lena howland abc seven news. lena, thank you. and another budget crisis brewing on the other side of the bay. tomorrow, san francisco school leaders will talk potential budget cuts as the district stares down a massive deficit. school closures aren't on the table right now for san francisco unified, but plenty of other cuts are a district presentation lays out possible early retirement offers for long term staff layoffs for central office staff and teachers may also happen, with the first notices going out in march. >> breaking news china says it's investigating silicon valley chipmaker nvidia over suspected violations of that country's anti-monopoly law. the probe is related to nvidia's acquisition of the company mellanox in 2020. this comes as competition heats up between china and the u.s. over chipmaking abilities. just last week, the biden administration announced its third crackdown in three years on china's semiconductor industry, including restrictions on numerous chinese companies from accessing american technology. now,

live in studio lena howland abc seven news. >> lena. thank you. this morning, an east bay hiker is missing in the mountains of new zealand. gloria. he's one of three men who attempted to climb the tallest mountain in that country. >> he is reggie aqui carlos romero is from livermore and has been climbing his entire life. and he's one of those three climbers who tried to get to the top of mount cook. according to new zealand geographic, at least 230 people have died or disappeared in mount cook national park and from those nearly 80 died while trying to climb the mountain. and a local avalanche school posted on facebook that new zealand authorities told them, quote, the climbers appear to have taken a fatal fall from high upon the peak. that information, though, has not been confirmed by officials. abc seven reporter j.r stone talked with mountain climber caleb burns, who knows romero well. >> hearing the news? definitely. i'm still processing. he's, you know, run trips in japan, run trips over in europe, south america, all over the world. he's a v

live in studio lena howland, abc seven news. >> thank you, lena, and stick with abc seven news. for more on the life and legacy of president jimmy carter. today at 7 a.m, gma will have live coverage from his hometown of plains, georgia and the carter center in atlanta. >> skiers and snowboarders in lake tahoe have a calm week ahead when it comes to the weather. but yesterday, drivers heading to the sierra had to deal with treacherous road conditions because of the rain, snow and fast moving winds. the weather didn't stop some people from braving, braving the blustery drive, the visibility in front of you. >> it makes it a little harder, but it's still fun. like i said, we're coming from the bay area, so it's always worth it. we don't have much time to get out here, so on days like this, it's our it's our only time to get out here. we're going to come out here and go from there. >> the national weather service says rain and snow could return to the region on friday, so if you're planning on driving to the mountains for the weekend, make sure to check for any road closures and cha

lena howland abc seven news. >> lena. thank you. a san francisco jury found them guilty of killing cashapp founder bob lee, convicted of second degree murder. that case generated national attention initially with the debate over violent crime in the city. prosecutors argued mo money stabbed lee to death in april of 2023, after lee had introduced his sister to a drug dealer. while his legal team argued it was self-defense. >> it's just this case was extremely hard to prove because it was just nima's word versus my brother's word, which he's not here to be able for anybody to be able to hear those words. >> my son is not such a thing, such a person. he's the kindest person. every mother would love to have a son like him. i know my son well. >> many could face up to life in prison. there is a hearing scheduled for january 10th. >> as the case played out over several months, many considered the city of san francisco to also be a victim. of course, in a much different sense. following bobby's murder, the city's reputation took a hit in b

lena howland, abc seven news. >> lena, thank you. and another budget crisis brewing on the other side of the bay. tomorrow, san francisco school leaders will talk potential budget cuts as the district stares down a massive deficit that is school closures aren't on the table right now for san francisco unified, but plenty of other cuts are a district presentation lays out possible early retirement offers for long term staff, layoffs for central office staff and teachers may also happen, with the first notices going out in march. >> now some breaking news. china says it's investigating silicon valley chipmaker nvidia over suspected violations of that country's anti-monopoly law. the probe is related to nvidia's acquisition of the company mellanox in 2020. this comes as competition heats up between china and the u.s. over chipmaking abilities. just last week, the biden administration announced its third crackdown in three years on china's semiconductor industry, including restrictions on numerous chinese companies from accessing america

abc seven news reporter lena howland following the story this morning. a dozen schools are going to be impacted. >> reggie. that's right. and out of those dozen schools, six are now set to close as early as the end of this school year. you can see a list of them on your screen right now. the district also plans to consolidate three schools and redesign three others. the school closures are happening as the alum rock union school district is facing a $20 million budget deficit, and they're hoping to avoid a state takeover after months of different proposals, parents, teachers and community members tried to advocate against the decisions to close or combine schools. at last night's school board meeting, it went on for more than two hours but ended with a unanimous vote. members of the mayfair community, made of working class and immigrant families, will now have just one elementary school because the district has already closed schools, there. >> it's not fair. it's not it's not fair that we keep getting the hit, you know, all the time. and you ask yourself

