Jill Replogle has worked as a reporter since 2001. She spent most of the first seven years of her career as a freelance journalist based in Guatemala. There she reported on politics, health, human rights, environmental issues and more for both foreign and Guatemalan publications. Her work has been published in The New York Times, The Miami Herald, Time.com, The Christian Science Monitor and the San Francisco Chronicle, Guatemalan newsoutlets SigloXXI, Inforpress Centroamericana and elPeriodico. Her radio and video pieces have aired on PRI's The World, KALW San Francisco, CurrentTV, and the Video Journalism Movement. After her Central American adventures, Jill enrolled in the master's program at the University of California, Berkeley, Graduate School of Journalism in 2007, where she studied video and multimedia journalism, investigative reporting, magazine writing and radio. She graduated in May 2010. Jill is married to a wonderful chapín (Guatemalan), and she and her husband live in Oakland. When she's not writing or reporting, you can usually find Jill rock climbing, swimming, biking, hiking, or in some other way, being outside. Unless, of course, she's in the kitchen cooking, which she also loves to do.    Beliefs At Patch, we promise always to report the facts as objectively as possible and otherwise adhere to the principles of good journalism. However, we also acknowledge that true impartiality is impossible and human beings have beliefs. So in the spirit of simple honesty, our policy is to encourage our editors to reveal certain key beliefs to the extent they feel comfortable. Politics  My political beliefs tend to lie on the liberal side of the spectrum, although I do admire some libertarian thinking. I was registered independent for many years, but switched to Democrat in 2008 so that I could vote in the presidential primaries.   Religion I grew up in a Methodist family, went to a Catholic high school and came out the other side with little personal interest in organized religion. I respect all religions and everyone's freedom to worship, or not, as they choose.  Local Hot-Button Issues As is occurring all over the country, and indeed the world, San Leandro is in the midst of profound changes in the city's demographic makeup. Once among the whitest, most homogenous communities in the Bay Area, San Leandro is now among the most diverse. As someone who is married to someone born in another country, and who has spent many years observing the painful realities of immigration, I am passionate about this issue. But I like to think I have nuanced feelings about immigration. For one thing, I think countries, particularly Latin American countries, should work harder to retain their valuable citizen base. And I think the United States should be helping out toward that end. I also believe in a guest worker program and a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants.