but one bay area county. we're still seeing signs like this one, no mask, no entry. coming up on nbc bay area news, we'll explain why you need to wear one of these. pushing back on vaccine mandate, a san jose police officer leaving town and the -- for the city. news at 4:00 starts right now. thank you for joining us for this olympics edition of nbc bay area news. we want to start here at home. a son jose police officer with more than a decade on the job is following more law enforcement officers and leaving the bay area. >> it's all about covid politics and mandates. in a story you'll only seer here, mary ann favro has the story. >> reporter: officer jonathan

koenig has resigned and turned in his badge. his last day on the job was monday. >> the main lone was the vaccine mandate. that was the final straw. if san jose pd was the greatest police in the world and still imposed the mandate, i still would have left. it should be a choice. >> reporter: he received a religious exemption, but it required him to test twice a week, something he said proved challenging. >> the average wait time to get a covid test was an hour and a half during the holiday season. unfortunate employees waiting in these lines for an hour and a half twice a week, just to get tested. on our own dime and our own time. >> reporter: he decided to quit his job and move to idaho. now councilman raul perales believes the mandate will prompt forerecent innation. >> in fact, i have heard that

from -- that concern from a number of police officers and actually other city employees as well. >> reporter: those concerns are growing, now that the city has implemented a booster mandate and extended the deadline to february 25th. 50 employees have applied for exemptions, 33 of them are police department employees. perales is now asking the city council to transition from a vaccine and booster to policy to a mandatory testing policy, where all employees must be tested, except those with proof of a vaccine and booster. >> that would be the same outcome, just eliminate that process of needing to qualify hundreds of individuals on religious or medical process that as of last week wasn't working very well and could put us in jeopardy of losing a

significant number of employees. >> the police department has already lost one. you might know this is a pivotal day in the pandemic. you may see more smiles today than you've seen in nearly two years. no more masks indoors in eight of our nine bay area counties. that's the new rule, but not everyone is ditching the masks. >> pockets full of masks. every pocket i have has a mask in it. >> for the last two years, masks have become part of our daily wardrobe. >> on the door knob at home we have about 12 or 14 used masks just hanging there. >> today all bay area counties, except for santa clara county ended their mandates for those fully vaccinated. the first thing other than marty breen took down the mask signs. >> if you don't have one, you don't want to wear one, we're

fine with that. >> reporter: he says if it gets crowded, he'll likely ask the staff for mask up. >> we're close up, down touching their feet. >> reporter: breen says requiring customers to continue to masking up is not worst the hassle. >> when the situation changed back in june, we probably will 10 or 12 customers within a week irate at us, screaming at our employ crease. they don't want to shop with us anymore, because we required the mask. >> other than -- >> we're excited to be taking off the masks officially today. but keep them handy, too. owner marsha harmon hopes less rules will draw in more customers. other that i ted counter leahy saying masking up is less about following the rules and making those around are feel comfortable. >> i do that out of respect for other people. >> reporter: owners say they adopt want the marketing mandate to end.

that's why they're offering a 10% discount to customers who deep their masks on. schools, hospitals, public transit, most courthouses will still require you to mask up. in concourt, i'm melissa -- >> melissa, thank you. >> that's santa clara county. so mask changes are interesting near the border of santa clara and san mateo county. dropping its indoor mask mandate. most people right there along the county border there, still a very personal decision. in san mateo, where even the county says masks are no longer required. not everyone was taking off those masks. >> this is great. i get to i fill my lunges. >> it's like a 50-50 thing. if you want to wear it, you wear it. i try to respect everyone around me and continue to follow the guidelines.

to each his tone. santa clara public health department says it will monitor key factors such as case rates, and if the trend continues downward, hopes to follow other counties sometime next month. a live look now in beijing. the olympic flame, it's there in the middle there. it's just after 8:00 thursday morning out there. it was a full day of ups and downs for team usa. heartbreak for the men's hockey team looked out by slovakia, but team usa had success on the slopes. we're joined live with liz in beijing. what is the latest out there? >> reporter: i gait some gear from the games to show you. you'll see team usa wearing this are, you've got the patch here, "usa" on the sleep, so when

they're on that podium with their hand over their heart, you'll see the good old usa. and two out of the three skiers got to break this outfit out of their closet recently. team usa tops the podium? slope style skiing, alex hall grabbing gold with a risky first one that paid off. >> it's all amazing. yeah, that's bestially the best run i've ever done. >> silver, his third medal. i'm extremely proud. >> reporter: more heart break in men's hockey after stopping seven straight shots in a shootout. slovakia netted the win. >> this moment meant a lot to me. i'm just hoping i made our country proud. the leafs will hit the aisles. >> we're big supporters of

