The Brief

Some beliefs surrounding the solar eclipse are rooted in mythology and religion. When I mentioned the solar eclipse to my Sri Lankan Muslim father, he advised me not to go into the office. Instead, he reminded me to say a special prayer at the time of the eclipse.

Turns out, he isn’t the only one that has certain beliefs surrounding eclipses.

In the Hindu faith, solar eclipses are considered a bad omen and some people observe a fast before and during the eclipse, waiting to eat after it has passed. In Vedic astronomy, people believe that during an eclipse, a shadow planet swallows the sun. So as the moon covers the sun, believers head indoors to chant prayers.

The ancient Chinese believed that solar eclipses occur when a celestial dragon attacks the sun. To ward off the dragons, people create a loud ruckus.

For some Mexicans, wearing red is believed to ward off evil spirits. Those that are pregnant, are encouraged to wear a red ribbon attached with a safety pin near the belly button that prevents the baby from developing a cleft lip. Others wear red underwear.

Some even protect their animals:

As the moon covers the sun, some people engage in increased prayer or reflect on how the eclipse is a sign of how fleeting hardships are.

For Muslims, a solar eclipse is a warning sign from God and they pray Salat al-Kusuf during the entire duration of the eclipse. Mosques will also feature the imam giving a short reflective sermon after the prayer, aimed at dispelling misconceptions about the occurrence.

However you chose to observe the solar eclipse, whether you traveled to Texas like my colleague Jacob Margolis, or you're hiding under the covers until the phenomenon passes, a Latina friend on Instagram recommended sweeping floors after the eclipse. You know, to get rid of that energy.

The heat is piling on Southern California this week, with temperatures rising to potentially dangerous levels over the next few days.

The National Weather Service issued an extreme heat warning for much of the region that will be in effect from Tuesday at 10 a.m. to Thursday at 8 p.m. Forecasters expect temperatures to peak on Wednesday.

L.A. County: Interior valleys and mountains could see temperatures in the triple digits, with some places approaching 110 degrees. Inland coastal areas, including downtown L.A., are expected to hover in the upper 90s. Beaches will be mostly in the upper 80s but could hit 90 degrees.

Orange County: Inland areas will be mostly in the 90s, but could reach 100 degrees in places. O.C. beaches are expected to stay a bit cooler, around 80 degrees.

The Inland Empire: Much of Riverside County and San Bernardino County are likely to be over 100 degrees, with some areas reaching 110.

The Coachella Valley: Not technically under a heat warning, but highs approaching 115 degrees are expected in the desert.

The elevated temperatures are expected to pose a high risk of heat-related illnesses, especially for people over 65, young children and other sensitive populations. People who work outdoors or do not have air conditioning are also particularly at risk.

“The biggest concern is heat exhaustion or even heat stroke,” said Devin Black, meteorologist with the NWS office in Oxnard. “Best course of action is: try to stay hydrated and stay indoors as much as possible. If you have to go outside, limit your activity.”

The heat wave is also expected to exacerbate the risk of wildfires, with fire danger likely highest late in the day on Wednesday.

It also comes on the heels of a hot, muggy weekend. A heat advisory from the National Weather Service remained in place Monday after almost a week and will stay in effect until the extreme heat warning kicks in Tuesday morning.

The humidity factor

There’s one other reason this week is going to feel hotter, and sweatier, than usual: the humidity.

Southern Californians got a taste of it this weekend, especially if you spent time outside. The muggy air came with overcast skies and a sprinkling of rain in places.

But forecasters say the humidity will also cause the heat to build progressively throughout the week — and that it will keep temperatures warm overnight, providing little respite from the heat of the day.

Much of the recent heat has been driven by a high pressure system that has settled over the southwestern U.S. High pressure systems trap warm air beneath them and compress the air, warming it further.

At the same time, the system is currently centered to the northeast of Southern California, and as it rotates clockwise, it draws tropical moisture northward from Mexico, increasing humidity.

This monsoonal moisture is not unusual for this time of year. It's the humidity, combined with other factors — including the high pressure system, warm offshore winds and a reduced marine layer — that are driving this week’s abnormally high temperatures, according to National Weather Service meteorologists.

There is relief at the end of this hot, humid tunnel. Forecasters expect temperatures to drop back into the 80s at the end of the week, but the humidity is likely to stick around through the weekend.

Need a place to get out of the heat?

You can find cooling centers via the following links:

• L.A. County
• Orange County
• San Bernardino County
• Riverside County

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

Soh Yun Park wants the Korean community to know that she’s listening. Or more importantly, there are nearly 70 volunteer counselors, the majority who speak Korean, who are available to talk with them.

Last year, she founded with her husband a phone line primarily focused on helping the Korean-speaking community during mental health challenges in their lives.

The organization is based in Koreatown, but its reach goes beyond the neigborhood.

“Hearing such heavy stories makes my heart ache,” she said. ”But it’s an honor to be the ears that listen.” 

She and her husband, Sang Kyun Park, founded the Youstar Foundation’s warmline, one step below the type of hotline that’s called during an emergency, in a means to reach the community that is experiencing high rates of suicides and a stigma in asking for help. 

The thrust of the Youstar Foundation’s warmline is to reduce that stigma around mental health and address the generational struggle in seeking support. Whereas most warmlines offer mental health support for diverse groups of people, this warmline offers a free emotional support telephone service for Korean Americans. 

QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) training for suicide prevention, organized by YouStar Foundation.

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Photo Courtesy of Soh Yun Park

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In many ways, Soh Yun Park’s trajectory to mental health advocacy was not a straight line.

She was born and raised in South Korea and finished college before immigrating to the United States to join her family. Her background was a bit different from her current work as she originally majored in engineering, then worked as an accountant after moving to the U.S.

In 2002, Soh Yun Park met her husband who was working as a journalist at the time. In his work, Sang Kyun Park noticed people struggling from difficulties with physical health to battles with mental health. He wanted to do something to help. 

In response, Sang Kyun created a magazine that advertised local community service organizations in hopes that they would reach the people who needed them.

After receiving a call from a mother whose child was diagnosed with leukemia and required a bone marrow transplant, Soh Yun and her husband decided to create the Youstar Foundation. The organization began with a mission to spread awareness about cancer. 

But roughly six years after they started dating, Sang Kyun Park became ill and had a serious health crisis. 

“My husband has bipolar disorder,” Soh Yun Park said. “ That’s when I realized how serious this illness was, but we didn’t fully know how to treat it.”

At the time, she searched for a pyschologist, but the language barrier was a huge hurdle.

“If you can’t communicate, it’s terrifying,” she said.

Despite Sang Kyun’s diagnosis from a young age, he was unable to find proper treatment in Korea. 

“It’s hard to test different doctors when you are already in an emergency state,” Soh Yun Park said. 

After 10 years of combined therapy and medication, she saw her husband improve and the effects that therapy can have on someone in a crisis situation. She wanted to help others do the same. 

That’s when the couple shifted their organization’s mission to helping the Korean community talk about their mental health struggles.

But Soh Yun Park understood the stigma of getting mental health care in the Korean community. 

“They hide it, which prevents them from getting help,” she said “This leaves not just the individual, but the whole family hiding in darkness.”

The warmline was meant to serve as the first step in getting out of the shadows. 

Out of all Asian groups in Los Angeles County, Koreans were found to have the highest rate of suicide, according to the latest available data. 

With recent federal policies cutting funding for mental health resources and mental health becoming a rising concern in Koreatown, Youstar Foundation’s warmline is one way to address the issue.

Park shares her experience in organizing healing seminars for Korean Angelenos.

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Courtesy of Soh Yun Park

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For a city like Los Angeles where more than half of the population are immigrants, the warmline reduces barriers for Korean American immigrants by operating in two languages, Korean and English. 

Cheryl Eskin, licensed marriage and family therapist and senior director of the teen hotline program, Teen Line, said these types of resources often go unnoticed among the people who need them the most.

 “These resources are staffed by kind, compassionate people who are ready to listen and support without judgement,” Eskin said. 

The worry about being judgme keeps many people from asking for the very help they need, she said.

“Cultural and societal factors often come into play with people believing that their problems are not worthy of support or reveal that something is ‘wrong’ with them,” Eskin added.

Park’s work with the Youstar Foundation aims to address this type of barrier. 

The line emphasizes the benefits of having counselors who share the same cultural background as their callers, who can relate to parent behaviors and generational hardships specific to the Korean community. 

YouStar Foundation’s warmline can be reached at 213-221-2813. Visit YouStar Foundation’s website for more info on their resources. Available from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. The foundation hopes to expand the program to 24-hours within the next three years. 

If you or someone else requires mental health support, call the 24/7 LACDMH Help Line at 1-800-854-7771 or call/text 988 to reach the national Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. 

This story was produced under The LA Local’s Youth Journalism Program. To learn more or to get involved, click here.

