thom jensen was there. >> reporter: 22-year-old b.j. washington spent a lot of time at this park near where he grew up and dozens of people remembered him at a vigil at the same park. >> i am shocked and disbelieved. i always hear stories. >> reporter: his mom's pain is still raw but she's determined to give her son a voice. >> i want to speak for my son because i know there has been a lot of misleading stories out there. >> the sheriff department says bj and the 27-year-old ian cranston got into a fistfight when suddenly cranston pulled out a handgun and shot b.j. other men were arguing with b.j. when cranston walks up and shot b.j. he's charged as man slaughter and walked out of jail later outraged the community. >> make him do to him what have they wanted to him and kept calling him the "n" word. tonight was about honoring the young man whose friends and family describes him as a big teddy bear. >> he always had a kind heart and loved everybody. >> reporter: the family wants oregon state police to take over the investigation. in vene

i'm glad thom jensen is wearing his n95 mask. those smoke levels around south lake tahoe are off the charts. as the firefighters pointed out, a lot less fire activity around lake tahoe. the active areas are these little red dots. there weren't a lot of those in the last 24 hours. most of those actually burning away from south lake tahoe. let's take a look at that smoke pollution level, which around south lake tahoe level was an aqi index of 700. to give you an idea, spare the air is down there, and this is where tahoe has been for the last two weeks. and more of this is going to be ongoing over the tahoe basin next couple of days, kind of in and out of that wildfire smoke at times. back to the bay area, you're seeing some unhealthy air around marin county. moderate air quality elsewhere. we'll have to watch that closely as more smoke in our case is coming down from the northwest coast into the bay area, bringing smoke at times as we head into that morning forecast. you see it there heading into your friday morning. the smoke advi

thom jensen, nbc bay area news. >>> people released butterflies at the growing memorial. her death has been ruled as a homicide. petito's parents are ready. >>> a lot of ground. the fires burning. it's now 25% contained and 10% at noon today. really making some progress here. claims of 8500 acres, destroying at least 100 homes. deputies arrested a palo alto woman whether she started that fire or throughout the state. >> let's keep a close eye on flames burning the national park and threatening some of the world's oldest trees. there is no contain m. >> lighting start this fire two weeks ago. our meteorologist vienne is joining us now. >> they decided to extend the weather. we have cooler temperatures and maybe a little bit of rain building fires up in northern california. the full forecast, what you expect is coming up. >> are changing climate may have an impact on your favorite beer? >> how could that be? we'll explain and tesla rolls out a long update. those stories in 60 seconds. and there you have it- woah. wireless on the most reliable network nationwide. wow. -big d

thom jensen, nbc bay area news. >>> vandalism investigated as a hate crime. it happened yesterday morning in palo alto. graffiti found on a concrete pillar in the garage. the writings were racially motivated and directed at black people. investigators are searching for the person responsible for this graffiti. >>> well, it's doubling in size of programs offering jobs. the workers will make around $23 an hour as they clean up sites around san jose. the program is double in size to employ 100 people. >>> the complex fire is threatening the joint forest and sequoyah national park. five of the largest trees in the world stands here including the largest of all. the general sherman tree. crews are setting up space and wrapping the trees with fireproof aluminum blankets. it's zero percent contained. >>> that area down the national forest is not going to get any big rainfall. across northern california, i am tracking some rain, i will have updated totals and i will have the latest coing up. >>> the white house combatting misinformation sparked by rapper nicki minaj.

