Richard Ramos

Currently, I work as a Digital Producer for CBS News in Sacramento. I lead editorial operations, own the station's social media accounts, and manage the website and all other digital ops. My work covers stories that are relevant to the local market and also those that are of statewide and national interest.

Featured work as an editor

CBS News •

California sues Turlock, 4 other cities over alleged failure to comply with housing law

California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed lawsuits Thursday against five California cities, including Turlock, alleging they have failed to comply with the state's Housing Element Law by not adopting housing plans that meet state requirements.

The lawsuits target Turlock, Costa Mesa, Half Moon Bay, Calexico and Ridgecrest in an effort to ensure local governments are planning for enough housing to meet future demand.

During a news conference, Bonta said California remains in a housing crisis...
CBS News •

California still hasn't released Newsom's Baby2Baby diaper contract as lawmakers weigh longer public records delays

California's delayed release of its Baby2Baby contract is casting a shadow over the state's new Golden State Diaper program.

Two months after Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a controversial multimillion-dollar state diaper contract with Baby2Baby, a nonprofit with existing ties to the Newsom administration and the First Partner, Californians still have not been allowed to see the contract or competitive bid records behind the deal to manufacture and deliver millions of California co-branded free di...
CBS News •

1 year after Esparto fireworks explosion killed 7, families still pursue justice

Wednesday marked one year since an explosion at a Northern California fireworks facility killed seven workers and changed the lives of their families forever. The families of the victims said the pain is still as raw to this day.

The explosion happened on July 1, 2025, at a facility in the Yolo County community of Esparto, roughly 40 miles northwest of Sacramento, where officials said Devastating Pyrotechnics LLC and Blackstar Fireworks, Inc. manufactured and stored dangerous fireworks. The sev...
CBS News •

California's "Diapergate": Critics got free diaper math wrong, but state won't release key Baby2Baby records

California's new Golden State Start diaper program is facing backlash after viral social media posts claimed taxpayers were paying as much as 50 cents per diaper through a partnership with Baby2Baby.

The Newsom administration fired back, insisting the actual cost is just 15.5 cents per diaper.

But a CBS News California Investigates review of the state's own budget documents, Baby2Baby tax filings and social media claims found both sides are leaving out important context.

There are also many c...
CBS News •

California school sex abuse lawsuits raise question: Should today's students pay the price for past failures?

A California law designed to help survivors of childhood sexual abuse seek justice is now creating difficult financial and legal challenges for school districts across the state.

Survivors say the law has exposed abuse that institutions ignored for decades and finally given victims a path to accountability.

But school leaders warn the growing costs tied to those lawsuits are increasingly affecting today's students through rising insurance premiums, staffing pressures and cuts to programs and s...
CBS Sacramento •

Some Northern California voters to cast 2 ballots in Congressional District 1 double election

Northern California voters in some counties are navigating an unusual Election Day this year: two separate congressional elections happening at the same time for two different versions of the state's District 1 seat.

Voters will cast ballots twice on the same day, once in a special election to fill the remainder of late Congressman Doug LaMalfa's term, and again for the next full congressional term under newly redrawn district boundaries.

In Butte County, election officials are using two diffe...
CBS News •

California gas prices are the highest in the U.S., but there's no proof of price gouging. Here's why.

For years, California leaders accused oil companies of price gouging.

Instead, a six-month-long CBS News California investigation revealed a complicated reality shaped by state policies, refinery closures, and global supply risks that uniquely impact California's isolated fuel market.

California drivers pay the highest gas prices in the nation. As the conflict in the Middle East increases gas prices globally, California gas continues to be the most expensive in the nation, rising above $6 a ga...
CBS Sacramento •

Sacramento mother returns to U.S. after federal judge rules deportation unlawful

A Sacramento mother is now back in the United States after she was detained and deported just 24 hours after what she thought would be a routine immigration appointment in late February.

Maria de Jesus Estrada Juarez has lived in the U.S. for nearly thirty years and has protections under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

A federal lawsuit was filed on her behalf, and on March 23, a judge granted emergency relief, ruling her deportation was unlawful and ordering her ret...
CBS News •

"American Nightmare" survivor Denise Huskins' shocking new discovery exposes victim privacy loophole in California law

The failure to protect explicit case evidence in "American Nightmare" survivor Denise Huskins' kidnapping and sexual assault case is driving reform at the California State Capitol. New developments in her case exposed a little-known gap in state law that could expose videos of sexual assault victims.

Huskins and her husband, Aaron Quinn, are preparing to testify on behalf of a victims' privacy bill after discovering her kidnapper and his wife had been given copies of explicit case evidence duri...
CBS News •

California is holding $15 billion in unclaimed property. Other states automatically return the money.

