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
-
San Francisco fire station shakeup ordered after ‘derogatory' poster found
The poster was found pinned to the wall last month at Fire Station No. 8 on Bluxome Street, according to multiple department sources with knowledge of the incident.
-
Bolt failures during Transbay Tube retrofit blamed on BART oversight lapses
When installed, 30 percent of the high strength bolts failed in the first half of 2019, according to the report.
-
SF's fast-tracking of Marina Safeway project challenged by neighbors
Residents have filed a federal suit over the planned high-rise residential project at the Marina Safeway site, accusing San Francisco planning officials of giving the project fast-track approval without meeting rules that disqualify contaminated sites. They contend in the suit that the site is known to be contaminated by a nearby manufactured gas plant and other industrial activities over decades….
-
BART blames heat, aging equipment for Tuesday meltdowns in Daly City
A BART operations official told the agency’s governing board Thursday that aging power equipment was to blame for Tuesday’s Daly City substation fire, which broke out just as BART engineers were scrambling to deal with a rash of apparent heat-related train-control system meltdowns in the same area. At a briefing of the agency’s governing board, BART Operations Manager Sylvia...
-
Caltrans spending $500,000 to remove eucalyptus trees in Montara
Crews have started clearing across 15 acres of land Caltrans purchased decades ago to build a bypass around the treacherous Devil’s Slide area of Highway 1.
-
BART says cracks on new fleet gearboxes ‘not a safety concern'
Cracks have been found on the gearboxes of dozens of BART’s Fleet of the Future train cars – sometimes after only one year in service – according to a new analysis ordered by state regulators and obtained by NBC Bay Area’s Investigative Unit under the state’s Public Records Act.
-
A closer look: Moss Landing Fire Update
It has been a year and half since the devastating battery fire and the site cleanup continues. NBC Bay Area’s Investigative Reporter Jaxon Van Derbeken takes a deep dive.
-
SF building inspector who saw high-rise window plunge issues violation notice
The window failure that sent shards of glass plunging from the 17th floor of a high-rise in San Francisco’s Financial District is being attributed to heat fluctuations, according to a violation notice issued by the city’s building inspection department.
-
Glass from window falls onto 6th floor balcony of SF high rise
No one was injured when glass fell from the 17th floor a 24-story Financial District high-rise Wednesday afternoon to a 6th floor balcony below, San Francisco officials said.
-
Drone's role in Dixie Fire may cost PG&E ratepayers
It may end up being the most expensive drone flight in California history.
