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The Brief

The most important stories for you to know today
  • Temperatures to drop a few degrees this weekend
    A wide view of children and their silhouettes against the sun rays as they jump around in water puddles in a park.
    The hottest part of the day is around 4pm. Make sure to stay cool and check in on loved ones.

    QUICK FACTS

    • Today’s weather: Sunny
    • Beaches: 74 to 80 degrees
    • Mountains: Mid-80s to mid-90s
    • Inland: 91 to 100 degrees
    • Warnings and advisories: Heat advisory, extreme heat

    What to expect: A slightly, cooler weekend before another heatwave comes next week. Temperatures will drop a degree or two today.

    Read on ... for more details.

    QUICK FACTS

    • Today’s weather: Sunny
    • Beaches: 74 to 80 degrees
    • Mountains: Mid-80s to mid-90s
    • Inland: 91 to 100 degrees
    • Warnings and advisories: Heat advisory, extreme heat

    It might not feel like it, but Southern California is in for a slight cooldown this weekend before the heat comes back.

    The National Weather Service says temperatures today will drop a degree or two. At the beaches, the daily highs will range from 74 to 80 degrees. For the inland coast, expect max temperatures to reach 87 to 93 degrees. Inland areas of Orange County will see temperatures from 79 to 87 degrees.

    Meanwhile, L.A. County valleys will stay below 100 degrees today with highs expected to reach 89 to 99 degrees. Over in the Inland Empire, we're going to see temperatures range from 91 to 100 degrees.

    In Coachella Valley, temperatures will be about 3 degrees cooler with highs from 110 to 115 degrees. And in the Antelope Valley, expect highs from 99 to 108 degrees, and 93 to 98 degrees for the cooler hills.

    Looking ahead to the weekend, daily highs for the valley communities are expected to max out in the lower to mid-90s. Coachella Valley will also see temperatures drop a few more degrees. Come Monday, temperatures will begin to warm up again.

    Need a place to get out of the heat?

    You can find cooling centers via the following links:

    Staying safe in the heat

    • Don't wait until you're thirsty to drink water or electrolyte replacements.
    • Drink cool water, not extremely cold water (which can cause cramps).
    • Avoid sweetened drinks, caffeine and alcohol.

    Protect pets

    • Never leave a pet or animal in a garage.
    • Never leave a pet or animal in a vehicle.
    • Never leave a pet or animal in the sun.
    • Provide shade.
    • Provide clean drinking water.

    Protect people

    Check in frequently with family, friends and neighbors. Offer assistance or rides to those who are sick or have limited access to transportation. And give extra attention to people most at risk, including:

    • Elderly people (65 years and older).
    • Infants.
    • Young children.
    • People with chronic medical conditions.
    • People with mental illness.
    • People taking certain medications (i.e.: "If your doctor generally limits the amount of fluid you drink or has you on water pills, ask how much you should drink while the weather is hot," the CDC recommends).

  • Fire now 70% contained
    A photo of a lot of smoke from a fire burning in a mountainous area.
    The Walnut Fire burning in Burbank.

    Topline:

    A brush fire burning in Wildwood Canyon above Burbank has prompted evacuation orders for DeBell Restaurant and Golf Course and Stough Canyon Nature Center, according to the city of Burbank.

    What we know so far: The Walnut Fire broke out Saturday afternoon near the intersection East Harvard Road and Wildwood Canyon Road.

    Read on ... for more on evacuations and weather conditions.

    This is a developing story and will be updated. For the most up-to-date information about the fire you can check:

    Evacuation orders for DeBell Restaurant and Golf Course and Stough Canyon Nature Center remain in place for a fire burning in Wildwood Canyon above Burbank.

    Evacuation warnings for Churches Ct. and Country Club Drive were lifted at 6:20 p.m.

    As of 5:55 p.m., the fire had burned 40 acres and 70% contained, according to Burbank.

    The Walnut Fire broke out Saturday afternoon near the intersection East Harvard Road and Wildwood Canyon Road.

    Hiking trails around the area are closed. The Starlight Bowl concert scheduled for tonight has been canceled.

    Listen to our Big Burn podcast

    Listen 39:42
    Get ready now. Listen to our The Big Burn podcast
    Jacob Margolis, LAist's science reporter, examines the new normal of big fires in California.

    Fire resources and tips

    Check out LAist's wildfire recovery guide

    If you have to evacuate:

    Navigating fire conditions:

    How to help yourself and others:

    How to start the recovery process:

    What to do for your kids:

    Prepare for the next disaster:

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  • Things are not looking good

    Topline:

    A report Friday from the Labor Department shows that employers cut 23,000 jobs last month, and job gains for May and June were revised sharply lower.

    Why it matters: The unemployment rate dipped to 4.1%, but only because more than 260,000 people dropped out of the workforce.

    Why now: It was the second month in a row that the monthly jobs tally came in weaker than forecasters had expected.

    The U.S. job market unexpectedly stalled in July.

    A report Friday from the Labor Department shows that employers cut 23,000 jobs last month, and job gains for May and June were revised sharply lower.