as thom jensen explains the department of public health tries something new to get more shots into arms. >> reporter: as they try to encourage people to get vaccinated, a $100 gift card from foodsco to anyone who gets vaccinated today. 79% of the eligible population. >> this is your certificate. >> reporter: public health workers are at the felton institute to reach those who still need to roll up their sleeves. >> reporter: a large part is in the mission. >> they are hourly employees. the incentive we are providing which is $100 gift card is to recognize they may be using on a few hours of work to get vaccinated, that's the incentive. >> reporter: the institute held vax a day, hoping to find those who still needs the shots and put food on the table the same time like this woman. this is just the latest effort helping those in need. >> trying to help individuals so they don't die. >> reporter: they know in this race against time they have to accept that sometimes they may only get a handful of participants at each clinic. >> which arms would you like to use, left or right? >> reporter:

here's "today in the bay's" thom jensen. >> reporter: as tens of thousands of giants and dodgers fans pack into oracle park for one of the greatest rivalries in baseball, right next door. >> we're opening the ballot box and put them in stacks of yeses and nos. >> the team's concession workers union unite local 2 counts strike votes and the yes piles tower over the nos. nearly 97% of voting members giving the thumb's up for a strike. >> workers are upset at the lack of respect. >> reporter: the union's president tells nbc bay area workers want hazard pay increases of $3 an hour for working in the pandemic as the delta variant spreads. they say the dangers at the ballpark are high. >> we've had 20 cases of covid among our members, these workers, this season alone. >> reporter: we asked the giants and got a written response from the team saying, quote, bon appetite management company and local 2 are currently engaged in collective bargaining negotiations. we encourage both sides to work productively to reach an agreement as soon as possible. the giants make the health and safety of every

we are live in south lake tahoe, thom jensen, nbc bay area news. >>> i am sure much appreciated. officers from the bay area helping out counties impacted by the dixie fire. sheriffs provided mutual aids. firefighters are battling the flames. the bay area officers are helping with evacuations and providing security and some of those really hard hit areas. they also been taking on patrol duties for the past three days. we'll continue our reporting online, head to nbcbayarea.com, we have an interactive map where you can see where the caldor fire had burned. it is right on the trending bar on our home page. >>> city of berkeley joining san francisco requiring proof of vaccinations at most indoor places. most notable. restaurants and bars. the new health orders go into effect tomorrow but won't fully be enforced until the following friday. the rules applied to anyone over the age of 12. it applies to gyms and yoga studios and in-door events. anyone working in those businesses must be vaccinated. almost 90% of people living in alameda, contra cost ta and santa clara have gotten at leas

thom jensen, nbc bay area news. >>> a stern warning, don't use so much. last month water use dropped by 6%. one of the problems is that is cities that purchase water from the valley, water district have different rules. the district wants all south bay homeowners to limit landscape watering to two days a week. >>> the biden administration is focusing on energy supply. solar currently powers 3% of the grid. the biden administration plans would increase that by 40% by 2035. >>> let's get to jeff and talk about our weather. it has been hot all week and you say relief is around the corner. >> yes, as we roll into tomorrow, we are expecting some changes, today at least the air quality was pretty good out there. we didn't have any of that thick smoke moving in from the wildfires. a little bit of a respite from that. if you are in the interior valleys from the north and east bay, definitely a lot of triple digits. concord at 102 degrees. that's doing little to cool you down. here is the thing i want to underscore tonight. if you don't have air-conditioning which

nbc bay area's thom jensen is joining us now. it is a popular spot where you are in the south shore, what are you seeing around you? >> reporter: a weekend like this would normally be packed with tourists instead of firefighters but as we came in here today, what we saw was an amazing fire fight. hundreds of firefighters who saved all of the cabins coming in at echo lake road and they even without a lower echo road here to protect historic and treasured cabin and doing it by the boat loads literally. just below a rocky summit. firefighters from as far away as texas and arizona pack in 4500 feet of fire hose to attack the flames above them. >> we are taking advantage of these great conditions to try to get this fire put out for good. >> reporter: along a smoky east shore, tahoe, one woman tells me she's breathing a sigh of relief because of the efforts of these firefighters. her home is safe and so are her friends' and family's home. >> reporter: with highway 50 closed, no one in the family have been able to check on the cabin tha

