chris nguyen has more . >> reporter: a new police chief will soon take the reins in the capital of silicon valley. >> my vision for this police department is that all residents and visitors of this city have the highest trust and confidence in our department. >> reporter: the deputy chief was unanimously confirmed by the san jose city council and formally introduced to the public today capping off her monthlong process following the retirement of the former police chief, eddie garcia. what would normally be a celebratory announcement took a more serious turn as he answered questions about his past, including an incident more than 20 years ago in which he fatally shot an unarmed man. >> it was a traumatic incident that changed my life. it is something that i do not want any officer to go through. my continued thoughts and prayers go out to that family. >> reporter: and assembly member thought he should have been disqualified from the process as a result. >> i am saddened by the decision that has been made. i respected and i hope that the chief of police will work to earn the trust of all co

chris nguyen has more. >> reporter: tim lee and his team are celebrating the grand opening of luck with beer garden. this project has been in the works for nearly 2 years. >> we have a menu and a strategy so it feels good that we are making progress. >> reporter: the reopening comes as the second case of the south african variant has been confirmed in the county. officials are urging the public to stay vigilant and avoid nonessential travel. >> wear a mask at avoid gatherings, especially in doors. keep your distance and get vaccinated when you are offered the opportunity. >> reporter: infectious disease experts at the south african strain appears to be more contagious and more resistant to some vaccines. >> the companies that are making the vaccines can make newer vaccines that can address the variance themselves, but that will take time. >> reporter: a reminder that the community can keep each other safe. >> we want to prevent one virus from moving to another person which could become even more resistant. >> reporter: the steps can help in keeping the economy open. >> we do not want to

chris nguyen explains some of the changes in the south bay. >> reporter: in north san jose, word of santa claramo into the have come at arteet celebrating >> reporter: a fresh came on indian food just celebrated its grand opening last week and is now preparing for indoor dining starting tomorrow. >> to be able to have customers come and experience not only our food but the environment in this place. >> reporter: the county has announced that it will now largely align itself with the state's reopening framework, a majosiri t ifshr t c public health officials here had taken a stricter stance on some activities over the past year. to coincide with the restrictions, they are dropping the mandatory 14-day quarantine requirement for those traveling more than 150 miles outside of the county. >> we have and wehail w we can safeguard the health of everyone living and working in our county. >> reporter: santa clara county is focusing its efforts on vaccinating as many people as possible. earlier this week, vaccine eligibility was expanded to include more frontline workers as part of the state's pha

abc7 news reporter chris nguyen has the story. >> reporter: calling it another layer of administrative bureaucracy, the bay area's largest county says it will not sign a contract with blue shield of california. the state's new third party administrator for vaccine distribution. it's a significant risk to the health and welfare of residents. >> it would mean that a private insurance company would be collecting all the protected health insurance and personal information for all residents vaccinated. >> county officials say the agreement with blue shield would also eliminate local control of the distribution network and put the county's equity efforts at risk. for now it's unclear if counties can be penalized for not opting into the program. >> we could vaccinate 200 people a week in our county based on the infrastructure we've built. >> moving forward, santa cruz supervisor cindy chavez says securing additional vaccines from the state should be top of mind. >> the opportunity we have requires us to have a distribution with the state. >> santa clara joins los angeles county in refusing to

abc7 news reporter chris nguyen was with the governor. >> reporter: in north san jose, word of santa clara's move into the red tier couldn't have come at a better time. >> we're celebrating so much in this restaurant. >> reporter: sam & curry, a fresh take on indian food just celebrated its grand opening last week and is preparing for e bo customers tarting tomorrow> come and experience not only our food, but the environment in this place. >> reporter: the county has announced that it will now largely align itself with the state's reopening framework, a major shift considering that public health officials here had taken a stricter stance on some activities over the past year. to coincide with the new red tier restrictions, officials are dropping the mandatory 14-day requirement for those traveling more than 150 miles outside of the county. >> we have, and we will continue to do everything that we can to safeguard the health of everyone living and working in our county. >> reporter: santa clara county is focusing its efforts on vaccinating as many people as possible. earlier this week

