abc seven news reporter tim johns is here in studio. with the battle over bringing it back. tim. >> yeah, that audit, which was done in collaboration with several groups, says after being launched in 2012, the city began watering down significant parts of the operation cease fire strategy around 2017. it also says that trend accelerated in 2019 and 2020, as the pandemic hit, and oakland redirected resources to other programs. in a presentation to the oakland city council tuesday, the california partnership for safe communities tied the ending of operation ceasefire with the current spike in crime in the city. operation ceasefire was one of oakland's violence reduction programs launched in 2012. the audit says it led to a substantial drop in the city's homicide rate, dipping 42% in the five years to 2017 and saving an estimated 140 lives. >> there was progress made in oakland. um, and so to remind people that there were several years where oakland saw significant declines in homicides, the program specifically focused on the most violent gangs and at risk individuals in the ci

our sky seven captured the rally from up above, while abc seven news reporter tim johns was at street level talking with her supporters. he's here with the story, tim. yeah >> dan. now, remember the recall effort formally kicked off just this past weekend. those who support it say mayor tao is the main cause behind problems like rising crime in oakland. on the other hand, those opposed to the recall effort told me today they think the mayor is being unfair to be blamed and that she needs more time to tackle the city's issues. stop using or paying for political gain. dozens of oakland voters gathered on the steps of city hall tuesday to show their support for mayor sheng tao. tao, who has led the city since last january, is currently facing the possibility of a recall election in the coming months, a prospect voters here say would be a waste of time, as well as millions of taxpayer dollars. >> that money could be used for the housing crisis. that money could be used for violence prevention. that money could be used for affordable housing. >> as for the mayor herself, her chief of staff

. >> abc seven news reporter tim johns and then is in the newsroom uncovering these new developments from investigators tonight. tim. >> yeah. dan i'm the district attorney, announced charges against three men tonight. those three men are mark sanders, alan brown and sabran russell. during a news conference late tuesday, alameda county district attorney pamela price announcing murder charges against mark sanders of tracy and allen brown of chico for the killing of oakland police officer tuan lay. >> the charges are extensive, as you will see, and we may add additional charges as we obtain additional evidence. >> shefs a third man, cibran russell, is being charged with burglary along with the current charges. oakland police interim chief darren allison also confirming a history of illegal activity for sanders. i can confirm that he has a prior uh- arrest history, which does include the killing of another and additional other violent crimes. 36 year old lay was shot last week while working undercover. he was responding to an early morning burglary of a cannabis shop along oakland's wate

tim johns, abc seven news. >> all right, tim, thank you. and we did send out an alert as soon as this breaking news hit. make sure you're on top of the latest updates and weather with the abc seven news, bay area app. just be sure to turn on the apps notifications as. >> happening now, 35 million americans are under flood watches states from texas to the northeast are seeing heavy rainfall. this is video from conroe, texas, now under water after release from a dam at the city's lake. the national weather service says today's flood watches are being prompted by a combination of rain and warming temperatures melting the snow in san diego. video shows a driver testing their tesla through deep standing water. not a great idea. look at this. the national weather service marked monday as the city's wettest day on record. tesla's website warns that water damage is not covered by its warranty and should not be tried under those circum stances. that is remarkable. what that person got away with there. here at home, this car took on serious damage af

tim johns abc seven news. >> all right, tim, thank you. now to the east bay, the effort to recall oakland mayor shengtao is moving forward. recall organizers tell abc seven news mayor tao did not respond to the certified letter they sent the deadline for her to do so. was friday. the group's next step will be to publish a recall campaign ad in a major newspaper . they hope to collect 25,000 signatures to present to the city. it's about 10% of oakland's registered voters. >> new developments the week long strike among california state university faculty members is over. as soon as it started. after just one day tonight, the union says it has reached a tentative deal and is allowing faculty to return to work tomorrow. it was the largest strike of university professors in the country. some 460,000 students at 23 campuses were affected, including the four in the bay area. but they'll be back to work tomorrow. >> all right, let's get back to the barrage of rain and storm damage we've seen over the past few days in downtown san mateo, three cars

ceo tim johns, abc seven news. >> really fun. yes. all right.t is the bomb shell report uncovered by the abc seven news i-team. a possible new trial for convicted wife killer scott peterson. the key clues that could flip this decades old case. >> plus, brutal cold is gripping the entire country. some of the scenes and damaging effects and order up for the first lady. >> the tiny san francisco restaurant that just served dinner for doctor jill biden during her visit this week. sta when i was your age, we never had anything like this. what? wifi? wifi that works all over the house. even the basement. the basement. so i can finally throw that party... and invite shannon barnes. dreams do come true. get started with xfinity gig internet for $25 a month when you add mobile with no annual contract. maybe we'll even get married one day. i wonder what i will be doing? probably still living here with mom and dad. fast, reliable speeds right where you need them. that's wall-to-wall wifi on the xfinity 10g network. scott peterson. laci peterson was reporte

in the studio tonight, tim johns abc seven news. >> all right, tim, thank you so much. new at 11. vallejo is going to reportedly pay $5 million to the family of a man who was shot and killed by police in february of 2019. willie mccoy was found sitting in a car at a taco bell drive thru. he was unresponsive and allegedly had a gun in his lap. officers moved in and within a matter of seconds fired 55 rounds at mccoy's vehicle. an investigation by a special prosecutor determined the officers felt threatened and acted in self-defense. mccoy's family sued the city. the vallejo sun says this is one of the largest settlements in the city's history. all right, once again, we have some rain to get ready for tomorrow morning. >> that's right. >> let's check in with abc seven news meteorologist sandhya patel for everything we need to know. sandhya yeah. and ama and dan, we are talking about needing those umbrellas tomorrow for the morning commute. only a few locations, but later in the day, all areas will be dealing with the rain. so it is up there, right by crescent city right now on live

