Putting dirty air on notice in the Palisades
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Families struggling to recover from January’s Palisades fire worry about a long list of unknowns, from whether they can afford to rebuild to what their old neighborhoods will be like if they return.
A project by the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health may help calm concerns over at least one other variable — the quality of the air in and near the burn zone.
Researchers at the university announced this week they had finished installing 20 air quality sensors to measure pollution, stretching from the Palisades Highlands and Sunset Mesa (near the Getty Villa) to Santa Monica.
The monitors sample the air every five to 10 minutes, checking for the kind of fine particles spewed out by fires and car exhausts, and the slightly larger dust-like particles that might be stirred up by debris removal.
Microscopic detritus in the air will continue to be a concern during the months of cleanup, grading and construction still to come. The level of crud in the air can increase when building sites get particularly active, or when winds increase, as they tend to in the fall.
UCLA translates the results into color-coded categories — from green for “Good” to red for “Hazardous” — and displays the results on an online dashboard.
Those concerned about air quality, but who want to avoid clicking on a digital map all day, can sign up to be alerted by email when particulate pollution reaches an unhealthy level in their neighborhood.
While the public previously may have relied on weather apps or sites like PurpleAir to get a sense of air quality, those often do not track the larger particles being measured by UCLA’s monitoring stations.
Around the site of the Eaton fire in Altadena, Caltech began tracking particulate pollution at 28 locations not long after the fires and continues to provide data. Its sensors find that pollution levels are generally low and do not exceed limits established by the Environmental Protection Agency.
There’s similar good news from the Palisades: Almost every day this week, the 20 monitors around the Westside showed mostly good air quality for both the fine and coarser particulate matter.
That’s welcome information, especially for those who suffer from respiratory problems.
“Air quality can change frequently, like when there is construction or debris removal without adequate migration,” said Yifang Zhu, a professor of environmental health at UCLA and director of the project. “The whole purpose of this dashboard is to give people information, as close to real-time as possible, so they can make decisions to help protect their health.”
Today’s top stories
Legal help in immigration court fades as the Trump administration ramps up arrests
- Over the last two months, once bipartisan-supported programs for those in detention have either been chopped or taken over by the government.
- Now, basic legal services meant to help people in what is often the most stressful and consequential moments of their lives are gone.
Trump’s top federal prosecutor in L.A. struggles to secure indictments against protesters
- Legal experts and some of U.S. Atty. Bill Essayli’s own prosecutors say he’s stretching legal limits to serve as Trump’s attack dog in L.A.
- While his office has filed felony cases for alleged misconduct that either took place during last month’s protests or near the sites of raids, many have already been dismissed.
- Legal experts said Essayli’s low number of indictments raised concerns about the strength of the cases he is filing.
More food delivery bots are coming to L.A.
- Coco Robotics, a startup born on the UCLA campus, is about to carpet-bomb the city with hundreds of additional adorable delivery bots recently enhanced with some of the same AI that powers ChatGPT.
- Residents of Silver Lake — one of the neighborhoods most recently occupied by delivery bots from Coco and others — give the rolling bots mixed reviews so far.
What else is going on
- The Eaton fire could wipe out California’s $21-billion wildfire fund, documents show.
- A.G. Rob Bonta is seeking a takeover of the scandal-plagued L.A. County juvenile halls.
- Life jackets made a critical difference in the Lake Tahoe tragedy last month, a report shows. None of the 8 people killed wore one.
- After Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s death, the Red Cross in Costa Rica says a second man survived the same drowning.
- David Geffen has been accused of abusing his ex in a suit alleging paid sex and superyacht drug parties.
- Matthew Perry’s “Dr. P” has pleaded guilty to supplying the actor with ketamine prior to his death.
Commentary and opinions
- Donald Trump has now thoroughly sullied the office of the presidency, argues columnist Jackie Calmes.
- Columnist Steve Lopez took a week off to escape the steady hum of grim news. It didn’t go as he planned.
- Climate columnist Sammy Roth says that California needs a little less farmland and a lot more solar power.
- Has Musk lied about self-driving Teslas? California says yes, writes business columnist Michael Hiltzik.
- Guest contributor Mark Weisbrot says we need to rethink sanctions. They’re killing as many people as war does.
This morning’s must-reads
De-aged stars, cloned voices, resuscitated dead icons: AI is changing the art and business of acting
AI isn’t hovering at the edges of acting anymore. It has reshaped faces, smoothed dialogue and fast-tracked everything from dubbing to reshoots. And its reach is growing.
Other must-reads
- How do you know when it’s the right time to say goodbye to a beloved dog?
- Drone operators, managers, trainers are the unsung contributors for high school football.
- Human Rights Watch uncovered the “degrading and dehumanizing” treatment of ICE detainees.
For your downtime
Going out
- Fandom: If you’re headed down to San Diego Comic-Con — which begins today — here are 27 must-see panels.
- Music: The Altons proudly share the oldies sound of East L.A. with the world, even as their hometown is “targeted” by ICE.
- Nightlife: The Friday Night Latin District is bringing culture and community back to downtown L.A.
- Movies: Get excited, Pedro Pascal fans — “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” is a grown-up glow-up for the superhero genre.
Staying in
- Books: Celebrate International Self-Care Day today by picking up one of these bestselling books for the weekend.
- Music: Heavy-metal legend and reality TV star Ozzy Osbourne died on Tuesday at the age of 76. Here are 10 of his essential songs.
- Recipes: Here’s a recipe for nectarine-berry pie with black pepper crust.
- ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and arcade games.
A question for you: What are some ways you pamper your dogs?
Brian says, “I cook food for him. Most recently ground turkey, a sweet potato, and some broth. This gets mixed in with his kidney friendly canned food. He is old and takes medication for his heart and thyroid along with the kidney diet.”
Email us at essentialcalifornia@latimes.com, and your response might appear in the newsletter this week.
And finally ... from our archives
On July 24, 2023, Elon Musk began rebranding the social media platform formerly known as Twitter to its current identity, X. Since then, the site has introduced the artificial intelligence chatbot Grok, which has prompted concern among experts for its record of spreading misinformation and conspiracy theories — especially during vulnerable periods like natural disasters.
Have a great day, from the Essential California team
Jim Rainey, staff writer
Diamy Wang, homepage intern
Izzy Nunes, audience intern
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew Campa, Sunday writer
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters
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