tonighton, kqed newsroom, we will take you on the final part of our retrospective journey. 55 years of bringing you the news on television. coming to you from kqed headquarters in san francisco, this friday, june 23rd, 2023. welcome to the series finale of the show. i am your host, and we are continuing our journey through kqed nearly 60 years of television news coverage . tonight, kqed newsroom comes to an end. thank you for joining us for this final show. last week, we walked through the most notable events impacting the greater bay area

from the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s. tonight's show, we would journey through news highlights from the 1990s until the present. there is a have profound impacts on our bay area community. rolling back time, 30 years, the 1990s was a decade to find by the start of the internet. learning to serve the worldwide wed, transforming every aspect of our lives free >> when i think of silicon valley, i think of life in the fast lane. you could be in first place one week with a new idea out of the box, and the very next week, camwiththinin keman,g somost dymebose elhad let's work harder. >> no one knew what the company would do. we just would start a company and it would be something in technology. >> it has grown from six to 400 employees in the space of a few years, the culture is accelerating at a competitive case. the culture here is fast-moving , aggressive, paranoid, the

hours are in some ways depressing. we are all working hard to be successful. the internet is competitive. if the hours are impressive, the workspace and culture should not be. in july, 1993, san francisco saw a mass shooting at 101 california street. the killing sparked a reflection on american gun culture and pushed the state to implement some of the strictest gun measures in the nation. good evening, welcome. survivors of the san francisco tragedy mourn the dead today. officials are trying to figure out if the city's emergency response system could have

responded better? barber taylor, one of the investigators. >> i think what they look for and found, was what people in san francisco have known for some time. if you try to call 911, there is problems with the system. this particular case, the poli ce chiefa said e four-minute, four second, delay. from the time the first call came in from 101 california street, there was a man with a gun, until the time that the dispatcher actually called the cops on the radio and said, go to 101 california. >> people in the high rise building were not necessarily from san francisco. these are thousands of people who have to come into the city each day and depend upon the system. how is it going to affect these people who have huge buildings here, with hundreds of employees that depend upon the city being able to respond in like a timely fashion?

>> his news conference made a point of saying, everyone who was killed or injured in the first four minutes, it would not have made any difference. that was the indication he was trying to put out. however, in fact, once the dispatcher sent word to the police officer to go, it only took 27 seconds or the police to get to the scene. theoretically, if you cut off two or three minutes, there would've been a police officer there in perhaps, half a minute. lives could've been saved, we will never know. >> the firestorm in 1991, which killed 25 people and destroyed 3400 homes, was equivalent to a -- fire. one of the largest at the time. california would have to get

used to it in the coming decades. >> welcome to our program today. investigators sift to the rubble of last week's devastating firestorm in the east bay, there is new evidence that bad communications between firefighting agencies may have allowed the fire to rage out of control. the oakland fire department was taking heat, now it looks like no one really had a plan. was there any kind of plan in place for a fire? >> is becoming evident every day this week, there was very little plan. the little planning there was, the collapse of the moments after the fire exploded into what it became, early that sunday morning -- i don't want to begin to start playing the blame game, i think a lot of us have been doing the last two weeks. i would like to go back to my notion of going back to your insurance policy and remembering the phrase assess, "act of god".

it was beyond all reckoning. it was beyond anybody could probably prepare for. >> some people would take exception with the act of god reference, especially in regard to the transcripts that were released. tell this. >> those transcripts have some troubling conclusions. i don't know if we will ever know what really happened? it becomes clear reading the transcripts and listening to the tapes, at the moment when the fire really exploded, and the firefighters in the hills trying to stop it, they had a real problem communicating down to their superiors in the central dispatch center. they needed big help and needed it immediately. there were probably 10 to 20 firefighters that sunday morning. they called to oakland fire and said, we need reinforcements immediately. i'm not talking about routine one alarm or to alarm. we need immediate six alarm. we need aerial support. the tribune reporter

authenticated the transcripts, yes, in fact, air support was called immediately from the firefighters in the hills, down to discuss. at that moment, there was so much coming into the dispatch, they were clogged with information and were able to communicate back out to get that sort of . >> it seems like it falls back to a central question of, why doesn't the fire contained initially? why did he get to the point of spreading out? that question still lingers. the second, in terms of not only responding to the fire, this week there has been ongoing heat in berkeley and oakland about the fire department once it was alerted to alert residents. >> there was a terrible fight brewing below the surface between berkeley and oakland. going over the logs again, is really a troubling experience. berkeley, they got a call, or

did not get a call, it's not clear? there are points recorded, just before i left the newsroom in the afternoon. somebody from the berkeley laboratory has its own fire department, they get a call 15 minutes after the fire really exploded into what it became. berkeley, just down the hill says that they did not get a call. the other hand, we have residents who know that they called before that time. we don't know who is calling who? it is exactly what you suggested, there is finger- pointing trying to decide who is culpable. meanwhile, the fire is jumping freeways. >> it gives meaning to that kind of chaos. >> the 2000's was a decade údefined by the devastating september 11th attacks. the societal shifts that followed. there are massive global protests organized, demanding an end of the writ.