. >> abc seven news reporter tim johns and then is in the newsroom uncovering these new developments om investigators tonight. tim. >> yeah. dan i'm the district attorney, announced charges against three men tonight. those three men are mark sanders, alan brown and sabran russell. during a news conference late tuesday, alameda county district attorney pamela price announcing murder charges against mark sanders of tracy and allen brown of chico for the killing of oakland police officer tuan lay. >> the charges are extensive, as you will see, and we may add additional charges as we obtain additional evidence. >> shefs a third man, cibran russell, is being charged with burglary along with the current charges. oakland police interim chief darren allison also confirming a history of illegal activity for sanders. i can confirm that he has a prior uh- arrest history, which does include the killing of another and additional other violent crimes. 36 year old lay was shot last week while working undercover. he was responding to an early morning burglary of a cannabis shop along oakland's waterf

here's abc seven news reporter tim johns. >> it's one of america's favorite pastimes. but for kids under the age of 12, tackle football could soon be a relic of the past. in california, it's all thanks to a new bill authored by sacramento assembly member kevin mccarty that's making its way through the state legislature. >> when we look at kids under the age of 12 to tackle football is a high risk sport, doctor brian feely is the head of sports medicine at ucsf. >> he says he supports the bill because of the elevated risk of concussions that comes with tackle football. feely says these risks are especially heightened for young kids whose brains are in their most important stages of development. >> you're at higher risk for anxiety, depression, even suicidal ideation, julie says. >> instead of tackle football, flag football is a far safer option. not everyone agrees with this bill, though. that includes some local coaches here in oakland who tell me they fear that it will disrupt impact young kids of color do a lot of low income families. >> a lot of, uh, families that g

this is the 37th year the groups have come together, and as abc seven news reporter tim johns tells us, with everything going on in the world right now, they feel the gathering is more important than ever. see carolyn ussÉ pray she for almost four decades, the members of congress nation, emmanuel and the third baptist church have gathered together in song and in prayer every mlk day weekend. >> this is what the world needs to see. there's too much division in too much hate. >> the gathering brings together people both young and old, from across san francisco. so the idea behind it, an interfaith and intercultural exchange between two minority communities to better understand one another, all of it in remembrance of the life and legacy of doctor martin luther king jr. >> more people want to be together and to listen to each other's stories and to be there for one another than not the connection between the black and jewish communities here in the u.s. extends far beyond just third baptist church, and congregation emanuel, though it's actually a relationship that goes back decades. >> re

abc seven news reporter tim johns is here in studio. with the battle over bringing it back. , that audit, which was done in collaboration with several groups, says after being launched in 2012, the city began watering down significant parts of the operation cease fire strategy around 2017. it also says that trend accelerated in 2019 and 2020, as the pandemic hit, and oakland redirected resources to other programs. in a presentation to the oakland city council tuesday, the california partnership for safe communities tied the ending of operation ceasefire with the current spike in crime in the city. operation ceasefire was one of oakland's violence reduction programs launched in 2012. the audit says it led to a substantial drop in the city's homicide rate, dipping 42% in the five years to 2017 and saving an estimated 140 lives. >> there was progress made in oakland. um, and so to remind people that there were several years where oakland saw significant declines in homicides, the program specifically focused on the most violent gangs and at risk individuals in the city, providin

. >> abc seven news reporter tim johns explains why things between locals and the longtime conference quickly soured. >> it's another exit out of san francisco after ten years of being hosted in the city's famous castro neighborhood. the lesbians who tech conference says they're done with the city by the bay, boasting 15,000 attendees in 2023, this year, their departure is welcome news to many local businesses. >> a lot of businesses didn't know what was going on. i mean, something as simple as taking a trash out. nobody knew where to put it. traditionally held inside the castro theater since 2022, the conference has also shut down two blocks of the street outside, putting up massive barriers and makeshift structures in the middle of the road, something several businesses we spoke to told us was detrimental. no business was allowed to happen. deliveries also, the event was closed in, so they were only allowed to stay in their area. >> katie duggan works at rossi's deli. he says after several difficult years during and after the pandemic, another week with little to no business was the

