Richard Gonzales

Credit Steve Barrett

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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4:38am

Thu May 23, 2013
Around the Nation

Same-Sex Couples Upset Over Removal Of Immigration Amendment

Originally published on Fri May 24, 2013 12:54 pm

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

This follow-up now on the move for immigration reform: When a Senate committee approved a bill overhauling immigration laws this week, it was a victory for supporters of reform, but a bitter pill for one group: the gay and lesbian community. Both Republican and Democratic senators rejected an amendment that would have allowed American citizens to sponsor their same-sex partners for permanent residency. NPR's Richard Gonzales reports from San Francisco.

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3:19pm

Tue April 30, 2013
U.S.

On California Prisons, It's The Governor Vs. The Courts

Originally published on Tue April 30, 2013 5:32 pm

Credit Rich Pedroncelli / AP

California Gov. Jerry Brown is locked in a legal battle over control of his state's prison system. Two years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling ordering the state to drastically reduce its prisoner population. Brown claims the state has made substantial progress, but the governor has stopped short of complying fully with the court order.

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4:42am

Wed April 17, 2013
Remembrances

Long-Time Sports Broadcaster Pat Summerall Dies At 82

Originally published on Thu April 18, 2013 9:36 am

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

If you grew up watching football, you know the voice we're about to hear. If you grew up watching the Masters, you likely also know this voice. In fact, if you ever walked into a restaurant that just had its TV on over the bar, there's a good chance you heard the voice of Pat Summerall.

(SOUNDBITE OF SUPER BOWL BROADCAST)

PAT SUMMERALL: We're in the magic city of New Orleans. The buildup has been incredible for Super Bowl 31.

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5:18am

Tue April 2, 2013
Around the Nation

In Bankruptcy, Stockton Must Decide Pension Issue

Originally published on Tue April 2, 2013 5:28 am

A federal judge says Stockton, California, may continue with its bankruptcy filing. The judge ruled Monday that the city does not have to take money from its pension obligations to pay its debts. As NPR's Richard Gonzales reports, Stockton's bankruptcy could have ripple effects across the country.

3:16am

Wed March 20, 2013
Guns In America: A Loaded Relationship

How To Be The Good Guy With A Gun At School

Originally published on Wed March 20, 2013 9:51 am

Credit Richard Gonzales / NPR

Ever since the Newtown, Ct., school shooting, there's been a raging debate over how to keep America's schoolchildren safe. National Rifle Association CEO Wayne LaPierre proposed stationing an armed guard in every school in the country. Critics said that idea was impractical and would be too expensive to carry out.

But many schools and school districts already have armed police officers. Since the Columbine High School massacre in 1999, about one-third of the schools in the U.S. have added some kind of armed security, according to federal data.

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5:49am

Sun March 3, 2013
Politics

Rove Tells Calif. GOP To 'Get Back In The Game'

Originally published on Sun March 3, 2013 7:43 am

Karl Rove had a sharp message to California's Republican Party Saturday. He implored party leaders to "get up off the mat" and work to revitalize the state GOP. Republicans hold no statewide offices in California and have given up a supermajority to Democrats in the state legislature.

5:07am

Mon February 25, 2013
Around the Nation

Oakland To Issue IDs That Double As Debit Cards

Originally published on Mon February 25, 2013 9:11 am

Credit Ben Margot / AP

The city of Oakland, Calif., is taking a major step toward helping to bring many of its residents, especially illegal immigrants, out of the shadows.

It will issue a municipal identification card to anyone who can prove residency.

Oakland isn't the only city to issue such ID cards to illegal immigrants. New Haven, Conn., and San Francisco already do that.

The Oakland card, however, has a unique feature — it doubles as a debit card.

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5:14pm

Tue December 11, 2012
Education

Berkeley Receives $1M For Undocumented Students

Originally published on Tue December 11, 2012 9:34 pm

Credit Carol Ness / UC Berkeley

5:00pm

Fri December 7, 2012
U.S.

School District Owes $1 Billion On $100 Million Loan

Originally published on Mon December 10, 2012 2:00 pm

More than 200 school districts across California are taking a second look at the high price of the debt they've taken on using risky financial arrangements. Collectively, the districts have borrowed billions in loans that defer payments for years — leaving many districts owing far more than they borrowed.

In 2010, officials at the West Contra Costa School District, just east of San Francisco, were in a bind. The district needed $2.5 million to help secure a federally subsidized $25 million loan to build a badly needed elementary school.

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5:17am

Sat November 3, 2012
House & Senate Races

Race For Redrawn Calif. District Is Tight And Pricey

Originally published on Sat November 3, 2012 10:48 am

Dan Lungren has been in and out of public office since 1979. The Republican represented a Southern California district in the '80s, served as the state's attorney general for eight years, and then returned to Congress to represent the Sacramento area in 2004.

These days, he's still the same pro-business, limited-government conservative he's always been, Lungren told a friendly audience in the Sacramento suburb of Rancho Cordova.

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