Transcripts For KGO ABC7 20240703

On for a fifth day, bay area students are being deeply impacted. Youre watching getting answers. Im kristen sze. Heres the latest on the conflict in the middle east. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu just united with a top political rival to create a war cabinet as israel continues to seek retribution for the surprise weekend attack by hamas militants. Its increasing its offensive in gaza, demolishing neighborhood by neighborhood with airstrikes, killing 1100 people and sending civilians scrambling to find safety. But they wont find power with the only power plant in gaza now out of fuel and cut off from the outside world. In israel, the death toll from hamas attacks is now at at least 1200 people, including. 22 us c a troubling and tragic time for all. Even families here in the bay area. Joining us live now is mia feinstein, a senior and student body president at the Jewish Community high school of the bay in San Francisco. To share their personal human side of it. Mia, thanks for your time. Of course, you are a small school, i think only 180 students right now. I know almost everyone has somebody they care about in danger right now in the war zone. Tell us about who you are praying for. I have a lot of connections to israel. I have cousins there, friends from camp, counselors. My brothers girlfriend lives there. And just really Everybody Knows someone, either someone whos been called up from reserves or just friends and family. I can only imagine how stressful and difficult it is right now. And you, of course, youve been to israel many a times. I think just earlier this year with your class. Right. Tell us about that trip. And we also have a couple of photos from that trip as well. Yeah yeah. So i was just there last march with my entire grade and we spent two weeks there and its an amazing trip. And it was its crazy to think that it was just this year we travel all around the country and we were actually in one of the moshavim, one of the villages on the border with gaza. And we were able to go to the border wall and look across and see gaza city. And its crazy now that we know that that community lost 15 people and was one of the first to be attacked on saturday. And to probably think about the fact that you were right there and that the timing was different, it it could have been, you. Yeah, its really scary. It makes it definitely feel closer and thinking about the fact that i have friends and family and people on gap years that are there right now is also crazy because it it could have easily been that i was there as well. Yeah look you mentioned some of the folks who you were thinking about most right now. I think tragically, you had a Camp Counselor that you just found out about. Tell us about her. Yeah. So i go to a jewish summer camp that ive gone to for years and on sunday, i found out that one of the counselors from two summers ago was missing. She was at the music and peace festival. Um that was massacred. And yesterday morning i found out that they had found her body and she was. She wasnt my counselor, but she was there at the same time as me. And she was one of my brothers good friends. And it just crazy to know that i have someone i know. Um, just an hour ago, my camp sent out another another letter saying that another one of their alumni, one of their campers was from a couple of years ago who was in the idf, was on, also passed away. And even my dad, whos from scotland, someone that he grew up with. But moved to israel several years ago. It was just a civilian who they who they found has passed, too. So its just like Everybody Knows really knows somebody. And i have friends at school whose cousins or siblings are in the idf or whose cousins have died, and its just its really real. Yeah, i am so sorry to hear about all this. Ive got to wonder. Right . You are a senior in high school and how are you able to focus at all on learning right now . Maybe you can talk about how things have been at your school, which i understand is anyone who is selfidentifying jewish. And so the impact just whats it been like for you guys . Its been really difficult. Its hard to focus on anything. Um, and wish i could say i was able to distract myself, but i dont really think i am. Um, i do feel really lucky to go to a school where everyone feels as deeply about this as i do. Um, weve had assemblies and many opportunities to debrief and talk and learn more. Um, but even that doesnt make it any easier. And right now im in the midst of College Applications and just like a very busy year and so im trying to use like sports practices to distract myself and stuff, but it just continues to come to mind. Um, but like i said, everybody feels it, so it feels really nice to have a community that understands me and to have teachers who are super understanding and who are postponing the regular agendas of their classes to give us an opportunity to be together in community and talk about whats going on and how were feeling. Yeah, yeah. Community is so important, right now. Look, yesterday we reported that your head of school shared a warning to the parents and i guess the students as well, saying there is a point at which graphic imagery is paralyzing or traumatize housing. And the suggestion was and i know it went out to other jewish based schools, too, was to consider temporarily deleting social media apps like tiktok and instagram are you doing that . Yeah. So i very much agree with that. That letter that was sent out, i, i know that theres crazy stuff and some people post warnings on social media and some dont. But personally i have only been like on social media for very little. Im only like talking to my friends and using it to communicate with people who are there or people who are here. Ive stopped scrolling. Ive stopped looking at peoples stories because its getting incredibly graphic and theres things that are public that shouldnt have been recorded in the first place. So