but as abc7 news reporter chris nguyen found, many of them are taking a methodical approach to reopening. >> reporter: in alameda in san jose, members of red dot fitness are counting the days until they're able to head back inside. as part of the red tier, gyms and fitness centers can reopen at 10% capacity. red dot owner scott howell hopes to be ready by monday. >> we'll have to reduce class sizes but it allows us to expand our class schedule. inside we don't have to worry about that. >> reporter: santa clara county moved into the red tier today, but a number of businesses are being careful with their operations, especially having to pivot so many times over the past year. at sushi confidential in campbell, owner randy muster isn't a rush to resume indoor diwhich lled at 25% capacity. >> we would only be able to fit about 15 to 20 people seated in here. it would kind of mess up our current operations with patio dining and our robust to go market at the moment. >> reporter: down the street, bombshell boutique owner brook ramirez is hopeful that more customers will stop by now that retail

in san jose, chris nguyen, abc7 news. >>> in the north bay, there is a new effort to help bridge the equity gap when it comes to getting the covid vaccine. the demand for more mobile vaccination clinics are growing. they are reaching more underserved communities. cornell bernard takes a look. >> the first shot. one to go. >> reporter: duane smith is halfway to being vaccinated. he didn't need an appointment for this mobile clinic in marin city. >> most of my family have their first shot, some of their second. so i felt it was the right thing to do. >> reporter: 150 vaccinations given at this mobile clinic sponsored in part by marin county public health. last week the mobile clinic gave 300 vaccinations at canal alliance, a nonprofit advocate for the latino community in san jose's canal district, where covid rates were once spiking. today only 5% of people have been vaccinated here. >> there is a need out there to do more efforts in order to be more equitable. >> reporter: community advocate douglas mundo wants to see more opportunities for people lacking access to wifi, computers and

abc7 news reporter chris nguyen has today's update. >> reporter: tonight the bay area's largest county is pushing for a fairer share of the state's covid vaccine supply. >> we have a county that's put a lot of effort into taking care of our safety net population and the people that are most at risk. >> reporter: as california transitions to blue shield for management of its vaccine distribution across the state, santa clara county officials say they'll only sign an agreement if they can retain local control and the use of their own appointment system, which they say is far superior to the one provided by blue shield. so far half of the state's local health jurisdictions have signed on to the plan or have stated their intent to do so by next week. >> the so-called equity plan that the state has is really just a masquerade and plan to send more vaccine to southern california. >> reporter: some argue that santa clara county doesn't need help from blue shield as demonstrated by its robust vaccination network. this week county officials were informed the reason behind their low supply from

chris nguyen has that story from san jose. >> reporter: in the bay area's largest county, the push to get people vaccinated against covid-19 has hit a potential snag. >> we have a lot more capacity than the vaccine. just give us the vaccine and we'll get it out. >> reporter: a message to the state from dr. marty who told abc7 news that the county's most recent moderna vaccine allocation from the state fell short of expectations. because of this, the county is now working to ensure that people are able to get their second dose of the moderna vaccine on time. >> that may impact the amount of first vaccine appointments that we can make at this point. we're still working on those numbers. we're talking to the state to see if we can get additional vaccine. >> reporter: the shortfall comes as community health clinics are ramping up efforts to reach areas that have been disproportionately hit by the virus. >> it is very important for us to work a lot on prevention and to work a lot on education. >> reporter: this afternoon, the consul general of mexico in san jose announced a new alliance wi

so hopefully we can continue to do better. >> reporter: in the south bay chris nguyen, abc 7 news. >>> abc 7 news is monitoring the covid vaccine rollout in california with our vaccine tracker. you can see that number at the bottom, the percentage going up steadily. 78.8% as we speak. you can find it at abc7news.com. >>> it's been more than four years since 36 people lost their lives in oakland in a warehouse fire. a building that had been illegally converted into a living and performance space. in court today families of those victims got the chance to tell ghst ship founder derick almena exactly what they lost in an emotional hearing. abc 7 news reporter laura anthony joins us live from alameda county superior court. laura, the hearing is still going on? >> reporter: it's going on as we speak, kristen. in fact, i'm listening to it on my phone. we're only getting access to a live audio stream. and as we're speaking the judge is inside the courthouse. trina thompson. she is delivering her ruling as w speak. so i'm trying to keep an ear on it while also talking to you. this was a heari