lena howland abc seven news. >> thank you lena. ski resorts are relishing even more fresh snow from the weekend storm. this is video from palisades tahoe, which says it received 17in of snow with a season total of 102. it wasn't just about hitting the slopes. yesterday was day two of the outdoor music festival tahoe live, with diplo and lil wayne performing. snowy weather forced the festival to reschedule lil wayne's performance from saturday to sunday. you can track the rain any time with the abc seven bay area app. it gives you access to the same live doppler seven our weather team uses. we'll also send alerts with important updates. >> this morning, players and parents from an east bay youth football league are recovering after a really scary accident in florida. they were there for a football tournament friday. they went on a walk on the water for an airboat tour when two of the boats crashed into each other. kids and parents were sent flying into the water northwest of miami. abc seven news reporter j.r. stone has details from

lena howland, abc seven news. >> thank you. lena.ning from the santa clara county superior court. scam artists are targeting people through a phony jury service call. the court has seen an increase in cases where county residents are contacted by phone. victims are told they've missed a court appearance and owe money as a result. county officials say real court personnel will never request sensitive information over the phone. if in doubt. hang up and independently verify the legitimacy of the call by contacting the court directly. >> tomorrow is opening night for san francisco ballet's nutcracker, but a labor dispute could keep the curtain from going up. the preparations are underway at the war memorial opera house, but behind the scenes, it's a much different story. tomorrow, the contract expires with the american guild of musical artists, the union represents the dancers and stage managers. area businesses are worried they could take a significant hit during the holiday season. if shows get canceled. >> we rely on the on that busi

live in studio lena howland abc seven news. >> lena. thank you.en less than a week since the shooting and obviously a lot has happened very fast. you can see a timeline of the case with images of the suspect that helped investigators track him down. it's all part of our coverage on abc seven news.com. >> embattled san mateo county sheriff christina corpus is refusing to testify before the board of supervisors as they try to pressure her to step down. corpus lawyers say county supervisors asked her to testify under oath at a meeting today. she says she won't do it because some of the supervisors have already decided against her. corpus is facing allegations of misconduct and corruption, which she denies. the abc seven news i-team has learned the county offered corpus $1 million to resign and she refused. in march, voters will decide whether to give the board of supervisors the power to fire the elected sheriff. >> today, the alameda county board of supervisors could finalize a process for appointing a replacement for the da. in the meantime, an int

live in studio lena howland, abc seven news. >> thank you lena.t's been less than a week since the shooting, and so much has happened very quickly. you can see a visual timeline of the case with images of the suspect that helped investigators track him down. it's all a part of our coverage at abc seven news.com. >> embattled san mateo county sheriff cristina cortez is refusing to testify before the board of supervisors as they try to pressure her to step down. corpus lawyers say county supervisors asked her to testify under oath at a meeting today. she says she won't do it because some of the supervisors have already decided against her. corpus is facing allegations of misconduct and corruption, which she denies. the abc seven news i-team has learned the county offered corpus $1 million to resign, and she refused. in march, voters will decide whether to give the board of supervisors the power to fire the elected sheriff. >> today, the alameda county board of supervisors could finalize a process for appointing a replacement for the county district

abc seven news reporter lena howland is here with this case. n laid out over the past couple of months in court. and the possible outcomes we could see. >> lena reggie aqui it took jurors a total of nine days to deliberate, coming in with a verdict just before heading home for the day yesterday. and keep in mind, this all started back in october. tech consultant tech consultant nima momeni is accused of murdering cashapp founder bob lee back in april of last year. his attorneys argued he stabbed lee in self-defense. they claimed it was actually lee who first pulled a knife on mckinney in a drug fueled rage. the prosecution arguing the opposite, saying mckinney targeted lee. they say mckinney believed his sister had been drugged and sexually assaulted by a man lee had introduced to her. >> if he is convicted of any charge, what will happen next is about six weeks from now, there will be a sentencing hearing where both sides will present information to the court as to what is the appropriate sentence based on a number of factors. >> jurors will fi

lena howland, abc seven news. >> all right, lena, thank you.ing out on billions of dollars every year because of an increase in shoplifting. gloria. one big box store is now experimenting with a new pilot program aimed at preventing the crime. >> yes, amanda. retail giant walmart has revealed some of its employees are now using body cameras to crack down on crime this holiday season. the cameras are all part of a pilot program that's being tested in one store in texas. walmart has not released many specifics, saying this is a pilot. we are testing in one market, and we will evaluate the results before making any longer term decisions. cnbc reports the company is instructing employees to record an event if an interaction with a customer is escalating. retail theft has spiked in recent years, with many critics blaming laws that too soft on crime. >> the retail industry continues to contend with increasing levels of shoplifting and violence, often due to the involvement of organized retail crime groups. >> retailers reported a 93% increase in shop

lena howland, abc seven news. >> thank you. lena. ski resorts are relishing even more fresh snow from the weekend storm. so you're looking at video from palisades tahoe, which says it got 17in of snow a season total of 102in so far. it wasn't just about hitting the slopes. yesterday was also day two of the outdoor music festival tahoe live, and they had some big names like diplo and lil wayne performing. actually, the snowy weather forced the festival to reschedule. lil wayne it was supposed to be saturday and ended up being yesterday. you can track the rain any time with the abc seven bay area app. it gives you access to the same live doppler seven that our weather team uses. will also send alerts with important updates. >> this morning, players and parents from an east bay youth football league are recovering after a really scary accident in florida. they were there for a football tournament friday. they went on the water for an airboat tour when two of the boats crashed into each other. kids and parents were sent flying into the w

