The most important stories for you to know today
It may be April Fool’s Day but the events going on this week are no joke! There’s music for kids and adults, with School of Rock’s kids jam camp underway and Bruce Springsteen headlining The Forum for two long-awaited shows.
Get your dose of earnestness at The Moth mainstage or spend an evening with Stacey Abrams at Writers Bloc. And of course, we can’t forget about deals coming up for National Burrito Day .The kids are off from school, so send them to School of Rock’s five-day Classic Rock Rewind spring break, where they can jam all week long and get an education in the classics, from The Beatles to Led Zeppelin. If only there was a version for the grownups!Our friends at KCRW are hosting storytelling night The Moth at the United Theater . Always an evening of laughs, tears, and incredible true stories, this month’s theme is"Where the Heart Is" and features host Amir Baghdadchi and an array of talented storytellers.Politician, activist, and author Stacey Abrams speaks during a conversation with Wilson Cruz at The 92nd Street Y on May 25, 2023 in New York City.You know Stacey Abrams from her high-profile run for Georgia governor and her work founding Fair Fight Action to reduce voter suppression in that state. But did you know she’s also a crime fiction author? Abrams joins actor Dulé Hill to discuss her new thriller novelMore Info Marcel Spears as "Juicy" and Matthew Elijah Webb as "Larry" during rehearsals for the show 'Fat Ham.', which is dedicated to bringing Black-identifying audiences to the theater, the Geffen is hosting a Black Partners Appreciation Night preview performance of. The show, about a queer Black man visited by his father’s ghost at a family barbeque, is followed by an afterparty in the courtyard. All proceeds benefit the theater’s community partners.Thursday, April 4, 2024 at 7:30 PMNils Lofgren and Bruce Springsteen of the E Street Band perform at the Amalie Arena on February 1, 2023 in Tampa, Florida.that hindered his ability to sing at all, The Boss is back on tour and in the house for two nights at the Kia Forum this Thursday and on Sunday, April 7. Springsteen fans will be bandana-ed and ready to rock, so snag a ticket and get there early.alum Muffy Marracco hosts Thursday night trivia at Silver Lake’s Edendale. The quiz starts at 8:30 p.m. and the winner takes a $30 pot – and of course, bragging rights. Reservations recommended.Art activations, murals, and student projects take over the lawn at the USC Arts & Climate Collective annual festival. Walk through and enjoy tacos from Chichen Itza while taking in creative efforts that respond to themes of environmental justice and sustainability.It’s outdoor movie season again and Mama Shelter hosts films under the stars in Hollywood, starting with the Coen brothers' classicNowruz ends on April 1, but you can keep celebrating the Persian New Year now and all year round with delicious Middle Eastern-inspired coffees and treats at Cafe Sheera, including date shakes, chocolate-covered dates, and baklava.Chefs Colin Whitbread and Cody Requejo are focused on fishing sustainability. They bring their dry-aged sushi to Isla in Santa Monica for a special dinner series paired with biodynamic wines.Sign up for Tocaya’s email list and in honor of National Burrito Day you’ll receive free chips and guacamole with any burrito purchase.Across the United States, summer is the height of “kitten season,” typically defined as the warm-weather months between spring and fall during which a cat becomes most fertile. For, animal shelters across the country have noted kitten season starting earlier and lasting longer. Some experts say the effects of climate change, such asOne theory is that milder winters may mean cats have the resources to begin mating sooner. “No animal is going to breed unless they can survive,” said Christopher Lepczyk, an ecologist at Auburn University and prominent researcher of free-ranging cats. Outdoor cats’ food supply may also be increasing, as some prey, such as small rodents, may have population booms inthemselves. Kittens may also be more likely to survive as winters become less harsh. “I would argue that temperature really matters,” he said.