
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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Randy Mize, who has been under fire for allegations of discrimination and retaliation, plans to retire in mid-June.
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San Diego County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher is the latest in a line of local Democrats to fall from grace amid sexual misconduct claims.
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The firm is investigating allegations that several Public Defender Office supervisors engaged in discrimination and retaliation.
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The county settled a lawsuit filed by a former deputy public defender.
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Well-funded anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers still outnumber abortion clinics throughout the state and in San Diego.
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The poll is aimed at assessing whether threats are increasing and becoming more violent.
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County requiring employees of grocery stores and many other retail outlets to wear masks as of midnight Friday. That’s a tall order, says the California Grocers Association.
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