Chris Nichols

PolitiFact Reporter

For the past dozen years, Chris Nichols has worked as a government and politics reporter at newspapers across California. Most recently, he covered the Capitol for the San Diego Union-Tribune. Previously, he worked at the North County Times in Escondido; the Lodi News-Sentinel and the Sonora Union-Democrat.

He is a native of sunny San Diego and long-suffering fan of the San Diego Padres and Chargers – but only if they stay in America’s Finest City. After obtaining his bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley, Chris left California to earn his master’s degree from the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism in 2004, but quickly returned home after realizing his heart was in the Golden State, not the Big Apple.

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Stories by Chris Nichols

Candidate for California Governor Gavin Newsom Far Ahead In Race For Cash
August 4, 2017
Newsom has raised more money during first half of this year than the three other top Democrats in the governor's race – combined.
Mostly True: Undocumented Immigrants Less Likely To Commit Crimes Than U.S. Citizens
August 4, 2017
Candidate for California governor Antonio Villaraigosa jumped into the nation’s heated debate on immigration reform during a recent interview on MSNBC. We decided to examine this claim as part of our Tracking The Truth series.
Inland Empire: Second Only To San Francisco In California Job Growth?
July 27, 2017
Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democratic candidate for governor, recently claimed this region of high desert and valley communities is among the leaders in California job growth.
Trump Administration's New Sanctuary City Rules Could Limit Police Grants In California
July 26, 2017
California cities are trying to gauge the impact of the Trump Administration’s latest effort to discourage sanctuary jurisdictions.
Kevin McCarthy's False Claim On Obamacare Sign-Ups
July 23, 2017
Republican House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield is no fan of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. But did he accurately characterize sign-ups under the federal health law in a recent interview on Fox Business?
California’s Top Elections Official Continues To Balk At Request From Trump’s Voter Panel
July 19, 2017
On the first day of hearings by the Trump Administration's voter fraud commission, California Secretary of State Alex Padilla expressed continued concerns about the panel's request for what he called sensitive voter data.
PolitiFact California's Top 10 Fact Checks (So Far) In 2017
July 16, 2017
So far this year, the most popular fact-checks and articles have included a Pants On Fire claim that state lawmakers legalized child prostitution and a Mostly True statement on the extremely slim odds of being killed by a refugee in a terror attack.
Gov. Jerry Brown's New Effort To 'Fill The Void' On Climate Leadership
July 12, 2017
California Gov. Jerry Brown and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg are teaming up on a new climate change tracking initiative called America’s Pledge.
MOSTLY TRUE: California’s Taxes Are 'Among The Highest In The Nation'
July 12, 2017
Republican Travis Allen said he wants to reduce the state’s crime rate and its high taxes. Given the importance of taxes in Calif., we examine his claim about the state having the highest taxes in the nation.
Fact-Checking Claims By Kamala Harris, Dianne Feinstein On GOP Health Bill
July 7, 2017
California Democratic Senators Kamala Harris and Dianne Feinstein have been among the most vocal critics of the GOP health care bill, known formally as the Better Care Reconciliation Act.