back high performing students. so today, 2 investigates looked into it. ktvu channel 2 news' john fowler spoke to some of the concerned teachers who were afraid to speak out for fear of losing their jobs. >> reporter: teachers we did speak with are worried that students are being forced to take more basic math and science courses despite being ready for calculus or physics and classes are mandated solely by grade level. some teachers fear this could turn off higher performing students and cause more harm than good. common core for education, new standards students call demanding. >> it all pays off eventually. the credits go great and look amazing for colleges and universities. >> reporter: but that template can be too flexible. >> everybody doing the same thing at the same time in the same sequence. at the same grade levels.

>> reporter: scott dickerman says his san francisco school, the math and the physics sequences don't allow for differences among students. >> why is the intent to come up with a one size fits all implementation for common core? >> reporter: the district says it is still working on the scope and sequence of science education. but that after years of citizens complaining about the quality of public education, people need to understand, change can be hard. >> now, what we are saying is that students actually learn more when they struggle. >> reporter: jim ryan heads the common core effort in math and science. >> we have taken the deep understanding for math and science in the race to cover topics. >> reporter: he says jobs and careers for students and our economy hang in the balance. it is better to keep students on a rigorous path longer before they take advanced

electives. >> we simply are delaying that bifurcates system to later on. >> reporter: several teachers declined comments for fear of retaliation. >> we are in a globally competitive environment. and we do need to start looking at how best to do that. common core may be the answer, it may not. but it is at least pointing out where we need to be at some point. >> reporter: there is now a growing grass roots movement to get rid of common core in california with legislation possible this year. >> john, thank you. we learned about this story through a tip. if you have a tip for our 2 investigates team, we want to hear from you. e-mail 2investigates@ktvu.com. new developments tonight in the race for barbara boxer cease senate seat after hinting

he was considering a run, we learned eric swalwel won't be joining the race. this afternoon, he tweeted this picture and said thrilled to support kamala harris for senate. kamala harris announced her bid just days after barbara boxer said she wouldn't run in 2016. congressman swalwel joins several others who are supporting harris' campaign including gavin newson. now here is a look at the other politicians throwing their support behind harris. east bay congresswoman barbara lee, massachusetts senator elizabeth warren, and new jersey senator cory booker. in sacramento today, the husband of a terminally ill woman who chose to end her life in oregon brought his wife's story to the state capitol.

as ken pritchett tells us, it is all part of a campaign to bring death with dignity to california. >> my dreams came true. >> reporter: it is the story of brittany maynard and the choice to end her life instead of suffering the agony of terminal brain cancer. >> welcome everyone. good afternoon. >> reporter: it has brought the issue of doctor assisted suicide back to the capital seven years after its defeat. >> please help me carry out my daughter's legacy. >> reporter: it was her mother who thanked lawmakers and made an emotional appeal for what is being called the end of life option bill. >> exact your senators. contact your asemiby members. stand up and make your voice heard. even if it shakes like mine. >> reporter: brittany and her family moved to oregon where assisted suicide has been legal since 1997. her husband dan diaz spoke

today. >> if she stayed here, she would face a horrific death. >> reporter: on one side are gut-wrenching stories and the other saying assisted suicide is simply a mistake. >> this bill should be defeated. >> reporter: marilyn golden is a disabilities rights advocate horrific says no safeguards are safe enough. >> if the bill passes, some people's lives will be lost without their consent through mistakes and abuse. >> reporter: golden stands with a wide range of opposition from doctors to religious groups that will fight this effort yet again. but this time, they face well publicized advocates with stories about how oregon's law brought relief with the fear of a painful end of life. >> she reached for my hand and she said mama, given the hand of life we were dealt, this is as good as it gets, mama. and it was. >> reporter: this bill mirrors

