cornell bernard has details. >> it's scary. i have a 4-year-old. >> reporter: guests at the four seasons hotel are shocked about reports of gunfire from inside the hotel 5:00 a.m. sunday. >> the witness who stated there was a male located in the building, shooting a gun. >> reporter: the suspect is a an off duty richmond police officer. the officer fired eight rounds from the 12th or 14th floor, and with few maces for officers to take cover, it took more than 90 minutes to convince the man to surrender, which happened at 6:30 a.m. >> he surrendered peacefully. he's currently in our custody, and we have no reports of any injuries. >> reporter: police recovered a hand gun belonging to him. the manager confirms the man was a guest at the hotel. other guests were questioned by police. >> detectives, and they're asking people questions if they heard gunshots. >> i'm a loyal guest. i'm surprised nobody notified the guests this was a situation like that. >> reporter: the man was transported to the hospital for a medical evaluation. >>

cornell bernard is live in oakland with details. cornell? >> reporter: eric, cautious optimism for sure, the places like this main library branch will reopen soon. where and when that mediation session will happen has not been determined. meantime, the strike goes on. >> striking city workers picketed outside oakland's main library branch, forced to close along with dozens of other city facilities. library worker lena hernandez is hurting without a paycheck. >> i paid bills and just watching my check account getting lower and lower. >> reporter: seiu local 1021 and the city have agreed to mediation with a mutual third party from the state after the mayor declared an impasse to bargaining talks on friday. >> it's a small showing by the city that they are having to compromise that we were able to agree to a mediator and go to mediation. i'm cautious because the city has been bargaining in bad faith for eight months. >> if we don't get no contract, you don't get no peace. >> reporter: 3,000 city workers walked off the job last tuesday and hit t

cornell bernard is live in oakland with details. cornell? >> reporter: eric, cautious optimism for sure, the places like this main library branch will reopen soon. where and when that mediation session will happen has not been determined. meantime, the strike goes on. >> striking city workers picketed outside oakland's main library branch, forced to close along with dozens of other city facilities. library worker lena hernandez is hurting without a paycheck. >> i paid bills and just watching my check account getting lower and lower. >> reporter: seiu local 1021 and the city have agreed to mediation with a mutual third party from the state after the mayor declared an impasse to bargaining talks on friday. >> it's a small showing by the city that they are having to compromise that we were able to agree to a mediator and go to mediation. i'm cautious because the city has been bargaining in bad faith for eight months. >> if we don't get no contract, you don't get no peace. >> reporter: 3,000 city workers walked off the job last tuesday and hit t

here is more from cornell bernard who spoke with zarate. >> reporter: 48 hours after his arrest suspect jose ines garcia zarate confessed to a terrible crime. did you shoot kate steinle, the lady who was down on pier 14? >> yes. >> reporter: you did shoot her? >> reporter: he look nervous, frail and scared. he told me the shooting which took the life of 32-year-old kate steinle was an accident. he claimed he was wandering pier 14 after taking sleeping pills he found in a dumpster. where did you get the gun? >> on the ground by the bench. >> reporter: he said the gun was wrapped in the t-shirt, it fired when he picked it up. >> boom, boom, three times. >> reporter: garcia zarate said he kicked the gun into the bay and walked off unaware he shot someone. he made his way back into the u.s. knowing san francisco was a sanctuary city, a safe haven from immigration officials. >> reporter: garcia zarate said he felt remorse for killing kate steinle. >> i feel sorry for everybody. >> reporter: you feel sorry for everybody including kate steinle's family? >> yeah. >>> zarate's sentence on the gu

abc7 news reporter cornell bernard is live where it all happened. ng, cornell. >> reporter: hi there, carolyn. we are told that off duty police officer now undergoing a mental evaluation at a hospital here in san francisco. his identity not being released tonight, but we are told he is a veteran of the richmond police department. the bizarre gunfire incident left many guests here at the four seasons hotel rattled. many asking why it happened. >> it's not anything that you're expecting to happen at the four seasons. >> reporter: guests at the four seasons hotel are shocked about reports of gunfire from inside the hotel. about 5:00 a.m. sunday. >> the witness who stated there was a male located in the building who was shooting a gun. >> reporter: police said the suspect is an off-duty richmond police officer. police sources tell abc7 news the officer fired eight rounds from the 12th or 14th floor which was under construction and with few places for off sericer take cover, it took 90 minutes to convince him to surrender which happened at 6:30 p.m. >> he

