Christien Kafton
Christien has been reporting for KTVU since 2009. In his time at KTVU, he has worked every shift, from 4:30am working for "Mornings on 2" to the "Ten O'Clock News."
In his time at the station he has reported on hard-hitting stories including his Emmy-nominated reporting on the morning of the deadly Ghost Ship fire, and the Tubbs fire. Christien has also covered lighter human interest stories including the iconic Bay to Breakers, numerous San Francisco Giants and Golden State Warriors Championships.
Christien is a Bay Area native who grew up watching KTVU Channel 2 News when legendary anchor Dennis Richmond was on the anchor desk. Christien was born in Oakland and raised in Berkeley. He attended Maybeck High School, and UC Berkeley before leaving the state for graduate school at Northwestern University. His first reporting job took him to Plattsburgh, NY, from here he moved on to Toledo, OH and Phoenix AZ before returning to the Bay Area; first working at NBC Bay Area before joining the Channel 2 News team.
Christien currently heads up KTVU's San Francisco bureau covering stories from City Hall to Chase Center. When he's not working you're likely to find him riding his bike through Golden Gate Park with his family or on the baseball diamond, trying to keep up with his son.
The latest from Christien Kafton
SFPD say new technology is paying off, but does more surveillance equal less crime?
San Francisco police gave KTVU a behind-the-scenes peek at the new high-tech center officers are using to crack down on crime. Officers say it's already making a major difference, but privacy advocates have concerns.
Mayor Lurie allows Waymo to operate on San Francisco's Market Street
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie on Thursday announced he will allow autonomous vehicles to operate on Market Street.
San Francisco Supervisor Bilal Mahmood opens up about autism diagnosis
April is Autism Awareness Month, and a San Francisco politician has gone public with his diagnosis.
Dogs prohibited from some Presidio trails during coyote pupping season
The Presidio Trust has closed two popular trails for dog walkers due to coyotes in the area that may act aggressively as they protect their dens during pupping season.
Drug market sweeps yield a lot of arrests, but few prosecutions in San Francisco
Law enforcement in San Francisco are standing by large drug market sweeps even if so far, they don't result in a lot of prosecutions.
9th Circuit judge criticized for posting video to YouTube featuring assault rifle, weapons demo
A Trump-appointed 9th Circuit Court judge is facing criticism for a video he posted to YouTube following a ruling on California's ban on high-capacity magazines for guns.
Debate continues over traffic on SF Great Hightway
One week since San Francisco's Great Highway was closed to make way for a park, the closure remains controversial.
41 arrested in San Francisco drug sweep; more raids to come
San Francisco authorities made dozens of arrests as part of a crackdown on open-air drug markets.
Can pickleball save Muni?
One of the options SFMTA is exploring is converting existing underutilized parking garage rooftops into tennis or pickleball courts.
San Francisco mayor unveils plan to 'fundamentally transform' homelessness and addiction reponses
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie on Monday unveiled a plan that he said will help break cycles of homelessness and addiction by "fundamentally transforming" the city’s health and homelessness response.