tim johns abc seven news. in the north bay, firstrillionesponders and residents are preparing for a series of storms that threaten to bring flooding and landslides to the area. >> more than three inches of rain is expected to fall on the region over the next several days. p-g-and-e's says its staffing, utility crews and stocking up on transformers and power poles in case there are outages. many local residents spent the day preparing by filling sandbags and tarping roofs, hoping to keep the rain away. >> i am here to prevent shefs uh- water flooding the front of my house, diverting some water to get some sandbags to divert because of the heavy rains coming. >> and as sandhya said, the heavy rains and wind are expected to continue into wednesday. you can keep track of the rain anytime with the same live doppler seven that sandhya uses. just search abc seven bay area in your device's app store to download it now. new at 11 san francisco mayor london breed won't be signing the cease fire resolution for the israel

tim johns, abc seven news. >> all right, tim, thank you. and we did send out an alert as soon as this breaking news hit. make sure you're on top of the latest updates and weather with the abc seven news, bay area app. just be sure to turn on the apps notifications as. >> happening now, 35 million americans are under flood watches states from texas to the northeast are seeing heavy rainfall. this is video from conroe, texas, now under water after release from a dam at the city's lake. the national weather service says today's flood watches are being prompted by a combination of rain and warming temperatures melting the snow in san diego. video shows a driver testing their tesla through deep standing water. not a great idea. look at this. the national weather service marked monday as the city's wettest day on record. tesla's website warns that water damage is not covered by its warranty and should not be tried under those circum stances. that is remarkable. what that person got away with there. here at home, this car took on serious damage af

that's where we find abc seven news reporter tim johns with what neighbors are saying about it all. >> this is the aftermath of a wild card chase thursday afternoon. in hand. lexus sedan. these are 99 hollow chocolate. >> and he the wrong way. >> 29. that car chase starting out in american canyon in napa county around 315 and ending up here in vallejo. the napa county sheriff's office says the chase started after they attempted to make a traffic stop for a vehicle code violation, but the driver of that car didn't stop the car ultimately became disabled near the intersection of sousa way and gateway drive. uh- cell phone in hand, single occupant. >> actually, no. we have multiple police say they then encountered a male suspect and an officer fired shots. >> ken wilson lives nearby and tells us he heard the whole thing. >> it sounded like i heard two shots and after i heard that uh- i put down the wood, i had my hand there and i went back to the back. >> the suspect was transported to a nearby hospital. armed police vehicles could then be seen searching the neighborhood for the second s

. >> abc seven news reporter tim johns is hearing more about the trouble that lies with the trash . >alarm is rising in lake tahoe. this week after this flier was found posted around the area. the flier calling attention to the local bear population, saying things like the black bears of lake tahoe are some of the most marginalized and oppressed species of life, and that they spend most of their life going from garbage can to garbage can, finding it locked due to selfish, heartless human beings leaving the bears with absolutely no choice but to starve to death or attempt a home invasion. finally, the flier calls on people to actually feed the bears. >> after my first read, i couldn't even decide if is this some kind of sick joke that someone's trying to play on the community? >> 2g silk is a local tahoe bear expert who says the information and the flier is false. he says. on wednesday, he saw dozens of them posted around south lake tahoe and began taking them down . >> i only pulled about two thirds of them down as i went through town, and it took me two hours. >> experts say these fl

abc seven news reporter tim johns went to find out about a robbery that the owner says is now forcing the store to shut down. >> every day for the past ten years, najari smith has opened up the front doors of his shop. but about two weeks ago, he walked into a surprise. >> all the display cases emptied out all of the inventory that we had on the wall. all the bicycle products, the lights, the locks. you know, different accessories. all of that stuff was gone. >> smith says his store rich city rides was robbed. the thieves getting away with about $10,000 worth of merchandise. >> it hurts on a different level. it's not a big box store. >> the impact on the business has been so large that smith says ric city rides will have to shut down for the foreseeable future, a devastating blow to the entire community, says contra costa county supervisor john gioia, who represents this district. >> this bike shop was more than a shop. it was really about culture. the culture of health, empowerment, working with young people and young adults. so this was really an attack on the community, not just th

abc seven news reporter jim tim johns on the options. governor gavin newsom in los angeles wednesday announcing a new state of the art tech and health research park, a collaboration between ucla and the private sector taking over a space that was once a westfield mall. >> this is a race for global dominance in this space. this is about exponentials. >> meanwhile, up north here in the bay area, our own mall in san francisco is seeing a new store close its doors. adidas announcing friday they'll be shutting down on january 13th. it's not just small space that's becoming more available in san francisco, though. around the city office, vacancies are at record levels. that level now at 35, according to the latest numbers, with all the unused space, there have been questions over whether san francisco could do something similar to l.a. >> you should be able to take a downtown core and make it into not just a business center, but an innovation center. >> sean randolph works with the bay area council's economic institute. he says since the end o

abc seven news reporter tim johns got the opportunity to sit down with one survivor in his home thison, and he shares his story. >> i think it's more important for non-jews eyes than it is for jews. i mean, we are so conscious of it every day. >> for bob horowitz, the holocaust is never too far from his mind. ahead of international holocaust remembrance day on saturday, he invited us into a south bay home to discuss his journey of survival. >> i've always had a. anxiety. >> born in modern day poland in 1937, horowitz says his early childhood was tumultuous, as throughout world war two, he and his family fled throughout europe, living underground for several years in the netherlands to evade capture by the, being smuggled through belgium, france and spain before managing to get on a ship to south america. ultimately, in 1944, horowitz's family was able to immigrate to the us, setting up a home in north carolina. he says the difficult memories from those years in europe and the constant threat of being captured still haunt him. >> we came so close, so many times during our conversation