here's nbc bay area's thom jensen. >> reporter: as tens of thousands of fans pack into oracle park for one of the greatest rivalries in baseball, right next door. >> let's put them in stacks of yeses and nos. >> reporter: they count strike votes. and the yes votes tower over the nos. nearly 97% of voting members giving thumbs up for strike. >> workers are upset at the lack of respect. >> reporter: workers want hazard pay increases of $3 an hour for working during the pandemics a the delta variant spreads. they say the dangers at the ballpark are real. >> we've had 20 cases among our members alone. >> reporter: they got a written response from the team saying bon appetit management company and local 2 are currently engaged in collective bargaining negotiations. the giants make the health and safety of everyone working and visiting oracle park a top priority. we operate our venue in compliance with local and state health requirements. the union does work with bon appetit management, but margins are tight. the team should contribute to the hazard pay and enforce rules. >> if a beer costs

and perhaps a chance for them to take a new direction. >> reporter: thom jensen, nbc bay area news. >>> a shooting spree in a quiet menlo park neighborhood. two hen with bee bee guns were shooting at cars. there were three reports of smashed car windows. can you see one there. they received more reports of damaged cars a couple hours later. police found the men nearby with bee bee guns in their waist bands. they both face vandalism charges. >>> a grade separation project, something that usually excites civil engineers. construction is over, and cal train has a brand new hillsdale station. the grade separation process meant raising the train tracks and creating a way for the trains and cars to use the crossing at the same time. >> they're not always sexy but so critical to the future of the peninsula. you look at this, and you say improve traffic flow, lower noise, this brand-new station, you know, seems so obvious. >> yeah, it took a while to get to this point. it involved 20 year of planning, four years of construction and cost over $200 million to complete. >>> she gave a voice to t

nbc's thom jensen continues our coverage. >> reporter: from the mission district station 7 to headquarters, they lined up. ♪ but now i'm found ♪ >> reporter: two decades of showing honor and respect to the women and men who gave the ultimate sacrifice and service to new york and the nation on that fateful day. >> gregory r. sikorsky. >> reporter: reading every name out loud without fail annually on the morning of 9/11. >> michael thompson weinberg. >> on that day we lost a lot. we lost 343 firefighters and dozens of other public safety workers. >> reporter: san francisco's fire chief also remembering nearly 3,000 civilians who were killed. betty ong, a san francisco native among them. she too is considered a national hero, a flight attendant on american airlines flight 93. >> i will never forget what happened on that day until the end of my life. >> reporter: her brother reminding everyone not to forget the families of victims and survivors. and like the chief, he pays respect to the victims who died in the months and years following the attacks. >> many more have been added to the total o

thom jensen talked to the mayor. >> reporter: san francisco has been setting the tone for much of thecomes to vaccines and masking since the early days of the pandemic, and now with transmissi

here's nbc bay area's thom jensen. ♪ i once was lost but now am found ♪ >> reporter: a memorial heldall 44 san francisco fire stations on 9/11. a 20-year tradition of respect and honor. tributes to all of the victims lost in the 9/11 attacks and their families with a special focus on the sacrifices of new york firefighters on that fateful day. >> christopher j. rockwell. >> reporter: reading the names of all 343 heroes who went into the crumbling towers trying to save lives, losing their own in the process. >> and since then, we have lost hundreds more to cancer, lung disease, heart disease, suicide, and other illnesses. >> reporter: san francisco's fire chief also remembering nearly 3,000 civilians who were killed. betty ang, a san francisco native, among them. she, too, is considered a national hero. a flight attendant on american airlines' flight 11 and the first to alert authorities about the hijackings. #. >> i will never forget what happened on that day until the end of my life. >> reporter: her brother reminding everyone not to forget the families of victims and survivors. and

