Transcripts For KGO ABC7 News 500PM 20240712

Excuse me. The procession from the hospital to here began about an hour ago. Firefighters and other First Responders have lined the entire route and theyve already been joined by some civilians who want to show their support. A lot of people wanted to pay tribute. Such a tragedy. And that family now having to deal with what happened. Good evening. Im ama daetz. And im dan ash areally. Thank you for joining us. Its a terrible loss. Jason cortez was injured during a Training Exercise this morning. He died at the hospital a short time later. Abc 7 News Reporter kate larsen is live with the very latest on, kate, a very tragic story. Reporter absolutely, dan. Were still out here in front of San Francisco General Hospital and an hour ago you guys were showing that procession. This entire driveway and this entrance to the Emergency Department was filled with countless firefighters, Police Officers and sheriffs deputies who were all trying to pay their respects to jason cortez, who died around 11 00 this morning, as you say after there was an accident during a training drill. Lets take a look. This is firefighter and paramedic jason cortez. He was 42 years old. He had this accident around 10 00 this morning. And then he died an hour later here at the hospital. Cortez started with the San Francisco Fire Department in 2007 and was recently assigned to station number 3 in the tenderloin which sffd says is the busiest station in the country. Youre looking at some more video of the incredible moving procession. I stood out here for hours. The folks who were here, the firefighters and Law Enforcement officers must have stood here for four hours waiting at the hospital before cortezs body came out and the procession began. There was an incredibly moving moment where a ladder truck drove down the street away from the hospital full of firefighters sitting on top of the ladder. And as youve been describing, theyve been moving through the streets of San Francisco to the medical Examiners Office. Of course cortez was a husband and father of two small Young Children and thats just been devastating for everyone here at the hospital to think about. These little boys losing their dad. Jason is not only a fellow firefighter paramedic. Hes a friend to all. Hes an advocate for public safety. Hes a father. Of two children. A husband to an amazing wife. And a child to a retired San Francisco firefighter. Reporter San Francisco fire chief Janine Nicholson and mayor london breed were also here at the hospital, and they addressed dozens of firefighters and Police Officers and sheriffs deputies who were here standing by, as weve described. Mayor breed thanked cortez for his years of service and told First Responders to continue doing what jason loved to do, which was saving lives. Right now were all standing by outside the Emergency Department, waiting for chief nicholson to come back to the hospital. Shes going to brief us again perhaps with more information about what happened today and of course im sure shes going to speak from the heart about what a wonderful and dedicated firefighter jason cortez was. Shes just on her way back now from the medical Examiners Office. So well have that for you later. Live at San Francisco General Hospital im kate larsen, abc 7 news. Back to you. I can only imagine that familys pain. Lets go live now to the Fire Department Training Facility where this accident happened. Abc 7 News Reporter j. R. Stone is at the site in the mission district. And j. R. , this facility is regularly used for search and rescue operations as well as ladder training. Reporter it certainly is, ama. And here we are seven hours after this accident happened and the scene is still roped off with yellow do not enter crime scene area. Let me step out of the way and you can see exactly what im talking about. You see the massive Training Facility behind me. It goes well into the air. Now, officials havent said exactly what happened. But all of the focus today has been on the second floor and the first floor. Those first couple of doors weve seen what appears to be investigators going in and out of those doors. And then a lot of the focus has been below, on the ground. Now, they have not said this evening if he fell off that or not. But the focus and the area thats been roped off with this yellow tape is directly below that. Now, in the video you can see former fire chief joanne hayes white. Up until her retirement last year she was arguably the most wellknown person with the Fire Department. Out here to support today. This accident happened around 10 00 this morning. Ive talked with a number of neighbors who were home but none of them actually saw or heard anything. They say they are so used to stuff going on here that they didnt notice. One neighbor did say and described the intense training that usually takes place out here. Sometimes i see some pretty wild things. A big building gets used for some pretty intense exercises. A scary one i saw the other day was they were practicing on one of the big ladders. So i just looked out my window and this guy was way up in the sky on one of the ladders. I finally got to hear him say im scared, let me down. A lot of people in this area didnt even look out the window until they heard some of the choppers later in the afternoon. And back here live one more time you are looking at that Training Facility where all of this went down. Awaiting so many details as to what exactly happened. Weve seen a number of fire trucks driving by with their lights on and their sen ceainl a very difficult day for the San Francisco Fire Department. Reporting live in San Francisco, j. R. Stone, abc 7 news. Yeah. Certainly is, j. R. Thank you. And as we mentioned before, right now cortezs body is about to arrive at the San Francisco medical Examiners Office. We are taking a live look from streets nearby. You see it there, you see all the lights and the firefighters still paying their respects. This is 3rd street and evans avenue. You can see the medical examiner van there. The procession from the hospital to here began about an hour ago. Firefighters and other First Responders have been lining the entire route and theyve already been joined by some civilians who are also out there because so many people want to share their support and really so many people are wondering how this happened at a training incident. Were expecting a News Conference to happen shortly. Hopefully we will learn a little bit more. Regardless we will bring that News Conference to you live when it happens. Honoring the memory of jason cortez. In the north bay the family of a man shot and killed by napa county deputies wants to know exactly what led up to his death. The shooting happened monday following what deputies say was a routine traffic stop. Abc 7 News Reporter Wayne Friedman talked with the victims family. Reporter this is a family bereft with grief, and just beneath the depth of that many questions. It just feels unreal. Just a nightmare. Reporter Adrian Garcia, 16 years old, trying to make sense of his fathers death. One Adrian Garcia died yesterday after a napa county sheriffs deputy shot him monday night. They say it began with a routine traffic stop at kaiser road. He was a really good dad. Reporter the Sheriffs Department was not taking questions about this on camera today but did issue a statement. It says the traffic stop went bad when garcia got out of his car and began walking toward a deputy with his hand behind his back. The deputy asked him to show that hand. Garcia did not. He continued to advance. The deputy shot in selfdefense. The Department Says all of this will be clear in a body cam video to be released next week. Why not just get tased, pepper sprayed . A gun to the leg. Something different. It could have thats not the type of system i want to live in. Reporter another question, why if the shooting happened monday night, did the Sheriffs Department not contact the family until Tuesday Morning when juan garcia was dying in the hospital . So he was in the hospital all that time . Yeah. And you didnt know . We didnt know. Reporter juan garcia was a sheriff. 47 years old. The sole support for his wife and family. They have three children. Theyve established a gofundme page to pay for what they expect to be a large hospital bill. In napa Wayne Friedman, abc 7 news. The arrests of 125 undocumented immigrants in sanctuary cities in california. I. C. E. Released this video today of the weeklong operation that ended alast saturday. Some raids took place in bay area cities including daly city and this one in San Francisco where a man was arrested for having two duis. Federal immigration Officials Say agents focused on cities with sanctuary policies and on people who were arrested for crimes but were released despite having immigration detainers against them. San mateo county supervisor david canaba responded to the raids today saying this sweep is another political ploy by the Trump Administration to undermine californias statewide sanctuary law. These raids tear apart the lives of hardworking immigrants and their families, who contribute vitally to the states economy and culture. State lawmakers demanded answers from the e. D. D. s top officials today on why thousands are still waiting for benefits while fraud remains rampant. It happened at an Assembly Hearing and 7 on your sides Michael Finney is live with an update. And michael, the e. D. D. s problems were really exposed since the beginning of this pandemic. Yeah, ive got to tell you, weve been reporting on this for a very long time, and today you may remember that the e. D. D. Took two weeks to what it called reset. Well, today lawmakers wanted to know whats changed since then. What is better . As it turns out, the lawmakers were not too impressed. E. D. D. Officials reported that a new i. D. Verification system is now in place and 64 of new claims are automatically verified. However, Lawmakers Said e. D. D. Has barely put a dent in a backlog of more than 1. 