abc 7 news reporter chris nguyen has more on why they feel as though their efforts are essential. >> reporter: on the southern edge of san mateo county one community says it's being left behind in the rollout of the covid-19 vaccine. >> we have been waiting for our turn. >> reporter: this is east palo alto, one of the hardest-hit cities in the bay area where more than 14% of residents have tested positive for the virus. overall the cases account for at least 1/10 of the county's total. >> sometimes the last needs to be first. we cannot constantly take communities of color and put them on the back tier of distribution. >> reporter: former mayor larry moody is among those who are calling on state and federal officials to prioritize vaccine distribution in communities like epa. many residents work frontline essential jobs but only 10% of the total population here has been vaccinated. >> there are still two sides of the bay area. one, more well off. with instant and immediate access to basic resources. and the other, living paycheck to paycheck. struggling to figure out how to keep their

in san jose, chris nguyen, abc7 news. >>> now to a story you'll see only on 7. a michigan man accused of defrauding thousands of customers in the bay area and other places is telling his side of the story. it's about a multimillion-dollar n95 mask fraud scheme. he spoke exclusively with i-team reporter melanie woodrow who first broke the story last april. >> reporter: as the covid-19 pandemic ripped the country, people were desperate to get their hands on n95 masks. michigan man rodney stevenson ii seemed to are the answer. his website, em general advertised having masks in stock, but federal prosecutors say that was a lie. according to a criminal complaint filed last year and indictment filed in january of this year, stevenson pulled in more than $3.5 million in sales in a matter of weeks between february and march of 2020, but delivered almost no masks. >> there are a lot of people who say you defrauded them. >> i didn't want to harm anyone. i do have sympathy for the customers that didn't receive their products during the pandemic. >> reporter: stephenson say

in san jose, chris nguyen, abc7 news. >> community leaders joined supervisor matt haney in calling on county health officials to tenderloin and treasure island. heaney says the tenderloin has the highest case rate of any neighborhood in the city. only 8% of residents of treasure island have been vaccinated that is the lowest number of all san francisco neighborhoods. >>> hazard pay could be coming to some san francisco frontline workers. a scheduled vote is moments away. the board of supervisors is considering a proposal to give an extra $5 per hour to people working at grocery and retail stores with pharmacies. the bill is expected to pass. several other cities including oakland, santa clara, and berkeley have similar pandemic pay boosts. >>> now to those ongoing education issues when it comes to this past year. a new stanford study found that distance learning had a negative impact on reading skills at the elementary school level. abc7 news reporter david louie shows us what's being done to correct it. >> reporter: students and teachers alike had a steep learning curve when classes

chris nguyen, abc 7 news. >>> the san francisco mayor london breed is now among the san franciscans that have received the vaccine. the mayor addressed the shortage of vaccines and frustration that many are feeling as they wait to get an appointment. >> reporter: the mayor received the one and done johnson and johnson vaccine. >> i cannot have fun yet. we are partnering just yet but we will hopefully be partying very soon. >> reporter: worth of optimism despite the short supply for demand now that people with pre- existing conditions have been approved to sign up. according to the health department, the city has the wherewithal to vaccinate 10,000 people per day. san francisco received a lot less than that. 13,000 doses for the entire week. here is where san francisco stands. 73% of san franciscans 65 and older have received the vaccine . 31% of those over 16 have also been vaccinated. >> it has a lot to do with population. in san francisco population of less than 1 million people but we are also vaccinating people that are not san franciscans. >> reporter: while blue shield has manage t

in san jose, chris nguyen, abc7 news. >>> a day after his state of the state address, governor newsom proclaimed he is extremely optimistic that better days are close at hand in california. >> we're determined. we're going to come back. we're not going to come crawling back. we're going roar back. this state is poised for a incredible recovery. >> newsom pointed to what he says are record reserves and a huge operational surplus. he is especially confident about a rebound in the hospitality industry. the governor also announced today that the state is poised to reach its goal of 2 million vaccine doses in the hardest hit communities by friday. once that happen, the state will change its tier system, making it easier for counties to move out of the most restrictive purple tier that is good news for sonoma and contra costa, which as we mentioned a few moments ago are the only two bay area counties that are left in the purple tier. now the house passed the $1.9 trillion covid-19 relief bill. that bill includes $1400 stimulus checks for people who are making $75,000 a year or less, as well

