i should say to rescue some of them abc 7 news reporter leanne melendez explains how it all unraveled mid-morning this cell phone video shows a fire quickly spreading throughout a section of this apartment complex. at 1355 ellis street, we believe it started on the ground floor and has spread vertically through the wooden decks on the exterior broke out the windows and went into each floor before firefighters had even arrived teachers and students from rosa parks elementary watched as smoke was coming out of the residential building. the schoolyard is right behind the apartment complex. i yelled for my amazing co-workers to clear the clear the yard and move the kids away. from the fire sicily ena lee and vincent reyes both teachers then ran towards the apartments. this was all happening during. the recessed period the children were quickly sent back inside the building. and it's fair to say that had it not been for those two teachers. it's likely the outcome would have been much worse. both teachers pull down the fire escape ladders reyes went inside to rescue residents. i went inside

leanne melendez has a look at the health departments new recommendations. >> my daughter is not feeling well so i am picking her up. reporter: like many parents, claire is concerned about the uptick in the number of covid cases in schools. the madera school district has a little more than 1500 students and staff. 2% have tested positive in detail -- past 10 days along with 3% of the staff. >> there was more travel during spring break, there's a lot of contribute factors. >> more gatherings it is prime season. there's more parties, for the end of the school year. reporter: the county's public health officer is advising families to test more frequently. he is also recommending masks be worn at large indoors, school sponsored events like proms and graduations. >> our graduation is going to be outside. having events outside, it really is one of the mitigation strategies. >> we are past the days of mandating masks in the classrooms. we are at a point where these decisions are being navigated at the level of the school or district while the family. reporter: marin public health is recommendin

abc 7 senior education reporter leanne melendez took a look at what they are doing to attract teachers in a city known for its high cost of living. leanne: when school districts complain about lack of teachers, the issue is not always black-and-white. take san francisco unified, >> we have more teachers that we have positions for insurgent areas and is scarcity of teachers and other credentialed areas. leanne: the saga extends to special ed, math, science and languages. you would think, given the shortage of teachers in specialized areas, that the school district would use programs like teach for america. but that was eliminated years ago. here is what teach for america had to say. >> over 70% of our teachers have stayed for three years or longer, because they are set up for success. at this is what we are committed to. leanne: but while teach for america has a big presence in the bay area, the school district says they want to invest in teachers who want to stay for the long haul. the teachers union agrees. >> teach for america, it is for folks to gain resume-building experience and m

in san francisco leanne melendez abc 7 news our group against a lottery and mission policy at san francisco's lowell high school held a rally this afternoon hours before the school board. is set to discuss this issue the % merit-based admissions has been contentious to say the least and play a role in the recall of three board of education members the board agreed to the change due to issues with grades and test scores during the pandemic and as an effort to help improve school diversity. board members tonight are expected to discuss a resolution to extend the interim lottery policy an into the 2023-24 school year. all right. so let's check on the weather because you could really feel that he today too. yeah, it heated up pretty quickly this morning abc 7 news meteorologist. sandy patel is here with the forecast. and yeah, dan and i'm a temperature is a good 15 to 25 degrees above average for this time of year, believe it or not. and as you look at satellite and radar you'll see what's bringing us the heat it's this area of high pressure down sloping winds and you can see those temperatures a

at uc berkeley leanne melendez abc 7 news bravo and congratulations as drought conditions continue california'sal communities could be facing some of the biggest challenges, especially those like the santa cruz capitola area that relyai mnly on laloc groundwarte as abc 7 weaerth anchor sncpeer chrisanti ports. it's fciorng those cmuomnities to go beydon their already aggressi wveater conservation poliesci. and now it catesch srmtowater offhe t roofs for execuveti pastor mark srlpuock expdianng classrmoo space at the twin lakeshr cistian soochl in aospt sha been addition by subtraioctn llfoinowg rules outlidne by the soelqu creek water disictrt the hoscol engineered werat savgin lutions to ofetfs the new spe.ac it was building inclungdi replinacg lawn areas whit a drop frielynd pla tzaake stowarmter and psut it backnt io the ground. and we also repcelad every umplbing ftuixre on thcae mpus th more ghhi. should see a fixretus and so the mbination of all of those meurases amounted to two milonli gallons of water that same werat offset program hasll aowed the broader staan czru area to coinntue bui

