Marisa Lagos

Marisa Lagos

KQED Contributor

Marisa Lagos is a correspondent for KQED’s California Politics and Government Desk and co-hosts the award-winning show and podcast, Political Breakdown. At KQED, Lagos also conducts reporting, analysis and investigations into state, local and national politics for radio, TV, online and onstage. In 2022, she and co-host, Scott Shafer, moderated the only gubernatorial debate in California. In 2020, the Washington Post named her one of the top political journalists in California; she was nominated for a Peabody and won several other awards for her work investigating the 2017 California wildfires. She has worked at the San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Examiner and Los Angeles Times. A UC Santa Barbara graduate, she lives in San Francisco with her two sons and husband.

By Marisa Lagos

The Overlooked History of Native Tribes in America’s Founding

Birthright Citizenship Survives, But Supreme Court Hands Trump Other Wins

Here’s What You Need to Know About California’s November Ballot Measures

2026 World Cup Is Putting FIFA’s Rules on Political Neutrality to the Test

A white woman wearing a black jacket and grey shirt looks at a woman wearing a red jacket that has her back turned to the camera.

California Lawmaker Warns Faster Vote Count Would Disenfranchise Voters

As the Dust Settles on California’s Primary, November Battles Take Shape

Two Democratic Challengers Make the Case for Change

Why Is California Still Counting Votes? And Other Questions About How Our Elections Actually Work

Why California Takes Forever to Count Ballots

Player sponsored by