in san jose, chris nguyen, abc7 news. >> abc7 news was in daly city today. as san mateo county held its first walk-up vaccination clinic. no appointments were necessary and the county had about 300 doses available. this is at the event center and there was a long line waiting. with all the public school teachers and staff in santa clara county being offered the vaccine, she is encouraging schools to reopen and start in person learning. that group became eligible for the shot february 28th. >>> starting monday, vaccinations will expand in california to include part of what's known as phase 1c. people who are 16 to 64 with preexisting health conditions can get the shot. now that includes those who have had or had cancer, sickle cell disease, heart conditions, severe obesity, and type 2 diabetes. transit workers will also be eligible to get vaccinated. we listed just some of the preexisting conditions that are eligible. today answers with the california public department of health. >> one of the most efficient ways for people to be notified is through their hea

chris nguyen, abc7 news. >>> in the east bay, drive-through vaccinations start at 11:00 at the center of hope community church for seniors, essential workers and other eligible groups. now you do need an appointment. you can make one at united in health oakland.org, or you can call 1-800-763-0007. >>> the city of san jose took action today to help boost vaccination efforts. the city in conjunction with gardner health services opened a one-day vaccination clinic with 280 shots being given out. for officials, the reason for choosing this location was obvious. >> it's actually one of the zip codes with one of the higher rates of covid infections. so i thought let's get a vaccine clinic out here. >> it feels great. it's a great peace of mind. >> now this event almost didn't happen. the city almost pulled the vaccines due to supply issues, but the county stepped in at the last minute. abc7 news is monitoring the covid vaccine roll-out in california with our vaccine tracker. our vaccine tracker also shows you when you might be able to get the vaccine in california. you can find this on our

abc 7 news reporter chris nguyen has more on the push for acco accountability. >> reporter: this week california pivots to a new covid-19 vaccine equity plan but one that's raising more concerns, especially throughout the bay area. >> using blanket metrics can be very challenging in terms of really deeply understanding the communities that you're working within. >> reporter: california's new distribution strategy allocates 40% of the state's vaccine supply to the lowest income zip codes based off of data from the healthy places index which factors in dozens of social and economic measures into a single score. most most of those communities are located in southern california or the central valley. >> one of the things we want to make sure of is that any indices that go forward, anything that's used by the state to determine eligibility is one that really recognizes the unique look of poverty. >> reporter: santa clara supervisor cindy chavez is among those who would like to see allocation based off of census tracks. right now none of the zip codes in the county qualify for additional su

chris nguyen. >>> the new johnson & johnson vaccine is going to be help, because it is only one shot required which moderna and pfizer require two. and the johnson & johnson can be stored up to two months in a regular freezer. and it is 86% when it comes to preventing severe disease and death. >>> the governor wants the schools open for in-person learning by april 1st. there is a $2 billion incentive for those who start, and another $4.6 billion for those funding summer school and learning loss. and now we have more leann, for what that means, and for those still negotiating this is tricky. >> yes, for san francisco unified, it means with this incentive, they cannot and will not reopen schools by april 1st. so the superintendent said that while they are getting closer each day, they cannot change their time line that they have with the labor unions. >> we want the schools to safely reopen, period, full stop, and i have been saying it for months. >> reporter: the headline after the press conference could well be that vaccinating the teachers and staff is not a requirement for in-perso

abc7 news reporter chris nguyen spoke to some of the key players involved in the fight for equity. >>accine distribution across the state, company officials say they're ready to take charge. >> the ability to know where the vaccine is at all times, know what the inventory is with each provider allows for a much smoother, more predictable, manageable system that can optimize performance. >> reporter: so far half of the state's local jurisdictions have already signed on to the plan or have stated their intent to do so by next week. >> i think it should be a county by county relationship. the counties that need blue shield to come, in absolutely. but in our case, our county knows which neighborhoods are hard hit. we just needs the vaccines. >> reporter: santa clara county, the bay area's largest county say it will continue to hold out. >> we have a county that's put a lot of effort into taking care of our safety net population and the people that are

