Lisa Fernandez
Lisa Fernandez is an old-fashioned newspaper reporter who works online in a TV station.
Lisa came to KTVU in 2017 and has worked in the Bay Area as a journalist for more than 30 years.
At KTVU, Lisa covers the sexual abuse scandal at the all-women's FCI Dublin prison, where she was chosen by the Society of Professional Journalists of Northern California in 2024 as the "Journalist of the Year," the in-custody deaths at Santa Rita Jail, and the federal oversight over the Oakland Police Department. She also covers breaking news, civil rights cases, immigration and education issues and actually loves doing a light feature.
Lisa truly believes that journalism can effect change, by letting the public know more about the world that they live in.
Lisa spent most of her career as a print reporter for the San Jose Mercury News, covering cops, city hall and religion. She's also worked at the LA Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, Reuters, NBC Bay Area, and the Democrat & Chronicle in Rochester, New York, where she is from.
She met her husband in 1995 when they were both young reporters at her first real journalism job: Bay City News in San Francisco.
Lisa loves to teach journalism and she has been an adjunct professor at San Jose State University. She has her master's degree in journalism from Medill at Northwestern University.
In her free time, Lisa volunteers with the Society of Professional Journalists at San Quentin Prison helping incarcerated men hone their writing and reporting skills, and she coaches high school seniors write their college essays.
She is also an exercise instructor, teaching spin, yoga, aqua and body sculpting classes.
Lisa lives in Oakland, Calif., with her husband. She has two adult children.
Have a story tip or idea for Lisa? Contact Lisa at lisa.fernandez@fox.com or (510) 874-0139.
The latest from Lisa Fernandez
Oakland mayor names new police chief James Beere
Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee on Thursday named interim chief James Beere as the city's new police chief. He is the 12th person to be named police chief or interim chief since 2013.
'Legendary' former Alameda County supervisor Scott Haggerty dies
Scott Haggerty, who one politician called a "legendary force in Bay Area politics for over two decades" as supervisor for Alameda County, died over the July 4 weekend in his retirement home state of Tennessee. He was 68.
San Pedro Square World Cup watch parties relocated for Sunday's matches
The city of San Jose and the mayor announced on Friday morning that they are relocating watch parties at the wildly popular San Pedro Square Market to two venues about a mile away.
In historic first, 8 California incarcerated students earn forestry degrees
For the first time in state history, eight incarcerated students have earned an Associate of Science degree in forestry, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation announced.
The mystery of the purple seal at Año Nuevo revealed
Scientists have figured out the mystery of a purple seal spotted at Año Nuevo State Park.
Breakdown of who is paying for FIFA World Cup police security in Bay Area
Police officers from Oakland to San Jose have been working overtime shifts, even before the World Cup started, stationed in hotel parking lots to provide extra security for the traveling Australian and Paraguay teams practicing in the Bay Area and playing soccer at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. But who is paying the local officers, and where is the money coming from?
18-year-old arrested for 'Columbine' massacre shooting at Chico library
An 18-year-old suspect has been arrested after a shooting at a library in Northern California left two people dead, Chico police said Tuesday, adding that his motivation "appears to be founded in a desire to commit a Columbine High School massacre type of shooting."
What should I do this weekend? Bay Area newsletters offer some answers
A lot of us wonder what we should do for fun on the weekend. Local Bay Area newsletters are offering up some suggestions. "Local newsletters are having a moment right now," said Kolby Hatch, creator of Oaktown Weekly.
Murder suspect dies in Santa Rita Jail restroom
A 44-year-old Oakland murder suspect suffered a seizure at Santa Rita Jail and then died days later while using the restroom of a cell, according to the Alameda County Sheriff's Office – the second in-custody death at the facility in a week.
Former San Quentin death row prisoner sues Alameda County for $290M
A 73-year-old Black man who was incarcerated on San Quentin's death row for three decades is suing Alameda County, specifically the District Attorney's Office, for $290 million, alleging that he never got a fair trial because the jury who convicted him was chosen unconstitutionally – all but one were white.