thom jensen talked to the mayor. >> reporter: san francisco has been setting the tone for much of the nation when it comes to vaccines and masking since the early days of the pandemic, and now with transmission rates in the city well below the cdc's level for recommended required masking, city officials say there may be flexibility in lifting some of the indoor mask mandates. >> we're seeing the numbers decline. and in fact, many of the indoor venues of course require that people are vaccinated. >> reporter: but there are some concerns that lifting the mandates too soon could lead to another surge of infections, especially with the delta variant, which has also infected many people who have already been fully vaccinated. >> i want to say i'm just for masks indoor because -- >> until we're out of it? >> until we're out of it totally, yeah. >> whether they get rid of it or not, i'm going still wear mine. >> reporter: mayor breed says she isn't hearing a lot of pushback from business owners about the mandates that are in place now, and she points out most establishments where masks are l

nbc bay area's thom jensen is digging deeper into who is going to feel it the most. >> reporter: this affects millions of people across the country, including 3 million in california, and it hits right on labor day morning. a holiday that is set aside in 1894 to honor the american workers. losing their benefits today those affected include about 1 million self-employed in california, part-time contract workers or gig employees losing those benefits. also anyone who does not qualify for state unemployment, now they do not get those federal add-ons. some 2 million californians on extended benefits or those who have already completed 26 weeks or more of unemployment. and those who still qualify for regular unemployment will no longer receive the additional $300 a week in add-on federal aid. we talked to a former edd director who said considering the sheer number of people who are losing benefits, a lot of people are going to have to make difficult choices about returning to work while the virus and the pandemic are still very real. >> what's different today that i see is that return to w

. >> reporter: in berkeley, thom jensen, nbc bay area news. >>> let's take a look at berkeley's number. the city has a positivity rate of about 1%. that's considered pretty good. the winter surge, you can see 32 cases per 100,000 people. the summer surge and it went up to 22 cases for 100,000 and now it's at 19. possibly signaling that the city is on the other side of this latest peak. berkeley follows san francisco's lead in requiring proof of vaccination to go into businesses. location, data company and four square says it measures a 4% decrease in foot traffic to restaurants and coffee shops in san francisco since the city's mandate went into effect in mid august. foot traffic to bars increase by 4%. >> new cdc data on vaccines, the most pressing findings, unvaccinated people are ten times more likely to be hospitalized with covid. 11 times more likely to die from the virus. vaccine effectiveness drops 91% to 78%. the findings come from three large studies using data from regions all across the country. >>> remembering 9/11, 20 years later. the solemn event marks tomorrow's 20th ann

live in east county, east bay, thom jensen, "today dining migh to stay in california. new bill is awaiting the governor's signature to assist restaurant's recovery. it will grant a grace period for restaurants relying on the expanded outdoor space. the engs tension would start once the current emergency order is lifted and allow restaurants to apply for permanent outdoor expansion. san francisco state senator scott weiner is one of the bill's co-authors. >> developing this morning, tens of thousands without power one week after hurricane ida made landfall in louisiana. full restoration not expected until the end of the month. new york, cleanup there is under way. the new governor signed a fast track declaration to provide funds for temporary housing, counseling and jobless benefits. >> i want to be targeted and bring all the resources to bear to help these people who need help getting their lives back in order. what i'm requesting from the president is what is known as not just the public assistance but individual assistance. that will give direct money for people to r

thom jensen is live this morning, one is similar with a mandate in place, we get a preview of what thisere for three weeks in san francisco. dr. fauci made the comments on the podcast skim. this comes just days after president biden made the national address where he talked about his own vaccine mandates affecting 100 million workers. those mandates that went into place here in late august three weeks ago, include every place where masks are likely going to come off, in gyms, restaurants, bars, think those types of places. you will have to show proof of vaccine or a negative covid test within 72 hours. the surgeon general sounding off on this issue saying this is rich in american tradition. in fact, going back to 1775, part of president washington's battle plan when he enacted a smallpox inoculation for all u.s. troops trying to stave off a major outbreak in the troops when those smallpox had infected 130,000 people in north america. >> the requirements for vaccination are part of a long tradition that we have in this country of taking steps as a collective to keep people safe. >> repor

