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
Pro-homeowner insurance bill working through California legislature
Two pro-homeowner insurance bills that have already passed the Democrat dominated Assembly, are now in the hands of the state Senate which, where Democrats also have a super majority. If the Senate agrees with the Assembly, the Governor will have an opportunity to make the FAIR plan more finally stable and begin setting course for a more normalized insurance market.
Prayer service held for Walker family, missing in Texas floods
Hundreds of people attended a prayer service for the Walkers in Kentfield on Tuesday. We spoke with a family friend about the gathering and how the community is handling this tragedy as the search continues.
Can a Texas size flood hit California? It already has, several times
The question arises, can a Texas-like disaster occur here in California? The Bay Area's rain and snow season, October to April, does bring flooding but rarely on the level that occurred in Texas. But is has, several times.
Families frustrated with lack of information in Yolo County fireworks warehouse explosion
The mile perimeter around the disaster sight remains locked down. The updates are few and far between. The fate of seven missing persons is unspoken. And, the sun has set on this tragedy for a third agonizing day
June jobs report surprisingly good
A nationwide job report showed a gain of 147,000 payroll jobs, which lowered the nation's unemployment rate from 4.2% to 4.1%
Mother cries out names of missing sons in Yolo County fireworks explosion
As fireworks crackled in the night sky and flames flickered from a warehouse explosion in Yolo County, a mother cried out the names of her missing sons.
Windsor residents await quiet zone approval as SMART train horns disrupt sleep
The Bay Area's newest rail line has found itself in hot water with the town that welcomed it just last month.
Golden Gate Bridge tolls rise July 1st
On Tuesday, the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District will raise the toll for the legendary San Francisco Bay crossing by 50 cents.
California gasoline tax rises July 1st: the big picture
Gasoline prices will tick up almost two cents a gallon next month as prices to repair, improve and build streets, roads and highways continue to rise.
California FAIR Plan found not fair to homeowners forced to use its 'insurance'
A Los Angeles Superior Court judge ruled that the California FAIR Plan’s smoke-damage policy directly violates state law by denying coverage for clean-up and remediatons, a very expensive benefit FAIR Plan is obliged to render.