tim johns abc seven news. >> all right, tim, thank you. east bay, the effort to recall oakland mayor shengtao is moving forward. recall organizers tell abc seven news mayor tao did not respond to the certified letter they sent the deadline for her to do so. was friday. the group's next step will be to publish a recall campaign ad in a major newspaper . they hope to collect 25,000 signatures to present to the city. it's about 10% of oakland's registered voters. >> new developments the week long strike among california state university faculty members is over. as soon as it started. after just one day tonight, the union says it has reached a tentative deal and is allowing faculty to return to work tomorrow. it was the largest strike of university professors in the country. some 460,000 students at 23 campuses were affected, including the four in the bay area. but they'll be back to work tomorrow. >> all right, let's get back to the barrage of rain and storm damage we've seen over the past few days in downtown san mateo, three cars were damag

. >> yeah, but after some hiccups last year, abc seven news reporter tim johns tells us this time, thingseem to be going smoothly. >> well, it might not have the fanfare of a pac or dreamforce. the jpmorgan chase health care conference rolled back into downtown san francisco this week. the conference is advertised as the largest gathering of health and biotech professionals in the world. it is a mega million dollar affair. abc seven news inside phil matier says given the conference's high profitability, city leaders have been keen to continue their streak of impressing high profile visitors. so far this year, the conference has gone on without any known incidents. good news for a city that's seen a big dip in its reputation in recent years. >> conventions are booked years in advance and so bad press, you start feeling it now. good press. you're going to feel for a couple. it won't take a couple more years for that to happen. >> last year's conference saw complaints over the high prices of hotels in the city. something that matter, says local leaders are aware of but can only do so much ab

ceo tim johns, abc seven news. >> really fun. yes. all right.t is the bomb shell report uncovered by the abc seven news i-team. a possible new trial for convicted wife killer scott peterson. the key clues that could flip this decades old case. >> plus, brutal cold is gripping the entire country. some of the scenes and damaging effects and order up for the first lady. >> the tiny san francisco restaurant that just served restaurant that just served dinner for doctor jill biden looking for a smarter way to mop? try the swiffer powermop. ♪ an all-in-one cleaning tool, with a 360-degree swivel head that goes places a regular mop just can't. ♪ mop smarter with the swiffer powermop. febreze! hi. i keep my home fresh with febreze fade defy plug. and i use this. febreze has a microchip to digitally control how much scent is released so it doesn't fade. ooh. does mine have a microchip? ...oh. febreze smells first-day fresh for 50 days. that is a shockingly long time. febreze also has a refill reminder light... it even reminds you to refill it? so i never

and tonight, abc seven news reporter tim johns has the latest in the case. >> nearly four days afterfficer twan lee, the oakland police department confirming tuesday the arrest of a suspect. sharing the news first with lee's fellow officers over dispatch radio. >> i just want to advise everybody that the killer of officer twan lee is in custody. please take care of each one of you. >> way was shot and killed friday morning when he attempted to stop a robbery at a local cannabis shop. there's a terrible pall of sadness. >> that's fallen over every oakland police officer. barry donovan is the president of the oakland police officers association. >> he says since the shooting, opd has been working nonstop to try and catch those responsible. >> you are going to jail. you are going to be behind bars. we are going to find you. >> in a press release, opd saying they've arrested several people in connection to lee's death, one of those arrests happening in the early hours of tuesday morning at a la quinta inn in livermore, according to one employee, the fact that so many arrests were made so

. >> abc seven news reporter tim johns explains why things between locals and the longtime conferenceuickly soured. >> it's another exit out of san francisco after ten years of being hosted in the city's famous castro neighborhood. the lesbians who tech conference says they're done with the city by the bay, boasting 15,000 attendees in 2023, this year, their departure is welcome news to many local businesses. >> a lot of businesses didn't know what was going on. i mean, something as simple as taking a trash out. nobody knew where to put it. traditionally held inside the castro theater since 2022, the conference has also shut down two blocks of the street outside, putting up massive barriers and makeshift structures in the middle of the road, something several businesses we spoke to told us was detrimental. no business was allowed to happen. deliveries also, the event was closed in, so they were only allowed to stay in their area. >> katie duggan works at rossi's deli. he says after several difficult years during and after the pandemic, another week with little to no business was the l

abc seven news reporter tim johns went to find out about a robbery that the owner says is now forcingto shut down. >> every day for the past ten years, najari smith has opened up the front doors of his shop. but about two weeks ago, he walked into a surprise. >> all the display cases emptied out all of the inventory that we had on the wall. all the bicycle products, the lights, the locks. you know, different accessories. all of that stuff was gone. >> smith says his store rich city rides was robbed. the thieves getting away with about $10,000 worth of merchandise. >> it hurts on a different level. it's not a big box store. >> the impact on the business has been so large that smith says rich city rides will have to shut down for the foreseeable future, a devastating blow to the entire community, says contra costa county supervisor john gioia, who represents this district. >> this bike shop was more than a shop. it was really about culture. the culture of health, empowerment, working with young people and young adults. so this was really an attack on the community, not just the bike sho

. >> abc seven news reporter tim johns is hearing more about the trouble that lies with the trash . >arm is rising in lake tahoe. this week after this flier was found posted around the area. the flier calling attention to the local bear population, saying things like the black bears of lake tahoe are some of the most marginalized and oppressed species of life, and that they spend most of their life going from garbage can to garbage can, finding it locked due to selfish, heartless human beings leaving the bears with absolutely no choice but to starve to death or attempt a home invasion. finally, the flier calls on people to actually feed the bears. >> after my first read, i couldn't even decide if is this some kind of sick joke that someone's trying to play on the community? >> 2g silk is a local tahoe bear expert who says the information and the flier is false. he says. on wednesday, he saw dozens of them posted around south lake tahoe and began taking them down . >> i only pulled about two thirds of them down as i went through town, and it took me two hours. >> experts say these flie

that's where we find abc seven news reporter tim johns with what neighbors are saying about it all. >> this is the aftermath of a wild card chase thursday afternoon. in hand. lexus sedan. these are 99 hollow chocolate. >> and he the wrong way. >> 29. that car chase starting out in american canyon in napa county around 315 and ending up here in vallejo. the napa county sheriff's office says the chase started after they attempted to make a traffic stop for a vehicle code violation, but the driver of that car didn't stop the car ultimately became disabled near the intersection of sousa way and gateway drive. uh- cell phone in hand, single occupant. >> actually, no. we have multiple police say they then encountered a male suspect and an officer fired shots. >> ken wilson lives nearby and tells us he heard the whole thing. >> it sounded like i heard two shots and after i heard that uh- i put down the wood, i had my hand there and i went back to the back. >> the suspect was transported to a nearby hospital. armed police vehicles could then be seen searching the neighborhood for the second s

here's abc seven news reporter tim johns. >> it's one of america's favorite pastimes. but for kids under the age of 12, tackle football could soon be a relic of the past. in california, it's all thanks to a new bill authored by sacramento assembly member kevin mccarty that's making its way through the state legislature. >> when we look at kids under the age of 12 to tackle football is a high risk sport, doctor brian feely is the head of sports medicine at ucsf. >> he says he supports the bill because of the elevated risk of concussions that comes with tackle football. feely says these risks are especially heightened for young kids whose brains are in their most important stages of development. >> you're at higher risk for anxiety, depression, even suicidal ideation, julie says. >> instead of tackle football, flag football is a far safer option. not everyone agrees with this bill, though. that includes some local coaches here in oakland who tell me they fear that it will disrupt impact young kids of color do a lot of low income families. >> a lot of, uh, families that g

and tonight, abc seven news reporter tim johns has the latest in the case. >> nearly four days after the murder of officer twan lee, the oakland police department confirming tuesday the arrest of a suspect. sharing the news first with lee's fellow officers over dispatch radio. >> i just want to advise everybody that the killer of officer twan lee is in custody. please take care of each one of you. >> way was shot and killed friday morning when he attempted to stop a robbery at a local cannabis shop. there's a terrible pall of sadness. >> that's fallen over every oakland police officer. barry donovan is the president of the oakland police officers association. >> he says since the shooting, opd has been working nonstop to try and catch those responsible. >> you are going to jail. you are going to be behind bars. we are going to find you. >> in a press release, opd saying they've arrested several people in connection to lee's death, one of those arrests happening in the early hours of tuesday morning at a la quinta inn in livermore, according to one employee, the fact that so many arre

abc seven news reporter tim johns got the opportunity to sit down with one survivor in his home thisfternoon, and he shares his story. >> i think it's more important for non-jews eyes than it is for jews. i mean, we are so conscious of it every day. >> for bob horowitz, the holocaust is never too far from his mind. ahead of international holocaust remembrance day on saturday, he invited us into a south bay home to discuss his journey of survival. >> i've always had a. anxiety. >> born in modern day poland in 1937, horowitz says his early childhood was tumultuous, as throughout world war two, he and his family fled throughout europe, living underground for several years in the netherlands to evade capture by the, being smuggled through belgium, france and spain before managing to get on a ship to south america. ultimately, in 1944, horowitz's family was able to immigrate to the us, setting up a home in north carolina. he says the difficult memories from those years in europe and the constant threat of being captured still haunt him. >> we came so close, so many times during our conver