thom jensen, nbc bay area news. >>> still to come, east bay water customers could pay up if they don't conserve. we're following a vote that could boost your bill. >>> and a grandmother abandoned by her family in san francisco. a police station that adopted her and just made hear next birthday so special. >>> i'm chief meteorologist jeff ranieri. a beautiful day outside. look at these temperatures, lots of 70s inland. we'll talk about the heat coming our way in about eight minutes. working at recology is more than a job for jesus. it's a family tradition. jesus took over his dad's roue when he retired after 47 year. now he's showing a new generation what recology is all about. as an employee-owned company, recology provides good-paying local jobs for san franciscans. we're proud to have built the city's recycling system from the ground up, helping to make san francisco the greenest big city in america. let's keep making a differene together. >>> senator dianne feinstein is returning to washington tonight. however, questions arose last week when she missed several votes in the senate. t

"today in the bay's" thom jensen is digging deeper into who might be feeling the pinches the most this morning. good morning, tom. >> good morning. this affects millions across the country, tens of millions. 3 million here in california. it affects a lot of categories of different types of workers too. i will go down that list here. those affected include about 1 million self-employed in california, part-time contract workers or gig employees losing their benefits. also anyone who does not qualify for state unemployment benefits and some 2 million californians on extended benefits or those who have already completed 26 weeks or more of unemployment. also those who still qualify for regular unemployment will no longer get those add-on, those $300 a week in federal aid that were tacked on. these are the benefits placed back at the start of the pandemic. more than 20 states voluntarily ended federal benefits months ago to get more people back to work and encourage people to get back to the workforce. one former edd director told us this will be a change statewide. a lot of people feeling

thom jensen is joining us live at 6:00. we'll begin to learn the fate of this recall. >> governor newsom made an unexpected final campaign stop in his hometown today. he urged his supporters to help finish the job the last hours before the polls closed. sharon katsuda is joining us live. >> reporter: that's right, we are here at polling place and this is friendly territory for governor newsom. many are voting no on the recall. we did find some support for larry elder. >> reporter: governor newsom is clearly upbeat while visiting the san francisco union hall today. >> that's why i have gray hair. i was my daughter's age. >> reporter: his message is get out and tell other to vote no on the recall. he spoke out against those claiming election fraud. >> these people literally are vandalizing our democracy, trust in our institutions. i care too much about this nation. i care too much about this country. we are debating democracy in america right now. this big lie and this insurrection, what the hell is wrong with these folks? >>

"today in the bay's" thom jensen is live in san francisco. with a similar mandate in place gives us a peek at what this could look like. >> that's right. dr. anthony fauci made these remarks on the podcast skim, and it comes just days after president biden also address the nation on the issue and, in fact, putting in vaccine mandates that affect more than 100 million american workers. san francisco, of course, instituted vaccine mandates in certain businesses that where masks are likely going to come off like restaurants, bars, gyms and others. nationwide, infections are down 10% after other states and large metro areas enacted similar mandates around the country. for those who resist on grounds of personal liberty the surgeon general says think about this, vaccine mandates in the u.s. went into effect for revolutionary troops during the battle of valley forge in 1775, an effort to stave off the smallpox during a pandemic in north america that killed 130,000 people. >> requirements for vaccination are part of a long tradition that we have in

in san francisco, thom jensen, nbc bay area. >>> san jose state university is in trouble with the federal investigators. the university is paying more than $1 million for the way it mishandled sexual abuse allegations made by female athletes. in 2009, more than a dozen female swimmers told their coach that the athletic trainer inappropriately touched them during physical therapy. san jose state's original internal investigation quickly cleared that trainer of any wrongdoing. the u.s. department of justice then got involved and today released a blistering report that says now the school will overhaul its title ix office and how it responds to future sexual harassment complaints. the $1.6 million settlement breaks down to $125,000 per victim that came forward in the scandal. the trainer resigned last year after being allowed to stay on campus at san jose state for a decade following the allegations. >>> overwhelming and already stressed health care system, that is fear from health care leaders tonight as people prepare to get a covid booster shot, flu shots, and a new round of kids qualifyi

