towels from when we won the world series. i'm just saying those are vintage, i'm going to pull them out. >> probably have cellar of those. >> yeah, we do. here's what's coming up at 6:00. the criteria is set. we now know what we have to do before we can take off those masks indoors. >> we would like to have some clarity on our mask mandate. >> don't expect the changes right away in most counties. the reason you will still likely need that holiday-themed mask. also developing news from tesla, leaving palo alto and moving its hq to texas. elon musk explains why in an announcement late today. and a grim milestone, a bay area police chief brought to tears because of it. the crime in the east bay leading to so much concern. the news at 6:00 starts right now. good evening and thanks for being with us, i'm raj mathai. >> and i'm jessica aguirre. a lot of people have been wondering and now we know.

health leaders revealing when much of the bay area can remove masks indoors. don't get too excited. the restrictions aren't likely to be loosened any time soon. here's a look at the guidelines. counties much reach the cdc's yellow tier for transmission. hospitalizations must be low or at least stable. 80% of the county's entire population must be vaccinated. another option, masks could be removed eight weeks after the fda approves vaccines for children 5 to 11 years old and that is expected by the end of this month. santa clara county like all others is eager to drop the mask mandate but health leaders admit that a lot of things have to change before it actually happens. today santa clara county health officer dr. sara coty walked through the metrics as well. she said one of the most difficult to hit will be the 80% county vaccination rate and that likely means differing rules in

different counties for a bit. >> it may be that one county reaches the metric before another adjacent county. so we will probably be lifting the indoor masking requirement at different times. >> now, dr. cody says santa clara county is currently in the orange tier under cdc guidelines with relatively stable hospitalizations and infection numbers. as for that goal of 80% of people being vaccinated, the county is currently at 72.4%. >> okay, san francisco is taking things a step farther, announcing it will loosen its mask mandate at the end of next week for a small set of very specific businesses. nbc bay area's christie smith explains. >> today's announcement is amazing. nobody likes to work out with a mask. >> reporter: at mx 3 fitness in san francisco, word that mask requirements could lift next week in places like this is welcome news. dave is co-owner and spokesperson for the san francisco fitness coalition.

>> what we're seeing from the city right now is saying that, hey, there's these gyms that have memberships where you know that that client is vaccinated. you know that your employees are vaccinated. so that gives a lot of confidence. >> reporter: san francisco joined eight bay area counties in announcing metrics that must eventually be met before indoor mask mandates can be lifted. but the city also chose to go further, separately announcing that on october 15th, some very specific settings will be able to drop their mask mandate if they meet all the requirements. >> we have some additional requirements for vaccinations in settings like gyms, and we are limiting the lifting of the mask mandate in settings to those where there's a stable cohort of individuals, employees or members, and there's not so much people coming and going from those locations. >> reporter: qualifying businesses would include offices, gyms and fitness centers, religious gatherings and some college classes.

as long as the group of people doesn't vary and they can verify everyone is vaccinated. >> we feel confident in our data and our science that our hospitalizations and our cases can accommodate that right now, and then we're looking regionally to take this larger approach in most indoor settings. >> reporter: the october 15th change will not include bars and restaurants. >> at first, all of our employees who come into the office are fully vaccinated. >> reporter: fast, an e-commerce company has welcomed about a dozen people back to its san francisco offices. this is video from last october. you can see they have desks spaced out and believe they will qualify. >> we have been following cdc and city protocol as it relates to opening our offices, and then as it relates to wearing masks as well. and so with the city easing this, we would allow employees to return to the office without masks. >> reporter: in san francisco, christie smith, nbc bay area

news. >> okay. so a lot going on here. how close are we to loosening the mask mandate for indoor locations. here's a look, for example, in contra costa county. step one is to reach the cdc's yellow tier for covid transmission. right now in coco county it's in the orange or substantial tier. to get to yellow the case rate needs to drop below 50 per 100,000 people. step two, have low or stable hospitalizations, which looks good here actually. new admissions last week in contra costa county, 54. that's a drop of more than 10% from the previous week. and step three, the final step, 80% of the county's entire population needs to be fully vaccinated. that includes kids who aren't even eligible yet. 80% needs to be fully vaxxed. right now just 70%. we know this can all be tricky to keep track of all the changes. we put together a list of where you need to wear a mask and where you can keep it off at

