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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The Imperial Irrigation District is already in the midst of several key elections and a high-stakes negotiation over the future of the Colorado River. -
County officials tightly restricted access to the building, and armed sheriff’s deputies removed at least three people who had come to oppose the project. -
Tuesday’s vote will take place despite the city of Imperial's attempt earlier this week to obtain a court order to stop it. -
The allegations of sexual abuse have been particularly painful for the small Imperial Valley city where the civil rights leader went to middle school. -
KPBS spoke to several protestors at No Kings rallies in La Mesa, Chula Vista and Escondido. We asked them why they were marching. Here's what they said. -
The South San Diego neighborhood is one of the communities set to benefit from a $10 billion state bond for climate and environmental projects.
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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. -
Two techies launched the app in 2021 to fill a glaring information gap. Watch Duty centralizes fire and evacuation updates from various agencies, as paid staff reporters and an army of volunteers provide real-time updates based on radio traffic.
- Millions of Californians have yet to claim inflation relief funds ahead of the April 30 deadline
- Tijuana River sewage is making the air toxic and sickening thousands in California
- New study finds a public utility company could save San Diegans $500 every year. SDG&E calls it flawed
- Imperial Valley utility could decide fate of massive data center following key vote
- Thousands more will have access to San Diego Unified’s free afterschool program