abc7 news reporter amanda del castillo introduces us to task force rattlesnake. >> reporter: mitigating imminent fire threats and performing hazardous fuels reduction, a tall order for these newly established hand crews busy with specialized training in san jose. calfire in cooperation with the california national guard formed task force rattlesnake, 13 hand crews set up throughout the state with calfire's santa clara is unit taking on two. >> we haven't had established hand crews in the past. with this entity and being able to have these two fire crews it's going to be a huge asset for the surrounding communities and the santa clara unit itself. >> reporter: the battalion chief spoke with us outside the south bay headquarters at the california national guard armory. he says together the teams consist of four calfire captains, eight seasonal firefighters and 48 guards members. >> we have helicopter pilots, mechanics, police officers. so it's all new to them. >> reporter: new and nevertheless crucial as california faces dry conditions and drought, significant fire potential also in the f

abc7 news reporter amanda del castillo takes you inside the tank as the sharks hit the ice. >> let's go, sharks! >> here we go! >> reporter: the cheer you hear has been a long time coming. covid-19 kept these san jose sharks season ticket holders from the s.a.p. center for 14 months. we were there monday as doors opened up the first time since. with protocols fit for the pandemic fans say being welcomed back into the tank proves we're finally taking a step forward. >> this is finally like light at the end of the covid tunnel. >> it's almost like taking our kids to kindergarten for the first time not knowing what to expect. >> reporter: but the team is taking every precaution. fans must be masked. they'll need to show proof of completed vaccinations or a negative covid vaccine test. there is even a fee to test on site. the bright green wristbands give fans if the green light to attend. >> sharks goal to hear it over the loudspeaker finally. >> feeling the cold of the ice and seeing the players actually come out, we police it a lot. it's going to be great to see them live. >> reporter:

abc7 news reporter amanda del castillo introduces us to task force rattlesnake. >> reporter: mitigating imminent fire threats and performing hazardous fuels reduction, a tall order for these newly established hand crews busy with specialized training in san jose. calfire in cooperation with the california national guard formed task force rattlesnake, clara is unit taking on two. >> we haven't had established hand crews in the past. with this entity and being able to have these two fire crews it's going to be a huge asset for the surrounding communities and the santa clara unit itself. >> reporter: the battalion chief spoke with us outside the south bay headquarters at the california national guard armory. he says together the teams consist of four calfire captains, eight seasonal firefighters and 48 guards members. >> we have helicopter pilots, mechanics, police officers. so it's all new to them. >> reporter: new and nevertheless crucial as california faces dry conditions and drought, significant fire potential also in the forecast. >> i think every year that i've been around i've alway

there are new traffic-calming measures as abc7 news reporter amanda del castillo tells us, it is a problemave been experiencing for a while. >> reporter: this video was taken after 5:00 p.m. easter sunday. notice the car barreling through the red light in east julian streets and san jose hitting a cyclist, a scene not new to this north side resident paul marshall. >> it is scary to think about. i am a cyclist, as well and i have seen these things with my own eyes. >> reporter: and nsa cameras catching other examples of dangerous driving. the councilman here pushing to have traffic projects funded for the north side and able to get an additional $100,000 allocated and connecting with residents about high priority areas. >> as you can imagine, a lot of different areas, corridor, intersections, came up. a lot more than what a hundred thousand dollars would be able to fund. we had to go through the process of identifying what are the top areas we could address. >> reporter: 19th and 21st streets have been targeted. the goal is to get speed bumps and rubber medians installed by summer. the acti

health experts explained to amanda del castillo why the mandate will stay around and what will happenhen the state does open up. >> governor newsom is making it clear. >> e we don't have any short term goals when the mandate is lifted. >> reporter: but when the mandate is lifted should you go out? will you? should you. it will be some time until we have an option. >> i think well into next year, it'll be appropriate for people to wear a mask. >> reporter: californians have been required to mask june 2020. the ongoing mask mandate will keep residents from a true return to a prepandemic normal. until a significant pandemic of americans are immunized it'll be important to keep social distancing. i posted a poll on twitter asking people if they will continue to wear a mask past the pandemic. there are places like public transit and times during winter months and allergy season that they just make sense. erica shares i loathe mask. i'm partially deaf, not only do masks make people's voice muffled but i need to read ad a lips. other than avoiding crowded areas. >>> as of tonight, almost the

because of the ongoing pandemic, abc 7 news reporter amanda del castillo explains how the game day experiencefferent. >> reporter: 14 months in the making. come april 26th, the san jose sharks will welcome fans back to the sap center or as it is known to fans, the tank. >> i messed three of my close friends saying guys, we get to go back. >> reporter: tara damon understands going back involves big changes. everyone 2 and older must provide proof of completed vaccinations or negative covid-19 test. digital tickets will be sold in pods of two or four seats and masks will muffle the cheers and jeers. >> being able to take the step back inside of a building with other people, with groups of people at a sporting event is, like, almost relieving, like it is finally heading towards the end of all of this. >> reporter: another change, people won't be able to eat or drink in their seats or use cash to pay for any of the items. the puck drops before fans in less than two weeks. sharks president, jonathan becker says capacity limits allow 500 fans inside of the tank at a time. >> we are starting on the

