Updated
San Diego, CA
Court upholds verdict for former news anchor Sandra Maas in KUSI’s appeal of equal pay lawsuit
A San Diego appeals court on Tuesday upheld the judgment and what amounted to a $1.775 million award to former news anchor Sandra Maas, who sued the company that previously owned KUSI, alleging it violated equal pay laws by paying her significantly less than her co-anchor.
The opinion comes nearly three years after a San Diego Superior Court jury also found for Maas in her whistleblower claim, in which she argued that her contract was not renewed because she pushed back for the pay disparity.
McKinnon Broadcasting Co., which had owned KUSI when Maas worked there, had challenged the verdict on various grounds, “none of which we find persuasive. We affirm the judgment,” reads the opinion issued Tuesday from the 4th District Court of Appeal, Division 1.
Maas’ attorney, Josh Gruenberg, said in an email Tuesday that the appellate court “confirmed that the jury’s findings were supported by substantial evidence and that the process was impartial and sound.” He called the opinion “a true celebration of equal pay rights and of a judicial system that holds firm — even on appeal.”
“Most importantly, it brings long-overdue closure to a grueling chapter in Sandra Maas’s life,” Gruenberg said. “It takes courage to come forward, and even greater courage to withstand the blocks and tackles that followed in this case.”
Attorneys for McKinnon did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment.
According to arguments and evidence in the 2023 trial, Maas was paid a lower annual salary than male co-anchor Allen Denton during their years anchoring the TV station’s flagship newscast. In 2010, when they first teamed up, she was paid $120,000 annually, and he made $200,000.
When he retired, in 2019, his annual salary was $245,000. Hers was $180,000. That same year, Maas left the station. Maas’ attorney told the jury that when Maas asked for equal compensation, her contract ultimately was not renewed.
Pam Vallero, one of Maas’ attorneys, told the jury in opening statements of the four-week trial that the two anchors had sat “side by side at the same news desk, reading from the same teleprompter, anchoring the same newscast, but paid significantly different by KUSI.” That, she told the jury, “is why we are here.”
The attorney for KUSI told the jury during opening statements that Maas had been “paid fairly for her work in light of her experience, in light of her work ethic, attitude and overall value.”
Maas’ counsel argued that she had worked in broadcast television for 33 years, compared to Denton’s 37 years on TV. KUSI’s attorney said Denton had 48 years of experience, counting 11 years in radio before jumping to TV.
Maas, who worked at CBS 8 in San Diego in the 1990s, started at KUSI as a morning anchor in 2004. Denton, who had worked in the Bay Area, joined KUSI in 2010.
Aside from upholding the verdict, the appeals court on Tuesday also upheld the award of more than $2.3 million for Maas’ attorneys fees.
Why this matters
Located in neighborhoods across the county, community gardens seek to provide resources and educational opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds.
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Tucked into neighborhoods, schoolyards and park edges, community gardens have woven themselves into the fabric of San Diego.
Many are established in food deserts – areas that lack access to affordable and nutritious food. For predominantly low-income and racially diverse communities, a local garden plot can be the difference between having fresh produce or none at all.
Beyond the food, community gardens have become gathering places where social bonds across generations and languages form and environmental education can flourish. From elementary school students to senior citizens, people of all ages are able to tend to plants or participate in community activities hosted onsite.
San Diego County has more than 80 community gardens, according to the Master Gardener Association of San Diego County. Most of them are managed by churches, nonprofits or local volunteers.
However, funding may be running short. The One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act led the county to cancel contracts related to CalFresh Healthy Living in October 2025, as previously reported by inewsource. Community gardens were one of the lifestyle programs impacted by these cuts.
Nonprofit leaders have also sounded the alarm about federal cuts causing funding instability that could impact their community programs.
But there are still ways for the community to get involved. Here’s a map maintained by the Master Gardener Association that shows dozens of gardens around the county.
inewsource asked Heather Holland, president of the Master Gardener Association of San Diego County, and Julia Rauner Guerrero, the organization’s community garden chair, to talk about the basics of community gardens.
Answers have been edited for clarity and brevity.
Community gardens vary based on who owns the land but most gardens are spaces where renters of the garden beds have access during set hours. Most gardens have events or times where they open their doors to the public.
Community gardens are spaces where the public can garden or learn about gardening together. There are a few categories of community gardens that could be grouped this way:
- Gardens that include beds or spaces that can be rented for growing.
- Gardens that grow food that is donated to others.
- Gardens that act as learning spaces so the public can learn how to garden together.
- Semi-public spaces where someone from an area (as in a resident of an HOA) can garden in a space.
Most of San Diego’s community gardens fall into one of those categories and often include several of these characteristics. On our community garden map we’ve focused on gardens with individual or shared/cooperative plots, some of which also incorporate education and/or food sharing with the community.
No, generally there isn’t any registration with the county and the cities operate under different rules. Community gardens located on public land have different approaches dictated by their city. For example, in the city of San Diego nonprofit groups can apply to the city to use parks and recreation land for a community garden.
Community gardens are operated by a mix of persons depending on who is running the site. In most cases it is a church, a nonprofit or a group of volunteers who manage the space. A few San Diego cities such as Imperial Beach, Carlsbad and La Mesa oversee their gardens and in other cases the County of San Diego directly operates the community gardens on their property.
Volunteer at your nearby community garden to get a feel for the garden, the people and the management.
Type of Content
Explainer: Provides context or background, definition and detail on a specific topic.
San Diego, CA
Where to watch San Diego Padres vs Seattle Mariners: TV channel, start time, streaming for May 16
What to know about MLB’s ABS robot umpire strike zone system
MLB launches ABS challenge system as players test robot umpire calls in a groundbreaking season.
Baseball is back and finding what channel your favorite team is playing on has become a little bit more confusing since MLB announced plans to produce and distribute broadcasts for nearly a third of the league.
We’re here to help. Here’s everything you need to know Saturday as the San Diego Padres visit the Seattle Mariners.
See USA TODAY’s sortable MLB schedule to filter by team or division.
What time is San Diego Padres vs Seattle Mariners?
First pitch between the Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. (ET) on Saturday, May 16.
How to watch San Diego Padres vs Seattle Mariners on Saturday
All times Eastern and accurate as of Saturday, May 16, 2026, at 6:32 a.m.
- Matchup: SD at SEA
- Date: Saturday, May 16
- Time: 7:15 p.m. (ET)
- Venue: T-Mobile Park
- Location: Seattle, Washington
- TV: FOX
- Streaming: MLB.TV on Fubo
Watch MLB all season long with Fubo
MLB regional blackout restrictions apply
MLB scores, results
MLB scores for May 16 games are available on usatoday.com . Here’s how to access today’s results:
See scores, results for all of today’s games.
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