
Amita Sharma
Investigative ReporterAs the public matters investigative reporter, Amita leads KPBS’ coverage on efforts to undermine democracy, including threats to public officials, bolstering the Big Lie, chipping away at voter’s rights, attempts to overturn election results, eroding institutions and weakening the government's capacity to do its job, as well as civic efforts to engage people with opposing views without rancor.
The goal of the position is to report on the stakes, from a San Diego County perspective, on the United States’ current political moment.
She has spent the last two years reporting on local threats to democracy, including regional extremism, the shrinking of local news coverage while the number of hyper partisan “news” websites grow, censorship at libraries and incivility at public meetings.
Her previous coverage includes: exposing abuses in local nursing homes at the height of the pandemic, including a serial rapist who had worked in several El Cajon facilities and was arrested following her reporting; unearthing a contract between the city of Chula Vista and Motorola that allowed the company to sell data collected by the Chula Vista Police Department; and reporting on discrimination and retaliation in the San Diego County Public Defender’s Office that led to court settlements and the retirement of the Public Defender.
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UC San Diego political science professor Thad Kousser joined KPBS to talk about the debate. He said former President Donald Trump's refusal to commit to accepting the results of the November presidential election is a dangerous harbinger for democracy.
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He spoke to KPBS about why he thinks former President Donald Trump is a danger to democracy.
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The new chair of the Republican Party of San Diego County spoke with KPBS about why he’s hoping former President Trump wins in November.
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As part of our ongoing conversations with San Diego’s congressional delegation about democracy, KPBS spoke with Democratic Congressman Mike Levin.
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Grecia Figueroa claimed in her lawsuit that he assaulted her, but described the incidents as "make-out" sessions in texts to a friend.
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Three delegates said they want to hear Kamala Harris focus on bread-and-butter issues and reproductive rights in her speech to the convention Thursday.
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The legal dispute over police drone footage stems from a lawsuit filed by Arturo Castanares, publisher of La Prensa San Diego.
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KPBS Midday EditionAn investigation by CapRadio and NPR's California Newsroom has found that Gov. Newsom overstated, by an astounding 690%, the number of acres treated with fuel breaks and prescribed burns in forestry projects aimed at protecting the state’s most vulnerable communities.
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This is a breaking news blog for all of the latest updates on the conviction of former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin on murder and manslaughter charges in the death of George Floyd.
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