the war resulted in the loss of hundreds of thousands of lives. the same-sex marriage argument gained momentum. came against the backdrop. the new millennium was marked by a decade of financial turmoil and war. starting with the bursting of the silicon valley.com level. >> hewlett packard, has laid off thousands, reported a 14% drop in third-quarter revenues. hp stopped on friday. industry standard, the magazine said it would full. at the same time, five hollywood studios said, they would offer video on demand movies on the internet. >> there is a confluence of factors that remains in silicon valley. all of that talent is mostly

still there. you got this enormous amount of venture capitol that is looking for interesting businesses to get into. you have companies that can help you build a company off the shelf in an hour. there are all of these things that are together at the great universities, people should not give up. this is a natural thing in technology. it is very much a boom and bust kind of cycle. it will come back. >> it was the largest one-day loss of life since the civil war. thousands remained unaccounted for. tonight, after a special day of prayer and mourning for the dead and their families, washington is preparing to strike back. supported by a unified congress. president bush, is attempting to build an international coalition for an all-out war on terrorism. >> i was on the phone this morning like i was yesterday. on the phone with leaders around the world.

they expressed their solidarity. with this nation's intention to route out and to whip terrorism. >> the bay area, limited air travel resumed with tough security measures. passengers are being advised to arrive three hours before flights. people are still worried that they area landmarks could be targets of other terrorist attacks. with hostility toward arab- americans reportedly on the rise, the bay area's traditional tolerance of ethnic differences and support for civil liberties could be tested. one thing is certain, this week's attacks in washington and new york city, have fundamentally altered our way of life. >> the week of valentine's day, 2004, newly elected mayor gavin newsom ordered city officials to grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

it was in defiance of state law, defining marriage as a union of one man and one woman. >> we have reignited a fundamental debate that is about discrimination. >> outside city hall, and lesbians lined up around the block. the next four weeks, about 4000 úcouples tied the knot. but, it was not to last. the urging of governor arnold schwarzenegger, the california supreme court stopped the marriages and later voided the union street over the next four years, the issue snaked its way through the state judicial system. in 2008, the california supreme court ruled that banningunions violated the state constitution. saying, marriage cannot be úde orientation. newsom, declared victory. >> as california goes, so goes the rest of the nation. it's inevitable. this door is wide open now. it's going to happen. whether you like it or not.

>> the ruling triggered a wave of joyful weddings across the state. the celebrated union of two longtime lesbian activist together since the 1950s. proponents of traditional marriage, soon collected over 1 million signatures for proposition eight. to amend the california constitution and restore marriage to opposite couples only. on the same night, californians voted overwhelmingly for president obama. once again,marriage was illegal. >> the 2010s were marked by political activism and the boom of social media and smartphones. instagram, launched in the year, 2010. it accumulated millions of users over the following years. there was a resurgence of silicon valley. the giants celebrated three

world series victories. sadly, 36 people died in the ghost ship warehouse fire. it was the deadliest fire in the history of oakland and mass casualties since the earthquake. following the end of obama's two terms diinvisiffon o ice,from preside in 2016. >> tonight we focus on the legal battles over same-sex marriage and the issues before the u.s. supreme court. 2010, federal judge, walker, struck down properly. saying it violated the u.s. constitution's guarantee of equal protection under the law. then with a split decision, the panel for the ninth circuit court of appeals, upheld that last forever. setting the stage for the final legal battle before the u.s. supreme court. >> today, san francisco values

become america's values. marriage matters. family matters. that is what we are affirming today. >> a huge celebration at san francisco city hall, after a historic u.s. supreme court decision. i am, scott shaver. today the high court ruled the same-sex couples have the fundamental right to marry. no longer me this liberty be denied to them. that is what anthony kennedy wrote in his landmark decision. >> what an incredible october for the giants and their fans. you were in the parade today. what is it about this team and its connection with the people who live in san francisco? >> in a way, it is sort of an underdog team. nobody gives a much credit. they wind two world series and nobody picks them to wind this world series. it's a team of teamwork. they pull together. it is 25 people, 25 stories.

we like that here. we are an area that work together. thousands of college students doing walkouts. mr. trump and president obama held their first face-to-face meeting this week. both are calling for unity. clun'seawhr enatthhas exposedf . 2017, lots of growing sexual harassment and use of women in the workplace. a movement called, me too. welcome to kqed newsroom. hollywood has been asked to take a hard look after harvey weinstein's scandal. overnight, women of hollywood and elsewhere have gone a social media to share their stories of sexual harassmnt and abuse.

this week, women in california politics joined, saying, enough. more than 140 women in state politics from staffers to elected officials, signed a open letter to what they call sexual harassment in the halls of government. >> there is the hashtag, me too, i think it should be, who not? women experience this not only in state capitals, workplaces, campuses, everywhere. we have some decent laws, but the consequences to the perpetrator are not enough. they have not served as a deterrent. until the perpetrator really experiences a consequence that is a loss of status, or some legal consequence, other than a payout that is confidential, we will not see this change. we have arrived now at the 2020s. kicked off unanticipated and unprecedented local pandemic.

covid. the world health organization estimates more than 3 million people died as a result of the pandemic. 1 million here in the united states. just a few months later, protest broke out around the country following the death of george floyd at the hands of a police officer in minnesota. let's revisit these tumultuous past a few years. covid, the novel coronavirus disease has spread to more than 50 countries. for the first time, there are now new cases outside of china where it originated then inside the country. on wednesday, president trump held a news conference about the governor's response to the illness. he advised mike pence to direct efforts to contain it spread. while seeming to downplay the risk to americans. san francisco, meanwhile, is on high alert. no cases in the city, the mayor declared a state of emergency to use resources.

