>> from the area's local news station, you're watching the kron. 4 morning news at 4. >> good morning. thank you for joining us here on the kron. 4 morning news at 04:00am on james fletcher on this thursday morning. we've got a number of headlines to get to which we will hear just a moment. but let's start the hour with a check of weather and traffic. john and rain is standing by with that. we'll begin with you john morning. a good morning. james is a pretty nice thursday morning. so far, temperatures not too terribly cold winds becoming a little bit less of a factor and skies are obviously be really nice and clear. we're looking at clear conditions above your east bay hills camera right here. no cloud cover nor fogg, insight and

staying that way through the sierra nevada this morning, too. now with winds in fairfield at around 17 miles per hour nap at 14 miles per hour, still breezy at times, but definitely nothing like the past couple of days have been. these winds are generally offshore now and that is going to have a subtle warming effect for a few spots, keeping coastal areas a little bit warmer than they were a couple of days ago. 40's and 50's for current temperatures. nowhere close to the 30's just yet. so and even more mild start than what we had yesterday and this afternoon, expect a similar feel as to yesterday with dry and sunny skies and temperatures climbing back into the mid to upper 60's of more details on what else to expect as we push through this forecast. but first, let's go to it's still pretty early so hoping for some good conditions on the road. yeah, you know, you can always hope for the best and hope that that pans out as well. >> and it does look nice outside at this hour. at least if you're traveling from the east bay into the city, a little under 8 minutes for your drive to make it from the maze. 2 that fremont street

exit heading across towards the peninsula, san mateo bridge to get that 12 minutes and under for you to make it as you're heading from 8.80, to one. 0 one. let's go ahead and get a look at the richmond. sandra fell bridge as you're traveling across. we'll have more on that coming up. but for now, james, i'm gonna send it back over to you. all right, reena, thank you very much to is the time. >> as we know, the state has officially ended its mask mandate. but will we be able to keep it going on like last time you may remember we had to slide back to wearing masks again. masks can come off in most public indoor settings. if you're fully vaccinated, the state has lifted its mandate and all but one bay area county has followed suit. so let's begin in the north bay kron four's gayle ong spoke with some businesses who are still requiring masks for customers when they come inside. >> most of us are pretty face to face when we're doing our services on you at millwall. the salon in mill valley masks are still required indoors. you can be asked if you're in for about 5 minutes or less.

but for the rest of the time, if you're a mom hanging out, waiting for your kids are getting any kind of service. we are requiring masks were just trying to keep everyone safer. we've gone 2 years without anyone contracting covid are getting covid here. so i think we're just trying to keep the trend going at a children's store. nearby masks are required to enter regardless of vaccination status to keep young children safe. the owners of clothing boutiques in the area say they prefer to wear masks inside but are being flexible with customers going on. just as delighted as i was last time, the mask mandate was left lifted. brian douglas delighted the mask mandate has been lifted in the county. >> enjoying a night out with friends. i do understand that there was a reason why we had to have it again. >> i'm glad the most people in my community accept that. and i think it's kept the death toll down and made us healthy. back in october, marin county eased indoor mask rules only to reverse health orders later in december after seeing a rise in covid cases driven by the omicron variant, which is why some businesses are not taking any chances. and keeping masks on.

>> inside in noe valley, gayle ong kron, 4 news. >> in the east bay, the mask mandate has been lifted as well. and we were out there talking to people of all the creek about the changes and what we've got. mostly positive feedback. people seem to be happy not have to wear that mask anymore. >> and they slipped it. everybody so happy. i'm so happy. >> i think it's a good thing. i'm okay with that. wearing a mask indoors. it's a great idea in honestly haven't been wearing masks already. somebody asked me put it on respect. but >> i don't put mask on my kids. the pets on me. yeah. against the mask and it's feels beautiful in free. and i want everybody know it's ok, we can come back to california now now that you told me have will be i'll take take my mask very excited. >> well, while the lifting of mask mandate in most counties is good news for most people,

not everybody celebrating. in fact, a letter went out to the alameda county board of supervisors asking the board to reconsider their decision. coppers theresa stasi or talk with one of the health leaders behind that request and says the group has the support of at least one of the board of supervisors. >> not so fast. that is the rallying call from several prominent health care leaders in alameda county in this letter sent to supervisors and obtained by kron 4 news. they detail their concerns about lifting the mask mandate, calling it premature and potentially dangerous, death rate disparities that are really shameful african-americans are dying at more than double the rate doctor. no ha of a is the ceo of roots community health care. >> she says she and others working intimately in the east bay during the pandemic have seen firsthand the suffering from covid-19. >> and it's not over yet. we consistently had positivity rates that are about triple the county average.