. >> yeah, but after some hiccups last year, abc seven news reporter tim johns tells us this time, things seem to be going smoothly. >> well, it might not have the fanfare of a pac or dreamforce. the jpmorgan chase health care conference rolled back into downtown san francisco this week. the conference is advertised as the largest gathering of health and biotech professionals in the world. it is a mega million dollar affair. abc seven news inside phil matier says given the conference's high profitability, city leaders have been keen to continue their streak of impressing high profile visitors. so far this year, the conference has gone on without any known incidents. good news for a city that's seen a big dip in its reputation in recent years. >> conventions are booked years in advance and so bad press, you start feeling it now. good press. you're going to feel for a couple. it won't take a couple more years for that to happen. >> last year's conference saw complaints over the high prices of hotels in the city. something that matter, says local leaders are aware of but can only do so much

this is the 37th year the groups have come together, and as abc seven news reporter tim johns tells us, with everything going on in the world right now, they feel the gathering is more important than ever. see carolyn ussÉ pray she for almost four decades, the members of congress nation, emmanuel and the third baptist church have gathered together in song and in prayer every mlk day weekend. >> this is what the world needs to see. there's too much division in too much hate. >> the gathering brings together people both young and old, from across san francisco. so the idea behind it, an interfaith and intercultural exchange between two minority communities to better understand one another, all of it in remembrance of the life and legacy of doctor martin luther king jr. >> more people want to be together and to listen to each other's stories and to be there for one another than not the connection between the black and jewish communities here in the u.s. extends far beyond just third baptist church, and congregation emanuel, though it's actually a relationship that goes back decades. >> re

tim johns abc seven news. firstrillionesponders and residents are preparing for a series of storms that threaten to bring flooding and landslides to the area. >> more than three inches of rain is expected to fall on the region over the next several days. p-g-and-e's says its staffing, utility crews and stocking up on transformers and power poles in case there are outages. many local residents spent the day preparing by filling sandbags and tarping roofs, hoping to keep the rain away. >> i am here to prevent shefs uh- water flooding the front of my house, diverting some water to get some sandbags to divert because of the heavy rains coming. >> and as sandhya said, the heavy rains and wind are expected to continue into wednesday. you can keep track of the rain anytime with the same live doppler seven that sandhya uses. just search abc seven bay area in your device's app store to download it now. new at 11 san francisco mayor london breed won't be signing the cease fire resolution for the israel-hamas war. mayor

abc seven news reporter jim tim johns on the options. governor gavin newsom in los angeles wednesday announcing a new state of the art tech and health research park, a collaboration between ucla and the private sector taking over a space that was once a westfield mall. >> this is a race for global dominance in this space. this is about exponentials. >> meanwhile, up north here in the bay area, our own mall in san francisco is seeing a new store close its doors. adidas announcing friday they'll be shutting down on january 13th. it's not just small space that's becoming more available in san francisco, though. around the city office, vacancies are at record levels. that level now at 35, according to the latest numbers, with all the unused space, there have been questions over whether san francisco could do something similar to l.a. >> you should be able to take a downtown core and make it into not just a business center, but an innovation center. >> sean randolph works with the bay area council's economic institute. he says since the end o

tim johns, abc seven news. okay tim, thank you very much. >> and there is a gofundme set up to support officer ley's family. you see it here over $95,000 right now, raised. you can find a link to it on our website, abc seven news.com. >> all right. right now let's get a check of current conditions from live doppler seven. it looks quiet because we're in between storms, but we've still got weather to talk about. check out the big waves. sky seven spotted flying along ocean beach in san francisco today in the sierra. ski resorts are relishing new snow and so are some four legged visitors at palace tahoe. how cute is this little guy? this is video provided by the resort. it received nine inches of snow in the last 24 hours, and more is on the way and for a look at both the fresh snow and the high surf, let's bring in abc seven news meteorologist sandhya patel . >> sandhya, give us the numbers. yeah, those numbers are actually good for this time of year. dan. and let's take a look at a live picture first and then we

abc seven news reporter tim johns spoke to several owners here in san francisco who have been preparing, to the disappointment of many. >> another wet weekend is in store for the bay area, preferably. >> don't like it so much, especially when it's really flooding and then, you know, it's kind of scary. >> in san francisco friday night, it was umbrellas up for many people outside on the streets. inside, though, preparations were taking place in a different way. >> san franciscans tend to stay home during the rain, so it can be challenging for businesses. >> amy cleary works with the golden gate restaurant association. she says bad weather can put a massive strain on local eateries, especially on weekends. >> i think it also depends on where you are in the city. i think there are some neighborhoods downtown. places like that tend to be busier during the week. >> last year, many restaurants and other businesses were hit by severe flooding after a particularly stormy winter. that was true at alta taqueria, where they were forced to close for several days. >> the people don't come in for a l

abc seven news reporter tim johns tells us the potential options to fill those vacancies. >> governor gavin newsom in los angeles wednesday announcing a new state of the art tech and health research park, a collaboration between ucla and the private sector taking over a space that was once a westfield mall. >> this is a race for global dominance in this space. this is about exponentials. >> meanwhile, up north here in the bay area, our own mall in san francisco is seen a new store close its doors. adidas announcing friday they'll be shutting down on january 13th. it's not just mall space that's becoming more available in san francisco, though. around the city, office vacancies are at record levels. that level now at 35, according to the latest numbers, with all the unused space, there have been questions over whether san francisco could do something similar to l.a. >> you should be able to take a downtown core and make it into not just a business center, but an innovation center. >> sean randolph works with the bay area council's economic institute. he says since the end of the pandem

