♪ ♪ >> from the bay area's news station. you're watching kron. 4 news at all. >> now at 5 living smarter governor newsome announces the state's new approach to living with covid-19 instead of defeating it. thanks for joining us on kron. 4 news at 5, everybody. i'm vicki liviakis and i'm grant lotus. california is the first state to announce its plans to shift from a pandemic response to an endemic covid response. governor newsome announced his plan earlier this afternoon. we brought that news conference to you live right here on kron. 4 news at 3 and here's how the plan will work. it's called smarter and each letter stands for part of the

plan. s for shots getting more people vaccinated as well as boosted and as for masks, while the mandates are being lifted, they are still recommended in many settings. a is for awareness. the administration saying it will lean into health departments to try to keep a close eye on what is going on in the community. but any potential new variant and then act accordingly are readiness having systems in place ready to roll t is for testing. eat education, continuing to work with schools to keep them open. and finally, our for our acts or treatments for curing the latest and greatest medicines. the governor says to treat the coronavirus and obviously be ready to adapt. i had a lot to unpack there. our capitol bureau reporter ashley zavala. >> she joins us live now with a breakdown of the governor's announcement. ashley? >> yeah, they can. grant governor gavin newsom says this plan shifts the state's mindset from a crisis. one to

that of living with covid-19 as you broke down earlier, this plan with they've california has had many plans. this what you want is called the smarter plan. but overall, the main focus of it is to prepare for a potential surge and the event that one hits california. but the bottom line for everyday californians not much is changing for you. so the state for this plan will be boosting its surveillance of the virus by monitoring wastewater to try to detect potential on-coming surges masks at this point will be required, but the state will hold on to its ability to potentially mandate them if they feel the situation arises where it's necessary. the plan also includes ramping up the state's stockpile of masks, vaccine distribution as well as the amount of tests the state does per day. state health officials have said with covid-19, we are not out of the woods. we just have a better understanding of the woods. >> come to understand what was not understood the beginning of this crisis, that there is no end date. that there's not

a moment. where we declare victory. despite so many metaphors that were used during this pandemic, the warm force where we said we will defeat this virus. there was some suggestion that that was a destination. that that was a place when, in fact, we now know it's more of a direction. >> so this announcement comes on the same day that state lawmakers actually move forward with potentially ending the state of emergency. they've set a hearing to hear a resolution in the senate that would do just that state health leaders would not say how ending the state of emergency would affect this endemic plan will have much more on that issue later this evening in our later shows. for now reporting live the state capitol. ashley zavala kron. 4 news. thank you, ashley. now 2 prominent doctors from the bay area are reacting to that. so-called

smart or plan. doctor bob wachter with ucsf tweeted that. >> he contributed to the smarter strategy, adding, quote, a thoughtful blueprint for our new face. it takes advantage of the tools we have available >> plans for the long game and recognizes that we may need to adapt as the virus does. and the statement from doctor george rutherford also with ucsf. it reads in part smarter is just that it's a plan to take all that we've learned from the first 2 years of the covid-19 pandemic and use that knowledge to go forward. millions of californians were pleased to see california statewide mask mandate lifted that. but one place you're going to need to keep your mask on is at the airport, no matter what your vaccination status is. president biden issuing the mask mandate over the holiday season amid high case rates of covid and it's going to stay in place and tell march 18th, even though mask mandates are easing up around the country. the federal law in this case is

superseding local ordinances. we spoke with some travelers at the airport to say. you know, that even if they were given the option, they still wear their mask. >> i definitely still want to wear my mask. i think. >> we are a part of a larger community and there are folks who still. >> don't get back to you can get vaccinated. i think we have a responsibility. >> if you happen to lose your mask or or forget it at home or simply need a new fresh one airports will be providing them free of charge. an estimated 73% of americans are you to the omicron variant. >> that's according to a model from the institute for health metrics and evaluation. experts say that number could rise to 80% by mid-march. officials say they're optimistic that unity will reduce circulation of the virus overall and give hospitals a break from. right now. still in many cases overwhelmed icus. but since only half of eligible americans have received booster shots. health experts