san francisco leanne melendez abc 7 news across the bay the president of the oakland unified school boardconsidering retirement dr. gary yee has served on the school. board since 2002 and briefly served as superintendent in 2014 back in february. his home was vandalized after a small group gathered to protest the district's decision to close seven schools in an attempt to grapple with a budget crisis. he's term is scheduled to end january of next year still ahead. we're continuing to follow the latest on the supreme court abortion battle and we'll tell you the results of a new poll on what the majority of americans say about this issue plus bay area covid is on the rise with the latest metric show according to the cdc's covid map. everyone's a multitasker these days. and with supersonic wifi from xfinity, your internet can multitask too. it's got gig speeds to the most homes... advanced security that blocks billions of cyber threats. and enough power for a house full of devices. plus when you get xfinity internet and mobile together, you can save hundreds off your wireless bill compared t

leanne melendez, abc 7. larry: thank you. the end has been reporting on bay area schools for decades. if you have a tip for a story idea or something like that, get in touch with her online, twitter, facebook, and instagram handles are all on your screen right now. >> hot fire danger in the bay area right now with a red flag warning in effect. let's talk to is at risk. spencer? spencer: it covers most of the sacramento valley but the bay area is under red flag warning's until 8:00 tomorrow evening because we have strong gusty winds up to 35 miles per hour or higher, low relative humidity during the time of this red flag warning. gusty conditions across much of the bay area, near the coast line. they had been higher. you can see the gusty winds continuing and extending all the way into the in land areas and the delta and that area of the northeastern bay area is at the lowest. those are the reasons for fire concerns, red flag warning expiring at 8 p.m. tomorrow. larry: as wheat -- dion: as we gear up for fire season a fire ret

melinda's introduces you to -- senior education reporter leanne melinda's introduces you to carlos -- leanne melendezyou to carlos wong ar science. i was about 14 when i first moved to this country. leanne: carlos and his family are chinese immigrants who came to san francisco from brazil. >> the most difficult subject for me personally was english. i would sit down with my teacher. she would make time after school to sit down with me and really explain and help me brainstorm some ideas. that made me push and get better at school was my mom sacrificing herself to bring us here for that opportunity. >> i teach government and economy and ethnic studies here at balboa high school. nothing felt particularly difficult or impossible for him. it was just like, i cannot figure this out now, but i need time to do that. >> you were very involved in helping your community when you found out about, you know, the hatred and attacks toward the asian community.ut that. attacks being done to asian feld t major in anmo lel computer science and become a software engineer, working on social justice issues. >> anyone wh

senior education reporter leanne melendez introduces us to one of the winners from lowell high school my name is toshi gottlieb. i am interested in going into business. i'm ready for a career and ready for life. leanne: if some students felt lost during the pandemic, toshi worked with an organization which finds ways to improve public transportation. >> you can never really improve the system unless you begin to trust it. leanne: he also worked on fundraisers to help build schools in developing countries. >> education is really the key to uplifting anything you need, especially in areas where it is left -- less-developed. leanne: he is also a product of the school district's mandarin dual language immersion program that has helped him to expand his outlook of the world. >> i learned a lot about chinese culture as well as the language, and it really helped me learn, you know, and eastern culture versus what we learned in schools. >> i am a comparative government teacher at lowell high school. toshi is very ambitious but also very graceful. he knows where he wants to go, but he's going

