as melissa chan reports, city hall is trying to change that. >> andrew yee was born in san francisco, raised in san francisco and now serves are san francisco as a firefighter. he almost got priced out of living in san francisco. >> i went preschool all the way through high school here and everything has changed since growing up. i think the tech boom has driven prices too high and it's hard to afford to rent in san francisco now let alone buy in san francisco. i think it's unfortunate. you have police officers, sheriffs, fire department, we want to be in the city that we work in. >> according to reports by the brookings institution the gap between the rich and the poor is growing faster in san francisco than in any other major city in the country. families in the bottom 20s percentile actually saw their salaries drop somethingsom some. the median income is $73,000, around how much yee makes. this group is discovering they can no longer find affordable places to rent or buy. with the cost of living sky high, some first responders have better than forced to move hours away and that wor

melissa chan is with us in san francisco.how much drought relief do you get with $687 million. >> $687 million is a lot of money. but it's not as simple as placing that money into the bank accounts of a lot of these cities that need the help as we learned when we visited hillsburg, california. >>> they had ambitious goals. it would fund clean drinking water and conservation projects support unemployed farmers by paying for food and housing. and as state lawmakers pass the relief plan, as if on could you they saw rain. in hillsburg, a rural community in northern california currently facing a water shortage. despite what happened in sacramento the benefits of the law might not trickle down to quick results on the ground go my concern is this, the governor said we have a drought emergency, and we need agencies down the line like our regional water control board, we need them to see the same urgency, and we're not seeing it at this point. >> reporter: at this point of the year the river would be rushing over my head, but now it's

melissa chan has the story. >> before dawn and they're already awake.y won't rest until darkness comes around again. they have four children but before the girls including eig eight-year-old valerie. the california sun will soon rise and with it fierce temperatures in difficult working conditions. >> he picks strawberries. when my mom and dad used to work right there i used to go and help them. >> but on this morning, valeria who is in second grade has to go to school. she gets ready on her own. her mother's focus is on her younger sister who suffers from cerebral palsy and autism. >> you try help her to stop crying but she doesn't stop. in the mornings, i go to school. learn, then go to recess. learn more. go to recess. learn more, then go to recess. and then come home. and do my homework. >> many children of migrant farm workers take on part time jobs once they turn 12, the legal working age in the agriculture industry. maxamina says she will make sure she will not work in the fields. >> when i first got here, i would cry when i was working in the fie

as melissa chan reports, some of the people who say they need that water are worried about the wait >> reporter: the state plan has ambitious goals to combat the worst drought in half a sent re. it would fund clean drinking water and conservation projects. it would support unemployed farmers by paying for food and housing. as state lawmakers pass the drought relief plan, as if on cue, saw much needed rain. it brings $15 million to places like hillsberg, a rural community facing a water shortage. despite what happened in sacramento, the benefits of the law might not trickle down to quick res results on the ground. >> my concern is this, that, you know, the governor said we have a drought emergency. and we need agencies down the line, like our regional water quali quality control board. we need them to feel that same urgency. we are not seeing it at this point. >> at this time of the year, the russian river would be flowing over my head. instead, it's dry and that's a problem for the city of hillsberg. the river is its primary source of river. >> we need to make sure that the river wate

melissa chan reports. >> reporter: andrew ye was born in san francisco, raised in san francisco, and now serves san francisco has a firefighter. he also almost got priced out of living in san francisco. >> i went to preschool all the way to high school here, and everything has changed since growing up. i think the tech boom has driven the prices pretty hard, and it is hard to even be able to rent in the city right now let alone buy a house. you have teachers, police officers, sheriffs, fire department, we want to be in the city that we work in. >> reporter: according to reports, the gap between the rich and the poor is growing faster in san francisco than in any other major city in the country. families in the bottom 20th percentile saw their salaries drop some $4,000 in the past five years, those at the 95th percentile saw theirs rise by almost $28,000. the medium income is $73,000. this group is discovering they can no longer find affordable places to rent or buy. with the cost of living sky high, some city firefighters and first responders have been forced to move hours away, and

as melissa chan reports, some that say they need the water the most are worried about how long it aboutake for them to get home. >> the state plan has ambitious goals combat the worst drought in a century. it would support unemployed farmers, paying for food and housing and as state lawmakers passed the state relief plan, parts of the state, as if on queue saw rain. the new law seeing money in places like heels burg, a rural community experiencing a shortage. the benefits may not trickle to results on the ground. >> my concern is this. we have a drought emergency, and we need agencies down the line, like regional water quality control board. we need them to feel the same urgency. we are not feeling it. >> the russian river would be flowing over my head. it's dry, and it's a problem. the river is its primary source of water. >> we need to make sure that the russian river water flows are significant enough to have the city be able to recharge the well system, and the farmers draw on russian river for frost application. >> but that will not happen. if healsburg sees steady rain, it will no