>> coronavirus numbers keep climbing in california. more than 50,000 new infections on thursday alone. the death toll has climbed more than 28,000, statewide. we have reports of ambulances circling hospitals for hours looking for space for these critical ill patients. one l.a. county supervisor called the situation a human disaster. is only expected to grow more dire. meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of doses of the new vaccine have been stuck in warehouses or in transit. governor newsom acknowledged that the state needs to do better. we are hearing this morning we should be expecting another 15,000 hospitalizations in california in the next 10 days. the california hospital association said, it's like standing on a beach and watching the tsunami approach. >> you say a common use of racism is too narrow.

how do you define racism? >> a system of advantage based on race. we commonly think of racism as mistreating or disliking others because of the color of their skin. we define racism as a system, a hierarchy, epidemic, we are all embedded in. >> use the term proactive and reactive antiracism. >> one clear of evidence to reactive, is a lot within the last few weeks. people are fed up by the horrific events that are happening recently. people are reacting to that and choosing out to be antiracist. proactive antiracism, would be taking those reactions, the feelings that many of us have, and implementing them into some kind of long-lasting future oriented change. the ideal u.s. society for me would be one where one's race

does not determine your position. all of the data shows that based on the color of your skin and racial identity, your life opportunities are deeply affected. that's an injustice. i hope that we all move toward a nation where that no longer is the case. fog and wind and smoke came together to produce eerie end of the world landscapes. california's peak fire system, a number of fires have already blazed to the state. 3 million acres have burned in 2020 surpassing the record in 2018. 50,000 firefighters are battling major blazes across the state. it has claimed at least 12 lives. so my california lawmakers front and center. president donald trump should be removed from office immediately. let's listen to what they had to say on the floor of house of

representatives for they cast their votes for impeachment. >> donald trump has been a threat to our national security and democracy. he's unfit to serve as president. he must be held accountable for inciting violence against the united states. >> america was not attacked in the past sense, this president has inspired future plots. america is still under attack and that's why donald trump must be impeached. >> we saw him incite violence, there was an attempted coup at the capitol. our speaker was targeted for assassination. the vice president was targeted for hanging. in fact, members of congress were targeted for assassination. these are very dangerous times. today, the u.s. supreme court overturned the decision protecting women's right to an abortion. >> already there are more than two dozen states that have what you name as trigger laws.

that means that when the supreme court issues a decision like this, this place is emotion. there are abortion restrictions in their states. many of those states will be an abortion out right and for others, they will dramatically constrain the rights to terminate a pregnancy. there are legislators that are in these antiabortion states, that have also said they want to criminalize access to contraception's such as, plan b. that's a standard after a woman has been race. in artificial intelligence has been a buzz about paradigm. is this true? is this height? mitigating the risk of extinction from a i should be a global priority. next to pandemics and nuclear war. >> you have the leaders of

these companies talking about the possibility of human extinction. four now, to a series we introduced on kqed newsroom during the dark days of covid. i began here as host before the lockdown. we all felt hopeless and helpless. our team recognized that our news coverage had never been so to the good in the world. the light that still exists, despite the turmoil and chaos we filled day today. we came up with the idea of something beautiful. a few moments of inspiration, accompanied by music, to lift our spirits. with reminders of the good we could still find in the world around us, if we took the time to look.

it has become one of our favorite parts of the show. from what we have heard from you, it is one of your favorites, too. tonight, we compiled highlights from the best moments of this series. enjoy the special final addition of something beautiful.

[ music ] as kqed newsroom sunsets and we dimmed the lights, i want to say a heartfelt thank you for watching and supporting us. i will miss the show and i know many of you will, too. thank you for all of you who have reached out to let us know what kqed newsroom has meant to you. while we conclude the delivery of local news via television, kqed will continue to bring you the news every day on the radio at 88.5, online, and on our social media pages. please follow us there. you heard the phrase, it takes

a village. i would like to give you a look at our village. this is the strong and capable team that has kept us running smoothly, every week. filled with producers and production staff. from all of us here at kqed newsroom, thank you for thech we will miss you. goodbye. ♪

william: china and hunter biden, some of the sub text behind the president's recent state visit. >> two grereat friends, two gret powers. cheers. william: indian p.m. modi with an eye towards china's influence. but an eye on some of the attendees. the president's son hunter biden in attendance just days after reaching a plea deal with the justice department. >> we were investigating hunter biden, and more importantly, joe biden. william: outraged republicans cry foul and vow to further investigate the president and his family.