in alameda, cornell bernard, abc 7 news. >>> yeah. let's get over to mike nicco. >> look at you. >> take a look at what's going on outside. a couple things to know, this is a steady rain over in san francisco. the winds are starting to pick up and that will help dry the ground a little bit. the heat it creates will help dry things out, also. the later you leave for the morning commute, the easier it's going to be as far as navigating wet roads and we'll turn from steady rain to some scattered showers this morning and then the chilly breezes for the afternoon hours when you need the sunglasses. freezing cold valleys the next few nights. and our christmas storm is starting to fade. the cold air plunging in behind this system that's going to hang around for the next several days. hour by hour what will happen today. the scattered showers still up across the north bay and along the coast and even some snow in the higher elevations around ukiah, clover dale and clear lake. a few lingering showers around san francisco and the peninsula coas

. >> cornell bernard explains how the city is trying to have your back. >> reporter: new year's eve is closing in, and a police presence around san francisco landmarks is ramping up. we found department of homeland security officers patrolling around the ferry building. and canine units along the embarcadero where hundreds of thousands of people will gather to say hello to 2018 and a dazzling fireworks show. >> people will be everywhere in this city, ringing in the new year. but what is most important to us is that we make sure that everyone is safe. >> reporter: acting mayor joined the police chief in a news conference to ensure everyone the city has your back. >> there are no known credible threats to the city, but any time there is large events with a large amount of people, we always have to provide additional police support. >> reporter: every available officer will be on duty, some patrolling around pier 39, the target of a christmas day isis plot by a 26-year-old former marine of modesto. the chief admits he had little knowledge until jamison's arrest. >> we didn't have a whole

cornell bernard, santa rosa, abc 7 news. >>> fires spreading quickly across parts of santa barbara. more than 269,000 acres have burned. containment is at 40%. it has become the third largest fire in state history. fire crews doing everything they can to get a handle on it. abc 7 news reporter marci gonzalez is in santa barbara with the latest. >> reporter: this relentless wildfire exploding in southern california. >> the fire was racing so fast. >> reporter: more than 10,000 acres burning just since friday. flames like a glowing gash cutting through the hillside, threatening homes, forcing 16,000 new mandatory evacuations. weather conditions creating a huge challenge for firefighters as we saw firsthand. the major concern out here is the wind. you can see just how strong it is gusting right now, carrying these flames in unpredictable directions. those gusts reaching 65 miles an hour. >> it burned a lot today. >> reporter: more than 267,000 acres charred since the thomas ago, and it is still spreading fast. >> i'm shocked that we don't have a hundred homes on the ground right now. >

. >> cornell bernard explains how the city is trying to have your back. >> reporter: new year's eve is closing in, and a police presence around san francisco landmarks is ramping up. we found department of homeland security officers patrolling around the ferry building. and canine units along the embarcadero where hundreds of thousands of people will gather to say hello to 2018 and a dazzling fireworks show. >> people will be everywhere in this city, ringing in the new year. but what is most important to us is that we make sure that everyone is safe. >> reporter: acting mayor joined the police chief in a news conference to ensure everyone the city has your back. >> there are no known credible threats to the city, but any time there is large events with a large amount of people, we always have to provide additional police support. >> reporter: every available officer will be on duty, some patrolling around pier 39, the target of a christmas day isis plot by a 26-year-old former marine of modesto. the chief admits he had little knowledge until jamison's arrest. >> we didn't have a whole

