The Brief

Heavy smoke from the Airport, Line and Bridge fires has been giving Southern California communities a hard time for multiple days now.

When smoke and ash settle into your neighborhood, it irritates your eyes, nose, throat, and lungs. That can cause long-term damage, which is why it could be time to start wearing a mask.

How wildfires affect your health

When you breathe in wildfire smoke, very small particles get inside your body. But what those particles are, exactly, depends on what’s burning.

Ed Avol is a professor emeritus of USC’s Keck School of Medicine and was chief of its environmental health division. He said the first thing most people think about with wildfires is the wood aspect.

“I think what people often forget, though, is we often are also exposed to a lot of other things,” Avol said. “For example, if buildings are involved, or if cars or vehicles or other materials are involved, you get into all other kinds of exposure.”

Smoke can be made up of things we can see and things we can’t, which is why masks can help. Avol said there’s a lot of dirt, debris, and dust in smoke — often referred to as particulate matter. But we also inhale gasses like carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and more.

“Health studies show and tell us that persistent exposure to these sorts of things can affect our respiratory system and can affect our cardiovascular system,” Avol said.

Groups who are especially sensitive to smoke include:

• People with asthma
• People with cardiovascular diseases
• People with respiratory diseases
• People over 65
• Young children
• Pregnant women

Is there a difference between smoke and ash?

The view from Griffith Park as a plume rises from the Bridge Fire burning in Angeles National Forest on Monday

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Being around either of these can cause problems for you, but there is a difference. Avol said the larger ash particles — things we can visibly see — may be less of a problem for a couple of reasons.

“We can see them, so we know to avoid them,” Avol said. “Secondly, because they’re larger, if we’re breathing through our nose, they tend to be taken out by the filtration systems in our nose. The larger particles get trapped either in the upper airways or in our nose, and then we just sort of blow our nose and sneeze it out.”

The more difficult issues are the smaller particles that get into our respiratory system. Once they pass the air blood barrier in the lungs, they can get into the circulatory system and go anywhere in the body.

When should I start wearing a mask?

If you’re very close to the fires or in a smokey area, Avol has some tips for how to tell when it’s time to put one on.

“If you go outside and can smell smoke, if you go outside and see that the sky is kind of brownish, gray, hazy… then you might consider, depending on your respiratory health, consider wearing those masks,” Avol said.

You can also check air quality maps around you to see what pollutant levels are. If your neighborhood is in an orange, red or even purple area, then it’s time.

What mask works best against smoke and ash?

One of the best masks should already be familiar to you from the pandemic: an N95 mask. These are particulate respirators recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency and other agencies. Ones with a valve are fine to use.

“These are masks that are rated and tested to provide protection to at least 95% effectiveness for small particles, which are exactly the main problem, the main culprit, if you will, in wildfire smoke,” Avol said.

These masks are regulated by the CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and will have “NIOSH” printed on them. N95 masks will almost always have two straps that go around your head — not ear loops — for a tighter fit that prevents outside air from getting in.

3M brand N95 particulate respirators are displayed on a table.

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Justin Sullivan

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KN95s are similar to N95s, but these Chinese-equivalents aren’t regulated by NIOSH and use ear loops. Still, these masks are 95% effective and have less air leakage than a surgical mask.

The mask market is also riddled with fakes, so consult the CDC’s guide to spotting them if you’re not sure about the authenticity of your N95. The CDC has a list of NIOSH-approved respirators. Approval numbers are also required to be printed on the product, which can be looked up on the CDC’s certified equipment list.

A P100 respirator mask could also protect you from smoke, but Avol said those go beyond what most people need.

What about kids?

If you’re looking to protect your children, hold on before strapping N95s to their faces. NIOSH hasn’t approved these masks for kids, which means there is a dearth of sizes.

“Trying to put an adult-sized face mask onto a child just doesn't work because it doesn’t seal well against their face,” Avol said. “It basically just leaks and so you mistakenly think you’re protecting your child and you’re not really doing that much.”

The mask does come in smaller adult sizes that could fit an older child’s face, or you could opt for a child’s KN95 mask.

Avol said another solution can simply be going inside. That reduces your child’s exposure to the outside, provided your home is not leaking air.

“It may be a better day to do more reading,” Avol said. “Dare I say even watch TV or do something to minimize the increased ventilation on these particularly smoky days.”

Resources to prep and cope with wildfire

• Listen to The Big Burn, our podcast that will get you motivated to get ready
• Wildfires are getting worse. What you need to know
• Every day is now fire season. Let's get you ready for the next wildfire burning near you
• Evacuation terms can be confusing. Here’s what they mean and how to sign up for alerts
• How to keep yourself safe from wildfire smoke
• This is why fire officials don't want you to stay and defend your home
• What does 'containment' of a fire mean, exactly
• What to do — and not do — when you get home after a wildfire
• If you want to help fire victims, resist the urge to volunteer

LAX officials are considering a proposal Tuesday to increase the fees rideshare companies are charged to access the airport.

Currently, rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft generally pass a $4 to $5 airport fee along to their customers. You might see this listed as a line item on your receipt as an “LAX Airport Surcharge.”

But the Los Angeles World Airports Board of Commissioners could vote to increase that fee by as much as $2 to $8 depending on where the rideshare picks you up or drops you off.

The idea behind the proposal is to encourage the use of the long-awaited, much-delayed and over-budget Automated People Mover once it opens and decrease congestion in the central terminal area, the area of the airport that’s also known as the horseshoe.