5 million claims. Those wont be cleared up till next year. It went down from 1. 6 million to 1. 3 million. So not a big dent in that. Youre saying that you wont liquidate the backlog until january 2021. Can you tell me why its going to take that long to do that . Yes. Youre correct. Its going to take that long because thats the work is very complex and complicated. We have x number of professional staff. Reporter the e. D. D. Also reported it has 75 open fraud cases. The director still has no idea how much e. D. D. Paid out to scamsters. Some legislators think it could be in the billions. We will be keeping track of that number. And the backlog. How its being dealt with. And ama, dan, ill report back. All right. Thank you, michael. Well, some clarity on when california theme parks might reopen. What the governor is now saying, next. Plus, new relief for restaurants. A cap on delivery fees is now approved for the city of walnut they do one of the most deven in normal times. S, our Frontline Health care workers. And when these heroes lack the resources they need, that risky job gets ten times harder. Prop fifteen makes corporations pay their fair share. To invest in our communities, in our clinics, in the essential workers who treat everyone rich, poor, and inbetween. Whether its this pandemic or the next health crisis, vote yes on prop fifteen. For all of us. When you take a it all begins to unravel. Ann ravels no reformer, shes backed by big corporations whove poured hundreds of thousands into her campaign. And she opposes ballot measures to make the economy more fair for working people. Only dave cortese is endorsed by the California Democratic party. Hes helping us battle the pandemic with a sciencebased approach. And expanding Health Services and child care to those in need. For state senate, Democrat Dave cortese. As we continue with breaking News Coverage on the tragic death of San Francisco firefighter jason cortez, youre looking at live pictures now where a procession was made from the hospital to the medical Examiners Office with firefighters following in tow, honoring his memory. A 42yearold firefighter killed in a tragic accident during a Training Exercise today, believed to be a fall of some height to the street below. He was treated at the scene, then taken to the hospital, where he died a short later. As you can see, police and firefighters have gathered now, wearing face masks of course, practicing protective measures because of the covid crisis. But they are at the medical Examiners Office now where they escorted jason cortezs body. Hes a firefighter with 13 years on the Firefighting Department since 2007, a wife and two children, Young Children. Killed today in a tragic accident. Were expecting a News Conference very shortly from mayor london breed and others, and we will bring that to you. A tragic loss for the family and for a department and for the city today. Jason cortez killed in a training accident. Well stay on top of that but lets move on for the moment. The Walnut Creek City Council unanimously approved an emergency ordinance last night to help out local restaurants that are struggling so badly during the pandemic. As abc 7 News Reporter Leslie Brinkley explains, it is all focused now on takeout. Let me get a table set up here. Reporter for many walnut creek restaurants of their business. Now its their bread and butter, comprising 70 or more of their business. We pay anywhere between 25 to 30 for thirdparty deliveries. Door dash, uber eats. 30 cost, you lose money by using a delivery service. Reporter so walnut creek stepped in, approving an ordinance to put a 15 cap on Restaurant Delivery fees for the next six months. And they were shocked they didnt get any opposition from the Delivery Companies. The staff actually reached out to a couple of the third marty Delivery Companies and theyre aware of it. Its been happening throughout the bay area and other cities. They were not discouraging of it. The impact for the restaurants is great. It could mean tens of thousands of restaurants per month for some of these restaurants. Oh, my gosh. Its great. Thank the city of walnut creek and really stepping up to the plate and helping our restaurant community. This will be a hug pey,rill h o us through to where we need to be. Reporter while that 15 cap is certainly being celebrated here, what some of the Restaurant Owners and managers told me is what helps them out even more is if you call them directly to place an order and come down yourself to pick it up. In downtown walnut creek im Leslie Brinkley, abc 7 news. And we reached out to door dash about the cap and the company responded, a cap to our commissions means we may not be able to provide the level of quality customers expect, pay dashers meaningful earnings, and drive volume and