after the last pandemic. today the mask may have concealed smiles and laughter but not the celebration. ♪ happy birthday >> this day we couldn't let the day pass. we couldn't let it go by. >> reporter: through it all watson had a curb side seat even in a time of social distancing surrounded by admirers. >> i love people. i really do. >> reporter: in this case, that love came back. one car at a time. nbc bay area news.
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>> happy birthday to him. now to the rosie the riveter world historical park in richmond. it is a cultural icon and preserved by a 98-year-old national park ranger. now you have the chance to hear her story. >> she is a national treasure. >> thank you, betty, for your extraordinary service. >> i didn't know about rosie the riveter's memorial because it had not freed anyone that i knew. >> reporter: join us, please, for no time to waste, the urgent mission of betty reid soskin airing tonight right here on nbc bay area news. i have chills just thinking about it. we have much more ahead on "today in the bay." coming up preserving pieces of art and history. we'll tell you about a plan to save murals in the east bay that sprang up during the black lives matter movement. plus, under review. two professional sports teams with controversial names
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considering big changes once and for all.
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good morning. 7:29 on this saturday, july 4th. here is a live look outside. aquatic park in san francisco. bottom left of your screen someone starting 4th of july with a nice dip. good for them. thanks so much for joining us. what a gorgeous morning out there. hey, happy 4th. >> hey there. happy 4th. it is going to be a spectacular weekend. plenty of sunshine. current temperatures probably the coolest for today because we'll be quickly warming this afternoon in san jose right now 58 degrees. right to your micro climate highs for the afternoon keep in mind the temperatures will warm up into the upper 80s and, yes, even low 90s for the south bay. a few degrees warmer compared to yesterday.
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san jose 87 degrees. morgan hill 93. milipeda 85. in through the interior areas like the east bay look at the humidity. 22%. wind speed around 16 miles per hour right now. danville 92. walnut creek 93. along the peninsula san mateo in the 70s. even though it is going to be a stunning day the big thing we're going to be monitoring is all of the dry brush out there as people head out to celebrate the 4th of july, thinking probably family barbecues. we'll keep a close eye on the fire danger heading into the weekend. i'll have a look at the air quality in a few minutes. >> thanks so much. health officials are serious about avoiding the big barbecue you usually go to for 4th of july. they are spreading the message loud and clear as over all cases across the country are spiking. all of this as one of the south bay's premier restaurant destinations was packed for two nights in a row. today's in the bay ian cole
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explains. >> reporter: even as covid-19 cases have risen across california, and hospitalizations are up more than 50% in two weeks, the stay-at-home order may be facing the toughest test yet on the celebration of our nation's independence. that is why health officials hope to spread the message faster than the virus. >> one thing i think about is what we do now matters later. i don't know about anybody else but i don't want to do this at christmas time. >> reporter: pointing out most cases are contracted through community spread like a gathering but will people listen? this picture was given to us appearing to show a packed santana row thursday night. san jose mayor even tweeting, friends, we can prevail over coronavirus pandemic if we are taking risks like this. >> definitely a lot of people around. >> reporter: people getting out for the holiday weekend with traffic jams on foot though outdoor dining is allowed with social distancing and limitations it is busy.