i personally am because i dont think that seeing any of that will make me feel any any better will make me feel, um, anything more than i already do. Um one thing that is a downside of that, though, is there are also Amazing Stories of support and of people being there for each other in israel that are also being shared right now. So, um, yeah. Mia, i wonder if this has changed your plans for next summer. I do know that at your school, some kids will take a gap year often to israel. How are you feeling . Yeah. So my plan was and still is, to take a gap year in israel. My brother was on a gap year a couple of years ago and he even had moments where he had to go into safe rooms and shelters because this isnt new , this experience, of course, this war is something thats unlike anything that weve seen for a long time. But i still you know, i still believe in israel. I still believe that i will be safe there and that well get through it. And so my plan now is still to be on a gap year and spend my next year there. All right. Mia feinstone, i know this is a very difficult time for you and your entire school. Thank you for coming on to talk with us. And well be thinking of you. Thank you. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share. Coming up next, three bay area cities are set to give the green light to speed sensing cameras if the governor signs a bill to approve them. Ahead, well hear from the state lawmaker who authored the bill and explore why critics are worried about the thousands of women with Metastatic Breast Cancer, are living in the moment and taking ibrance. Ibrance with an aromatase inhibitor is for adults with hr her2 Metastatic Breast Cancer as the first hormonal based therapy. Ibrance plus letrozole significantly delayed disease progression versus letrozole. Ibrance may cause low white blood cell counts that may lead to serious infections. Ibrance may cause severe inflammation of the lungs. Both of these can lead to death. Tell your doctor if you have new or worsening chest pain, cough, or trouble breathing. Before taking ibrance, tell your doctor if you have fever, chills, or other signs of infection, liver or kidney problems, are or plan to become pregnant, or are breastfeeding. For more information about side effects talk to your doctor. Be in your moment. Ask your doctor about ibrance. The doctor will see you now. But do they really . Do they see all that you are . At Kaiser Permanente all of us Work Together to care for all that is you. In high schools, but one high profile bill that is still sitting on his desk with three days left on the calendar. Ab 645 would allow for a Pilot Program in six cities, including oakland, San Francisco and san jose, to install speed cameras. Joining us live now to discuss this controversial proposal is the author of the bill, Southern California assemblywoman, democrat laura friedman. Assembmafriedman, thanks for your time. Thanks for your interest. Its great to be here. All right. So why do you think speed cameras are a good idea . Well, we know from data from other states and other parts of the world that they work. And weve seen a steadily increasing climb of injuries and deaths due to speeding and reckless driving. Its just really gotten to the point where its so out of hand that its a Public Health crisis and we can do something about it. And one of the things that we know works is automated Speed Enforcement, because the police cant be everywhere. Right. Okay. So this is the fifth go around. I think, for such a law. Right. The attempt. Why do you think its never succeeded before . Well, we have been working with advocates and weve been working with people who are concerned for years on this bill to make sure that it not only is effective, but that its a model for the rest of the country to follow. So there have been legitimate concerns about this bill, especially given that the Red Light Camera Program was pretty much a disaster and very unpopular. So weve designed this to be the anti Red Light Camera Program bill. So we have taken amendments on this bill that limit it, limit its use certainly, but that address issues around privacy, around equity, around fairness. First of all, this bill says that you have to be going at least 11 miles an hour over the speed limit. So its not a gotcha kind of program. Any money thats captured because of violations has to go into physical street improvement gets into that area. If its not just paying for the program itself, it cant be put into some citys coffers. The first ticket that everybody gets is a warning ticket. Theres no points in anyones license because theres no facial Recognition Technology used. The ticket goes to the car using a license plate plate reader. So weve addressed privacy concerns. And if theres no violation, given the data must be destroyed within three days. So we have gone out of our way to address all legitimate concerns about the bill. And we think that it is a model for other states. All right. Well, thank you for kind of explaining some of the aspects of how it would work. I have more questions. Us so three of the cities that would be in the pilot, the governor approved, this would be here in the bay area, San Francisco, san jose, oakland. I know the other three are in Southern California. So, okay, so you would have to be going 11 miles over the speed limit. What else . Like where would they be situated . Right. Theres a lot of concern. Would they be in low income neighborhoods, therefore target those folks more. You talked about equity. What would they capture exactly in terms of the privacy . You know, your face even more than that or just the license plate only . Walk us through more details on that. Sure. So the bill says that the cameras have to be distributed in different socioeconomic areas, but they there has to be, first of all, a robust public process so that the community itself weighs in on where the cameras would go. It has to be a High Injury Network or an area that has a