California is holding roughly $15 billion in unclaimed property — one of the largest totals in the country. That's money and valuables that legally belong to California residents, businesses and nonprofits.

A CBS News California Investigates analysis found large charities and hospitals had no idea the state was holding on to tens of thousands of dollars that belonged to them.

While state leaders say they want to return billions of dollars in unclaimed assets, CBS News California Investigates h...
CBS News •

Eric Swalwell's landlord says he lives in California after Tom Steyer questioned his eligibility to run for governor

A sworn declaration, first obtained by CBS News California Investigates, supports Congressman Eric Swalwell's claim that he is a California resident, as Tom Steyer, a rival candidate in the governor's race, faces criticism for exposing Swalwell's home address while calling for an investigation into his gubernatorial eligibility.

In the declaration, filed on March 6, Swalwell's landlord states under penalty of perjury that the congressman has rented and lived at her Livermore property since 2017...
CBS News •

Eric Swalwell's landlord says he lives in California after Tom Steyer questioned his eligibility to run for governor

A sworn declaration, first obtained by CBS News California Investigates, supports Congressman Eric Swalwell's claim that he is a California resident, as Tom Steyer, a rival candidate in the governor's race, faces criticism for exposing Swalwell's home address while calling for an investigation into his gubernatorial eligibility.

In the declaration, filed on March 6, Swalwell's landlord states under penalty of perjury that the congressman has rented and lived at her Livermore property since 2017...
CBS Sacramento •

Sacramento's Black-owned Universoul Cafe transforms lives through food recovery and workforce training

Improving access to food and lifting a community — that's been the mission of a Black-owned Sacramento food recovery organization since 2019.

In honor of Black History Month, we bring you the story of how Universoul Cafe is transforming lives.

In Old Sacramento, young chefs in training are sharpening their skills. The group is part of a new cohort led by Tonya Mack, CEO and founder of Universoul Cafe. Her passion and purpose come from within.

"I know what it feels like to go to bed hungry. I...
CBS News •

They didn't just ignore audit warnings — California lawmakers quietly killed dozens of audit-backed bills

For decades, California lawmakers requested state audits, Californians have paid for those audits, and the State Auditor provided detailed recommendations on how to fix waste, fraud, and oversight failures across state government.

In most cases, CBS News California found lawmakers did not act on those recommendations.

When they did act, former majority party leaders quietly killed dozens of audit-backed bills in committee. Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed at least a dozen more.

A CBS News California...
CBS News •

FAIR Plan secrets: New bill would force transparency after CBS News California investigation

A year after CBS News California Investigates exposed concerning secrecy within the California FAIR Plan, state Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara is making good on his promise to change state law.

Lara announced legislation on Monday to require more accountability and transparency from the state's insurance of last resort.

The proposal follows a recent Department of Insurance examination that found the FAIR Plan failed to implement more than a dozen key recommendations related to governance,...
CBS News •

California lawmakers ignore most state audit warnings, costing billions

For more than a decade, the California State Auditor has issued warnings to lawmakers about government waste, fraud, cost overruns, and broken oversight systems across state government. Again and again, audits called for changes in state law meant to fix those problems.

In many cases, those fixes did not happen.

CBS News California Investigates recently exposed how lawmakers ignored years of warnings from the California State Auditor about hidden traffic violation fees.

That raised a broader...
CBS News •

Your boss could be watching: Why California lawmakers killed a workplace surveillance bill

Do you ever feel like someone's watching you? Well, you might be right, and it might be your boss.

CBS News California Investigates correspondent Julie Watts looked into why state lawmakers killed a bill that would have limited workplace surveillance when you're off the clock and in private places.

Artist Olivia Stober was working to make ends meet at a retail job until she realized her boss was tracking her every move in real time.

"Along with watching us, she was also listening," Stober sai...
CBS News •

How California quietly adds hundreds in hidden fees to drive up traffic tickets

Getting a traffic ticket is a terrible feeling that is made even worse when you find out how much it's going to cost you.

What you may not realize is that buried in the dollar amount you're told to pay is a long list of hidden fees, some that have nothing to do with traffic. CBS News California Investigates looked at what you're paying for and why.

A red light camera recorded Kris Kahrs as she drove through an intersection in April 2025.

"As I was pulling, approaching this light, which was s...
CBS News •

Robocalls are the top U.S. consumer complaint. Here's how California and tech companies are fighting back.

How many spam calls have you gotten so far today? Unwanted robocalls are Americans' number one consumer complaint, and that has CBS News California investigative correspondent Julie Watts asking: What's being done to stop them?

Whether they're pushing payday loans, sketchy charities or they're just a straight-up scam, robocalls aren't just annoying. If that automated voice is asking you for money, odds are that it's illegal.

Once a world traveler working on development projects for the U.S. Ag...