melissa chan takes us on a journey. >> before down these children are awake. they have four final. before the girls head to school. the husband is driven to the strawberry field. the sun will rise, and with it, fierce temperatures. >> he picks strawberries. when my mum and daddy used to work there, i used to go and help them. >> on this morning, valeria has to go to school. she gets ready on her own. her mother's energy and focus is on her younger sister, and suffers screbal palsy and autism. >> she tries to take care of her when she's crying, but she doesn't stop. in the morning i go to school. then, then go to recess. learn more, go to recess, learn more, go to recess, then come home and do my homework. >> many children of migrant farm workers take an part-time job when they turn 12, which is the legal working age. vameria and the others are hoped never to live a life in the fields. >> when i got here, i would cry while working in the fields. i arrived during the grape harvest. i'd ride in the truck and cry. it was a hard job. >> the family makes $18,000 a year. that's a typical

as melissa chan reports, it, too, is drying up. >> we talk about the draught in california, what about is draught that lasted a decade. >> lake made, the largest reservoir in the country. it bottles up water from the colorado river and provided water for decades. its future is not looking as bright. >> you know, in 2012 and 2013, those consecutive years were two of the driest on record. >> take a look behind me. this white band is the water mark where the water used to be. we are standing at 100 feet below the top of that mark. the lake is at its lowest level since construction. >> after more than a decade of drought the lake holds half the maximum capacity. because it provides 90% of the water, stakes are high and pressure on to secure water for the city. >> the limiting factor for los angeles is water. sooner, rather than later it will come back to bite us. water is not an unlimited source. >> it turns out, the city of excess has one of the highest per cap ita water consumption rates in the country. despite the major conservation efforts. the biggest culprit not hotels and casinos, b

melissa chan reports. >> reporter: lake mead, the largest reservoir in the country.created in the 19 30's with the completion of hoover dam. it has relybly provided water for decades. but it's future is not looking as bright. >> you know, in 2012 and 2013 those consecutive years were two of the dryest years on record. >> reporter: take a look behind me. this white band is the watermark where the water used to be. we're now standing 100 feet below the top of that mark. the lake is at its lowest level since construction. after more than a decade of drought the lake now holds only half of its maximum capacity. because it provides 90% of the las vegas water, the stakes are high and pressure on to secure water for the city. >> right now the limiting factor for las vegas is water. sooner rather than later it's going to come back to bite us because water is not an unlimited source. >> reporter: it turns out the city of excess has one of the highest per capitol water consumption in the country. the biggest culprit, not hotels and casinos, but landscaping. at golf resorts but

melissa chan, credit credit al jazeera, california. >> coming up. new evidence what happened to the malaysia airlines yet after it was lost. >> and phil collins trying to turn around a team that hasn't won a title in 40 years. ♪ what is this place? where are we? this is where we bring together the fastest internet and the best in entertainment. we call it the x1 entertainment operating system. it looks like the future! we must have encountered a temporal vortex. further analytics are necessary. beam us up. ♪ that's my phone. hey. [ female announcer ] the x1 entertainment operating system, only from xfinity. tv and internet together like never before. >> welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm john siegenthaler, we have a lot to cover this half hour. deadly rituals. a major fraternity puts a stop to its initiation rights. after one of the students die. patients of a student joins us. helpless, family members of passengers from flight 370. >>> dustin wright black. and his upcoming movie with j.j. abrams. richelle carey is here with the are headlines.

melissa chan reports. >> the state plan has ambitious goals to combat the worst drought, founding clean drinking water and conservation project. it supports unemployed farmers by paying for food and housing. as if on queue, much-needed rain. the new law brings $15 million to healdsburg, a rural community facing a shortage. despite what happens in sacramento, the bent fits of the law may not trickle down to on the ground. >> the government is saying we need agencies. we need them to feel the same urgency, and we are not seeing it. >> at this time of the year, the russian river would flow over my head. it's dry, and that's a problem. the river is the primary source of water. >> we need to make sure the russian river water flows are significant enough to have the city recharge our wealth system and the farmer's drawn russian river for frost protection. >> that will not happen. even if healdsburg sees steady rain, it won't be enough to bring the levels back up. that's why the city grabs a small part of millions. pipes would move water out to farmers in the area, and can be installed in 6 to

. >> melissa chan, thanks. a new study warns of a looming retirement crisis. more than one-third of today's workers have less than $100,000 saved for retirement. and when it comes to workers without retirement accounts, that number jumps to 77%. fewer than half of workers have even tried to calculate how much they need to save for retirement. >> . >> 2014 already a big year in science, and just this week, researchers revealed evidence of the big bang. last month, scientists at the california laboratory reported significant progress in recreating nuclear fusion, and that could change how they generate power. jake ward standing by to talk about this and give us the chance to check out this facility. he joins us live from san francisco. you took a tour, and tell us what you saw, jay. >> well, john, the national nuclear facility was designed to simulate nuclear explosions and refine our nuclear weapons, but it has the potential of revolutionizing the way we use power. world's biggest laser. about an hour east of san francisco, there's a government lab that can sim

