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The Brief

The most important stories for you to know today
  • Highs in the 70s
    A geothermal map of Southern California in shades of orange, yellow and some green.
    Forecast highs for Monday, cool temps to continue as we see rain to come during the middle of the week.

    • Today’s weather: Mostly sunny, dry
    • Beaches: upper 60s-70s
    • Mountains/deserts: 60s-70s/69-82
    • Inland: upper 70s
    • Warnings and advisories: None

    What to expect: Today's weather will bring sunny and clear skies and enjoy it while it lasts because tomorrow the first showers of the week will come.

    If you're someone who prefers sunny weather, then soak it all in because come tomorrow, we're going to see the first of several waves of showers coming to the Southland for the rest of the week.

    Quick Facts

    • Today’s weather: Mostly sunny, dry
    • Beaches: upper 60s-70s
    • Mountains/deserts: 60s-70s/69-82
    • Inland: upper 70s
    • Warnings and advisories: None

    Along the coast on Tuesday, temperatures will average in the upper 60s to low 70s and it will be slightly breezy. Orange County coastal areas will also see highs up to 77.

    In downtown Los Angeles, expect a high of 78. The valleys, including inland areas such as Riverside and San Bernardino, will see an average of mid to upper 70s, with the highest temperature up to 79.

    The low desert will see a high of 82, whereas it's still cooler in the high desert, with a high of 69.

    I suggest you prepare to have your umbrella, rain boots and other weather proof gear ready for tomorrow's first major rain event which, as my colleague reports, is the first atmospheric river event of the rainy season.

    A graphic with two text boxes containing information in a yellow colored font of the latest totals and impacts of the storm with a fall backdrop.
    The latest on the storm forecast from the National Weather Service
    (
    Courtesy NWS
    )

    This day in history

    On this week in 2018, we remember the Woolsey Fire and Camp Fire.

    Things to do

    Do you live and breathe hip hop? This event is for you:

    • Can You Dig It?: A Hip-Hop Origin Story With Chuck D: This panel discussion, held in conjunction with the Grammy Museum's exhibit, Hip-Hop America: The Mixtape Exhibit, focuses on an immersive audio docuseries on how the Bronx in the 1970s transitioned from "outlaw culture to hip-hop culture," with the turning point being the brutal murder of Black Benjie, a gang member-turned-peacemaker. Moderated by Vice Chair of Critical Dance Studies and an Associate Professor in the Department of Black Study at UC Riverside Imani Kai Johnson, the panel includes the executive producers and creators of the Audible Original: Chuck D, Lorrie Boula, Pete Chelala, Bryan Master and Julian Voloj.

    Check out our full list of things to do this week.

  • Officials say it's likely Jackie and on the mend
    A man wearing a green-gray t-shirt and brown gloves above his elbows is holding an adult bald eagle in front of him with both hands. He's standing in a room, with another man smiling in the back right.
    An adult eagle was rescued in Big Bear by the San Dimas Raptor Rescue team.

    Topline:

    A bald eagle, believed to be Jackie, has been rescued in Big Bear after a brief fight with two other eagles, according to Friends of Big Bear Valley, the environmental nonprofit that runs a YouTube livestream of Jackie and Shadow’s famous nest.

    Why it matters: The eagle was taken in by the L.A. County Department of Parks and Recreation’s San Dimas Raptor Rescue and transferred to a specialized rehabilitation facility for further care, according to county officials.

    Why now: The eagle’s sex and identity have not been confirmed, but Friends of Big Bear Valley said “it is apparent that the rescued eagle is likely Jackie.”

    The backstory: The last time Jackie was seen in the nest was July 12, according to organization records.

    Go deeper: A $10M fundraiser could save the land around Big Bear's bald eagle nest. It's halfway over

    A bald eagle believed to be Jackie has been rescued in Big Bear after a brief fight with two other eagles, according to Friends of Big Bear Valley, the environmental nonprofit that runs a YouTube livestream of Jackie and Shadow’s famous nest.

    The rescued eagle was seen on the ground near Dana Point Park, a popular look-out spot in the area for fans hoping to see the feathered family.

    The eagle was taken in by the L.A. County Department of Parks and Recreation’s San Dimas Raptor Rescue and transferred to a specialized rehabilitation facility for further care, according to county officials.

    The eagle’s sex and identity have not been confirmed, but Friends of Big Bear Valley said “it is apparent that the rescued eagle is likely Jackie.” The last time Jackie was seen in the nest was July 12, according to organization records.

    “She is in the best place she can be and getting the care she needs,” the nonprofit said to the 1.2 million followers of its Facebook page.

    L.A. County and nonprofit officials are urging people not to contact the rescue or facility so it doesn’t interfere with the help they’re providing the eagle and other animals.

    What happened?