abc7 news reporter lena howland is live in studio this morning. a clear cut decision. >> amanda. that's right. and according to a legal opinion published by oakland city attorney barbara parker recalled mayor shang tao will have to step down after city council approves the election results at their december 17th meeting. city charter requires a special election 120 days after that meeting, which the city attorney says is likely to happen by april 15th of next year. up until this point, it's been unclear who will be acting mayor because boss is also moving on after being elected to the county board of supervisors. here are the scenarios. boss has the option to leave office in january when she is sworn in as supervisor, which would allow her to serve both as interim mayor and council president up until that point, or she has the option to resign before then in order for the special races of both her and tao seats to appear on the same ballot for a special election. if she waits until january to resign, that could force two special elections. accordi

abc seven news reporter lena howland joins us. this morning with the reaction to this. >> lena reggie aqui, after months of different proposals, the board of trustees made their final decision to close a total of six of those impacted schools and consolidate three. we were there as parents, teachers and community members tried to advocate against the decisions to close or combine schools for more than two hours. at last night's school board meeting. this comes as the district is faced with a $20 million budget deficit. the alum rock union school district created a community committee with parents like lisa tuthill to weigh in on how they can budget $10 million in savings for the 2024 school year and the following school year. >> they looked at our proposal and said, oh, well, you didn't meet the $10 million, which their proposal didn't either. i'm not just an angry parent. i have looked at this very strategically, along with a lot of the other parents, and it doesn't make sense. and it's very clear that it's very political. >> and

live in studio lena howland, abc seven news. >> all right, lena, thank you.oakland family is asking for help after a beloved father was shot and killed right in front of his son and right in front of his home the day after christmas. abc seven news anchor dion lim sat down with the family, now living in fear. it's a story you'll see only on abc seven news. >> he was always at home here with us. it's hard. we were all happy. we don't understand why. >> ponciano tule bernal, also known as chano to his loved ones, was a cook by trade, passionate about soccer and as a father of six children, was a family man to his core, a role model to his 14 year old son. >> my dad inspired me to finish school for him and get a nice job. >> the day after christmas, at around 3 p.m, his son, who requested we not use his name or show his face, rode his electric scooter to pick up tacos at 11th and foothill. that's when he was confronted by three young people. >> they wanted to steal his scooter. >> after learning about what happened, chano went out in search of the three individu

abc seven news reporter lena howland is here with the case. ouple of months in court, and the possible outcomes. lena. >> reggie. it took jurors a total of nine days to deliberate. coming in with a verdict just before heading home for the day yesterday. keep in mind this all started back in october. tech consultant nima momeni is accused of murdering cashapp founder bob lee back in april of last year. his back in attorneys argued he stabbed lee in self-defense. they claimed it was actually lee who first pulled a knife on momeni in a drug fueled rage, the prosecution arguing the opposite, saying momeni targeted lee. they say he believed his sister had been drugged and sexually assaulted by a man lee had introduced to her. >> if he is convicted of any charge, what will happen next is about six weeks from now, there will be a sentencing hearing where both sides will present information to the court as to what is the appropriate sentence based on a number of factors. >> now, jurors will first consider first degree murder charges if it was premedita

live in studio lena howland, abc seven news. >> thanks, lena, and stay with abc seven news. for more on the life and legacy of president jimmy carter. today at 7 a.m, gma will have live coverage from his hometown of plains, georgia and the carter center in atlanta. >> skiers and snowboarders in lake tahoe have a calm week ahead when it comes to the weather. but yesterday, drivers heading to the siera had to deal with treacherous road conditions because of the rain, snow and fast moving winds. the weather didn't stop some people from braving the blustery drive. >> the visibility in front of you. it makes it a little harder, but it's still fun. like i said, we're coming from the bay area, so it's always worth it. we don't have much time to get out here, so on days like this, it's our it's our only time to get out here. we're going to come out here and go from there. >> and the national weather service says rain and snow could return to the region on friday. so if you're planning on driving to the mountains for the weekend, make sure to check for any road closures and chain req

lena howland abc seven news. >> and from hanukkah to christmas, it is the last chance to get christmas shopping done. some people ventured out despite today's storm, which even caused some damage overnight. abc seven news reporter cornell bernard is in the north bay, where it's down to the wire for shoppers. rain or shine. >> reporter chris madison shows us the damage done to his lexus. when a large tree fell on beaver lane in santa rosa during an overnight storm. >> cars probably totaled. i mean, it's a ten year old car, but windows out, things broken on the side, trunks dented, roofs dented. both bumpers. >> broken part of the tree falling against this house. >> not the way you want to start your christmas. >> not really, but, you know it'll be fine. i'm just glad we can get out. and it didn't take out the car. we were about to go on a road trip on the storm, delivering significant rain and wind. >> no match for these holiday inflatables in san rafael. frosty and rudolph were down, but not out. >> we come from morgan hill so we came here uh. we drove last night and it was pretty, pre

