you're watching kpix 5 news at 5:30. chopper 5 live over the deadly officer involved shooting in fremont. this happened near arden wood historic farm. a fremont officer was involved but there is no word on what led up to that shooting. still, very active police presence. the eastbound lanes of highway 84 are shut down, traffic being diverted. new at 5:30, four bay area counties are in the less restrictive orange tier, so how protected are we as places like offices open backup? and do vaccine side effects tell us how we might respond to covid? we will ask an expert. first, it is a big day for san francisco workers who can no return to the office.

offices can reopen a 25% in the orange tier. >> we think it is a competitive advantage and allow people to come into work. >> sanitizer will be everywhere and surfaces will be clean several times a day. that janitorial and custodial union that services many of the listed buildings members walked off the job this morning. >> it's to make sure we have safety on the job, that we have projections, well past 6 pm when our janitors are working. >> the group is calling for their labor practices, they want better pay, seniority rights and better safety protocols. meanwhile santa clara university is welcoming back hundreds of students today.

it's the start of several days of movements that have been staggered to allow social distancing. the university is asking everyone to use caution over the next four days as there will be a lot of pedestrians unloading trucks on the side streets. nearly all of the bay area counting striking a deal with the state and blue shield, they will continue to use their own vaccination appointments instead of moving to the states centralized program. that means counties can continue to distribute vaccine supplies to clinics. santa clara county officials say the new deal serves and protects residents in the county. >> the county will be an equal partner with blue shield. what is really critical on the ground is that we keep all of these pipelines open. so when the vaccine arrives we can get it out to as many people as we can. >> they wanted to initially opt out of the contract with the

concerns that it could add another layer that could potentially slow down the rollout. dr. monica gandhi joins us to answer some questions about this vaccine. thank you so much for joining us this evening. we know some of those side effects like fatigue, muscle soreness and nausea are pretty common, but does any reaction tell us how our bodies might respond if in fact, infected with or exposed to covid? >> that is a great question and a legitimate question. that if you have more side effects, will that mean you have more of an immune response and you actually do better with the vaccine. to be fair, these trials, a lot of people have side effects like you just decide. and even if you didn't, people still had incredibly high

fiside effects. so even though it is a fair question to ask you, i would not worry if you don't have major side effects that you are not getting the response. i really would not worry about that at all. >> more good news, a new study shows the vaccine is more effective than we thought, so what does that mean for our protection is more bay areas open up, like how safe is it to go indoors, go to school, go to the gym? >> you think it is pretty amazing that you had the clinical trial data that looked prettygoodthen e rewod data tha being put together that shows the vaccines or even better than they were in the clinical trials. there were two new england journal studies yesterday that were published from here in southern california and from the university of texas, that your ability to get covid-19

after getting the vaccination is very small. it's .00005. and that was in the middle of a surge. so they are even more effective. that's how good these vaccines are in the real world data. does that mean you should feel comfortable going inside after getting vaccinated, yes you should, i think you should be very comfortable with that. do the things you used to do. >> let's talk about reopening schools, the cdc is standing by its recommendation to keep students three feet apart instead of six feet as originally recommended. now, some teachers unions are still concerned, what are your thoughts when the change in the reaction from the unions?

>> i think what we have to go back to is that there never was a magical six feet number. almost the entire planet uses one meter, which is 3.28 feet. and then, there is actually a theory that we mistranslated that to six feet. but the six feet was going around the u.s. for a long time. but study after study in schools has shown very low transmission, in fact, sometimes zero when you maintain masking and three feet. so i think they were ve to chathe recommendations. there is data from many places that show three feet is just fine. so i do understand, everyone is anxious about covid but i wouldn't worry that there's

anything wrong, in fact, the data is super clear. >> dr., thank you so much. a trashy problem today, caltrans says that they are seeing a lot more garbage on the side of roadways despite traffic being down. >> reporter: cars may be flying on the freeway, but drivers are noticing a different kind of pile up. >> there's a lot more debris, trash is everywhere. >> reporter: the dirty problem, not a new one, but a growing one during the pandemic. >> i've seen people throwing things out the window. >> we are seeing an increase in litter. i don't know if it's because people are in a rush. >> reporter: another pandemic related problem and caltrans is trying to figure out how to safely remove the junk without

putting any of the crews at risk. and as with most things during the pandemic, even caltrans is having to pivot. the coronavirus changing how they pick up trash. no longer allowed to use their hands most of the time. >> we have our litter pickup tool which sometimes limited when it's small. >> reporter: in the meantime, a simple solution from caltrans is from drivers everywhere to be more mindful of their mess. >> it is definitely a two-way street. everyone has to do their part. >> caltrans says that illegal dumping is also becoming more common on rural highways. still ahead, tiny but mighty, a california baby born weeks early is striving after a rare open heart surgery.

