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
Fake landlord scams Bay Area family out of $4,500 after remotely granting entry to the house
"When we got to the house, he was able to get us into the house with the keypad and everything. So that's what made it very believable." A Peninsula family was lured into a brutal rental scam. The young couple lost their deposit -- until they reached out to 7 On Your Side.
SF retiree loses $500,000 in pig butcher scam, then falls for the same scam again
"Please stop him. He's being scammed,'' said the son of a Bay Area retiree who fell for a "pig butcher" romance scam twice in one year. The victim lost $500,000 in the first scam and instantly fell for another fake romance, sending her what little cash he had left. 7 On Your Side showed him proof "she" was really a scammer.
Do you have flood insurance? Here's what to consider ahead of potentially historic El Niño winter
As our El Niño winter approaches, now is the time to prepare. According to FEMA, more than 40% of flood claims occur outside designated high-risk flood zones. So, even if you don't live in a high-risk area -- should you get flood insurance?
Scammers posing as employees from well-known companies, Better Business Bureau says
A warning for consumers after scammers allegedly pose as employees from well-known companies such as DoorDash, UCSF and Freedom Debt Relief.
Amazon Prime customers could get $200 refund following $2.5B FTC settlement: Here's who qualifies
If you're an Amazon Prime customer, you could be getting up to $200. Amazon started sending out its first round of automatic refunds to qualified customers in early October following a $2.5 billion settlement with the Federal Trade Commission.
Proposed changes would keep insurance companies from using marital status as pricing factor
For the past 30 years, insurance companies could factor in if you're single or married... charging more if you're single by arguing that single people statistically get into more accidents.
When's the best time to get gas? New report debunks morning fill-up myth
Some drivers swear that you can get more bang for your buck by buying gas at a particular time of day.
Lawmakers question California's legal protections as alleged squatters occupy $4M SF home
Families who live next door to the $4 million Sea Cliff home say they reported this problem for a year. But in states like Georgia, the people accused would have had to prove they belong there within 72 business hours.
Bay Area woman gets mystery tickets when another driver copies her license plate
Though a DMV investigation confirmed the plate "appeared to be a counterfeit," they told 7 On Your Side: "The license plate being used was not issued by the DMV therefore we cannot investigate or get involved."
FDA warning patients who received mammogram from California health facility
Have you received a mammogram in the last three years? There is a new warning over concerns about the quality of mammograms at one California health facility.