as abc 7 reporter cornell bernard explains.ome neighbors have not been happy about the crowds that this house draws. >> it's the famous house which can really draw a crowd. neighbors shared this video of throngs of people outside the victorian on broderick street most every weekend. >> i remember when i was a child. ♪ >> reporter: it's the place were the tanner family lived on tv's "full house" hand now the netflix reboot "fuller house." some think the house is up. painted ladies from the opening credits. neighbors like andrea scott finney wish it was. >> we love the "full house" idea, the movie, we watched it, but i think it's just become a little bit too much. >> reporter: surveillance video captured a passing car crashing into a truck which stopped for a double parker outside the house. >> double parking, loitering, littering. >> reporter: neighbors are taking their complaints to the planning commission. interior renovations happening at the home have some believing the house you see on tv is being recreated inside for filmi

in san francisco, cornell bernard, abc 7 news. >> it's 5:06.pected robber shot to death at a walgreens. the suspect identified as 38-year-old maurice charles. this happened around 8:30 monday night at the walgreens at 1st and santa clara streets. police tell our media partners at the mercury news charles tried to take the guard's gun and that's when he was shot. no word if the security guard will face any charges. a teacher in concord is on administrative leave and in jail accused of having sex with a developmentally disabled adult student. this is the suspect, 55-year-old daniel gonzalez. he worked at the loma vista adult center. the victim was involved in the bridge program offered through the adult education program. the student is an adult but has the intellectual development of a young teenager. it's illegal to have sex with a person incapable of consent due to developmental disability. >>> an activist is back in jail. an alameda county judge nearly tripled chapman's bail yesterday after finding out he violated the conditions of his bail n

cornell bernard has the details. >> reporter: striking city workework ers picketed in oakland, forced to close. lina hernandez is hurting without a paycheck. >> i just paid bills this morning, and i'm just watching my checking account get lower and lower. >> reporter: local 1021 and the city have agreed to mediation with a mutual third party of the state, after the mayor declared an impasse. >> it's a small showing by the city that we were able to agree to a mediator and go to mediation. the city has been bargaining in bad faith for eight months. >> reporter: 3,000 city workers hit the picket line over pay and working conditions. the mayor told abc 7 she's hopeful for a resolution. >> we want our workers back at work, and we want to settle our differences, because we just deeply respect our workers and really want to continue serving the public. >> reporter: both sides are still far apart on pay. the union is asking for two 4% raises. the city agreed to the first raise, but said the second must be based on revenue. >> we can't spend money we don't have. >> the mayor is talking about h

in santa rosa, cornell bernard, abc 7 news. >>> the thomas fire is now spreading quickly across parts of santa barbara. more than 267,000 acres have burned and it's 40% contained. it is now the third largest fire in california history. reporter melissa mcbride from our sister station in los angeles has the latest developments. >> reporter: off in the distance, the thomas fire smolders and flares up, burning brush above santa barbara and montecito. for the 13th night, homes are threatened and the wind stands in the way of putting out the third largest fire in state history. >> if you hold the compass up, it burned north to south right down the canyons. romero, cold springs canyon, and it burned in and around a number of homes. >> reporter: the fire spread four miles across, fanned by winds gusting around 50 miles per hour. the strong winds and reduced visibility from the heavy smoke kept water-dropping helicopters from flying most of the day. the extent of the damage won't be known until daylight. >> we know some sheds were burned and so forth. we don't have any confirmed damage to str

cornell bernard is in santa rosa with more. >> i'm scared to death. >> reporter: for casey, there was no ignoring high winds at this special holiday giving event for victims of the october wildfires. >> i'm living up in windsor in a little apartment, and of course i'm thinking, again, here we go. >> it brings up a lot of angst because it's very blustery. >> reporter: it's an all too painful reminder of similar fire weather two months ago, which created a monster firestorm which chased thousands from their homes, leaving neighborhoods in ashes. >> so everything is super dry. >> reporter: santa rosa battalion chief says all fire stations now on alert. some firefighting equipment, which normally would be put away for the season is now back in service. >> these are 100-foot rolls and they're able to deploy them, charge them and then extend off. >> reporter: fire engines are patrolling hilltop areas. >> between the low relative humidity and the high winds, that could equate to a situation that could be dangerous and so that's why the fire department is on alert. >> reporter: the fire depar