    According to Friends of Big Bear Valley, cell phone video showed the rescued eagle fighting off the two other birds by using its talons, but it still couldn’t fly further away. The eagle was found near the park last Friday, but it was seen there Thursday too.

    The eagle was picked up by wildlife rescuers, and the nonprofit said it has been in direct contact with them and the rehabilitation facility.

    The first organization didn’t see any obvious injuries on the rescued eagle, but the bird was lethargic and yet still somewhat active, according to a Friends of Big Bear Valley post in its Facebook group, which has more than 485,000 members.

    “The eagle is safe and receiving specialized care,” the L.A. County Department of Parks and Recreation said on social media Sunday. “We will share confirmed information as it becomes available.”

    How are the rest of the feathered family doing?

    While Jackie has been away, Shadow is caring for their fledglings Sandy and Luna, which took their first flights nearly a month ago.

    Sandy and Luna have been in and out of the nest in recent days, and Shadow delivered 11 fish this weekend while they continue to learn to hunt, according to organization records.

    “Send your light and loving energy to all of them,” Jenny Voisard, media manager, said Saturday in the Facebook group. “It doesn’t do anyone any good to panic and remember to step away from the livestream as needed. Nature is naturing.”

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  • CA seeks protections despite EPA rollbacks
    A person with light-tone skin fills a glass from a faucet.
    Testing results in California's childcare facilities have find high levels of lead in many centers.

    Topline:

    With uncertainty over when regulations on some of the most common of these cancer-causing pollutants, called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances or PFAS, will take effect in California, lawmakers are floating alternative plans to remove them from the state’s tap water.

    What is CA doing? California requires water systems to notify the public if PFAS levels reach a certain threshold. Some systems have already begun treating or blending the water with clean sources to make it safer to drink. The long-term goal in California is for these chemicals to be regulated 'as a class' rather than through 'individual' chemicals. AB 1603 would for the first time require that pesticides be categorized as containing PFAS chemicals by the state, and their use to be reported to authorities.

    Why it matters: There are nearly 15,000 different PFAS chemicals, used in an array of everyday items like clothing, food packaging and cookware, as well as in fire-fighting foams, pesticides and many industrial processes. Regulators have found them around hundreds of landfills, airports, military bases and industrial sites across the state. Because they’re highly soluble, once they leach into the water table they’re extremely difficult to remove — and they can take thousands of years to break down. Nearly everyone in the U.S. has these chemicals in their blood, and exposure to some of the most studied PFAS chemicals has been linked to cancer, liver disease, immune system disruption and other chronic health problems.

    As the Trump administration delays regulations on “forever chemicals” that pollute reservoirs, rivers and aquifers nationwide, California officials say they are unsure what the consequences will be for an estimated 1.5 million Californians served by utilities with contaminated sources of drinking water.

    With uncertainty over when regulations on some of the most common of these cancer-causing pollutants, called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances or PFAS, will take effect in California, lawmakers are floating alternative plans to remove them from the state’s tap water.

    Among several forever chemical-related bills in Congress is one that would tax PFAS manufacturers to help utilities pay for expensive treatment technologies. State legislation that could have led to the ban of pesticides containing PFAS has been watered down by lawmakers, but environmental advocates still see the bill as an important first step.

    “The corporations that contaminated our water rarely face accountability. My bill changes that by making them cover the cost of cleaning it up,” U.S. Rep. Linda Sánchez, an author of the federal bill, said in an email to Capital & Main. Pico Rivera and Downey are two cities in Sánchez’s Los Angeles-area district that are grappling with PFAS-contaminated water sources.

    There are nearly 15,000 different PFAS chemicals, used in an array of everyday items like clothing, food packaging and cookware, as well as in fire-fighting foams, pesticides and many industrial processes. Regulators have found them around hundreds of landfills, airports, military bases and industrial sites across the state. Because they’re highly soluble, once they leach into the water table they’re extremely difficult to remove — and they can take thousands of years to break down. The chemicals can enter the body through contaminated water and accumulate over time.

    Nearly everyone in the U.S. has these chemicals in their blood, and exposure to some of the most studied PFAS chemicals has been linked to cancer, liver disease, immune system disruption and other chronic health problems.

    These chemicals are nearly ubiquitous in tap water. According to the consumer advocacy organization Environmental Working Group, 165 million Americans drink PFAS-laced tap water.

    Under a plan established under the Biden administration, federal drinking water standards for perfluorooctanoic and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOA and PFOS), two of the most common forever chemicals, were set to be enforced in 2029. But under President Donald Trump, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has moved to delay those protections by offering water systems an opt-out until 2031. The EPA is also rescinding regulatory drinking water limits for four other forever chemicals.

    Daniel Newton, assistant deputy director of the California Water Resources Control Board’s Division of Drinking Water, said state regulators are unsure whether impacted water systems in California would be eligible for the two-year delay — and, if they are, whether California would “allow that extension or not,” Newton said.