claim 80 million or so americans are still vulnerable and they encourage people who are not vaccinated to get a vaccination. this week. voters in san francisco decided to recall 3 members of the city school board. >> and tonight we're hearing from 2 of them in a story you'll only see here on kron 4 they tell zeke med unit their jobs as educators are far from over. >> i will always stand by our communities who are asking for these changes. i'm not going to stop being here. not going to stop being involved. not going to stop advocating san francisco school board, president gabriela lopez and commissioner allison college share their thoughts in the wake of being recalled in tuesday's special election. none of this is a surprise. >> we've been threatened of a maybe even 6 months into our term because of what we're highlighting, what we're bringing up and what we're challenging and the issue that

i'm pointing to is when that comes from people of color, primarily women of color, that is enough of a problem to silence us and how they achieve. that was recall the most controversial school board commissioners, allison collins, her thoughts in the wake of being recalled. i'm concerned that >> there will be folks will we want to roll back some of the work that we've done. it affect race. the voice of parent and student volunteers who worked really hard over decades to get some of these changes. >> and all of the resolutions that people have cited as, quote, distractions were actually authored by those communities. port commissioner, a little billy goat decided not to wait to be replaced. he is stepping down now in a statement he writes in part, quote. >> resigning immediately create an opportunity for a new board member to step in at this important quote, as the lead kron, 4 news. as we

mentioned yesterday, san francisco voters will have an opportunity to reform the recall process. >> when they go to the polls in june, but since an unsuccessful recall of governor newsome last september, there's also talk of reforming the recall process at the state level. kron four's. dan kerman joins us live with details on all of that. good evening. debt. >> good evening. speaking to state legislators and they say that look, first things to start happening in the next 3 to 4 weeks at that time, we should see some reform proposal to come out of the legislature. >> thank you for rejecting this it was during and after the unsuccessful recall of governor gavin newsome. the calls for reforming the recall process at the state level hit a fever pitch. there is serious concern by many legislators. >> that that we call that we just saw last year was an unnecessary political exercise that that or no real change

and cost the state of 200 million dollars. and so we're looking seriously at a couple reforms in that area. east bay state senator steve glazer chairs the senate committee on elections. >> he says state lawmakers are looking at several reforms among them requiring more signatures to have a recall. any change the signature requirement for 12% of those who vote in the last election, which it was never the changes every election to a 10% of all registered. you've actually raise the threshold by about 300,000 more another reform legislators are looking at is not having a second ballot of candidates to replace the person being recalled. california is the exception in the country for having this second ballot that if recall successful that he immediately replace that person with that, a person that may not even get close to a majority of the vote. and we're looking closely. that's an outlier in the country. no one else has it. it cannot provide situation where you could have someone win by less than a majority vote. and we're

taking a look at that as well. in the meantime, an independent state agency called the little hoover commission has offered another scenario. one of those is what's called a snap election where the person being recalled would also appear on the candidate's side for the successor election. so they would necessarily be left out or off the ballot as currently is the process. >> one thing to keep in mind is whatever comes out of the state legislature, it will still have to go to the voters for any change to take place. >> live in san francisco, dan kerman kron, 4 news. thank you, dan. turning now to the drought. a new drought monitor map was released today. the darker shade of yellow, which is where the bay area is is indicating we're still in a severe drought. and today kron 4 s charles clifford checked on the bay area's water supply and filed this report. >> well, here in the bay area, it has not rained for weeks that has led to concerns that drought conditions could persist. today we spent some time checking with all of the major water districts on the

reservoir levels and also what it is. they're asking their customers to do after a wet start to the water. you're california hasn't seen significant rainfall since december here in the bay area. most reza bore some benefited from the heavy rains in november and december. but now that conditions have dried out local water districts continue to ask people to save water in the east bay east bay mud. reservoirs are at 69% to full capacity. but the district is still in a stage, one drought and they're asking customers to voluntarily reduce water use by 10% in san francisco. the sfp you sees reservoirs, which includes hatch hatch e in yosemite are an average of 74.7%, a full capacity. that's good. but with no rainfall in the forecast up, you see is still asking its customers to save water wherever they can. turning off outdoor irrigation. checking for leaks in the north bay marin counties. reservoirs are at 94.7% of full capacity. and this week, the marin municipal water district actually east

