in hayward, tim johns, abc 7 news. ama: and if you or someone you know needs access to mental health resources, we have a guide on our website, abc7news.com/takeaction. dan: in an open letter, ceos and representatives from 20 major companies are urging congress to take action on a bill they hope will fight this surge of retail thefts, scenes like this, that we've seen recently here in the bay area. that bill is focused on preventing stolen goods from being resold. abc 7 news reporter j.r. stone explains how it would work. reporter: images like this or this showing either individuals or groups of individuals stealing items from major stores have become common. i know high ups at walgreens, cvs, home depot, and 17 other chains are coming together, all part of a joint letter urging congress to take action by cracking down on individuals selling those goods in online marketplaces. >> with got to do more than just think we can arrest our way out of this. reporter: jason brewer is part of the retail leaders association. his

tim: the city council will hold a special meeting on combating violence. , abc 7 abc 7 tim johns news. ama: in the south bay, san jose police are investigating a smash and grab robbery tonight at quick service jewelry design in east san jose. officers say four mast suspects entered the business with hammers and started smashing display cases. they took several items and then left on foot. no one was hurt. we are learning 14 people were arrested in los angeles for smash and grab robberies, all released from custom meat -- custody. one of them was a minor and released to parents. the other were released in county jail to release the debts reduce the jail population during covid. several had criminal records. eric garcetti and michael morse says this needs to change. >> there are people who need to be behind bars and they need to be there -- how many times does the same person have to steal a car 3, 4, five times after being released before we realized we opened up a lot of part of the city because we are in a better place with covid? we should also be able to open gels. ama: they knew t

live in the studio, tim johns. >> president biden plans to announce his strategy to prevent a winter surge of coronavirus. the white house is reportedly considering having all travelers tested today before flying, regardless of vaccination status. a new directive requires airlines to turn over the names of passengers flying from eight countries in southern africa. there are reports the mass mandate that applies to transit systems and airports will be extended at least through march. >> a live look at sfo. j.r. stone was there tonight and found passengers are weighing safety concerns against the desire to travel. >> temperature checks being taken wednesday night at sfo for dozens of passengers traveling to the philippines. this as covid-19's omicron variant continues to spread around the globe. >> this new environment have struck, it has put a lot of stress on people. a lot of people haven't gotten the booster, or the shot at all. >> that from james stevenson, who was heading to bora-bora when we spoke to him. several upcoming trips that are in favor of travel mask mandates being exte

abc 7 reporter tim johns spoke with an attorney representing the dollars's son -- gonzales's. the family says they not -- want to not only justice, but reform. tim: family of mario gonzalez has filed a lawsuit against the officers involved and the city of alameda/ the suit, which is being filed on behalf of gonzales's five-year-old son, comes one week after the corners office ruled gonzales's death a homicide. the incident took place back in april when three alameda police officers attempted to arrest him. they thought he was under the influence and might have been involved in a theft. >> they forced him facedown on the ground. they got on top of him with their weight. tim: julia sherborn is one of the attorneys filing the suit. >> little mario has just been missing his father terribly. he still asks his mother why his poppy doesn't wake up. tim: the lasso is asking for financial damages to be paid out to gonzales's. family but sherwood says aside from the lawsuit, they are calling for the district attorney to bring criminal charges against the officers involved, as well as re

with in petaluma tim johns abc 7 news air committed that is great. isn't that right? nice weather today, but it is beginning to change. yeah, it is. let's get to abc 7 news meteorologist sandia patel for what's coming sandia? yeah. we have a lot more rain coming and that's going to be starting this weekend. so dan and alma. let me show you live doppler 7. it is actually a lot of green on there, but not all of this is hitting the ground. so let's get you down to street level radar where we are seeing some showers right around santa rosa sebastopol grayton occidental road as we head into the east bay right around livermore heading into concannon boulevard the altamonte pass. it is slippery out there and one last stop san jose west hedding street lincoln avenue. willow glens seeing some wet weather. all right, how much have we received 500 or less from sonoma to san francisco? you will notice santa rosa 300 of an inch. this is so far. we're not expecting a lot under 1500 snow showers mixing in with rain over the mountains as you will notice here on nevada radar here as w

