i'm chris wynn, "abc 7 news". >> all right, chris. thank you so much. >>> let's check the final results from our poll at abc7news.com/vote. >> yeah. about the new taxes on big bay area businesses. 56% of the people responding right now say they should pay more while 45% say it will drive businesses away. >> thank you for being part of this. if you have an idea, we would love to hear it. share what you are thinking by adding the #betterbayarea on your social media posts. we are working on building a better bay area together. >>> in our election coverage, several key state and local races are still too close to call, especially given the larger number of mail-in ballots. "abc 7 news" anchor kristen sze is here with four of the very-important races. kristen. >> reporter: that's right. let's start with two high-profile state office races. so much money went into the race for superintendent of public education between democrat tony thurmond and marshall tuck. right now tuck holds a slim lead over thurmond. for insurance commissioner, democ

"abc 7 news" reporter chris wynn tweeted this video from the backup on interstate 880.e are major delays near coleman avenue. brush and trees caught fire half an hour ago, possibly near a homeless encampment. we will keep you updated. >>> credit card fees, some avoidable, some not. they're all costly. why don't you stop paying them. >> "7 on your side" michael finney can show you how to do that and he is here now. >> no more fees. remember the old catch phrase, just do it? here is another one, just don't. your credit card issuer and your own behavior may be piling on fees, but there is something you can do about it. ask your bank to stop it. dennis bartell still uses a couple of credit cards he got in college. >> reporter: do you pay an annual fee for those cards? >> yes, i do. >> reporter: do you know if you call and say, i want you to waive those fees, more often than not they will? >> oh, you're kidding? >> reporter: new study shows that. >> these are 25-year-old rlationships. certainly, you know, they should grant that wish. that would be wonderful. >> reporter: it

we begin with abc 7's chris wynn in mountain view. chris? >> reporter: from sky 7, a sea of google employees at the company's headquarters in mountain view. down on the ground, a united front. >> unfair for the women being attacked that they have to speak to the people above them to get change to happen. sometimes they are the ones above them. >> among the demands, an end to force arbitration and harassment and discrimination and a clear process for reporting sexual misconduct safely and anonymously to pay in opportunity and equity. women make up 31% of the workforce at google, yet only 26% serve in executive positions. at the lucas college of business at san jose state yesterday, as more women choose to speak up in the me too movement, they have to respond. >> the organizational culture have to adapt to the demands for visibility and openness and more of doing the right thing. >> elected officials such as jackie spear voiced her support for employees. >> they don't want any tolerance for sexual harassment in the workplace and they certainly

in santa clara, chris wynn, "abc 7 news." >>> new developments now.akmont senior living in santa rosa has reached a settlement with state officials after staff pmembers admit to leaving residents behind during last year's tubbs fire. one year after the villa capri and verena burned to the ground, the department of public services will allow both to continue operating on a two-year probation. two months ago they filed to revoke both licenses. is settlement includes making sure they're properly staffed overnight and perform annual evcuation drills. >>> new developments in the lawsuit against the makers of the weed killer roundup. the company is appealing the verdict. a man in the bay area sued monsanto and won, as you know, claiming roundup caused his terminal cancer. last month a judge reduced the award in the case to $78 million. today monsanto filed an appeal and requested review of the court's refusal to order a new trial. in the trial they argued there's overwhelming evidence roundup does not cause cancer. >>> we first told you last friday about a

. >> "abc 7 news" reporter chris wynn has the story. >> reporter: chaos inside the cafeteria after a 19-year-old woman was attacked while having lunch at cabrillo college. >> we are usually on high alert because of the society we live in, but since it happened halloween night, who knows. it could strike another. >> reporter: just before noon today, a 40-year-old man walked into the cafeteria and randomly stabbed the victim with a knife. he was identified as steven wooding, a former student known to law enforcement. the college got a restraining order against him about a week and a half ago after authorities say he spent months harassing staff members the phone. >> it doesn't look like they have any relationship, it doesn't look like there was any reason he would attacked her other than him coming on campus and wanting to do this. >> reporter: according to the sheriff's office, the suspect was previously arrested for assaulting a staff member in 1994 with a wooden ax. he spent several years at a psychiatric institution for the crime. today college officials credited first responders f

i'm chris wynn.uben foster after he was arrested last night in tampa, florida for domestic violence. the 24-year-old former first round draft pick for the 9ers was taken into custody at the grand hyatt hotel after a verbal altercation that police say turned physical. the 9ers are staying at the grand hyatt and will play the buccaneers at 10:00 a.m. according to the affidavit, the victim is 28-year-old alyssa ennis, the same woman who earlier this year accused foster of domestic violence but then recanted her statement. a tampa police spokesperson said foster is accused of slapping ennis' phone off her hand, pushing her in the chest and slapping her in the face with an open hand. officers who arrested foster saw a one-inch scratch on the accuser's left collar bone. police say foster and ennis had an on again/off again relationship over the past three years. this morning a judge set bail for foster at $2,000 and ordered him to avoid contact with ennis. >>> let's get a quick check of the bay area foreca

"abc 7 news" reporter chris wynn has the story from san jose. >> reporter: call it a winter wonderlandse. christmas in the park has returned to plaza de cesar veshaw -- chavez. this one from the catholic charities stem program features many computer ornaments programmed by elementary students. >> they all had their own color, their own sequence, their own patterns. it is a lot of fun. >> reporter: each year david puts up a tree to honor the daughter he lost to sudden th syndrome. >> i want a bigger tree because it feels good doing something like that. >> reporter: bailey bayer and his family are raising aware for their nonprofit, half bay be strong. >> we lost a brother and sister to childhood cancer. for those to be able to walk by and see and for us to express through our tree what that means to us and what it means to other families is just super meaningful. >> reporter: tonight the community giving tree was lit by the smith family, who recently lost their paradise homes in the camp fire. >> we are just taking it one day at a time and holding each other. we know tomorrow will be bet

chris wynn has more from san jose on the rational behind the decision. >> reporter: as smoke from the camp fire hovers throughout the region, this has become a familiar scene, empty school playgrounds and athletic field because of the poor air quality. >> they're coughing during the night. they're like -- they don't feel good. they wake up, they don't want to go to school. >> reporter: but in the south bay, of the 31 school districts in santa clara county, all but three chose to keep classes in session at the recommendation of the county board of education as well as the county health department. >> we want to ensure that students have access to safe indoor, clean air. >> reporter: public health officer dr. sarah cody says it was the best recommendation to make. >> families, of course, don't have to send their child to school if they feel that on balance it is better for their own child's health if they stay at home. >> reporter: with 30,000 students, the san jose unified school district stayed open but kept kids inside all day because of the smoke. >> we have great filtration systems

. >> chris wynn will join us live from mountain view with details of measure p, but let's begin with