nbcbayarea.com/coronavirus. find out what the rules are in your specific county. you can also search mask mandate on our mobile app. austin bound. tesla getting ready for a big move. just hours ago ceo elon musk announced it is moving its headquarters from palo alto to austin, texas. that announcement made during the shareholder meeting. >> i'm excited to note that we're moving our headquarters to austin, texas. just to be clear, though, we will be continuing to expand our activities in california. so this is not a matter of sort of tesla leaving california. as i said, our intention is to actually increase output from fremont by 50%. >> musk went on to say part of the reason for the move is an obvious one, the cost of living in the bay area. he said it's tough for people to afford houses and that limits how much the company can do here. the city of palo alto just

released a statement saying the city of palo alto is disappointed by the news of tesla moving its headquarters from palo alto to texas. this change reflects the innovative cycle and narlt of silicon valley where we are seeing highly mobile companies in our region evolve. coming up at 7:00, scott budman will join us to talk about how tesla's move is part of a bigger trending of companies relocating from the bay area. again, that's at 7:00 right after nightly news with lester holt. are some people throwing away money? many families are finding a nice surprise in the mail, money for food loaded onto a debit card. but that's the issue here. damian trujillo explains that there's concern that some people are throwing that card away because they don't know it's coming. >> reporter: it's called a pandemic ebt card given out by the state department of social services. it's basically extra money for food for struggling families, and they have been arriving in the mail. shoppers coming out of the grocery store these days are leaving with sticker shock.

manuel romero says everything is expensive inside the store and out. food banks have seen a huge increase in need over the last year, with more and more families struggling to make ends meet. now for many, help is arriving. her two school age daughters got this ebt card in the mail last month. they each provide $120 for food. the ceo of the health trust has been tracking the growing need. >> no child should go hungry and so that's why we're so excited that there is more money coming for food support to help all of us in our community, especially in this type of rising food costs. >> reporter: in school districts like allen rock, every family will likely get the card because all of its schools are part of the free lunch program, meaning the majority of its families are likely below the poverty line. the concern now is that some families might throw away the card not knowing what it is. it arrives under the child's

name, which has led to some families thinking it's a scam. >> it's really important for families to keep an eye out in the mail for these pandemic ebt cards because they are worth money, which translates into healthy food for themselves and their families. >> reporter: the state says it will replenish the card every month. those who used the card already say it couldn't have arrived at a better time. damian trujillo, nbc bay area news. what started out as a shouting match between two drivers ended in gunfire and the death of a 15-year-old girl in oakland. police say she was riding with her uncle when a person in another car opened fire, making her the city's 109th homicide victim this year. that's how many homicides oakland had all of last year. it's a staggering number. nbc bay area's melissa colorado was at the police chief's news conference today where he made an emotional plea again for city and community leaders to do sdw something to stop the violence. >> reporter: this is not

unusual. >> take a moment of silence for those who have lost their lives in the city of oakland. >> reporter: the oakland police chief is nope for starting a press conference with a moment of silence to remember the victims of gun violence in oakland. >> 109 victims. >> reporter: but this moment was. the father of two daughters suddenly at a loss for words. >> when you have children, you understand. >> reporter: overnight, police were called to highland hospital after doctors tried to save a 15-year-old girl who was shot multiple times. police say the teenager was in a car with her uncle who was driving around the 5000 block of bancroft avenue in east oakland. the uncle started to argue with a driver of another car and that's when someone in the other car opened fire. the unidentified teen was pronounced dead at the hospital. >> this is a moment where everybody should be saddened. >> reporter: police are working to find surveillance video of the suspect's car.

>> my heart immediately sank because my own daughter, 12 year oakland city councilmember loren taylor who represents parts of east oakland says the city has invested millions of dollars in the city civilian crisis response team, better known as macro. just recently, the council voted to add an extra police academy next year to help beef up opd's dwindling force. >> unfortunately, the measures that we have taken, they are taking longer than we would like for them to have their impact. but there is work happening on the ground. >> reporter: both councilmember taylor and chief armstrong agree the city needs more officers and more strategies to get guns off the streets. >> how many times do we have to cry out for help? how many times do we have to say to you that we are in a moment of crisis? our children are in danger. >> reporter: in oakland, melissa colorado, nbc bay area news.

i'm scott budman. from the giants to the blue angels, a huge weekend coming to san francisco. we'll tell you the best way to get around, coming up. i'm chief meteorologist jeff ranieri. i'll take a look at my long-range outlook and tell you when we could get some widespread rain moving into the bay area. back with that in about six minutes. when we're joined by our viewers in the west, we'll tell you what happens next after a federal judge puts a halt to texas' controversial abortion law. also the alleged scheme that's landed 18 former nba players under federal indictment. more when we see you back here tonight.

