someone who has been sounding the alarm over this arrangement is democratic congressman john garamendiwhose district includes contra costa and solano counties. >> the richest man in the world invested over $250 million in a presidential campaign, and he was given the keys to the american government. >> joining us now to share his concerns that he spoke about on the house floor and talk about the possible impact in northern california, is congressman garamendi. congressman, thanks for joining us. >> good to be with you. and indeed, there's a serious impact. we're going to feel it in many, many ways, particularly in the san francisco bay area. >> can you talk about the different ways, because we've heard about individuals who have been laid off suddenly from their work, right. we've talked about the universities fearful of losing their research funding, but really spell it out for people. what are we looking at here? >> well, you had two right there. first of all, the research funding at the university of california, san francisco, berkeley and davis will incur very serious funding on th

joining us now is democratic congressman john garamendi of california. he served in the peace corps. seeing the impact of u.s. aid firsthand in ethiopia. >> welcome, congressman, to the table. it's a real pleasure to have you here. let's pick up on that part of your personal story and how it translates into what we see today. you and your wife, patty, met and got involved with the early missions of the peace corps and in ethiopia. but what i would like you to do is give people an appreciation of what what that work means and how important usaid is today in that fight. >> well, our first involvement with usaid was in 1967. we were peace corps volunteers way out in the remote western part of ethiopia. no electricity, no running water. but usaid came through with a team to do vaccinations for smallpox, and we spent a full month working in the villages in the area doing those vaccinations. successful. smallpox is essentially gone, except in just a few very small places around the world. that was the first we had. and then through the years, we've continued t

congressman john garamendi, refineries in his district, including the martinez, refining company, says the martinez refining company has a long history of maintenance issues. mission problems. >> in fires like saturday. >> and the current situation follows along that same pattern. unfortunately. the refinery has not been able to provide the necessary. improvements to their infrastructure. 2 have these problems disappear. >> germany says it's been a rocky path, but his team is working to create change oil refineries such as the transition from crude oil to fuels. his staff is also wanting to learn what caused saturday's fire. is there an ongoing from here? we will find out as the >> information about why this fire occurred. why was there explosion? and when that is they're very, very well be an ongoing make this issue. >> contra costa health in contra costa has met and the air district responded to saturday's fired. mayor. zoran says the city is diligently working with the refinery to get answers at this time. i think it's important for our community understand that the correct people h

congressman john garamendi, greatly appreciate your time as always, sir. thank you. next up, we're going to dig in more on russell vote and how all of doj's plans are playing right into his are playing right into his ha if you have heart failure or chronic kidney disease, farxiga can help you keep living life, because there are places you'd like to be. (♪♪) serious side effects include increased ketones in blood or urine and bacterial infection between the anus and genitals, both which may be fatal, severe allergic reactions, dehydration, urinary tract or genital yeast infections, and low blood sugar. stop taking and tell your doctor right away if you have nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, tiredness, rash, swelling, trouble breathing or swallowing. tell your doctor about lightheadedness, weakness, fever, pain, tenderness, redness or swelling between the anus and genitals. ask your doctor about farxiga today. ♪ far-xi-ga ♪ (♪♪) where ya headed? susan: where am i headed? am i just gonna take what the markets gives me? no. i can do some research. ya know, that's backed by

congressional representative for the area john garamendi says he's not surprised, but he is concerned. >> wake up. pay attention to your infrastructure. make sure that your facilities are in good working order. >> reporter: the refinery has had a number of issues and violations in the past. on thanksgiving 2022 the refinery accidentally released more than 20 tons of industrial chemicals covering people's cars and homes in metallic dust. then in july 2023 the refinery spewed petroleum coke dust into the air. there's also been numerous flaring incidents. garamendi believes because of these previous issues, the refinery responded more quickly this time. >> fines levied by the county and air quality board have had an effect and we saw that with this particular fire, where they immediately notified the county and the community. >> reporter: in december 2023 contra costa county health conducted an unannounced inspection at mrc. according to the department's report, the review did not identify any areas needing immediate or short-term action, but gomez is still unhappy. he says there have be

