David Cruz

David Cruz is an American broadcast journalist, radio host, and civil rights advocate. He serves as the National Communications Director for the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), acting as a spokesperson on immigration, Latino rights, and social justice issues. He previously worked as a reporter and news anchor at KNBC (NBC4), in Los Angeles, California, where he co-anchored newscasts and contributed to national broadcasts. He has also held positions with Salem Media Group, Univision, CBS, CNN, ABC, and Fox News. His recognitions include a Golden Eagle Award from Nosotros in 2002, a 2003 Golden Mike Award, an Emmy Award, and two National Media Awards from LULAC.

Early life and education David Cruz was raised in San Antonio, Texas, by Mary and Apolonio Cruz. His interest in storytelling grew from hearing his father tell stories to customers at his San Antonio barbershop. His interest in journalism was developed by a local television news anchor's visit to Harlandale High School during his freshman year. After graduating from high school, he sold women's shoes and painted houses while attending the University of Texas at Austin, Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs.

Career

Television Cruz began his broadcasting career at KWEX-DT when Univision was known as Spanish International Network (SIN). In 1976, he became a television anchor at an NBC affiliate KMOL-TV, now WOAI-TV, in San Antonio. He was considered the lead anchorman and he was regularly mentioned in the San Antonio Express-News. He faced opposition including threats, egg-throwing, and broken windows after replacing two Caucasian anchors: Gene Lively and Martha Buchanan.

In 1979, he went on to work for CBS News based in San Francisco, KPIX-TV. He was a correspondent for the Pacific Rim and Latin America. He covered politics and foreign affairs. In 2001, Cruz and Kelly Mack took over Today in L.A. He reported on gang violence, law enforcement corruption, consumer fraud, and child predators, among other stories. He provided commentary in the wake of the 2020 Democratic National Convention's moment featuring an 11-year-old discussing her mother's deportation. After the Uvalde school shooting in 2022, he indicated that LULAC would intensify its advocacy for gun control measures. In 2023, he condemned the death of a man on I-30 in Benton, Arkansas, as an "egregious" violation of civil rights, which involved a Latino individual chased and tased after fleeing a traffic stop. In 2024, he joined LULAC President Roman Palomares on a visit to Nebraska to plan a pilot program supporting immigrant workers. After the 2025 Donald Trump speech to a joint session of Congress, Cruz condemned the speech as divisive and fostering fear. In May 2025, Cruz criticized the vote harvesting indictments in Frio County. After the 2025 Dallas ICE facility shooting, he issued a statement on behalf of the families impacted and confirmed a death. In October, he rebuked Douglas County Sheriff Aaron Hanson for invoking the organization's name without authorization in proposed ICE partnership discussions. He called for the release of children at immigration detention centers.