record wasn't completely clean, either. robert handa joins you now. robert? >> reporter: we are at the home of sam cassidy, and in a neighborhood the most compelling was in january of 2020. he had a verbal altercation, that had another employee say, he scares me. if someone was to go postal, it'd be him.

that observation, also, got the ear of psychiatrist julian who found the the report very revealing about cassidy's behavior. >> it's almost predictable, how they are as a person. you know, that they're, you know, he's very insubordinate. he treats his co-workers very badly. and i think there was that one co-worker who said if someone were to go postal, it would most likely be him. so he is obviously not a very good person to be with or work with so definitely not surprised. i would be more surprised if he was a great person. >> now, just as investigators comb this house, a lot of mental health experts are going to be pouring over this vta report, though, the doctor says a violent act of this magnitude, it will take a lot more research and digging into his past life. his childhood, as well as his earlier-employment days, to really get the full picture of sam cassidy. live, in san jose, robert handa, nbc bay area news. >> robert, thank you. just later in this newscast, we will be joined by steven stock who takes a deeper lock at the

gunman's personnel file. more than 200 pages released by the vta. our other headlines at 6:00. friends and family gathering in san jose at this hour to remember the little boy found dead in the nevada desert. this is a live look, now, at the park, one of the boy's favorite places to spend time with his family and his friends when he lived in san jose. investigators say, a hiker discovered little liam's body about two weeks ago on a trail in the town of mountain spring. that's about 30 miles west of las vegas. those who knew the 7-year-old describe him as a vibrant, young boy who loved to swim. his mother, samantha rodriguez, was arrested at a denver hotel on tuesday. she is awaiting extradition to la vegas. so far, police do not have a motive for this killing. uc berkeley researchers are urging state officials to avoid rebuilding homes in areas destroyed by wildfires. they say it'll keep homeowners out of harm's way. but some say it's not as easy as

it sounds. nbc bay area's pete joins us live from santa rosa and, pete, you are not too far from that high-risk area that the study actually highlighted. >> yeah, that's right. we're near that fountain grove neighborhood, which for our viewers that remember, this area was completely devastated by the fire. you can see behind me, actually, there is still homes on that hillside that are under construction. and i actually got a chance to speak to one of those uc berkeley researchers who says that image you are seeing there is a part of the problem. >> these fires have been coming over the mountain range from napa, you know, during the windy season. they have been coming for a hundred years. it's not going to stop. it's only going to get worse. >> and it's why professor karen ciao says it's time to rethink how the state rebuilds after wildfires. which mentions areas, such as santa rosa, that continue to rebuild in areas likely to burn again. >> they really need to rethink

land-use planning on the wild land urban interface on the eastern side of santa rosa. >> reporter: she is calling for a new strategy. it would involve incentivizing homeowners through buyouts to locate to the west in santa rosa where there is low wildfire risk. or areas of town that she refers to as resilience nodes. >> essentially, many villages on the periphery. not in the downtown, in the periphery. but dense walkable areas surrounded by a green buffer which would make them safe. >> thought about that a lot. do i rebuild? do i not rebuild? where do i move? >> reporter: gayle brown is a santa rosa homeowner who lost her home due to the tubbs fire back in 2017. she says getting people to relocate won't be an easy task. >> the tubbs fire jumped the freeway and burnt a neighborhood, it wasn't anywhere near hills or trees. >> reporter: take you back, live, out here to santa rosa and the researchers say it would cost california $600 billion to

build homes in some of these high-risk areas so they hope state lawmakers will at least consider these housing strategies in the next legislative session. >> thanks, pete. let's bring in jeff ranieri, again, we want to talk about that fire danger. and, jeff, we are going to see this fire danger, the rest of the year. and really, it's starting to be year round, almost. >> yeah, certainly, you know, we have two bad rain seasons in a row. and it's just hard to catch up. so, right now, it's all about being on the defense. getting your house ready on those hot days, watching out for yourself and your neighbors. seeing anything suspicious and making sure to report that, as well. so, i wanted to focus this on when that fire danger is going to pick up next and you can see. next week, we have this strong area of high pressure that is building over the desert southwest. now, the circulation around this is going to drive up this heat. and that's really going to pump up those temperatures. but let's show you exactly when. this weekend, not that bad. we are looking at mid-80s. but once we hit next wednesday

