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Jacob Margolis
What I cover
I cover science, with a focus on environmental stories and disasters, as well as investigations and accountability.
My background
I created, wrote and hosted the LAist Studios podcasts, The Big One: Your Survival Guide and The Big Burn: How To Survive In The Age of Wildfires. I was part of the team that won the 2021 Investigative Reporters and Editors Audio Journalism Award for the series "Hot Days: Heat’s Mounting Death Toll On Workers In The U.S. "Most recently, I’ve published investigations into large scale illegal dumping in L.A. County and previously unreported heavy metal concentrations in fire retardants.
My goals
To uncover how science, policy, and power intersect — so people have the information they need to hold decision-makers accountable and protect their communities.
Best way to reach me
You can reach me by email: jmargolis@laist.com. Or for encrypted communications, I'm on Signal: @jacobmargolis.1.
Stories by Jacob Margolis
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The U.S. government filed the lawsuit in 2023 to recover firefighting costs and to address other damages from the wildfire in fall 2020.
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Heal the Bay’s annual beach report card just came out, and the water at the Santa Monica Pier is once again some of the dirtiest along the West Coast.
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L.A. County is offering free tests after recent analysis showed high levels of lead downwind of the January fire that devastated Altadena.
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LAist investigates illicit dumping at three Antelope Valley sites.
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In the Eaton Fire burn area, material that can be reused is being taken to Altadena Golf Course, where it is sorted and processed. Here's how it works.
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Lead traveled in the air and settled outside the burn area. LA County will make $3 million available for people with intact properties to test their soil.
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Shaking was felt as far away as Los Angeles. Light damage is possible.
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L.A. County Department of Public Health officials announced the preliminary findings Friday.
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We could soon see the first collection fee increase in 15 years.
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Homeowners with State Farm insurance policies could see a 22% rate hike.
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Temperatures into the 90s are expected to hit Wednesday through Friday. LA and the rest of SoCal should be closer to normal April weather by Sunday.
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An LAist investigation found toxic heavy metals in samples of fire retardant collected from the Palisades, Eaton and Franklin fires. Here's what that means.
