Eyewitness News Anchor Ellen Leyva To Step Down After Nearly 3 Decades

LOS ANGELES, CA — Longtime ABC7 anchor Ellen Leyva will step down after nearly 30 years reporting the news for Southern California, she announced on-air Monday.

Leyva co-anchored ABC7 Eyewitness News from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and had been with the network since 1995. During her tenure, she also anchored the morning and midday broadcasts and covered the health beat. Over the course of many years, she was a trusted source and familiar face for millions of Southlanders.

Leyva told viewers she had been thinking about retiring for some time. The decision comes as she shared in the suffering that affected so many in the community she covers, having been displaced by the Eaton Fire that destroyed thousands of homes in the Altadena area.

"This place has been my home away from home, especially brought to light with the love and compassion I've received since being displaced from my Altadena home due to the Eaton Fire," she said told Eyewitness News." After a lot of soul-searching, I know I'm ready to move on and focus on my next great adventure in life. While this isn't easy, it is something I've been thinking about for a long time. I am truly excited for what's next."

She described the decision has bittersweet.

"Yes, it is bittersweet for me indeed. You would think this would be easier the second time around, but somehow it's not, but here we go. I started here at KABC in 1995 when my oldest daughter was 8 weeks old," she added. "Almost 30 years later, I can say that I've been truly blessed to work at the best news station in the best city. But the best part has been the people I work with and the viewers at home."

Leyva, who grew up in a bilingual home in Tucson holds a degree in broadcast journalism and is an inductee in the Walter Cronkite School of Broadcast Journalism's Hall of Fame.

She joins other famed broadcasters recently in stepping down from a distinguished career covering the largest county in the nation.

In 2023, NBC4 sports anchor Fred Roggin stepped down after 42 years and the year before NBC4's Chuck Henry, Beverly White, Vikki Vargas stunned the industry when they all took buyouts at the same time. In 2020,Fritz Coleman, LA's weatherman for nearly four decades retired.