in concord, for example, we are up to 99. 100 next thursday. that would be the highest-fire danger and it looks like a three-day event. will start to drop a little bit here by the following friday. and then into the saturday and sunday. so once again, next thursday looks like the peak of that fire danger. let's put this into perspective for you. use our fire-danger rating. this is the same system that firefighters use. as we move through tomorrow, it's considered 75 which is high but when we roll into next thursday, at least 111 with that heat and that is very high. we will have more details on the drought. i have got that in about 15 minutes. >> okay. we will see you then, thank you, jeff. east bay fire officials are send out a stark warning. setting off fireworks this season has never been more dangerous. contra costa fire officials demonstrated how just a single firework can ignite a structure in just five minutes. they say there has been a prolific rise in illegal fireworks throughout the county. that coupled with dry conditions could be a disaster in the making. >> fireworks generate sparks. you know, at an excessive-heat

rate. that will, very quickly, ignite anything that is dry and flammable. >> fireworks have, already, sparked several fires this season, including one in antioch, last week. that fire destroyed eight apartment units and less than 40 people without homes. >> a lot of people are still struggling to pay rent. today, some rent relief in contra costa county. county leaders announcing improvements to the covid program. the application has been simplified. takes less time to complete and it is also now available in multiple languages. >> we need to make sure that those most vulnerable can get on their feet. and this isn't just an economic thing. this is, also, a peace of mind. this is being able to think about going forward. >> this program is a partnership between the county and the state. so far, it's assisted renters and landlords to apply for nearly $50 million. well, new tonight. kids in san francisco can start taking muni for free on july

1st. this program started, actually, a few years ago in 2013 for low-income children. the program then expanded to all youth in april of 2020. but it was cut due to the pandemic. now, all kids will be able to ride for free, without applying. mayor london breed said she hopes the program will make public transportation more affordable for families who rely on it. the program will continue through june of 2022. popped up around san francisco during the pandemic. but now, they are starting to disappear. reason one city leader is fighting to keep them around. i will have the brand new update on the drought. i am back with that in about ten minutes. when we welcome our viewers in the west, we will take a closer look at ransomware attacks and why hackers are increasingly setting their sights on schools. also, has facebook become a platform for human smugglers offering to bring migrants across the southern border? ahead, on nightly news.

well, during the pandemic, san francisco added portable bathrooms to help keep the streets clean. >> but the number of people living on the streets has declined and so has the number of those porta-potties and this has a lot of people worried. >> reporter: in san francisco, talk about bathrooms in the city and clenlyness on the streets are sure to elicit plenty of impassioned responses. >> we have some but definitely don't have enough.

>> he says there weren't many options during the covid closures. others say adding portable restrooms may have helped keep people from relieving themselves on the street. >> bushes and cars and streets. i have seen it all happen. so i think they should put more bathrooms on the streets. >> reporter: the city added these extra portable bathrooms as part of the pandemic response. it was one way to help the homeless and others. >> part of the reason for this hearing has been concerns about the rapid elimination of some of the bathrooms that we put out over the last year. >> reporter: supervisor matt haney led a hearing today. at one point, there were more than 30 of the covid locations but that number has sharply declined. >> people rely on these. people who are unhoused who literally don't have their own bathroom to go to and also many other people in our community. people who are walking, people who are disabled. >> reporter: the city says there were a number of factors involved. >> we were able to start to reduce the number of the

encampments across the city. so, as a result, there was a less need. >> reporter: they say people moved into hotels and safe-sleep sites. as the city reopened, restroom access expanded. there were also financial constraints but some wondered if homeless visibility was a factor and there are many questions about the future. >> this is going to continue to be a need and we are going to have to have a strategy to ensure bathrooms are available to those who need them. >> reporter: in san francisco, christy smith, nbc bay area news. one of the most powerful figures right now in san francisco politics says he is entering alcohol treatment. longtime supervisor made that announcement in a tweet today he posted a statement. apologizing for his impact that his actions have had on colleagues. he says he quote must take full responsibility for the tenor that he has struck in public relationships. investigative reporter joins us now and, jackson, you have been

covering city hall for 25 years. peskin has been a staple there. so, does this announcement come as a surprise? >> well, a little bit. i mean, there's been some comments that he has made at board of supervisors meetings and some slurred speech. and he's had a history of making what, arguably, were considered drunk calls. and appearing, in some cases, possibly, intoxicated. right now, you know, we do know that the supervisor. there have been questions, just this week, about some things he had been saying. and calls he's been made. so, it's not quite a surprise. but it's been coming. >> been known for his combative style. has he ever gone in for alcohol treatment before? >> no. this appears to be the first time he's done that. although, you know, as we say, there's been some talk about his behavior.