but as abc7 news reporter chris nguyen found out, many are taking a midwest cal approach to reopeningey're able to head back inside. as part of the red tier, gyms and fitness centers can reopen at 10% capacity. owner scott howell hopes to be ready by monday. >> we'll have to reduce class sizes but it allows us to expand our class schedule. inside we don't have to worry about that. >> reporter: santa clara county moved into the red tier today, but a number of businesses are being careful with theirerions,o pivoimes over theye.i cfidentmp ist ao rume indo dining wch is n alled at capaci.e would o be able tit about 15 to 20 people seated in here. it would kind of mess up our current operations with patio dining and our robust to go market at the moment. >> reporter: down the street, bombshell bought teen owner brook ramirez is hopeful that more customers will stop by now that retail store capacity is back up to 50%. >> we are all so dopely touched when people take the time to come in to our place of business right now because we just -- we appreciate everyone so much more, more than we e

abc7 news reporter chris nguyen has the story. >> reporter: calling it another layer of administrativeign a contract with blue shield of california. the state's new third party administrator for vaccine distribution. it's a significant risk to the health and welfare of residents. >> it would mean that a private insurance company would be collecting all the protected health insurance and personal information for all residents vaccinated. >> county officials say the agreement with blue shield would also eliminate local control of the distribution network and put the county's equity efforts at risk.

abc7 news reporter chris nguyen has today's update. >> reporter: tonight the bay area's largest county a county that's put a lot of effort into taking

abc 7 news reporter chris nguyen has more on the push for acco accountability. >> reporter: this weekd-19 vaccine equity plan but one that's raising more concerns, especially throughout the bay area. >> using blanket metrics can be very challenging in terms of really deeply understanding the communities that you're working within. >> reporter: california's new distribution strategy allocates 40% of the state's vaccine supply to the lowest income zip codes based off of data from the healthy places index which factors in dozens of social and economic

in san jose, chris nguyen. >>> the clear skies will not by harnessing california's abundant wind and energy, we have the power to take on climate change. use less from 4 to 9 pm to keep california golden. this is a no-nonsense message from three. small business insurance is usually so complicated, you need to be a lawyer to understand it. that's why three was created. it's a better kind of business insurance. it's only three pages. straightforward. if you own it, three covers it. got a cheese slice for "spokesperson?" that's me. i don't even need to see what's happening behind me to know it's covered. (screaming) this commercial is now over. logo. three. no nonsense. just common sense. >>> are you looking at tahoe? actually santa clara county. that is sitting on top of mt. hamilton surrounded by snow. sky sevens captured this can see the green hills. we are still here in the bay area seen snow. >> we need a ski lift up there. >> those gondolas. >> we get to use it like three times a year. >> it is like a winter wonderland. that is what it is like. but not for long. so let me give you

i am chris nguyen . we get to the battle against coronavirus as well as the new stimulus checks.rst, let's get a check of the forecast with meteorologists frances dinglasan . >>> as i show you live doppler, you can see the cold front g. n winds start to change and here is a live looked toward the oakland area at 880 and the coliseum. today ranks 1 out of 5 temperatures in the 40s and the winds will pick up, especially just before the cold front passes through. it will hit the north bay first and spread south throughout the evening hours. sunseted 7:16 tonight because of daylight saving. then as it turns to scattered showers, we will talk about hail and snow. chris. >>> thank you. air travel is surging as more and more americans get vaccinated. spring breakers are headed to florida and texas despite warnings. it. it out the progress made in the battle to contain the virus. reporter karina mitchell has the details. >>> the last month with the country averaging 2.3 million shots per day. health officials say 106 million doses have been administered in the u.s. by last night. some ex

abc 7 news reporter chris nguyen spoke to reporters in the south bay about >> reporter: if you have beensearching for a covid-19 vaccine in the bay area, you likely encountered messages similar to this, saying all vaccination sites are currently full. but with eligibility set too expire, just how soon could we see more slots available? that answer is complicated and varies from county to county. >> we want people to keep checking. the idea is to >> reporter: this county only received 58,000 doses from the state. to put it in perspective, starting thursday, an additional 400,000 county residents will become eligible to receive the vaccine. >> we do have the capacity to vaccinate all those people, we just need the vaccine that is -- that is out of our control. we promise it arrive in april. >> reporter: they are typically notified on wednesdays on what they can expect in the following week. as a result, new appointments are likely to be posted by the end of the middle of the work week. those who receive healthcare through stanford or kaiser are encouraged to pay close attention to notifica