its water use restrictions there. customers can now water lawns 2 times per week, but other restrictions remain in place. filling swimming pools and washing cars at home are still prohibited. and in the south bay, the santa clara valley water district, 10 rows of northern average of 25.9% a full capacity. but that number is misleading because anderson reservoir the district's largest is undergoing repairs and is nearly empty without anderson included. the 9 remaining reservoirs are at 57% to full capacity. and the water district has set a goal of reducing water use by 15%. and finally, the rainy season doesn't peak until april. hopefully we'll get some more rain before them. but for now in san mateo county, charles clifford kron, >> charles touched on how marin county is lifting some of its water restrictions will go a little deeper here them are in water. district board is now allowing people. >> to use their sprinklers or drip irrigation during early morning hours or later in the evening. the board says that is thanks to all the rain that county got in october and

december rain that replenish their local reservoirs. coming up just days after we learned the trump organization's longtime accounting firm cut ties. it said a decade of financial records are not reliable. today. another blow to the trump team who is demanding the former president and his oldest children testify. plus a more diverse america. the new poll about who identifies as lgbtq plus and the generation that's fueling the significant change. >> and after a dramatic rise in attacks on the aap i community the steps being taken now to try to make sure the lunar new year parade goes off without a hitch.

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>> all right. check this out. this is a first look at this year's floats for the lunar new year parade. a total of 14 floats will be hitting the street. this coming saturday to welcome the year of the tiger. san francisco's last lunar new year parade. that was back in 2020 and the pandemic didn't just cancel last year's parade. studies have shown covid originating in china. also help fuel violent attacks on asian americans and pacific island. and it's why there will be more police officers on patrol for chinese. new year's events. our kron four's rob nesbitt joins us now live with. how organizers are feeling going into the year of the tiger. rob. vicki, the

tiger in the chinese zodiac a symbol of strength and bravery. those celebrating say that's especially important to think about after a year of increased violence. >> the 1.3 mile lunar new year parade is coming back to san francisco saturday. crews building the floats and preparing for record crowds based on selling out of our retreat i would imagine that this event is going to be very, very popular. william g is in charge of coordinating the bleachers for the city's lunar new year festival and parade. he expects between 30500,000 people will be gathered along sidewalks, watching the floats go by. >> we want to >> presents a environment that is just going to be fun and safe for everyone. and that is really the whole goal of actually >> producing and making sure that this event comes back live this year with an alarming amount of violent attacks against asian-americans. >> the san francisco police department has promised an

increased presence during and after the parade. they have consider that they have thought about this. and yet there they're going to kind of interim president and also have more >> patrols and things like that so that people can actually get home safely from the events as well. gee says the pandemic has a just cause an increase in crime against asians. >> but has also impacted their small businesses. tourism in francisco has been hit stride in town just been hit extremely hard. it's why he's encouraging people to not just enjoy the festivities, but to also shop the stores and vendors of the street fair. >> an effort to bring back normalcy to the new year. jea says in addition to the parade, there's also a photo contest that the public can take part in. >> taking pictures of the 6 tiger sculpture set up in the city until saturday live in san francisco. i'm rob nesbitt kron. 4 news. thank you, rob. a new bill wants to require bart and muni to come up with a plan to address harassment of women and other vulnerable

population. a state senator from irvine introduced legislation that would require the state 10 largest trend set the district's to recognize street harassment as a safety concern for riders and then create some solutions based on data group stop ap. i hate to sponsoring this measure. they say women of color are common targets of street harassment while walking to and from transit stops waiting at a transit stop and riding public transit. 2 miners have been arrested in the shooting of a 16 year-old in san francisco's potrero hill neighborhood. >> monday night police responded to the 600 block of arkansas street after being notified of the shooting when they showed up. officers found shell casings and were notified of a 16 year-old boy who was dropped off at a local hospital after suffering an apparent gunshot wound. the officers say they determined the victim was related to the shooting. later they located 2.14, year-olds who are now booked at the juvenile justice