and erratic appearances at such things, as fire scenes, in which, you know, he's made some comments that have -- have drawn criticism about him essentially bossing people around. and possibly, being intoxicated. however, you know, it's -- apparently, it's just come to a point where he looked himself in the mirror and decided this is the way to go. >> been critical of supervisor peskin, calling some of his comments on some issues inappropriate. can you give us a little bit more about what those were? >> well, a lot of it surrounds questions about the city's corruption scandal. and him pointing fingers at people he thinks had greater involvement and have perhaps not been held to account. he's made these comments in some cases and had to draw back. and apologize on at least a couple of occasions. so we do know that that's kind of where he has been prone to speak out of turn, so to speak. and as i say, he's had to

apologize. >> and he's had a long history with the city of san francisco. all right. thank you very much, jackson. a popular theater where bruce lee used to once watch opera will reopen this weekend in china town. it's a big deal. the great star theater in san francisco, built in 1925, has been restored. the new owners bought it last november. a big gamble during the pandemic. the theater has new uphols tri, bathrooms, with touchless faucets and a new movie screen. the new owners also installed 85 new fire sprinklers to bring the building up to code. they say, their goal has always been to restore this theater to its old glory. >> this is the culmination of a lot of work. and honestly, years and years of really loving this theater. and seeing it empty and seeing it falling apart. and i am so proud of everything we've done and has all finally come together. >> you can see how excited they are. a soft opening is this weekend. the official launch, complete with line dancers, is next week on friday. well, to the people of palo

alto. the new addition of a public sculpture called hi. 18 pipes going to the sky. hi means life in hebrew. not only is the sculpture beautiful to look at it also plays music and is interactive. it was started during the pandemic and a crane had to be used to get the sculpture on campus and now it is open to the public. >> that's -- that's really big, when you see it far away like that. jeff ranieri back with us. i just feel a lot of excitement for people going around this weekend. graduation and summer vacations are beginning, jeff. >> i'm with you on that. already, making plans for my weekend like a lot of you are and i think the weather's going to cooperate with us really good as we hit saturday and sunday's forecast. i do want to continue our climate coverage tonight and we are taking a look at the drought. also, the history of drought. and the new information, today, continues to show this drought is growing. that's no surprise here with 33.32% of california, now, in exceptional drought. snow pack only finished at 59%

of normal. rain season was down 18 to 21 inches so we are seeing the drought expand over the north bay and east bay. this deep-red color, that is the worst level of drought. the exceptional drought. so it's going to mean a lot of things here for us. not only the increased-fire danger. air-quality issues as we head into summer. crop damage. trees becoming stressed. some homeowners may actually have to drill their wells lower because the water is running out. water rights might even be curtailed to some of the junior water rights holders when it comes to farmers, as well. so we talk about how dry it is right now but what about the history of drought? what about the perspective to put on this? and i think some of you might be shocked by some of the numbers we are going to show you. look at this. a mega drought. a 240-year drought. they are able to tell that by looking at free rings and other rocks and sediments and things like that. another mega drought 180 years long from 1140 to 1320.

so when we look over the past 100 years or so, we see six to seven-year droughts as our maximum and we think of that as an extremely long time but look at these mega droughts. now, nobody is certain or has the information on how long our current drought is going to last but i think this is definitely some eye-opening information. you can get more on nbcbayarea.com on our app. just look for the climate heading. all right. we talk about drought but look at this. it is on the other side of the coin here. a cold and wet storm system across pacific northwest. so some extreme weather we are dealing with. we have got warm air for us but that storm trek's going to be close. we don't see any big rainfall here for the bay area. looks dry, in the current forecast. but we are going to keep a close eye on that storm system a little bit more to the south and we might see things change for us as we roll through tomorrow morning, temperatures will be in the 50s with a mix of some fog near the coast and also the bay. temperatures, tomorrow, warm up a few degrees. this will put us in the 70s

