Ellen Leyva announces plans to retire after 29 incredible years at ABC7

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- After 29 incredible years at ABC7, our beloved Ellen Leyva has decided to retire.

She has co-anchored ABC7 Eyewitness News at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m., along with her dear friend David Ono. Since joining ABC7 in 1995, Ellen has served as a health reporter and has anchored several other newscasts, including morning and midday.

"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 said.

Ellen grew up in Tucson, Arizona, in a bilingual household. She spent much of her time in Mexico with her mother's family and says being bilingual has helped her tremendously on the job in the large Hispanic communities of Phoenix and Los Angeles.

Ellen graduated from Arizona State University with a degree in broadcast journalism and is proud to have been inducted into the Walter Cronkite School of Broadcast Journalism's Hall of Fame in 2006.

She has received an Impact Award for Excellence in Television from the National Hispanic Media Coalition.

Her years working in broadcast journalism have blessed her with many wonderful opportunities, such as flying with the Blue Angels, co-hosting the Oscars red carpet arrivals with Roger Ebert and standing in the OR with Dr. Oz as he performed a double-bypass.

"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. 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. 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."

Ellen's passions include supporting many nonprofit organizations. A couple of causes dear to her are serving as ABC7 team leader for AIDS Walk Los Angeles and advocating for mental health services for underserved communities, giving her time to Pacific Clinics as often as needed.

Leyva will still be anchoring at ABC7 for a few more months.

"I'm looking forward to finding as many opportunities to say goodbye to as many of you as possible," she added.