congressman john garamendi, who represents 5 oil refineries in his district, including the martinez, refining company, says the martinez refining company has a long history of maintenance issues. mission problems. >> in fires like saturday. >> and the current situation follows along that same pattern. unfortunately. the refinery has not been able to provide the necessary. improvements to their infrastructure. 2 have these problems disappear. >> garamendi says it's been a rocky path, but his team is working to create change oil refineries such as the transition from crude oil to fuels. his staff is also wanting to learn what caused saturday's fire. is there an ongoing here? we will find out as the >> information about why this fire occurred. why was there explosion? and when that is they're very, very well be an ongoing make this issue. >> contra costa health in contra costa has met and the air district responded to saturday's fired. mayor. zoran says the city is diligently working with the refinery to get answers at this time. i think it's important for our community understand that

congressman john garamendi, who does represent cities from the bay area to sacramento, described the effort to dismantle the agency as unconstitutional, adding it is imperative that any changes to government agencies be done with full accountability to the american people. these decisions should prioritize humanity, not the business interests of billionaires. new at 11 east bay congressman eric swalwell says many in the afghan community are fearful about the immigration enforcement. swalwell spoke in fremont today after meeting with members of the afghan community. the trump administration suspended federal funding for agencies that help refugees with resettlement costs. congressman swalwell said he is preparing a letter to the white house to advocate for afghan refugees, including those who served with u.s. personnel and their allies during the war in afghanistan. >> i want every afghan refugee to know that regardless of your status, our office will work with you to try and keep the promise that was made to you when you helped america. >> the federal refugee program has been in plac

east bay congressman john garamendi is one of several democratic leaders sounding the alarm about elonthe white house. he spoke with abc seven earlier today about what impact doj's actions are having in northern california. >> first of all, the research funding at the university of california, san francisco, berkeley and davis will incur very serious funding on their multiple research programs. the national science foundation. the national health institute. all of those are critical funding sources for on going research and medical, mental as well as economics. so that is happening. and those research programs are coming to a stop, or they have stopped and they're not likely to start up again. >> national parks are also losing funding and employees. that means places locally, like the golden gate national recreation center, muir woods and point reyes are all likely to start decreasing access for visitors. we're keeping track of the first 100 days of the trump administration, and you can too, at abc seven news.com and on our abc seven bay area app. >> today, the largest school district

meantime, they area congressman john garamendi says and here's part of his statement. the martinez refinery has a history of concerns regarding safety. and last week we saw the results while we were still gathering information about the cause of this fire. what we do know is that this disaster reflects poor leadership and a lack of standards from the martinez refining company, our community deserves answers >> more developing news this morning. another group is now calling for the removal of san mateo county sheriff christina corpus. now, this time it's the san mateo county sheriff's office unions. they're set to hold a press conference at 11 30 this morning to announce their support for which is that initiative to give the san mateo county board of supervisors, the power to remove her from office. voters will see that measure on their ballot in march. corpus is accused of abusing her power, creating a toxic work environment and retaliating against those who exposed her misconduct. she's refused to step down so far. despite official calls for her resignation. in the ea

congressman john garamendi who represents this particular district district 8, which encompasses martinez. he says they are committed to getting to the bottom of what happened in preventing it from happening in the future. >> unfortunately. the refinery has not been able to provide the necessary. improvements to their infrastructure. 2 have these problems disappear? definitely. there will be a clean up. there are hazardous materials that undoubtedly resulted from this fire and those would need to be dealt with. >> absolutely. as far as the materials fighting the fires as far as the water quality james and darya. obviously they had to spray water on this and other chemicals that went into the ground and into the nearby streams. they will be looking into that in the days and weeks ahead. as far as the 6 employees. we do know that 2 were treated at the scene. 4 were rushed to the hospital. 3 of the 4 treated and released. and at last check, it appears that one person still in the hospital with his or her injuries back to. thank you very much. will. >> 604. and today opponents of president tr

