Julie Watts

Julie Watts is a national-award-winning investigative correspondent for CBS News, covering California. Her investigations, Capitol accountability reports, and solutions-oriented journalism air weekly on CBS stations across California.

CBS News California Investigates is a statewide initiative committed to exposing systemic failures, empowering communities, and making government more accountable to the people it serves.

Based in the State Capitol for direct access to lawmakers and regulatory agencies, Watts leads collaborative investigations that expose systemic failures, hold the powerful accountable, and highlight the real-world consequences of policy decisions.

Airing weekly across CBS platforms, these stories connect the dots between policies and real-world impact, translating complex issues through the lens of the people most affected by them-giving Californians the information they need to push for transparency, accountability, and change.

Whether uncovering gaps in consumer protections, exposing public safety and health concerns, or pushing for greater transparency from state agencies, the mission is clear: dig deeper, ask tougher questions, and shine a light where others won't.

Watch Julie's Recent Reports Here

Notable Work

The 22-time Emmy Award-winning journalist has also been honored with numerous prestigious national journalism awards, including the National Edward R. Murrow Award, a Society of Professional Journalists Sigma Delta Chi Award, and multiple National Press Club, National Headliner, and National Gracie Awards. Julie's work has also garnered dozens of regional awards, including Associated Press and Edward R. Murrow Awards.

In 2025, Julie's state-wide accountability reporting was recognized with several regional and national awards, including a National Edward R. Murrow Award for Feature Reporting and a National SPJ Sigma Delta Chi Award for Political Reporting. Julie's work was also honored with six Emmy Awards for Political Reporting, Feature Reporting, Continuing Coverage, Investigative Reporting, Consumer Reporting, and Host/Corespondent.

In addition, her collaborative investigation with CalMaters Digital Democracy team garnered the Poynter Journalism Prize for Journalism Innovation, the Golden State Journalism Award for TV Enterprise Reporting, and a Regional Edward R. Murrow Award for News Series. This year-long investigation provided an unprecedented look at California's one-party supermajority legislature through the eyes of grieving parents who discover how California lawmakers kill popular bills by not voting.

In 2024, Julie's work was honored in both of the Golden State Journalism Awards' television categories. "Failed Policies: One suspect. Three agencies. Countless questions" was honored in the California Politics and Policy Coverage, Long Form category. Judges said "Watts's reporting offered strong investigative journalism that was thorough and in the community's interest. She answered questions the public has a right to know and made the most of existing visuals to tell a compelling television story." I the California Politics and Policy Coverage, Short Form category, judges recognized ""S.T.O.P.: You're paying rent and rehab for former prisoners but California isn't tracking your money." Judges said, "it was a good use of a former inmate's story to illustrate the importance of rehab. The coverage made a good case for why CDCR should be willing to provide information to the legislature and public. The care and preparation that went into the production was evident."

Julie's reporting on public safety was also recognized with a National Headliner Award an Emmy Award in 2024.

In 2023, Julie was recognized for her work on several stories and investigations in collaboration with CalMatters. She was honored with a National Headliner Award and Press Club Award for "WAGE THEFT: When Bosses Don't Pay". The investigation, in collaboration with the CalMatters divide team, led to a joint legislative hearing, an independent audit, and sweeping policy reforms. It also led to an innovative nationwide CBS News and Stations collaboration, resulting in the most widespread local news examination of state-by-state wage theft policy to date, prompting action by the U.S. Labor Secretary.

Julie also received an Emmy Award for her work on Trial By Fire, a CalMatters investigation into the increasing rate of PTSD and suicide among CalFire firefighters.

In 2022, Julie was honored with a National Press Club Award and an Emmy® Award for THE COVID LAB: State Secrets Exposed. The 14-month investigation was prompted by whistleblowers inside California's $1.7B COVID testing lab. The reporting led to state and federal investigations, two new pieces of legislation, and shined a spotlight on shocking public health failures that it appeared state regulators tried to hide.

In 2021, Julie received an Emmy® Award for her investigation into "State-Sponsored Identity Theft." The five-year investigation held the state's unemployment agency (EDD) accountable for putting millions at risk of identity theft. The reporting prompted a joint legislative hearing, a state audit, and a new law.