sales that are so important to restaurants right now. Well, youll have to wait longer for that next trip to an Amusement Park in california. Today Governor Newsom said talks are ongoing with the parks that have been closed since march. The governor said he and Disneys Bob Iger had disagreements over reopening disneyland and theyre going to let science dictate the reopenings. Its expected to happen when virus rates stabilize. Last friday Governor Newsom delayed releasing park operating rules following criticism from the industry. Disney is the Parent Company of abc 7. The governor is also taking new action on climate change. Would conserve 30 of the states lands and coastal waters by 2030. The order directs the states Natural Resources agency to draw up a plan by february 1st, 2022. He says the goal is to protect the states economy and its Agricultural Industry while protecting the animals and plants that live in the state. The governor said california will be the first state in the nation to do this type of land and coastal conservation. More to come here. Were seeing grayer skies and cooler temperatures. But will we see any rain . Hmm. Abc 7 news proposition 16 takes some women make as little as 42 of what a man makes. Voting yes on prop 16 helps us fix that. Its supported by leaders like Kamala Harris and opposed by those who have always opposed equality. We either fall from grace or we rise. Together. Proposition 16 provides equal opportunities, levelling the Playing Field for all of us. Vote yes on prop 16. The unfair money bail system. He, accused of rape. While he, accused of stealing 5. The stanford rapist could afford bail; got out the same day. The Senior Citizen could not; forced to wait in jail nearly a year. Voting yes on prop 25 ends this failed system, replacing it with one based on public safety. Because the size of your wallet shouldnt determine whether or not youre in jail. Vote yes on prop 25 to end money bail. Announcer now your accuweather forecast with sandhya patel. Good evening, everyone. It is a lovely day today. The temperatures have dropped, as expected, and i want to show you a beautiful view from our Golden Gate Bridge camera. We are seeing blue skies, as you will notice, and a nice breeze blowing through our region right now. Temperatures are down 14 degrees cooler in novato. 16 degree drop in fairfield and 9 degrees cooler in san jose. Unfortunately, the air quality is not great. It is poor for sensitive groups in santa rosa, San Francisco, oakland, moderate around fairfield, livermore, concord, fremont, san jose in yellow and we do have . Good to moderate air quality right around the santa cruz mountains. So the spare the air alert continues tomorrow. The worst of the air quality expected in the north bay, closer to the glass fire. Friday, saturday, sunday looks like we will see some improvement across the region. Live doppler 7 right now showing you some fog near the coast. That is going to be changing as that marine layer expands overnight tonight. From our east bay hills camera its a hazy view. 67 in san jose. 58 degrees in pacifica. Highs so far anywhere from the upper 50s to the low 80s. A far cry from those 90s that we experienced yesterday. And heres the view from our south beach camera as we look toward the bay bridge there. Low 70s from santa rosa to naama. It is in the upper 70s for fairfield, concord, livermore, 76 degrees. And heres the view from San Francisco. Exploratorium camera giving us that view. Widespread low clouds and patchy morning drizzle. Cooling continues inland tomorrow and i hate to be the bearer of bad news but now only a slight chance of showers on saturday. Hour by hour look showing you the expansion of the marine layer as we head into 5 00 a. M. Were going to see higher clouds as well going into 8 00 a. M. And some drizzle. And then for the afternoon the sun will be filtered by not just the clouds but also the haze across the region. So tomorrow morning anywhere from the upper 40s to upper 50s. It is going to be a cool night. And we will see the spotty drizzle to start off the day. Tomorrow afternoon youre looking at temperatures ranging from the upper 50s to the mid 70s. So the cooling will continue inland. You will notice only 73 in concord, 72 livermore. This feels more like november than october. 70 in san jose, 66 oakland. 