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>> i'm a little nervous but being very wise and cautious not going too close to people who aren't from my household. >> reporter: with many beaches closed and fireworks canceled can people avoid the barbecue with friends and family? >> we thought a lot about it. we had a lot of conversations and decided for one year we could do it. >> on 4th of july obviously it as big party going out and have a lot of fun but there are more important things to think about right now. >> reporter: the message to celebrate the land of the free by being brave and staying home. in san jose, ian cole, nbc bay area news. there are more than 26,000 cases alone here in the bay area. santa clara county reported 99 new cases since thursday. contra costa county, 106 more cases. a bay area county has been added to governor gavin newsom's watch list as it is called. marin county is now one of the
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21 counties across california considered high risk and in need of closer monitoring. it was added because of a surge in cases and hospitalizations in marin. as many americans celebrate the 4th of july this weekend, a small group of activists gathered at the foot of the tower, the former site of the christopher columbus statue in san francisco. they celebrated what they say are accomplishments for native american rights and the black lives matter movement. ♪ >> reporter: sitting at the pedestal where the christopher columbus statue once stood a band played for the group of organizers. >> we are celebrating taking down the columbus statue that represents colonization, oppression of indigenous people. >> reporter: last month the city of san francisco removed the statue which has been the target of vandals for years. protesters then pulled down the statue which had been standing in golden gate park. >> obviously the statutes are
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down and so the big question is what do we do now? where do we go from here? >> reporter: as a lakota sioux tribe member he says his family has been involved in native american activism since the 1970s. his cousins are even protesting president donald trump's appearance at mount rushmore, which is a sacred site. at the event here in san francisco it is part celebration part brain storming session and a pledge for continued solidarity with black lives matter and other groups. >> black and brown have always been together. we know the struggles and injustices we have faced. that solidarity is just what we do. >> reporter: in san francisco, nbc bay area news. an organization is stepping up to preserve the murals that came about amid recent black lives matter protests in oakland. the murals were painted across blocks of boarded up store fronts and now the east oakland based black culture zone wants to preserve, curate, and display
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them and give credit to the artists. racism will not be tolerated is the message from trade unions in oakland. they are angry about racist graffiti found at the port of oakland following a juneteenth rally. tomorrow they'll bring attention to the problem by honoring the san francisco maritime strike of 1934. that strike lasted nearly three months pitting unionists against police. the strike peaked when police killed two workers on what became known as bloody thursday. >> we do not stand for racism. no way no how. we are against that. totally. we cannot tolerate it in our industry because it makes it uncomfortable for us to work. >> a car caravan is planned for tomorrow. it will start at 10:00 a.m. at the port of oakland and end at the coliseum. now to a potentially big change in the sports world.
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the washington redskins will review whether to change their name because many consider it a racial slur. this has happened in years past. the nfl team admits it's feeling new pressure from recent events around the nation and has been getting more negative feedback. the reconsideration also comes one day after fedex, which pays millions of dollars to put its name on the redskins stadium called for the change. nike, which provides uniforms for all nfl teams, removed the redskins' team name and branded apparel from its website. and a similar story for baseball's cleveland indians. the team announcing it may also change its name in the wake of protests across the country. management made clear it understands how the name could be considered offensive. it has removed the controversial chief oahu alternate logo from the team's uniforms and most apparel at the end of the 2018 season. still to come on today in the bay the coronavirus is a big
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concern at oracle park. how the giants are getting ready for the season while keeping players safe. sports is next.
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the covid test results are in for major league baseball players. in total, 31 players tested positive including giants pitcher luis moderro. the positive results come from 19 of the 30 teams. in addition seven staff members have tested positive all this as baseball is returning across the country. the sure sign baseball is nearing a return, the san francisco giants who are back at practice yesterday. players worked out at oracle park for the first time since the pandemic started. of course the team kept it safe. players were divided into groups with staggered practice sessions to limit contact. >> much different than anything i ever experienced and at the same time a lot of excitement about stepping on the field. >> there are reminders inside
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and outside to practice social distancing as the team prepares to play a 60-game baseball season. the as held their first practice today at the coliseum. one nascar driver will be missing from the two races at indianapolis motor speedway this weekend. jimmie johnson has contracted covid-19. he was asymptomatic but got tested after his wife tested positive. nascar has outlined the requirements for his return. he has to be symptom free and two negative test results at least 24 hours apart. in a statement johnson says while he has never missed a race in his nascar cup career he understands that health and safety come first. you can catch that race by the way right here on nbc bay area tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. 7:40 right now. coming up on "today in the bay" as cases surge so, too, are hospitalizations. we'll speak with an infectious disease specialist about what that means if we in the bay area see another big spike.
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it is the 4th of july. i have your full forecast coming up along with how the air quality will be doing this weekend and of course the dog walking forecast coming right up. stay with us. this home is equipped with gig speed internet from xfinity. there's this game-time internetting room. so fun. and then there's this work-from-home internetting room. finally, the open-concept internetting room. this is not an open house. but your front door was open, so technically it is. get gig speeds and the most wifi coverage from xfinity. now that's simple, easy, awesome. enhance your online experience with even faster speed. choose from a range of fast, reliable options, up to a gig. click or call to learn more.
