Meet the Team

Lara McCaffrey

Web Producer

As web producer, Lara McCaffrey is responsible for writing web stories, copy editing and updating the station’s website. Prior to joining KPBS, Lara worked as a freelance journalist for San Diego CityBeat, HerMoney, OK Whatever, Out There podcast and more. She also interned for Psychology Today and reached millions of readers as a senior content creator at digital media company 101 Network. Lara has a master's in journalism from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism and a bachelor's in political science from University of California, San Diego.

MORE STORIES BY THIS AUTHOR

Local

Asylum seekers who used CBP One app lose deportation protections

Lara McCaffrey

Debbie Cruz

Brooke Ruth

The Biden-era CBP One app was used by migrants entering the U.S. asylum system. The Trump administration did away with the app and told everyone who used it to leave the U.S. Plus, new research from UC San Diego shows trauma from wildfires and other climate disasters can affect our ability to plan for the future. And Imperial County’s Board of Supervisors fired its CEO and board clerk without explanation.
Local

How highways can make it harder to make friends

Lara McCaffrey

Quinn Owen

Debbie Cruz

A recent study finds that living near a highway could have a negative impact on people’s social lives. Lead author Luca Aiello hypothesized that if residents can’t walk around their communities easily, then they’re likely meeting fewer people. Plus, nine San Diego university students have had their visas revoked. It’s part of a wave of visa revocations happening across the U.S. And the family of a man arrested during an immigration raid in El Cajon in March is fighting to keep him in the country.
Local

What you need to know about Tuesday’s special election

Lara McCaffrey

Debbie Cruz

Brooke Ruth

Tuesday is Election Day for the District 1 San Diego County Supervisor seat. We have the details voters need to know. Then, the Trump administration cut funding to legal aid organizations who represent unaccompanied migrant children in deportation hearings. The organizations are now suing to restore that funding. Finally, President Donald Trump has also cut health care funding that would’ve come from the Centers for Disease Control. San Diego is missing out on $40 million of that funding.
Local

San Diego loses 3 immigration judges after Trump’s return to office

Lara McCaffrey

Brooke Ruth

Debbie Cruz

San Diego has gone from 11 to eight immigration judges since President Donald Trump took office. Immigration judges around the country have either resigned or been fired thanks to actions by the Department of Government Efficiency. Meanwhile the Trump administration wants to take away DACA recipient’s access to Affordable Care Act health insurance. The proposed change has been creating confusion among some DACA recipients. And the Comic-Con Museum in Balboa Park has a new exhibit dedicated to “Doctor Who,” the longest running sci-fi TV series.
Local

San Diego officers among hundreds decertified under recent CA law

Lara McCaffrey

Debbie Cruz

Quinn Owen

Hundreds of officers in California have been stripped of their badges in the last few years for serious misconduct. The offenses range from sexual misconduct to domestic violence to dishonesty. There are still thousands of cases that need to be reviewed. Plus, the National Endowment for the Arts has frozen more than $300,000 in grants for San Diego organizations. That uncertainty has put the local arts community in limbo. And it’s St. Patrick’s Day — there’s lots of ways to celebrate Irish heritage in San Diego County.
Local

District 1 San Diego County Supervisor race kicks off

Lara McCaffrey

Debbie Cruz

Quinn Owen

The race is on in the District 1 San Diego County Supervisor special election. We break down the platforms of each candidate as ballots are on their way to registered voters. Plus, Chula Vista is preparing to welcome the long-awaited Gaylord Pacific Resort — a massive hotel that will sit on the city’s bayfront. The company behind the resort is hosting a series of job fairs over the next few weeks. And San Diego government officials are considering an increase to the city's cannabis business tax to help close a budget deficit.