in san jose, chris nguyen, abc7 news. >>> vaccine eligibility and more supplies are on the way, the countyhealth department says thanks to an increase in the supply of covid vaccines it is liable to open the process up to more people. anybody 50 and older who lives or works in the county is now eligible, it does not matter if you have underlying health conditions. all your vexing coverage in one place, abc7news.com/vaccine and check out the news story breaking down the differences between the available options that are out there. you can also vaccine tracker and ask any questions you might have. >>> bay area communities are taking action against those targeting asian americans. a rally in san francisco today was a strong show of solidarity. >> we will -- >> many people gathered at the hall of justice and sent a message to the district attorney that they expect tough sentences in cases of attacks against asian americans. a double ac -- >> for the advancement of colored people, colored comes in all colors. >> that's right. >> and we welcome you to join the movement. >> we reached out for com

in san jose, chris nguyen, abc7 news. >>> the treasury department sent out the first of the $1,400 stimulushecks. 85% of americans will get them as part of president biden's historic covid relief bill. mary bruce has more. >> reporter: in the rose garden, president biden kicking off the campaign to promote his historic stimulus plan with a promise to millions of american families. >> to every american watching, help is here and we will not stop working for you. >> reporter: not a single republican present because none supported the bill. but outside washington, the law has broad support. 70% of americans back it, including 41% of republicans. the $1.9 trillion plan gives 85% of americans a $1,400 check. the law also extends unemployment benefits at $300 a week through early september and lowers health care premiums for millions of americans on obama care. the airlines also getting a boost. $15 billion. allowing american airlines and united to tear up furlough notices for nearly 50,000 workers. for britney riley who was facing possible bankruptcy, it's a game changer. >> i literally felt the

in san jose, chris nguyen, abc7 news. >>> a targeted effort is under way to vaccinate residents living in the zip codes with the highest covid positivity rates statewide. three of those zip codes are in east oakland. they're among the neighborhoods that will receive 40% of california's available vaccine supply. sutter health is already rescheduling patients whose second dose appointments were unexpectedly canceled. it released a statement today confirming it will be getting additional vaccines because of the miscommunication. sutter had to cancel 30,000 second dose appointments because of a supply shortage. unfortunately, first dose appointments with sutter remain on standby while it works through the backlog. >>> in ten day, california will move into its next phase of vaccine distribution, phase 1c, where as the earlier phases focused on the elderly and certain work sectors like health care, education and food service, the next phase will focus on those with health risks. so how can you prove you qualify? we asked abc7 news reporter lyanne melendez to find out. and she joins us now li

. >> reporter: in the south bay, chris nguyen, abc7 news. >>> excitement is in the air at san jose's san pedro square. this morning restaurant workers there did something they have not done in a while, actually preparing to welcome customers for indoor dining. san pedro square has been a popular spot for patio dining during the pandemic. >>> in san francisco, there are mixed feelings about the return of indoor dining. restaurant owners and many customers are welcoming the relaxed restrictions, but some people say they simply aren't ready to eat inside. >> i prefer outdoor dining. i think it's just better ventilation than there is inside. >> i think the city has been transformed by the apocalypse. i think it's added to a variety of alternatives. >> i'm really excited. i'm hoping to see the light at the end of the tunnels. >> henry is the owner of roxanne cafe in lobe nob hill. not only is he welcoming back customer, he is also bringing back 14 employees he had to let go of because of the shutdown. >>> san francisco's historic's john's grill reopened this afternoon for indoor dining. i

in san jose, chris nguyen, abc7 news. >>> the treasury department sent out the first of those $1,400timulus checks. 85% of americans will get them as part of president biden's historic covid relief bill. mary bruce has more. >> in the rose garden, president biden kicking off a campaign to promote his historic stimulus plan with a promise to millions of american families. >> to every american watching, help is here and we will not stop working for you. >> reporter: not a single republican present because none supported the bill. but outside washington, the law has broad support. 70% of americans back it, including 41% of republicans. the $1.9 trillion plan gives 85% of americans a $1,400 check. the law also extends unemployment benefits at $300 a week through early september and lowers health care premiums for millions of americans on obama care. the airlines also getting a boost. $15 billion, allowing american airlines and united to tear up fu furlough notices for 30,000 workers. for britney riley who was facing down possible bankruptcy, it's a game changer. >> i literally felt there