the paintings are part of a city program called paint the void, and as abc seven news reporter lena howland shows us, the art is meant to serve as a reminder for people to not take life too seriously. >> taking a stroll, bike ride or drive down the embarcadero, you'll notice robots. >> so i picked a theme for them all robots on the water. they're all part of a robot family. >> even robots on a skateboard. >> these robots are, like, here. like saving the humans. because we've gotten kind of caught up in, like, a rat race. we're also, like, the mecca for tech and the hub for that. so. and their utility boxes. so i thought it would be like, perfect to put robots on the utility boxes. >> that's darnell tasker. she painted a dozen of these san francisco utility boxes last month in the span of just six days. >> i would get on my bike and i would paint them all white, and then i would go back, and then i would do the actual art on top of them. >> the boxes run from townsend to green street, all on the south side of the embarcadero. a fitting place for her on a personal level, after spending the be

lena howland, abc seven news. >> happening now the holiday travel rush is back on. taking a live look now at san francisco international airport, where things are going smoothly so far and in fact, all four bay area airports are showing no major delays or cancellations. we like to hear that at sfo, the airport is expecting 6.3 million travelers to pass through between thanksgiving and new year's day. that's a 15% increase over last year. today, this was the horseshoe and what it looked like. you see that steady stream of cars flowing in to drop off and pick up fliers. the wait is well worth it for travelers who yearn for precious moments during the holidays. >> first family. second. the dolphins game we went to, and third, probably the sweet potato marshmallows. >> those are all three good reasons. >> i love that kids picks. the crowds and lines were manageable at mineta san jose as well. sjc expects today to be one of the busiest days of the season. the same goes for oakland's airport, where 340,000 passengers are expected to pass through okay over this holiday wee

abc7 news reporter lena howland explains how this project can help build a better bay area. >> oh no way. >> the sauna is going no matter what you need. >> free couch? totally free. >> chances are. >> oh, look at that. i found a tub. >> you can probably find it at habitat for humanity's restore oakland shop. >> according to kane cabrera, if it has that little green sticker, it is yours to take. >> on friday, thousands of items marked with free furniture. friday labels will be yours for the taking. they need the community's help to clear out their warehouse to make room for new donations. >> it's a bit of a win win for everyone involved, right? so for us, we get to create inventory space. we allow more donations to come in so we can help service the community. at the other time, we get to have people come into our store, see what we get to offer, see what they can to help provide what the community. >> all proceeds from items still marked for sale go right back to the community. >> it helps us build homes for our community. that's our biggest thing. home ownership needs to happen for

lena howland abc seven news. >> and you can track the rain any time with the abc seven bay area app.same live doppler seven that our weather team uses. will also send alerts with important updates. now to developing news out of wisconsin. the scene of our nation's latest school shooting. police in madison, wisconsin, say a female student showed up to school and killed a teacher and a classmate. six other students are in the hospital with injuries from this morning's shooting. it happened at a private christian school in wisconsin's capital city. abc news reporter melissa don has details from investigators trying to piece together the motive. >> police and other emergency responders rushing to a school in madison, wisconsin, where police say a shooter opened fire. >> today truly is a sad day for madison and for our country. >> it happened just before 11 a.m. local time at abundant life christian school. john diaz de leon lives right across the street. >> i never saw so many police cars in my life. just blue and red lights lining the school lining. >> the street calls came in to 9-1-1

abc7 news reporter lena howland gives us a look at the growing impact of the strike. >> sounds like displayix san francisco hotels near three months on the picket lines demanding better wages, improved staffing and more affordable health care. >> almost three months and fall rain. >> the association of american law schools announced they are moving their annual meeting of about 2500 attendees from the hilton and park 55 to the moscone center. in a letter to attendees, the association's executive director and ceo said, we know that members of our community represent a wide range of views and we will not ask our attendees to cross a picket lin. >> i think it's really admirable for an organization like that to say we're not going to cross picket lines, we're not going to disrespect workers, we're going to keep our business here in the beautiful city of san francisco, but we're going to do it in a way that doesn't you know, prolong this fight where workers are here trying to fight for their families, for medical benefits and things like that. >> that's lizzie tapia, president of unite here loca

lena howland, abc seven news. >> well, that should make you smile, right? so sweet. all right. we're getting a bird's eye view of monday's damage to the santa cruz wharf. drone view. drone video shows the raggedy remains of the wharf's tip. pieces of the pier continue to wash up on beaches nearby. the state has not sought a federal disaster declaration. at least not yet. it's waiting for a damage assessment. preliminary estimates are at about $20 million, and there may be more trouble on the way. the storm off the coast is expected, expected to bring more high surf through the weekend. francis will have more on that as we continue here in a few minutes. and a warning if you bought organic eggs at costco. the food and drug administration has raised the recall of kirkland signature eggs to the highest level. that means it carries a significant risk of serious illness due to a potential salmonella contamination. the eggs have a use by date of january 5th. you can return the eggs to costco for a full refund. all right. as we continue a lot more holiday coverage for you, including c

