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 Instagram @jaxonvanderbeken and X @jvanderbeken.
The Latest
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Coast Guard suspends search for 3 people after boat sinks in San Francisco Bay
U.S. Coast Guard crews have suspended a search late Wednesday for three people missing after a boat carrying 20 family members and friends as part of a memorial service capsized a day earlier in the cold, choppy waters of San Francisco Bay near Alcatraz Island, authorities said.
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Woman found dead at San Francisco hotel identified as Tommy Lee Jones' daughter
The woman found dead in the San Francisco Fairmont Hotel has been identified as Victoria Jones, daughter of Academy Award-winning actor Tommy Lee Jones, the San Francisco Medical Examiner confirmed Friday.
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Prosecutors charge San Francisco activist with 4 separate cold case killings
A Bayview Hunters Point community activist is facing four separate counts of murder in slayings spanning two decades, marking the biggest single cold case break in San Francisco Police Department history.
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California fire safety officials warned Edison about wind monitoring before Eaton Fire
State fire safety officials have repeatedly warned Southern California Edison to improve weather tracking to help prevent wind-driven fire.
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New electrical theory raised in probe of Eaton Fire
Southern California Edison says it’s possible a dead power circuit could have played a role in igniting the fire in Altadena.
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Plan to help save LA from mass fires with seawater long-stalled
A plan to provide firefighters in Los Angeles and Orange counties almost limitless seawater to fight fires has been stalled for more than a decade, despite the ever-looming threat of mass fires fueled by quakes and high winds. “I think the fire service just didn’t see the need for it in Southern California,” recalled Charles Scawthorn, a UC Berkeley...
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PG&E becomes California's most expensive power provider
On Jan. 1, PG&E started charging 13% more for power. The rate hike – expected to cost an average family another $33 a month – will pay to bury power lines and other wildfire mitigation efforts. But it is likely to be just the beginning of the pain.
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PG&E contractor's bungling sparked 2021 fire
PG&E was fined $1 million recently by state regulators who concluded that a fire in the Sierra foothills two years ago was sparked by the careless bungling and mismanaged response of its contract crew.
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Several wineries accuse Napa County of violating their constitutional rights
Three wineries which accuse Napa County of violating their constitutional rights have asked the California Attorney General and U.S. Attorney to get involved in their case
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Northern California Mass Shooting Believed to Be Case of Workplace Violence: Sheriff
As authorities continue to investigate Monday’s mass shooting in Half Moon Bay that left seven people dead and one injured, officials on Tuesday said the massacre appears to be a case of workplace violence.