cornell bernard has more on the tributes to mayor lee and he also spoke with the woman who comforted the mayor after he collapsed in a safeway. >> -- on the floor and having difficulty breathing. >> reporter: angelica told us by phone she'll never forget how she tried to help mayor ed lee after he collapsed in the safeway store. his wife anita called out for help. >> the first thing i asked, are you feeling any pain. he said yes. >> reporter: she called 911. a dispatcher told her to give the mayor aspirin until paramedics could arrive. she did. >> i just hoped he was going to be okay but woke up to the sad news. >> reporter: leon chow prayed outside mayor's home, a union representative for home health care workers, brought flowers, candles, and signs of thanks. chow says the mayor was always supportive. >> the mayor is in heaven. everybody appreciated. >> we can dedicate tonight's lighting of the menorah in memory of ed lee. >> reporter: the lighting of the menorah on the first night of hanukkah paid tribute to mayor lee. rabbi langer says the mayor was instrumental in helping habad

in san francisco, cornell bernard, abc 7 news. >>> santa rosa police are looking for a suspect in a stabbinglowela's market on t ton avenue. a 61-year-old man had a severe wound to his neck. they released this image of the suspect. the victim and the suspect had been sitting at different tables but they never spoke to each other. the victim's injuries are said to be life threatening. >>> the san francisco symphony has severed ties with world renowned conductor charles dutoi. the 81-year-old conductor was scheduled to conduct the san francisco symphony in january and april. in a statement today the symphony said the move was made due to a zero tolerance policy due to sexual harassment in the workplace. >>> a man arrested and accused of mailing homemade bombs to two homes, including one where a police officer lives. abc 7 news reporter melanie woodrow. >> reporter: neighbors on mountain view avenue say they were stunned to see s.w.a.t. teams converge on this home last night. >> guys jumped out with the guns and everything. i said, oh, god. >> came out to take the garbage out and the whole stre

. >> as cornel bernard tells us, both sides agreed to bargaining talks monday with state mediator. >> he is live in oakland with all of the developing news. cornell? >> yeah, there is cautious optimism about an end to the six-day strike. both sides will sit down with a mediator tomorrow. meantime, the strike does continue. places like library will remain shut down monday, at least for now. striking city workers picketted outside oakland's main library branch forced to close because of the strike along with dozens of other city-run facilities. sciu local in the city a greed to immediate asian with a local third party after the mayor had an impasse with parg annibargais friday. >> we agreed to a mediator and agreed to mediation. i'm cautious because the city has been bargaining in bad faith for eight months. >> 3,000 city workers walked off the jab last tuesday and hit the pickett line. over pay and working conditions. the mayor told abc 7 morning anchor carolyn tyler she is hopeful for a resolution. >> we want our workers back at work and we want to settle our differences because we ju

abc 7 reporter cornell bernard joins us live from outside the four seasons. that's where this all took place. >> reporter: that off-duty police officer is in the hospital. he's undergoing a mental evaluation. he's a veteran of the police force. this bizarre shooting incident left many guests here at the four seasons hotel rattled this morning, many asking why it happened. >> scary. i have a 4-year-old. and i would not expect that to happen here. >> reporter: guests at the four seasons hotel are shocked about reports of gunfire from inside the hotel about 5:00 a.m. sunday. >> a witness that stated there was a male located in the building who was shooting a gun. >> reporter: police say the suspect is an off-duty richmond police officer. police sources tell abc 7 the officer fired eight rounds from the 12th or 14th floor which was under construction. and with few places for officers to take cover, it took more than 90 minutes to convince the man to surrender, which finally happened at 6:30 a.m. >> he surrendered peacefully. he's currently in our custody, and we

abc 7 reporter cornell bernard joins us live from outside the four seasons. that's where this all took place. >> reporter: that off-duty police officer is in the hospital. he's undergoing a mental evaluation. he's a veteran of the police force. this bizarre shooting incident left many guests here at the four seasons hotel rattled this morning, many asking why it happened. >> scary. i have a 4-year-old. and i would not expect that to happen here. >> reporter: guests at the four seasons hotel are shocked about reports of gunfire from inside the hotel about 5:00 a.m. sunday. >> a witness that stated there was a male located in the building who was shooting a gun. >> reporter: police say the suspect is an off-duty richmond police officer. police sources tell abc 7 the officer fired eight rounds from the 12th or 14th floor which was under construction. and with few places for officers to take cover, it took more than 90 minutes to convince the man to surrender, which finally happened at 6:30 a.m. >> he surrendered peacefully. he's currently in our custody, and we