abc7 news reporter lena howland explains how this project can help build a better bay area. >> oh no way. >> the sauna is going no matter what you need. >> free couch? totally free. >> chances are. >> oh, look at that. i found a tub. >> you can probably find it at habitat for humanity's restore oakland shop. >> according to kane cabrera, if it has that little green sticker, it is yours to take. >> on friday, thousands of items marked with free furniture. friday labels will be yours for the taking. they need the community's help to clear out their warehouse to make room for new donations. >> it's a bit of a win win for everyone involved, right? so for us, we get to create inventory space. we allow more donations to come in so we can help service the community. at the other time, we get to have people come into our store, see what we get to offer, see what they can to help provide what the community. >> all proceeds from items still marked for sale go right back to the community. >> it helps us build homes for our community. that's our biggest thing. home ownership needs to happen for

abc seven news reporter lena howland shows us one program that some call a second chance gallery. being out on the street had a different meaning just a few months ago, for 61 year old timothy stewart smoking crack cocaine. >> like i said, living on the streets, not taking showers, being 61 years old, life is getting shorter. and i realized that. and i didn't want to die out there on those streets. >> but life took a turn four months ago when he ordered a cab without a dollar to his name. >> i got in the cab and i went to close the door, and i heard the voice say, talk to the man, talk to him, and i started crying. i said, sir, i don't have any money. and he said, well, where are you going? and i said, i'm on drugs and i need help. i'm trying to get to detox at harbor lights. he said, close the door. >> i'll take you to the salvation army. harbor light center serves as a six month treatment program for drugs and alcohol. lieutenant andrea finch says it exemplifies the salvation army's mission. >> everything we do is motivated by the love of god to meet human needs for suffering hu

abc seven news reporter lena howland was there. >> reporter christmas just got a whole lot brighter forids in san jose. >> so it's fun to have a day off. >> this year, the san jose earthquakes have partnered with the shop with the cop foundation of silicon valley to host their annual shopping spree for kids in need, with santa closely supervising. how is everybody doing? >> thank you. >> organizers say the program is designed for kids between the ages of 5 to 12. some come from under-resourced neighborhoods, and others have suffered a traumatic crisis in their lives, like the loss of a parent because of violence or domestic violence in the home. san jose police chief paul joseph says it also serves as a method to promotep >>with a cop does more than just provide gifts at christmas time, there's a reading program that gets these kids here. and so it helps them focus on school, gives them some of the necessities they need to be a success. and then they're rewarded. they're rewarded with an opportunity to, you know, probably have a christmas that they wouldn't otherwise have. >> before hea

abc seven news reporter lena howland has the story. >> the fire started and it started in my room, so that's all i know. >> dimitri hopkins is one of at least ten adults and four kids now displaced after an early morning apartment fire tore through part of his apartment complex around five on friday morning, just two days after christmas. hopkins was dropping someone off at work at the time of the fire. >> i came home and turned the corner and seen all this, seen all the fire trucks, and i worried about my cousins because i seen their windows. my window was his two was burnt out. so first thing i did was start calling for him and he answered. so that was a relief. >> his cousin was okay and no one was hurt, but he's still looking for three out of his four cats. everything else in his apartment was deemed a total loss. >> devastated, actually. i don't have anything. everything's gone. so everything i have is what's on me. my watch collection, my cameras. uh. playstation. >> everything is gone. but before firefighters showed up, neighbors said they were banging on each other's front doo

abc seven news reporter lena howland joining us live in studio. ena, you got a chance to check out the warehouse yesterday. have your eye on anything there. >> i did, and, julian, i do have my eye on a few thousand pieces of art that they have over at today's event. and today, habitat for humanity has asked for the community's help in clearing out their restore oakland shop in order to make room for new donations from asana, couches, bathtubs, doors, artwork, and so much more. no matter what you need, you can probably find it at habitat for humanity's restore oakland. shop. all of these items are donated by people and businesses right here in the community. typically, oakland typically restore oakland works like a thrift store, but for today, only thousands of items marked with green free furniture. friday labels will be yours for the taking, all while helping to reduce, reuse and recycle. sending one less thing to the to the landfill. >> it's a bit of a win win for everyone involved, right? so for us, we get to create inventory space. we allow mor

lena howland, abc seven news. >> all right. thank you, lena.f butte county, where two kindergarten boys were shot at school. we're learning the gunman may have targeted the school because of its religious affiliation. abc news reporter melissa don has the latest on the investigation. >> amanda. this morning, two boys in kindergarten are hospitalized suffering from gunshot wounds after a shooter opened fire right here inside their school in northern california. community searching for answers this morning after a gunman opened fire at an elementary school in butte county. shots fired. officials say two male students, ages five and six, were shot and wounded. >> those two children were transported to local hospitals. they are currently in extremely critical condition. >> the suspect, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot. investigators working into the night collecting evidence. authorities say earlier that day, the shooter had met with the principal at feather river, seventh day adventist school to discuss enrolling a student. several minutes later

abc seven news reporter lena howland joins us in studio this morning. and, lena, you visited the warehouse yesterday. amanda. >> that's right. and i can tell you it is true when they say they have something for everyone in there. and the goal isn't just to make room for new donations, but they also want more people to know that their shop, restore oakland, is there to serve as a resource for everyone. >> oh no way. >> the sauna's going no matter what you need. >> free couch. totally free. >> chances are. >> oh, look at that. i found a tub. >> you can probably find it at habitat for humanity's restore oakland shop. >> according to kane cabrera, if it has a little green sticker, it is yours to take on friday. >> thousands of items marked with free furniture. friday labels will be yours for the taking. they need the community's help to clear out their warehouse to make room for new donations. >> it's a bit of a win win for everyone involved, right? so for us, we get to create inventory space. we allow more donations to come in so we can help service the com