>> and we've really how virus has impacted our community, not only the direct impacts of people becoming ill. and losing people, but also folks just having economic impacts losing work on. i really support keeping the indoor mask mandate in place. >> because i think we have one or go populations that are still out there, including people. were not eligible to be vaccinated and the group has some support supervisor keith carson at the board's meeting. >> with the county health department tuesday voicing his objection, the lifting the mandate. the doctor says bottom line with younger children under 5, still not able to get vaccinated and numbers in the county showing 5 to 12 year-old lagging in getting shots. the data doesn't support the decision. what do you want? the alameda county supervisor? >> to it want them to stop lifting this past monday. i

think we want to understand why the decision was made. we think that that should be a transparent conversation, not only with stakeholders and leaders and those in community health, but with the public in general to recess stasio kron. 4 news. >> and some businesses in the south bay say that santa clara county's decision to keep mask mandates in place is actually hurting their bottom lines were as but has more on their story. >> business owners in santa clara county say keeping the mask mandate doesn't make sense. when other counties with bigger populations are able to ease. there's when california announced that people can take their mask off indoors after february. 15th with proof of vaccine many breathe a sigh of relief, but not in santa clara county. you can just see it feel it that people are just kind of over it. it's the only county in the bay area where residents still need to mask-up indoors regardless of vaccination status, punching fitness owner, mauricio, my says the decision by the county health officer is causing his gym members to take their business

elsewhere. we've had in the last week and a half, we've got cancellations or people that put their membership on hold. >> because they just don't know. and they're just. tired of of of just not knowing it and having the misdirection that they've been getting at peyton barber shop in san jose owner of the king, reynolds says business is booming because she's been giving customers the choice to keep the mask on or off regardless of the mandate. >> we're going to be losing our freedom. if we can people i can say no, i'm not going to wear don't feel comfortable like why can't we give people a choice? reynolds says the county health department has reached out several times, threatened to shut down her shop if she doesn't enforce masking. >> she doesn't plan to change policy any time soon. confused as to why people can take their mask off when seated at a restaurant. but not when seated in her barber chair. i allow people to make their own decision because it makes no sense if you go to a host and you wear your mask and you take it off to sit down eat. >> but yet we're barbershop. we're doing eyebrows. and yet

we have to keep the mask on and have a cold air mass. will we provide the service? it's this makes no sense. the santa clara public health department says the county is doing well as vaccinations and they are seeing encouraging trends with cases and hospitalizations, but they still aren't where they need to be to remove the mask mandate. >> in san francisco, i'm rob nesbitt. kron. 4 news. >> well, 4, 0, 9, there are some still some places where masks will be required. if you're vaccinated or not. so makes no difference. you still have to wear a mask when you're on public transportation. that includes everything from planes to buses, trains rideshare. so if you're in a lyft or uber, keep that mask on, you also have to wear it too, anytime that you're in an emergencyoshelter or a cooling center or a homeless shelter, anything where you got large populations of people under one roof, correct. that correctional facilities you can see on the list with all that includes. and again, of course, schools k through 12 mass is still going to be acquired there at all.

california schools this week, state health leaders say they will probably take a look at ending mask requirements in schools sometime in the next 2 weeks. during that time, officials say they're going to have to monitor the vaccination rates. the covid conditions and again probably decide sometime early next month, how they're going to move forward. hopefully removing the mask. but we'll see the let the day to decide that u.s. senators say they want to protect children online and they say they plan to take action because social media companies aren't doing enough on their own. a new bipartisan legislation is aiming now to provide parents with the tools they need to safeguard their children and protect them while they're on the web. kron 4 washington correspondent basil john takes a closer look. >> lawmakers say it's time to take action to better protect kids online. now we're going to have guard rails and safeguards. for the internet. >> that will enable. >> children and their parents to protect themselves. connecticut democratic senator richard blumenthal along with tennessee republican senator marsha blackburn introduced

legislation which requires online platforms to provide tools to limit screen time, protect data and address mental health issues. we have realized. >> it is imperative that it too, wants people together that will allow in addressing these harms. the bill also creates an obligation for companies to prevent the promotion of self-harm eating disorders, bullying. >> and abuse of children. that's why there is a standard of responsibility, legal responsibility. >> enforceable both blumenthal and blackburn believe social media companies need to be forced to make these changes. we have realized it. >> even as we've asked over the past many years, our social media to take some responsibility that they did not step up and do that. they've been in denial. >> the problems that they have created blumenthal is hopeful that will bring this legislation to the senate floor before the summer

