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
76-year-old driver jumps sidewalk in SF's Chinatown, hitting pedestrians; 1 killed
A 76-year-old driver, who was trying to park his car, instead jumped the sidewalk in San Francisco Friday morning, striking a building and two pedestrians, killing one of them, according to the police and fire departments.
Man convicted in death of San Francisco's 'Grandpa Vicha' sentenced, will soon be released
Watson was convicted by a jury in January of killing 84-year-old Vicha Ratanapakdee, often called by his nickname, in 2021.
SF Giants home opener one day away; fans and businesses alike get ready
It's that time of year for Major League Baseball's home openers. For the SF Giants, the game is Wednesday night. Anticipation is building and nearby businesses are ready to make bank.
ICE agents deployed to airports during TSA shortage; none in Bay Area so far
None of the major Bay Area airports had received notice of any ICE deployments as of Monday. But that's not the case for other U.S. airports.
Family of SFPD recruit who died in training exercise files wrongful death suit
Jon-Marques Psalms, 30, died in August 2025 after participating in an intense training session at the city's police academy.
San Francisco activists make changes at intersection where 2-year-old was killed
A group of traffic safety activists have modified a San Francisco intersection that was the site of a recent tragedy. It was just under three weeks ago that this intersection at 4th and Channel streets in the Mission Rock neighborhood was the scene of a fatal collision.
Jury weighs claims Elon Musk misled investors in $44B Twitter deal
A jury is now deliberating whether Elon Musk misled investors with comments he made while attempting to buy Twitter in 2022.
SFUSD families learn school assignments in annual lottery
Monday was decision day for families in the San Francisco Unified School District, when they learned which school their child will attend next year.
San Francisco first responders prepare for a busy weekend of parades and fan fests
It's going to be a busy weekend in San Francisco, and beautiful weather is sure to draw big crowds. The warm weather is here, and there is plenty to do in the city to enjoy the festivities.
Man charged in fight with Lurie's security team ordered released from custody
The man caught on camera fighting with San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie’s security detail was ordered to be released from custody on Wednesday.