leanne melendez introduces us to one of the winners.zman from john o'connell high school. ♪ >> my name is jasmine guzman. i am passionate about engineering and art. i am ready to create. growing up in the mission district, art and murals are everywhere. >> inspired by her surroundings, jasmine guzman was exposed to construction and architecture at o'connell high school, which in turn led her to a life-changing internship. >> being a part of that internship solidified the fact that i want to pursue engineering and architecture in college. >> i am a math teacher at john o'connell high school. i think jasmine sets her apart from her peers and that she is very determined in achieving her goals and aspirations. >> as a student representative, jazmine has been a member of the school district paths arts committee, pushing for more exposure of latina art, artists of color and lgbtq artists. how hard was it to convince teachers to open up the curriculum to accept more diversity in art? was it hard? >> no. with passion and dedication commit teach

education reporter leanne melendez introduces us to one of the winners from lincoln high school. ♪ >>raham lincoln high school. i am passionate about helping my community and i am ready to be my best. the most important thing i got from lincoln high school was being able to advocate for yourself and be your own number one supporter. >> joanne learned to not only speak up for herself but also on behalf of her community. as an intern in san francisco's district nine and later a volunteer at the mission food hub, joanne used her language skills to help the chinese community seek out needed help. >> from that i developed a strong relationship with the elders and i developed a sense that i want to -- i want to do something that would let me continue to reach out to the community and become one with them. >> at lincoln she cofounded the school's key club. an international organization intended to make the world a better place through service. >> it allowed me to discover how great the community can be when you have that connection. it allows for everyone to be heard and seen. and seen. >> s

. >> leanne melendez abc7news. dan: and more than about what would happen on the athletic field, but in the classroom too. no one else was around except for a good samaritan. who may have saved this woman's life. she is telling her story now, only to abc7news. >> a woman prove she didn't drive in the fast-track express lane, but she was for state controller, only yiu will save taxpayers money. wait, who, me? me? no, not you. yvonne yiu. yvonne yiu. not me. good choice. for 25 years, yiu worked as an executive at top financial firms. managed hundreds of audits. as mayor, she saved taxpayers over $55 million. finding waste. saving money. because... yiu is for you. yiu is for you. exactly. yvonne yiu. democrat for controller. time. it's life's most precious commodity, especially when you have metastatic breast cancer. when your time is threatened, it's hard to invest in your future. until now. kisqali is helping women live longer than ever before when taken with an aromatase inhibitor or fulvestrant... in hr+, her2- m

haney the former supervisor, but he did not respond to my request for a statement in the newsroom leanne melendez abc 7 news. alright. thank you, leanne. changing the locks isn't such a big deal unless you have hundreds of locks that need changing why that is a major assignment. it's a uc berkeley apartments. do you still owe debt after you're dead 7 on your side michael finney helps that question tonight. (fisher investments) in this market, you'll find fisher investments is different than other money managers. (other money manager) different how? aren't we all just looking for the hottest stocks? (fisher investments) nope. we use diversified strategies to position our client's portfolios for their long-term goals. (other money manager) but you still sell investments that generate high commissions for you, right? (fisher investments) no, we don't sell commission products. we're a fiduciary, obligated to act in our client's best interest. (other money manager) so when do you make more money, only when your clients make more money? (fisher investments) yep. we do better when our clients do better.

leanne melendez, abc7. karina: nearly five years after sonoma county's devastating fire, there is some justice for homeowners who got scammed by a construction company. the owners of -- construction have pleaded no contest of fraud. 39 families who hired the company to rebuild their homes accuse the husband and wife of taking their money for work that was poorly performed or not done at all. their daughter was also a defendant then pleaded no contest. all three are scheduled to be sentenced july 14. larry: covid rising. the warning of what could come in the next few weeks. the heatwave that has researchers focusing on shorelines. plus, may the fourth be with you. we celebrate all things star wars. sandhya: temperatures have hit their peak. it is all downhill after this. it is all downhill after this. we show you how much cooler when first psoriasis, then psoriatic arthritis. even walking was tough. i had to do something. i started cosentyx®. cosentyx can help you move, look, and feel better... by treating t