David Reich, a deputy executive director for the city agency that manages the airport, told LAist that if the proposal is approved, LAX doesn’t plan on increasing the fee until after the Automated People Mover opens, which could be later this year.

The proposed increases

When the Automated People Mover opens, there will be new curb space for drop-off and pick-up. Known as the “ground transport center,” this new curb space will be a 4-minute trip from the terminal area via the Automated People Mover, according to Reich.

LAX-it will shut down as a rideshare and taxi lot once the train opens, Reich said.

If the proposal is approved, getting an Uber or Lyft to and from the ground transport center will come with a $6 airport fee.

Even once the Automated People Mover opens, you will still be able to get rides directly to and from the curbs along the horseshoe, but they will come with a $12 fee.

The proposed increases would also apply to taxi and limousine services, which currently operate under a slightly different fee structure than rideshare companies.

The increased fees are expected to generate as much as $100 million in the first year the Automated People Mover is usable, according to a report to the board.

Why the different fees for the different locations?

In a report to the board, Reich said the Automated People Mover represents a "significant investment” that aims to “fundamentally reshape how vehicles move through the airport.”

The idea behind having a higher fee for direct access to the curbs along the horseshoe is to encourage “use of new, high-capacity infrastructure” and preserve central terminal access for trips “that most require it.”

Uber is trying to fight the increases

Uber is trying to mobilize the public to fight the proposed fee increases.

“Raising the LAX rideshare fee from $5 to $12 at the curb would punish travelers, working families, and seniors who depend on affordable, reliable transportation,” Danielle Lam, the head of local California policy for Uber, said in a statement.

On Monday, Uber sent an email to passengers who recently used the rideshare service, urging them to write to city officials to “stop this massive fee hike.”

Lyft has not responded to a request for comment.

Ten state lawmakers who are members of the L.A. County delegation sent a letter on Monday to the board expressing their “strong opposition” to the proposed increases.

“Many Angelenos rely on a mix of options, including rideshare services and friends or family dropping off loved ones,” the legislators wrote in the letter. “Managing congestion cannot realistically rely on steep fee increases for certain transportation options.”

Eight of the 10 legislators who signed the letter have received campaign contributions from Uber or Lyft, according to an LAist analysis of state campaign contribution data.

Other ways to access the airport

Now is probably a good time to remind folks that there are other ways to get to the airport that don’t involve rideshares, taxis or even lifts from families and friends.

The FlyAway bus offers regularly scheduled rides from the airport to Union Station in downtown L.A. and Van Nuys. You can see the schedules here. 

Last year, the countywide transportation agency unveiled the LAX/Metro Transit center, which is accessible from the C and K rail lines and several bus routes. For now, an LAX shuttle is bringing travelers from the station to the airport. It will be one of the stops on the Automated People Mover once it opens.

The Newport Beach City Council is considering demolishing part of its quirky, beloved sculpture garden in Civic Center Park to make way for a new police station.

The city has been trying to figure out how to replace its aging police headquarters for years. It bought a property in 2022 with that intent. But an ad hoc City Council committee decided, controversially, it might be better to instead build a new station on the parkland next to city hall.

What’s so great about the sculpture garden?

The sculpture garden is a “museum without walls” treasured by art and nature lovers alike. It houses the quirky and once-controversial “Bunnyhenge,” included on the popular Atlas Obscura travel guide. Opponents of putting a new police headquarters on park grounds say it would compromise the environment, and decimate the sculpture garden.

What do supporters of the new station idea say?

Supporters say the current police station, built in 1973, is long overdue for an upgrade, and that the police force needs more space for things like servers to store digital evidence. The council ad hoc committee that studied the issue says the Civic Center parkland makes the most sense for a new building because the city already owns the land, and it would consolidate the city’s main services in one place.

Is it a done deal?

Far from it. The City Council is holding a study session Tuesday to present the plan publicly and gather input. If the council decides to go forward, the next step would be to hire a consultant to design the building and get started on an environmental impact report.

Here’s how to learn more and weigh in:

A new exhibit in L.A. — Vehicles of Expression: The Craft of the Skateboard — arrives this weekend, highlighting the cultural impact, history and artistry of handmade skateboards.

It’s the latest exhibit at Craft in America Center, a museum and library that highlights handcrafted artwork.

Todd Huber, skateboard historian and founder of the Skateboarding Hall of Fame, said before 1962, it wasn’t possible to buy a skateboard in a store.

“Skateboarding started as a craft,” Huber said on AirTalk, LAst 89.3’s daily news program. “Somewhere in the 50s until 1962, if you wanted to sidewalk surf, as they called it, you had to make your own out of roller skates.”

What to expect

Emily Zaiden, the director and lead curator of the Craft in America Center based in Los Angeles, told LAist’s AirTalk the exhibit was tricky to curate.

“What we wanted to do was focus on both the history and then expand into how this has been an object that people have interpreted in so many different ways since the very beginning,” Zaiden said.

Artists who craft skateboards not only think of design, but also of the features that give riders the ability to do tricks, such as wheelies and kickflips.

“The ways that people have constructed boards, engineered boards, design boards … people are really renegade, which I think is really the spirit of skateboarding overall,” Zaiden said. “This very independent, out-of-the-box approach and making boards that allow them to do all kinds of wacky tricks and do all kinds of things that no one imagined possible physically with their body, but through the object of the board.”

Know before you go

The exhibit at Craft in America Center opens to the public on Saturday. Admission is free. The museum is open from noon to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday.