next two fiscal years. this means the state will be keeping an especially close eye on the school district's plans to close, merge or relocate schools in san francisco over the next two years. well, this is teacher appreciation week. today's national teacher day, to thank teachers for all they do to help our students. several companies are offering discounts and deals . stitch fix is offering teachers a $50 credit for new work clothes. staples has free supply kits, things like markers, pens, pencils, glue. buffalo wild wings is giving teachers a 20% off dine in order with their staff ids. if you are in a position to do it, thank your teacher. those words mean everything. a step forward for pro-palestine demonstrators at san francisco state. how a pivotal meeting could shape the course of other protests, then investigate. others in the east bay are on high alert after a string of tow truck fires. the reason at least two of them are being suspected as arson. plus, tourism spending in california

hitting a post-pandemic record. governor newsom so thrilled our record breaking tourism numbers, he announced it from the top of the golden gate bridge. but the numbers may not exactly be as they appear. live from jack london square. this is morning time two. the night. today is monday, may 6th. we're looking live at the silver nova, which is docked in san francisco at the. they're at the terminal that they have for the cruise ships, and i've happened to drive by the other day. a lot of people were in and out and enjoying san francisco. part of the tourism the city hopes will come back even stronger. happening today a virtual news conference in support of a proposed state law that would change regulations on self checkout lanes in california. the proposed bill is intended to boost employment and cut down on theft during self checkout. it would require stores to have one employee for every two self

checkout stations. several studies have shown an increase in theft at self checkout lanes. some stores, including target, have started limiting the number of items at self checkout lanes in an effort to reduce shoplifting. we want some viewer reaction this morning. we're asking you, would you support a law that could force some stores to get rid of self checkout? your options are. yes. limit it. no it's convenient or and get rid of it altogether. and it looks like no it's convenient is winning out. but if you want to vote just use the qr code on the right on the top right of your screen. having trouble speaking here for a minute or go to ktvu.com. you know what? i at first didn't like it. but now if i have a couple of items, i can just do it out. get out the door . yeah, i know, but i know that people who are not honest could easily sneak items. that's. i don't like that part. all the time. i see the i see the videos of it on on social media. people like sneaking stuff past the line. i mean, something that's

supposed to be convenient. people are stealing, and it's great when you only have a few things, because sometimes those regular checkout lines, you know, you go by and you see people like the conveyor belts loaded up. me? yeah. gets okay. that's me that's loaded up. so you're like, perfect. this, this, this self checkout is awesome, right? but i can understand why it would be a problem. right. and i think stores obviously will do the math. right. they'll say, so how much will it cost. because i think right now i'm a little safeway. they have maybe six self checkouts and one person monitoring that pod. but if they needed to have three people for the six self checkout, right. if it's a 1 to 2 then i'm sure the store will do the math. okay, so how much are we losing on? you know that the thing that she didn't scan through versus the cost of putting a whole other person there, and then they'll kind of do that math to figure it out? yeah, we'll keep taking your answers. we love to see these numbers change as we discuss it, and you think about it and weigh in. so we'll pop in on that later on in this newscast. but we'll start now, though, with pro-palestinian demonstrations that are continuing on many california college campuses. at san

francisco state, student and faculty protesters expect to meet today with the university president, ktvu james torres, live on the sf state campus to tell us more about these protests, james. yeah. garcia, that's the last full week before the students enter that commencement ceremony weekend here. and some of those student protesters are saying that they have successfully convinced the university's president, lynn mahoney, to come out to their encampment later this afternoon and have what they call an open bargaining session. just an example of how many different directions these demonstrations could go. we're very thankful that she's agreed to come out with us, and she'll be having a conversation with our elected representatives to discuss the implementation of our demands. as the sfsu students for gaza encampment on, a university spokesperson confirms president mahoney does have a meeting with students on her calendar. students here say they'll ask her for a commitment to divest from companies who are accused of contributing to the war in gaza. they say while the meeting is the first step, it's still a long ways away before they start talking about breaking down their encampment. as soon as

they agree, which we hope that they will agree to. the calls for divestment, calls to declare for, the state of palestine as being a genocide, of them experiencing a genocide. and once we start seeing implementation and we have a clear layout of those plans, we have a schedule to know that not only have they agreed, but they're actually putting into action our demands. then we can begin discussing the process of suspending the camp process. and we mentioned graduations, earlier this morning. of course, that has been the latest demonstration, rather the latest example of how these protesters are continuing their demonstrations. we saw a number of graduation ceremonies across the country see disruptions over the weekend in austin. and this morning we learned at columbia university they are canceling their campus wide commencement ceremonies as well. you'll get some more information on that in just a few minutes. we're also hearing uc berkeley having their campus, graduations starting this weekend. not expected to have any effect there. sf state will have that closer to the end

of the month. that meeting between those student protesters and the university president expected to happen later this afternoon at 1:00. we're live this morning from san francisco state university campus. i'm james torres, ktvu fox two news our james thank you. and new this morning columbia university just canceled its main commencement ceremony scheduled a week from this wednesday. this comes after sustained protests on that college campus. the school plans to replace the university wide event with smaller scale celebrations. the administration says this decision was made after consulting with student leaders, news agencies in new york city, reporting that security concerns were the prime reason for this change. students at ucla are heading back to the classroom this morning to resume in-person instruction on the campus. went to remote learning during last week's protests and demonstrations tied to the war in gaza. more than 200 people were arrested last thursday as police officers in riot gear cleared out the pro-palestinian encampment. republican leaders