is among all the first responders the seclude vietnamese russian and arabic in san francisco leanne melendezirst signs of the gay pride week is taking shape on tw. weeks that's where the annual giant pink triangle is being installed. the pink triangle was symbol to identify homosexual prisoners in nazi germany and the triangles founder calls it a giant in your face educational tool and we're trying to remember that hatred of the past and trying to help prevent hatred and bigotry from becoming law has happened in nazi germany the idea of scapegoating people and creating that sense of others what we're trying to prevent. this is what the triangle look like last year. it will be on display for the entire month of june and abc 7 is proud to be a sponsor and we will be carrying the parade live this year. you can check out all of our coverage during pride month and year-round at abc 7 news.com/pride. all right. we are just two hours away from game 4 of the western conference finals. the warriors are back in dallas tonight and just one win away from the nba finals abc 7 sports an chris alvarez is l

with president biden on tuesday to discuss trade and investments in the region in san francisco leanne melendezabc 7 news. from climate change to the holiday weekend weather forecast. yeah meteorologist mike. nico is here with that force. i'm mike. hey, good morning. dan dion. hi everybody. yeah, we're supposed to change the summer this weekend, but we're gonna have to wait till tuesday and wednesday before we really get some summer heat. so let's jump right into the forecast show you what's going on mount tam's looking off to the east that's one of the few areas that's not clouded over yet those clouds though. they're coming tonight and the breezes will slow down a little bit in temperatures will fall back to average levels. tomorrow's gonna be the cloudiest. this afternoon. in fact, that's when we have our first chance of sprinkles. once that cold front passes we rider and milder temperatures for sunday and for the holiday monday. i just wanted to take a look as i love this shot. i mean there's a lot of stuff in the foreground but in the background looks like somebody took a piping bag and ju

in san francisco leanne melendez abc 7 news in the south bay a club for parents of twins and tripletsy marked its 50th anniversary 200 families are actively involved in this club. just continues to grow and grow as we approach mother's day. we're celebrating amazing moms of multiples. it seems to be that more and more people are having twins. so our group has grown quite a bit just in the last few years. it's definitely a real blessing. i mean having twins is such a cool experience that i never could have envisioned before having them. over just like oh my god, this is gonna change our life right now we have about over 200 members. we share our experiences and also our tips and tricks. definitely, you know, i opening when you get them all together and actually, you know, see them especially having playdates and stuff. from each other. i think it's really helpful to see parents of older twins just to kind of see what's what's next around the corner. the group also has a new parent and expectant parent meeting that we attended a lot during our first year and anything from like having pe

francisco who have excelled in both school and their communities abc 7 senior education reporter leanne melendeznitski of san francisco international high school. my name is zainab. i got sfa international high school, and i'm ready to lead and walk with others sign up business key is both resilient and adaptable living in sierra leone. she was three years old when her mother died in a few years later. she lost her father. her grandmother allowed her to go to school if she agreed to also work on the farm people in the village. the annual educated said i go to the farm especially they are like marriage at the age of 18 and x like experience in hardship and i did wonder for me sports were all so out of the question because i'm a lady. i'm not supposed to play like sports as men because ladies are supposed to be in the kitchen taking care. kids in the house as a young teenager. she met a woman visiting from san francisco who later agreed to adopt her. i was really happy because if i come back a life changer for me, how was that first day in the classroom? i bet you were nervous. yes. i was nervous

abc 7 news senior education reporter leeann melendez down with shanti gonzalez to talk about why it's so hard to be a board member in oakland these days and leanne is in the newsroom with that story land dan a lot to handle now school board member shawnee gonzalez told me she had two goals when she started that job to invest in teachers by giving them more training and development and number two to organize parents to become more involved in their education their children's education instead. she says she found school board that spends too much time distracted on issues that have little to do with how students in oakland are doing academically. and we all want to live in a community where people are treated with dignity and respect after more than 70 years as an oakland unified school board member shanti gonzalez is candid about her abrupt departure. your main concern is that most schools are not meeting students academic needs. yeah. what's problematic about that? is that a students aren't getting their needs met most. not getting their needs met b that that's been hurting our enrollment for 20 years. now. here's the data from oakland unified o