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Cassandra Garibay

I’m a Bay Area-based engagement reporter working on community-sourced investigations. I also speak Spanish.

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What I Cover

I’m a Bay Area-based engagement reporter working on community-sourced investigations. I also speak Spanish.

My Background

Prior to joining ProPublica, I was the senior housing reporter for the bilingual news outlet El Tímpano, where my work was driven by citizen-fueled science, text message outreach, data analysis, research partnerships and community events. Before that, I served as the USC Center for Health Journalism California engagement editor, working with journalists across the state to center the communities they covered and reach audiences in innovative ways. I previously reported on housing, health and local government for the Fresno Bee, Fresnoland and the San Luis Obispo Tribune.

Journalism is a public service that works best when we make time to listen to the communities we seek to serve. As the granddaughter of Mexican immigrants and a first-generation college graduate, I care about investigating issues like housing and health equity that affect daily life and informing communities about those issues in accessible ways.

Prescient Warnings About Helene Didn’t Reach People in Harm’s Way. Here Are 5 Lessons for the Next Hurricane.

After four months of reporting, ProPublica found that the warnings about Helene were eerily accurate. Yet, local residents remained largely unaware of the enormity of danger approaching as the storm closed in.

by Jennifer Berry Hawes and Mollie Simon, with additional reporting by Cassandra Garibay,

Helene’s Unheard Warnings

As Hurricane Helene barreled toward Yancey County in North Carolina, communities along the Cane River in the Black Mountains were particularly vulnerable. But there were no evacuation orders, and few grasped what was coming.

by Jennifer Berry Hawes, with additional reporting by Cassandra Garibay,