in the california legislature are stepping into the political debate over the growing number of demonstrations on college campuses tied to the war in gaza. they want the state to immediately end all financial aid for any protester found to have committed violent or criminal acts during a campus demonstration, republican leadership also blames university administrators across the state for not shutting down the encampments sooner. jewish advocacy groups in the bay area are sounding the alarm on school bullying, saying it's only gotten worse for jewish students in recent months. two groups are expanding a complaint against the berkeley unified school district. they claim the district has failed to protect jewish students from both teachers and kids. the advocacy groups say jewish students are afraid to go to class now, they say the school district's lack of action makes the district look like it's either ignoring its job or it's incompetent. texas is cleaning up after some parts of that state saw nearly two feet of rain. in recent days, entire neighborhoods have been submerged by water. houston is one of the most flood prone

areas of the country. it is so flat in houston, the water has nowhere to go. officials there are warning people who had evacuated to avoid returning home until conditions approve. a couple yesterday tried to go see their homes despite our warnings, and at one point the gentleman had to really hold on to his partner because she was being pulled away by the by the current. some rivers in southeast texas are expected to remain at flood stage for several more days. there is good news involving a vital component of california's water supply, a new state report found. groundwater levels got a huge bump from last year's historically wet weather. groundwater is found underground in the cracks and spaces in soil, sand and rock, scientists say. the dramatic climb is mostly due to the series of atmospheric rivers that drenched california and ended the state's three year drought. all right, it's time to get over to steve for the forecast. it's a little bit cold, but it's clear that is

correct. we had a lot of 30s. i'll show you that for our weekend rain, almost all of this fell on saturday right on garcia's house. yeah, pretty much all of it. i think for all of us here, some of the i could have done pages and pages and pages of the totals, some of the higher amounts. ben loman, 1.67 cazadero an inch and a half. that's our observer, raymond. he now has over 70in of rain for the season. la honda almost an inch and a half. san francisco 0.94. surprisingly, that was not a record for may 4th. i think it was the 17th wettest rainfall for may in san francisco history . i do believe oakland .91 and san jose point six seven. but yes, i was right. this morning was cold. petaluma, sonoma state and penngrove all dipped to 36. sonoma 37 occidental, 37. windsor, danville, woodside, hollister, castro valley and a cast of many others were all between 38 and 39. the water temps are really cold, 50 point reyes, 50 san francisco boy and one of the monterey boys is holding steady at 51. this is

going to be the main weather maker today. high level risk five storm prediction center that's rare to get a high level risk five mainly through central oklahoma. tornadic activity. see this from our system coming out of the rockies. now you get the warm moisture coming in from the low level jet. out of the gulf, and the dew points go up and it's going to be a mess. that's the problem. this system is producing snow also up into montana, some of the intermountain region the high is trying to build in. but another weak little system still brushing the pacific northwest 30s this morning. now we're seeing 40s and 50s, mainly 50s. i had 20s up in the mountains. 30s. there also was that early this morning. las vegas and palm springs were both 58 cool degrees for them, and flagstaff, arizona dropped to 27. that's pretty impressive for may sixth. here, everything is beginning to move out. a piece of energy from this powerhouse low is going to backtrack where it backtracks. if it ends up in california, we'll get a strong offshore event. if it stays in southern nevada, arizona, it won't be as bad, but we will warm up starting wednesday, probably

thursday, friday. after that, i think it ejects out with those cold water temps. this fog will not be far away. it looks like we're done for rain for now, but i do don't think we're done for the season. well, it's called a telecanal session. we look at this called the p and a. it is deeply diving negative. that's usually a sign something's brewing. so i'll mention around the 21st 22nd. something could develop by then for our next rain. nice though for this week and warmer today will be nice, we are looking for 60s to near 70. tomorrow will be a little warmer, but i think you'll really notice it as we head towards wednesday. thursday and friday. you guys. thank you steve. coming up, a tragic ending to a search for three missing surfers in mexico. next on the nine. what authorities are saying about what led to their deaths and why prosecutors point to robbery as a motive. also ahead, san francisco's corporate giants join forces for a good cause. we'll talk live with an expert about the new coalition coming together to beautify the downtown area. young zoe was born to be a champion because even as a kid,

she had a thirst for knowledge. today zoe applies her wealth of knowledge to all of her repair calls for service champions, high five service champion attitude. call 805 champs. fine lines. make an appointment with this hyaluronic plumping water cream by l'oreal with micro hyaluronic acid hydrates better than the number one hyaluronic gel moisturizer in two weeks, lines are visibly reduced. plumping water cream by l'oreal we're worth it makeup meets skincare expertise true match serum concealer by l'oreal paris with hyaluronic acid corrects like a concealer. hydrates like an eye serum an iron shaped applicator to conceal and re plump with a radiant finish. true match concealer we worth it if you've been hurt. an accident, who you choose to represent you matters. being part of your community matters. their winning record and level of care matters. the trial attorneys at sweet james are some of the best in the country, consistently delivering some of the top settlements in the state. not only do we win, we

win big. so if you're injured in an accident and results matter, call a hometown firm that delivers. call sweet james. what's the quickest, easiest, most affordable way to transform every room in your home? if you have old, ugly, or cheap hollow interior doors, one day doors and closets can replace them in just a few hours with absolutely no messy construction at your home, something's not right. when your doors aren't nice, a nice interior door just elevates the house and right now, with one day doors and closets by any five doors and get another five doors, absolutely free. but this offer is only available for a limited time schedule your free in-home consultation today. when is my allergy spray gonna kick in? you need astepro astepro. it's faster, bro. eight times faster than flonase. it's faster. bro it's faster bro, it's faster bro. it's mom to you . astepro starts working in 30 minutes. astepro and go mornings on two traffic cameras give you a live look at your commute so

