Since he was growing up in Barrio Logan, Carlos Amezcua’s mother used to tell him he was a mitotero and a metiche – a natural-born gossip.

“I’ve always been very curious,” he said, laughing. “I was that annoying child who always wanted to know about everything around him.”

After almost 25 years as one of Los Angeles’ top television news anchors, Amezcua is back to his native San Diego, ready to continue being a mitotero in the good sense of the word as co-anchor of KUSI NEWS’ Good Morning San Diego. His first day at the five-hour morning newscast was on Tuesday, July 7th.

“I’m thrilled to be back home. It’s been a long time,” Amezcua said. “San Diego is home, but it is so strange to come back and see everything so familiar. It makes me feel like a kid again.”

But when it comes to television news, in a career that spans 35 years, Amezcua has become one of the most respected anchors and reporters in Los Angeles, where he co-anchored KTLA’s Morning News from 1991 to 2007. Most recently he was at Fox Television, also in Los Angeles.

“He is a San Diego native and is finally returning home, after his storied career in Los Angeles,” said KUSI News Director Steve Cohen.

On his first day at KUSI, fans of Amezcua’s reporting and anchoring style quickly began making welcoming comments on Good Morning San Diego’s Facebook page.

“Welcome! Watched you for years on KTLA,” wrote Flora Christine Ferris. “L.A. will miss you, but San Diego will love you!”
Amezcua was born in San Diego, to a father from Jalisco, and a mother from Tijuana. He lived his early years in Barrio Logan, on Newton Avenue, attended Logan Elementary, then the family moved to east San Diego.

His father, Don Oscar Amezcua, is a mariachi legend in San Diego. Don Oscar founded Mariachi Guadalajara after many years as a member of the world-renowned Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán. (Carlos Amezcua received a live mariachi music welcome during his first day at KUSI.)

Amezcua began his career with two local television stations in San Diego before moving north to make a name for himself in Los Angeles.

But during his time in L.A., Amezcua visited his parents and other relatives in San Diego regularly.

“I never lost touch with what was going on here,” he said. “As a newsman, I’ve always been interested in keeping up with what was happening in my hometown. I was subscribed to San Diego Magazine, and now with the new technology, it was really easy to keep up with the Padres, the Chargers. I’m a news junky. That’s how I kept the pulse of San Diego.”

That KUSI NEWS hired Amezcua, a well-known Latino television personality in Los Angeles, “it’s a recognition that Latinos are a big part of America now. But I have to say they didn’t hire me because I’m Latino. They hired me because they felt I was the best guy for this job.”

As a side note, Doug Friedman, director of creative services for KUSI NEWS, said that David Davis, who was co-anchoring Good Morning San Diego with Lisa Remillard, will now be reteamed weekend evenings with Kristen Cusato as co-anchor of the KUSI News at 5, 6 & 10 p.m., and will still report on Good Morning San Diego three mornings a week.

Amezcua said he’s here to make a difference in San Diego morning television news.

“Television news is very competitive. You have very few solid journalists in television. I think you’ll see our show is very serious. People in San Diego trust us. That makes us different from other stations.”

To learn more about Carlos Amezcua’s work at KUSI NEWS and Good Morning San Diego, watch him every morning, Monday to Friday, from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m.