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
Alameda County pays $36M following murder of Dublin couple by deputy
The Alameda County board of supervisors will pay $36 million to surviving family members of a murdered couple in Dublin, the county counsel announced Tuesday night, after a suit alleged the deaths were preventable because the former sheriff's deputy who killed them failed a psychological test but was hired anyway.
Longest serving Santa Rita Jail inmate no longer there
The man who served the longest time in Santa Rita Jail is no longer there.
DA, defense battle over the longest serving person at Santa Rita Jail
A judge will decide Leonard Jones' fate whether he should remain in prison or get a lighter sentence.
Concord immigration judge sues DOJ over termination
A Concord immigration judge is suing the Department of Justice over her termination, alleging that she wasn't kept on past her probationary period because she is a Democrat, a woman over 40, fluent in Spanish, and previously advocated for immigrants.
Immigrant rights activists want FCI Dublin to be demolished
Although operations ceased at FCI Dublin two years ago, the Bureau of Prisons is proposing to permanently deactivate the aging prison – but that's not enough for immigrant rights activists; they want the entire facility torn down and repurposed in a positive way.
Final FCI Dublin officer sentenced in biggest sex abuse scandal at U.S. prison
A federal judge on Friday sentenced the final FCI Dublin correctional officer for having sexual encounters with an incarcerated woman, closing the book on the most sweeping sex abuse scandal ever recorded at a U.S. federal prison.
SFO and Oakland airport battle has settled
The two-year legal battle between the airports in San Francisco and Oakland has settled.
Elon Musk shows up to OpenAI trial, but not in a Tesla
Elon Musk arrived before opening statements began for a high-stakes trial against Sam Altman on Tuesday – but it wasn't in a Tesla.
Judge rules man shot by ICE in California must stay in federal custody
A federal judge in Sacramento on Monday ordered a 36-year-old man shot by ICE officers in California to remain in federal custody after he was charged with felony assault on an immigration officer.
Man shot by ICE in California moved 'suddenly' to new jail: attorney
The man shot by ICE officers in California, and then charged with federal assault, has been "suddenly and unexpectedly" moved to a new jail, more than two hours away from his home, his attorney said Thursday.