you can know before you go. give yourself extra time. if highway four is your commute, and at the bay bridge toll plaza, it is backed up all the way to the maze. brought to you by triple a insurance. get a free quote today. fox local gives you the power to stream the big picture every night on the 10:00 news. a spectacular sight in san francisco tonight. a pretty good crowd tonight at city hall. it's easy. just download fox local on your tv streaming device. no sign up, no password, no subscription required. watch the 10:00 news every night on fox local. new. this morning, the judge in donald trump's criminal trial has fined him another $1,000 for violating his gag order and threatened that if he violates the gag order again, he could face jail time because the judge says the fines aren't working. last week, former trump adviser hope hicks took the stand, testifying about how trump's presidential campaign was rocked by the leak of a video where trump made remarks about making sexual advances toward women without their permission. trump is accused of falsifying business records to

cover up payments made to women in exchange for their silence about affairs they had with him over the weekend. several republicans, who are reportedly being considered to be trump's vice presidential running mate, gathered at his home in florida. there were seven possible candidates at the fundraising event. here's the good news, and i saw it this weekend. the amount of talent that we have in the republican party is extraordinary. there's a lot of names that are in the mix. i'm honored to have my names as one of them in the mix right now. trump has said he will make his determination on a running mate sometime before the republican convention, which is scheduled to begin july 15th in milwaukee. london breed is officially launching her reelection campaign for san francisco mayor. she's planning a kickoff event for next saturday along the jfk promenade in golden gate park. breed is running against a crowded field of candidates. mark farrell, daniel lurie, aaron peskin, asha safai, shahram shariati and ellen lee zhou have all announced they are

running for mayor. there has been a lot of talk about revitalizing downtown san francisco, as the area continues to lag behind other downtown districts nationwide in its post-pandemic recovery. now, we have seen bright spots and there are a lot of minds working together to grow and sustain those successes. let's bring one of them in. welcome to sarah dennis phillips, executive director of san francisco's office of economic and workforce development. thanks for being with us, sarah. thanks so much for having me. of course. so newest numbers i can find show that last year, downtown san francisco saw about two thirds of what it was doing before the pandemic in 2019. from your view, what's the state of downtown san francisco? we're we're still in recovery, you know, our our downtown activity rates and the numbers you cite actually saw the biggest gain from 2022 to 2023, 2023 was a year of strong recovery for us of more people coming downtown, of more people spending more time in the office, that said,

we were starting from a pretty low point nationally, we've been very vulnerable because of our strength in the tech sector and the ability of those sectors to work from home, i think as you mentioned, we're also continuing to see a lot of bright spots, and we saw a number of those bright spots last week where we are, where mayor breed's efforts under her roadmap to san francisco's future are bringing reasons for people to be downtown that are more than just work, and so those are really exciting. between the activations and the events that we're having and the reasons that people are coming downtown are no longer just about the office. so i know we saw first thursdays, we saw a group of businesses, some of whom compete against each other, bringing their workers together to volunteer and help boost downtown. what else is in the pipeline, if you will? because first thursdays is one day a month. what else is there cooking that we should know about? yeah there's so much and i think first thursdays is emblematic of the type of things

that need to happen downtown to make it a destination. and a lot of that is about arts, culture and nightlife, last week, mayor breed announced a number of other initiatives, actually, over the past two weeks, we were able to announce sf live, which is a new six month series of free music concerts that are going to happen citywide over the next three months, that was launched through a grant from city attorney david chu when he was an assembly member, and partnered with city funding. and so we're going to see outdoor concerts in san francisco all summer through sf live, two weeks ago, mayor breed also introduced legislation to waive fees for outdoor community events. that means things like first thursdays, which hopefully lots of you went to, if they fit within the category of the legislation, they can happen a lot more easily and a lot more inexpensively. and we're going

to see more events here off of that. we have chinatown night markets happening every second friday. we have a mid market event where we have an opening of some new businesses on market street on may 15th, and we have our second series of bhangra and beats, which was an incredibly successful friday night series from last year that brought, thousands of people downtown from all over the bay area reopening again on july 12th. so outdoor events are a big part of that as well. good, good. you know, i often think about there are 100 million things i love to do in the city, but i do the math before i go in, before i take my whole family. i don't know if you saw the video of governor newsom on top of the golden gate bridge touting record tourism spending in california, unfortunately, it's largely due to inflation. everything is more expensive, right? so we have to spend more. san francisco spending was actually below its 2019 numbers. same across the bay area. how can san francisco overcome a very tough economy? you're eventually essentially trying to convince people to come out and spend when we're watching every penny. that's right. and i think

it's a combination of giving them reasons to spend by uplifting our nightlife sector, our bars and restaurants, and allowing those places to exist and offering them free things to do. i think all of the events that we talked about first thursday's, the night markets, the sf live series, bangor and beats, those are free events. those are things you can come in and do in the city that don't cost money. and we're going to continue to look for more of those, as we activate our public realm across the city. there are smaller things happening in the city as well. if you look at landing is at leidersdorff, which is a new public space that that was launched downtown, by the downtown sf partnership. we've got magic shows, there are yoga classes, there are all sorts of free things happening in the city that allow people to tap into the energy of the city without spending a lot of money. all right. how soon do you think we can talk? and you'll say, recovery complete. and now we're building. when do you forecast that to happen? i would love to

say, by the end of this year, i do think we need to be realistic that we are going through. and mayor breed is leading a reimagining of the city as not just a place where people work downtown, but where they live and recreate downtown. and that kind of structural change involves land use change, and that's going to take a couple of years. doesn't happen overnight. well, sarah, i hope we do get to talk before the end of the year. thanks for joining us today. thanks so much. of course, coming up here on mornings on two, the nine, a string of suspicious fires rattling communities in the east bay. at least two of the fires are being treated as cases of likely arson. we'll share the security footage that offers some glimpses into what happened, then later tackling the unregulated sale of kratom. how a bay area assembly member aims to ensure consumer safety amid concerns over potent and potentially dangerous products. come laugh when meghan trainor beyonce was like, come here and hugged me and i was like, oh my god. today at 11 on fox two.