particularly vulnerable population like in front of a school. So it cant just be anywhere in a city. It has to be a place where theres a real reason to put the cameras. If and if the cameras dont reduce , use the amount of tickets that are given over 18 months, they cant be used anymore unless the city invests in physical improvements to that area. The tickets are nominal. Like i said , the first ones a warning. After that, they started just 50. And if youre low income, thats automatically reduced in half or up to 80. So its not meant to be punitive. Its meant to give people that little kick to say stop speeding. And we also have to warn people before they even come up to the camera to say you are now entering a speed and automated Speed Enforcement zone because the goal is not to generate revenue, its to slow those cars down and save lives. I see. All right. Interesting to hear that, you know, the amount that you have to pay changes based on income because there was, you know, one of the big criticisms of red light cameras before, like in san mateo or other places, that they were regressive. Right. Everybody pays the same amount of fine whether you are you know, a billionaire or a millionaire or you have nothing. Let me ask you, though, are there countries or states that youre modeling this on where it has worked to your satisfaction in terms of all those issues . Well, the national highway Traffic Safety Board Recommends adds automated cameras be used because theyve been shown to reduce accidents up to 75 in some places and no other state has the equity and privacy protections that we do. So california would set a standard for saying no facial Recognition Technology at all, get delete the data after the photo is taken, give a warning ticket first, warn people before you get to that area. Et cetera. So we are looking at this as being a model that other states can follow. Even states that are using the cameras now, to our mind, havent really taken some of these issues into as much consideration as they should. But theres ample data from around the world that the cameras slow traffic down and save lives. All right. So i guess im also wondering, though, you know, in chicago ago, they found these fines did hit black and brown communities. The most in terms of like there being infrastructure that encouraged people to speed more like wider streets. For example, in some of those neighborhoods. Well, like i said, we looked at some of the issues that were coming out of other states, like are the cameras equitably spread around . And we put measures into the bill to ensure that they not concentrated just, for instance, in economically disadvantaged communities that they have to be used in different places. So thats in the bill as well as Community Buy in to make sure that communities agree on having the cameras in their neighborhoods. But i will tell you that the people that are primarily being injured and killed because of the cameras are low income communities of color. Those are the people who are disproportionately being harmed right now because of speeding. So weve got to also acknowledge that. And i totally agree that we need to do the kind of traffic infrastructure of the kind of physical improvements to make these communities better as well. And this bill will help to fund that. Yeah, certainly we you know, i remember with the red light cameras, there were some that were called into question like where the cameras working properly. Right. What if the speed calibration is off . Is the technology truly be dependable if you know, because of what that technology found, you now have to pay some money . Is that answer to your satisfaction . Well, the technology is very different for these kinds of cameras, these are lidar cameras that that detect motion. But one of the problems with the Red Light Camera Programs is it was hard for them to distinguish if someone was making a legal right on red at a red light. And thats where my understanding is. Thats where most of the complaints came. This is a little bit different. This is similar to what an officer would would give you in terms of you speeding and them catching it on a radar device. And of course, people would be able to challenge those devices and have them check to make sure theyre calibrated. Just as they do. Now, if you get a ticket from an officer. So we do think that the technology is ripe at and because you have to be egregiously speeding, you know, going at least ten miles an hour over the speed limit and some of these neighborhoods, that could be a third faster than what youre legally allowed to do. We think that it gives a cushion because most of the time people are not just going 35 and a 25. A lot of the time theyre going to be getting tickets because theyre going 40, 45, 50. So you know, were really out there trying to change behavior. The idea of this, its a change the culture to make people think more about what theyre doing, to give them that that kick, to get that warning ticket, for instance, and hopefully thatll change their behavior. And by the way, we know it does because in new york city, they have data that shows that the vast majority of people, once they get one ticket from one of these cameras, they never get another one. And thats because they it changes their behavior. All right. Glendale assemblywoman, democrat laura friedman, well see what happens. The governor has three days to sign this into law or becomes a pumpkin again. All right. Take care. Thank you. One of the hottest reservations isnt to a trending restaurant. Its for a campsite at state parks. Next, well hear from the California State Parks foundation about a new law intended to make it easier for you to enjoy the welcome to big tobaccos fantasyland. A new, healthier World Without cigarettes. As long as you dont count the 6 trillion sold worldwide every year. And vaping wont lead to smoking, if you ignore the research that says otherwise. In big tobaccos fantasyland, the deadliest