Kelly Waldron

GitHub – LinkedIn – Bluesky

I'm a data reporter at Mission Local, a nonprofit newsroom dedicated to covering San Francisco. I combine enterprise reporting with data analysis and custom graphics to produce insightful stories on a variety of topics, including politics, campaign finance and law enforcement.

I hold a Bachelor's degree in Geography and GIS from McGill University and a Master's degree in Data Journalism from Columbia Journalism School. Before turning to journalism, I worked at a remote sensing company in Montreal, analyzing measurements of methane using satellite imagery. Occasionally, I take and develop photos.

Contact: kae.waldron@gmail.com

Data reporting:

Mission Local

Hidden from sight: 1/2 of local ICE arrests took place behind closed doors, new analysis shows

I reviewed and visualized an analysis showing patterns in local immigration enforcement.

HTML JavaScript CSS Illustrator

Mission Local

What does the mayor directly control in San Francisco's budget?

I created this explainer that shows how the city's budget whittles down to a small pot of discretionary funds.

JavaScript Illustrator
Election results map

Mission Local

Explore: $8 million going to San Francisco ballot measures

I analyzed campaign finance data and created interactive visualizations to show how much corporations and major donors pledged to ballot measures.

Python d3.js
Election results map

Mission Local

Unpacking San Francisco's $16 billion budget

The city publishes its budget in a lengthy PDF file. Here it is broken down into interactive charts.

Python d3.js
Election results map

Mission Local

San Francisco's general election results

Interactive maps and charts of the 2026 election results across San Francisco precincts.

Python Mapbox Datatables JavaScript

Mission Local

Tracking the mayor's major moves

I created a dataset of the new mayor's major moves, including appointments, legislation and orders. I used our reporting, legislative records and press releases to put it all together for this interactive database.

d3.js

Mission Local

How did your neighbors vote in the November 2024 election?

An interactive map where readers can select a precinct, neighborhood or district and see how their neighbors voted compared to the rest of the city.

Mapbox JavaScript
Election results map

Mission Local

Here's where SFPD officers are working private security gigs

SFPD says its police officers working as security guards are "out in the community" across San Francisco. After geocoding records that show security gig shifts - we found that those officers are mostly working downtown.

Python Datawrapper
Election results map

Mission Local

Redistricting likely cost Dean Preston, benefitted Myrna Melgar

Redistricting redrew electoral districts in 2022, changing the outcome of the district elections in 2024.

QGIS Python Illustrator