congressman john garamendi, who represents martinez and other areas district 8. he says they will look into this to make sure that everything is safe moving forward as far as the contaminants to nearby streams and waterways. and of course, the see what they can possibly do to make this safer moving forward. again, it all started with just maintenance work. >> all right. we'll thank you very much. >> it's 904. and today, opponents of president trump's in-group immigration policy are going to be protesting across the organizers say this is going to be a day. they're calling a day without immigrants. >> crawford's join horta in concord live for us to explain. kelly. yeah. where the hispanic grocery store that's closed today. we've seen several customers being turned away the doors open, but that's because they're unloading. >> truck with inventory today and sign on the wall here on the door tells you why it's all about the protests. it says in spanish we close our doors for our own families in our community. this comes on the heels of a large protests here in concor

and congressman john garamendi, that's his hope as well that he wants to make sure that everything is safe. as far as the contaminants, the water nearby because they had the use so many chemicals that knock down the flames. not to mention chemical simply from the refinery. so he wants to make sure everything is safe and also looking to possibly. >> trying to prevent this moving forward. we do know that 2 people were treated at the scene for taken to the hospital and at last last check, 3 out of the 4 have been treated and released. leaving one person still in the house. >> back to you. all right. thank you will for that update. happening today, opponents of president trump's immigration policy are going to be protesting across the country. they're calling it a day without immigrants conference. joey horta is live in concord with the details. chilling. >> darya and james of the suspect grocery store is closed today. the doors open. we saw customer go inside. they're about to be told they have to leave because they're not catering to customers today. they're simply doing inventory at th

now, meantime, bay area congressman john garamendi says, quote, the martinez refinery has a history ofregarding safety. and last week we saw the results while we are still gathering information about the cause of this fire. what we do know is that this disaster reflects poor leadership and a lack of standards from the martinez refining company. our community deserves answers and quote. one of the first actions of president trump took after he was sworn in was reversing the biden administration's policy to restrict ice. federal immigration enforcement raids in. >> so-called sensitive areas. and those included schools will now california attorney general rob bonta announced some new guidance for students and teachers. should ice agents come onto campus? bonta says schools should notify parents as soon as possible before an officer proceeds with immigration enforcement and says the employee should always ask for the officers credentials, including their name and badge number. as chief law enforcement officer for california. i'm here to defend to enforce. >> and uphold our laws and protect

yesterday afternoon, we got a chance to track down congressman john garamendi, who represents the martinez area. he says he's looking into possibly making sure exactly what happened during the hydra leak as well as preventing it from happening again. >> unfortunately. the refinery has not been able to provide the necessary. improvements to their infrastructure. 2 have these problems disappear? definitely. there will be a clean up. there are hazardous materials that undoubtedly resulted from this fire and those would need to be dealt with. >> when he says hazardous materials, he's talking about possible runoff into nearby streams with all the chemicals from the refinery, much less the chemicals used to put out the fires so they will be looking. and so that as far as the breakdown of the injuries, i told you 6 people were injured. 4 out of the 6 actually were sent to the hospital. 3 out of the 4 treated and released. and at last check, appears that one person still in the hospital with the injuries. and just to give you perspective, people who live in martinez, they're always fearful of the

. >> an east bay congressman, john garamendi, is one of several democratic leaders sounding the alarmhouse. i spoke with him earlier today about what impact doj's actions are having in northern california. >> first of all, the research funding at the university of california, san francisco, berkeley and davis will incur very serious funding on their multiple research programs. the national science foundation. the national health institute. all of those are critical funding sources for ongoing research and medical, mental, as well as economics. so that is happening, and those research programs are coming to a stop, or they have stopped and they're not likely to start up again. >> national parks are also losing funding and employees. that means places like the golden gate national recreation area, muir woods and point reyes are all likely to start losing access for visitors. >> in the east bay. more than a thousand san ramon valley teachers rallied against budget cuts today. the district is proposing $26 million in savings, in part by increasing class sizes and laying off student mental

