kpix 5's maria medina where residents were ordered to evacuate. >> reporter: we watched thick smoke take over the hillside and to the left of me, boulder creek, firefighters saw the flames speaking over the tree tops and tonight thousands of people were told to leave their homes. the lightning santa uz boulr crtoght. leaving sotrying to fight the flames and others racing to safety and leaving behind almost everything. >> the fire is up the hill. >> reporter: he grabbed what he could fit in his vehicles as the smoke crept closer en the m all my life. never had to evacuate. >> it difficult. it is overwhelming. you just want to grab one more thing and you can't. >> reporter: what goes through your mind when you have to pick and choose? >> we are thinking about what is not replaceable, what has meaning and significance. >> reporter: she decided to leave today before the official order to evacuate. her husband lived in their home for six decades. >> like everybody, i think, you toeeorders, to save what they could. >> it was emergency, firestorm, i will run to this house, into the swimming poo

kpix 5's maria medina is in san mateo county with the doctor's passionate plea. >> reporter: for months we have been listening to public health officers tell us shutting down businesses would cut down on covid-19. but not the doctor here in san mateo county. he says the state is doing it all wrong. >> i worry about keeping a roof over my daughter's head. >> reporter: she is a single mom, struggling and without work like many after the shop she works at was forced to close once again. >> week by week. day by day kind of thing. to think aboutt two months, three months, it would be devastating. >> reporter: she is learning the public health officer has been trying to convince the state is making a mistake. in a statement the doctor wrote i wish to apologize to all the businesses that were closed this week. i am not supportive of these actions. i believe they will cause more harm than good. >> there is people losing their jobs, their homes. i think all businesses can open. >> the doctor told kpix 5 leaders should balance managing the virus as well as the economy, the states failed to prove

kpix 5's maria medina with how local leaders say they will house 20,000 people in five years. >> reporter: right now santa clara county says 10,000 people are homeless right now and they predict another 20,000 could lose their homes in the next five years and they say something needs to be done. . >> everything is starting to fall apart. >> reporter: he once worked as a landscaper but 15 years ago he lost everything. >> rough. the -- the -- the environment. >> reporter: now he is learning county leaders are trying to end homelessness with a plan and with the help of destination home. >> we need to address the factors that are pushing people out on to the streets. >> the chief operator officer says the project would house 20,000 people in the next five years. and reduce the number of those becoming homeless by 30% each year by expanding prevention services. >> i think i would describe the plan as necessary. given the crisis we are facing. >> the project will be funded with the help of measure a. but he says they will need hundreds of millions more from cities, the county and private compan

and safety measures to secure his weapon.>> reporter: that was maria medina reporting. the latest on coronavirus. officials and sent to clear county or state they are seeing a rise in cases among young people, they have seen a spike in positive cases under the age of 35 and in the latin x community. there is a problem with the ste postst results from individ labs. that data also goes to local public health systems. officials say some data may be getting stuck. so, not all confirmed cases are making it into the state database. >> we do not know if our cases are rising, plateauing, or decreasing. this lack of data, does not allow us to see where the epidemic is heading and how fast it is growing or not. >> we first brought to the update, stay up-to-date by streaming us on kpix.com and other digital platforms. >>today is tonight is the first night for violating i'm sorry $250 fine for second offense of not wearing a mask and $500 after that. on top of not wearing a mask you can also get find, for having large gatherings or, not keeping 6 feet of social distancing. so far i

live team coverage, starting with maria medina, where the complex fire is exploding in size right nowtched a thick smoke take over the hillside, to the left of me is boulder creek, firefighters staged as they saw flames peeking over the treetops. thousands of people were told to leave their homes.>> reporter: the complex fire ravaged the santa cruz mountains, including these homes in boulder creek. tr to find the flames and others raising the safety and leaving behind almost everything. >> the fire is of the hill, we thick smoke crept closer to his home. >> i've been in this real, it i crazy. >> reporter: the cameras picking up the ash, i am wearing this mask because the smoke is heavy, these are some of the conditions that firefighters are facing, the weather was favorable today, but they are expecting fire activity to increase tonight. in felton, maria medina. >>> after holding out hope that the tide would turn, the flames are tearing down the hillside, towards the west side of healdsburg, sending residents fleeing. in the past two hours, crews cut the power to west dry creek road.