lena howland, abc seven news. >> well, that should make you smile, right? so sweet. all right. we're getting a bird's eye view of monday's damage to the santa cruz wharf. drone view. drone video shows the raggedy remains of the wharf's tip. pieces of the pier continue to wash up on beaches nearby. the state has not sought a federal disaster declaration. at least not yet. it's waiting for a damage assessment. preliminary estimates are at about $20 million, and there may be more trouble on the way. the storm off the coast is expected, expected to bring more high surf through the weekend. francis will have more on that as we continue here in a few minutes. and a warning if you bought organic eggs at costco. the food and drug administration has raised the recall of kirkland signature eggs to the highest level. that means it carries a significant risk of serious illness due to a potential salmonella contamination. the eggs have a use by date of january 5th. you can return the eggs to costco for a full refund. all right. as we continue a lot more holiday coverage for you, including c

abc seven news reporter lena howland has more on small business saturday. from the east bay. i'll have a blue christmas. >> thanksgiving came and went. black friday had its moment, but now it's time to swing into small business saturday. >> today already it's been nonstop all day, so customers all day long, which is nice. >> in downtown danville, jackie amaya saw no shortage of hungry customers lining up at danville chocolates. >> it's just great when people come in and they see the place and they feel it. and you don't get that when you shop on amazon. >> and shoppers are getting rewarded, too. they're walking away with these. i love danville tote bags just for shopping at participating small businesses. >> and the small business owners boy, now more than ever, they need that support, that love, that help. >> john kabateck is the california state director of the national federation of independent business, which represents about 13,000 small businesses across the state. he says shopping small means feeding your local economy. >> small business saturday really helps remind pe

abc seven news reporter lena howland explains how this project can help build a better bay area. >> oh no way the sauna is going no matter what you need free couch? >> totally free chances are. >> oh, look at that. i found a tub. >> you can probably find it at habitat for humanity's restore oakland shop. >> according to kane cabrera, if it has that little green sticker, it is yours to take. >> on friday, thousands of items marked with free furniture. friday labels will be yours for the taking. they need the community's help to clear out their warehouse to make room for new donations. >> it's a bit of a win win for everyone involved, right? so for us, we get to create inventory space. we allow more donations to come in so we can help service the community. at the other time, we get to have people come into our store, see what we get to offer, see what they can to help provide what the community. >> all proceeds from items still marked for sale go right back to the community. >> it helps us build homes for our community. that's our biggest thing. home ownership needs to happen for everyo

and as abc seven news reporter lena howland shows us, that's not the only work the organization doesry christmas. being out on the street had a different meaning just a few months ago. for 61 year old timothy stewart smoking crack cocaine. >> like i said, living on the streets, not taking showers, being 61 years old, life is getting shorter. and i realized that. and i didn't want to die out there on those streets. >> but life took a turn for months ago when he ordered a cab without a dollar to his name. >> i got in the cab and i went to close the door, and i heard the voice say, talk to the man, talk to him, and i started crying. i said, sir, i don't have any money. and he said, well, where are you going? and i said, i'm on drugs and i need help. i'm trying to get to detox at harbor lights. he said, close the door, i'll take you to the salvation army. >> harbor light center serves as a six month treatment program for drugs and alcohol. lieutenant andrea finch says it exemplifies the salvation army's mission. >> everything we do is motivated by the love of god to meet human needs for

lena howland abc seven news. >> today is the fourth day of kwanzaa, and the san francisco public library is once again taking part in the cultural celebration. today's theme is cooperative economics. yesterday, the library hosted an event focused on collective work and responsibility, which was the theme of day three. participants lit a candle, poured offerings, and honored their ancestors. >> kwanzaa was started in the 1970s, around the just after the civil rights movement, and as a way to gather the community of african americans together. it's really a time for african americans to come together as a people, celebrate our culture and enjoy good company. >> there was also a musical entertainment and a feast to rejoice in this time with the community. kwanzaa is a seven day celebration of african american traditions from december 26th to january 1st. turning to weather now and a live look outside, get ready for some wet weather and strong winds coming our way. lisa, we understand you just upgraded the storm to a level two. is that right? >> i did. yes. we are going to have perhaps a lit

lena howland abc seven news. >> today is the fourth day of kwanzaa, and the san francisco public library is once again taking part in the cultural celebration. today's theme is cooperative economics. yesterday, the library hosted an event focused on collective work and responsibility, which was the theme of day three. participants lit a candle, poured offerings, and honored their ancestors. >> kwanzaa was started in the 1970s, around the just after the civil rights movement, and as a way to gather the community of african americans together. it's really a time for african americans to come together as a people, celebrate our culture, and enjoy good company. >> there was also musical entertainment and a feast to rejoice in this time with the community. kwanzaa is a seven day celebration of african american traditions from december 26th to january 1st. turning to weather now and a live look outside in san rafael, an area that's currently under a flood watch this morning. lisa is tracking a strong level two system moving through as we speak. lisa, where is it now? >> steph, this is the last

