Stephanie Sierra
From fraud and corruption to health care and public safety - her beat encompasses a little bit of everything.
Over the past four years at KGO-TV, she has been committed to exposing abuse of power and taxpayer money at every level of government. These stories have exposed well-known nonprofits, politicians, and influential billionaires.
In 2023, she won a regional Emmy for her investigation into a local county Sheriff accused of favoring campaign donors when issuing concealed carry permits. The story prompted action from the FBI's political corruption unit and the county Board of Supervisors. As a result, a local oversight organization fought to ensure accountability and transparency in future operations within the department.
Her investigations have exposed loopholes in numerous state laws that have resulted in added protections for wildfire insurance, medical billing, and regional cybersecurity practices. In April, her series on Oakland's ransomware hack revealed a pattern of oversight and negligence - causing dozens of people who had their social security numbers leaked but were never notified by the city.
In February, she exposed concerns about sex trafficking operations outside a grade school in Oakland that prompted action from local and federal authorities to install barricades and cameras to deter the crime.
Stephanie reported extensively on public health during the pandemic. Her work shed light on critical new medical technologies-including a Bay Area COVID-testing company that worked with the California Dept. of Public Health to save the State tens of millions of dollars with processing costs.
While at ABC7, her public health and consumer reporting have received multiple Emmy nominations from the Northern California Academy of Arts & Sciences and prompted action by the FDA.
She's also covered the gruesome murder trials of Chris Watts and Patrick Frazee in Colorado to the high-profile fraud trial of Elizabeth Holmes on the Peninsula.
Her passion for journalism started during her time at Mercy High School in Burlingame. "Career Day" transformed into a lifelong pursuit of storytelling. She graduated from the University of Missouri, majoring in broadcast journalism with a focus on investigative journalism.
After graduating, she braved the bomb cyclone blizzards and high altitude of the Rockies at the ABC affiliate in Colorado Springs (KRDO-TV) as an anchor and investigative reporter. Her year-long investigation uncovering the illicit massage industry in southern Colorado resulted in six women being rescued from human trafficking operations. It was honored with a regional Emmy and two National Edward R. Murrow awards. This followed years of consumer reporting on widespread contractor scams that prompted action by the Federal Trade Commission.
Stephanie is happy to be back home in the Bay Area, surrounded by the ocean views and majestic redwoods. You can often find her in San Francisco's Marina district with her 5-year-old dog Bubba!
If you have a story idea or want to say hello - contact her at Stephanie.K.Sierra@abc.com or on social platforms @StephanieABC7 & @StephanieKSierra.
Stephanie's Stories
Millions of Californians still have money on inflation relief debit cards -- they expire April 30
You'd think it would be easy to give away billions of dollars for disaster relief, but hundreds of thousands of Californians still haven't taken their share.
SF property owner fined $50K for 'illegally pruning trees' cited by insurer: 'Feels like bullying'
An insurance broker told a San Francisco property owner to trim the trees in front of the owner's house. The city of San Francisco fined the property owner $50,000.
Is there really no tax on tips, overtime, and Social Security? Here's what to know
The sweeping tax bill passed by Congress last year gives big tax breaks to millions of Americans... potentially. Here's what you need to know.
Woman named Alysa Liu has Instagram suspended for sharing name with superstar skater
The 'other' Alysa Liu began getting messages intended for the superstar Olympic skater that became annoying, but worse, Meta kicked the young tech worker off Instagram as a possible imposter.
Baby locked in Bay Area family's Cadillac EV after sudden 'faulty battery' shuts car down
While leaving for church, a Bay Area family found their electric Cadillac SUV's car doors suddenly locked -- after putting their baby inside. The family tried the doors, the key fob, the remote entry mobile app, and OnStar, but nothing would help.
Wrong name on ticket threatens to cancel elderly Bay Area couple's last vacation to Egypt
An East Bay couple in their 80s were set to travel to Egypt for possibly their last trip abroad, but an issue came up when the wife's ticket was booked in her maiden middle name, which almost canceled the whole trip. 7 On Your Side stepped in to help save it.
Okizu strong: How NorCal camp helps kids battling cancer through power of community
Northern California nonprofit Okizu offers support to not just the kids battling cancer, but their whole families. "If one of us gets sick... we'll storm through it as a family... we'll get through it," 4-year-old Sammy said.
SF retiree loses $500K life savings to pig butcher scam despite warnings from family, friends
Friends and family of a San Francisco retiree knew he was being scammed and tried for months to warn him, but nothing could stop him from wiring all his money to the scammers, who he thought was a woman he would be starting a new life with.
Love and money: How much does romance cost this Valentine's Day?
Consumer spending on Valentine's Day this year is projected to reach a record-breaking $29.1 billion.
80% of online ads for pets may be fake, says BBB. Here's how to protect yourself
That cute puppy in the ad might be a stock photo, and the fraudulent 'breeder' may be selling a dog that doesn't exist.