kpix 5's maria medina is live in san jose with a look at how drastically the conversation has changed in a short amount of time. maria. >> reporter: well as dennis said, tonight the san jose earthquakes postponed their game. it is a show of solidarity we've never seen before in the sports world. and we certainly didn't see it four years ago.>> our focus today cannot be the last of it. >> the movement started by the milwaukee bucks and spread quickly throughout professional sports leagues. the wnba, mlb and mls. >> it's very difficult to be heard until you have attention. our athletes are now demanding attention. >> the san jose state assistant professor is also an advisory board member for the universities institute of the study of sport, society and social change and says the walkout today is historic. >> we know in our society there is also an power in name recognition but it remains to be seen just how historic it will be. my hope is there we'ven athlete national spotlight to bring awareness to racial injustice and police brutality.>> exactly 4 years ago today former 49ers quarterb

kpix5's maria medina in san jose where the mayor says pg&e is lying to its customers. >> i have zero trust on pg&e. >> reporter: after 44 hours without power because of a broken transformer ragu batula fears for the worst, losing his power again but this time to pg&e's rolling blackouts. >> we feel angry actually as to why this happens in a state like us in a country like ours. >> reporter: on saturday around 8:30 p.m. ragu and 340 of his neighbors in the almaden area lost electricity including brian cain and his wife. >> the first night that we were here in this weather it was terrible. it was just really hot. >> reporter: their power off as the heatwave continued leaving them frustrated at pg&e. >> i think it's shameful. >> reporter: as well as mayor sam liccardo. >> pg&e is not being up front with our residents. >> reporter: today the mayor blasted pg&e claiming the utility was dishonest when it blamed its rolling blackouts on the california independent system operator saying it was their decision to turn off power. the mayor says instead his constituents experienced exte bou caof

. >>> reopenings will still vary by county, maria medina is in san jose tonight, where some business owners are cautiously optimistic. >> reporter: some business owners who are allowed to reopen monday saying they won't celebrate just yet, after hair and nail salons, gyms, and barbershops were allowed to reopen for only 48 hours last month. >> cautiously optimistic. i would say. >> reporter: where does the caution come from? >> we have had quite a lot of back and forth, right? that whiplash we are all feeling as business owners. >> reporter: carrie bennett is preparing to open monday after shutting her doors more than five months ago. >> it is getting harder and harder to hold on. >> reporter: with the santa clara county in the purple tier, hair salons, barber shops, and indoor malls are allowed to reopen with modifications, but kerry says county leaders waited hours after the governor's announcement to tell business owners if they could reopen. >> it was an emotional roller coaster, i think a good way of holding a meeting is to get everybody involved in the meeting who is going to h

in san jose, maria medina, kpix5. across the country restaurants are fighting to stay in business. that struggle has been especially hard for independently owned establishments. kpix5's betty yu joins us with the new push to rescue the industry. >> a powerful new ad says restaurants are facing extinction. they need help from congress to pass a relief bill that would help owners pay workers, rent, utilities and supplies and ultimately protect 16 million people in the food service industry. >> neighborhood restaurants are the life blood of our communities. >> in a new ad voiced by morgan freeman, the independent restaurant coalition is calling on congress to pass the restaurants act to save the industry. >> the covid-19 crisis threatens to permanently close 85% of independent restaurants. >> if the owner of provaca and the sister restaurant didn't make the decision to close temporarily in mid-july, he would have run out of money from his ppp loan. he says having limited outdoor seating in the financial district and takeout service was not enough to ride out the wave of uncertainty. >

in healdsburg, maria medina, kpix 5. >> the fires have killed are be at highway 128.we spoke with one man that lives nearby. >> what i met of the family they seemed like good people. my condolences to the family. this is a tragedy. >>> the largest group of fires is located in the hills east of firendome are questioning it 20 he evacuation orders were too large spread. >> we have about half the neighbors that stayed in half left. >> citizens are the most important thing to us and we have to change from the firefight to evacuating residents from their houses. >> cal fire reports it over 1100 personnel have been deployed toattle thre. that is woodward fire growing with the wind picking up speed. authorities have issued a new evacuation morning. the fire consumed over 2200 acres and at last check only 5% contained. >>> the crews in the south bay are at the scene of the fire at the coyote creek golf course. flames consumed 143 acres before they managed to stop the spread. >>> with so many people in need you can donate at redcross.org/donate. you can also text the red cross