“The level of emotions for months on end is so draining,” said Ann Dunn, director of Oakland Animal Services, a city-run shelter in the San Francisco Bay Area. “And every year we just know it’s going to get harder.” Across the United States, summer is the height of “kitten season,” typically defined as the warm-weather months between spring and fall during which a cat becomes most fertile. For, animal shelters across the country have noted kitten season starting earlier and lasting longer. Some experts say the effects of climate change, such as This past February, Dunn’s shelter held a clinic for spaying and neutering outdoor cats. Although kitten season in Northern California doesn’t typically kick off until May, organizers found that over half of the female cats were already pregnant. “It’s terrifying,” Dunn said. “It just keeps getting earlier and going later.” Kristen Shepherd, assistant supervisor adoption coordinator, hand feeds medication to a kitten at The Cat House on the Kings on August 25, 2017 in Parlier, California.Cats reproduce when females begin estrus, more commonly known as “going into heat,” during which hormones and behavior changes signal she’s ready to mate. Cats can go into heat several times a year, with each cycle lasting up to two weeks. But births typically go up between the months of April and October. While it’s well established thatOne theory is that milder winters may mean cats have the resources to begin mating sooner. “No animal is going to breed unless they can survive,” said Christopher Lepczyk, an ecologist at Auburn University and prominent researcher of free-ranging cats. Outdoor cats’ food supply may also be increasing, as some prey, such as small rodents, may have population booms inthemselves. Kittens may also be more likely to survive as winters become less harsh. “I would argue that temperature really matters,” he said. Others, like Peter J. Wolf, a senior strategist at the Best Friends Animal Society, think the increase comes down to visibility rather than anything biological. As the weather warms, Wolf said people may be getting out more and noticing kittens earlier in the year than before. Then they bring them into shelters, resulting in rescue groups feeling like kitten season is starting earlier. Regardless of the exact mechanism, having a large number of feral cats around means trouble for more than just animal shelters. Cats are apex predators that can wreak havoc on local biodiversity. Research shows that outdoor cats on islands have already caused or contributed to the extinction of an estimatedof wildlife. “We know that cats are an invasive, environmental threat,” said Lepczyk, who has published papers proposing management policies for outdoor cats.Scientists, conservationists, and cat advocates all agree unchecked outdoor cat populations are a problem, but they remain deeply divided on solutions. While some conservationists propose the targeted killing of cats, known as culling, cat populations have been observed toAlthough sterilization protocols such as “trap, neuter, and release” are favored by many cat rescue organizations, Lepczyk said it’s almost impossible to do it effectively, in part because of how freely the animals roam and how quickly they procreate. Without homes or sanctuaries after sterilization, returning cats outside means they may have a low quality of life, spread disease, and continue to harm wildlife. “No matter what technique you use, if you don’t stop the flow of new cats into the landscape, it’s not going to matter,” said Lepczyk. Rescue shelters, already under strain from resource and veterinary shortages, are scrambling to confront their new reality. While some release“As the population continues to explode, how do we address all these little lives that need our help?” Dunn said. “We’re giving this everything we have.”Fires. Mudslides. Heat waves. What questions do you need answered as you prepare for the effects of the climate emergency?Water is released on the main spillway at Lake Oroville on June 15, 2023 in Oroville, California when it reached 100 percent capacity. As of March 28, 2024, the reservoir was at 124 percent its historical average or 87% capacity.We've had slightly above average snowfall across the Sierra Nevada and it's looking like we’ll be able to fulfill local water needs, but we’re potentially one dry year away from slipping back into drought.Areas along the Eastern border of California didn’t receive sufficient rain and are close to experiencing drought conditions. Also, because we've over drafted groundwater, wells may come up dry for some people this year.It’s not likely we’ll see water restrictions this year, though behaviors around lower water use have shifted over the past decade plus.Given the severity of drought over the past decade, there are ongoing soil moisture and groundwater overdraft problems that won’t resolve anytime soon. Higher temperatures due to climate change are upping the water requirements across our landscapes.The start of April means that California’s rainy season is coming to an end. Things are looking pretty good this year, but there are some caveats. The snowpack across the Sierra Nevada and the Colorado River Basin — both critical stores of water — is hovering slightly above average, though it’s nowhere near what we saw last winter. For comparison, in 2023, the State Water Project was able to fulfill 100% of water requests made by municipalities across California. This year, the SWP announced a 30% allocation. “Last year there was so much water we were looking for every place we could to store some water,” said John Yarbrough, assistant deputy director for the SWP. Flooded Central Valley farmland along the Tule River in Tulare County during a winter storm near Corcoran on March 21, 2023.A slow start to the rainy season across the Sierra could lead to decreased runoff as the dry ground beneath the snowpack sucks up what it can when everything starts to melt. Runoff is also dependent on the weather to come. Rainstorms can cause snow to melt faster than anticipated, leading to lower snow levels during the dry months. And high temperatures increase evaporative demand across landscapes, leaving less water for plants, animals and us.