Kori Suzuki
South Bay and Imperial Valley ReporterKori Suzuki covers South San Diego County and the Imperial Valley for KPBS. He reports on the decisions of local government officials with a particular focus on environmental issues, housing affordability, and race and identity. He is especially drawn to stories that show how we are all complicated and multidimensional.
Kori first joined KPBS in 2023 as part of the inaugural California Local News Fellowship and was hired as a staff reporter in 2025. Previously, he worked as an associate producer for Reveal and as a visual journalist at The Seattle Times and KQED. Before that, he worked for The Washington Post’s audio team, the weekly environmental public radio Living on Earth, and KALW. As an editor at his college newspaper in St. Paul, Minnesota, he helped lead a team covering the murder of George Floyd and the yearlong Black Lives Matter uprising that followed.
He has a master’s degree in journalism from UC Berkeley and bachelor’s degrees in environmental studies and media studies from Macalester College. He is a member of Diversify Photo.
Kori was born and raised in Berkeley and Richmond in Northern California, across the bay from San Francisco. He is a proud, fourth-generation Japanese American and loves foggy mornings and cooking with the radio on.
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Republican Mayor John McCann is facing a challenge from Francisco Tamayo, a prominent Democrat and a trustee for the Chula Vista Elementary School District. -
The national environmental group accused county officials of approving the project in fragments, obscuring the scale of the development from the public. -
On Monday May 18, a security guard and two community members were killed when two teenage suspects opened fire on the Islamic Center of San Diego in Clairemont. Police are investigating the shooting as a hate crime. Now, San Diego's Muslim community is mourning and beginning the long road to recovery. -
State Sen. Steve Padilla’s announcement came after a KPBS investigation found the nonprofit owner of an ICE detention center in Imperial County has received millions in tax breaks meant for charities. -
The inquiry comes after a KPBS investigation found the ICE detention center has received millions in tax credits through a special exemption for charities. -
A KPBS investigation found state and county officials have given millions in tax breaks to a local nonprofit that owns the Imperial Regional Detention Facility.
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Three people at the center were killed in a shooting Monday afternoon. Police said they found two teenage suspects dead from self-inflicted gunshot wounds in a vehicle nearby. -
The largest rally and march took place in downtown San Diego at Waterfront Park next to the County Administration Center. It was one of more than 20 protests held across the county. -
Life changed in an instant one morning in February for the Olivo family. Their father and brother were arrested by ICE agents. The following weeks were filled with fear, confusion and anger.
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