oregon's law in many ways including requiring two physicians to diagnose a terminal illness before a patient can get a life ending prescription. this bill will certainly receive much attention as it moves its way through the legislature. in sacramento, ken pritchett, ktvu channel 2 news. thousands of kaiser nurses from across california have started to vote on a new labor contract. 18,000 registered nurses and nurse practitioners at 86 kaiser hospitals are eligible to vote on the new contract. union officials say the three- year agreement includes significant economic gains for its members and additional retirement security. and they say it is expected to elevate nursing standards and workplace conditions around the country. the proposed deal averts a strike that was supposed to start today. a major shakeup today in silicon valley. san jose based ebay announced it is cutting hundreds of jobs and could be splitting up the

company. ann rubin has the story. >> financial experts say it is likely a good plan. ebay had announced plans to spin off pay pal into a separate entity. now they are looking to split off their enterprise unit. the company says it will cut 2400 jobs. about 7% of the work force. the layoffs will come from all three ebay marketplaces, ebay enterprises and pay pal. the company says it is trying to become more streamlined. ebay's interests were too disparate and the companies will likely fare better on their own. >> that is why their is typically a positive reaction to the spin off. you can hide the lack of growth in the retail auctions by

growing the payments business. >> reporter: the layoffs are set to happen some time in the first quarter. the spin-offs later on in the summer. >> ann rubin, thank you. the contra costa county da's office has decided it is not going to file charges against a richmond police officer who shot and killed a man last year. the shooting victim, 24-year- old richard perez was heavily intoxicated when he grabbed at officer jenson's gun outside a liquor store on the night of september 14. jenson opened fire. the da's office says he acted in self-defense. he is still facing a civil suit and an internal investigation. two state firefighters were fired, another resigned after an investigation following a homicide. a cal fire academy instructor charged with murdering his girlfriend and then led police on a two-week man hunt. during the search for the man,

allegations surfaced that firefighters with were having sex with prostitutes at the academy. in total, 16 firefighters were put on paid administration leave last month for violations that grew out of those sex allegations. san francisco firefighters stationed on treasure island are dealing with more than just mold. rats and rat mites have now infested their living quarters. tara moriarty obtained documents showing how bad the problem really is. >> reporter: it packs the bite of a bedbug leaving red itchy bumps on the skin. >> we are talking like an insect bite. >> reporter: like that of a rat mite. yesterday, a pest inspector came to the facility to recover sticky traps showing an infestation of rat mites. >> i feel the infestation is real, but it is far from an

infestation. if we thought there were concerns we would pull them out of here. we don't want to put our members in jeopardy. firefighters tell us they have rats and other rodents scurrying from the pile of debris used for simulation training purposes. but top officials with the fire department tell us that this situation is being blown out of proportion. but firefighters say they have been bitten by the bugs and found rat droppings. this months after being transplanted from station 48 where black mold was discovered and forced them out. this morning crews trimmed keys that the rats are possibly using to climb inside. the pest inspector also returned to gain access to the attic space to look for nests. firefighters worry they will bring the mites home with them. they have been advised to shower and wash their clothes. experts say rat mites do not carry diseases.

on treasure island, tara moriarty, ktvu channel 2 news news. coming up next, a mail thief arrested in the east bay. >> plus, more on the mystery of bay area birds found covered in goo. >> the goo is just pulling their feathers. >> officials say they don't know what it is. but they do know what it isn't. >> also, seven killings in just 21 days. the push tonight in oakland to stop the violence. >> and in weather, clear skies over the bay area right now. but i'm tracking a weak system for tomorrow. coming up, the impact headed our way and when 70s return to our local forecast. >> and right now, a look at the evening commute along i-80. the taillights you see there are headed up toward berkeley and richmond. boy, it is heavy in both directions right now. >> and, here is what it looks like now on highway 4 in contra costa county. a lot of headlights an slow going. we will be back with more in just a moment.