melissa chan is in san francisco for us. >> reporter: well, tony, you've been covering the drought over the last couple of months, and it's not even summertime. summertime is going to be the big test that's when farmers will really need to draw on that precious commodity water. the worst is yet to come. that's what they said who runs a wholesale produce market. >> we expect prices are going to be high because the volume planted is not going to be that great. because of the lack of water i expect prices to at least double. >> the impact of cal's drought will really hit this summer when growers haul a major food harvest. right now enough produce coming from mexico, south america and asia have kept prices barely steady. the noticeable hike has been for beef. prices jumped last month, the most in ten years. ranchers say they faced the biggest cattle shortage since the 1950's after years of drought in texas now compounded by california's drought. in california drought has forced alfalfa farmers to limit this year's crop. some land is lying fallow. it has led to higher cost foragerforranchers

melissa chan reports. >> the worst is yet to come. that is what peter carcione says.e runs a wholesale produce market. >> we can expect everything, prices will be high, because volume planted will not be great. because of the lack of water, i expect prices to at least double. >> the impact of california's drought will hit in summer. for now, enough produce coming from mexico, south america and asia kept the prices steady. the noticeable hike has been for beef. prices jumped 4%. the most in 10 years. >> some of the cuts in the past were not as sought after, i feel. some of these cuts that are braying stakes or cuts that people didn't know how to work with are becoming more popular. >> ranches say they face the biggest cattle shortage since the 1950s after years of drought is compounded by the drought. in california, drought forced alfalfa farmers to limit the crop. limited supplies of grain led to higher costs for ranches. that cost has led to higher dairy prices, already volatile, and these days driven by new demand in asia. for now shoppers may not notice changes. so

melissa chan reports. >> we talk about a drought in california, how about a drought that lasted a decade. we are at lake mead and it deserves los angeles. there are major challenges ahead. >> lake mead, the largest reservoir, created in the 1930s, and bottles water from the colorado river and provided water for decades. its future is not looking as bright. >> in 2012, 2013, those consecutive years were two of the driest years on record. >> take a look behind me. this white band is the water mark where it used to be. we are standing 100 feet below the top of the mark. the lake is at its lowest level since construction. >> after a decade of drought, the lake holds half its capacity. stakes are high because it provides 95% of the los angeles water. the stakes are on. >> the limiting factor for los angeles, is water. sooner, rather than later it will bite us. it is not an unlimited source. >> it turns out the city of excess has one of the highest per cap ita water uses. the biggest culprit not hotels and casinos, but landscaping. at golf resorts and suburban sprawl. 70 to 100,000 new residen

as melissa chan reports, it's drying up. >> we talk about the drought in california, how about a drought that lasted a dec aid. it's a reservoir that services los angeles. >> lake mead, the largest reservoir, created in the 1930s. it bottles up water from the colorado river and provided water for decades. its future is not looking as bright. >> in 2012 and 2013, they were two of the triest years on record. >> in white band is where the water used to be. the lake is at its lowest level since scrction. after more than a decade of draught, the lake healed half the maximum capacity, because it provide 90% of the water, takes are high and pressure on to secure water for the cities. >> the limiting factor is water. so sooner rather than later it will come back to bite us. water is not an unlimited source. >> it turns out the city of excess has been of the highest per cap ita water water consump rates in the country, despite major conservation efforts. the biggest culprit not hotels and casinos, but landscaping. 70 to 100,000 new residents move here every year. los angeles saw is dip in recessi

melissa chan reporting. the state of california says it no longer has enough water to give to farmers. growers say they may have to leave the fields unplanted. >> a revolutionaried in that is not sitting well. oregon's plan to pay for bridge and road repairs. $400 million in two winning mega millions tickets. two people calling sick to work this morning. nobody liked having a root canal. what happened when that tooth is six inches long. >> there are two lucky tickets out there for last night's big mega millions lottery - sold in florida, and maryland, and the winners will split the $$400 million. the numbers were: >> if each winner chooses the lump sum option, they'll split 224 million and 112 ich, if they take the anuty, they'll get 30 annual payments of: >> we did the maths. >> welcome back, taking a look at business news, it's decision day for the federal reserve. the central bank is to announce cuts to its bond-buying program and they'll watch for timing on when to raise the interest rates. the main even

melissa chan, aljazeera, california. >> the governor urges people in california to conserve water. e cigarettes are now band in l.a. in bars, nightclubs, restaurants and other areas. the move gives them the same treatment as traditional tobacco products. new york city having the same ban in effect. supporters say it's meant to protect kids from being addicted to nicotine but opponents say they help kick the habit. >> the united nations looking to example down on legal marijuana, posing a threat to the international fight against drug abuse. the international narcotics board say it deeply regrets the policies in colorado and washington state. >> in washington d.c., it is one step closer to decriminalizing marijuana, the city council passing a bill that would allow possession and use of marijuana in the privacy of your home. smoking marv in public is still forbidden. the measure would impose civil fines. washington, d.c. mayor will sign the about him if it reaches his desk. >> there's a new study out that says that people in the south aren't the only ones prone to allergies. the nati