Jaxon Van Derbeken is an award-winning reporter for NBC Bay Area, with a focus on public safety and enterprise reporting. He joined NBC Bay Area in March of 2016.
Prior to joining NBC Bay Area, he reported for the San Francisco Chronicle for nearly 20 years, leading the paper’s investigative and public safety efforts. Among other high profile stories, he has covered the O.J. Simpson case, the Rodney King beating, the Los Angeles riots, Fajitagate and the dog mauling death of Diane Whipple.
Jaxon also spearheaded the Chronicle’s coverage of the San Bruno Pipeline Explosion, for which he was awarded Journalist of the Year by the Northern California chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.
Most recently he reported on the ongoing problems with the new span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge uncovering major infrastructure flaws with the bridge’s construction.
Before joining the San Francisco Chronicle, Jaxon reported on law enforcement for the Los Angeles Daily News where his coverage of the LAPD during the Rodney King beating was recognized by the American Civil Liberties Union. He went on to do extensive interviews and research for the book "Official Negligence," by former Washington Post reporter Lou Cannon about the LAPD, the beating and ensuing riots.
Jaxon has been recognized for his work by several news organizations including the Society of Professional Journalists, the National Headliner Awards, the California Newspaper Publishers Association and the Associated Press.
He received his master’s degree in journalism from the University of California, Berkeley.
Follow Jaxon on social media: on Twitter @jvanderbeken and on Facebook.
The Latest
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Oakland cuts 10 fire inspector slots 8 years after Ghost Ship
Eight years after the deadly Ghost Ship exposed significant lapses in Oakland’s fire prevention efforts, the city recently cut the ranks of its fire inspectors by more than a third, NBC Bay Area’s Investigative Unit has learned.
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PG&E fined $1.7 million over 2021 power shutoff lapses
PG&E has agreed to pay a $1.7 million fine for failing to promptly alert nearly 150,000 customers that they were going to be hit by public safety shutoffs in 2021, according to terms of a settlement deal approved by regulators Thursday.
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Window breaks and falls from Oakland high-rise
A high-rise window broke Wednesday, sending chunks of glass down into a car parked on the street below in downtown Oakland, authorities say.
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PG&E sitting on $830 million in excess payments
Power bills have skyrocketed in the Bay Area as the Pacific Gas and Electric Co. uses the funds to bury power lines, clear trees from its distribution grid, and fix storm damage. However, the agency is overcharging.
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BART officials warned VTA of ‘serious risks' of San Jose tunnel design
BART officials warned the head of the Valley Transportation Authority back in 2017 that the single-bore tunnel design now envisioned for the San Jose extension posed “serious risks to safety,” documents reviewed by NBC Bay Area’s investigative unit show.
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EPA and Navy announce Hunters Point shoreline cleanup plan
Federal environmental officials unveiled Thursday what they hailed as a landmark deal with the Navy to clean up the shoreline around the old site of its Hunters Point Naval Shipyard—a key hurdle to make way for a large residential and mixed-use development.
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Highrise window plunges 30 stories, hits car in San Francisco
A window — being replaced by a crew atop a 32-floor high rise — plunged to the street in San Francisco on Friday morning, raining glass and debris down onto one motorist’s car and cracking windows across the street, authorities said.
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San Francisco's Millennium Tower owners could face $10k fine for open windows
Owners of the troubled Millennium Tower could soon face hefty fines — simply for leaving their windows open at the wrong time.
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Oakland tries to make dent in abandoned car problem
The City of Oakland is spending millions of dollars to haul away thousands of cars dumped in the streets every month, but abandoned vehicles continue to show up lining the streets and railroad tracks.
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BART planned to replace aging equipment tied to station fire
The extent of the damage from last weekend’s electrical fire at a BART station in the East Bay are coming to light.