California’s largest public pension fund just had a banner year, riding a soaring stock market to record its second consecutive double-digit annual investment return.

The California Public Employees’ Retirement System announced Monday that it gained 14.8% on its investment portfolio in the 2025-26 financial year, more than doubling its target of 6.8%.

CalPERS Chief Executive Officer Marcie Frost in remarks to the board described the return as the fund’s best year since 2014, excluding 2021 when markets rebounded from a crash caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

“Our team has maintained a disciplined approach to building the health of the pension system, and our improved funded status shows this effort is paying off for our 2.4 million members,” she said in a written statement.

By the numbers

CalPERS finished the budget year with a portfolio valued at $637.1 billion — about $80 billion more than a year ago.

The investment return is an important number to California government agencies because they have to cough up more money to cover losses when CalPERS comes up short.

CalPERS is considered underfunded because its assets are worth less than what it owes in total to the people who earn and receive benefits through it. Its assets are now valued at 85% of what it owes to members.

That number is also a milestone in CalPERS’ recovery from its losses during the Great Recession. CalPERS’ assets were worth about 68% of what it owed to members a decade ago before it began a set of policy changes that effectively required government agencies and public employees to pay more toward their pensions.

What this means for union negotiations

The earnings report comes at a moment when public safety unions are urging lawmakers to boost retirement benefits for police and firefighters for the first time since former Gov. Jerry Brown scaled back retirement perks with a 2012 law. The big number could make legislators more confident in saying yes to the unions and modifying Brown’s pension reform law.

Some groups have been urging CalPERS to simplify its investment strategies in the interest of making more money faster, which would relieve some pressure on government agencies and taxpayers. That criticism came up in last year’s CalPERS election, where several unsuccessful candidates characterized the fund as underperforming.

Two former CalPERS board members now involved with an organization called the Retired Public Employees Association — Margaret Brown and J.J. Jelincic — have focused on the pension fund’s stakes in private equity, investments that sometimes include high fees and uncertain values. They supported a failed bill in the Legislature this year that would have compelled CalPERS to disclose more information about those investments.

“These are very good results, however you need to think about how you got there,” Jelincic told the CalPERS board. “You expanded high risk private equity and you moved into higher risk segments within that asset class.”

How they got here

Last year the CalPERS board adopted a so-called total portfolio approach that empowers Chief Investment Officer Stephen Gillmore to make decisions more quickly and in the interest of the overall fund rather than specific asset classes — such as private equity or real estate. The policy directs CalPERS to keep 75% of its portfolio in equities and 25% in bonds.

Frost and Gillmore view private equity as an important segment in the portfolio. The pension fund formally opposed the legislation that would have required more transparency about private equity, which the fund projected would have cost it billions of dollars in missed opportunities.

“Investing in the private markets gives us potential to earn higher returns while spreading our risk from the often volatile public stock market,” Frost told the board.

CalPERS earned a 17% return on its private equity investments last year and a 24% return on its investments in stocks. The S&P 500 climbed by 21% over that timeframe.

This article was originally published on CalMatters and was republished under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license.

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

The Jordan Brand tent that went up in Inglewood for NBA All-Star Weekend earlier this year is going to become a permanent fixture for school district events, according to a district official. 

Jordan built the structure at 106 E. Manchester Blvd. — a parcel owned by the Inglewood Unified School District — for a string of February promotional events during All-Star festivities at the Intuit Dome and Kia Forum. 

James Morris, the district’s county administrator, told The LA Local that Think True LLC, the company that leased the site from the district, plans to convert the heavy-duty but temporary structure into a permanent event space.

Morris said the district can’t use the building for instructional activities — that would require a rigorous architectural approval from the state — but will be able to use it for events such as career fairs and PTA fundraisers. 

“It’s going to be a pretty awesome event space,” Morris said. 

Think True initially signed a six-month lease with the district in December. The company tore down the vacant former Inglewood Adult School building that sat on the property and built the Jordan tent within months. 

Instead of paying rent, the lease required Think True to build the temporary structure and to allow the district to use the space for events. 

At the end of June, Think True and the district extended the lease until Oct. 20, according to meeting records. 

Morris said the marketing agency will use the remainder of the current lease to add a permanent basketball court, bathrooms, an HVAC system and other amenities needed to get a permanent certificate of occupancy. The new lease still requires no rent payments, though the district is still allowed to use the structure. 

Morris said the lease could be extended again, though no agreement has yet been reached. Think True did not respond to an inquiry from The LA Local.