in san francisco, cornell bernard, abc 7 news. >>> santa rosa police are looking for a suspect in a stabbinglowela's market on t ton avenue. a 61-year-old man had a severe wound to his neck. they released this image of the suspect. the victim and the suspect had been sitting at different tables but they never spoke to each other. the victim's injuries are said to be life threatening. >>> the san francisco symphony has severed ties with world renowned conductor charles dutoi. the 81-year-old conductor was scheduled to conduct the san francisco symphony in january and april. in a statement today the symphony said the move was made due to a zero tolerance policy due to sexual harassment in the workplace. >>> a man arrested and accused of mailing homemade bombs to two homes, including one where a police officer lives. abc 7 news reporter melanie woodrow. >> reporter: neighbors on mountain view avenue say they were stunned to see s.w.a.t. teams converge on this home last night. >> guys jumped out with the guns and everything. i said, oh, god. >> came out to take the garbage out and the whole stre

. >> as cornel bernard tells us, both sides agreed to bargaining talks monday with state mediator. >>in oakland with all of the developing news. cornell? >> yeah, there is cautious optimism abo

. >> cornell bernard explains how the city is trying to have your back. >> reporter: new year's eve isent of homeland security officers patrolling around the ferry building. and canine units along the embarcadero where hundreds of thousands of people will gather to say hello to 2018 and a dazzling fireworks show. >> people will be everywhere in this city, ringing in the new year. but what is most important to us is that we make sure that everyone is safe. >> reporter: acting mayor joined the police chief in

. >> cornell bernard conducted that interview just hours after the shooting. live now. >> reporter: that interview happened inside a holding cell here at county lockup, 2 1/2 years ago. 48 hours after his arrest. he told me that he shot kate steinle on pier 14 but it was a tragic accident. here's part of that interview. >> did you shoot kate steinle, the lady who was down on pier 14? >> yes. >> you did shoot her? >> yes. i hear the boom, boom, three times. >> >> reporter: he claims he threw the gun into the bay, didn't realize he shot someone until picked up by police. >> where did you get the gun? >> [ inaudible ]. something like that. sorry for everybody. >> you feel sorry for conservative including kate steinle's family? >> yeah. >> reporter: he said he found that gun wrapped in a t-shirt on pier 14. went to pick it up and gun fired. he says he didn't know he shot kate steinle and walked away. judge in the case did not allow that interview to be played in the trial. garcia zarate, undocumented immigrant, deported five times, said he came to san francisco be

. >> cornell bernard conducted that interview just hours after the shooting. live now. >> reporter: that interview happened inside a holding cell here at county lockup, 2 1/2 years ago. 48 hours after his arrest. he told me that he shot kate steinle on pier 14 but it was a tragic accident. here's part of that interview. >> did you shoot kate steinle, the lady who was down on pier 14? >> yes. >> you did shoot her? >> yes. i hear the boom, boom, three times. >> >> reporter: he claims he threw the gun into the bay, didn't realize he shot someone until picked up by police. >> where did you get the >> [ inaudible ]. something like that. sorry for everybody. >> you feel sorry for conservative including kate steinle's family? >> yeah. >> reporter: he said he found that gun wrapped in a t-shirt on pier 14. went to pick it up and gun fired. he says he didn't know he shot kate steinle and walked away. judge in the case did not allow that interview to be played in the trial. garcia zarate, undocumented immigrant, deported five times, said he came to san francisco because

