Richard Gonzales
Richard Gonzales is NPR's National Desk Correspondent based in San Francisco. Along with covering the daily news of region, Gonzales' reporting has included medical marijuana, gay marriage, drive-by shootings, Jerry Brown, Willie Brown, the U.S. Ninth Circuit, the California State Supreme Court and any other legal, political, or social development occurring in Northern California relevant to the rest of the country.
Gonzales joined NPR in May 1986. He covered the U.S. State Department during the Iran-Contra Affair and the fall of apartheid in South Africa. Four years later, he assumed the post of White House Correspondent and reported on the prelude to the Gulf War and President George W. Bush's unsuccessful re-election bid. Gonzales covered the U.S. Congress for NPR from 1993-94, focusing on NAFTA and immigration and welfare reform.
In September 1995, Gonzales moved to his current position after spending a year as a John S. Knight Fellow Journalism at Stanford University.
In 2009, Gonzales won the Broadcast Journalism Award from the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. He also received the PASS Award in 2004 and 2005 from the National Council on Crime and Delinquency for reports on California's juvenile and adult criminal justice systems.
Prior to NPR, Gonzales was a freelance producer at public television station KQED in San Francisco. From 1979 to 1985, he held positions as a reporter, producer, and later, public affairs director at KPFA, a radio station in Berkeley, CA.
Gonzales graduated from Harvard College with a bachelor's degree in psychology and social relations. He is a co-founder of Familias Unidas, a bi-lingual social services program in his hometown of Richmond, California.
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A proposal to create a commission to study reparations for African Americans comes as the presidential election season is kicking into gear. Some Democratic hopefuls support reparations.
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Attorneys for a group of counties and cities announced the proposed settlement Tuesday to help cover taxpayer losses from wildfires dating back to 2015.
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The announcement comes after Iran said it would surpass limits on its uranium stockpiles as set by a landmark international agreement. The Pentagon insisted it is not seeking a war with Iran.
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Eleven of the 12 victims were city employees; one was a contractor. "They leave a void that we will never be able to fill," City Manager Dave Hansen said Saturday.
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Shares of automaker stocks fell Friday morning, after President Trump announced tariffs on all goods imported from Mexico. Many carmakers have built facilities in Mexico in recent years.
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Federal officials say they have no immediate plans to release migrants in Florida. The governor says his state is ill-prepared for an influx of asylum-seekers.
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U.S. tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese consumer and business products increased to 25% from 10% on Friday morning, raising the stakes between the world's two largest economies.
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The head of the U.S. Border Patrol said her agents are spending more and more of their time dealing with families with children who need food and medical care.
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Officials say one student was killed and eight were injured in a shooting at a STEM school in Highlands Ranch, Colo., a suburb of Denver. Two suspects are in custody.
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Mayhew was a part-time actor working as a hospital orderly when he was cast to play Chewbacca. A fan favorite, he used his fame to promote charities.