The Latest On SoCal’s Extreme Heatwave, Water Cuts And Possible Rolling Blackouts

California is facing its highest chance of blackouts this year as a brutal heat wave continues to blanket the state with triple-digit temperatures. State energy officials said the electrical load Tuesday afternoon could top 51,000 megawatts, the highest demand the state has ever seen. As people crank up their air conditioners, the state forecasted record levels of energy use. While the state has additional energy capacity, the California Independent System Operator, which runs the state’s electrical grid, says that rolling blackouts and rotating outages are a possibility. Additionally, more than 4 million Los Angeles residents are being urged by the Metropolitan Water District to suspend outdoor watering for the next 15 days while they work on a leak that was discovered this year.

Today on AirTalk, we’re joined by meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard, Eric Boldt, and water systems operation manager at Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Brent Yamasaki, and Severin Borenstein, professor and faculty director of the Energy Institute at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, member of the California ISO Board of Governors, to discuss this latest heat wave, water cuts, and the possibility of rolling blackouts.

A Beloved Theatre Row Production House Faces Threat Of A Final Bow, Calls For Generous Benefactors

An oasis for community theater productions in L.A. is facing a major deadline by the end of this year. The Complex Hollywood Theatres, which houses several stages for productions, classes, and even community meetings, has been a bastion of independent theatrical productions since its inception in 1992. Events like the Hollywood Fringe Festival grace its halls annually. In addition to theater, the building hosts meetings for a church, a bartending school, and meditation classes. It also hosts the Theatre of the Arts acting school, which rents the building’s second floor during the week.

The owners told the Complex’s operator, Matt Chait, that they’re planning to sell the property, which the trust in possession of the property confirmed to LAist/KPCC. The venue, which offers a creative space for budding and established artists alike, has until December to purchase full ownership from the trust or vacate the premises. Here to speak about the Complex Hollywood Theaters and its significance to local artists and theatergoers in Hollywood is KPCC/LAist arts and entertainment reporter Mike Roe and Matt Chait, current leaseholder of the building which houses his family of Complex Theaters.

You can read Mike Roe’s full story here.

Longtime China Correspondent Pens New Book Exploring Chinese Efforts To Shape Society Through Data Control

The portrayal of modern Chinese society through the lens of Western democracy in American media can and do often seem dire. We hear stories of cities constantly monitored by police, surveillance cameras on the streets and AI and lack of access to some social media and other information and websites on the internet. But as journalists Josh Chin and Liza Lin detail in their new book “Surveillance State: Inside China's Quest to Launch a New Era of Social Control,” it’s not only in these dystopian ways that the Chinese government is seeking to harness the power of AI and data to wield influence over society. In the wealthy city of Hangzhou, those same cameras are gathering data that help with things like reducing traffic congestion and helping first responders get to a scene quicker. In this way, Chin and Lin write, the Communist Party is shaping the will of Chinese people by combining technology and authoritarianism to create what it views as a flawlessly designed society.

Today on AirTalk, Wall Street Journal Deputy China Bureau Chief and co-author of “Surveillance State” Josh Chin is with us to talk about how China’s Communist Party is using surveillance and data control to create a new vision of society that it hopes will rival democracy globally, and the effect these efforts are having across regions and social classes in China.

Serena Williams Is Officially Evolving Away From Tennis After US Open Loss. What Impact Has The GOAT Had On Your Life?

Reactions poured in after Serena Williams’ loss Friday night to Ajla Tomljanovic at the U.S. Open, in what many expect to be the final match of her career.

Golf legend Tiger Woods, who was in the stands for Serena's Second Round upset of 2-seed Annette Kontaveit, shared his thoughts:

...as did former First Lady Michelle Obama...

...and, of course, Serena's husband and Reddit Founder Alexis Ohanian.

Celebrity or average sports fan, there's no denying the impact Serena Williams has had during her career, not just on the game of tennis, but on all of sports. She retires with 23 Grand Slam singles titles, just one shy of tying Margaret Court's all-time record of 24. During her career, she spent 319 weeks (that's more than 6 years) as the No. 1 ranked women's player in the world. She leaves the game regarded as one of the most dominant tennis players ever, and more broadly one of the most dominant athletes ever, regardless of sport.

D’Arcy Maine, writer for ESPN.com, joins Larry to recap Serena’s journey through the U.S. Open.

With files from the Associated Press 

Jazz Legend Wynton Marsalis Previews Two Nights Of Music At The Hollywood Bowl

Wynton Marsalis, a preeminent jazz musician of our time is coming to Los Angeles this week with not one, but two shows at the Hollywood Bowl as part of its 100th anniversary celebration. On Wednesday, Wynton leads the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra alongside vocal group The Manhattan Transfer in a night of jazz standards and exploration. Then, on Thursday, he’s back at the Bowl performing his genre-melding symphony All Rise with JLCO, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, a handful of soloists, and vocal choirs including the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles.

Today on AirTalk,  musician, composer, bandleader and managing and artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center Wynton Marsalis joins Larry Mantle on AirTalk to preview what concert-goers can expect at the two shows he’ll be performing at the Hollywood Bowl this week.

AirTalk Honors The Local Heroes Making A Difference Around Southern California

The news is a lot to handle right now, so on Airtalk, we’re setting aside time each week to talk about some of the positives, like all the good people doing great things across Southern California. We asked you to help us shine a spotlight on your local heroes, and we received a lot of great submissions. Today on AirTalk we're speaking with Cheryl L. Bedford, founder of Women of Color Unite, a non-profit organization focused on fair access, fair treatment and fair pay for women of color in all aspects of the entertainment and media industries.

You can find more information on his organization here.