Velena Jones

Velena Jones is an award-winning reporter born and raised in the Bay Area. She reports for NBC Bay Area’s weekday newscasts covering Oakland and the East Bay.

Velena was raised in Concord and is thrilled to be back home reporting in the communities she grew up in. No surprise she is a huge Warriors fan and grew up rooting for both the A's and Giants.

Before coming to NBC Bay Area, Velena served as a reporter and fill-in anchor at CBS Sacramento. During her time in Sacramento she covered historic wildfires, worked on special projects highlighting community members working to unify the region, and covered stories that impacted the city including the 2022 mass shooting in downtown Sacramento and Church shooting.

Prior to her time in Sacramento, Velena worked as a reporter and fill-in anchor in Portland, Oregon and Madison, Wisconsin.

During her time in Portland she worked on countless stories including major protest, including an anti-ICE protest that shut down the building for days.

While in Wisconsin, Velena worked on many major stories including police protests and a University of Wisconsin student charged with sexually assaulting over a dozen women. She was also the first reporter to get an exclusive jail interview with Joseph Jakubowski, a man who led authorities on a 10-day nationwide manhunt after stealing over a dozen rifles and sending a 161- page manifesto to President Trump.

Velena is a recipient of a Midwest Regional Emmy for her role in the coverage of the Tony Robinson shooting in Madison in 2015.

Velena previously was the main anchor and reporter at WBKB in Alpena, Michigan. During her time there she also hosted a weekly newsmagazine highlighting important local and state issues. She won a Michigan Broadcasting Award for a program she hosted, "Insights into Northern Michigan."

She began her career as a News Assistant and Traffic Producer at KABC7 in Los Angeles. During her time in LA she interviewed Smoky Robinson, covered the 25th anniversary of the LA riots, and the Conrad Murray trial. He was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter of singer Michael Jackson.

Velena earned a bachelor’s of arts degree in Broadcast Journalism from Biola University in Southern California.

In her spare time, you can catch Velena hiking, doing yoga, paddle boarding and exploring wineries and restaurants. She is also an active member of the National Association of Black Journalist.

Follow Velena on Instagram @velenajonestv, TikTok @velenaj, X @velenajones and Facebook.

The Latest

Sheng Thao 15 hours ago

Sheng Thao corruption trial: Cross examination features fiery exchange

Cross examination of the government’s key witness in the federal corruption trial of former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao continued Friday. The cross examination included a fiery exchange between businessman Mario Juarez and Thao’s attorney, Jeffrey Tsai. Tsai zeroed in on texts around the time the alleged pay for play deal went south between Juarez and Thao’s co-defendant Andy Duong....

Sheng Thao Nov 13

Sheng Thao corruption trial: Defense continues to question witness' credibility

Questioning on businessman Mario Juarez focused on an alleged assault, a gun and arguments over what Thao did or did not know about a conspiracy.

Oakland Nov 11

OUSD accused of diverting college and career prep funding to fill budget gap

The school district is accused of diverting $3.5 million earmarked for preparing students for college and careers to cover operational costs.

Sheng Thao Nov 10

Sheng Thao corruption trial: Defense seeks mistrial over witness comment

Thao’s attorney raised the possibility of a mistrial after a key witness gestured toward the former mayor and appeared to suggest attorneys ask her a question directly.

Sheng Thao Nov 9

Credibility of star witness challenged at corruption trial of former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao

Defense attorneys press star witness Mario Juarez over text messages, campaign mailers, and alleged motives during the high-profile federal corruption trial.

Sheng Thao Nov 6

Defense grills prosecution's central witness in Sheng Thao corruption trial

The government’s central witness in the federal corruption trial for former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao was grilled by the defense Friday morning. The defense was trying to impeach the credibility of businessman Mario Juarez, who already has pleaded guilty to one crime in connection with the alleged bribery and corruption scheme involving Thao. Juarez agreed to testify on behalf...

Sheng Thao Oct 29

Former Oakland city employees testify in Sheng Thao corruption trial

Former Oakland city employees took the stand on Thursday in the Sheng Thao federal corruption trial. Latonda Simmons, Oakland’s former assistant city administrator, testified that former Mayor Sheng Thao asked her to become city administrator if she won the mayor’s race. Simmons said she was disappointed when Thao appointed Harold Duffy interim city administrator. Simmons said she also felt...