“We pulled back on restrictions last year, however, we're telling people to use their common sense,” said Adel Hagekhalil, CEO of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. The public agency will neither be drawing from or putting water into storage, though that’ll change if the allocation increases. According to Hagekhalil, the MWD has enough water to help Southern California get through the next three years. “Let's not be fooled by a year of rain or two years of rain. This climate whiplash is amongst us, and we're going to see these hotter and drier days coming,” he said.One consistent message I heard when reaching out for this piece was just how bad of a position the 2020-2023 drought put us in. “It's really hard with that magnitude of dryness to make up for it with just a few wet years,” said Michael Anderson, state climatologist with the Department of Water Resources. In this before-and-after composite image, a comparison of water levels at Lake Oroville. June 15, 2023 when it was at 100% capacity, versus July 22, 2021, when it was at 28% capacity.If you recall, locations like Las Virgenes Municipal Water District in Western Los Angeles County nearly ran out of water. And though Lake Mead got some water last year, levels are still below those seen in 2020. Groundwater supplies are still stressed, and wells could go dry in some parts of the state — particularly along the Eastern border, which hasn’t seen nearly as much rain as places like Los Angeles. Landscapes covered in diseased and dead trees , aren’t going to look like they did anytime soon.“If you look at the soil moisture data, it does indicate that there are still some long term lingering concerns that may or may not ever go away, given the warmer planet that we live on plus the human demands on the water supply as well,” said Brad Rippey, meteorologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and contributing author to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Short-term surface based drought could come back following one miserably dry year. Longer term, deeper drought impacting groundwater and reservoir storage would take a few dry years to return. The bottom line is that we need to assume that next year will be dry, as erratic precipitation patterns and hotter temperatures are exacerbated by climate change.Jacob Margolis helps Southern Californians understand the science shaping our imperfect paradise and gets us prepared for what’s next.A $20 hourly minimum wage goes into effect today for more than 500,000 fast food workers in California. Employees at fast food restaurants with more than 60 locations nationwide will get the boost, with a few exceptions.vast majority of fast food workers in CaliforniaIf you are supposed to get a pay bump and didn't, or if you need help navigating the new minimum wage or other issues at work, theA $20 hourly minimum wage goes into effect today for more than 500,000 fast food workers in California. Employees at fast food restaurants with more than 60 locations nationwide will get the boost, with a few exceptions.two-thirds of the workforce are women "California is very expensive and are struggling to be able to provide for their families," said Maria Maldonado, statewide director of the California Fast Food Workers Union. Maria Franco, a delivery driver and pizza maker at a Los Angeles Domino’s, said her pay will jump from $16 to $20 an hour. She said the raise isn’t enough to go on vacation with her family, but it will help improve her work life, wellbeing, and overall livelihood. “This will support our families,” she said in Spanish. “Groceries have increased in price, so this will help improve our nutrition and health.”California workers at fast food establishments that are part of a national chain with more than 60 locations. This includes employees at franchise locations.A fast food restaurant is a"limited-service restaurant," where people pay for food and beverages before consuming them, according to thegrocery stores, airports, hotels, event centers, gambling establishments, corporate campuses, theme parks and museumsreported last month that Newsom pushed for the exemption to benefit a donor who owns Panera Bread locations. Newsom