congressman john garamendi, who represents 5 oil refineries in his district, including the martinez, refining company, says the martinez refining company has a long history of maintenance issues. mission problems. >> in fires like saturday. >> and the current situation follows along that same pattern. unfortunately. the refinery has not been able to provide the necessary. improvements to their infrastructure. 2 have these problems disappear. >> garamendi says it's been a rocky path, but his team is working to create change oil refineries such as the transition from crude oil to bio fuels. his staff is also wanting to learn what caused saturday's fire. is there an ongoing from here? we will find out as the >> information about why this fire occurred. why was there explosion? and when that is they're very, very well be an ongoing debate. this issue. >> contra costa health in contra costa has met and the air district responded to saturday's fired. mayor. zoran says the city is diligently working with the refinery to get answers at this time. i think it's important for our community unde

but the fires on saturday, a whole new thing to the point where congressman john garamendi, he represents this particular area as well. they will look into it. they will look at contaminants that possibly went into the water as far as the pollutants. they're telling people not bad this morning today. but if you are susceptible to breathing, perhaps you should stay indoors with the windows down as far as the 6 employees who are injured. we do know that 2 were treated at the scene for sent to the hospital. and we do know that at least 3 were sent home, leaving one person possibly still in the hospital this morning with his or her injuries. back to okay. thanks a lot. well. >> for is the time we're also following another story today to opponents of president trump's immigration policy are expected to protest today. not just here but across the country are calling it a day without immigrants. concours joey horta is live in concord with the details. joey? >> guys, good morning. yeah. this hispanic grocery store on monument boulevard is closed today and the signs on the door read that it is in

meantime, bay area congressman john garamendi says, quote, the martinez refinery has a history of concerns regarding safety. and last week we saw the results while we were still gathering information about the cause of the fire. what we do know is that this disaster reflects poor leadership and a lack of standards from the martinez refining company, our community deserves answers. less than a month after the destructive wildfires in los angeles. there's a new bill that calls on the state to have full time non seasonal firefighters. they want to transition about 3,000 seasonal cal fire firefighters to full-time because right now cal fire is only brought on for about 9 months of the year and then they are let go basically for the 3 months during the winter season. and of course, this fire broke out and we're in winter. so they say that after this deadly southern california wildfire that we have learned that there is really no fire season. let's be blunt. wildfires. you not take 3 >> so the only calfire firefighting force. that is our best in last defense and protecting lives and homes across

. >> i'm congressman john garamendi. 60 years ago in ethiopia, my wife and i were involved in putting an end to smallpox all across this nation. all these years, all these decades, usaid, the american government working with usaid has been out there, and who the hell does musk think he is? he has absolutely no right in shutting down usaid. we cannot allow that. we got to take to the streets. we've got to take to the rallies. we've got to fight back, and we must resist every motion, every action by musk and trump to shut down this government. you have to do that. if you are here today, you have got to be on the streets tomorrow. no this -- that in the congress, we must equally resist what is happening. we cannot let it go on. we must resist. we must be in the streets. we must take every possible action to stop what is happening. musk has no right, cannot have the information from the treasury, cannot have it. the department of education is next. the department of labor. we must not let it happen. right now, we know that across the world, usaid employees are brought back. we know the pr

they area congressman john garamendi saying, quote, martinez refinery has a history of concerns regardingety. and last week we saw the results. well, we are still gathering information about the cause of the fire. what we do know is that this disaster reflects poor leadership and a lack of standards from the martinez, refining companies, our community, he writes, deserves answers. still ahead on kron 4 bay area, tech workers slammed with a slew of layoff announcements. >> the company slashing jobs and turning to artificial intelligence. >> hundreds of layoffs across bay area took company's sales force crews and work day making those announcements. sales force is cutting more than 1000 jobs. and instead hiring salespeople to sell its artificial intelligence products. that is according to bloomberg news, citing a person familiar with the matter who says affected sales force workers will be able to apply for other jobs internally. sales force has been investing heavily in ai over the past year, according to its annual report, sales force had more than 70,000 workers. this time last year. mea