By Dan Adams

Longtime ABC10 (KXTV) reporter Rosie Gayton who covered major stories locally and internationally for more than two decades has died. Family members confirmed that Gayton lost her battle with cancer on December 5.

A native Sacramentan, Gayton’s parents were farm workers, and she spent her early years working the fields in The Delta picking tomatoes, corn, and cherries.  After graduating from high school, Gayton began working for the Sacramento Concilio in 1971 where she produced her first TV show “Progreso 71” which aired on KOVR-TV.  By the late 1970s, KXTV was interested in producing a weekly half hour show serving the Hispanic community, and the station hired Gayton to produce and host “Chicano Perspective.”  In 1980, KXTV hired her as a full-time reporter for “TV10 Eyewitness News.”.

In a 2015 interview with Sacramento State University, Gayton said when hired by the station, she was “a rebel rouser.  I was an activist.”  News management told her she must tamper down her “Chicano activism” and present both sides fairly.  “They were trying to give me fluff pieces so I wouldn’t cause a riot,” she said, adding, “But I fought them.”

During her career for News10 she became a well-recognized reporter on northern California television, covering such major stories as the Cesar Chavez farm labor protests, Mexico City earthquake in 1985, the Pope’s California visit in 1987, and the Dorothea Puente mass murder case in 1988. She left News10 in 2005.

Her son, Ronnie, reflected on his mom saying that when he and his sister were young, it was hard sharing their mom with the community, but as they grew older, they realized what a legend she was and how her involvement helped countless number of people in need. “She broke barriers as a news reporter, often choosing tough to tackle topics that affected the community & needed to be addressed. She was a community activist who marched with Cesar Chavez & stood up for those who couldn’t stand up for themselves. She always gave of herself even at times when she was the one in need of some giving.”

Rosie Gayton was 72 years old.

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