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an update on the investigation into whether a cargo ship now anchored at the port of oakland played a part in that massive oil spill off the southern california coast. tonight we're learning the coast guard has cleared the ship. this is the ship that you're looking at. it's called rotterdam express. the coast guard started looking into it after the ship made three unusual movements over two days that appeared to put it over the pipeline. investigators boarded the ship when it went to the port of oakland. the shipping company told us that rotterdam express has been cleared of any involvement in the spill. all right, did you hear the roar over san francisco today? the blue angels were practicing for this weekend's big air shows. not just fleet week, look at all

this going on. the giants/dodgers playoffs and a couple of blocks away the warriors/lakers at chase center. the city is buzzing. be prepared even if you're not going to any of these big events. here's nbc bay area's scott budman. >> reporter: the blue angels, seen and heard here on a practice run, will likely be the only thing moving quickly through san francisco this weekend. >> so we will be adding extra service to some lines. >> reporter: between the giants hosting playoff games, fleet week, the warriors and a three-day weekend -- >> this is big right here. >> reporter: traffic will be tight, so you'll see extra trains and longer hours from city public transit. >> the best thing is to bike, walk, take public transit. taxi is also a good alternate. >> reporter: with so many baseball fans expected to pack oracle park -- >> i was rooting for the dodgers to win so the dodgers can come back and we can teach them

really what they thought was theirs and bring it back home. >> reporter: local businesses like nearby momo's restaurant expect the registers to ring off the hook. >> it's like any holiday or birthday or any major get-together all tied into one, you know. christmas eve, new year's eve, anything you can think of, that's how we're feeling right now. >> reporter: now, if you find yourself having to drive, the city says it will have extra traffic enforcement officers on duty to make sure everybody finds a spot. they say give yourself plenty of extra time. it will be worth it. in san francisco, scott budman, nbc bay area news. >> oh, it's going to be worth it. this playoff series between these two teams has everyone talking, even the governor. this afternoon governor newsom tweeting about this epic showdown at oracle park which begins tomorrow night. he says he's got to root for the giants as a native san franciscan. he even used the #beatla.

>> i thought for sure he would wish both teams well. going sf. >> we endorse the governor on that one. >> let's bring in jeff with a look at the weekend. >> the weather will pan out for us. i think we're going to be doing good here, especially on saturday and sunday's forecast. i do want to start off with our climate coverage, take a look at the drought and show you where we are. we got a brand-new update today. 45.66 of california in exceptional drought so we have seen that grow week over week with some of that exceptional drought returning to northern california, up around chico, redding. we're seeing the driest conditions over the north bay, east bay, parts of the south bay and even san francisco now starting to slide into that exceptional drought. we've talked about how dry it is. what about the rainfall chances? well, i haven't changed this forecast. i'm still looking at a pattern change ahead. by the end of this month, a 70% chance the way i'm calling it for a moderate storm to bring us a quarter to a half inch. i'll continue to update you on

this as we get closer. let's go ahead and bring it right into that immediate weather. i know you felt a chill. the coldest air we have seen in 120 days arrived today. the same system that brought the chill today is going to linger through tomorrow. some rain and snow for the sierra. for us cold and now even some shower chances starting to move back into the forecast. it's not a lot but you can see at 1:00 in the morning tomorrow a little spotty activity over the north bay. we get a chance over the east bay and south bay by 4:00 a.m. we'll hold on to a slight chance for the south bay over san jose and gilroy right around 7:00 a.m. after this we clear out and we'll get sunshine here right through the middle of the day. i think we've got a good day setting us for up. as we head through tomorrow morning's forecast, we'll start off chilly. we've had this the past couple of mornings. 53 in the south bay right over to the north bay. the coldest numbers are down to 47. daytime highs, i don't see them adjusting a whole lot. widespread 60s from the north bay down to the south bay.

now here's the other thing, while we get sun for the middle of the day we'll look at another chance late tomorrow night of a spotty shower right around 11:00 p.m. but after that, we're going to be looking good here as we head through this weekend's forecast. if you're headed out to fleet week, make sure to take those sunglasses and that jacket, temps in the 60s. as the first day of the air shows begin tomorrow. maybe it's not there, but oracle park, game one, we're going to have 50s through that game and those clouds. i think pregame on saturday is going to be awesome. we'll get some sun in san francisco and mid-60s. on my seven-day forecast, we'll hold with those 60s in san francisco over the next seven days and for the inland valleys we go warmer this weekend. i've got this set to 79 on sunday and then unfortunately some wind next monday and tuesday that will increase our fire danger. but there it is, this weekend momo's, i'll see you guys there. i had to say it. i love that place. >> it's been around, we were saying, it's been around since the ballpark opened. that's been 20 years now. >> primo spot, though.