reporting in washington. i'm basil, john. >> thank you, basil. it is 4.11 and coming up on the kron 4 morning news this year, san francisco pride celebration will be held in person for the first time since the pandemic began. we're going hear from businesses gearing up for one of the city's biggest parties and the biden administration says that russia added nearly 7,000 troops near its border with ukraine and they see no meaningful pullback. they say of russian forces will have an update on the very latest there. we are back coming up

on 4.15 here on the kron. 4 morning news. time for another check of the weather. >> we have john trouble standing by and this morning, john, as you said, is the morning of the full moon. looks like we've got a pretty nice yeah. from someone we both know and love it will be one of our co-workers here of the morning show getting this one last night of the snow moon. now that. >> snow moon in february is named that because typically this time of year the u.s. is coated in a nice layer of snow fall. at least the rest of the country is getting that here in the bay area. we do have the full moon lightness up on this clear morning in a loud and to get this night. nice shot last night. now we are going to be looking at a rather bright morning because of the moon and the fact that we don't have any fog cloud cover blocking out the view. nice clear start and a pretty mild start to futurecast shows that as we work our way

through the day today, we're going to see more of these clear skies, not a let moving across the region to be interrupting all that sunshine that we're going to be saying now. tomorrow morning, you will see a few clouds pushing in. those are only morning hours and by the afternoon on friday, we're back under the sunshine saturday is going to bring more of that to you. as for winds still a bit breezy at times, but definitely on the calmer side continuing to come down these past couple of days. and by the time we reach the evening tonight, you can see a pretty come set up as we do roll into that thursday night. now friday, we will see more sunshine as we will into saturday sunday. you'll start to see some cloud cover as the next system moves just to our east in the bay area. does look like this one is going to follow that similar track as to what we saw earlier this week, which will mean snow in the sierra nevada come monday, but missing out on any chance of rain here in the bay area, looking more and more certain that that's just the way it's going to go now into tuesday. we will continue to see snow in the sierras. this is good.

a few days of snowfall helping to build back some of that loss. snow pack up there tuesday could bring a sprinkle or for us. but i'm not even going to chalk it up to be a rainy day. we're really going to be missing out on this precipitation here in our backyard, at least getting some of it towards the sierra and even into southern california. now, today's daytime highs will mostly be in the 60's. whether you're at the coastline near the bay or further inland, we're all going to be sharing a very similar range of numbers today. foster city at 66 redwood city at 67 south bay. temperatures just shy of 70 from san jose over the cupertino and a similar range from the inland east bay to the east bay shoreline, oakland, berkeley and richmond at 66 today. while the north bay has some of her most mild conditions, fairfield, vacaville and vallejo among spots right at 70 degrees. so really not a big change from yesterday, friday and saturday will continue to bring numbers in the upper 60's to low 70's. a good amount of sunshine tomorrow. we start partly cloudy with more and more

sunshine towards the afternoon sunday, a few clouds and we will be looking at snow in the sierra nevada sunday night monday into tuesday. but the bay area just not quite happened into that moisture. so we continue our dry trend john, thank you for that, right. tracking your traffic on this thursday morning. let's start with a look. >> at the bay bridge heading from the east bay into the city right now. little under 8 minutes for your drive. traffic moving along there. pretty nicely. san mateo bridge as you travel across towards the peninsula. about 12 minutes for your drive. as you're commuting there. richmond, sandra fell ridge 8 minutes heading from the tolls to one o one and the golden gate bridge. 37 to the tolls about 20 minutes for your drive. james. >> rana, thank you very much. it is for 18 and starting today, commuters in the south bay may need to take a detour to get to work a section of the vta light rail is closing until next month for repairs. this closure will be along north first street right between east heading street

and interstate 80 riders are going to be able take bus shuttles between the gish and civic center stations during the closure. but says you should expect delays. so make sure you factor that into your timing. crews are going to be installing a perimeter fence to try to dampen noise from the track replacement. and that's going to clued jack hammering and a lot of work being done at night. the goal is to have all the repairs completed by march 4th. also happening today, the oakland city council is expected to vote on a move that could bring the city one step closer to that deal on a stadium council members are set to vote on whether to certify a final environmental impact report, which a necessary step toward that new ballpark. the a's are also considering, of course, building a ballpark in las vegas and moving there. we've seen rumblings of that council members are expected to act on 3 items today. they'll consider a resolution surrounding the project's community benefits and compatibility with freight operations nearby. then the