>> seven homicide ins 21 days started in year in oakland. the spike in killings is prompting community leader to step out and say it is time to stop the violence. the number of religious leaders visited the neighborhood where the latest double homicide happened. the names of the victims have not been released but we know one of the victims was 22 years old. the other was 29. the two men were shot shortly after 5:00 last night as they sat in a car on tenth street. >> ' lens is deafening and the people who live here have to come out and have conversations around the people who are the shooters. >> despite the latest killings, oakland officials say the homicide rate has been dropping with 80 murders recorded last year as compared to 2012 when

the city had a total of 126 homicides. new at 6:00, in pleasanton, police are trying to return stolen mail to its rightful owners after the arrest of a suspected mail thief. officer arrested 46-year-old joseph today and they say they also discovered stolen male and other stolen property inside his car. police are now asking anyone with missing mail to call them. abeyta was arrested on suspicion of stolen property and counterfeit money. new developments in the case of a number of birds found covered in a gooey substance in the east bay. we still don't know what the substance is, but we know what it isn't. also today, we learned even more birds have been found covered in this same substance. ktvu channel 2 news' noelle walker with today's developments. >> reporter: there are miles of coastline to cover.

with too few people and too little time to do it. >> i have one here. he was out on the island. >> today, the live birds found, are outnumbered by the dead ones. >> i'm here for the live ones, you know, for the live one that make it is difference. >> reporter: the california department of fish and wildlife reports more than 500 birds affected by mystery contamination. >> i'm waiting just as much as you are to find out what it is. >> reporter: the state fish and wildlife ruled out a synthetic rubber as the cause. >> there has been a lot of speculation about this could be the cause of it. we could rule that out. >> reporter: whatever it is, it is only impacting the birds. >> have you seen any today? >> no, not today. but yesterday, i saw them floating. >> reporter: volunteers with

wildlife emergency services are checking out sick bird tips. >> wildlife emergency services. >> reporter: and getting calls with new tips. almost nonstop. >> dwayne speaking. >> we are half a dozen deceased out there. >> reporter: while the field work winds down, san francisco bay keep sir ramping up efforts. >> we will be looking through our collective data on industrial processes in the east bay to identify what the source might be. >> reporter: this photograph encodes gps, so location and time information. but it is hard to find who is responsible until we know what is killing the birds. so the official numbers are not released until lateener the evening but this morning, the department of fish and wildlife said there were 318 contaminated birds found allove and 200-dollar found dead. in san leandro, noelle walker, ktvu channel 2 news.

behind there, the beautiful skyline with the weather. it has been beautiful and supposed to get nicer as we head to the weekend. mark is in to tell us how warm this weekend. >> temperatures audiotape good 10 to 15 degrees. a big bounce in the numbers for both saturday and sunday. right now, as you can see, there is a frontal system out here in the pacific that will not produce rainfall. we are all looking for rain but it is basically a cloud producer just offshore. also, we have this. some dense fog out to the central valley that will continue to be a factor as we head into your thursday morning forecast. still a batch of high clouds west of fort bragg and important arena as well. here are some looks at the current numbers. already cooling off in napa. 48 degrees. santa rosa, 54. and san jose czeching in 55 degrees reporting mostly clear conditions. the live camera looking out to the bay bridge, you can stare at the lights for hours.

you see the different patterns out there. for tonight, we have this. partly cloudy skies. tomorrow, high clouds, primarily for the morning hours. then a big warmup expected from saturday and sunday. in fact, that is the developing weather headline for your weekend. a lot of sunshine, temperatures a good 10 to 15 degrees above the average. there is a chance we could report recording for saturday and especially into sunday. and breezy conditions in the hills. lots of 40s for san francisco. mountain view, san jose. mostly cloudy skies with the high clouds moving in. and still some patchy fog to start out the day. here is the overall weather pattern. there is the weak system moveing in tomorrow. so a cloud producer for thursday morning and we will scale back on the high clouds in the afternoon hours. more sunshine for thursday afternoon. high pressure flexes its