    Of California’s 2,363 public water systems that have been tested since 2024, 466 had levels of either PFOA or PFOS above the federal regulatory limit, according to the water board. California requires water systems to notify the public if PFAS levels reach a certain threshold. Some systems have already begun treating or blending the water with clean sources to make it safer to drink.

    Without federal drinking water limits for other PFAS substances, California has started the years-long process of adopting its own rules for one commonly used such chemical called PFHxS, which has been detected since 2024 in nearly 400 systems above the state notification level. Newton said the long-term goal in California is for these chemicals to be regulated “as a class” rather than through “individual” chemicals.

    But environmental health advocates want California regulators to move faster.

    “We’ve been monitoring these chemicals since 2019. That means that by 2029, we’ll have spent 10 years preparing,” said Andria Ventura, legislative and policy director with the nonprofit Clean Water Action. As such, she added, “California regulators should be more protective than the federal government by not delaying implementation.”

    Some systems, especially smaller cash-strapped utilities, recommend a more cautious approach.

    “It could potentially be advantageous to anybody dealing with this to wait,” said Carlos Quintero, general manager of the San Diego County-based Sweetwater Authority, pointing to high treatment costs and the evolution of new better treatment technologies.

    Roughly 65% of Sweetwater Authority’s 200,000 customers live in areas designated by state agencies as suffering a combination of economic, health, and environmental burdens.. The utility is exploring different PFAS treatment technologies, the cheapest coming in at roughly $50 million. Quintero estimates ongoing operational and maintenance costs for the system alone could result in water rate increases of around 6%.

    Rather than keep treating contaminated water, some lawmakers and advocacy groups want to remove the problem at the source.

    In California, AB 1603 would for the first time require that pesticides be categorized as containing PFAS chemicals by the state, and their use to be reported to authorities. According to the Environmental Working Group, 37% of California grown nonorganic fruits and vegetables have PFAS-laced pesticide residues on them, while regulators found PFAS pesticides in roughly half of all surface water and sediment samples taken.

    Under pressure from agricultural interests, lawmakers earlier this year stripped language from the legislation that would have eventually banned PFAS-based pesticides in California. But Susan Little, Environmental Working Group’s California legislative director, hopes this bill “sets the stage” for an outright ban in the future.

    Last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill that would have banned the sale of PFAS-laden cookware and other products, arguing it would restrict the availability of affordable cookware.

    Many impacted states, municipalities and water systems have sought financial relief through lawsuits against chemical manufacturers like 3M and DuPont. Just this week, New York Attorney General Letitia James sued major PFAS chemical manufacturers alleging they had deceived the public about human exposure risks and threats to the environment. But for the most part, the public continues to bear the brunt of cleanup costs through rate increases and taxpayer-funded programs.

    Even so, these pots of money “are not anywhere near what the actual cost of compliance is going to be,” said Ian Lyle, director of federal relations for the Association of California Water Agencies. The Orange County Water District alone estimates a cost to the county of $1.8 billion over 30 years to treat PFAS.

    With the idea of alleviating the burden on water systems and the taxpayer, Rep. Sánchez’s federal bill would establish a 45% tax on the manufacturing of PFAS to provide a tax credit of up to 25% for public and private water agencies.

    “I expect it will be enough to cover the direct pay credit that will fund water cleanup efforts for both public and private water municipalities,” Sánchez said.

    Copyright 2026 Capital & Main

  • Court ruling temporarily freezes merger


    Topline:

    A federal judge's ruling Monday in response to a major antitrust lawsuit filed by a dozen states has paused Paramount's acquisition of Warner Bros. discovery.

    About the lawsuit: The attorneys general allege Paramount's purchase of Warner Bros. would reduce competition, hurting filmgoers, TV and news consumers and especially those who create the entertainment and other content they rely on.

    Paramount's owners were planning to have secured firm control of Hollywood rival Warner Bros. Discovery by the end of this week.

    Paramount's owners were planning to have secured firm control of Hollywood rival Warner Bros. Discovery by the end of this week.

    A federal judge's ruling Monday in response to a major antitrust lawsuit filed by a dozen states has ground the process to a halt.

    On Monday, U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín granted a temporary restraining order to the states to pause the acquisition. The attorneys general allege Paramount's purchase of Warner Bros. would reduce competition, hurting filmgoers, TV and news consumers and especially those who create the entertainment and other content they rely on.

    The $111 billion deal would unite Paramount and Warner Bros. movie and television studios, streamers Paramount+ and HBO Max, the nation's most-watched broadcast outlet (CBS) with 50 cable channels, and CNN and CBS News under the same roof.
    "This is a critical first win in our case to ensure this megamerger never sees the light of day," California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement issued to the press.

