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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KPBS Midday EditionIn the late 19th century, San Diego pitched itself to the rest of the country as a place to get well. -
KPBS Midday EditionSan Diego has a long reputation as a place to heal. -
This week in business: Democratic presidential candidates talk free college and student loan forgiveness, Trump orders transparency for healthcare costs, and San Diego grocery workers vote to authorize a strike. -
Advocates say immediate attention needed on boosting funding for healthcare and long-term care costs for the elderly. -
KPBS Midday EditionA growing number of California seniors are moving in together to deal with the state’s affordability crisis and the solitude that comes with the death of a spouse. -
KPBS Midday EditionFor middle-class seniors who bought their homes decades ago, the California dream remains well within reach.
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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.
- In Escondido, a school board member changes her name but not her politics
- SCUBA divers volunteer at San Diego's Birch Aquarium
- San Diego Unified is getting rid of some K-8 middle schools
- San Diego City Council to once again consider Balboa Park parking fees
- Elected officials announce proposed ordinance aimed at fed enforcement actions