Transcripts For KGO ABC7 20240703

Ongoing theft problem. Good evening. Im amanda. And im julian glover. The governor says the unprecedented investment will help hire more police, leading to more arrest and more felony prosecutions. Abc seven News Reporter Suzanne Vaughan joins us live from the newsroom with more on what local Law Enforcement and leaders are saying about that money suzanne. So, julian, we contacted the Police Department, the Sheriffs Office and the da in both San Francisco and san mateo counties. They tell us organized retail theft hurts our communities and this money will go a long way to help curb that crime. Weve seen the video, bold, brazen thieves making off with thousands of dollars of luxury items. We also see thieves pocketing everyday items. Police say this is not simple shop lifting, but the organized retail crime thats costing california billions of dollars. Governor gavin newsom is devoting 267 million to 55 cities to curb the crimes. Its a welcome breath of fresh air. San francisco sheriff Paul Miyamoto says its important to have the Financial Support to combat organized retail theft rings. Hes impressed by the governors commitment to the issue. Flash mobs coming in, taking a large amount of property and merchandise and then reselling that. And thats what we want to curtail. 41 sheriffs and Police Departments will be awarded up to 24 million each. That would help create retail theft, investigative units, train Loss Prevention officers and install advanced surveillance technology. Sfpd says theyre on board. Would love to have these resources to help hire officers to help combat the issue of organized retail theft in san mateo county. Thieves hit the sephora recently and stole 3,500 worth of perfume. Thieves also hit this lego store and stole just as much in legos. Police made arrests in both cases. San mateo county supervisor dave canepa says he welcomes the grant money slated for his sheriffs department, but he thinks more changes are needed, especially with current legislation. We have to look at these penalties and the penalties that we have in place arent working when it comes to retail theft and organized crime. That has to be revised. And we have to look at prosecuting at a higher level than is currently being prosecuted at San Francisco. Residents like Rachel Clayton have seen plenty of people shoplifting the items at this walgreens in the Richmond District are locked up behind plastic shields. The freezer section chained off. Im sorry to say that it sounds like its pretty much endemic in the culture anywhere you go, but the hope is this new money from the state will give Law Enforcement and local leaders the support they need to fight back against crime. 13 District Attorneys offices across the state could get up to 2 million each. The San Francisco das office says the governors historic investment is welcome and appreciate dated and it will support local Law Enforcement by bolstering their efforts to prevent and prosecute crimes. Live in the newsroom, suzanne fan abc7 news. Okay. Thank you, suzanne. Governor gavin newsom is promising to intervene if a federal court ends up blocking San Francisco from clearing encampments. Newsom believes the judge has gone too far and is preventing the state from solving a critical issue. He reiterated this today at the dreamforce conference. The case could prevent unhoused people from being moved from their encampments until more shelter beds are made available. Sf city leaders say the decision makes clearing streets nearly impossible, and they claim people are often refusing shelter even when its available. Late this afternoon at the dreamforce conference, salesforce Ceo Marc Benioff sat down with Governor Newsom to talk about many of the issues from the homelessness crisis to questions about the perception of San Francisco and abc7. News insider phil matier was monitoring that discussion. He joins us live now in the studio with his thoughts. They covered a little bit of everything here. Yeah, they did. But one of the first things that they talked about and benioff brought up right out of the gate was a familiar one when were just talking about homelessness, its been a problem for decades. And the governor said something you might not expect to hear from a selfdescribed progressive democrat at the challenges. You may have seen some of you, 1 or 2 of you, that we cant even legally now. Now, move folks on and clean up these encampments because weve been enjoying by some of these federal courts. And so yesterday we announced we were doing an amicus brief to go to the Supreme Court. And thats a hell of a statement for a democratic governor from california saying, we need help from the United States Supreme Court and its time for cities to step up. Its no longer acceptable whats happening on the streets and sidewalks. Enough is behavior. We cannot put up with it. Its not right. And people are dying on our watch and we own this. And so what we want more than anything else is accountability. And phil benioff kind of ruffled a few feathers a few weeks ago when he suggested that dreamforce could actually leave San Francisco. So did that come up at all . Yeah, it sure did. And he did. And you know, the mayor was not happy with that, saying that the last couple of dream forces were largely successful. But the exchange had the big issue was the perception of the city that were starting to see and have seen around the country. And thats far from stellar. And if you listen to the noise coming from around the country, well, lets just hear what they had to say, not how many of you have had a good experience so far in San Francisco. Raise your hands. All right. Seeing in my favorite crowd. No, but do you see that . Do you see that . What just