it's like playing a video game, but in real life, yes. when we bring a truckload of magic to your house, that magic is yours to keep big open rooms without clutter and that feeling of fresh air. freedom. call one 800. got junk? give me one good reason why i should call the law brothers. how about three great reasons? you should call us one. it's easy. two. it's fast. three. the results call us. we're the law, brothers. call now or visit law brothers .com. hey, where do you think we should put it for moving into a new home with a bathroom space is on backwards to updating for your new needs. re-bath is with you every step of the way. hi. hi. let's talk about your bathroom. two great options for you to take a look at when it's time for a remodel. we handle the entire process. holy cow. wow, is this going to be ready in time for the baby? absolutely. we're with you through design product

selection, removal of the old, and installation of the new. you'll love how easy it is to create a beautiful and functional bathroom for whatever's next in your life. oh, can i get in? come on, honey, you were right. turned out amazing? yes, it did. re bath with you every step of the way. call or visit re-bath .com for your free in-home design consultation. they say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. well, they are correct. mcdonald's equals breakfast bliss. get any bagel and for $1.69 at any size, premium roast coffee bottom of papa. it's like playing a video game, but in real life, yes. when we bring a truckload of magic to your house, that magic is yours to keep big open rooms without clutter. and that feeling of fresh air. freedom. call one 800. got junk. the competitions are fierce. fox

tonight. which small chef will be crowned masterchef junior? this is going to be a fight to the finish. all new and on dance. you have to sell it. only one will walk away with the title america's favorite dancer is. so you think you can dance and masterchef junior are all new tonight on fox. mexican authorities have identified the bodies of three surfers that were discovered last week in baja california. they say two of the victims were from australia, and the other was from san diego. police say the three men went missing on april 27th, then on may 3rd. authorities discovered or recovered the bodies from a 50 foot deep water hole. the families of the missing surfers were able to make a positive i.d. on those bodies. the news came as a surprise to people who knew them . very shocked. i mean, these were three of the best, nicest men that i have ever met. we want to know the truth and what actually happened. police say

the victims were likely killed by thieves who wanted their car parts. they've arrested three suspects connected to the killings. the oakland police department is asking for your help in solving two cold cases. they believe involve the same suspects. the first happened in the spring of 2020. officers say april 28th 23 year-old henry tejada was walking near 68th and foothill in east oakland when detectives say a car pulled up, multiple people got out and they shot him. police later found the car and learned it had been rented out of reno, nevada. so far, no arrests have been made. the other cold case is from the summer of 2021. officers say deshawn rhodes was shot and killed near brooklyn and lakeshore, next to lake merritt. police say they are looking for a man seen running away in a white t shirt, and another man on a dirt bike. detectives say both rhodes and tejada have ties to san francisco. if you have any information on these cases, you're asked to contact oakland police. oakland mayor shang tao is joining other city leaders nationwide in asking for more

federal resources to combat homelessness. she made the request during a meeting of big city mayors in washington, dc, last week. she wants the federal government to increase the number of housing vouchers available to low income residents in oakland. under the plan, recipients generally spend 30% of their income on rent, and the vouchers cover the rest. recent studies have shown the number of people who are homeless in oakland doubled between 2015 and 2022. investigators are searching for answers after four tow trucks went up in flames in concord and bay point over the weekend. at least two of those fires are being investigated as arson. they started early saturday morning. security camera video captured one of the fires on summerfield drive in bay point. it shows a tow truck bursting into flames and one man getting into a car and racing away from the scene. now grainy security camera video in concord shows another tow truck fire on saint clair avenue, and you can see the flames in the far right corner of the screen. a local towing company says all four of these trucks destroyed in these fires belong to their fleet.

anyone with information is asked to call contra costa county fire investigators. coming up here on mornings on two, the nine, we just talked about a continued push to bring more tourism to san francisco. next, we'll look at statewide spending reports. while the governor and other leaders are touting the numbers. we'll explain why there is more to these numbers and what's really driving a spike in spending. then it's called the hardest job in the world. and the pay won't do a thing for your bank account. well, most parents say that raising children is the most rewarding thing they do. there's also a growing sense of burnout among parents. we'll examine this trend right now pet dander, skin cells, and dirt are settling deep into your carpet fibers. stanley steemer removes the dirt you see and the dirt you don't. your carpets aren't clean until their stanley steemer clean. stanley steemer gets your home cleaner. young zoe was born to be a champion because even as a kid, she had a thirst for knowledge. today, zoe applies her wealth of knowledge to all of her repair calls for service

champions. high five service champion attitude. call 805 champs. my late father in law lit up a room, but his vision dimmed with age. he had amd i didn't know it then, but it can progress to ga. an advanced form of the disease. his struggle with vision loss from amd made me want to help you see warning signs of gar, like straight lines that seem wavy, blurry, or missing visual spots that make it hard to see faces like this one, or trouble with low light that makes driving at night a real challenge. if you've been diagnosed with amd and noticed vision changes, don't wait. ga is irreversible. it's important to catch it early. talk to your eye doctor about ga and learn more at ga. won't wait. .com tyson boneless buffalo bites and hot wings have that tasty kick of flavor, so they're perfect for any get together if there are any left when your guests arrive. tyson sanitizers

chicken. more kicks of flavor, more smiling snackers more to love tyson. if you want to walk away with more money at the end of your case, choose jacoby and myers at the start of your case. at jacoby and myers, we get our clients up to ten times the original insurance offer. choose jacoby and myers right now. pet dander, skin cells, mold spores, pollen, and dirt are being sucked into your air ducts. get cleaner air in system efficiency. now with stanley steemer, your air ducts aren't clean until they're stanley steemer clean. stanley steemer gets your home cleaner. we're in the middle of living large and having a big day. the meeting point of humanity and history. in the middle of being the fun uncle, in the middle of being a kid again. beep beep. there's something for everyone in illinois. the middle of everything. the 10:00 news on. m