denied those claims and that Panera Bread is not exempt from paying its workers the $20 hourly wage because its bread dough is not made on-site.If you believe you are supposed to get a pay bump and did not, or if you need help navigating the new minimum wage or other issues at work, theHeat pumps can work for both heating and cooling. You can think of a heat pump as an air conditioner that can also work backward.Switching to an electric heat pump water heater can save you money and help the state avoid power outages during hot summer evenings. And there’s money available for low-income homes to make the switch.: Heating water is typically the second-largest source of energy use in a home, behind heating and cooling air. Electric heat pump water heaters are three times more efficient than gas ones, which can help with your bill, and they can be programmed to heat water during the middle of the day when there’s an oversupply of solar power and electricity rates are the cheapest, which helps lower demand on hot summer evenings when we’re most prone to power outages.That’s why programming a heat pump water heater to use the most electricity during the times of day when power demand is lower and cheaper is a requirement of a state-funded program, calledfor swapping out that gas water heater for an electric heat pump one, and otherwise electrifying at home. Most of the money currently available is for low-income homes.Swapping an old gas appliance for a new electric energy-efficient one can often lead to a domino effect of electrification.All-electric everything is the way of the future as cities across the Southland — and the world — work to get off gas and coal power to lower planet-heating emissions and local air pollution by supplying electricity via cleaner options such as solar and wind. And buildings are where we use a lot of that dirty power. In L.A., largely the use of gas and electricity in buildings makes them account forof the city’s greenhouse gas emissions. As we transition to a cleaner supply of electricity and electrify homes at the same time, those emissions will go down.from the local to state to federal level to help folks begin the electric transition at home. One place to start? That old water heater. Heating water is typically the second-largest source of energy use in a home, behind heating and cooling air. Electric heat pump water heaters are three to four times more efficient than gas ones, which can help with your bill, depending on how you use it. . Friday Apaliski of the Building Decarb Coalition hugs her heat pump water heater, which looks pretty similar to a gas one.to help address the challenges we have of high electricity demand and higher risk for rolling power outages during increasingly hot summer evenings and nights. “For the most part, you're using your water heater very consistently throughout the year, as opposed to an air conditioner or a furnace, which has a very seasonal usage,” said Friday Apaliski, a spokesperson for the, a nonprofit that works to get fossil fuels out of buildings and is a partner with the state in getting the word out about these financial incentives via. “And so when we think about really getting efficient in our homes and our energy systems and doing right by the climate, the water heater is a really key piece of that.”Programming a heat pump water heater to use the most electricity during the times of day when power demand is lower and cheaper is a requirement of a state-funded program, calledThe vast majority of available funding is currently for low-income households and renters. Whether you qualify depends on where you live — for example, a family of four in L.A. County qualifies if they make $100,900 a year or less.You can learn more about the available incentives for heat pump water heaters and financial incentives for other electric and energy-efficient appliances atThe program was so popular it quickly ran out of funding in its first year and is once again almost out of funding for households that don’t qualify as low-income. But there’s still a lot of money available for low-income households — at least 40% of the funding is required to benefit low-income communities that have outsized pollution burdens.And these aren’t rebates — the incentive is completed through the contractor, who has to be certified by TECH. That allows the customer to receive the financial benefit immediately, and the onus is on the contractor to complete the necessary paperwork.The money for these incentives comes in part from the rates we pay for gas as well as general taxes. Learn more For those households, the funding covers up to $4,185 for the new heat pump water heater and another $4,000 for any electrical upgrades in the house that may need to happen to support the new water heater.One of the biggest barriers to more low-income households participating in these programs is that people