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and good saturday morning. i promised a little treat so i'll give it to him once he did his dog walking forecast. we have san francisco right now. great skies. it is the 4th of july after all. and we will be seeing warmer temperatures for inland areas by a few degrees especially further inland. let's get right to the daytime highs. we have the south bay right now in the 50s, comfortable. but look at by the afternoon. 87 degrees for san jose. 93 morgan hill. los gatos 90 degrees in through the east bay temperatures in the 90s for areas like walnut creek as well as danville and concord in the 90s. now with the humidity it will be really low today. high pressure rolls in. that is going to completely pretty much dry us out for the
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weekend but that'll mean of course a lot of sunshine so that is good. redwood city 84 degrees. san mateo 76. we'll be in the city, talking 70s for san francisco. and up through the north bay look at santa rosa 92. novato 85. so when we're looking at the dry conditions, sure it is going to be a great day but there is going to be elevated fire danger. you know, one of the things that worries us any time we see elevated fire danger is the possibility of a fire starting or spreading. now, unfortunately, there are still going to be people that are potentially going to be out there. hopefully nobody likes illegal fireworks but keep in mind why we encourage you to be really careful if you are going to be grilling because the humidity is so low. look at that. by 5:00 p.m., santa rosa 19%. livermore, san jose, about 23% for livermore so with the dry conditions think of all the dry brush that's out there. it hasn't rained in a long time. all of that works as fuel for potential fires starting and
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spreading. please be safe. now, another thing, too. beach hazards. the majority of the beaches are closed. you shouldn't be going to the beach regardless. here is another reason not to go. the beach hazard will be in place through tomorrow at 8:00 p.m. talking sneaker waves, strong rip currents as well for the south facing beaches. just something to be mindful of. the long-range outlook right now, talking warm conditions. high pressure takes over heading into monday, tuesday, and wednesday. we'll still see how temperatures but see the high pressure start to move over the desert southwest. as that starts to move we'll cool down just a little bit. so let's take a look at the next seven days to see what you can expect. by tomorrow we will be pretty breezy in the evening hours. we'll be in the 90s still. remember, by monday we'll get a little bit of cooling inland as the high pressure starts to move away. it'll still be breezy and we'll keep the dry conditions for the next seven days. and then on sunday for tomorrow in san francisco, 68. it will be breezy. a mix of low humidity, hot temperatures, and breezy winds.
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big, big concern. we'll monitor that very closely. now to the dog walking forecast. it will be great for an all day walk around the coast line. great temperatures in the 60s. inland though, please be a little careful because it'll start to warm up rather quickly right after 12:00. an early morning walk is always best. also, please, please be mindful with the fireworks around your neighbors but also your pets. this little guy has been super stressed for the past several weeks because there have been random fireworks going up all night in my area. so i've had to wrap him up in a blanket. be mindful of the furry neighbors you might have as well. back to you. >> it really is the worst holiday for our little four-legged friends. >> stay strong. we're with you. thank you. still ahead on "today in the bay" california businesses slowly are reopening but some employees are not feeling safe from covid-19. we investigate the workplace issues that are raising red flags.