Julie first exposed the issue while working at CBS in San Francisco and she was previously honored with an Edward R. Murrow Award for her early reporting on the issue.

Julie was also the recipient of an Emmy® Award and an Edward R. Murrow Award in 2020 for her reporting on the California Highway Patrol's failure to respond to DUI 911 calls and a National Headliner Award for her investigation into the financial impact of new cell towers near schools.

In 2020, Julie received an Emmy® Award for "Troubling Water: The Ripon Child Cancer Investigation." After four children were diagnosed with cancer at one school, parents initially blamed a cell tower on campus. Then, the CBS13 investigation revealed a history of cancer-causing chemicals in the city's water, exposed glaring errors and omissions in city water reports, and uncovered evidence that the school district knew about the chemicals in school drinking water but failed to tell parents.

In 2016, Julie's "Toxic Safety" investigation into car seat flame retardants prompted multiple recalls and led to significant changes within the child car seat industry. The investigation was honored with the National Gracie Award for Best Investigative Feature, the National Press Club's Award for Consumer Journalism, and the Society of Professional Journalists Sigma Delta Chi Award for Public Service.

Julie also won a National Gracie Award for her investigation into California's Newborn DNA Database and a National Headliner Award for her child ID theft investigation, "Toddler Has a Credit Card." That investigation also prompted a new state law in 2016.

In 2014, the investigative series "UN-Covered California" earned Julie her first National Press Club Award for Consumer Journalism. The reports exposed numerous flaws within California's health insurance exchange and prompted action by state regulators and changes within the insurance industry.

History

Julie was previously an investigative reporter and anchor at CBS in Sacramento (KOVR CBS13), where she built an award-winning California Capitol Accountability franchise.

Before that, Julie spent a decade at CBS News San Francisco (KPIX) as the station's Consumer-Investigative Reporter and a contributing reporter for CBS News, where her ConsumerWatch stories were distributed to CBS stations across the country. Julie also had a weekly ConsumerWatch segment on CBS News Los Angeles (KCAL 9/KCBS).

While at KPIX, Julie was also a News Anchor and Meteorologist (AMS). She was named Best News Anchor by the Associated Press for her role as anchor and host of the KPIX weekend morning show, and she won the American Meteorological Society's prestigious award for "Excellence in Science Reporting by a Broadcast Meteorologist" while at KPIX.

Prior to that, Julie earned her meteorology credentials (AMS Seal) from the American Meteorological Society while working at KCRA 3 in Sacramento. In addition to weekend weather, she hosted the "KCRA Noon Show Live from the Arden Fair Mall."

Julie began her news career as a Traffic Anchor, Weather Anchor, and Reporter at KGPE CBS-47 in Fresno, CA. She was also the voice of news and traffic each morning on the Central Valley's Clear Channel radio stations.

Julie earned a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism and an M.A. in Online Journalism from the University of Southern California, where she was named Graduate Student of the Year.

Off Air

As a digital journalist, Julie is skilled at enhancing her news reporting through creative uses of social media to strategically target key audiences. For example, while working as a Consumer Reporter in San Francisco, Julie founded Newsmom.com. The successful blog and social media brand provided an outlet to share relevant research and reports with a targeted online audience of parents that the local CBS station wouldn't otherwise reach.

Julie works with several non-profits and journalism organizations. She's been an active member of the Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) for over a decade and has served on key committees, including Awards and Conferences.

Julie also spent more than a decade on the Board of Governors for the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS). As the Emmy® Awards Chair and Gala Chair, Julie oversaw the regional Emmy® Awards competition and produced half a dozen Emmy® Awards galas.

It is notable, in light of her role as the California Correspondent, that Julie has spent her entire career in California and has strong ties up and down the state. Julie was born and raised in the Bay Area and went to college in Los Angeles before beginning her local news career in the Central Valley.

She later met and married her husband while working in Sacramento for the first time. After moving to San Francisco for a decade, they returned to the Sacramento area in 2019 to raise their family.