industry is your friend. Shh. A little easier. It basically deters no shows, which seems to be happening more and more. Joining us live now to talk about some big changes is rachel norton, the executive director of the California State Parks foundation. Hi, rachel. Hi, kristin. How are you . Im good, thank you. Look, so the headache with the enormous popularity of California State Parks is that many people want to camp there. But campsites are pretty limited. Tell us how the reservation ins had been working before. We use reserve california to write that website. Thats correct, yes. Weve used reserve california for a number of years now. And the you know, its actually its a good thing. I think they wanted to make sure that there were the lowest barriers to entry that they could have. So there were some pretty liberal cancellation policies and really no, no penalty or issue. If you reserved a campsite and maybe you reserved it for five days, but you only showed up for two or or you canceled at the last minute or maybe you didnt cancel at all because you you paid one night, you know, and then and then the rest of the reservation just lapsed. So there were a lot of reasons why it really wasnt a thing, you know, it wasnt emphasized that people should cancel in order to free those sites up for other for other folks who wanted to camp there. And what the Assembly Member did in her bill is to create some incentives for people to cancel early so that we can free up those spots and that the system will display open spots more in real time once theyre able to update it next year. Right. I think how it worked was what they opened up six months to the day, right. And you have to jump on literally that minute because five minutes later theyre all gone. Right. And then like you said, it was pretty easy for those who jumped on got him. But then very little penalties if they didnt actually honor or use that. And then so people would see, hey, empty campsites, i could have come, but i didnt get to. Okay. So what are the biggest changes . You said there are now incentives to cancel early. I assume decent incentives for those who dont. What are the biggest things that we need to remember that could affect people in terms of the cost and things like that . Right. Well, so the biggest incentive is that if you cancel within i think its before seven days of your reservation, you will get a credit thats good for up to five years towards another reservation in less just your reservation fee, which i believe is 8. So theres an incentive, a positive incentive to cancel. And theres also some decent incentives. So if you dont cancel all in a reasonable amount of time, then the costs go up. So for example, if you if you canceled within two days of your of your reservation, then i believe you would forfeit the first night. Plus your reservation fee. So it goes up from there and people who continually reserve and cancel or or let their reservations lapse will actually be barred from the system for a period of time. Oh, what does continually mean . Like how many times . Because i was going to say right there, i think its between 3 and 7 times. I cant remember the exact number thats in the bill. But, you know, its something that i believe its more on the higher end of that number so that most people dont do that. I want to be clear, but think that the Assembly Member was interested in putting in some disincentive to discourage that behavior from rare time. When it happens. Yeah, i mean, a ban i think would impact a lot more people like and there are people to whom 35 losing 40 is nothing. Right . Its a lot to a lot of people. But there are some people who will just say, i dont care about that. So but if they cant reserve serve, that is something. Okay, so also, i understand theres a new component creation of a lottery system to book sites. How how does that work . Yeah. So this is a new this is new and we arent quite sure how thats going to work because theyre going to need to theyre in the process of starting an rfp for a new system to reserve reserve to replace reserve california. And so but as you noted, theres a lot of sites that are really, really popular. So in the bay area for example, half moon, bay state beach is a very, very popular place to camp. And other places like Jedediah Smith up in the redwoods and some of the Southern California beaches that allow camping are also popular. So the idea is that instead of that, you know, wake up and sit in front of the computer at 8 00 in the morning to nab your spot in six months, that you could enter a lottery for, for, um, up to i think theyre going to designate up to five. Um parks as the most popular parks that would be subject to lottery and so it might give you a better chance if you of getting a spot if you didnt wake up at eight in the morning and sit there, you know, to get your, your spot six months in advance. So its just kind of open up those spots at the most popular sites. Excellent for folks who dont know to plan ahead. Yeah. All right. Rachel norton, executive director of California State Parks foundation, thank you so much. Thanks for having me. Well take a short break and well be right back. Rsv can be a dangerous virus. [sneeze]. For those 60 and older. Its not just a cold. And if youre 60 or older. You may be at increased risk of hospitalization. [coughing]. From this highly. Contagious virus. Not all dangers come with warning labels. Talk to your pharmacist or doctor. About getting vaccinated against rsv today. Tonight, a special edition of world news tonight from israel. We take you to one of the places where this terror attack began. The Israeli Military telling us, this was a massacre. Tonight, for the first time, the Israeli Military showing us the chilling scenes from inside this kibbutz in southern israel. One of the first places attacked by hamas militants. Haunting surveillance images posted online showing how it unfolded early saturday morning, as families were just beginning