October 4, 2024
By SAJE Staff
The October heat wave is here! While it won’t be too hot in South Central, the San Fernando and San Gabriel Valleys will face especially high temperatures for the next few days. Luckily, our friends at HeatReadyCA.com shared some tips with us to help you stay cool, calm, and collected as summer winds down:
- Stay Cool – Avoid being outside in the direct heat for a long time. Try to stay in air-conditioned spaces, at home with your A/C set between 75-80 degrees, or at your local library, shopping mall, or community center. If staying home, keep blinds closed and wear loose, light-colored, lightweight clothing.
- Stay Hydrated – Sip water all day and consider supplementing with sports drinks with electrolytes. Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and other foods and beverages that can easily dehydrate you.
- Look After Each Other – Check in on friends and family, and have them do the same for you. Pregnant people, older adults, people with chronic health conditions, young children, and anyone without air conditioning are at highest risk during these hot spells. Be sure to know the signs of heat-related illness in case anything goes awry.
Unfortunately, California law does not require landlords to provide fans or air conditioners, leaving these renters to foot the bill themselves. Those who can afford to purchase their own air conditioners are often restricted by landlords from installing them.
Statewide heat mitigation policy implementation must explicitly address the heat burden millions of working-class renters face as our planet warms. At SAJE, we’ve been advocating for updates to building codes that would require landlords maintain reasonable temperatures in their buildings without passing on costs to tenants. Other efforts, like incentivizing tree planting and making it harder for property owners to cut down trees, should also be considered.
In the meantime, free cooling centers around Los Angeles County—and hours for each location—are listed at https://ready.lacounty.gov/heat/
Extreme weather events aren’t slowing down any time soon, but with a bit of planning and care we can help each other through.
