Tom Vacar
After two years of freelancing while working full time in L.A., Tom became a full-time staff member of KTVU as Consumer Editor, in 1991.
Tom has covered every major disaster including earthquakes, wildfires, floods, levee breaks and droughts and has had a big hand in covering business, economics, consumer affairs, aerospace, space, the military, high technology, ports, logistics, airlines and general news.
Tom worked at KGO TV and KGO Radio from 1979-1985. He moved to KCBS-TV and KNX News Radio in 1985 before moving to KTTV in 1988.
Tom is originally from Salem, Ohio (a small industrial town of 11,000 people between Cleveland and Pittsburgh). He got his undergraduate degree in Political Science and Government at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland Ohio in 1972 as a designated Undergraduate Scholar. Tom got his Law Degree from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law in 1978.
In his 31 years at KTVU, he calculates that he has covered 8,000 stories. For 18 years, KTVU was home to Tom’s syndicated Great American Toy Test (nominated for a national Emmy). He has covered many major disasters including the Caldor Fire in Lake Tahoe, the L.A. quake in 1994, the Napa Quake, the Great Recession, the Pandemic and the long drought.
Tom loves the diversity of the region’s people, cultures and ethnicities. That, he says, is what truly makes the Bay Area’s natural beauty even more beautiful.
Tom shoots still pictures, mostly of wildlife while traveling with his wife Sharon, a former SF Opera soprano who also worked as a producer for 17 years. He has also traveled to England, Italy, Japan, Honduras, Bahrain, British Virgin Islands, The Grenadines, St. Martin. Puerto Rico, New Zealand, Society Islands, Panama, etc.
The latest from Tom Vacar
San Rafael little league baseball field could be sold
Las Gallinas Field, on an eight-acre parcel of land owned by San Rafael City Schools, has hosted baseball teams for more than 70 years and is used by the Galinas Valley Little league, other players and the public in general. But now, there is real fear the property may be sold or leased.
New federal rules give farmworkers more rights and protections
The acting U.S. Labor Secretary came to Santa Rosa's Balletto Vineyards on Friday to announce new labor regulations to better protect the nation's 1.6 million farmworkers, effective June 28. Balleto was chosen because workers there feel appreciated and respected.
Parking enforcement clampdown has SFMTA workers worried about safety
Hundreds of Muni parking control officers rallied on Thursday outside the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency over concerns around beefed up enforcement.
California considers ban on line-skipping service Clear
A state Senate committee held an initial hearing on a first-of-its-kind proposed law in the U.S. concerning airport security.
Sausalito ferry terminal remains closed after structural issue found
A reopening date for the Sausalito pier still has not been determined after a structural issue was discovered during a routine inspection last week.
Oakland Zoo continues fight against animal extinction
A 2019 United Nations report on species extinction estimated that 1 million animal and plant species are threatened with extinction within decades — more than ever before in human history.
E-bike usage tightening for Marin adolescents
Marin, one of the nation's wealthiest counties, is wrestling with a high-tech problem: e-bikes gone wild, in the hands of youngsters.
Price recall supporters pushing for special election
The voters of Alameda County will have the opportunity this year to decide whether controversial District Attorney Pamela Price will remain in her position or be ousted, similar to the recall of San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin almost two years ago.
Business owner goes on hunger strike over Valencia Street bike lane
A six-month trial of a new bike lane down the middle of San Francisco's Valencia Street is causing pain for businesses and worry for some cyclists as they maneuver in and out of the bike lane into traffic lanes.
San Francisco closing designated site for Mission street vendors
Illegal street vending in San Francisco heavily contributed to the city losing businesses whose merchandise became targets for thieves to resell, mainly on Mission Street and other locations.