live tonight. welcome back to the nine. boy. we got a good power wash on saturday, didn't we? everything so nice and clean. the air smells and feels good. hopefully your allergies are taking a bit of a break, but look, if we way fast forward to the weekend, temperatures are ticking up again, so if you like it nice and cool. today is your day. 6 in 10 parents say they are burned out by their responsibilities as a parent. this, according to a new survey from ohio state, about two thirds feel the demands of parenthood sometimes or frequently feel isolating and lonely. nearly 2 in 5 feel they have no one to support them in their parenting role. experts advise parents set realistic expectations, such as making sure you to do list matches your energy levels. take small moments for yourself when and wherever you can, like creating rituals in your life that can give you energy. we could talk about this for 1500 hours. however, i will say for sure

i've adjusted my expectations. when i before i had children, i was like, oh my kids will never watch television, my kids will never have skittles. and not that they have that and do that stuff every single day, but we're living in reality now, and the goal of parenting is to have your children fly, right. you know, you're a successful, you're on your own. you're independent. that's because your parents let you learn and see and experience so you can handle it yourself. you know, what i find helps is a lot of my good friends are parents of the people that my kids go to school with. they've become good friends because of commiserate. you talk to those parents, go to events together. we all go to the same school, and then we actually even see each other without our kids. sometimes because we have this bond and good friends. so you can commiserate sometimes they'll pick up your kids, you'll pick up their kids. it's become a nice little relationship that really does help, right? you're speaking with like minded people. they understand the stresses that go into it. all right. let's get an update on this right now. here are the results from our poll so far that we mentioned earlier. we asked would you support a law

that could force some stores to get rid of self-checkout. and you can see right there, yes, limited 17, but no, it's convenient 63% getting the overwhelming majority here and get rid of it altogether 20% of the vote. we'd like to hear from you. scan the qr code on the top right hand corner of your screen, or head to ktvu.com/vote. israel has told tens of thousands of palestinian rouz in the southern gaza city of rafah to evacuate to humanity zone on the coast. the israeli military dropped leaflets over rafah telling people where to go. this comes ahead of an expected israeli military ground invasion of rafah, which israel says is the last significant hamas stronghold. the united nations is warning that an israeli offensive in rafah would mean more civilian suffering and deaths, and prime minister benjamin netanyahu marked holocaust remembrance day, saying israel will continue its fight against hamas despite international calls for a cease fire. if israel is forced to stand alone, israel will stand alone. you hear that? there,

sirens sounded across israel and people stopped what they were doing for two minutes. to mark holocaust remembrance day, israeli leaders laid wreaths on a memorial where ashes of victims of concentration camps were buried. the city of berkeley marked holocaust remembrance day with a virtual event. some participants were holocaust survivors who described what they lived through. we were arrested and sent to dachau in 1938. i like my candles and for my grandmother, batya katzenstein, and her two sons, paul and, jacob and many other relatives, berkeley's mayor, jesse arreguin, said recent instances of anti-semitic harassment have made this year's holocaust remembrance day more important than ever. a new report released this weekend says tourism spending in california hit a post pandemic. record visitors

spent $150 billion in our state last year. ktvu sally rasmus takes a closer look at the numbers and the reasons for the increase. sally yes, $150 billion in spending statewide by tourists came to visit california in 2023. it's an impressive number and higher than the previous record set in 2019 which was $144 billion. but the report does say that part of the reason for this increase in spending is because things cost more, including vacations in 2023, than they did four years before, the report says, quote, adjusted for inflation, travel spending in 2023 was down 14% from the peak in 2019. even so, governor gavin newsom touted the statewide tourism spending numbers as a win. in this video, he circulated on social media over the weekend magnificence of the san francisco bay. what a perfect place to announce our record breaking tourism numbers.

now, the money spent varies by region. here in the bay area in 2023, tourists spent less money. tourists spent 37.7 billion, down slightly from $39 billion spent in 2019. people who live and work in san francisco shared some of their observations with us about some of the bay areas tourist spots. they're less busy. before it was packed. right now, it's not the point these people are spending, and you know that's a plus, right? hopefully it's going to pick up. one bright spot in the report, it says that 98% of travel industry jobs that existed here in california before the pandemic have now returned. and the report says that should also count as a positive sign that the tourism sector in our state has recovered since the pandemic. live in san francisco ali rasmus, ktvu, fox two news. and we want to dive a little deeper in this bigger picture of 2023 travel spending in california by welcoming ryan

becker to the nine. he's the vice president of communications for visit california. ryan, welcome. thank you. good morning. all right. good morning guy. you heard our reporter in that piece say that even though the numbers are up adjusted for inflation, they're actually down. how do you, you know, reconcile. the governor is out there celebrating when really the numbers are down. i think that point ali made at the end of her piece about the jobs recovery is really the better metric for how the industry is doing as a whole. 1.2 million california workers across the state depend on travel and tourism, the hospitality industry, to pay their mortgages and put their kids through school. and the good news is that nearly every one of those jobs has been restored since the pandemic. so what do you think is bringing people back? do you think it's conventions? do you think it's the beautiful weather? i mean, you can't really stop california. it's beautiful. we have things like the golden gate bridge. the list could go on. why are people coming back? while the weather

is undeniable and california just has such an abundance and diversity of experiences to offer, it is really the ultimate playground. and you know, we're telling the world that and now's the time to come back, and to top it off, you know, californians should should stay in the state and enjoy their own backyard. you know, there's so much to do here. so it's definitely the leisure travel that we see is driving this resurgence. the group business has been a little bit slower to come back, but bookings are looking good and 2024 is shaping up to be another great year. now, if you watch certain national shows on the cable networks, you'll see that sometimes people are taking shots at california and sometimes more specifically, san francisco, having to do with the crime. the statewide crime. and i'm here to tell you that crime is happening everywhere. but how does visit california get ahead of something like this to make sure that people know that? look, it's a big city. you will have crime, but it's a all in all, a safe experience. you're absolutely right. california and san francisco in particular, are