maria medina is in san jose where one owner says he never shut down to begin with. sad ba anor rme ep say they will stay doopen as lo including one salon owner here in san jose. >> i vowed to my staff on day one that we would remain open until they came and took me nt that jatake clients and welcomed them through the te back door. james owes salon blue d ysansa >ideyi sa we santid tnk you very much. they didn't ask to come inside and didn't seem that interested in enforcing it. >>'s annte james is taking covers off his windows and no t barber shop owners reopened and took in clients to protest against the state order. >> we are willing to profession beauty federation of california hs eye prepr to argue they are safer than most businesses allowed to aredn, they are doing all the things they are supposed to be doing.>> option of getting their hair done inside or outdoors> we being singled out. >> he will continue to work and prove there is no reason he should be shut down. >> i would encourage other salon owners to get their doors open. >> there was a civil citation o

maria medina, kpix 5. >>> some businesses and san francisco have the green light to reopen and mayorlondon east up restrictions on hair salons, nail salons, barbershops and gyms. >> we are able to open at 25% capacity. is not a lot for our little salon, but it's better than nothing. we can do our colors and chemical services inside which is pretty good. >>> and contra costa county salons, massage parlors and gyms were allowed to reopen yesterday with outdoor restrictions. hotels and short-term rentals were also given the green light . >>> much needed aid to help fire victims recover and rebuild in the santa cruz mountains and santa cruz county is opening up a recovery restores center at the kaiser permanente reyna open daily from 11:00 a young through 7:00 p.m. they have containment in two of the major three fires in the bay area including santa cruz county. the containment at lnu complex fire in the north bay remains unchanged. we had a major gain with weather on their side yesterday but drying out today which could complicate the fire fight. their focus on starting the fire from it

we begin with maria medina in the santa cruz mountains. we watched the smoke go from gray to black as the fire destroyed more structures and crme we have also watched firefighters staged here of highway nine all day today, trying to stop the flames from engulfing the area. >> it is li>> as firefighters a fire ripping through the mountains, they also begged residents who refused to evacuate leave. >> it is difficult to maneuver as it is with the narrow roads. to have the public in there, it is very difficult and very unsafe for our firefighters. >> you decided to come back? >> we have to, it is our property, we have to protected. >> we heard they were understaffed. >> some returns home ttry w ahem. down. i pump. maybe i can keep some members off and buy us some time here >> flames leveled homes and destroyed everything in the path of this fire, angus watered his property, admitting he has no idea how close the fire is burning here >> it is a home. it is where i have raised all of my kids. my wife and i spent our marriage here. we've spent s

the south bay, the smoke was just brutal today and tonight, maria medina is checking in on some businesses they are and how they are being hurt when they are already struggling. >> reporter: you can still smell the smoke in the air at this hour, the air is being unrated as unhealthy, and the south bay, parts of the peninsula, san francisco and oakland according to the air quality management district and the bad air is here to stay for the next couple of days. >> this is our only revenue source. >> struggling business owners amid the pandemic find themselves facing yet another head in revenue. >> it was extremely smoky. >> smoky, unhealthy air and even ash from multiple raging wildfires coupled with the heat wave. >> we had maybe two tables, most people didn't want to come out. we figured we wouldn't have any dinner dining tonight. >> on santana row, a slight breeze began to move the smoke away from the outdoor mall but by then it was too late for that dinner rush and vendors at the farmers market.>> it is usually pretty busy, we have a line and a lot more people. to make how would your inv

kpix 5's maria medina in santa clara county where the pastor is not backing down. >> the pastor did not want to sit down for an interview but he said in a video that authorities need to back off. >> this is not a hot spot. we were told that thousands were going to die. >> reporter: in a video on the church's website, the pastor says the county's covid-19 numbers do not justify closing church doors. >> there is not a pandemic here. >> he is using the low -- the somewhat low numbers in santa clara county, which are the sign of success of their policies to violate the policies and that is not very good. >> reporter: so far santa clara county reported 17,000 confirmed cases and 240 deaths. the governor shut down services at churches and limited the amount of people at gatherings but he defied the orders and the county slapped him with two $5,000 fines. they were hit another with another $5,000 fine on thursday. >> when you treat people differently when they are in a church setting, then you treat them in a commercial establishment. >> reporter: the attorney represents churches and face lead

