Tag: September

For much of California, the arrival of September has brought extreme, scalding temperatures.

Sunday was the hottest day in Los Angeles in nearly 11 months, according to AccuWeather. Temperatures in the Inland Empire and the Sacramento region soared into the triple-digits over the long weekend. And in the next few days, dangerous heat waves are projected for large swaths of the state, weather officials warn.

Across California, September tends to be warmer than we might like. It’s usually the hottest time of the year in the Bay Area and when temperature records are most likely to be broken in Southern California.

So, given what’s probably in store for us, I’m sharing some tips today on how to cope with extreme heat: Earlier this summer, my colleague Jill Cowan put together this guide for staying cool and safe when temperatures spike. The federal government has more advice for you here.

Plus, I spoke to some animal experts about how to care for your pets when it’s really hot out. The American Veterinary Medical Association estimated in 2016 that 57 percent of California households have a pet, though I’d guess that number has risen since so many people (like myself) adopted pets during the pandemic.

Gagandeep Kaur, a veterinary medicine professor at Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, told me that pet owners needed to help their animals avoid heat stroke, a potentially fatal condition in which body temperature rises beyond a healthy range. Though humans can also get heat stroke, animals are more susceptible because it’s harder for them to cool off.

“Local emergency clinics, they’ve seen hundreds of cases this summer,” Kaur told me. “It’s not something that’s rare.”

But it is preventable. Here’s what to know:

• Be aware of risk factors. Dogs and cats are generally comfortable in the same temperatures as humans. But your pets are at higher risk for heat stroke if they are very old, very young, overweight, or have lung or heart disease.

  Dogs with short snouts, such as bulldogs, pugs and Shih Tzus, are particularly vulnerable because they tend to have breathing problems.

• Provide water and shade. Always.

• Dogs are more at risk than cats: Cats are usually better about keeping themselves cool by limiting their movement when it’s hot, said Steve Epstein, the chief of emergency services at the University of California, Davis’s School of Veterinary Medicine.

  In Epstein’s home in Davis, the air-conditioning doesn’t turn on until around 85 degrees, but he doesn’t worry about his cat becoming ill, he told me.

  Dogs, however, may chase after a squirrel or want to go on a walk even when it’s unsafe for them. Epstein said he recently treated a dog with heat stroke that had been racing around in a backyard when it was 90 degrees.

If you read one story, make it this

Here’s a shocking statistic: Amazon nearly doubled its annual profit last year to $21 billion and is on pace to far exceed that total this year. The company is undoubtedly one of the biggest economic winners of the pandemic.

But Amazon faces growing scrutiny of its treatment of workers.

A bill moving through the California Legislature would rein in production quotas at warehouses that critics say are excessive and force workers to forgo bathroom breaks. The legislation is part of growing scrutiny of the company’s treatment of workers.

The Assembly passed the bill in May, and the State Senate is expected to vote on it this week.

Read more from my colleague Noam Scheiber.

The rest of the news

What we’re eating

Thirteen delicious, original ways to eat eggs for dinner.

Where we’re traveling

Today’s travel tip comes from Arin Kramer, who recommends an adventure in Marin County:

The perfect day: Take the whole family biking on the paved shady Cross Marin Trail through the redwoods of Samuel P. Taylor State Park, along Lagunitas Creek. You can bike all the way to the Inkwells swimming hole on a hot day. Afterwards, stop at the Marin Community Farms Stand.

Your recall questions answered

When is the recall election?

Officially, the recall election is on Sept. 14. But because it is happening under an extension of pandemic rules that were created during the 2020 presidential election, that’s really more of a deadline than it is an Election Day in a more traditional sense.

Ballots returned by mail must be postmarked by Sept. 14. (You don’t need to add a stamp; you should have a return envelope.) Voters can also return their ballots to a secure drop box by Sept. 14 at 8 p.m. (Look up the ones closest to you here.)

Finally, voters can cast ballots in person — and in many places early voting is available. (You can find early voting locations here.)

Read answers to more of your frequently asked questions about the California recall election.

Tell us what else you want to know about the recall. Email your questions to [email protected].

And before you go, some good news

An Oakland Brewery is now showcasing the irresistible faces of cats and dogs on its IPAs.

Ale Industries has partnered with the East Bay Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to put photos of adoptable fur babies on beer cans to try to encourage people to take the pets home, reports SFist.

Thanks for reading. I’ll be back tomorrow. — Soumya

P.S. Here’s today’s Mini Crossword, and a clue: Chloe who directed “Nomadland” (4 letters).

Miles McKinley and Briana Scalia contributed to California Today. You can reach the team at [email protected].

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