    This is a developing story and will be updated.

    NPR's Mandalit Del Barco contributed to this story.
    Copyright 2026 NPR

  • Burbank man say it helps cure feeling lonely in LA
    A man with shoulder length blonde hair, glasses, and a beaded bracelet on his right wrist is drinking a cup of coffee from a white mug. He's sitting in a booth at a diner, with black and white photos framed on the wall behind him.
    Raz, as he prefers to be called, has sat down for a meal with nearly 20 strangers so far this year.

    Topline:

    On a Sunday morning, I walked into Coral Cafe in Burbank to have breakfast with a stranger. Here's how it went.

    Why it matters: Raz, as he prefers to be called, has been meeting with different people — different strangers — over a cup of coffee and french toast almost every week for the past six months.

    The backstory: The idea started when a solo meal turned into a spontaneous shared table with a woman who was also planning on eating alone.

    Why now: So, he opened up the invite on Reddit. Nearly 20 neighbors have had a meal with him since then.

    Read on... to learn more about the meals.

    On a Sunday morning, I walked into Coral Cafe in Burbank to have breakfast with a stranger.

    Raz, as he prefers to be called, has been meeting with different people — different strangers — over a cup of coffee and French toast almost every week for the past six months.

    The idea started when a solo meal turned into a spontaneous shared table with a woman who was also planning on eating alone. Their hour-long conversation left a profound impact on Raz, and a lingering feeling that he wanted to have that kind of connection again.

    So, he opened up the invite on Reddit. Nearly 20 neighbors have had a meal with him since then.

    “For me, it's never been about who you are or the job you have,” he told LAist. “It's just more about the impact that we have on each other, and the impact that you have on me.”

    A little ‘leap of faith’

    I didn’t know much about Raz when I first got to the restaurant, not even his name.

    I did know I was looking out for someone with shoulder length blonde hair and glasses, but I didn't need to guess much with the waiter in on the arrangement.

    The waiter walked me right up to Raz at his usual table, and any of the awkwardness or strained small talk I expected evaporated almost immediately. Although we were more than 30 years apart in age, we had a lot in common.

    A man with shoulder length blonde hair and glasses is sitting at a diner booth. He's using a fork and knife to eat a plate of French toast in front of him. A bowl of fruit and cup of coffee is sitting on his right, with a bowl of creamer containers on his left.
    For our second breakfast, I had bacon and hashbrowns while Raz had his usual French toast and fruit.
    (
    Makenna Cramer
    /
    LAist
    )

    The hour-long breakfast quickly turned into two as we talked about family, politics, relationships, work, childhood, religion and health, to name a few. We made tentative plans to see each other again at Raz’s weekly dance classes, hugged, and parted ways.

    “We're a puzzle, right? And all the pieces are everywhere … but if you start laying them down into the puzzle, it starts to create a giant picture,” he told me over another plate of French toast last week. “And that's kind of what it is, you know? It's that connection and disconnection.”

    Stories from the series

    Raz shares short posts on the Burbank subreddit about each breakfast, but he’s careful to avoid any identifying details of the neighbors he’s dining with or the conversations they have.

    Instead, he refers to them as nicknames like the Artist, Captain Max and the Tornado.

    Raz described the Artist in his post as a woman with “electric” energy who made the table seem “a little brighter from the moment she sat down.”

    There was nothing pirate-like about Captain Max, but Raz wrote that he still found himself “on the ship, sitting on a barrel of rum, listening to our captain spin tales of the sea.”

    The Tornado was a smart woman, “like big-brain, med-school smart,” who treated “life like a buffet,” Raz said in his post. After drinking an obscene amount of coffee together, they realized they still hadn’t gotten each other's names, but decided they didn’t need to, for the fun of it.

    Southern California can feel lonely at times, which is why Raz said he went to the cafe to begin with. But he said he doesn’t feel that way anymore, at least since having Sunday breakfasts with strangers to look forward to.

    “The more I get to know people, the more I want to know more people,” he said. “And to me, that's like a new feeling.”

    A tradition in LA

    There’s a history of having meals with strangers in Southern California, like with the Los Angeles Breakfast Club.

    The club hosts weekly breakfasts at the Friendship Auditorium in Los Feliz — a storied tradition that dates back a century.

    Anna Trumbo, vice president of the L.A. Breakfast Club, told LAist people often show up alone, and it’s a great opportunity to meet others outside of your age group.

    “Everyone is so welcoming, and just immediately struck up conversations, and now these are some of my best friends,” Trumbo said. “But that first morning where it really was breakfast with strangers, felt very [much] like breathing a sigh of relief.”

    How to join

    • You can reach out to have breakfast with Raz by emailing breakfastwithmeLA@gmail.com.
    • You can learn more about the Los Angeles Breakfast club, including tickets and membership details, on its website.