LA Neighborhood Love, CA Apartments Costs, LGBTQ+ Artists And Beyoncé.

Good morning, L.A. It’s Monday, August 1.

I can’t believe it is August already. Hoping to get some of So Cal’s sunny, dry heat back after this weekend’s weird weather. Might be a few more days though – this monsoonal moisture might last through today with a high surf watch until Wednesday. Stay safe out there.

Now to some LA love. With 88 cities and a whole bunch of neighborhoods in each of those cities, there’s no way we at KPCC/LAist can capture the great things about L.A. County’s neighborhoods all on our own.

That’s why we asked you last week to share what makes your neighborhood special. You sent us mini history lessons, restaurant recommendations, small business shoutouts, and a whole lot of love for the way you and your neighbors create and preserve community.

Viki G. gave some love to the San Gabriel Valley:

“It is the REAL Chinatown with an abundance of every kind of authentic Chinese cuisine that you could ever want. We have the San Gabriel Nursery, which is an old, well-known Japanese American family business, the Grapevine Arbor and Mission Playhouse with beautiful Spanish architecture and the brand-new Blossom Market Hall… which offers all types of food from Korean dumplings to artisan ice cream. It's a hidden gem of Los Angeles County.”

Gabe S. gave a shout out to North Hollywood, and what you can find if you look past all the studios.

“I grew up here. A lot of the businesses are centered around supporting the studio work culture, but the restaurants have been there for ages. When I’m thinking of my childhood, I think back to Andre passing out Gumbo on Friday’s at Uncle Andre’s soul food. My family gatherings at Art’s Deli. School events at Carney’s Hot Dogs. Showing up accidentally when the first Menchies Frozen Yogurt opened. Strip mall Chirashi bowls at Sushi Don.”

For Patrick V., it’s all about Fairfax – its convenience, its history, and its trendiness. He wrote:

As an 18-year resident of the Fairfax District, I've seen it change a lot. I love that it retains a distinct and historically-rooted culture, even as the latest trends in retail and food are what make it a destination for many visitors. … I've bragged to all my friends that I'm in the best spot because I walk to almost anything, but I'm also right in the middle of LA so nothing on the Eastside or Westside or Valley is ever too far away.”

By the way, if you’re in the neighborhood, Patrick recommends Cofax for a breakfast burrito or Bagel Broker for bagels.

What makes your neighborhood special? Let us know via the form and we might highlight your neighborhood in a future episode of a new podcast we’re launching this month. We’ll keep sharing your neighborhood love in this newsletter, too.

As always, stay happy and healthy, folks. There’s more news below the fold.

What Else You Need To Know Today

• We told you last week complaints to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power about water waste jumped 56%. But where are the complaints coming from? The lushest, highest water-use neighborhoods.
• Mango smoothies may be coming to a school cafeteria near you! The Los Angeles Unified School District is experimenting with healthier food options for students. 
• The California Attorney General has filed charges against employees of the Silver Saddle Ranch & Club, a remote resort in the desert that was the focus of LAist Studios' investigative podcast California City.
• The McKinney fire, burning near the California-Oregon border, has become the state’s largest wildfire so far this year. 
• Rent in California is higher than most states in the U.S., making it hard for minimum wage workers to live comfortably. A new report finds that those making only a minimum wage, need to work two full-time jobs to afford a one-bedroom apartment. 
•  When mass shootings occur, the perpetrator is often young and driven by hateful ideas, tinged with racism, misogyny or homophobia. But where do these ideas come from? Some of the online sources may surprise you. Here’s how you can be smart about what your children are consuming - and how to spot it if it's becoming a problem. 
• Ever wanted to live on the moon? Good news, your chances just got a little bit better. Researchers have now found that parts of the moon have stable temperatures fit for humans.
• We lost some great ones over the weekend. On Friday, Boyle Heights’ own Julian Nava, the first ever Mexican-American Ambassador to Mexico, died at 95. On Sunday, we learned Basketball legend Bill Russel died at 88 and actress Nichelle Nichols, who played Lt. Uhura on Star Trek, passed away at 89. RIP.

Before You Go...The Weekend's Top Three Tea-Sipping Trends

Beyoncé performs during the Oscars in March. Her latest album was released last week.

(Robyn Beck

/

AFP via Getty Images)

It’s time to see what caught my eye this past weekend on social media.

THREE - Beyoncé Resets the year and cleanses the timeline with her seventh album 

I’m pretty sure you’re tired of me talking about the first act of #Renaissance, but my timeline on Twitter is most definitely not. The dance floor is hot after Beyoncé’s new studio album was released, and some argue it’s more than just an album – it’s a love letter to Queer Black music. On Twitter, some people were discussing if this album was possibly her best one yet, and others were highlighting the Black LGBTQ+ artists that she worked with (or featured), like alternative R&B singer songwriter Syd, who co-produced ‘Plastic off the Sofa’.

TWO - President Joe Biden continues to have COVID. 

President Joe Biden announced on Saturday he tested positive for COVID again – just a few short days after he tested negative from an earlier infection. Some people have griped about him working  during a time he should be resting up, arguing it sends the wrong message.

ONE - New Colors in the Sky 

Have you ever seen the sky a sickly green color? Yeah, me neither. It happened about a month ago during a monster Midwestern storm known as a “derecho. Images of the sky went viral then. This weekend, this post did, asking if green skies might make people REALLY pay attention to climate change.