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
Highland Hospital needs help identifying patient
Officials at the Wilma Chan Highland Hospital need help identifying a patient who came in without without identification.
Grand jury indicts Alameda County deputies in Maurice Monk death at Santa Rita Jail
Three Alameda County sheriff's deputies were arraigned Tuesday morning following a new grand jury indictment regarding the in-custody death of Maurice Monk roughly four years ago.
Faith groups chain themselves outside ICE building in San Francisco
More than 100 people from Bay Area faith communities locked arms outside ICE’s San Francisco Field Office Tuesday morning in an effort that they described as trying to "stop ICE from kidnapping community members" at their immigration check-ins.
Hayward explosion takes center stage at supervisors meeting
A gas pipeline explosion in a neighborhood near Hayward was a central topic at Tuesday's meeting of the Alameda County Board of Supervisors.
Hayward explosion: Family of 5 lost everything in blast
A family of five lost their home and everything they owned in a gas pipe explosion near Hayward last week, family friends said, while trying to raise money to help them.
Dublin to oppose reopening women's prison for any detention operations
The Dublin City Council on Tuesday night is poised to pass a resolution that opposes turning the now-closed women's prison – FCI Dublin – into any kind of correctional facility in the future, like reopening it as another prison or ICE detention center.
Trump has a new deportation strategy: fast-tracking third-country removals
President Donald Trump has a new deportation strategy by fast-tracking what's known as third-country removals, and it's causing alarm within the immigrant rights community.
Hayward explosion captured in dramatic images
An explosion in Hayward on Thursday that rocked a normally peaceful neighborhood was captured in dramatic images, from photos on the street to a doorbell camera video that showed the moment the blast blew up a home, sending smoke and debris high into the air.
Shooting death of Oakland officer Tuan Le: 9 charged with drug, conspiracy
A federal grand jury has indicted nine people after the 2023 death of Oakland police officer Tuan Le, who had shown up to stop a burglary at a cannabis dispensary.
Explosion near Hayward rocks neighborhood, leaves 6 injured
An explosion and fire erupted in a Hayward residential area on Thursday, destroying homes, shutting down a freeway and injuring six people after a construction crew struck an underground gas line, according to firefighters, witnesses and PG&E.