maria medina spoke to some bay area athletes and business owners about a huge letdown.>> it was tough. >> reporter: is a blow to travon butler who is in his senior year in sanford and hopes to make returned this fall. >> i was really hoping we could find a way. >> instead the pac-12 ceo group voted unanimously to postpone all sports until the first of next year because of the pandemic. and concerns over traveling and testing. >> football is a very essential part of a lot of people's lives, and the players lives.>> my heart dropped a little bit. i was really sad. >> struggling sports bars amid the pandemic were counting on football to keep their doors open, including the patio in palo alto near stanford. >> we are a sports bar with no sports, we are a bar with no bar. >> we are down at least 35%, and then losing sports we will probably drop another 10.>> the general manager of antonio's nuthouse in palo alto says they are barely making enough money to pay their rent, but it's more than just that.>> people need sports, they really do. especially when times are down. can't go to that mov

maria medina is in san jose where one owner says he never shut down shop owners reopen their doors this week in protest and some say they will stay open as long as they can, including one salon owner here in san jose. >> i vowed to my staff on day one that we would remain open until they came and took me away in cuff in lcomthed them through the back door. james owes salon blue and says he never got in trouble. >> they said we want to warn you weave gun complaints and i said thank you very much. they didn't ask to come inside and didn't seem that interested in >>nnettejames is taking covers off his windows and no longer hiding that the salon is open. yesterday he estimated that thousands of other salon and barber shop owners reopened and took in >>wee fight them in court. >> today the professional beauty federation of california say they are prepared to support business owners and defend them in court. for months they argue they are safer than most businesses allowed to remain open.>> i feel like it is very clean, they are doing all the things they are supposed to be doing.>> many agree

maria medina is in san jose where one calculator says we may just need to shut everything down once again.>> reporter: santa clara county's dr. smith says there have been talks about hitting the reset button. meanwhile the county officer says this feels very much like the beginning of the pandemic there wasn't enough testing.>> i would say right now we are back to feeling blind. we don't know how the epidemic is trending. >> tonight a mystery in california as to whether covid- 19 cases are rising, falling or plateauing. >> it is not just inconvenient but this lack of data doesn't allow us to know where the epidemic is heading. >> it is definitely time to do a reset. >> both county leaders believe that the state data system has failed to report covid-19 numbers from county statewide for at least three weeks because of a glitch. the doctors say the downward trend of cases that santa clara county reported recently is likely inaccurate. >> i don't know if you will agree with me or not, but this is the last thing we need right now, correct? lastng we.>is th without accurate data contact tracin

maria medina explains why the plant open the park isn't all that it seems.>> i believe it is illegal and unconstitutional.>> reporter: retired superior court e palo >> if they don't do the right thing to reopen it, we will see them in court. >> they voted against it year- long pilot program that would open up to non-residents for the first time since the 60s.>> they proposed a whole bunch of things such as it's got to be revenue neutral. >> there were only two people who wanted to try the pilot program without conditions. >> effectively we are saying you can only enter foothills park if you are wealthy enough to live in the area. >> it will become just like every other part, overcrowded, overrun, abused and ruined. >> she believes it's not about discrimination, it's about reservation. >> if you buy a car, you don't let the neighborhood use it, you use it. >> i looked at all the data from the 70s on up to know that this park will never be overrun by people, any people. it's been underused. >> cordell who has garnered the support ofto fight for what is right. >> we have no right to be

tonight the mayor told maria medina that it would be a lifeline for struggling businesses six months into the pandemic.>> reporter: lol tell city councilmembers just voted to continue shutting down california and university avenues for outdoor dining. but now more help could be coming their way. and it wouldn't just be for these restaurant owners. >> if we don't do something, we will lose a lot of restaurants and retailers. >> making is lucky to have a patio and parking lot for her restaurant. >> we're still done a lot. >> it is still not enough. to make any little extra money i think would help all these restaurants keep floating. >> the little bit of money would come their way. the mayor proposed a covid surcharge that all business owners would be able to tack on a customer's purchase . >> 5%, 10%, for things like hygiene, cleanliness supplies, increased cost of labor. >> we were already talking about a surcharge. we just didn't hear the city bring it up. >> and owner who had to lay off 39 of his 41 employees at the beginning of the pandemic says it's a proposal he would be okay wi

but as maria medina reports, the seats may not sit empty the entire season.>> reporter: the niners are to keep their faith because there is a small possibility that a limited number of spectators will be allowed inside the stadium sometime this season. while the niners fight to win on the field this season, off the field already struggling business owners will be counting their losses without fans flooding into santa clara. >> we anticipated it to some degree, but it will keep us from hiring additional people. >> jonathan burgess and brother say their first year running a food booth at levi's was a success, especially as the niners won a championship, clenching their spot in the super bowl. >> it was so well received, and this will just devastate the restaurants who are already suffering. the lack of people coming into town will definitely have its effect. >> a professor of tourism says this will be yet another blow to the local economy. >> we're talking hotels, restaurants, bars, grocery stores.>> absolutely. the restaurants near levi's stadium, some of them record their busiest day o