lena howland, abc seven news. >> and up next, we go from shop with a cop to a new pet adoption center. >> the mission in the south bay to give hundreds of animals a loving home this holiday. and then a sewage leak spilling millions of gallons into an east bay marsh. >> why this smelly mess may not be over for days. >> and a manhunt underway after a murder in the heart of manhattan today. the video just in showing the moment a ceo was shot outside a hotel. stay with us. a the country today, the ceo of the major insurance group, unitedhealthcare, was killed in what new york city police are calling a brazen, targeted attack. and so far no one has been arrested. officers working feverishly right now to track down the gunman. abc's reena roy has the latest on this developing story. >> an urgent investigation underway in the heart of midtown manhattan, where police say unitedhealthcare ceo brian thompson was shot and killed wednesday morning. newkilled surveillance video shows the moments the violence unfolded. police now reviewing the footage as the search for the suspect intensifies. >> i

lena howland, abc seven news. >> scoop up those deals.ity's restore oakland is located at 9235 san leandro street that is near 98th avenue. and as lena said, the furniture giveaway tomorrow is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. >> that's really nice. yeah, well, they say timing is everything. and one of the things i asked for, for my wife for christmas was a new umbrella because mine broke and i got one. so i'm armed for the next few days. >> was that your big gift? >> it was my big gift, but it was an important gift. >> it's going to be a really important gift in the next few days, frances. >> yeah, we're going to have to use those in the next few days. but the timing is actually quite lucky when the heaviest rain will move through. that's going to be overnight. we're showing you live doppler seven satellite radar image. so right now generally light rain all over the bay area. the heavier rain will be picking up in the next few hours and will hit us, most of us during the midnight hour time. here's a look at the golden gate bridge, where yo

abc seven news reporter lena howland explains, for many families, this act of kindness made all the difference. >> they say not all heroes wear capes, and not all santas wear red suits. >> how many people in your group? >> in this case, he wears a green vest. >> this is so cool. >> johnny show just celebrated the 15th anniversary of his restaurant, rebel kitchen and libations in livermore. they survived through multiple shutdowns during the pandemic, and on christmas day, they're giving back to the same community that kept them afloat. >> there's a lot of people who christmas is really hard for, so this is our opportunity to maybe just give back a little bit, give them, you know, maybe 20 minutes of some christmas cheer. >> powered by community donations from schools, churches and customers, shell invited families in need for a gift giveaway. no sign ups, no proof of address, and no questions asked. >> i think it's kind of indicative of the times we're having right now. there's a lot of people having having tough times not allowed under the tree. >> up until like three days ago, we didn't thin

as abc seven news reporter lena howland found out, the paintings are part of a city program called paint and the artist hopes that her work will inspire others. >> taking a stroll, bike ride or drive down the embarcadero, you'll notice robots. >> so i picked a theme for them all. >> robots on the water. >> they're all part of a robot family. >> even robots on a skateboard. >> these robots are, like, here. like saving the humans. because we've gotten kind of caught up in, like, our rat race. we're also, like, the mecca for tech and the hub for that. so. and their utility boxes. so i thought it would be like, perfect to put robots on the utility boxes. >> that's darnell tasker. she painted a dozen of these san francisco utility boxes last month in the span of just six days. >> i would get on my bike and i would paint them all white, and then i would go back, and then i would do the actual art on top of them. >> the boxes run from townsend to green street, all on the south side of the embarcadero. >> i spent a lot of time working here on the embarcadero, so iing have a big connection with t

. >> abc seven news reporter lena howland shows us one program that some call a second chance gallery merry christmas. being out on the street had a different meaning just a few months ago, for 61 year old timothy stewart smoking crack cocaine. >> like i said, living on the streets, not taking showers, being 61 years old, life is getting shorter. and i realized that. and i didn't want to die out there on those streets. >> but life took a turn four months ago when he ordered a cab without a dollar to his name. >> i got in the cab and i went to close the door, and i heard the voice say, talk to the man, talk to him, and i started crying. i said, sir, i don't have any money. and he said, well, where are you going? and i said, i'm on drugs and i need help. i'm trying to get to detox at harbor lights. he said, close the door. >> i'll take you to the salvation army. harbor light center serves as a six month treatment program for drugs and alcohol. lieutenant andrea finch says it exemplifies the salvation army's mission. >> everything we do is motivated by the love of god to meet human needs

and abc seven news reporter lena howland has more from the east bay on how this year's small business saturday went. i'll have a blue christmas. >> thanksgiving came and went. black friday had its moment, but now it's time to swing into small business saturday. >> today already it's been nonstop all day, so customers all day long, which is nice. >> in downtown danville, jackie, amaya saw no shortage of hungry customers lining up at danville chocolates. >> it's just great when people come in and they they see the place and they feel it. and you don't get that when you shop on amazon. >> and shoppers are getting rewarded too. they're walking away with these. i love danville tote bags just for shopping at participating small businesses. >> and the small business owners are now more than ever. they need that support, that love, that help. >> john kabateck is the california state director of the national federation of independent business, which represents about 13,000 small businesses across the state. he says shopping small means feeding your local economy. >> small business saturday rea

