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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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Last night, residents of Ventura and Los Angeles counties got to experience their first thunderstorm in quite a while. If it's been raining so much, why haven't they come around more often?
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Thank the atmospheric rivers. After several dry years, the steady rain we've been getting has been enough to make a serious difference in our water picture.
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One meteorologist called it 'kind of like a Goldilocks thing,' a meeting of cold and warm fronts that created a great light show.
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History tells us another big earthquake could hit Southern California at any time. Here are some of the questions you asked us about what you need to do to get ready.
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"My battery is low and it's getting dark" is now the subject of memes, YouTube videos and T-shirts.
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Last night, scientists at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, sent their final message to the Mars rover Opportunity, and unless they hear back it looks like the mission could be coming to an end after 15 years.
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NPR NewsOn Jan. 17, 1994, a 6.7 magnitude quake rocked the suburbs north of Los Angeles, leaving 57 dead and causing more than $43 billion in damage. Officials worry LA isn't ready for the next big quake.
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"It's times like this where it sort of restores my faith in humanity."
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High above the Cranston fire in Idyllwild, there are giant, dark, pyrocumulus clouds. While they might look like thunder clouds, they're not bringing rain. In fact, they're bringing strong winds and the threat of lightning.
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Rare pyrocumulus clouds have been churning high above the Idyllwild hellscape, bringing with them strong winds, the threat of lightning and turbulence that can make it difficult for aircraft to help firefighters on the ground.
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Southern Californians recently lived through the largest fire in state history -- and it seems we're on track for another difficult fire year.
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The Ferguson fire continues to threaten Yosemite, as it more than doubled in size over the past few days. The hot and dry conditions that've made it difficult to tackle the blaze have been present across other parts of the state, hinting at a destructive fire year ahead for California.