>> i think we've all done live shots there at some point. up next, not just in the south bay anymore. the popular bread company that's opening a new location in the bay area. we'll tell you. working at recology is more than a job for jesus. it's a family tradition. jesus took over his dad's roue when he retired after 47 year. now he's showing a new generation what recology is all about. as an employee-owned company, recology provides good-paying local jobs for san franciscans. we're proud to have built the city's recycling system

from the ground up, helping to make san francisco the greenest big city in america. let's keep making a differene together.

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comprehensive dental coverage, and so much more. for the benefits that matter most to you, call scan at 1-877-212-7226. or ask your agent about scan. we have a follow-up on that fishing boat that sank in its slip at the hyde street harbor in san francisco yesterday. the island cove is now out of the water tonight. that's the name of the boat. but the u.s. coast guard is still working to figure out what caused it to sink. some oil did leak into the water, but that oil has been contained. energy saving superheros. that's what a group of san jose residents can call themselves. here's a live look at the city tonight where more than 3,500 people helped the city with the city energy challenge. the company announced the news with the mayor. the challenge launched back in may as a friendly competition between oakland, fresno, san jose and bakersfield. each city raced to recruit

energy savers to help prevent blackouts. san jose won after signing up the most users. >> we know we've had a lot of challenges with power shutoffs throughout the state of california. this is a great solution. for helping us all save energy at just the right moment when we critically need it to be able to reduce the stress on the grid. >> the announcement comes with a nice reward, $50,000. the money will go to san jose aspires, which helps low-income students pay for college. it's a really good bakery. they are taking up residence on the peninsula. man resa is opening a location in palo al to. it is owned by the same pair that owns the manresa restaurant in los gatos. the new bakery will be located in a prime spot right across from palley high school and stanford stadium. >> you're the closest, you're the one that has to bring the goodies in. up next, a close encounter

with a bear. the camera that got more than it bargained for in the north bay.

♪ i see trees of green ♪ ♪ red roses too ♪ ♪ i see them bloom for me and you ♪ (music) ♪ so i think to myself ♪ ♪ oh what a wonderful world ♪ on the prowl for a snack. what kind of snacks? >> usually they like berries. >> berries, insects, grubs, the list goes on. >> this is a trail camera that captured a very hungry bear in sonoma county. the bears are getting ready tob a little. with the increase of bear activity they are warning people

to keep pets on a leash while in county parks. tonight at 7:00 beyond the hype. we'll tell you what to expect on the field between the giants and dodgers. we'll take you to our exclusive ballpark camera in oracle park. the giants just wrapped up their workout. the dodgers also just got off the field. we'll be talking about the playoffs with a former giants outfielder coming up at 7:00 p.m. next on nightly news, a new discovery that could save lives. a gene mutation that could increase your risk of breast cancer and other cancers by 50%. what you'll wanting to know and share. lester holt joins us right now. share. lester holt joins us right now. share. lester holt joins us right now. share. lester holt joins us right now. >> tonight, the major step forward in the race to vaccinate younger children against covid. pfizer officially asking the fda for emergency use authorization for children 5 to 11 saying a smaller dose is safe and effective. how soon could the fda give the

green light? dr. jaw is here with what parents need to know. also tonight texas's abortion ban temporarily blocked by a federal judge the immediate impact on women in the state and what's next in the battle. the first images of the damaged pipeline blamed for the california oil spill disaster could it have been caused by a 30 ton anchor. and new tonight, the major class action lawsuit just announced. deadly flash floods and high water rescues in the southeast where the severe weather threat is moving tonight. the senate announcing a deal to raise the debt limit but for how long the sweeping new report detailing then president trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 election what it reveals. the suspect in a texas high school shooting out of jail new video of a fight breaking out moments before shots were fired. and tonight the allegations of bullying from the suspect's family. and 18 former nba players charged.