Ezra David Romero's Field Notes

Every week in the climate, science, social justice, and environmental spaces is as diverse as Uproot’s membership. Field Notes, our week-in-the-life blog posts, are snapshots of the varied experiences that make our community so vibrant.

Field Correspondent

Name: Ezra David Romero

Pronouns: he/him

Location: San Francisco, CA, USA

Job description: I cover how climate change — sea level rise, flooding, and drought — affect Bay Area communities.

Years of experience: 12

Social media handles: Twitter/X | @ezraromero

One word to describe your week: Different

A Week in the Life

*Here I am at my desk at KQED. My desk is the first in the office so people always come and talk to me. I even created a sign that says don’t talk to me.* *Ezra David Romero*

Monday:

My Mondays normally start off with a look at my emails, planning for the week, and maybe writing a daily digital and radio story. I usually meet with my editor in the early afternoon to go over my plan for the week. Some Mondays, I have interviews in the field for stories I’m working on. Usually, I work from home on Mondays. Normally, I go to the gym after work on Mondays or to a queer drag show called Pillows.

*On a field reporting trip last year. I went to Yosemite National Park for a story about San Francisco’s water supply. Ezra David Romero*

Tuesday:

Most Tuesdays, I write a quick turn digital story about something happening in climate news. This normally entails 3 to 4 Zoom interviews by 11 AM. Then I write that story and turn it in by 1. I also have a team meeting on Zoom at noon. The story gets edited, and then I write a short radio version of it. It’s a fast day that flies by. At the same time, I’m planning interviews in the field for the rest of the week. I’m usually done by four and decompress. On these days, I go to Dolores Park in the center of San Francisco if it’s sunny and grab drinks at my favorite bar, The Last Call, with my best friend, Nick. If he’s not available, I sometimes go to the gym.

*My colleagues and I grab drinks after work. Ezra David Romero*

Wednesday:

More often than not, on Wednesdays, I’m interviewing someone in the Bay Area at their homes or at work. One day, I might be on a boat touring a wetland, another day I might be with a family whose home flooded or I could be interviewing the head of an agency about a sea level rise project. If I’m not working on a feature story, I might be writing a quick-turn digital story just like the day before. Some Wednesdays are dedicated to research or an edit of a local story airing nationally with NPR. Most Wednesday evenings, I hang out with my boyfriend. We either go to dinner, make something at home or venture to the beach if it’s sunny.

*My boyfriend and I are backpackers, and sometimes we escape to the mountains for weekend trips in the woods. Ezra David Romero*

Thursday:

Thursdays I often spend writing a feature story. By this time in the week, I’ve interviewed when I need for the story. I usually start off the day by checking to see if there’s any news of the day that I could write. If not, I will start writing the digital version of the feature first, as it takes more work than the radio, has more sources, and is more detailed. I’m usually at home writing on my couch with my cats — Tanya and Montana — next to me. I finish around four and then head off to the gym or for a long walk around the city. Thursday nights I like to spend alone and binge TV shows once I get home.

Friday:

Fridays are usually marked by waiting for edits on the digital story. Simultaneously, I am writing a radio feature, which usually takes me about three hours since I already have all the content and storyline from the digital version I just wrote the day before. I go for about an hour of walking on my lunch break to Dolores Park in the middle of the city, and when I get back, I usually have edits on the digital story. If my editor has time to edit the radio version of the story that day, we do that as well. We put out feature stories on Mondays or Tuesdays. Friday nights are often spent with my boyfriend or friends at a local restaurant, or we go out to a gay bar.

Saturday and Sunday:

Most weekends, I forget that I work altogether. Usually, I sleep in on Saturdays, make breakfast with my boyfriend, or travel somewhere sunny since it’s usually foggy in San Francisco in the summer. If we’re in town, we might go to a dance party Friday or Saturday night. To avoid the Sunday Scaries, I try to busy myself on Sunday afternoon with a beer on a veranda or a hike somewhere nearby, catching up on Drag Race, or traveling back from Sacramento where some of my best friends live.

*A selfie at a dance party one weekend in San Francisco. Ezra David Romero*

From the Wild:

What do you never leave home without?

cellphone

Hobby you keep thinking about but haven’t picked up yet?

Writing a romance novel.

What’s your current beverage of choice?

Black Manhattan

Interested in writing for Uproot’s Field Notes blog? Send us an email at info@uprootproject.org!