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Sweltering California could be the first state to rank heat waves

When natural disasters such as hurricanes, wildfires or tornadoes strike in the United States, the calamities are given rankings and names to emphasize the havoc they wreak.

But no similar ranking system exists to highlight the deadly toll of extreme heat, such as the scorching heat wave that is baking the state.

Meet Assemblymember Luz Rivas

Assemblymember Rivas is fairly new to California politics, but she’s already making waves. First elected to the State Assembly in 2018, she's championed several successful policies that support the health of the ocean and coastal communities.

Pedestrian bridge to be constructed in honor of Elias Rodriguez, 14, who drowned in Pacoima Wash

PACOIMA, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Assemblywoman Luz Rivas announced Thursday that $7.5 million has been secured for the city of San Fernando to construct a pedestrian bridge at the Pacoima Wash to connect existing pathways.

The bridge will be built in honor of Elias Rodriguez, a 14-year-old boy who drowned in 2017 while using the wash as a means to travel from school to home during a rainstorm.

States take charge to protect people from extreme heat

With communities around the country suffering from extreme temperatures, just months after some of those same locations saw unbearable cold snaps, some state leaders are taking the initiative with proposals to help people navigate the consequences of climate change.

Americans connect extreme heat and climate change to their health, a survey finds

From higher electricity bills to worsened health, more than half of Americans have felt the impacts of extreme heat, according to a new survey released by NPR, Harvard University and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. That percentage is even higher in California, where heat was the top climate impact, reported by 71% of those surveyed.