i'm in contra costa county where they will restore the flow of walnut creek in this area, but this time they will do it right. coming up all new at 6:00, california is parched and thousands could face drought rest this unplugged device is protecting our beautiful coastlines and more.

put off chores and use less energy from 4 to 9 pm to help keep our state golden.

a california surgeon performing a very rare operation on a very tiny patient. it happened at children's hospital in los angeles. alex romero was born at just two pounds, and doctors were required to perform open heart surgery. he needed to repair alex's lungs. doctors connected an adult

stand to a vein in his liver, a procedure that's only been documented 10 times worldwide. >> it was one of those things where we really didn't know how things would turn out but we knew something had to be done. we needed to get creative. >> creativity paid off. by early january alex grew to three and half pounds. he now weighs 5 1/2 pounds and no longer requires a breathing tube. dr. cleveland says alex will be strong enough to go home next week. >> that is amazing news. pleasanton unified making sure students stomachs are full. families drove through to pick up bags of food, including dinner. pizza is on the menu this evening. >> children and families have so much to worry about during the pandemic, we feel that food

should not be one of them. >> they've been getting free food all year, including snacks, fruits and vegetables. more than a year ago a dozen bottles of wine were blasted into space. they are now back on earth and open. the international space station carried the wine to be studied. it was packaged inside steel cylinders. the bottles went into orbit and they taste, smell and look a little different than those who have left earth's gravity. >> it was a little more closed, a bit younger. >> researchers found that weightlessness didn't ruin the wine, it seemed to energize fines brought on board. and they say this could pave the way for grape growing and winemaking in space. coming up, how one oakland

man has made it his mission to serve young people in crisis. assembly member buffy wake says she knows that rob bonta will lead with

never give up on any child or family. in oakland man has been living at his nonprofits mission statement for more than 30 years. >> we are introduced to this week's jefferson award winner. >> reporter: can is starting with a small group home that is having a big impact locally and nationwide. college senior celeste wally will soon earn her chemistry degree and she recalls being a high school truant, dealing with trauma from family neglect. >> i was really angry at the world and upset with my family. >> reporter: celeste got counseling and foster care

through seneca. >> the emphasized that my future is my hands. >> we will be there for you no matter what, and we will do it in a way that says we don't give up. >> today the nonprofit serves 18,000 families a year in california, washington and across the u.s. and kid led reforms that are becoming pillars of the forster care system. so children needing intensive treatment can get them in their home or foster families home. the wraparound services come to you without moving to an institution. >> it doesn't matter if you are struggling at school or at home. if you are struggling with substance use, if your family needs help, we bring that helped you where you are and can stay with you until your life gets better. >> reporter: instead of thinking we are going to do

therapy for a child, no, we are going to do therapeutic work for the family, and that is really the legacy that he is bringing to us. >> reporter: ken is working with dozens of schools to provide mental health and other services and also reuniting and offering therapy to hundreds of immigrant families that were separated at the border. >> we get to see our communities living to their potential. i can't think of anything more fun than that. >> reporter: so for decades of serving young people in crisis, this week's jefferson gord goes to ken barrick . seneca provides services and just advocacy will enact families to whatever service they need. beaming he sees the problem and he figures out a solution to

it. that's incredible. sharon, thanks. if you'd like to nominate an unsung community hero for the jefferson award, the form is on our website. kpix.com /hero. the weather was just beautiful today, what a difference a week makes. >> yes, a cooldown is already happening, and cloud cover will make its way farther inland as we head into tomorrow, and unfortunately the increased cloud cover will not yield any increased rain chances. breezy and colder conditions tomorrow, but then we will warm right back up friday. and then another big warm-up by the middle of next week. let's take a look at the winds we expect tonight and tomorrow, 20 to 30 miles per hour, even

