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Summer heat wave, Arroyo Seco water, best alien movies, TV Talk and more
A person wears a hat for shade under the morning sun while walking along the Strand in Redondo Beach during a heat wave in March. Another stretch of heat is settling in in Southern California this week.
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Patrick T. Fallon
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Today's show: AirTalk host Larry Mantle discusses the summer heat wave, electric vehicles, classic board and card games, Arroyo Seco water controversy, best alien movies and TV Talk.
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Heat on land and sea is in the forecast — what are the long-term concerns?
The topic:
The National Weather Service has issued heat advisories for much of Southern California that will remain in effect through next week. Temperatures will be at their hottest Wednesday and Thursday, when parts of Southern California will see triple digit heat.
The details: L.A. County's inland valleys and mountains could get up to 105 degrees this week. Inland coastal areas, including downtown L.A., will likely get up to the low 90s. The Coachella Valley is under a more severe Extreme Heat Warning. Temperatures there are expected to climb as high as 116 degrees.
Why it matters: The heat wave will likely worsen fire conditions across the region, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Lisa Phillips. The hot weather is also expected to pose a significant risk of heat illness, especially for the elderly, young children and other sensitive populations.
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What's next: Temperatures are expected to dip slightly by the end of the day Friday, but they will remain above average through the weekend. The minimal respite won't last long, though. Another, even worse heatwave is headed our way next week.
Guest:
- Ariel Cohen, meteorologist at the National Weather Service Los Angeles/Oxnard
- Kate Ricke, climate scientist at Scripps Oceanography and UC San Diego’s School of Global Policy and Strategy
A check-in on the electric vehicle market
An electric vehicle charges at an EVgo electric charger in Monrovia, Calif.
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Justin Sullivan
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The topic:
As global EV markets continue to grow, approaches to net zero carbon manufacturing for big automakers like Honda and GM have thawed. These troubles are reflected in a broader reckoning across the industry as the Trump administration’s sweeping eliminations of federal tax credits have added doubt to the consumer EV markets.
Hybrid boom: With federal EV tax credits gone, gas prices rising, and many consumers still reporting a sense of “range anxiety” with fully electric vehicles, many car buyers are turning to hybrids instead.
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Guest:
- Jessica Caldwell, head of Insights at Edmunds, an online resource for automotive inventory and information
What is an old board game or card game you still love to play?
What board and card games still hold up for you?
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Yuriy Gluzhetsky
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The topic:
We ask listeners about the old or obscure board games and card games that they still play. And we get into the history behind some of today’s most enduring games.
Guest:
- Kelli Wood, assistant professor of art history at University of Knoxville, Tennessee, and author of the book Games and Sports in Renaissance Italy: The Art of Play (Routledge, 2026)
Arroyo Seco clean water project stirs up controversy
The Arroyo Seco rushes and overflows in the Highland Park neighborhood thanks to heavy rains in December, 2021.
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Alborz Kamalizad
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LAist
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The topic:
Pasadena and South Pasadena have proposed a project to clean contaminated water from the channelized Arroyo Seco, but to build the necessary infrastructure, they’d have to remove nearly 140 mature trees, more than half of which are invasive and highly flammable. And a portion of the cleaner water would end up irrigating a public golf course.
What's the controversy? The golf course irrigation has been a major point of contention raised by a group of residents on the Los Angeles side of the Arroyo. They have campaigned on social media and in weekly stakeouts to stop the project, which would significantly alter a small creek near the popular San Pascual Park.
Other opponents: Leaders of the Gabrieleño Band of Mission Indians-Kizh (Quiichi) Nation have also rejected the Arroyo Seco Water Reuse Project because the area is sacred and home to burial sites, said tribal chairman Andrew Salas. The tribe sent a formal opposition letter last year.
Read the full story for details about the project and to learn how you can weigh in.
Guest:
- Erin Stone, LAist climate and environment senior reporter
What are the best alien movies?
Alien: Romulus (2024)
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Courtesy 20th Century Studios
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The topic:
The release of Steven Spielberg's Disclosure Day adds to a whole lineage of extraterrestrial depictions in film that he's helped popularize through prior works like E.T. and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Although he's made four alien-related films, Spielberg's use of the concept has become a jumping-off point for a variety of themes.
Highest-grossing alien films: Top honors would go to the first two Avatar films, having grossed more than $2 billion. Other successful franchises that include aliens in their greater plots are Star Wars and Transformers.
Guest:
- Wade Major, film critic for LAist and CineGods.com, and author of the "Hollywood Heretic" Substack
TV Talk: ‘Little House on the Prairie,’ ‘The Five Star Weekend,’ and more!
What have you been watching?
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The topic:
Have you felt completely overwhelmed when deciding what new show to watch these days? Us too. There’s just so much content out there between network TV and numerous streaming platforms. This week, listeners will get the latest scoop on what’s worth watching.
TV Shows:
- Little House on the Prairie [Season 1] (Netflix)
- Trying [Season 5] (BBC | Apple TV)
- The Five Star Weekend [Limited Series] (Peacock)
- Human Vapor [Limited Series] (Netflix)
Guests:
- Angie Han, TV critic for The Hollywood Reporter
- Steve Greene, freelance TV critic
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Today on AirTalk: the LA28 homelessness plan, a new study on addiction recovery and dad bods. -
Today on AirTalk: Belgium defeats Team USA, LAHSA's grim future, favorite beaches, DSA memberships, and best tacos in SoCal. -
Today on AirTalk: AI chatbot voting, early math testing, Disneyland's technological innovation, FIFA World Cup updates, PlayStation physical copies and hated car features.
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Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
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