Indoor Workers Fight For Heat Protection (And Other Headlines)

Summertime is quickly approaching, and with the season change comes much warmer weather.

The battle for extreme heat protection for indoor workers

As much as we all want to be laying outside on the beach, cooling off and playing outside every day like the kids on break, many of us have to work to pay the bills.

And as the climate crisis gets worse, heatwaves become more extreme.

While outside workers have statewide protections when it comes to the dangers of heat, there are no such regulations for those who work indoors. Some employees, like warehouse workers, operate in places with inadequate air conditioning or ventilation.

My colleague Erin Stone reported about the protections indoor workers are fighting for in Southern California, why progress has been so slow and what’s next when it comes to putting rules in the books. Over the span of 17 years, there were 16,000 cases of serious heat illnesses — 20% of the cases were indoors.

Daniel Rivera and several other indoor workers from the Inland Empire region spoke up at a hearing last month calling for better rules. The Inland Empire, which has seen an influx of warehouse work, has experienced some of the worst heat waves in the Southland — which will likely get worse in the summer.

“It's a cycle that's not going to stop until we put a real standard in place,” Rivera said. “Another summer without these protections will put too many of us workers in danger. Current and future workers need this heat standard to be put in place.”

Read Erin’s story for more information about why these workers feel like the draft rules in place don’t suffice, and what Cal/OSHA is hoping to do next.

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(After you stop hitting snooze)

• The Directors Guild of America announced a deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) on Saturday night. My colleague Josie Huang has more details about what’s in the tentative agreement. 
• The Los Angeles Unified School District reached a deal with teacher and support staff unions that led to the return of three-week winter break. My colleague Mariana Dale has more about the deal and what’s next. 
• A transgender teacher at Saticoy Elementary in North Hollywood spoke out after a series of events that led to protests at the school between those in support of LGBTQ+ rights and those who aren’t. My colleague Caitlin Hernández reported on the events that led to the morning confrontation between adults. 
• L.A. is second city on the list when it comes to the most canine-on-postal worker attacks last year. California as a whole has had 675 dog attacks last year, which makes it the top state. The Postal Service has a few recommendations for dog owners so mail carriers are better protected. 
• Bob Baker Marionette Theater in Highland Park proves that watching puppet shows aren’t just for kids. My colleagues Brian De Los Santos and Victoria Alejandro checked out an updated show that’s a tribute to Latino American culture and puppeteers. 
• Immigrants are getting recognized at the top culinary levels because of their cooking. NPR’s Joel Rose reported on how immigrants have been so integral to the way Americans eat, and how it’s led to nominations for top awards, like the James Beard Foundation. 
• It’s extremely rare to see a wolverine in the wild, so much so that environmental scientists have only seen two wolverines in the last 100 years. But just recently, experts saw a wolverine in the Eastern Sierra Nevada mountains.

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The Top Three Tea-Sipping Trends

West Hollywood has been a hub of the LGBTQ+ community in Los Angeles for decades.

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Samanta Helou Hernandez

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LAist

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THREE — Summer break is almost here … time to explore art in museums 

Want a good way to stay cool and also learn about dope artwork? Why not visit a few museums in L.A. especially ones that highlight Latino artists? How To LA podcast host Brian De Los Santos recently chatted with Angeleno artist River Garza about how he navigates his Tongva and Mexican identity through his artwork. You can view his art at the Autry Museum of the American West. Here’s some other museums and galleries you should visit this summer.

TWO — Dodgers workers threatening to go on strike 

If you’re a baseball fan, you know that yesterday, two powerful legacy baseball franchise teams faced off: The Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees. But do you know what happened the day before? On Saturday, more than 80 people protested outside the ballpark. Why? Game-day employees are threatening to go on strike. They’re asking for an increase in wages and employer’s health care contribution. The Los Angeles Times has more information on other things they want.

ONE — WeHo Pride celebrations 

Yesterday was the WeHo Pride Parade in West Hollywood. Make sure you listen to this recent episode of How To LA where host Brian De Los Santos talks about everything Pride — the good, bad and ugly — with a few notable guests. If you want to stay up-to-date on the latest pride events, read Caitlin Hernández’s Pride guide.