thom jensen, nbc bay area news. >>> we have more on that process, as ballots make their way to offices, registrars are making sure there is no question about the safety of your ballot or validity of your vote. ballots arrive in large blue duffle bags. each bag is marked. the zipper is locked for security. every ballot is then checked by teams before they reach the counting room. and the counting room is restricted access, requiring security clearance. two people must be present with every ballot. >>> we are now into the two-hour countdown before polls close. election workers are expecting at least one more wave of people to cast their ballots. let's bring in marianne favro who joins us from east san jose. what type of flow of people there, and any problems so far? >> reporter: so far we haven't seen any problems the and we have a steady flow of people throughout the day. so far 357 people have cast their ballots here today. all afternoon we've seen people arrive by bus, foot, car and bike to vote. many tell us this recall election is just too important to miss. from this vote center at

thom jensen, in the bay. >> thank you for that perspective from this morning's event. four hijacked airliners, one on its way here to the bay area. united flight 93. the brave crew members and passengers heroically diverted to an empty field in pennsylvania. we have a look at that field where the plane crashed in rural shanksville, pennsylvania. this event just ended. former president george bush just spoke. it departed on the way to s fo. one of the passengers was mark bingham, a graduate of uc berkeley. bingham among those who fought back against the hijackers who believed intended to crash that flight in washington, dc. everyone on board including those four hijackers died. bingham has since been recognized by the bay area, by the nation, and by the lgbtq community for his bravery. his friends are ensuring his legacy isn't forgotten. >> that one little act that him and the passengers of flight 93 saved the whole lot of lives afterwards. so let's celebrate that. let's not cry. >> i hope the gay hero part of it goes away, although it's important, we fight to get to a

in san francisco, thom jensen, nbc bay area news. >> thank you. >>> our question of the day, are you ready to attend in-person conventions? we posted this question on our twitter, facebook, and instagram accounts. on the other side of the spectrum, one viewer response to us, there are ways to make it safe, so yes. >>> let's move on. here's a story that's not only interesting, but alarming. seems like everything we're hearing or have heard from politicians and fire scientists is now being turned upside down. two opposing views now about how to deal with our fire danger and ultimately how to save our homes. take a look. this shows acres burned during the past ten wildfire seasons. in three of the past four years we've broken the record for most acres burned in california history. nearly all scientists agree that climate change is fueling our wildfires. but the question now, are we doing more to lessen the impact? we told you about post-fire logging when burned trees are removed after a wildfire. but new research shows this isn't a good idea. it has actually allow future fires to burn f

nbc bay area's thom jensen is live in south lake tahoe where some locals are also going back in some small numbers to help those firefighters, like 4,500

. >>> i'm thom jensen in san francisco. dr.ow supports vaccine mandates for air travel and education and made the comments on the podcast skim. these come just after president biden announced his own vaccine mandates would affect 100 million american workers. san francisco instituted vaccine mandates affecting restaurants, bars and other businesses where masks will likely come off and so did berkeley on friday. nationwide, infectious rates are down 10% since similar mandates went in other cities and other states across the country. >>> taking a look at the forecast with meteorologist kari hall who has a look at our forecast. smoky skies today? >> it will be hazy with the moderate air quality expected today. some of our spots inland towards the low to mid 90s for today and tomorrow. still a hot start to the week but then cooling down as the week goes on. look at the weekend. we'll see more clouds, highs reaching into the mid to upper 70s and san francisco we'll go from the low 70s to the low 60s. laura. >> thank you. thank you f