newscast. terry mcsweeney is there. >> reporter: 700 people coming into the california theater near san jose, and six of them want to be the next governor of california. maybe you can hear the din behind me. looking up on stage you see the six podiums up there. it will be a very exciting time for people right in the political spectrum all the way from the left to see what the voters think. i want you to look at a variety of cameras we have set up for the debate to give you an idea what it looks like and the angles you'll be seeing. we'll have the lieutenant the governor of california. that will be gavin newsom will be here, as well as the former los angeles mayor, antonio

villaraigosa, john chiang will be here, along with the superintendent delaine eastin, john cox and travis allen. we have some video from this afternoon of some of the candidates showing up. one is mr. villaraigosa. also, we have john chiang and delaine eastin. it is a very interesting race. john cox coming in is a republican, with antonio villaraigosa. i asked the moderator of "meet the press," chuck todd, what can we expect from the candidates who are chasing gavin newsom? >> it's a fight for that second shot. it is an interesting choice. do you go after each other? and avoid this?

which perhaps only strengthens him or do you risk the knocking yourself out? >> reporter: we were up on the stage a short while ago. it appears gavin newsom and antonio villaraigosa will be standing right next to each on the far right side of the stage. newsom is the front-runner. and villaraigosa will be battling for his political life. they'll be right next to each other. if fireworks start, they'll be shoulder to shoulder. it should be an exciting night. >> we'll certainly be watching. that's for sure. sam, you've been talking to people as they're going in. what do they want to hear tonight? >> reporter: good evening. first within the last, i would say, 10 or 15 minutes, we saw most of the people standing in line, filing inside the

california theater. as to what they want to hear, two things have come up again and again. someone education and how they can improve how much we're spending and how we're allocating dollars to k-12. and the other is promoting california values in the age of trump. i want to show what you this stage looks like with the folks standing in line. loomed around first street. waiting on the sidewalks to get in. i talked to some long time educators who say that studies show california is in the middle of the pack or toward the very bottom nationally when it comes to spending per pupil. and they say it has to change. we've seen the trump administration fight koofl fuel efficiency to what some consider inhumane policies. these are the specific policies voters want to hear about. >> basically, continuing jerry brown's agenda. protect undocumented immigrants

in our state, the environment, the national environment. >> these candidates need to speak to education and the importance and specifically what they're going to do to get california students back up in the top, rather than the bottom. >> i have my poster to push our governor. right now the policy we have, it isn't enough. a lot of working families are struggling. >> reporter: that last woman i spoke with lost her dad and had her child. she would like the see six months. that's a microcosm of the kinds of things we're hearing. some of these topics are laser specific and some are broad.

>> thank you. we want to give you a quick layout on how it works. moderator chuck todd and the four panelist there's rotate asking questions. the candidates will have 60 seconds to answer the questions. the five remaining candidates will have 30 seconds each to comment. if the moderator chooses to ask a follow-up question, they will have 30 seconds. you can follow us on twitter. our shanl @nbc bay area. a student found at the bottom of a high school pool has died. we've just confirmed that minutes ago. students say the boy is a freshman. the school informed parents the boy was pulled from the school pool and was not breathing at the time. the staff administered cpr. the boy was rushed to the hospital. he was pronounced dead.

more threats against california schools. this time the e-mail talked about bombs school buses. school districts many southern calf and east of stockton received similar threats today. san choes police checked them out, checked out the buses but did not find anything. >> there is more fallout from the filed filed by a police officer. we broke the story yesterday on nbc bay area. today, though, fellow officers are firing back. >> reporter: the cops tell me they were mind sided by the claims made by officer nabil. they're angry that he would insinuate they would violate a very special code for the men and women in blue. >> nbc bay area obtained the copy of the latest report by the independent auditor.