maria medina is in san jose where some are on edge tonight. >> reporter: from san francisco to san jose, this morning's lightning show left some picking up the pieces. >> she got out of there. >> reporter: will powers said he heard lightning bolt hit his neighbors homes and set one unit on fire. >> it happened at the same time. >> reporter: it's a sounhe rarely heard in the bay area. >> 45 years and i've never seen this much lightning. in a four hour period. >> in pennsylvania and ohio you expected but not here. >> reporter: several miles away in redwood city, gary weber said he had the doors open to cool off after 5 am when lightning struck his neighbors redwood tree. >> it just exploded. my wife was on the side of the house and she screamed. all this debris came flying down. >> reporter: gary said the strange weather that also brought rain likely kept the tree from bursting into flames. >> there were sparks showering down all over the place. >> reporter: the damage left behind stretched throughout the bay area. unfortunately for will's neighbor her home was destroyed. just feet from h

kpix5's maria medina is in san jose with city leaders who say this was a long time coming. >> reporter: tonight city leaders including the mayor say chief eddie garcia talked about his retirement plans years ago and while mayor sam liccardo says he is not surprised, he is disappointed to see him go. >> had they not tried to tram officers' cars, we would not be here today. >> reporter: the san jose police chief known to speak his mind and heart to his officers announced today he's stepping down in december after 28 years with san jose police. >> he's given his heart and soul to this community. there's nobody more passionate. he came in at a time when we had a department that was really suffering. >> reporter: garcia became chief in 2016 and helped rebuild morale over the years and its department's force after officers left in droves years before because of pay cuts and pension cuts, but more recently chief garcia's dealt with calls for reform and the firings of several officers including those accused of racist social media posts. liccardo and city council member johnny camas says that'

we begin with maria medina in the santa cruz mountains. we watched the smoke go from gray to black more structures a came closer to boulder creek. we have also watched firefighters staged here of highway nine all day today, trying to stop the flames from engulfing the area. >> it is heartbreaking. but nothing is worth our lives. >> as firefighters attacked the fire ripping through the mountains, they also begged residents who refused to evacuate leave. >> it is difficult to maneuver as it is with the narrow roads.e >> you to ce back? >> we ve tisr operty, we have to proed >> some returns home to try to save them. >> i wanted to see if i get at least slow it down. i have a fire hose and pump. maybe i can keep some members off and buy us some time here >> flames leveled homes and destroyed everything in the path of this fire, angus watered hiseradmittin h ia how close i bugheremyand i spent our marriae here. we've spent summers doing remodels and fences and venting grapes and roses. yes it is just material. but there are a lot of memories at

. >> that was maria medina reporting. the da said there will be charges against more people in the coming weeks and months. the sheriff department said that captain jensen is on paid leave. >>> here's a live look the rc a been months since the fans have been in the arena. kpix 5 w could return by the e the year. >> reporter: receiving a special accreditation for the highest standard of cleaning, disinfecting and disease prevention. this is the kind of extensive training and disinfecting practice that helped chase center are in the still of approval from the global bio risk advisory council, considered the gold standard in the cleaning industry. >> we thought it was important to have the third-party verify how good our policy and protocols are so that the guests and staff understand the level to which we hold ourselves accountable coming out of this. >> reporter: today only 27 facilities across the u.s. aren't the ac aditation which staple e rock demonstrate compliance with 20 core elements including ppp, ppe and emergency

maria medina reports one mayor is pleading with people to stay away. >> the beaches are jampacked. they are jampacked during the week. >> reporter: this specific the mayor said she has seen it with her own eyes. >> i am seeing volleyball games, drinking games, volleyball and football games. is highly suspect that those folks are not all from the same family. >> reporter: here is video we captured today with crowds of people, some not wearing a mask or social distancing, but not only happening in pacific up. we are suffering and it's jampacked and we are feeling like lake tahoe was feeling. >> reporter: brent turner is a resident of half moon bay and reached out to the city, county and state leaders to try to shut down the beaches on the weekend. >> it is the worst egregious public duty when the pandemic happens in your on-duty. i think you put health and safety of citizens first >> reporter: even when beaches are closed throughout the pandemic, some people said it did not keep him away. >> we parked all the way out there, and we walked all the way here. >> reporter: the mayor is en