muscles. this will be the source of warming and the warming trend will continue into saturday and sunday. here is our forecast mad else showing you the clouds tomorrow morning at 7:00. it will be overcast and patchy fog and the clouds cook out of town heading out to the south, to the east. no rain clouds expected. look what happens. the storm track headed way up to the north leaving the buy area high and dry. forecast highs about the same as today. santa rosa 65. a lot of 60s on the board for tomorrow. san jose, 65. look at santa cruz. we will go with 69 degrees. your five day forecast with temperatures trending up. that is over the cool overnight low. you will want to bundle up. into the afternoon, a big recovery into the 70s for both saturday and sunday. and we will thicken up the clouds into monday. when i come into work everyday, i get so excited to see the new

forecast models hoping there could be a change bringing rain into the area. just not happening but i will continue to have hope. maybe at 10:00, we will have a different story. >> but for now, high and dry. >> definitely. >> thank you mark. another bay area football coach leaving for a high profile job in the nfl. also, jim harbaugh tweets out a message congratulating all the nfl coaches but with one exception. and our sports is next. >> plus, what we are working on at news at 7:00. >> coming up at 7:00. a neonazi skin head nearly killed a gay man in the 80s . the incredible thing that happened when they met by chance 25 years later. also, the growing health risks in disneyland. we are working on these stories an more coming up on tv 36 at 7:00.

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♪ >> mark is here with more coverage starting changes now. >> yes, the coaching news. >> all but more of the nfl head

coaching jobs filled except for atlanta. the rest of the jobs are the assistant coaches and a former raider assistant has landed on his feet in cleveland. john defilippo. he has signed on with the browns as an offensive coordinator. now he will try to make a man out of johnny manziel. at least make him into an acceptable nfl quarterback. and speaking of coaches, get a kick out of this. coach harbaugh tweeted today, congratulations to the bears, the raiders, bills, great coaches and men. john fox, jack del rio. greg rowman. notice anybody missing there? anything having to do with the 49ers an jim tomsula? no bad blood at all.

it was a mutual decision for coach harbaugh to leave. meantime, the golden state warriors looking for a little bit of a landmark as they go at it with the houston rockets trying to make it 17 straight wins on their home floor. that would be a franchise record. in the nba last light, we had another record of sorts. the most doused player with a beard as you will see the spurs and the denver nuggets go at it. kawi leonard and randy foye go crashing to the floor. vendor doesn't seem too upset about it as you watch the replay. as foye goes down. i tell you what, he probably couldn't pass a sobriety test if he got pulled over after that one. and the nuggets mascot helping out with the cleanup of the floor. and just another night in the nba. when you get those expensive seats down on the floor, you have other things to look out for. you know. >> hazards, the beer.

>> yeah, he didn't look too concerned at all. >> also, marco scudaro designated by the giants for assign. if he doesn't play an inning, they owe him $6 million. >> right now, he is a $6 million man. >> that's it. >> thanks mark. tonight at 10:00, easing congestion on a bay area bridge. tonight at 10:00. goodnight. >> see you later. searching for a great used car? can you help? start with the millions of used cars for sale at the new carfax.com. show me cars with no accidents. show me no accidents and one owner. show me no accident, one owner cars with service records. that's awesome! that's the power of carfax®. find the cars you want. avoid the ones you don't. plus, you get a free carfax® report with every listing.

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my parents say to me? "that's too much cologne." "that's how girls end up dead." "don't talk black to me." "it's inappropriate because she's your teacher." how do you even talk black? like end words with "izzle"? alex: it's talk back you idiot. oh. "act more like an adult." what does "act more like an adult" even mean? [ laughing ] look at you. you're soaked. that is so lame! you're the one who wanted to do it! what are you two doing? i picked up one of those water weasels. you hook it on the end of the hose and it flies around in the air. just...like a weasel. [ laughing ] yeah, look at how awesome. he's so wet. i put the weasel in my pants.