the sources say officer haidar is referenced here as officer h. the body cam footage shows officer h used several unflattering racial stereo times related to asians, end quote. the report says he was suspended. that was before officer haidar claimed they were islam phobic. >> starting with are you wearing suicidal vests. >> as soon as he sees me, he goes -- and he is a suicide bomber the exploding. >> it tarnishes the san jose name with some of the words that he said. >> he mainly took offense by the comments fearing he won't get

there for an emergency call. >> no one wants to respond to me because i'm middle eastern, arab. >> if nabil was to call on the radio, even after the words he said today, on his cell phone, there is no doubt in my mind a san jose officer would respond as fast as he or she could. >> reporter: in a statement this afternoon, officer nabil haidar said that he was in fact suspended for one week for that racial incident in that report. he said this was the only complaint against him in his 21 years after numerous commendations. his lawyer said he has taken responsibility for his actions and he wants sandal jose police to do the same. i'm damian trujillo, nbc bay area. thank you. activists rallied to call for improvements in the way the city responds to harassment and rape.

there was a hearing that police and hospital staff need to be more helpful. one woman was shocked with she reported her trip police. >> are you sure you really want this guy arrested? a thousand times, yes. i had to fight even just to be interviewed. so began my nightmare. >> the board of supervisors is considering a board offer response and prevention. well, silent no more. the judge at the center of a massive recall effort is finally breaking his silence. up next, we'll hear from judge aaron persky. and pge has a way of dealing with the wildfires. i'm chief meteorologist jeff ranieri. fog is building at the coastline. i'll show you how widespread tomorrow morning. and

i'm dianne feinstein and i approve this message. i thought after sandy hook, where 20 six and seven year olds were slain, this would never happen again. it has happened more than 200 times in 5 years. dianne feinstein and a new generation are leading the fight to pass a new assault weapons ban. say no to the nra and yes to common-sense gun laws. california values senator dianne feinstein

say no to the nra and yes to common-sense gun laws. only one candidate for governor when students were stuck in failing schools, led the fight to turn them around. as mayor of l.a., antonio villaraigosa invested in classrooms and security. graduation rates soared. antonio for governor. you're looking inside the california theater, the site for the california governor's race. that's right here. in about 15 minutes the candidates will take the stage for the first major debate before the primary. you can watch it right here.

aside from the governor's race, there's another high profile issue on the june ballot. for the first time the judge is telling his side of the story. maryanne? >> reporter: judge persky said he wants to set the record straight and he is finally answering questions. this week they sent out ballots to voters asking if they want to recall judge persky. he told me that he plans to defend himself on that issue. >> i would like the public to know that i give due weight and consideration to every person who walks into the courtroom regardless of race, gender, ethnicity. >> reporter: in 2016 judge aaron

persky came under fire after he sentenced the former stanford swimmer to six months in jail for sexually assaulting a young woman. a sentence some say was too lenient. >> i stand by my decisions. >> reporter: next month, vote letters decide whether to recall him which is why the judge said he is finally speaking out. the stakes are high. >> the recall if successful, threatens the integrity of our justice system. >> but those leading the campaign to recall him see persky as the threat. >> failing to recall him is a threat to the integrity of the judicial process. so many people saw his lienent decision for brock turner and other offenders. >> reporter: today he talked about the toll the recall efforts have had on his family. >> how many judges want to come home one day and find this political mailer addressed to their wife? >> reporter: persky said the

commission evaluated his decision in the brock turner case and rejected claims of bias. now he's hoping voters will reject efforts to remove him from the bench. nbc bay area news. thousands more workers join day two of the uc medical workers drive. the service workers want a 10% pay raise over the next five years and they say they want to feel dignified. >> it is not about money. we just feel like we're left behind. we're fighting for equality. that's what it is. >> for the people needing medical care, the strike has delayed 12,000 appointments. it is on a case by case basis. pg & e is preparing for a disaster. the utility company opened a response center at its headquarters in san francisco. seven months after the north bay wildfires, they said it will be

the nerve center for responding to wildfires anywhere in the service area. >> this is where key decisions will be made. >> someone to turn off power to a community to prevent wind blown wires from sparking. an investigation is underway to discover whether it sparked some of the worst fires in california history. is it going to be warm, cool, warm again? >> i don't see it changing. we'll be on this up and down pattern. >> let's take you out to sandal jose. a beautiful night for our debate. we have a few high level clouds and a nice day. the temperatures are cooler. we had 75 for the high. down to 71. and the 60s through 7:00, 8:00,