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welcome back. is it safe to return to work? from retail to manufacturing cal osha says it is seeing a 30% increase in complaints this year from workers who say their employers aren't doing enough to protect them from covid-19. investigative reporter candace wynne has gone through the data and found which industries are sparking the most concern for workers and for the public. >> reporter: businesses across california are sending their
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complaints to cal osha headquarters here in the east bay. most of the safety concerns come from our health care industry but workers from retail, transportation, and food services also are sounding the alarm on covid illnesses and deaths where they work. from servers to stylists, from teachers to technicians, californians are heading back to work even as health experts question at what cost to safety. >> we are coming to work being exposed to covid positive patients. >> reporter: this is a nurse at st. rose hospital where staff reported a covid-19 outbreak in june. 37 staff members tested positive most of them nurses. >> we noticed on our end that a lot of people were starting to call in sick. and suddenly we were becoming very short staffed. >> we worked with the county health department to address the issue and placed new measures in place to prevent another cluster of cases like this first one. >> reporter: since the start of the pandemic, medical workers
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have been at the forefront of covid safety concerns. to date, cal osha has received nearly 3,000 covid related safety complaints with more than one-third coming from the health care industry. but as more businesses reopen, the agency is seeing a second wave of complaints from other sectors. those include 353 complaints from retail workers, 351 from manufacturing employees, 216 complaints from transportation and warehousing, and 159 covid complaints from food service workers who believe their companies aren't doing enough to protect them from coronavirus. >> we've been fixated on the when not as responsibly focused on the how to safely reopen. >> reporter: on monday governor gavin newsom announced plans to increase enforcement of the state's reopening guidelines for businesses. this comes after a series of outbreaks like the one at this morgan hill fish packing company where 38 workers tested po is in
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a single day. in a statement the company told us our entire site was retested and everyone was negative. all our sanitation and preventative measures are followed diligently. we are pleased to report we have had no new cases. >> i don't want to do this in a punitive mindset but we have to keep people safe. >> reporter: right now half of all cal/osha complaints are resolved over the phone. on site inspections revealed two possible fines, one at a hospital and one a grocery store in san jose after a worker became sick. >> we want to play by the rules. we want to be good partners. we just need to know what the rules are. >> reporter: rachel michelin is president of the california retailers association which represents businesses from big box stores to mom-and-pop shops. she says part of the issue is that businesses aren't always clear which guidelines to follow between the cdc, cal osha, and local county health departments. are retailers doing enough to keep workers and customers safe from the virus?
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>> so on the retailers that i'm working with that are members of our association, i would say a lot of them are. >> reporter: she says one of the biggest problems for employees is trying to convince customers to wear masks to help keep the workplace safe. >> yes. we've had knives drawn on associates, a lot of yelling, a lot of, you know, colorful language. >> reporter: despite the rise in safety complaints and a record spike in cases, she believes another shutdown would be a bad idea. >> that would just do a lot in terms of frustrating all californians if we saw us going backwards instead of thoughtfully thinking about working together to how we can contain the spread and keep our businesses open. >> reporter: another big issue we've been hearing about involves transparency. when a worker is found to have covid-19 colleagues aren't necessarily informed they may have been exposed. industry leaders tell us they're still talking to state and local
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officials as it involves privacy issues. to take a deeper dive into the numbers head to nbc bay area.com/investigations where we posted our breakdown. candice nguyen, nbc news. covid-19 patients at ucsf have doubled in the last two weeks. the icu is at 70% capacity and the trend has hospital staff nervous and preparing for the worst. >> nervous because this is not the peak yet. today i was talking to the i.t. director and saying we have to brace ourselves again just like early on in the pandemic. >> reporter: the doctor's advice, by all means stay in your bubble. he is urging everyone to get a mask that is comfortable and
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simple enough to wear it properly over your nose and mouth. i found it easy to pull up and down. it doesn't bother my ears. that is my solution. after the break on "today in the bay" the nathan's hot dog eating contest is a 4th of july tradition but will have a much different look for the bay area's joey chestnut and others this year. ♪ menutaur
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in this morning's making it in the bay rent prices are falling faster and sharper than anywhere else in the nation. it is partly because of the recession. the rent tracker says san francisco's average rent is down 11% from last year. even steeper drops on the peninsula at about 15%. average rent is down about 5% in san jose. at 7:57 finally this morning so much has changed for 4th of july this year.
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so naturally the nathan's hot dog eating contest would be a little different as well. in just over an hour from now, 9:20 a.m., 12 time champion joey chestnut will defend his title but the spectacle moves indoors to adhere to social distancing and other safety protocols. he holds the world record with 74 hot dogs in ten minutes in 2018. last year he came close with 71. of course here in the bay area most 4th of july events have been canceled so we put together a guide of virtual events for you so you can enjoy the holiday weekend while staying safe. just head over to our website nbc bay area.com/4th of july. and we thank you so much for making us part of your morning. we'll have more local news tonight at 5:00, 6:00, 11:00 and all day on nbc bay area.com.
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have a safe and happy 4th of july. we will see you back here tomorrow morning.
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television that is educational and informational. 're watching the more you know on nbc. dylan: hi there, i'm dylan dreyer, and this is "earth odyssey". on today's show, we uncover the wildlife that lives in the unbelievably diverse island of japan. and we explore the country to find the most fascinating animals and the most heroic insects. from steller's eagles to honeybees, you never know who reigns supreme in the wildlife of japan. [music]

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