council will consider whether to certify that final environmental impact report on whether to approve just a jurisdictional ordinance describing what the city with the port of oakland will do concerning that project. we'll keep you updated on how it all goes today. meanwhile, u.s. officials are reporting thousands of additional russian troops have joined forces along the ukrainian border. and this contradicts russia's claims this week that they have begun to pull back. we've got jessi tenure joining us live from dc with these latest developments. good morning, jesse. >> good morning to you as well. james. the russian invasion that was expected to happen yesterday didn't happen as many did predict, though, but the state department is now saying that these new troops along the border are moving into fighting positions. >> more russian forces not fewer. all right. the border u.s. officials warned russia has added as many as 7,000 troops along the ukrainian border. >> despite the country's claims of a continued pull

back, our concern continues to grow. state department spokesperson ned price says russia is also circulating false reports. a van mark civilian graves allegedly killed by ukrainian forces and the development of chemical weapons by the u.s. and ukraine. price stresses false flags like this could serve as a pretext for an invasion. this could happen. we're concerned at any time and the world should be ready for the biden administration continues to ramp up its pressure on russia on the world stage. vice president kamala harris will participate in diplomatic talks with u.s. allies at the munich security conference in germany. our commitment to defending the territorial integrity and sovereignty of ukraine and our commitment to putting in place severe economic consequences should russia invade? this comes after defense secretary lloyd austin met with nato leaders in belgium emphasizing the u.s. stands ready to help. you can expect that that >> that commitment will remain rock solid org forward. >> now, president putin has indicated his willingness to

hold security talks with nato. but those have yet to materialize live in washington. i'm jessi tenure. all right. thank you very much. jessie. >> it is for 21. we'll take another break. but coming up next here on the kron, 4 morning news, san francisco mayor london breed laying out what the city's plan is for the school board after 3 of its longest serving members, recalled by voters. we'll be right back. i was injured in a car crash. i had no idea how much my case was worth. i called the barnes firm. when a truck hit my son,

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4.24. san francisco's decision to drop its indoor mask mandate comes just as large city events are set to return this year. >> the pride parade, one of them that usually draws millions of people to the city. so we have those in-person celebrations. the parade, of course, that's all going to be welcome sights in san francisco in on the streets after 2 years. without all that fun, crawford's taylor's sacking has more from businesses and city leaders about what they're expecting. >> san francisco pride plans to come back bigger and better this year after cancellations of its large in-person events over the last 2 years. kron, 4 news first reported on the return of the in-person pride parade and weekend celebrations in january. but now businesses and city leaders are gearing up as

covid restrictions start to dwindle from lot of our pride is bigger than any holiday of the year. >> you know, it's a time where we could be free. john lehman song, unknowns cream bar joleen's of the mission district. she says san francisco pride not only embrace its community, but it also brings in business for spaces. >> something that's desperately needed since the beginning of the pandemic. it's really good. help us out. you know, we lost the year and even without the pandemic, it's really hard for our spaces to survive. >> so that one time of year, which is the biggest celebration, it's where we get a majority of a lot of our income to keep us afloat. >> in addition to planning special events julien's of a pride weekend. one song in will also take on an even larger production this year as executive director of the women stage. that means the world to me. >> knowing that i've pretty

seeing women its offense for 15 plus years. and now i get to really showcase the people that i've been working with the two-day celebration in raleigh will take place on june 25th and 26th while a full schedule of events isn't out yet. city supervisor rafael mandelman says >> the city will continue to adjust as needed, but he's hopeful for the pride show that san francisco knows how to throw. we have to be adaptable and resilient as we have been these last couple years. i don't think we know exactly what a covid-19 goals in store for this year. >> but you know, if we are in fact, moving into the endemic phase >> covid, you know, i i think what we're hoping it will feel a lot like prided, you know, back and you know, before i'm taylor bisacky reporting kron, 4 news.

>> we are back 4.30, on the dot. let's get that half hour. check of the forecast here as we take a live look outside our camera high tops san francisco looking down over the downtown area shows a pretty nice sight. clear out their full moon. john. lots of cut a lot of fun stuff this morning. yeah, i get the full moon. got the clear skies and it's not even as chilly as it's been. so a chance to actually get out there and enjoy it little bit. >> nice bright morning.