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
Alameda Co. candidate suspended from Meta accounts before June primary: 'I feel silenced'
Board of Education candidate Mark Harvey says Meta provided no clear explanation or way to appeal. He lost his personal Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger accounts, too.
StubHub tells Bay Area couple to 'prove' concert was canceled to get refund
The couple was excited to "take it easy" with the band famous for the song "Slow Ride" -- but no one told them the concert had been canceled. Not only was the birthday ruined -- they couldn't get their money back.
Ticket prices for World Cup matches are on the rise -- except in California
While tickets prices for nearly every game rose over time, there was one exception: California.
Facebook is the top social media platform for scam initiations, says new FTC report
Of social media platforms, Facebook was the top site for scam initiation. WhatsApp and Instagram came in a distant second and third.
Why a 93-year-old SF woman was bombarded with mysterious mail for nearly a year
A 93-year-old San Francisco woman is at the center of a mail mystery she can't seem to escape. Dozens of letters. Three companies. All linked to a stranger... and all using her home address.
16,000 Amazon e-books vanish when hacker takes over Bay Area woman's account
It took a California book lover nearly 20 years to collect 16,000 e-books on her Amazon Kindle, then a hacker took over and they all vanished "in the blink of an eye."
Here's what happens to your money if inflation relief funds are not claimed by Thursday deadline
It's not too late to get your money off of your account. Here's what you need to know about the looming deadline.
SF woman finds insects inside rice bags from Amazon: 'There were things wiggling in it!'
A San Francisco woman bought two bags of brown rice, only to discover some sort of insects inside. Here's what happened.
A wave of Bay Area property tax checks were stolen. Here's how to protect your paper check payments
Scammers and mail thieves are more active during tax season, but any time of year, there are precautions you should take to protect your paper check payments.
CA State Senate to vote on slew of insurance reform bills, addressing transparency, non-renewals
One of the bills' authors credits reporting from 7 On Your Side Investigates.