not alone in some of the challenges that our society is facing, visit california is getting the word out. we have offices across the us, as well as 13 international markets around the world, and we're also hosting and participating in events like this that you see behind me. this is, us travel ipa. this is the largest international travel trade show on us soil. it's in los angeles this year. and we built out an experience to really showcase to 5000 travel industry executives across the globe that california truly is the ultimate playground . you know, ryan, we just did a report about san francisco and the challenges it's facing when it comes to tourism. that city is not doing as well. and i think a lot of it has to do with the, the, the perception of crime and drug use and all that. so how does san francisco specifically ramp that up to fix it, in your opinion? and his visit? california helping. yeah, we work very closely with partners across the state. san

francisco travel is certainly a high on that list, part of it is bringing people to the city and the bay area and showing them, you know, whether it's a journalist or a travel executive, to show them what the reality is, because the perception, as you mentioned, shared by some media, especially at the national level, is not is not fair and zeros in and leaves out a lot of important context. and those of us who are lucky enough to live and work in california and the bay and the greater bay area, know the truth, that, that, there's a tremendous opportunity to have a great time, a great trip, in the in the city, in the bay area, despite some of the things that they might see on television. one last question, ryan. you know, every once in a while have been in another state, and i've seen ads for california. it kind of makes me proud. you have all these beautiful images and you have people saying, hey, come out. is more of that going on? yeah, we just launched a new campaign, so that's really good

to hear that you're seeing them, most californians, when they're in state, don't see them because our mission is really to drive that travel inbound. so you're going to see them when you're traveling outside california, most predominantly, this campaign is called, let's play. and it's really designed to show, everything there is to see and do across the state. there's truly an experience for everybody, whether you're looking for a relaxing trip, a family trip, a, you know, an exciting trip, adrenaline filled trip. there's just such a diversity of opportunity here. all right. ryan becker, the vice president of communications for visit california. thank you for joining us. thanks for having me. still to come, the bay area's largest school district gets some major warning from the state. the financial struggles that are raising concerns in the san francisco unified school district. also ahead, state leaders taking action to regulate a popular herbal supplement. we'll hear from san francisco assemblyman matt haney about the concerns over unregulated and potentially dangerous products that contain kratom. system pavers home

improvement moment find information and inspiration at system pavers.com. we've been around for 30 years. we are a company that's focused on helping homeowners elevate their outdoor living spaces and really create a space that they love and want to spend time in. we'll come out, we'll do a free design consultation with you. we'll sit down, go over your home. what you love to do, how your space could be useful, how you entertain, and then we'll come up with some really great ideas together. you know, it's your home. we want to help you create the space that you love. we'll go over materials. we'll go over how to kind of marry the home to the land. we've been doing it for 30 years, so we've got a really great process. on making sure that you've got great communication throughout the whole project, and that the finished project is something you're going to live in and love. pavers bring a certain amount of elegance to a space. there are endless options as far as color, texture, size, patterns, so it can really allow you to create a unique space. and then the way we install pavers, which is a really robust installation method that allows us to warranty it for 25 years, allows you to make sure that you've got peace of mind with that installation. our goal is

to make this as easy of a process for you, and the paver patios is the foundation for your space. take that paver patio, you add all these additional elements to it, and now you've got this nice comprehensive space that you're never going to want to leave. we do patios, we do pergolas, we do fire pits. i mean, if you haven't been outside and sat around a fire pit and had a glass of wine or roasted marshmallows with your kids, you're missing out. barbecues, water features, walls, steps, putting greens that we can do that are really fun. if you're an avid golfer, we can really make a cool putting green for you. anything you think of outdoor living related, we can make beautiful and we can find the right way to do it for you. developing that space that's comfortable and that's clean and that's usable year round is what we want to do. and that's that's what makes a space inviting and useful and a good investment. if you'd like to learn more about what you can do at your home, you can call us at eight, five, 56639775. you can go to our website at system pavers.com. there's a ton of inspiration there. and then of course jump on all of our social media. and then the first step is getting us out there. we'll come out for a 90 minute design consultation,

and we will come in and we help you design the space of your dreams. fine lines. make an appointment with this hyaluronic plumping water cream by l'oreal with micro hyaluronic acid hydrates better than the number one hyaluronic gel moisturizer in two weeks, lines are visibly reduced. plumping water cream by l'oreal we're worth it. makeup meets skincare expertise true match serum concealer by l'oreal paris with hyaluronic acid corrects like a concealer. hydrates like an eye serum an iron shaped applicator to conceal and re plump with a radiant finish. true match concealer we worth it? buckle up big boy. it's team lisa versus team gordon. she can vanderpump off. we're done. food stars premieres wednesday, may 22nd on fox. today, the ross valley school district will discuss the budget impact of a new contract agreement with teachers. the school district in marin county reached an agreement with its teachers union last week after several weeks of negotiations and the help of a state

mediator, trustees voted in favor of a one year agreement, which provides an increase in both salaries and health benefits for teachers. several district employees in nevada will be taking early retirement to help avoid layoffs, according to the marin i-j, 43 employees with the nevada unified district accepted an incentive to retire early. the district says this will allow it to keep some of the staff members who would have been laid off due to the end of covid era funding measures. california's education department has a warning for the san francisco school district. the state agency downgraded the school district's financial status from qualified to negative, over concerns it won't be able to pay its bills during the next two fiscal years. this means the state will keep a close eye on the school district's plans to close merge or relocate schools in the city over the next two years. san francisco assembly member matt haney is working to regulate herbal supplement that's often found in smoke shops and online. now it's called the kratom safety act. it's a natural state. kratom has long been used in southeast asia for medical