health experts explained to amanda del castillo why the mandate will stay around and what will happenate does open up. >> governor newsom is making it clear. >> e we don't have any short term goals when the mandate is lifted. >> reporter: but when the mandate is lifted should you go out? will you? should you. it will be some time until we have an option. >> i think well into next year, it'll be appropriate for people to wear a mask. >> reporter: californians have been required to mask june 2020. the ongoing mask mandate will keep residents from a true return to a prepandemic normal. until a significant pandemic of americans are immunized it'll be important to keep social distancing. i posted a poll on twitter asking people if they will continue to wear a mask past the pandemic. there are places like public transit and times during winter months and allergy season that they just make sense. erica shares i loathe mask. i'm partially deaf, not only do masks make people's voice muffled but i need to read lips. other than avoiding crowded areas. >>> as of tonight, almost the entire area is

abc 7 news reporter amanda del castillo is in san jose to explain exactly why. >> reporter: the city of san jose is reimagining community safety with at least 7 fewer people. prominent community leaders behind this resignation letter left the group to address reform. >> those who stepped away have been fighting this fight some time. >> reporter: silicon valley naacp president jethro moore says three meetings is all all took for him to find that police reform did not exist. those who quit expected to have the police involved but didn't imagine the conversation would be led by them. rios felt the commission created room to confront injustice and systemic racism. >> we're committed to do that but it's going to take time, patience and sitting through perspectives you may not want to hear. >> reporter: justice studies professor jay woods weighed in saying it takes representation from across the community to seriously reimagine community safety. >> we must be able to sit at the table with those individuals who can actually influence such change. that change that was dreamed of. that brough

as abc 7 news reporter amanda del castillo reports, there's now a renewed interest in people wanting to restore their water thirsty lawns. >> one dry winter, you can survive through that but after a couple of dry winters, then you really have to take a look at your water supply outlook. >> reporter: matt keller with outlet water says currently ground water levels are normal but with drought conditions getting more serious he says actions are needed now. according to the u.s. drought monitor, santa clara monitor is in a severe drought. >> good evening board of directors. >> reporter: with conditions so dry, valley board of directors called for conservation. >> it's going to save you water, it's going to save you money and it's going to be good for our water supply. >> reporter: anderson reservoir was recently drained for a massive retrofit project. this means water is now unavailable for approximately 10 years. so valley water will have to be careful about how it keeps and moves water. >> now that that's gone that means we're just going to have to buy more water outside of the county

as abc 7 news reporter amanda del castillo reports, there's now a renewed interest in people wantingrestore their water thirsty lawns. >> one dry winter, you can survive through that but after a couple of dry winters, then you really have to take a look at your water supply outlook. >> reporter: matt keller with outlet water says currently ground water levels are normal but with drought conditions getting more serious he says actions are needed now. according to the u.s. drought monitor, santa clara monitor is in a severe drought. >> good evening board of directors. >> reporter: with conditions so dry, valley board of directors called for conservation. >> it's going to save you water, it's going to save you money and it's going to be good for our water supply. >> reporter: anderson reservoir was recently drained for a massive retrofit project. this means water is now unavailable for approximately 10 years. so valley water will have to be careful about how it keeps and moves water. >> now that that's gone that means we're just going to have to buy more water outside of the county and

i am understand hand for abc7 i am amanda del castillo for abc7 news. >>> i wanted to tell you gnat geodocumentaryd. it talks about a water and power program opening your eyes to what water is here and how few people control it, even though we the people are supposed to control it. it is very interesting. you should take a well, with he know we have had the driest last 18 months on record. our reservoir levels are really low. that is where you can tell this drought is hitting us harder er in the reservoir levels. let's talk about the forecast. slow sunshine, cooling breezes today, cloudy with patchy drizzle and fog tonight and then a cool start with a rebound as we head into the weekend. so, temperatures tonight after being in the 50s, 60s and 70s today will fall back to low to mid-50s. milder but during the day tomorrow it will be our coolest afternoon. look the temperatures monday and tuesday, nearing 80 by the bay, 90 inland. way warm for this time of year. back to you. >> thank you, mike. >>> new at 6:00, last call for honey cakes. a popular san francisco cafe is set to permanently close in ju

abc7 news reporter, amanda del castillo has a look at how works. >> things get 86ed in the restaurantbusiness, we don't want them anymore. >> reporter: 86, c19. launched late last year, they started to put that branding on reusable masks and selling them. for every $500 made in mask sales, $100 of that goes to purchasing customer meals from a randomly selected local restaurant. these prepaid meals feed those who are furloughed, unemployed, or under employed during the pandemic. he says the money paid provides much needed support to small business owners. he points to cash boren, and an restaurateur behind the inspiration. >> those little bits and that kind of activism gives us an excuse to spend our energy, time, and money to benefit the community that we live and work in. >> reporter: to date, more than $2,000 raised. close to 40 local restaurants have been tapped to take part, and 130 plus meals have been provided at no coast. >> it's more than the meals. it's the $400 plus masks that are smart, reusable, not going to landfill, that we put in our community. >> reporter: if you're in