Early in her military career, she collapsed from heat exhaustion while carrying a 65lb pack on a sweltering hike in Quantico, Virginia. Years later in Afghanistan, Rivera drove a truck in temperatures nearing 120F (49C). But she was ready. She had taken a mechanics course twice to make sure she could fix the truck's air conditioning if it failed. She knew extreme heat could incapacitate her marines. They need water and good temps like everybody, she said.
In political jargon, heat means pressure on politicians to do something they may be reluctant, for whatever reason, to do. But heat itself high temperatures, sometimes in triple digits, that afflict inland California each summer is a political issue with life-and-death consequences. Assembly Bill 1336, now awaiting Gov. Gavin Newsom's signature or veto, is the latest skirmish in a decades-long conflict over protecting workers from heat effects on their health, whether they work outdoors or inside.
Temperatures will be on the rise in Los Angeles County throughout Labor Day weekend, prompting officials to warn of potentially hazardous temperatures. The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory that will be in effect from 10 a.m. Monday, Labor Day, until 6 p.m. Tuesday for the Santa Clarita Valley and Los Angeles County inland coast, with temperatures up to 100 degrees expected in some places.