and therapeutical purposes, but haney says lack of regulation in the u.s. has led to very potent and dangerous products being sold with no regulation. i caught up with the assembly member for more insight on his push to regulate kratom. all right, so tell me what you know about kratom. well, you know, this is now one of the most used substances in the country. that's an over $1 billion industry. it's kratom itself as a is a leaf that comes from southeast asia. it's very commonly used in that part of the world, put into tea. and now it's being sold very widely across the country, including california, that has the largest share of the market, it's sold often in like little bottles of about this size, people use it for a wide variety of things. some use it as an alcohol replacement, some use it as a pain reliever, it gives energy, but in, extreme circumstances,

if you use a lot of it, if you don't know what you're getting, it can actually cause a lot of damage. and combined with other substances, there have been overdoses, so it's one of those things where there's some positive uses that doctors and others say are important or, or even are just harmless, but in more extreme forms, especially when people are misusing it, it can be harmful. so you are, you have now introduced, an assembly bill to regulate it, kratom. what is it that your bill would do? so right now, despite the fact that hundreds of thousands of people are consuming this in california, including many young people, it's not regulated at all, there's no labeling requirements. there's no age requirements, you can buy a bottle that's this big, that has one, set of, ingredients and the

same size bottle has exponentially hundreds of times more potency because it's synthetic. and you may have no reason to know that, it's sold in convenience stores. it's sold in nutrition stores with no regulation at all. so this bill would regulate something that people are buying all over our state that, people should know what it is. they should know how much is in it. there should be age requirements, there you should know, the level of impact , the recommended doses, etc, because if people take a lot of this stuff, especially in its concentrated synthetic form, it can cause harm. and so it's important that we protect the public. how bad is the harm? i mean, do we do we can we quantify how the how badly this risk is right now, some stats, that show that this is proving to be a problem right now? well, you know, there have been people who, combined with other

substances have overdosed on it, certainly a lot of people in the medical community telling us that they're seeing a lot more people becoming addicted to it, and it's more, extreme forms. we have kids who are using it, so it's definitely something that if you look at the, the level of use that again, this is a billions of dollars industry in terms of what's being sold out there with no regulation at all, it seems clear that just like with anything else you buy that can have impact on your body, you should know what's in it. it should be labeled, it should have age requirements, and if you choose to buy something, you should know what you're buying. and if not, there's a potential for a lot of danger. and i've seen some of these products where again, they look exactly the same, but one has hundreds of times as much in terms of the potency, that's that that that's dangerous. and it is something

that we need to regulate. i remember my first encounter with kratom was doing a, a story in virginia where there was there was an effort to regulate kratom there. and the american kratom association, formed out of the area i was in in norfolk, virginia. you know, protested this, they said, you know, a lot of people were using it for chronic pain issues, and they feared that any kind of regulation would eventually lead to the banning of this, substance that they use so often. and they say it's natural . what, have you spoken to those people? and if so, what did they say to you about that? well, yeah, there are some folks who definitely don't want any regulation at all, i think that's the, the wrong way to go here, we're not banning this, there are people who use it either in a harmless way or in a way that actually helps them deal with certain, pain or anxiety or other things. and so in, in its in certain forms, the leaf itself, can have some

positive impact. so i don't support banning it, at the same time, people should know what they're getting. and in, in its more synthetic or concentrated forms, it can be addictive. it can be harmful mixed with other substances. it can even have more severe impacts. and, i think we have a responsibility to tell people what they're getting with something like this. it should not be a free for all. and i know there are some people who don't even want us to do that who are opposed to it. you know, it's interesting i put out on my social media, has anybody heard of kratom before? dozens and dozens of people responded and said, yes, i use it for alcohol replacement for anxiety. or i have a friend who uses it and some people said, yes, i have a friend who's addicted or a family member and it had really negative impacts. so there's a range there. but everybody agreed that there needs to be some regulation. all right. so there are two versions of kratom on the market. now. we have the synthetic version and

the natural version. assemblymember haney says the synthetic version will be banned as part of his bill. and the natural version would be regulated. now haney tells me that the kratom bill is in the appropriations committee now. he's hoping it will get to the assembly floor for a vote. so we'll keep tracking it for you and let you know what happens. all right. coming up on mornings on two. the nine a potential game changer for high education statewide. how the california personal finance act is inching closer to becoming law, as it aims to equip students with a central financial literacy skills. monday you wake up, you're just in a good mood, just thankful you alive series live with vanessa williams today at ten on ktvu fox two. i got her in a car accident. give me one good reason why i should call the law brothers. how about three great reasons? you should call us one. it's easy. you never even have to leave your house. two. it's fast. we can start helping you today. three. the results. we've helped thousands of people get great settlements. just listen to this. i called the law brothers

after my accident and they got me $1.25 million. we're the law, brothers call 1-800-222-2222 or visit law brothers.com when you're finally ready to upgrade the windows and patio doors in your home. but you just keep thinking, i just wish i could choose a company that would make it easy. i'm from renewal by anderson, and we have the most hassle free way to get this project done for you. with some other companies, you're dealing with a bunch of different people, and when something goes wrong, the finger pointing begins. it's their fault. no, it's their fault. we manage the consultation, the manufacturing, the installing and the warranties. no middleman, no finger pointing, something else that makes us different. we're really good at making the project affordable. one way is with our great financing options. we have a lot of customers who are going to pay cash, but because our programs are so good, they decided to finance instead. and a lot of our customers actually pay off their project early. now see this? this is what you might get with other window installers. if

this is how their installer cares for your windows, how will they care for your home? where renewal by andersen, the replacement window division of anderson based on their years of experience, our certified master installers are carefully selected and then pass through an intense classroom and field training program. and that training really pays off for you because oftentimes your installation can be completed in just one day, and that includes vacuuming their way out of your house, where the replacement window division of anderson, the most recommended brand of windows in the country, give us a call. what my neighbors told me was a renewal by anderson did the best work for them, and they came. and they did what they said they were going to do, and they were very happy with the outcome. i'm very happy with the product renewal by anderson is having a massive markdown sale and it's our biggest discount of the year. during your initial visit, only save 25% on windows, save 25% on patio doors and save 25% on entry doors with no money