simply don’t know they exist, said Josué Zepeda, a program manager with Paramount-based HVAC company. The company primarily does installations for low-income houses and apartments across L.A. and Orange counties via TECH and Southern California Edison incentive programs. “ have yet to understand words such as heat pump or electrification,” said Zepeda. “They do hear on the news when it comes to vehicles. They do hear on the news when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions and helping the climate crisis in regards to California and overall the world. But when it comes to a personalized view to their homes, they're like, ‘Well, as far as I know, I have been told to set my thermostat at certain temperatures, or I've been told to do certain changes in my lifestyle, but I have yet to hear of changing my water heater out.'” Heat pump water heaters and other more efficient electric appliances and air conditioning systems can also save you money, but it may not always be the case in reality, said Ron Garcia, who owns the company.throughout the day and stay there and now I stay in my home because it's more comfortable,’ so therefore they feel that 'Oh, I'm saving money, I can run it longer,’” Garcia said. “Well, when you’re running it longer, you're going to end up having to pay more in your bill. The costs on an annual basis to run a gas water heater versus a heat pump water heater are almost identical, but let’s see it in reality.” Garcia emphasized these nuances are why a more holistic approach to education about electrification is needed: it’s not just about swapping out one appliance for another to save money — it’s about how energy is used and wasted in your specific home. But starting with an appliance often leads to the question — what’s next? For example, Garcia said, everything from weatherizing the home so it’s not wasting energy on leakage to getting solar panels and battery storage, where “It’s a step. Now we're telling them, go get solar because now you really need it,” Garcia said. “Now you'll truly get savings.” Contractors themselves also need more education, said Zepeda. Often, contractors don’t know of the options or aren’t trained to install such appliances. “My job as a contractor is I need to go and fix the situation,” Zepeda said. “Instead of saying, with what is coming with California's policies, well, maybe a heat pump water heater or a heat pump furnace would make sense for this home. So, it all circles back, whether it's for the public, whether it's for contractors, it's a big educational push.” Find electrification incentives available to you based on your zip code , researchers at the Europe Central Bank and Potsdam Institute in Germany found in the new study. Europe saw a record-breaking... to get experts' take on the relationship between heat and food prices, and what it could ultimately mean for you at the grocery store.over the past four years, and Americans have been shocked by the growing cost of staples like beef, sugar, and citrus. Grist is a nonprofit, independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future. While many factors, like supply chain disruptions and labor shortages, have contributed to this increase, extreme heat is already raising food prices, and it’s bound to get worse, according topublished in the journal Communications Earth & Environment. The analysis found that heatflation could drive up food prices around the world by as much as 3 percentage points per year in just over a decade and by about 2 percentage points in North America. For overall inflation, extreme weather could lead to anywhere from a 0.3 to 1.2 percentage point increase each year depending on how many carbon emissions countries pump into the atmosphere. Though that might sound small, it’s actually “massive,” according to Gernot Wagner, a climate economist at Columbia Business School. “That’s half of the Fed’s overall goal for inflation,” he said, referencing the Federal Reserve’s long-term aim ofThe link between heat and rising food prices is intuitive — if wheat starts withering and dying, you can bet flour is going to get more expensive. When Europe, it pushed up food prices that were already soaring due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine , researchers at the Europe Central Bank and Potsdam Institute in Germany found in the new study. Europe saw a record-breakingTo figure out how climate change might drive inflation in the future, the researchers analyzed monthly price indices for goods across 121 countries over the past quarter-century. No place on the planet looks immune. Countries in North Africa and the Middle East, where hot temperatures already push the comfortable limits of some crops, are expected to see some of the biggest price shocks. The study’s results were striking, Wagner said, but at the same time very believable. He thinks the calculations are probably on the conservative end of the spectrum: “I wouldn’t be surprised if follow-up studies actually came up with even higher numbers.” It adds up to a troubling picture for the future affordability of food. “The coronavirus pandemic demonstrated how sensitive supply changes are to disruption and how that disruption can awaken inflation,” David A. Super, a professor of law and economics at Georgetown University Law Center, wrote in an email. “The disruptive effects of climate change are orders of magnitude greater than those of the pandemic and will cause economic dislocation on a far greater scale.” The world began paying attention to the dynamic between climate change and higher prices, or “climateflation,” in March 2022, soon after Russia invaded Ukraine, when the German economist Isabel Schnabel coined the term inThe difference between the terms is akin to “global warming” vs. “climate change,” with one focused on hotter temperatures and the other on broader effects. Still, “heatflation” might be the more appropriate term, Wagner said, given that price effects from climate change appear to come mostly from extreme heat. The new study didn’t find a strong link between shifts in precipitation and inflation. The research lends some credibility to the title of the landmark climate change bill that President Joe Biden signed in 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act. While it’s an open joke that the name wasmeant to capitalize on Americans’ concerns about rising prices, it might be more fitting, in the end, than people expected. “We shouldn’t be making fun of the name Inflation Reduction Act, because in the long run, it is exactly the right term to use,” Wagner said. Grist is a nonprofit, independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future. Learn more at Fires. Mudslides. Heat waves. What questions do you need answered as you prepare for the effects of the climate emergency?Irvine will launch a free shuttle service on Monday, called Irvine CONNECT, that will connect residents and visitors with key destinations like Irvine Spectrum, the Irvine train station and the Lakeview Senior Center.Irvine CONNECT will run from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends at 20-minute intervals. The bus can hold 25 people at a time with seven shuttles earmarked for the program.According to Mike Davis, the city’s transit and active transportation administrator, the route was decided based on a study the city council undertook.Davis said the free shuttle service is being funded through an agreement the city has with the Orange County Transportation Authority. The funds were earmarked for a rail project that was never realized. The remaining 10% of funds will come from the city.The free shuttle service pilot program will run for a year starting April 1 until March 31, 2025. “If it's successful, which I expect it to be and hope it will be, I think our city council will extend the service, and provide that 10% funding on a more permanent basis down the road,” Davis said.This aerial photo depicts the sawmills of Lagos, Nigeria. The timber from the country's rainforests, some of the most heavily deforested in the world, are processed in this coastal city, polluting the lagoons.Humans have made an indelible mark on the planet. Since the mid-20th century, we've accelerated the digging of mines, construction of dams, expansion of cities and clearing of forests for agriculture — activity that will be visible in the geological record for eons to come.Photographer Edward Burtynsky and filmmakers Jennifer Baichwal and Nicholas de Pencier traveled to 22 countries to research and document"places of obvious, physical human incursions on the landscape," says de Pencier.Humans have made an indelible mark on the planet. Since the mid-20th century, we've accelerated the digging of mines, construction of dams, expansion of cities and clearing of forests for agriculture — activity that will be visible in the geological record for eons to come. Some scientists are calling it the Anthropocene era, or the age of the humans , and argue that geologists should recognize it as a distinct chapter in Earth's history. But after more than a decade of investigation and debate, In a contentious vote earlier this month, a panel of geologists declined to designate a new geologic epoch starting in 1952, when the United States tested its first thermonuclear bomb. The 1950s, proponents contend, marked an inflection point in humanity's impact on Earth, as globalization, increased burning of fossil fuels and the use of nuclear weapons left unmistakable signs of our influence in the geologic record."There's no doubt that the Anthropocene human transformation of the Earth is already in the geologic record, the evidence speaks for itself, it's permanent and embedded in the crust of the earth," says, an environmental scientist