happened . I said, how many people are having a great experience all these hands. Now, listen to us. Why can San Francisco not be like this every single day . Why does it take us having to say what is it . What can what is that . The answer is yes. It can be like this. And now theres renewed energy. The mayor, youre seeing it. Shes saying the right things. I mean, she was out there protesting the courts a few weeks ago, which was an example. Things have shifted. Youve had it. You want accountability and everybodys job is on the line. It should be. And youre right to be angry about this. And i just want to acknowledge that and acknowledge now that youre not interested in this same conversation a year from now, youre only interested in real results. And thats our commitment to all of you. I want to give you a couple of numbers to think about. Cal fornia has 172,000 estimated homeless. Thats one third of the homeless in the entire us. We spent 7. 2 billion cleaning up encampments, providing trying to provide housing, health and such. That comes to 42,000 per homeless person. Thats three times the u. S. Annual tuition. Wow. And what are we getting for the money . Thats the question being asked. And thats the question the governor is asking. I think a lot of folks that have been here, though, for the dreamforce conference have liked what theyve seen so far when it comes to that. So why cant we clean it up and keep it clean as the governor said, its all a question of whether we want to or not. And thats up to us. Well have to see how it plays out. We appreciate it. Thank you. Phil, a date for the state trial of paul pelosis suspected attacker wont be announced until the end of his federal case. Attorneys for david depape were in court for a status hearing today. A judge ordered them back on november 29th. Thats when a california trial date may be set by then, two federal trial, which begins on november 9th, is expected to be wrapped up. Depape is accused of assaulting Nancy Pelosis husband, paul, inside their San Francisco home in october last year. He has pleaded not guilty to a string of state and federal charges, including attempted murder. A Vallejo Police Department Whistleblower has settled a lawsuit with the city for close to a million dollars. Former Police Captain john whitney was fired after reporting allegations of badge bending to the city. So officers were allegedly bending down the corners of their badges following Police Involved shootings. Abc7 news iteam reporter melanie withrow has covered the story for close to three years now. She has our update. After being fired from the Vallejo Police department, former captain john whitney says he now feels some vindication and a lot of emotions. Im sorry, i just. Whitney and his attorney, jamie walker of william ivory, say tuesday night the city Council Voted to approve a nearly 1 million settlement to whitneys whistleblower lawsuit. Whitney says he was fired for reporting unethical and corrupt behavior within the Vallejo Police department, including badge bending officers, had been bending down the corners of their badges following shootings. I have received awards for Lifetime Achievement out from the peace officer standards and training, and i was ready for the next step in my career and they took all of that away from me. Walker says the settlement sends a clear message. Vallejo fired a whistleblower. You dont pay nearly 1 million when you did the right thing at issue has been the intention behind badge bending, which i discussed with both sides last year. These officers were celebrating in a gang like ritualistic fashion the murder and death of black and brown people in the city of vallejo. The officers had to confront a lethal force incident, and it was a way of acknowledging that the Solano County District Attorney refused to investigate , exclusively, telling me in february of last year, we dont we dont chase rumors. We dont chase rumors. The Vallejo Police department launched and concluded an independent Third Party Investigation. But the findings have never been publicly released. I think the community has a right to know what was going on inside their Police Department. The vallejo city manager said monday in a statement. The city is prohibited from releasing the report because it is a peace officer personnel record. But even the officers implicated have called for the report to be released. According to their attorney, mike raines, by email. Raines told me the city should be ashamed of itself for not releasing the investigation and correcting the false narrative to have officers commemorating their shootings with this ritual where they bend their badges. It just it creates a stain on the department. It creates the perception in that theyre celebrating it, even if thats not what they were doing. Whitney, who is now working as a Patrol Officer for el cerrito police, says the most difficult part has been losing his career trajectory. Still he says, hed do it all over again, despite everything that happened. Yes, i would still report it. Its what we are mandated to do in Law Enforcement. The iteam reached out to the city of vallejo, the city Attorneys Office, the Vallejo Police department, Vallejo Police officers association, and the Attorney Generals Office for comment, city manager mike malone said he had no comment on this at this time. We have not yet heard back from the others by email today. Solano County District attorney krisna abrams told the iteam none of the findings in the independent Third Party Investigation into badge bending gave rise to criminal liability in the newsroom for the it Melanie Woodrow abc7 news. After the break, the latest on the allegations of conspiracy and bribery against five east bay Police Officers. Well have the latest on their Court Appearance today as Community Activists weigh in on the scandal. Abc7 news at five. Not a choice, but getting help and finding treatment for your meth or cocaine addiction is up to you. Treatment for stimulant use disorder is often covered through medical, medicare, and many private insurance plans. Choose change california. Find proven Treatment Options like contingency management that are right for you at choosechangeca. Org. gentle music every business deserves a great deal. That are right for you at choosechangeca. Org. Thats why comcast business is launching the mobile made free event. With our business internet, new and existing customers can get one year of unlimited mobile for free. Its our best internet. Powered by the next generation 10g network and with 99. 