65° Mostly CloudyAmita Sharma
Investigative Reporter
Amita Sharma has worked at KPBS since 2000 and has covered a wide range of stories for TV and radio. She is part of the KPBS Investigative Reporting unit and occasionally hosts KPBS Evening Edition.
Among the reports Amita has produced are a three-part series on child sex trafficking in San Diego, a two-part series on how the state is using survivors' benefits for foster children to pay for their upkeep, and a four-part series on the Port of San Diego's finances. Other investigations include the San Diego angle to the U.S. attorney firings, private security firm Blackwater’s controversial training camp proposal, and the Sunroad development controversy. Amita has also interviewed a number of local and national newsmakers including former Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean, Wisconsin Congressman James Sensenbrenner, and fired U.S. Attorney David Iglesias. In 2005 she landed an exclusive interview with three federal prosecutors who worked on the bribery investigation resulting in the guilty plea of former San Diego Congressman Randy “Duke” Cunningham. She also covered the murder trial of David Westerfield, the 2001 shooting at Santana High School, and how three of the 9/11 hijackers spent their time in San Diego.
Amita has also worked as a newspaper reporter. She has degrees in journalism and international relations from the University of Southern California.
Recent Stories
Pool Safety Tips: Report Finds Most Child Drownings Occur In Backyard Pools
Summer is all about family, friends, barbecues and pool parties. But that fun sometimes turns tragic when a child is involved in a drowning. A new report finds most child drownings occur in backyards.
San Diego Charity Turns The Catch Of The Day Over To City's Needy
A local sports fisherman has found a way to help feed San Diego's hungry. Fish. Food. Feel Good. collects donated fish from sports fishermen and distributes them to local charities that feed the area's seniors, poor and homeless.
UC San Diego Opens Center Devoted To Studying Imagination
UC San Diego has created an innovative academic program called the Arthur C. Clarke Center for Human Imagination.
San Diego Schools Honored For Pledge To Technology In The Classroom
Technology is changing fast and schools are doing their best to keep up. We take a look at what's going on in San Diego's schools to help advance learning with the use of technology.
San Diego County Grand Jury Says City Should Independently Monitor Groundwater Contamination
Grand jury's report is the product of an inquiry into the effects of numerous oil spills from the Mission Valley Terminal just north of Qualcomm Stadium.
Survey Shows Majority Of Experts Agree Humans Are Cause Of Climate Change
Public opinion on climate change may still be divided but a new survey finds climate experts agree on the cause. They point to humans as the problem behind global warming. That validates research done nearly a decade ago by a University of California, San Diego professor who says the science has always backed up the effects of climate change.
In 'Stung,' Researcher Connects Jellyfish Blooms To Doomed Oceans
In her new book, "Stung," researcher Lisa-ann Gershwin Ph.D., compares jellyfish to an angel of death whose presence in the ocean is causing destruction, death and disruption. And she says humans are contributing to the problem.
Clearing The Air About Marijuana Use Among San Diego Teens
A forum tonight will address the impacts of chronic marijuana use among San Diego County youth. We take a look at how many teens are using marijuana, at what age and what effects it can have on academics.
San Diego Teen Eagle Scout Weighs In On Resolution To Allow Gay Scouts
The Boy Scouts of America's national council meets in Texas next week to consider lifting the ban on gay scouts.
Former Freddie Mac Chief Economist Says Housing Finance Model Can Be Found Outside The U.S.
What to do about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac: that's the focus of housing finance reform. Dr. Michael Lea, director of SDSU's Corky McMillin Center for Real Estate, was Freddie Mac's chief economist in the 1980s. Next month, he heads to Washington where he'll testify on housing finance reform and, more specifically, what to do about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
