
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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The county cut short an investigation on the complaints after it received notice that former deputy public defenders would be filing wrongful termination suits.
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Mize said under oath that he signed off on a report on the firing of an employee knowing that the report contained false statements.
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Calls during the public comment of the supervisors’ meeting came after a $2.6 million jury verdict in another case involving allegations of discrimination.
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San Diego resident Ashli Babbitt was killed as she tried to breach the Capitol two years ago.
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The jury found that the office fired a gay lawyer because of his gender expression.
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Most personal information could still lawfully be sold.
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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.
- Trump administration freezes $50 million in San Diego County public school funding
- San Diego political expert details steps that could lead to US civil war
- Steele Fire update: Spread halted, evacuations hold
- Carlsbad pumping brakes on traffic circles, putting federal funding at risk
- Fear of immigration raids reshaping daily life for many