    The unemployment rate dipped to 4.1%, but only because more than 260,000 people dropped out of the workforce.

    It was the second month in a row that the monthly jobs tally came in weaker than forecasters had expected.

    "We are increasingly hearing from workers that they are anxious about their job security and they are frustrated by the fact that they are stuck in roles that are not necessarily good for them," said Daniel Zhao, chief economist at the job search website Glassdoor. "And that's on top of workers who are not in a job right now and feel frozen out of the job market."

    Glassdoor's worker confidence index slumped in July to a record low.

    The Fed's job gets harder

    Restaurants and retailers cut thousands of jobs last month, and local government also saw large job losses. Healthcare continued to add workers, but at a more modest pace than earlier in the year.

    The softening job market may complicate the Federal Reserve's job, since it's also battling stubborn inflation. The Fed may be more cautious about raising interest rates at a time when the labor market appears less stable.

    For people who are working, average wages have risen 3.2% in the last 12 months. That's likely not enough to keep pace with inflation, however, so workers' paychecks don't stretch as far as they used to.

    "Part of the reason that workers are feeling bad about today's job market," Zhao says, is that "a lot of those wage gains have been eaten up by rising energy prices."

    Copyright 2026 NPR

  • The little-known jazz salon takes place at a gym
    A black woman in a hot pink one piece illuminated under a spotlight as she sings in a jazz club.
    Maria Howell performs at the Jazz Salon.

    Topline:

    Every Sunday night, a semi-secret event at the tony Los Angeles Athletic Club lets anyone experience a near-private concert from jazz legends — for just $10.

    Why it matters: The revolving cast draws from a repertory group of about 15 artists, including: saxophonist Rickey Woodard, who played for Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald and more; trumpeter Nolan Shaheed, who backed Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Stevie Wonder.

    Read on ... to find the details of this hidden gem ...

    It seems that jazz is everywhere in Los Angeles. Blue Note opened a club last year, venues like Sam First, Catalina’s, Vibrato and the Baked Potato draw large crowds, and hotels and bars are adding jazz to their schedules.

    But every week, a semi-secret event at the tony Los Angeles Athletic Club lets anyone experience a near-private concert from legends such as Rickey Woodard, who played saxophone for Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn and others; and Nolan Shaheed, trumpeter for Duke Ellington, Marvin Gaye and more.

    That’s before you get to the evening’s singer, who might be 96-year-old pianist Betty Bryant, former Raelette Val Monroe or singer and Grammy-winning songwriter John Proulx.

     

    Until recently, the Sunday night Jazz Salon was free. Now it charges a nominal $10 per person, which is still an outrageous bargain, so be sure to add something to the tip jar on the piano, and maybe try one of the cocktails or the steak frites.

    Inside the club 

    Walking into the club earlier, you see black-and-white photos of all types of healthy pursuits on the walls, as well as trophies and mementos of the club’s nearly century-and-a-half history. Plush sofas, high ceilings and book-filled shelves are the order of the day, and alongside members in gym gear or lugging laptops, you go up in one of the elevators to the third floor, where the Jazz Salon takes place.

    A man in a dinner jacket standing next to a huge jazz bass that's taller than him.
    Dave Ross, bassist and founder of the Jazz Salon.
    (
    James Bartlett
    /
    LAist
    )

    The bassist who built it 

    Earlier in the day, Dave Ross, 76, was setting up the amps, drum kit, mixer and mic stands. He also administers the website, acts as MC and plays double bass as part of the ensemble. He began the venture over a decade ago, when he persuaded the LAAC, of which he had long been a member, to host concerts in their redecorated restaurant and bar.

    Ross draws from a repertory group of about 15 artists, and the concert takes place opposite the bar in a wood-paneled room of just a few dozen leather chairs and tables. This small scale makes the night intimate and unique.

    Sunday Night Jazz Salon

    Location: Invention (3rd Floor), The Los Angeles Athletic Club, 646 S Olive St., Downtown Los Angeles

    Time: Sundays, 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM (with a brief intermission)
    Cost: $10 cover charge at the door
    Make reservations and check out the weekly artist schedule

    “No gig is ever the same,” says Ross. “We don’t rehearse, and every time we play a song, we're never trying to play it the same way we played it before.”

    That makes the night fun, too. Since you’re right near the musicians, you can hear their laughter and banter, as well as their impressive solos. Ross, stage left, stays out of the limelight — which is how he prefers it — and often says he's just happy to be there playing.

    “You're there to keep the beat, the pulse of the music,” he says. “And then, secondarily, the notes that you play help the other musicians understand what the chord, what the harmony is. I'm just doing it for the pleasure of playing the music.”

    A dream snare with the words "The Jazz Salon" on it.
    The Jazz Salon is a $10 Sunday night concert at the Los Angeles Athletic Club.
    (
    James Bartlett
    /
    LAist
    )

    Why $10 barely covers it 

    Once a month, Ross and some of his stable join a touring artist — recently five-time Grammy-nominee Karrin Allyson — in the club’s 250-seat ballroom for a more formal ticketed event, but there have been just two complete sellouts of them this year: tributes to Bill Evans and Dave Brubeck/Paul Desmond.