center. in the east bay. also, rita police need your help in finding a missing person. kamani mccall, penn. >> was reported missing on valentine's day. she was in elstree to visiting family. she is actually from the la area but was last seen on the 500 block of kearney street in el serino. she is a 29 year-old black female. she stands about 5 foot 7, 100, 70 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. she was last seen wearing a black face mask, beige sweatshirt, black pants and high top nike sneakers. anyone with information is being asked to call police. in developing news tonight. we're tracking a wildfire right that wildfire burning in east central california now stands at 4,000 acres. you're looking at video of that fire. a cal fire officials are calling this blaze. the airport fire as it's burning near the bishop airport in owens valley started about noon yesterday. we reported on it. it remains at 0% containment right now, a

mandatory evacuation order is in place for parts of inyo county where that fire is. officials don't know how the fire started. >> a new poll shedding light on the rise of the lgbtq plus community in the u.s. in the past decade. the number of americans who identify with that group has doubled according to the gallup poll a little more than 7% of americans now identify as something other than heterosexual. and that is up from 3 and a half percent in 2012, gallup found the rise is being fueled by generation z adults. people ages 18 to 25 more than one in 5 are 21% of people in that age group say they identify as lgbtq. plus, for comparison, just over 4% of generation x people, ages. 42 to 57 say they are not heterosexual. his golf future

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constrictor, presumably dumped by its owner, was spotted over the weekend at the anthony chabot regional park in oakland. and now park officials tell kron 4 sleep to call staff members are on the lookout for the boa. they're concerned because of the likelihood. perhaps survive in

this cold weather. they say the likelihood of that is slim. >> east bay regional park district staff members are actively looking for a red tailed boa constrictor. that park district spokesperson jennifer vanya says it appears was left abandoned at anthony chabot regional park in oakland's is not a danger to the community. it's a non-venomous snake they are >> not going to cause any harm to anyone, although we don't recommend anyone approached us. think if they do see hiker alerted the park district of the adult sized nonnative snakes and a while passing through the big bear trail, the park district and california department of fish and wildlife stress. it is illegal to abandon any animals and it's snake in the area. >> thinking it could survive. this is a a species of snake that is a custom to warm climates. >> our climate will be very cold for that particular

snake. and it's probably. pretty unhappy being abandoned out in our park. the park district says the snake has not been seen since it was photographed sunday. >> the hope is that it has reached some place warm to hide until it is found. it's hard say how long the snakes going make it out. we hope that somebody does come across it so that we can rescue a rescue it and helped rehabilitate the reptile in partnership with the oakland zoo. >> phillipe djegal all kron. 4 news from a big snake in the east bay to us in colombia. this guy found itself in a dangerous situation after it climbed an electric pole and then decided to hang from live wires, worried residents called on electrical workers to try and rescue him. >> now to some breaking news just into the kron. 4 news room. we're learning of a

police shooting that has happened in pleasanton. police are set to hold a news conference in a few minutes, too. provide more details when that happens. we will take you there live. also coming up tonight on kron, 4 news at 5, another state banning abortions after 15 weeks. what that means for the future of roe v wade. plus, the latest in the russia ukraine crisis. why president biden is saying that all signs point. >> to a russian invasion and join kron 4 as we celebrate black history month. our pam moore will host a 30 minute special honoring black history. mind body soul. it airs thursday, february 24th at 06:30pm. we'll be right back with more news right

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oh. entre-pin-eurs? yeah, my bowling team. i like it there's money in puns. do business like a gigillionaire at&t business fiber, now with speeds up to 5-gigs. limited availability >> that breaking news into the kron. 4 news room. pleasanton police investigating a deadly shooting involving a police officer right now. police are asking people who live in the area or travel through the area to avoid the location near owens drive and willow road. no other details have been reported at this time card force taylor is making her way to the scene and she'll be providing updates for us throughout the evening. a news conference was scheduled for 5.30. we just learned that's going to be pushed back. maybe 5.45, maybe closer to 6 o'clock. there's the live look when that press conference peak, begins. we will bring you their life.