68 in napa, san rafael, 72 santa rosa. 62 degrees in San Francisco. The cooler patterns certainly helpful to the firefighters battling the fires around the state and the glass fire as well. Hour by hour look, you notice that low pressure system just skirting the coastline. And then it heads down toward southern california. So its really going to miss us. If anything, the Pacific Northwest stands to benefit with rain. For us here in the bay area the cooler pattern continues but what we will have is a slight possibility of a couple of showers saturday but thats it now. That storm impact scale will likely have to be removed. The accuweather sevenday forecast, spare the air tomorrow. Cooling continues around the inland areas. Partly cloudy friday, slight chance of a few showers saturday but its not a game changer. If we get anything, its going to be a tenth of an inch or less, primarily from spotty showers or drizzle. And then were going to go with the warmer pattern with offshore winds sunday, monday. Even warmer than that tuesday and wednesday were going to be looking at 70s, coastside to the low 90s inland. Ama and dan. All right. Thank you for that update, sandhya. The as facing elimination in the Division Series turned in an incredible traffic and air pollution will be even worse after the pandemic. Thats why we support measure rr to keep caltrain running. Which is at risk of shutdown because of the crisis. To keep millions of cars off our roads, to reduce air pollution and fight climate change. And measure rr helps essential workers like me get to work and keep our communities healthy. Relieve traffic. Reduce pollution. Rescue caltrain. [all] yes on measure rr. They do one of the most deven in normal times. S, our Frontline Health care workers. And when these heroes lack the resources they need, that risky job gets ten times harder. Prop fifteen makes corporations pay their fair share. To invest in our communities, in our clinics, in the essential workers who treat everyone rich, poor, and inbetween. Whether its this pandemic or the next health crisis, vote yes on prop fifteen. For all of us. Hi, everyone. Michael finney here. I know many of you are waiting for your unemployment or covid19 payments. So i asked the e. D. D. Whats going on. Why cant our viewers get their money . Theres a number of Different Things that could impact someones eligibility. 7 on your side got your emails. Hundreds of emails. All about the e. D. D. And you deserve better. Thats why i promise to keep asking the tough questions and getting answers. So stay with us and well stay on it. The oakland as live to fight another day in their American League Division Series against the houston astros. The as battled back from a 3run deficit when third baseman chad pinder blaflted a seventh. After scratching out two more runs the as put the game in the hands of closer liam hendricks. He slammed the door, throwing three scoreless innings including this strikeout of former a josh reddick with the tying runs on. I mean, shoot, we live another day. And thats as far as you take it. So its going to be the same thing tomorrow. Hardfought game again for us today. These things dont seem to come easy. But weve got another day. Unbelievable. The astros now lead the series two games two one. Game 4 tomorrow afternoon once again from the playoff bubble at dodger stadium. Ama, that is good stuff. We need this. Yeah. Certainly is. Its a nice change of pace, right . Thanks for joining us. World news tonight with david muir is next. Im ama dietz. Im dan ashley. For sandhya patel and they do one of the most deven in normal times. S, our Frontline Health care workers. And when these heroes lack the resources they need, that risky job gets ten times harder. Prop fifteen makes corporations pay their fair share. To invest in our communities, in our clinics, in the essential workers who treat everyone rich, poor, and inbetween. Whether its this pandemic or the next health crisis, vote yes on prop fifteen. For all of us. Traffic and air pollution will be even worse after the pandemic. Thats why we support measure rr to keep caltrain running. Which is at risk of shutdown because of the crisis. To keep millions of cars off our roads, to reduce air pollution and fight climate change. And measure rr helps essential workers like me get to work and keep our communities healthy. Relieve traffic. Reduce pollution. Rescue caltrain. [all] yes on measure rr. Im voting yes on prop 19. Nineteen limits taxes on seniors. It limits property tax on people like me. Nineteen limits taxes on wildfire victims. It says so right here. If 19 passes, seniors can move closer to family or medical care. I looked at moving but i cant afford the taxes. Will you help californias most vulnerable . Vote yes on prop 19. Tonight, several developing stories as we come on the air. Were just hours away from the big vp debate, as President Trump breaks isolation, returning to the oval office, despite his infection. And the president posting video moments ago from the rose garden. Earlier, a marine standing guard as the president receiving a briefing inside. Two members of the president s inner circle in the oval office with him. The white house insisting tonight safety procedures are in place. In world if the president is still taking the powerful steroid he was zbichb given at reed. All of this as we are just hours away now from tonights Vice President ial debate showdown. The stage set. The two will now be more than 12 feet apart, separated by those plexiglass shields. The Biden Harris Team ask eed f