65°
Mostly Cloudy
LATEST UPDATES: Tracking COVID-19 | Vaccines | Racial Justice
Claire Trageser
Investigative Reporter
Claire Trageser is an investigative reporter and has worked at KPBS since 2012. She is part of the KPBS Investigations Desk and writes and produces in-depth coverage for radio, television, and the web. She was named the San Diego Society of Professional Journalists' 2020 Journalist of the Year.
Claire finds stories that are not part of a specific beat, including reporting and producing the six-part in depth radio, TV, and podcast series Dr J's. She created a searchable database of police shootings and use of force cases as part of her reporting on policing, including the finding that officers are more likely to shoot if a suspect is a person of color. She won the San Diego Society of Professional Journalists' Diversity Prize two years in a row for coverage of emerging leaders in San Diego's lower income communities and the tension between two neighborhoods that share a common boundary.
Claire has also contributed to KPBS's coronavirus coverage, including exclusively obtaining the data on where COVID-19 outbreaks are happening. She also has analyzed demographics surrounding deaths, infection rates, and the growing childcare crisis.
Claire studied chemistry at Reed College in Portland, Oregon. She then earned a master's degree in journalism at UC Berkeley, where she worked at the Knight Digital Media Center and completed a master's project with Michael Pollan.
Recent Stories by Claire Trageser
Businesses In San Diego's Majority White Communities Received By Far The Most PPP Loans
- May 3
- By Claire Trageser
In some white and wealthy Census tracts, upwards of 99% of businesses got federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. Meanwhile, in some low-income minority tracts, fewer than 5% received funds.
Unions Use Their Advocacy Skills To Get COVID-19 Vaccines In Members’ Arms
- April 21
- By Claire Trageser
Local unions have lobbied lawmakers to grant eligibility to their members, secured separate supplies of vaccines and launched outreach campaigns.
How Churches Are Influencing Vaccine Decisions
- April 20
- By Claire Trageser
Many religious leaders across the county are actively encouraging followers to get vaccinated. Meanwhile, at least one megachurch is advocating against vaccines, while others are trying to avoid the subject.
Hundreds Have Been In San Diego County Jails For More Than A Year
- April 1
- By Claire Trageser
At least 380 inmates who either can't afford bail, or weren't granted it, have spent more than a year in local jails. That's not how the system is supposed to work.
Burdensome Rules Keep Eligible San Diegans From Receiving Food Stamps
- March 30
- By Claire Trageser
The complicated process of recertifying for benefits every six months regularly drives out CalFresh recipients who are still eligible for the program, according to a study from UC Berkeley.
Pandemic Life: A Crippling Year For San Diego County's Small Businesses
- March 17
- By Claire Trageser
COVID-19 has crushed many small businesses in the county, and the losses go beyond just jobs. In some cases, family wealth meant to sustain generations is gone and the fabric of communities frayed.
San Diego's Murder Rate Was Up In 2020, But Other Violent Crimes Down
- March 9
- By Claire Trageser
Overall, violent crimes were up slightly in San Diego and other cities in the county during the pandemic year, but some other large metro areas fared far worse.
San Diego's Spike In Hate Crimes Against Asian Americans Mirrors National Trend
- March 4
- By Claire Trageser
There were at least 42 reports of racist incidents against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in San Diego County in 2020, according to a national advocacy group.
San Diego County COVID-19 Vaccination Rates Highest In Wealthy ZIP Codes
- Feb. 19
- By Claire Trageser
County data show vaccination rates in places like Coronado, Del Mar and La Jolla are as high as 25%. Meanwhile, the lower-income areas with high case rates have vaccination rates as low as 7%.
COVID-19 Vaccine Likely Beneficial For Breastfed Babies, But Questions Remain
- Feb. 10
- By Claire Trageser
No clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccines were done on pregnant or breastfeeding women — standard practice for any new drug or vaccine. But some doctors and medical experts now say this was a mistake.
Latest on kpbs.org
GI Film Festival San Diego 2021: 'Sky Blossom: Diaries Of The Next Greatest Generation'
Wednesday, May 19, 2021 at 5 p.m.
AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: Billy Graham
Stream or tune in Monday, May 17, 2021 at 9 p.m. on KPBS TV + Sunday, May 23 at 9 p.m. on KPBS 2