9 reliability. Plus one line of free mobile for an entire year. Its the mobile made free eventhappening now. Get started for just 49. 99 a month. Plus, ask how to get one free line of unlimited mobile. Comcast business, powering possibilities. Instead unrelated conspiracy and bribery charges filed by the contra costa County District Attorneys Office. Abc7 News Reporter azhar hassan has more. Five Police Officers appeared in a Contra Costa County courtroom to be arraigned on charges of conspiracy and bribery. None entered a plea. Instead waiving their rights to a speedy trial. Defense attorney may advise their client that in the interest of the case that it would give the defense more time to prepare for the case. If they waive those rights. Thats exactly what happened today. The contra costa County District Attorneys Office filed charges against the five officers for allegedly engaging in criminal conspiracy and accepting bribes for voting citations of their friends. The charges set forth in these complaints allege offenses of public corruption Contra Costa County da dana beckton said in a statement. I seen the look on some of their faces. They look like theyre ashamed and they look like they didnt want to be there. Of course, at and i feel like its just its time. Its time for this change to happen. And this needs to happen. They need to have their day in court. Frank sterling is with the group reimagined antioch and one of several Community Activists who have regularly attended Court Hearings related to the Antioch Police texting scandal. Four officers involved from the antioch Police Department there, Timothy Manley williams, calvin prado, Andrea Rodriguez and ben padilla. Officer juan ernesto mejia. Orozco is with pittsburg pd. Whether theyre going to prove their innocence or prove their guilt, its the process. And we need to Pay Attention to it. Officer Manley Williams and his attorney declined to be interviewed, but Court Documents show that between 2020 and 2021, Manley Williams was allegedly involved in trying to clear a speeding ticket and to prevent officer rodriguez from appearing in court in exchange for her getting a bottle of tequila. Manley williams is also one of the ten officers indicted in august in the fbis Ongoing Investigation into the antioch in pittsburg, Police Departments. There has been no accountability in antioch for decades. And this is a result of having people with a lot of power here that are not being respectful of the community that theyre supposed to be serving. So its deeply troubling for the society as a whole. Its deeply troubling for the anti community and so were just trying to shed light on it. Several of the other officers and their attorneys also declined to comment in martinez answer hassan, abc seven news. The Bay Area College professor who testified against the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh is telling her story in a new book. Christine blasey ford appeared before the Senate Judiciary committee in 2018 and accused kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her while they were in high school. Blasey fords memoir is entitled one way back, and according to her publisher, the book will reveal new details about the lead up to her testimony and its, quote, overwhelming aftermath. The memoir is scheduled for publication next march. Coming up, were now learning whats in store for the home of San Franciscos former cliff house restaurant. The plans Just Announced today ridership day since the start of the pandemic, with over 192,000 rides. It comes as salesforce kicked off its dream force conference in San Francisco yesterday. That number surpassed the previous record of 190,000 rides during the warriors 2022 championship parade back in june of last year. Wasnt that a time . Last month, the average weekday ridership was over 166,000 commuters still just 40 of those prepandemic levels, though. All right. It is time now to get a check on the weather. Yeah. Abc7 news meteorologist sandy patel is here with a look at that forecast. Hey, sandy. Hi there. Yeah. And julian and it is changing as we head towards the end of the workweek and into the weekend. Lets talk about what it looks like right now. Good evening to all of you. Weve got a nice combination of sun and some fog, as you can see from our tower cameras right now. Temperatures for most areas running higher than where they were yesterday by a couple of degrees. So it was a warmer day as high pressure. A very weak just nudged in a little bit, providing us with more of a northerly wind. We do have some thunderstorms that have developed over the sierra. Now were just looking at showers, but at least theyre having getting some rain associated with those storms. As we take a look at live doppler seven fog is sitting right near the coast. It is going to expand during the overnight hours and like this morning, many of you will wake up to gray skies. Right now we have 90 soquels inland 50s, coast