at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. But that evidence extends much farther back in time than the 1950s, he says. Defining the Anthropocene as this specific chunk of geologic time would limit the usefulness of the term, Ellis says." basically clarified that the Anthropocene belongs to all the sciences, it's not something that is just up to geology to define in this kind of narrow way." Years before this final vote, photographer Edward Burtynsky and filmmakers Jennifer Baichwal and Nicholas de Pencier were inspired by the ongoing debate over this new geological era. These three Canadian artists traveled to 22 countries to research and document"places of obvious, physical human incursions on the landscape," says filmmaker de Pencier. They created over 50 images capturing the impact of humans on the Earth, like a sprawling, 30-acre garbage dump in Kenya, large swaths of deforestation in Borneo and waterways damaged by oil siphoning in Nigeria.The project, which includes photography, film, virtual reality and augmented reality, took four years to complete and launched in September 2018. The exhibition has been shown at museums around the world, most recently at Taiwan's " is almost looking back from a projected future, from the future geologist investigating what will remain in the rock record long after we're gone," de Pencier adds. In the wake of the vote, a spokesperson for the project says,"Whether it's an official epoch or not, reality remains the same."The Dandora Landfill in Nairobi, Kenya, is a sprawling 30-acre dump that grows by an average of 850 tons of solid waste a day, according to the U.N. Environment Programme.An underground potash mine in the Ural mountains of Russia. The potassium-rich salt is mined to produce fertilizer. The team says that the mine shows the impact of modernized agricultural practices that help feed Earth's 7.5 billion people. The spiraled pattern seen here is caused by the machines used to extract the salts.An aerial view of a palm plantation on the island of Borneo. Enormous tracts of tropical rainforest have been cleared to grow the lucrative crop, which is used to create palm oil, a vegetable oil that is also used in food processing.A tetrapod factory in Dongying, China. These concrete blocks are dropped into the ocean to create a barrier that protects low-lying oil refineries from rising sea levels. According to a recent scientific review, human beings have now produced enough concrete to cover the entire globe in a 2-millimeter thick layer.A 3,400-acre Exxon Petrochemical plant in Baytown, Texas, produces materials for tires, car bumpers and over 500,000 barrels of crude oil per day, according to the company.California fast-food workers cooking Big Macs or whipping Frappuccinos willThe new state minimum uniquely focuses on a particular segment, fast food, affecting some of the country's biggest chains, including McDonald's, Starbucks, Subway and Pizza Hut.are estimated to work in fast food here, mostly women, immigrants and people of color. Many live below the poverty line. But the dramatic pay raise has also touched off a heated debate about the impact on local businesses.Jack in the Box, Starbucks, McDonald's and Chipotle have all warned of upcoming price hikes. That's on top of price increases many restaurants have been rolling out for months.start making a minimum wage of $20 an hour on Monday. For many, this means a 25% raise. The new state minimum uniquely focuses on a particular segment, fast food, affecting some of the country's biggest chains, including McDonald's, Starbucks, Subway and Pizza Hut.are estimated to work in fast food here, mostly women, immigrants and people of color. Many live below the poverty line. Sandra Jauregui from Sacramento is counting down the days to her first bigger paycheck in two weeks. After 18 years working at several Jack in the Box franchises, her pay will jump from $17.50 to $20. That means she could be bringing home another $120 each paycheck. "It's super great," says Jauregui, 52, speaking in Spanish."At the very least it'll give me some breathing room ... and make it easier to pay the rent and other bills."But the dramatic pay raise has also touched off a heated debate about the impact on local businesses. Smaller franchise restaurant owners warn they'll have to raise prices, reduce worker's hours, cut jobs or even close shop. California's pay hike is a result of a contentious deal struck by labor leaders, including the large Service Employees International Union, and fast-food companies last year.Several fast-food executives have suggested prices would go up 2.5% to 3.5% to offset higher wages; Jack in the Box, Starbucks, McDonald's and Chipotle have all warned of upcoming price hikes. That's on top of price increases many restaurants have been rolling out for months. The cost of eating out has stubbornly inched higher even as Other chains