women's hockey. >> reporter: the team usa women are reaching for a repeat from 2018, guess for a second straight goal against canada in the finals. a redo after a 4-2 loss in pool play. >> we have nothing to save it for. >> reporter: a rivalry reignited with gold on the line. the showdown is about 8:00 p.m. pacific time warring these white jersey when is they take on the red maple leafs. these two teams have such a strong rivalry. it will certainly by an exciting night. they will get a medal, wearing this jacket. they just need that gold necklace to go with it. audrey? >> it's going to be a good one, for sure. i love the gear. looking good on you, liz. thank you. here's a look at what's coming up primetime.

the women's half pipe, and mikaela shiffrin trying to rebound. it all begins at 5:00 right here on nbc bay area. could this be a sign of things to come for the november election? san francisco voters overwhelmingly decided to recall three school board members. >> last night during the race, the voters sent a clear message. >> more than 70% of those who cast their ballots voted to oust these three school members. gabriella lopes, allison, and board member. the mayor will then appoint three new members. organizers say they want someone to focus getting students back on track rather than getting wrapped up in things like renaming schools. >> loud and clear, you're not progressive, you're leaving behind the kids who need the

most help. you're not progressive if you are focused on changing the names when the kids inside the schools can't read or do math. >> reporter: of. >> the new board members have big issues coming up, including a budget gap, and replace ago retiring superintendent. a chemical spill and fire inside a fremont business caused some tense moment. the fire department said it started around 7:30, the flames broke out. even after the fire was knocked down, roads near that area we are closed off, and employees were evacuated as crews monitored the air for potential toxic chemical cans. all roots were open around 12:30 this afternoon. no injuries were reported. up next, they adopt even want to open their windows of their homes. we investigate the concerns

being raised in a bay area neighborhood about the dust that's right outside their house. is this a legitimate problem? you don't have to crunch those dreaded tax numbers yourself. free help is available all around the bay area. i'm chris chmura, we'll explain who is eligible and how to sign up. high pressure is back. it will bring us more warm weather tomorrow. where we'll have 70s, plus which cities are dropping below average for the rain season. i'm back in about eight minutes. okay, it's go time. team usa on the largest gig-speed network. which means this mega fan never misses a second. it's gig-speed wifi that's “mikaela shiffrin” fast. ok, that's fast! speed's cool, but does yours block threats?

yup, even for these upstairs all-nighters rocking wifi speeds faster than a gig. can your internet do that? learn more about gig-speed wifi, or get started with xfinity internet for $19.99 a month for 12 months. click, call, or visit a store today.

there is a dustup in hunters point. or pricier parts. san francisco. >> reporter: a fleet of -- in hunters points, en route to construction sites. >> it's just a bat situation.

>> reporter: they deposit a thickets dust. >> look how this is flying up here. turning everything here a dull gray. turns on the african-american equity council. the dust he says is not just a nuisance. >> 5,960. >> that device cowens airborn titles that can become embedded. it's a common biproduct of concrete operation, and can

cause respiratory issues, ranging from asthma to 3,000. >> anything over 3,000 is pretty poor. i've measured up to 28,000 with trucks running by. >> along the truck routes that he's measured is the elementary school, where children play outside during school reactions, during the public housing development. the plant owner wouldn't talk on camera, but says he's run his operation at the site for the last year and a half, recycling old material to produce 40,000 towns of fresh concrete annually. we're really conscious of not causing problems out there. adding that his crews sprays down the trucks to limit the trust. he feels caught in the jurisdictional trouble. but neighbors want the city to do more to protect them.

>> this is not a dumping ground. camila elan lives at the complex. >> right here in my own backyard, i'm fighting for environmental justice. >> we contacted the district supervisor for the neighborhood, who sent us a statement, saying he's forwarded the residents' complaints to the air quality management district, adding our office is 100% in align with our city's practice. hart says he frustrated. >> i don't even want to go outside at all because of the dirt. when it's windy, it's like a sandstorm. you can't just see it blowing around. a new report puts a finer

point on a new warning. sea levels could rise as much as 8 inches by 20 feet, and as much as a foot in coastal areas. . while the number may not sound big, the consequences could be catastrophic. experts say critical bay area infrastructure sits on vulnerable shoreline zone. a rise of 8 inches could mean increased flooding during king tides and extreme weather. so bay area leaders have worked on regional strategying to address this. many believe this report shows the highlights to do more and quickly. >> we're not talking about this stopping at 2050. we need to make decisions now looking forward to, you know, 100 years from now. we need to be looking at other estimates. >> so among the changes experts are pushing for, more creation