as abc seven news reporter tim johns explains as they explain the show of unity, we have with unsavoryalmost four decades, the members of congregation emanuel and the third baptist church have gathered together in song and in prayer every mlk day weekend. >> this is what the world needs to see. there's too much division, too much hate. >> the gathering brings together people, both young and old, from across san francisco. the idea behind it, an interfaith and intercultural exchange between two minority communities to better understand one another. all of it in remembering of the life and legacy of doctor martin luther king junior. more people want to be together and to listen to each other's stories and to be there for one another than not the connection between the black and jewish community is here in the u.s. extends far beyond just third baptist church and congregation emanuel, though it's actually a relationship that goes back decades. reverend amos brown is the head of the third baptist church. he says jewish americans were instrumental in assisting the black community during the

abc seven news reporter tim johns tells us the potential options to fill those vacancies. governor gavin newsom in los angeles wednesday announcing a new state of the art tech and health research park, a collaboration between ucla and the private sector. >> taking over a space that was once a westfield mall. >> this is a race for global dominance in this space. this is about exponentials. >> meanwhile, up north here in the bay area, our own mall in san francisco is seen a new store close its doors. adidas announcing friday they'll be shutting down on january 13th. it's such a small space that's becoming more available in san francisco, though around the city office, vacancies are at record levels, that level now at 35, according to the latest numbers, with all the unused space, there have been questions over whether san francisco could do something similar to l.a. >> you should be able to take a downtown core and make it into not just a business center, but an innovation center, sean randolph works with the bay area council's economic institute. >> he says since the end of

here's abc seven news reporter tim johns with an effort to build a better bay area by addressing mental health needs. >> you know, no one wants to say , look, i feel i'm lonely with a unanimous vote by the board of supervisors. >> yes, yes, san mateo county has become the first county in america to recognize loneliness as a public health emergency. >> tsay. >> we have 45% of the people who find themselves being lonely and that suffer from loneliness. supervisor david canepa introduced the resolution he hopes will spur further action. >> he says since the pandemic, county statistics have shown loneliness. it's upload among the local population, a trend the country surgeon general says is also being seen nationwide. >> this is a problem that has been building for decades in our country. covid certainly worsened it. it poured fuel on the fire, but that fire was burning before or in addition to the countywide resolution, canepa is also sending a letter to governor gavin newsom. >> in it, he asked the governor to create a new minister of loneliness position for the state cannot says while sa

seven news reporter tim johns spoke to several owners here in san francisco who have been preparing, to the disappointment of many. >> another wet weekend is in store for the bay area, preferably don't like it so much, especially when it's really flooding. >> and then you know, it's kind of scary in san francisco friday night, it was umbrellas up for many people outside on the streets. >> inside, though, preparations were taking place in a different way. >> san franciscans tend to stay home during the rain, so it can be challenging for businesses. >> amy cleary works with the golden gate restaurant association. she says bad weather can put a massive strain on local eateries, especially on weekends. >> i think it also depends on where you are in the city. i think there are some neighborhoods downtown. town places like that tend to be busier during the week. last year, many restaurants and other businesses were hit by severe flooding after a particularly stormy winter. >> that was true at alta taqueria, where they were forced to close for several days. >> the people don't come in for a

the housing in, um, uh, community organizer asians, uh, after school programs in san francisco, tim johns, abc seven news. well with the new year comes a new law aimed to make a night on the town safer. >> now, we often hear about people going to a bar and not remembering anything, because someone may have slipped something into their drink. abc seven news reporter tara campbell shows us what's changing to make sure you're safe. reporter the goal is to make scenes like this more safe in just a matter of months. most bars and nightclubs across the state will be required to have drug testing kits available to help customers know if their drink has been spiked. >> i think it's super important, especially as a woman being out at night, um, continuing to alcohol. you don't want to be at the wrong place with the wrong people. i think it's a good idea. >> make people feel more safe. >> the kits typically include a strip sticker or straw that can detect common roofie or date rape drugs like ketamine or ghb. >> i worked here for a long time, and i've seen people sort of touch other people's drinks

tim johns, abc seven news. >> new. this morning, the us and british militaries bombed multiple targets in yemen, trying to retaliate against the houthi rebels in the red sea. this is the second time the two have coordinated attacks against the rebel group. officials say the strikes took out houthi missile storage sites, drones and missile launchers. several allies, including canada and australia, contributed to the mission with intelligence and surveillance. still to come, if you take transit, you might notice some changes at the stations. pretty soon. a new look coming to transit maps at bart, caltrain and muni, then cleanup begins across the bay area after heavy rain and winds left some serious damage behind. >> 609 this morning, it is a mix of sun and clouds. today, upper 50s to the lower 60s for daytime highs, but rain back in the forecast tomorrow morning and that will impact the wednesday morning commute. we'll go into detail with that next storm right after the break in order for small businesses to thrive, they

abc seven news reporter tim johns tells us more about this show of unity. >> we have an unsavory sheet >> for almost four decades, the members of congregation emanuel and the third baptist church have gathered together in song and in prayer every mlk day weekend. >> this is what the world needs to see. there's too much division, too much hate. the gathering brings together people, both young and old, from across san francisco. >> the idea behind it, an interfaith and intercultural exchange between two minority communities to better understand one another, all of it in remembrance of the life and legacy of doctor martin luther king jr. >> more people want to be together and to listen to each other's stories, and to be there for one another than not, the connection between the black and jewish communities here in the u.s. extends far beyond just third baptist church and congregation emanuel, though it's actually a relationship that goes back decades. >> reverend amos brown is the head of the third baptist church. he says jewish americans were instrumental in assisting the black community

