Former KCBS political reporter Barbara Taylor, once known as the dogged “dean of the press corps” at San Francisco City Hall, has died.
Taylor died Monday from ongoing complications she suffered following a car crash in the South Bay last year, the station said.
Taylor began her broadcasting career in San Diego before coming to San Francisco as an editor at KCBS, eventually moving to on-air work. She covered politics, elections and City Hall happenings for three decades as City Hall bureau chief. She was a fixture there from the 1970s until her retirement in 2015.
“Our hearts were just broken,” KCBS political reporter Doug Sovern told the station’s listeners Tuesday morning. “… There was nobody like Barbara. She was one of a kind. She knew City Hall better than anybody.”
Sovern went on to describe Taylor as a “bold” and “fearless” reporter.
“She did not suffer fools,” he said. “She did not tolerate B.S. from politicians. … She covered the ins and outs of city hall like nobody else.”
Other tributes followed, including one from San Francisco mayor London Breed, who, in a tweet, said, “Barbara covered City Hall with integrity, wit, and warmth for decades. She was dedicated to telling the story of the city she lived in and loved, and she was respected by all. She will be missed.”
On his Twitter account, KQED politics and government editor Scott Shafer wrote: “As a long time colleague, it is with tremendous sadness to hear of the passing of retired KCBS reporter Barbara Taylor, former ‘dean of the press corps’ at SF City Hall. Fearless, fair, funny and dogged in her pursuit of the truth. She understood city politics like few others.”
Taylor covered some of San Francisco’s biggest stories during her time with KCBS, including the assassinations of then-Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk. Her coverage of the shocking deaths was immortalized in the 2008 Oscar-winning film “Milk.”
This is the saddest news imaginable. Barbara Taylor was one of the greatest City Hall reporters of all time. She was tough, smart, funny, and knew how to conduct an interview with style and substance. She was a good friend and will be missed by everyone in the news profession. https://t.co/VRq0pkYkbz
— Sam Singer (@samsinger) October 27, 2020