Morning Brief: Record-Setting Rain, Mandatory Vaccines For Some Californians, And Poolside Yoga

Good morning, L.A. It’s July 27.

Yes, you read that right — the few droplets of water that fell from the sky over the past few days put this month in record-setting territory.

My colleague Jacob Margolis reports that from Sunday to Monday, 0.18 inches of rain landed in downtown L.A., and a whopping 0.38 inches hit Mt. Baldy. Those numbers officially make this the third wettest July since 1877, when records were first kept.

The wettest July in L.A. was in 2015, with 0.38 inches, and the second wettest goes back to 1886, with 0.24 inches.

This month, the moisture is coming from Arizona, where an unusually heavy monsoon season — some parts of the state have seen a 200% increase in precipitation over last year — is reportedly knocking cars off the road.

The weather also triggered flash flood warnings in some parts of SoCal, including the Los Angeles and Ventura County mountains, and the Antelope and San Gabriel valleys. Neighborhoods in and below the recent burn areas from the Lake, Ranch and Dam fires are of particular concern, and experts are cautioning residents in those regions to stay alert.

Thunderstorms are possible today in the mountains and deserts, although temperatures could head back up to the 90s and low 100s.

Even with all the water, though, Jacob notes that it’s not enough to relieve our relentless drought conditions, which have affected California businesses and even brought a strange plague of grasshoppers.

Keep reading for more on what’s happening in L.A., and stay safe out there.

What Else You Need To Know Today

• Activists say the saga of an apartment building in unincorporated east Compton is an example of how broken L.A. County's housing enforcement system is.
• The controversial owner of a troubled nursing home company, which was the subject of an LAist investigation, has withdrawn her application to take over nine additional facilities.
• All California health care workers will need to prove they have been vaccinated or participate in mandatory testing protocol.
• The lambda variant, first identified in Peru, has now been identified in several U.S. states — although not California, yet.
• The historic Breed Street Shul in Boyle Heights has been under renovation for 25 years. Now, some state funding will help finish the job, and open a community center there.

Before You Go ... This Week's Outdoor Pick: Poolside Yoga

The Hotel Figueroa's pool.

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Courtesy of Hotel Figueroa

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Guests and locals are welcome to join in a Yoga Buti Glow class, hosted by fitness instructor Pamela Johnson of The Bridge Mind Body Movement, and fellow yogi Theresa Rhodes. Atop Hotel Figueroa’s open-air outdoor space in downtown L.A., you can partake in a session of rhythmic movement and creative expression with nontoxic glow-in-the-dark body paint.

Or, you could: Dodge zombies at a new VR experience. Commemorate the life and death of Emmett Till. Get some culture as the “art season” officially opens with a major festival and several adjacent events. Sip brûlée boba drinks or tiki cocktails as you celebrate National Chicken Wing Day or nosh on mole tacos and fresh pasta. And more.