plan to speed up their use of automation, including kiosks and robots. A major Pizza Hut franchisee cited the wage hike as the reason forOne big Pizza Hut franchisee in California cited the upcoming wage hike as a reason for laying off more than 1,000 delivery drivers in a shift to delivery apps like Uber Eats and DoorDash.Many restaurant owners expect workers to be working fewer hours. That was the main side-effect a decade ago, when Seattle hiked its minimum wage to $15, "I am used to being a champion of labor and I'm in this odd position," says Michaela Mendelsohn, a longtime advocate for LGBT workers and also owner of six El Pollo Loco restaurants with about 170 employees. Her restaurants lost shoppers after a pre-emptive price increase in February, she says. Now, the focus is on cutting costs by simplifying operations, changing how long it takes workers to make sauces, for example, or to close up for the night. "We're having to get more efficient," Mendelsohn says."So really what's left is ... to reduce labor hours. And I hate saying that."Broadly, California often sets the bar for many business decisions that other states later follow. Advocates hope something similar will happen with fast-food pay – spreading to other industries in the state and across the country. warnings have left many workers with mixed feelings about the raise, despite the potential for extra spending power. The Jack in the Box worker Jauregui, 52, has been cobbling together two salaries, working about 54 hours a week betweenShe says she's always trying to save a bit to treat her grandchildren – she has custody of three of them – who are constantly growing out of clothes and shoes. And although she marched alongside fellow SEIU members to win the wage increase, she is fearful of the downside.All this makes California's wage hike a high-profile case study for how exactly a higher minimum wage reverberates through the local economy. "This policy is going to be really different in different parts of California," says Jacob Vigdor, professor of public policy and governance at the University of Washington, who has studied the effects of Seattle's 2014 minimum wage hike."The restaurant business is a really tough business," Vigdor says."Restaurants open and close all the time, even in places where the minimum wage hasn't changed for more than a decade. ... Generally speaking, we found that in the restaurant industry, businesses were able to find ways to adapt to higher wage costs."“Those concerns are valid,” said allergy expert Jonathan Tam at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. For one thing, rain can also make some allergens more potent by dispersing pollen into smaller particles, which makes it more airborne.Greater L.A. has been hit with a series of storms this winter, bringing much-needed rain but also flooding, landslides, and other dangers to the region. And, now that spring has sprung, we’re in for lush trees and The vegetation is beautiful to look at. But for those who suffer from allergies, it can also be foreboding.Does a prolonged rain season increase the severity of allergies? In recent years, SoCal residents have raised concerns about increased allergens in relation to rainier weather, and “those concerns are valid,” said Jonathan Tam, Medical Director at the Gores Family Allergy Center at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. If you park your car under a tree in the spring and early summer, he said, you’ll likely find it covered in yellow powder when you return. That’s because trees in the area have begun to pollinate. During this time of year, Tam said, “we see a lot of allergy symptoms, including runny, sneezy noses and, particularly, itchy, watery eyes.” Rain can also make some allergens more potent, he added. Pollen, for instance, can be dispersed into smaller particles, which makes it more airborne. If temperature permits, Tam suggests limiting exposure by keeping windows closed to keep pollen from entering the home and settling on your furniture, especially “your bed, where you're breathing it in,” he said., can be very helpful for allergy relief, Tam said. Nose sprays can also be useful, but, he added, patients sometimes need to use them repeatedly before they notice a difference.I’ve tried all types of allergy pills and medications and nothing seems to work. What should I do? If you’ve tried different medications, but haven’t been able to find relief, Tam said you may want to consider allergy testing to pinpoint the issue. The most common forms of allergy testing are blood tests and skin tests. During skin tests, healthcare providers make tiny pinpricks on the patient’s skin and then apply an allergen to check for a reaction. Blood testing can be done by a primary care physician. Skin testing may have to be done by a specialist, like an allergist.
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