Zach Fuentes
I come from a very diverse background and was taught at an early age just how important freedom of the press is. My dad is Afro-Cuban, coming to this country from Communist Cuba. My mother is Puerto Rican and Irish, and raised by my Italian-American grandfather. I was born and largely grew up in Las Vegas, Nevada with a lot of other kids from similar, diverse backgrounds. Through that my interest in people and other cultures was born!
When I was a teenager, my parents moved us to a town about an hour away from Vegas called Pahrump. At the time, leaving a big city for a small one was not easy for me but it led to my first job in broadcasting as a teenager at a very small TV station.
My time at KPVM started as a summer volunteer position, answering phones and doing other tasks that no one else wanted to do! It was there that I discovered I could be paid to go places, write, meet new people and talk! Most of all, I saw firsthand, the critical role journalists play in informing people and holding those in power accountable. I decided journalism was for me and went back to Vegas to pursue my degree at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. During my time in college and after, I worked at the Las Vegas ABC affiliate both in front of and behind the camera.
After that, California called and I gladly answered! I worked at KION in Monterey-Salinas as an anchor/reporter and most recently at KXTV in Sacramento. While there I covered COVID from the beginning, the protests following George Floyd's murder, the state's EDD crisis, and wildfires. They were heavy times for the community but also an opportunity to showcase the true strength people have when coming together.
I am so grateful to work from the South Bay bureau, continuing to tell stories of diverse people, and important events. Feel free to shoot me an zach.j.fuentes@abc.com and connect with me on social media to send story ideas, or, just say hi!
Zach's Stories
EXCLUSIVE: Family speaks out after Dior store security guard shot, killed by SFPD officers
San Francisco police say officers shot and killed Peter Hodge who allegedly ran over two teens and a bicyclist while trying to chase down the bicyclist. The news came as a shock to Hodge's family in Connecticut, who's still searching for answers.
SF workers join 'largest strike' against Amazon amid busy holiday shipping season
Amazon workers are walking off the job just before Christmas at several facilities, including San Francisco, in what the union calls the largest strike against the company they are accusing of "insatiable greed."
Why didn't Scotts Valley receive a Tornado Warning? Here's what National Weather Service says
On Saturday, the National Weather Service issued the first-ever Tornado Warning in San Francisco, a tornado that never happened. But later in the day, Scotts Valley residents received a warning, but it was not a Tornado Warning on the EF1 twister. ABC7 asked why.
Fire rips through post office, apartments in Santa Cruz Mountains: Here's a look at aftermath
A devastating fire has left several people without a home and a community without a post office in Santa Cruz County.
Decision to allow bail for suspect in death of San Jose community service officer meets criticism
There was major pushback Thursday from both the mayor and the police chief in San Jose. It surrounds a decision to allow bail for the man suspected in the death of Community Service Officer Long Pham.
Family of 10-year-old demand investigation into Palo Alto school district for alleged systemic abuse
"An individual staff member allowed other children, or directed other children to kick our claimant in the genitals, and also locked him up, as was stated earlier, for 15 minutes in a closet as a joke," said attorney Jim Quadra, who is representing the family.
Billie Eilish fans camp outside of San Jose's SAP Center ahead of highly-anticipated performance
Tuesday night is the first of two sold-out Billie Eilish concerts at San Jose's SAP Center. Fans started lining up really early this morning to get inside. As the pop star prepares to take the stage at the SAP - there's excitement all across the Bay Area.
San Jose shops hopeful for Small Business Saturday shopping traffic
As Black Friday ends, local businesses are banking on Small Business Saturday. Here's how the South Bay is giving local shops a boost.
10-year-old Bay Area adoptee celebrates 1st Thanksgiving with new family
This Thanksgiving marks an important first for one Bay Area mother and 10-year-old son. It's the first holiday that they're officially a family. A journey that started when he was a baby.
Bay Area health experts react to Stanford doctor's nomination by President-elect Trump to lead NIH
President-Elect Donald Trump has turned to Stanford Professor Dr. Jay Bhattacharya for his choice to head the nation's leading medical research agency, National Institutes of Health.