side. Our temperatures today making it up into the mid 90s in places like fairfield, uh this afternoon for our warmest spots. All right, lets take a look at the air quality. Its going to be good. The next four days. Just like it is right now. So you do have good fresh air to enjoy and sunshine from our walnut creek camera. Coastal fog spreads overnight some morning drizzle. Were looking at mild to warm weather tomorrow afternoon and it is going to turn breezy and below average this weekend. So we go by hour by hour here at 6 00 tonight. Fog near the coast at 50 60s inland areas in the 80s. Notice that as we head towards 8 00 pm, those temperatures are coming down. The fog is expanding into the bayside communities and by tomorrow morning were going to see a lot more more in the way of gray along with some spotty drizzle tomorrow afternoon. Upper 80s to low 90s will do it for our inland valleys along the coastline in the 60s. Watch out tomorrow morning the fog the drizzle around so visibility will be poor. Temperatures in the 50s and 60s tomorrow afternoon. Its a nice day similar to today, perhaps down a few degrees. So were looking at mid to upper 80s, even some low 90s inland low 60s coast side and breezy. Heres a look at the accuweather seven day forecast temperatures trending lower especially as we head towards the end of the workweek and going into the weekend. It is going to be below average for several days is right on through early next week. Thats when well bottom out with low 80s inland, low 60s coast and then those temperatures turn around the middle of next week. But really, i mean, its going to be a little bit of a change from what we were used to, especially when you have 90s today. So and julian still pleasant though. Yeah, well take it. Thank you, sandhya. San franciscos famed cliff house will soon be back in business with three new restaurants the Golden Gate National Recreation Area announced a new lease with the company that operates restaurants in San Francisco and los angeles. And not only means the reopening of the landmarks dining room, but also a new cafe in the former retail space and a restaurant in the lookout space. The cliff house closed at the end of 2020 after 157 years in operation. Well be right we handcraft every batch of our delicious popcorn. Like our cretors cheese and caramel mix. Great on their own, even better together. Try cretors, handcrafted smallbatch popcorn. David im david goldberg, a bilingual Elementary School teacher and president of the california teachers association. As we start a new school year, theres something new happening in californias public schools. Jessie theyre called Community Schools. David where parents and families, students and educators are making decisions as one. Damien its a real sense of community. Leslie we saw doubledigit gains in math, in english, and reading scores. David its an innovation thats transforming our public schools. Narrator californias Community Schools reimagining public education. In oakland . Yes youre watching abc7 news live anytime anywhere. We are. We are. We are. We are. We are. We are where you are. Never miss a moment of the news that matters to you. Download our abc seven bay area streaming app. Join us and start watching soccer referee Natalie Simon will become the first black woman to ref an mls match this weekend. Yes, simon will take on saturdays game between the San Jose Earthquakes and Real Salt Lake she has served. As for the fourth official for several mls games this season, simon is already the first black woman to earn a fifa badge, the highest honor for a referee. Shes also a choctaw native american heritage. Very cool. Awesome. Well, we still have a lot more news ahead here on this wednesday. Yeah, lets go to abc seven news anchor karina nova for a look at the stories that are coming up at 530. Karina thanks, emma and julian tonight, a look at dreamforce as the tech mega conference draws more than 40,000 attendees to San Francisco. Abc7 News Reporter suzanne fan has been covering this event from the very beginning and shell join me to discuss its impact on the city and the discussions being had about Artificial Intelligence plus seven on your side with an update on california Insurance Regulations after consumer advocates say theres a secret backroom deal to get a major bailout and force consumers to pay for it. Join us for those stories and more at 530 on abc7 bay area streaming tv. Julia ama all right, thank you, karina. You can download the abc7 app or head to abc7 news. Com to join karina in just two minutes. And if youre watching us on tv, world news tonight with david muir is next for sandhya patel. All of us, thank you for joining us. Im ama daetz. And im julian glover. Well see you right back here at. The prawns are delicious. Oh, i have a shellfish allergy. One prawn. Very good. Did i say chicken wrong . Tired of people not listening to what you want . Its truffle season ah thats okay. Never enough truffles. How much are they . Its a lot. Oh okay im good, that its like a priceless piece of art. Enjoy. Or when they sell you what they want . Yeah. The more we understand you, the better we can help you. Thats what u. S. Bank is for. Huge relief. Yeah. Tonight, several developing stories as we come on the air. The dramatic capture of that escaped killer. The dog that took him down. Also, the u. S. State department tonight on the americans onboard a cruise ship that has run aground. And the moment on capitol hill late today, senator mitt romney not running again. And what he said about politicians in their 80s in this country. First tonight, the fugitive murderer on the run, taken down. Youll see the images tonight, minutes after being taken into custody. A dea plane with thermal imaging