35+ miles an hour from time to time into the early hours of tomorrow morning. the closer you are to the coast, the windier it's going to be. the forecast models have been indicating a little low in the action right around midday, but then as the sun heats up, and the onshore breeze kicks back in late in the day on thursday with mark costs around 20 to 30 miles per hour. of course that will disperse plenty of pollen. i think we will stay in the medium-high category for one more day. high category for saturday and sunday with dry conditions persisting likely through next week. so be sure to stock up on allergy medication if you are sensitive to tree pollen. there's the fog creeping in

near the sutro tower. high temperatures today, all over the place. we made it into the 60s and 70s, downtown san francisco reaching 65 degrees, 73 in concord, 76 in fairfield. mid to upper 50s around the bay, temperatures inland have not dropped as much, only about five or six degrees. more of a leisurely pace that we usually see this time of the day. we will end up in the 40s, mid to upper 40s by tomorrow morning with some low valleys in the north bay in the low 40s. the exception is in is a where temperatures will be about three or four degrees above average. any cloud cover tonight will clear up within just a few hours.

temperatures along the coast, mid to upper 50s, ran 63 in san jose. a little warmer for parts of the tri-valley, better chance of climbing into the upper half of the 60s, and then springtime sunshine, around the bay, high temperatures in the low to mid 60s or early afternoon and by this time tomorrow evening pictures will drop down back in the 50s. inland temperatures get back into the 70s for friday, 60s for around the bay and the coast. a little low and then forming right back up to around 80 degrees i next wednesday. once again, no rain in sight. we will have a look at this evening's dog walking forecast coming up. coming up, breaking updates

on a fatal police shooting, a live report from the scene coming up in minutes. plus, a local basketball star killed after playing the biggest game of his career. plus, a historic ll cieanggrin obm,and the owpack is not helping. still ahead, a major environmental restoration

massive restoration project in the east bay. contra costa county approved an $11 million contract to restore the wetlands at the mouth of walnut creek. it's the largest project in the county's history. and as john ramose reports, they intend to do it right. >> reporter: back in the 1960s, this channel of lower walnut creek was deep enough for big ships to navigate very they are going to restore it now but you some lessons learned for mother nature to do it. the army corps of engineers created the channel by dredging and installing levies, but there's always been one problem. >> this area is like a sediment trap. >> this area collects silt from the mt. diablo watershed. and it's a natural for the water to spread out in flat areas but the

created at deep channel that would quickly fill back in. >> they were saying you have to figure out another way to do this. >> reporter: so the county has hired a company to widen out the flood control channel and they also discovered that there's lots of money available for wetland habitat creation so they will be doing that as well. and a partnership with the john muir land trust will create many nature opportunities. >> this is the way it should have been done back then, the science just wasn't there, and understanding to work with nature instead of against it, basically. all those men made facilities don't always do it right. >> the project will be paid

with state and federal funding as well as money from measure aa. an initiative that was passed by bay area voters in 2016. breaking news, a deadly police shooting shuts down a major east bay freeway. what we just learned about what happened. of bay area basketball star that just played the biggest game of his career among those killed in a tragic crash. plus a video that puts our dry winter into perspective. officials are already bracing for the worst. let's get right to the breaking news, chopper 5 live over a deadly police shooting in fremont on highway 84 near the ardenwood historic farm. we are getting new cell phone video from a witness driving by the scene. you can see a motorcycle officer with his gun drawn.

maria medina is live at the scene with details on how this whole thing unfolded. >> reporter: just a few minutes ago we saw police combing the grass near where we are standing. still a pretty heavy police presence at this hour. this is where the shooting took place, on this on-ramp of highway 84. we will bring you pictures from chopper 5, you can see heavily armored police vehicle surrounding a car and we are learning a few more details. including that this started as a police chase, one fremont officer fired his gun, that officer is okay but it's unclear why the chase began in the first place. we do know by looking at our video, one person is down but police have not identified who that is in relation to the case. if you are thinking about coming here, the eastbound lanes on highway 84