    Donations and the tip jar on Sunday evenings sometimes haven’t been enough to break even, either, which led to Ross reluctantly introducing the $10 charge. No matter what, he is determined the Jazz Salon will keep going.

    “When I was younger, there was a receptionist I knew who was a nun. She said: “‘You know what your problem is? You’re too optimistic!’”

  • YouTube show turns mom's recipes into tacos
    A man with a light skin tone and dark hair, wearing glasses and a black chef's coat, extends a colorful taco toward a woman with light hair and a light skin tone on a sunlit Los Angeles sidewalk. The woman, wearing a plaid shirt with a crossbody bag, smiles mid-conversation as office buildings and palm trees line the street behind them.
    Shemtob approaches strangers across Los Angeles and asks a simple question: What's your mom's best dish?

    Topline:

    Lime Truck founder and two-time Great Food Truck Race champion Daniel Shemtob is approaching strangers across L.A., asking what their mom's best dish is, and turning it into a taco on his food truck the same day. It's all part of a new five-episode series, Better Than Your Mom, launched on what would have been his mother's birthday.

    Why it matters: What starts as a quick, chaotic street-corner challenge opens into something bigger — a Long Beach woman honoring her late mother-in-law's gefilte fish recipe, and a chef processing his own mother's death and the loss of his home in last year's Palisades Fire, one taco at a time.

    Read on … for how a stranger's yes turns into a family's story, and what happens when a taco truck becomes a place to grieve, honor and remember.

    Daniel Shemtob has been going around Los Angeles asking strangers this question: "What's your mom's best dish?"

    He then turns their answers — from Filipino oxtail adobo to the Ashkenazi Jewish favorite of gefilte fish — into a taco for his new five-episode web series, "Better Than Your Mom."

    One episode breaks from the format entirely: a head-to-head chopped salad taco challenge between Shemtob and Vanessa Silverton, daughter of famed L.A. chef Nancy Silverton, judged blind by Nancy herself.

    A man with a light skin tone, dark curly hair, and a beard stands with his arms crossed in a commercial kitchen, smiling and wearing a black chef's coat. Stainless steel shelving and kitchen equipment fill the background.
    Daniel Shemtob, founder of The Lime Truck and creator and host of Better Than Your Mom.
    (
    Courtesy Daniel Shemtob
    )

    A two-time winner of "The Great Food Truck Race" on the Food Network, Shemtob is no stranger to reality TV — he also founded The Lime Truck, serving Cali-Mex cuisine in Orange County.

    What starts as a quick, chaotic street-corner challenge opens into something bigger — a Long Beach woman honoring her late mother-in-law's gefilte fish recipe, and a chef processing his own mother's death and the loss of his home in the 2025 Palisades Fire.

    A dish for his mother

    Despite loving fine dining, Shemtob said nothing beats the experience of having someone invite him to their mother's home for dinner.

    "It's by far my favorite thing," he said.

    A man with a light skin tone, dark curly hair, and tattooed forearms reaches into a metal container at a stovetop inside a food truck kitchen. A woman with light hair and a light skin tone, wearing a plaid shirt, stands beside him and watches.
    Gundry watched as Shemtob reworked her mother-in-law's recipe in real time — a process that normally takes her more than two hours, done in 20 minutes.
    (
    Screenshot via Better Than Your Mom
    )

    That urge to connect with other people also came from wanting to celebrate his late mother's legacy and the impact she had on him in the kitchen.

    "Eating was like a big part of how we shared and celebrated," Shemtob said. "It was a culture that was built around food."

    A stranger says, 'yes'

    While most walk past him or decline to talk, Shemtob said he's been surprised by how many strangers say yes almost immediately — like Anne Gundry, a retired biology teacher in Long Beach.

    She answered with a dish from her mother-in-law from her first marriage — gefilte fish served cold.

    A grilled flatbread taco filled with shredded cabbage slaw, sour cream sauce, and fresh dill.
    Shemtob's take on Dena Levenstein's gefilte fish, reimagined as a taco with an apple-horseradish slaw.
    (
    Courtesy Daniel Shemtob
    )

    Gundry recalled her first meeting with Dena Levenstein, who would become her mother-in-law. The relationship started out cold — but cooking together changed their dynamic.

    "That's where I honestly think we had the deepest bond with her," Gundry said.

    Gundry described yearly visits to Levenstein's house as a cooking "apprenticeship," where Gundry was taught to cook by feel — adding ingredients by the handful, testing a dish's consistency by touch.

    "She used to say, 'How does it feel?'" Gundry recalled. "And I'd say, 'I don't know, I don't know how it's supposed to feel.'"

    Over the years, she learned. Now, Gundry teaches her own children that recipe the same way — without referring to what's written down.

    Watching Shemtob cook on "Better Than Your Mom," Gundry was skeptical. Her own process takes over two hours; his took 20 minutes — until she tasted the apple-horseradish slaw he added.

    "Brilliant," she said. "I've been trying to duplicate it at home."

    You can find Shemtob's videos on his YouTube channel.