inland, 60s by the bay. and looking at 65 there in san francisco. seven-day forecast, things warm up once we hit wednesday and thursday. low 70s in sf and across the inland valleys. this is that nice weekend. we are going into the mid-80s and then once we hit next wednesday, up to 98. next thursday, 100. raj and jessica, some extremely hot weather coming our way next week. >> we see it. >> thank you, jeff. >> thanks, jeff. couple days after announcing that he is dealing with a medical condition, a giants' legend has a heartfelt message about his battle ahead. we are going to hear from duane kiper.

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here is some good news if you want to get to the east coast in a hurry. back on the runway, jet blue is flying out of san jose international once again. jet blue stopped service back in april of 2020 because of the pandemic. tonight, though, it returns with its daily nonstop flights to boston.

well, a submarine used in world war ii is back home in the san francisco bay. the u.s. pampanito, a floating museum and natural historic landmark is docked at pier 45. receiving a lot of needed repairs from wind storms back in january. it also had some preservation work done. the ship went out on its last war patrol in 1945. no word, though, on what it will open to the public. we reported earlier this week, longtime giants announcer, duane kuiper, is stepping awe from the broadcast booth periodically to deal with a medical condition. the 70-year-old kuiper is undergoing chemotherapy. we are now hearing from the popular member of the giants' family. >> i think the important thing is, is to know that we're going forward to try to beat this. you know, each day -- each day, i -- i find that, you know, i start going, well, is my voice -- is it weaker now? can i do this?

what -- what's going on? so, each day, is -- is a little bit of a different day. and -- and each day, i get up thinking, am i going to do the game today or not? >> gosh. we are rooting for you. he has made us smile for decades. this was on nbc bay area's giants talk. you can hear the entire interview on the giants talk podcast. he is also part of our giants family and nbc family. >> we wish him so much luck and good -- good health. up next, we know the olympics are set to take place in tokyo next month. but what happens in 12 years? the home of the 2032 olympics just picked. we are going to tell you where it is next.

coming up at 7:00 on nbc bay area news tonight. how much is this governor's recall election going to cost taxpayers? here is a clue. it's expensive. we will share with you the numbers and break it down, by county. and our investigative reporter, steven stock, will break down the new information that shows the vta shooter had many run-ins on the job. it's documented. we have that discussion and more, on our new 7:00 newscast. and coming up in just one minute on nbc nightly news with lester holt. the record-setting rise in inflation. impacting your family budget. today's inflation report shows compared with a year ago, the largest inflation increase since 2008. remember that year? why it will cost you extra for grocery, fuel, housing, everything. tonight, on nightly news and a look at the costs add up during your work day and how you can

save. that is next. all right. the tokyo olympics are right aurnd the corner but olympic committee leaders are already looking toward summer 2032. are you already signed up to go to that one? because you are going to tokyo. >> 100 members of the ioc will meet two days before the tokyo game toss award the hosting rights. but brisbane, australia, is the top choice. the city was named the preferred candidate in february. and does not have a formal opponent. if selected, brisbane would be the first olympic city selected unopposed. >> wow. paris, i am going to that one. >> yeah, there you go. lester holt is next with nightly news. tonight, the historic announcement from president biden aimed at supercharging the global fight against covid. the president on the first full day of his trip overseas. officially, pledging the u.s. will donate 500 million vaccine doses around the world. no strings attached. as he looks to reassert america

as a global leader. his first meeting with british-prime minister, boris johnson. the two leaders renewing the special relationship between the two countries and the message first lady jill biden sent to the world on the back of her jacket. the u.s. said to be halting shipments of johnson & johnson's vaccine with millions of doses, already, in danger of expiring. the move by the fda, today, to extend their shelf life and moderna's major step toward making its covid vaccine available to teens. the biggest jump in consumer prices since the great recession. why you're paying more for everything, from food to clothes to cars. the democratic congresswoman under fire from her own party. her comments about the u.s. and israel sparking backlash. on the brink of plunging over a dam. the urgent rescue. the new warning on errors found in credit scores. and the amazing images the rare ring of fire in the sky. >> this is nbc nightly news with lester holt.