johns abc 7 news abc 7 news has received word that the long-awaited environmental impact report for the howard terminal ballpark proposal will be released tomorrow to key step in the effort to keep the a's in oakland the 3,500 page document is set to be released to 8 am. it will be available online a draft version was released in february since then the city has since worked through all the public concerns. mayor libby schaaf issued a statement saying the report will ensure the project is environmentally safe and sustainable final approval is expected next year. well, we are getting a break in the rain, but it is getting mighty cold out there tonight. so let's get to abc 7 news meteorologist, sandhya patel sandia. yeah tonight. you'll need those flannel pjs because you can feel that chill in the air winter is here a little earlier. let me show you the temperatures right now in the 30s and 40. is our coldest spot is 38 in santa rosa as you check out. what's ahead by tomorrow morning many areas. the valleys of the north bay will be dropping down to the low and upper 30s, so it is goin

but as tim johns explains, shopping was not the only thing on their minds. tim: amid the giant trees, wreaths, union square was packed with people, many people hitting shops, picking up last-minute items. >> we had lunch at neiman marcus, and we did some shopping at macy's. last-minute. we forgot a few things. tim: others had their shopping list already completed and came out only to see the decorations. >> i always come for the last years. tim: she came with her family. >> last year, we were not out . but this year, very lightly. tim: she says she and her daughter waited in line to see santa. >> what did you give to santa? >> a card. >> she wrote a letter to santa and said what she wanted as a christmas present. tim: shopping was not the only thing on people's minds. after smash and grab robberies happened, safety was also a consideration. law enforcement has been a notable presence this holiday season after smash and grab robberies rocked the area several weeks ago. their presence giving many shoppers we talked to a sense of security. >> it is well lit. th

tim johns is following tonight's meeting. supervisors are still debating nearly nine hours into the meeting. reporter: it has drawn a lot of attention and sparked over 100 public comments from people debating both sides of the issue. the san francisco board of supervisors spending hours debating the mayors emergency order for the cities tenderloin neighborhood. the mayors plan is multifaceted and aimed at addressing the area opioid crisis. one part would include allowing the department of emergency management to reallocate city staff and set up a new center where people can get drug treatment services. >> the real issue behind it is whether or not people who openly use drugs or people that openly sell drugs should go to jail. reporter: the mayors plan seems to have support among supervisors. the second part is proving more divisive. >> what they don't want is it to be tied to the second part of the mayors plan which is more cops. reporter: under the proposal, police presence would be boosted with the hope of cracking down on

ama: let's get to tim johns live in the newsroom with more on steps the airport is taking. reporter: internati travelers are of particular concern because while omicron is not in the u.s. yet, it has been detected in 20 countries. just a couple hours ago, we learned that testing requirements for international travelers could soon be changing. as the world awaits more answers about the omicron variant, officials nationally and in the bay area aren't wasting any time. speaking during a press briefing on tuesday, the cdc director said the u.s. is considering stricter testing requirements for foreign travelers. >> this edc is evaluating how to make international travel as safe as possible including predeparture testing and considerations around additional post arrival testing and quarantine. reporter: it's one of four airports already participating in a pilot testing program for international travelers. >> it invites them to participate in one of two different types of tests. one is a pooled pcr test. the other is an individual, at home test kit. reporter: the program is volunt

abc 7 news reporter tim johns talked with the family. >> we decided is worth the risk of doing it. reporter: with new year's a few days away, andrew angus and his family are determined to throw a fit -- party at their marin county home. >> we think we can do this safely. reporter: it is possible, he says things to an at-home test processing test -- cat he bought. >> you get the sample, stick it into the cartridge reporter:, it syncs with my phone. reporter:reporter: the process takes about 20 minutes, much faster than waiting for pcr tests at regular testing sites. he has created a spreadsheet for guests to come get their test on. >> we wouldn't do this if we had rapid antigen test, with a pcr tests is going to be better at asymptomatic infection and early infection. reporter: the testing regiment is causing -- regimen is causing costing the family $1500. >> it's been a stressful year, a big and important year for our family. first all come together with our friends is important for us to do. reporter: health officials are recommending people cancel new year's parties. >> we are se

let's get right abc 7 news reporter tim johns live in antioch. this all started about 1:00. reporter: as you can imagine, this is been an active day here in antioch. police say the man died after being shot by officers. that following the hours on standoff that took place in this neighborhood, just behind me. antioch police initially responded to calls of shots fired near dove court. when officers arrived on scene, it was confirmed that the suspect was armed with a rifle. he was actively shooting at cars and houses. nearby residents were told to shelter -- shelter-in-place. antioch pd said they attempted to make contact with the suspect several times, but the suspect continued firing. even bringing down a police drone. >> over the course of those hours, the suspect repeatedly fired shots from inside the house, outside in the direction of officers, as well as of the residence. reporter: terry bunting lives one block over. she says several officers came to her house in thefternoon, asking for access to her backyard to try and get a better vantage point. she tells me she never