cornell bernard is in santa rosa with details. >> i'm scared to death. >> reporter: for casey, there was no ignoring high winds at this special holiday giving event for victims of the october wildfires. >> i'm living up in windsor in a little apartment. and of course i'm thinking, again, here we go. >> it brings up a lot of angst. it's blustery. >> reporter: all too painful reminder of similar fire weather two months ago which created a monster firestorm which chased thousands from their homes, leaving neighborhoods in ashes. >> everything's super dry. santa rosa battalion chief says all fire stations now on alert. some are firefighting equipment which normally would be put away for the season is now back in service. >> these are 100-foot rolls and they're able to deploy them, charge them, extend off. >> reporter: fire engines are patrolling hilltop areas. between the low relative humidity and the high winds, that could equate to a situation that could be dangerous, so that's why the fire department's on alert. "elevated fire dangers return, we're taking several proactive measures in

abc 7 news reporter cornell bernard spoke to some shaken hotel guests. >> it's scary.a 4-year-old. i would not expect that to happen here. >> reporter: guests at the four seasons shocked about reports of gunfire from inside the hotel. about 5:00 a.m. sunday. >> a witness who stated that there was a male located in the building who was shooting a gun. >> reporter: police say the suspect is an off-duty richmond police officer. police sources tell abc 7 the off officer fired eight rounds from the 12th or 14th floor, which was under construction, and with few places for officers to take cover the took over 90 minutes to convince the man to surrender which finally happened at 6:30 a.m. >> he surrendered peacefully. he's currently in our custody. and we have no reports of any injuries. >> reporter: police recovered a handgun belonging to the off-duty cop. the four seasons general manager confirms to abc 7 news the man was a guest at the hotel. other guests were questioned by police. >> detectives, going down the stairwells and the floors, and they're asking people standard q

he made that confession in an exclusive interview with reporter cornell bernard in 2014 just days after his arrest. the judge in the case did not allow that interview to be played during the trial. >> did you shoot kate steinle, the lady on pier 14? >> yes. >> you did shoot her? >> garcia zarate said the shooting was an accident. the gun was wrapped in a t-shirt he found and it fired when he picked it up. >> zarate's sentence could range from 16 months to three years but he has spent more than two years in san francisco county jail awaiting trial. the sentencing date has not been set. u.s. immigration officials say they will deport zarate. we sent out a breaking news alert as soon as we found out a verdict had been reached. you can be the first to know by downloading the news app. it's free and works for all devices. >>> a moment of silence and a memorial will be held in california for the victims of last year's ghost ship fire. tomorrow is the first anniversary of the warehouse fire that killed 36 people. ghost ship founder derick almena and max ohr have been charged with 36 counts of

. >> cornell bernard and leanne menendez, thanks to you. it's so important to note the procedures in this free flowing process. it's going to be something we watch for all the evening. >> well, hopefully it will be resolved. and here is the process, and i want to bring in long-timal me ca county deputy district attorney john craig, now retired. let's talk about the process, first of all. the court doesn't operate under these time constraints of immediacy. everybody has to be brought into the courtroom. nobody gets to leave. you can't tweet out the information. this takes a while. >> that's correct. the jury will be brought in. they will hand the verdict forms to the clerk. the clerk will hand them to the judge. the judge will review them. and then he will ask the clerk to read the verdicts. >> so what are we looking at, maybe an hour? >> could be less than that. but, i mean, nothing will happen until presumably the media is admitted into the courtroom. >> okay. let's talk about the possibilities here because when you and i spoke, i was real

in san francisco, cornell bernard, abc 7 news. >> was it everything that you wanted and more? go and see it for myself. >> "the mix" and the polka are coming up next. and see it for myself. >> "the mix" and the polka are coming up next. i had this chest cold, but my medicine kept wearing off. (coughah! i missed you! then i discovered mucinex. one pill lasts 12 hours,and i'm good. why take 4-hour medicine? one mucinex lasts 12 hours. let's end this. i ...prilosec otc 7 years ago,my doctor recommended... 5 years ago, last week. just 1 pill each morning, 24 hours and zero heartburn. it's been the number 1 doctor recommended brand for 10... ...straight years, and it's still recommended today. use as directed. ialmost everything. you know, ke 1 i n 10 houses could get hit by an expensive septic disaster. but for only $7 a month, rid-x helps break down waste. avoid a septic disaster with rid-x. ♪ >>> time for "the mix," and first up, we obviously have been reporting all week about the serious devastation with the california wildfires. mass evacuations. but on a lighter note, sometim