abc7 news reporter tim johns is hearing more about the trouble that lies with the trash. >> the alarm is rising in lake tahoe this week after this flier was found posted around the area . the flier calling attention to the local bear population, saying things like the black bears of lake tahoe are some of the most marginalized and oppressed species of life, and that they spend most of their life going from garbage can to garbage can, finding it locked due to selfish, heartless human beings leaving the bears with absolutely no choice but to starve to death or attempt a home invasion. finally the flier calls on people to actually feed the bears. >> after my first read, i couldn't even decide if is this some kind of sick joke that someone's trying to play on the community? >> 2g cylch is a local tahoe bear expert who says the information and the flier is false. he says on wednesday, he saw dozens of them posted around south lake tahoe and began taking them down. >> i only pulled about two thirds of them down as i went through town, and it took me two hours. >> experts say these fliers ar

here's abc seven news reporter tim johns with an effort to build a better bay area by addressing mental needs. >> you know, no one wants to say, hey, look, i feel i'm lonely with a unanimous vote by the board of supervisors. >> yes, yes, san mateo county has become the first county in america to recognize loneliness as a public health emergency. >> we have 45% of the people who find themselves as being lonely, and that suffer from loneliness. >> supervisor david canepa introduced the resolution he hopes will spur further action. he says since the pandemic, county statistic have shown loneliness it explode among the local population. a trend the country surgeon general says is also being seen nationwide. >> this is a problem that has been building for decades in our country. covid certainly worsened it. it poured fuel on the fire, but that fire was burning before. >> in addition to the countywide resolution, canepa is also sending a letter to governor gavin newsom. in it, he asked the governor to create a new minister of loneliness position for the state. canepa says while san mateo coun

abc seven news reporter tim johns tells us. it's helping spark the local economy. a night to go kick the drum. >> my goal in this show, from the music to the singing to the dancing, step inside san francisco cerundolo. >> and it's like being transported all the way to south korea. the store, located in the sunset district, is the first and only k-pop store in the city. the great thing about k-pop is not just this music, but also like the idols themselves. >> like just how people are able to connect with the idols. >> kevin tang, co-owner and sarang holo, along with his two best friends. he tells me much of their merchandise is imported directly from korea and can't be found in other k-pop stores around the country. >> so if you're a huge collector of like k-pop photo cards, um, we're definitely the store to go to. >> everything from the latest albums to photo cards of the hottest k-pop stars. they even have this photo booth. so you have an opportunity to take a photo with your favorite k-pop idol, or even kevin. since launching four years ago, sarang holo has grown

abc seven news reporter tim johns has more on this sports standoff. >> it's one of america's favorite. but for kids under the age of 12, tackle football could soon be a relic of the past. in california, it's all thanks to a new bill authored by sacramento assembly member kevin mccarty that's making its way through the state legislature. >> when we look at kids under the age of 12. tackle football is a high risk sport. >> doctor brian feely is the head of sports medicine at ucsf. he says he supports the bill. because of the elevated risk of concussions that comes with tackle football. feely says these risks are especially heightened for young kids whose brains are in their most important stages of development. >> you're at higher risk for anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, julie says. >> instead of tackle football, flag football is a far safer option, not everyone agrees with this bill, though. that includes some local coaches here in oakland who tell me they fear that it will disproportion impact young kids of color. >> we do a lot of low income families, a lot of, uh, families t

abc7 news reporter tim johns got the opportunity to sit down with one survivor to share his story. >> i think it's more important for non-jews than it is for jews. i mean, we are so conscious of it every day. >> for bob horowitz, the holocaust is never too far from his mind. ahead of international holocaust remembrance day on saturday, he invited us into his south bay home to discuss his journey of survival. >> i've always had a great anxiety. >> born in modern day poland in 1937. horowitz says his early childhood was tumultuous throughout world war two. he and his family fled throughout europe, living underground for several years in the netherlands to evade capture by the. being smuggled through belgium, france and spain before managing to get on a ship to south america, ultimately, in 1944, horowitz's family was able to immigrate to the us, setting up a home in north carolina. he says the difficult memories from those years in europe and the constant threat of being captured still haunt him. >> we came so close so many times during our conversation. >> he recounted one especially t

seven news reporter tim johns spoke to several owners here in san francisco who have already been preparing to the disappointment of many another wet weekend is in store for the bay area. >> preferably don't like it so much, especially when it's really flooding. and then, you know, it's kind of scary. >> in san francisco friday night, it was umbrellas up for many people outside on the streets, inside the preparations were taking place in a different way. >> san franciscans tend to stay home during the rain so it can be challenging for businesses. >> amy cleary works with the golden gate restaurant association. she says bad weather can put a massive strain on local eateries, especially on weekends. >> i think it also depends on where you are in the city. i think there are some neighborhoods downtown, places like that tend to be busier during the week. >> last year, many restaurants and other businesses were hit by severe flooding after a particularly stormy winter. that was true at el taqueria, where they were forced to close for several days. >> the people don't come in for a long time, so