9:00. fog rolling into san francisco. a pretty shallow layer but it is bringing in a colder winter. right now, 58 at sf. you will see the temperatures dropping to the mid 50s and low clouds continuing into tomorrow morning. we're seeing the fog rebuild due to a new change in the weather. i don't see any big rainfall coming from this for us but definitely, tams few degrees cooler tomorrow. let's take you in to that. some patchy clouds, 57 in the peninsula. the best bet of that thicker fog, maybe some patchy drizzle, would be in san francisco with 54. and you're starting off mostly cloudy near the east bay and 55.

another day where we see the temperatures building in. this puts us with pretty much perfect weather here for may. 72 across san jose. breezy at times, we're out of the 80s in concord. pleasanton, looking very pleasant at 72. the sunshine throughout the peninsula once we hit the noon hour. this will put us at 70 and 67 in san mateo. san francisco takes a jacket if you're heading on b.a.r.t. you're going to want to have that. look at the temperatures in the upper 60s. the wind could gust to 22 miles an hour. that will make it feel chilly. and right here throughout wine country, we're coming with 74 tomorrow.

a cool 67 in the valley. we go through some mild low 70s in san francisco friday and saturday. what i want you to focus in on is the wind that could come with that. friday night into saturday morning, wind gusts of 20 to 40 miles per hour. then we're dry through the next seven days. we're back down to 70s early next week. i want to focus in for that wind friday and saturday. the best bet would be from san francisco into the north bay. it is going to be warm. it is wildfire weather so be careful.

the iron duke passed away at 89 years old. and some major developments involving the police chief. chief bill scott is now one of the top three finalists to

raj mathai will be at the debate. the first statewide televised debate. you can watch it right here on nbc bay area immediately following this newscast. you can go to our website. we'll be streaming it live. the 49ers linebacker pled not guilty today. he didn't speak. he let his lawyer speak for him instead. he faces charges of assault with a weapon. he was accused of attacking his girlfriend in february. you may remember a few weeks ago she recanted her claims against foster. she may testify next week at the preliminary hearing. foster in the interim remains a member of the 49ers but not participating in team events

while he goes through the case. and google rolled out duplex, it uses artificial intelligence. it was introduced at the annual developer conference. it can schedule appointments and reservations for you based on your schedule without you ever having to pick up the phone. google insists it does not listen until you activate it by saying, hey, google. it claims kit help your children to learn to be polite. when they activate the system, they have to say please. they have to say please. >> please

led california's fight ofor clean, renewable energy.or he cleaned up pollution at the port of l.a. and created more good-paying jobs. antonio villaraigosa for governor.

the candidates are getting ready to begin the debate in downtown san jose. they'll answer questions, too, that you sent in to us. we want to hear your thoughts

when you watch it. who impressed you the most? did your opinions change? we'll put up a poll on our website at the end of the debate. >> we want to remind that you the moderator , chuck todd, and raj mathai, will be there. >> stay with us. the gubernatorial debate is next. the first statewide televised debate this year. have a good night.

the six people on the stage with us tonight are the top polling candidates. john cox is a republican businessman.

delaine eastin, travis allen is a republican and a current state assemblyman, john chiang is the current state treasurer. and antonio villaraigosa is a democrat and also a former mayor of los angeles. they'll be facing questions on a host topics. those questions will come from myself and our four panelists. raj mathai from nbc bay area news. scott schafer from kqed radio. john diaz of the "san francisco chronicle." i want to note that moments ago, we held a moment of silence to mark the passing of a man who held the two-time governor of california in the 1980s when another california governor was president. mr. george deukmejian died today. he was 89. here are the ground rules. each candidate will have 60 seconds to answer a question posed directly to them. the remaining candidates will

have 30 seconds east to respond and i can ask a follow-up question. we'll ask people to withhold applause. a drawing determined that miss eastin will get the first question. that question will come from me. so we'll begin. the bay area is home to extraordinary wealth, billionaires, expensive homes, famous tech companies in silicon valley. there's immense poverty and homelessness in this region. how can that disparity be healthy in the bay area and how can you fix it? >> it is not healthy for the bay area, los angeles, sacramento, oakland, anywhere. the reality is we have a homeless problem all over this state. we are 12% of the nation's population but 25% of the homeless. so the next governor should immediately call for an emergency declaration where we will focus on this absolutely