of wetlands and higher seawalls. check the calendar, don't kill the messenger. >> chris chmura and his team want to help. >> good evening. this year the state and federal filing deadlines are april 18th. yes the i.r.s. says 16 million families have already filed their federal forms. if that is you, congrats. if not, we'd like to tell you where you can get some free help. look for the qr code on the screen during this story. >> you want to know where your money is going. >> lindsey rojas has said he filed her returns with a mental question mark. sometimes there's a hesitation. did i get all the credits i needed? >> she says that changed when she got free tack help through the united way in alameda. >> they made me feel welcome. that was important for me. >> united way bay area says they

have lined much volunteers to help families file their tax returns for free. >> we want to make sure people. it your household income is less than $73,000, you qualify. you can have a zoom session or portal, and in-person help at 100 locations around the bay areas. >> different sites have difficult protocol. >> reporter: we wanted toe know who was doing the math for you. all volunteers smu register with the i.r.s., complete training and pass a tax exam. >> this is a national i.r.s. program where volunteers are certified. we have to take a test every year. this qr code on your screen, just point your phone ought it. >> in addition the united way says you can call 211 to find free tax help. we posted a link on nbcbayarea.com, too.

just go to the main menu, then tap the "response" option. >> really helpful. >> you can rewind right now and get that qr code. >> good call. >> weather too good this weekend to get that done, too. the forecast was beautiful out here today. you can see san jose, the brilliant blue skies, warm temperatures, about ten degrees warmer. that's putting us at 69 in san jose. alternates bit of a breeze. we're going down to chillier 250s here, so any errands later on tonight, make sure you have that jacket. in the 70s in contra costa county. and then some 50s rolling in at 7:00 and 8:00. where do we go from here? unfortunately no big changes, so

high pressure that's been keeping us dry for the past month and a half, that stays in place. interestingly enough, at the same time tomorrow, we'll see a system develop, but this is moving over the land, other canada, washington and other. so it's not picking up pacific moisture. this will stay dry. this is very indicative of la nina, when we see the dry systems sliding down, and we are currently in la nina. what did it mean for the rainfall season? remarkably there's still cities holding on to a rain surplus. we're looking at a rain surplus still in oak lend, san francisco and concourt, but we're beginning to dip below average here in santa rosa and san jose. i think everybody will go below average over the next few weeks, with no chances of major storms. beautiful weather, can't ignore this. temperatures chilly in the 40s across the bay area. as we roll through tomorrow

afternoon, an awesome rebound coming our way. 69 in san jose, more of the low 70s. not quite 70, but feeling good in palo alto at 69. san francisco 64 downtown, and santa rosa, right on the floor to napa. we roll into next week, 50s return to go san francisco, and also dropping from those low 70s down to the 50s next tuesday and wednesday. so, really, really nice weather into this weekend, y'all. up next, a super celebration in l.a. we'll show you how the rams were honor the this afternoon and the major change to an l.a. landmark. stay with us.

now team usa adding to its haul with 19 medaling overall putting the u.s. in fourth place. a lot of love in l.a. today for the super bowl champs. thousands showed up to celebrate the rams. >> so not the 49ers, not the raiders. >> i know. >> it's the rams. rightfully so. it's their house. shirtless. >> okay. >> a lot of waving, dancing both from the team and from the fans. we've had our shares of parades over the years.

the buses weave their way through the parade of people. it ended up at the l.a. coliseum for another pep rally. >> it's an unbelievable journey we've been on, so many ups and down, but you guys were right there with us. >> we're world champions! [ yelling ] we're the last team standing. we're the best in the world. look at this trophy right here? >> they earned it. check it out. the hollywood soon had a temporary makeover. you see that? rams house, no longer hollywood. ross and malou join us next with "the olympic zone"

in new york city, ♪ ♪ there's always something new to discover. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

come be a part of it. plan your next vacation at iloveny.com

>> announcer: tonight on "the olympic zone," get ready for another epic ice hockey face-off. >> the united states will beat canada for the gold medal. vet rants on team usa playing for more. >> we're here to get a job down. plus the support system for the american athletes on the ice. >> to embrace opportunity for skaters of all different backgrounds. you know. there's still work to do. join the figure skating representation. and the jamaican