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 San Diego Unified School Board President is in some hot water. Women Marines fighting for combat-readiness. The California Public Utilities Commission has a new chair, if that makes a difference. San Diego County Supervisors want nuclear waste out of San Onofre — now. -
The White House announced the United States will now take 10,000 Syrian refugees. But the Syrian American Council of San Diego calls that a "drop in an ocean." -
The team and city of San Diego failed to meet their Friday deadline for a stadium agreement. "The Chargers are unwilling to go along with the city's ill-conceived strategies," Chargers special counsel Mark Fabiani told the Associated Press. -
KPBS Midday EditionOne of the issues up for debate when Congress returns from its August recess on Tuesday will be the U.S. nuclear deal with Iran. -
Despite repeated demands over the last six months for documents related to how the San Onofre settlement agreement was reached, regulators have steadfastly refused to turn them over to a state lawmaker. -
A San Diego man donated his Torah collection to the university, which turned out to be worth nearly $500,000.
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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.
- San Diego County estimates 400,000 Medi-Cal, CalFresh recipients could lose benefits
- A crisis team responding to a suicide attempt asked for help, El Cajon Police refused
- LEGO's Comic-Con diorama turns the San Diego Convention Center into a mini masterpiece
- A man is halted climbing the US-Mexico border wall. Under new Trump rules, US troops sound the alarm
- Fearing lawsuits, El Cajon Police stopped responding to some mental health calls