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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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Snow levels could drop to 4,000 feet, potentially affecting the Grapevine, as storms move through Southern California this week.
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The L.A. County Board of Supervisors approves changes to some landfill rules to allow wildfire debris to be sent to sites in Calabasas, Sylmar and Lancaster.
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Even the region's coastal communities are going to bake.
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It's not the total amount of rain that's a concern. It's how hard that rain is going to fall.
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Heavy rain deluged Southern California, with flood warnings and more extreme weather throughout the day.
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Construction material and ash will be removed along with six inches of soil in an effort to mitigate contamination.
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Rainfall totals are likely to be higher than what we saw this week.
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The result? They found a lot of variability between the sites.
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There's been a 45% decrease since the 1980s, according to the latest report.
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Forecasted rainfall rates don't look like they'll be high enough to trigger debris flows in recently burned areas.
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The area of biggest concern is around the Eaton Fire. Parts of Malibu and the Pacific Palisades should also be prepared.
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LAist dives into the science behind the claim that the brush clearance would have 'significantly mitigated' the destruction and losses.