down, no payments and no interest for one year, don't miss our massive markdown sale call before may 31st. one 800 503 9797 ktvu celebrates positive stories from the aapi community, such as the story of mitsue endo and the new effort to honor her historic role during world war two. she has never received the recognition. despite her courage, ando's victory forced the white house to announce that the camps would be closed stream. good news right now on the fox local app. this week is wildfire preparedness week in california. state agencies want us to learn both how to prevent fires and how to escape. one. this year, the theme of wildfire preparedness week is meeting the mission through partnerships, highlighting the importance of collective responsibility in managing wildfire risk. cal fire ellen new in sonoma county, geared up for the week with crews taking part in the annual fire preparedness exercises. so this week we'll be participating

in a readiness drill at issue camp with many of the crews throughout the state. this readiness drill is to test the preparedness of our crew. it consists of tool outs, hikes, and a line cut to see where we're at. getting ready for fire season. and we've been practicing for that for the last few weeks. cal fire says it has made significant progress on fuel reduction and mitigation, and last year, more than 105,000 acres of fuel and grasses were treated. and cal fire says fuel reduction projects are essential to slowing down and reducing the intensity of wildfires. and even though the ground is still soaked from saturday's downpour, now is the best time to get ready for fire season. cal fire says we should all have an emergency bag ready with food, water, first aid and other supplies in case we ever need to evacuate. you can also help protect your home by clearing brush to create a defensible space. when it comes to fire season, cal fire says it's not a question of if, but when fires will start. you want to make sure that everybody is ready for what's coming because wildfire is coming. whether it comes next month or next year. wildfire is

coming and now is the time to prepare. cal fire is also urging people to have an evacuation plan in place to help people in san mateo county get ready. cal fire is conducting an evacuation drill there later this week. the east bay spca hosted its annual growl, meow and wine event over the weekend. based in oakland, it's the shelter's biggest fundraising event where guests could enjoy wine or beer while playing with the cats and dogs there, and they could also bid on things like certificate for doggy day care, the shelter staff says the fundraiser helps support local pet owners who may be struggling financially. it's really important to recognize at this time not only are shelters faced with having a lot of animals, but the need in our community for a lot of people who are faced with having to potentially give up their pets, do they feed themselves or can they feed their pets or take care of them as they want? it's really important and we're committed to helping all members of our community, especially in alameda and contra costa counties. the east bay spca is

celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, making it one of the oldest shelters in the country. a new air travel service is offering flights for you and your four legged friends. bach air launches this month and say goodbye to crates. this first of its kind travel experience prioritizes your dog's comfort. if you buy a ticket, you'll get on board pet meet-ups treats for both you and your dog, and more. bach air's first flight takes off from new york on may 23rd. it also flies out of la and london right now. one way tickets for that first day cost around 6000 bucks for you and your pup this fall. california voters could decide to require high school students take a class on managing their finances. the california personal finance act is close to being certified by the secretary of state. if approved, financial literacy education would be added to the list of high school graduation required payments. starting with the class of 2030. some of the topics would include paying for college retirement accounts and learning how the stock market works. google hosted a special event this weekend designed to attract more students to the love for an

eventual career in technology. dozens of children and their parents filled a room decked out in yellow with a dancing bumblebee. see the event at the company's mountain view headquarters. helped them learn the fundamentals of science, technology, engineering and math . i like science because it's like learning new things and you get to see like explosions to use this technology every day, whether it's youtube, spotify, like they know everything. organizers of the event say the goal was to help get more bay area students of color into the field of science, technology and math. studies show african americans, latinos and native americans are underrepresented in tech, education and workforce. organizers call the event a success. among other things, children as young as eight years old learned how to code and program using legos. happening today, boeing is set to launch astronauts into space for the first time. boeing's starliner capsule is set to launch out of florida this evening around 730. our time

with two nasa pilots on board, it's headed to the international space station. this is starliner's first flight with a crew on board. boeing is trying to catch up to spacex, which made nine taxi trips for nasa. since 2020. if tonight's flight goes well, nasa will begin to alternate between boeing and spacex to get astronauts to and from the space station. well, that's pretty good. and, you know, obviously they have it dialed so that the, you know, the astronauts can feel relatively safe getting on that aircraft. yeah, that's pretty cool stuff. we should be able to get on there. i know, i know, we just watched interstellar over the weekend and that's a whole other world. have you seen it before? i hadn't seen it before. oh you hadn't. and yeah it's incredible. yeah, it was, it was a little bit above my, some of it was way up here. it's like that for everyone too. but just that magic of space and possibilities and what's out there and yeah, for sure really good stuff. speaking of time, we have one last quick minute to take a peek at this poll. we've been asking you. you have been supporting leaving those personal checkout lanes. just say, look, let me handle it when

i'm at the safeway. and i got to buzz through with my two things. there is a law kind of in the works that proposes maybe getting rid of self checkout or requiring stores to have, you know, two self-checkouts and one employee there. most of you say you like it, don't touch it. it's convenient. 18% say, go ahead and limit it. about a quarter of you say, just get rid of it altogether. you're probably not the ones who see my humongous cart full of things and run over to do the self check like some people do, so keep weighing in. we love taking your answers through the day. all right, quick reminder you can stream ktvu news on your smart tv. you can watch local newscasts and series on demand on your amazon fire tv, roku, apple tv or android tv to search for the fox local app and then select ktvu meet you back here at noon. sherry's next. three. two. one. it's showtime. we're gonna have a real good time. feel good time spreading love and joy and laughter all over the place. we're gonna have a good time. we're gonna have a good time. feel so legendary without