we're going to be able to bless others and we'll move forward. >> in san francisco, lena howland, abc seven news. >> holiday rescue children in the south bay who can't be home for the holidays. get into the spirit of the season thanks to the help from some local firefighters. >> also here a look at how fans are paying tribute to baseball great and oakland legend rickey henderson. >> and later, city hall hears from a former giants executive to twitter's former cfo. we take a closer look at mayor elect daniel lowry's (discouraged) so expensive. i mean, i'm helping my mom out, i don't have that kinda cash. - ugh, i know. but you can get financial help now through covered california. it's totally affordable. you'd be surprised. they've got this calculator thing that shows how much you'll pay. - for real? - yeah! what are you doing not having health insurance, man? - hey, i know, i know... - here, let me show you... - we all have questions. covered california has answers and can find a health plan that's right for you. covered california. this way to health insurance. has been reached betw

lena howland abc seven news. >> yeah, it looks like it was a good time, and we're still waiting for somenumbers on black friday, which is the day considered to be the official start to the holiday shopping season. early reports show people were not going to the stores, but snapping up deals online. now, adobe analytics says people spent nearly $11 billion friday, which is an increase of 10% from last year. in-store shopping might be a different story. retail next says so far, its data shows a drop in traffic of a little over 3%. the city of san francisco kicked off its second entertainment zone last night at thrive city, outside chase center. this comes a little over two months after the very first entertainment zone debuted on front street winter wonderland combined holiday festivities, special appearances, and a chance to feature local businesses. abc seven news reporter suzanne vaughn gives us a closer look. >> troc dancing, dazzling performances and the one and only montell jordan. this is how we do it. >> it's saturday night. >> the energy and the excitement on stage goes hand in ha

lena howland, abc seven news. >> developing news now from the white house. a full pardon today from president joe biden for his son, hunter. the grant of clemency covering all offenses committed by the younger biden from january 1st of 2014 through today. it all comes months after hunter biden pleaded guilty to federal tax charges. biden was scheduled to be sentenced in december, but his attorneys now say the case is moot. the decision marks a reversal for the president, who had said he would not use his executive authority to pardon his son or commute his sentence. he released a statement explaining his decision that reads in part, quote, no reasonable person who looks at the facts of hunter's cases can reach any other conclusion than hunter was singled out only because he is my son and that is wrong. it goes on to say there has been an effort to break hunter, and in trying to break hunter, they've tried to break me and there's no reason to believe it will stop here. enough is enough. well, happening now. the holiday travel rush is back. taking a live look

we're going to be able to bless others and we'll move forward. >> in san francisco, lena howland, abc. we have a quick reminder for you this morning about which stores are and which stores are not open today. target opens in less than 30 minutes and will be open until 8:00 tonight. if you need to do some last minute shopping. tj maxx, marshalls and homegoods all open at seven this morning and all closed at 6:00 tonight. all of these stores are closed tomorrow for christmas. as for grocery stores, safeway is open today. some locations will be open tomorrow, but don't bank on it. trader joe's and whole foods are both open today, but they will be closed on christmas day. muni, bart, vta, ac transit and samtrans all operate normal service today, but tomorrow they will all operate on a holiday schedule. caltrain will run on a modified schedule today and a holiday schedule tomorrow for christmas day. we have new details. in the case of a former congressman, matt gaetz. what we're learning from the house ethics report about thousands of dollars gaetz allegedly paid for sex and drugs. >> and

here's abc seven news reporter lena howland, and this was the sign that was in the lake. >> it was floating in the lake when we found it. a sign of resilience and hope on proud display outside of the chabad jewish center of oakland. >> this is the same menorah that was destroyed and thrown into lake merritt during hanukkah last year. >> we were able to, um, get some great volunteers locally here, um, to put together piece by piece to bring it back to the way it was. >> rabbi david koski has been the director of the chabad center for 18 years. but in the last year, he says anti-semite ism has grown over the summer, at least one person was caught on camera throwing rocks at the center's windows on multiple occasions since then, the center has replaced windows and installed new security cameras and a metal vestibule. >> once you get access into the first door, then you get questioned again, and then you go through the second door. so it's an extra layer of protection. >> the vandals were never caught, but rabbi koski says police investigated each incident as a possible hate crime. in the year

so getting the support for the small businesses is always two thumbs up in the east bay. >> lena howland abc seven news. >> we're still waiting for some more numbers on black friday, which is the day that's considered the official start to the holiday shopping season. but early reports show people were not going to the stores, but instead snapping up deals online. adobe analytics says people spent nearly $11 billion friday, which is an increase of 10% from last year. in-store shopping might be a different story. retail next says so far, its data shows a drop in traffic of a little over 3%. now, thefic city of san francisco kicked off its second entertainment zone last night at thrive city outside chase center, and this comes a little over two months after the very first entertainment zone debuted on front street. winter island combined holiday festivities, special appearances, and a chance to feature local businesses. abc seven news reporter suzanne fawn gives us a closer look at the troc dancing, dazzling performances one and only montell jordan. >> this is how we do it. >> it's saturda