Sunday June 21, 2026

Good morning, neighbors,

Happy Father's Day to all you "pops" out there. And whether you're celebrating with family, remembering someone you miss, or simply enjoying a quiet Sunday, we hope you have a good day. 

It's 66° this morning, and you can expect a high of 79° by 2 p.m.

Officially, today's air quality index is 54 which falls in the "moderate" range but we know from yesterday how the AQI listed on different apps seemed to lag a bit behind our lived experience. How we fare for the rest of the day—and potentially for days or weeks ahead before the Boyle Heights fire is fully extinguished—will depend largely on which way the wind blows.

The graphic below is from PurpleAir.com and was taken at 8:35 a.m. Note that the green dots are from indoor monitors.

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/Yesterday, both the mayor and governor declared a State of Emergency. Governor Newsom announced that 5.5 million respirator masks will be made available, along with an unspecified number of "commercial-grade air purifiers."

Presumably, the governor is not referring to the N95 and KN95 masks many of us became accustomed to during the COVID era, but rather reusable respirators with replaceable P100 filters, similar to those worn by painters and construction workers.

How these masks will be distributed—and how many child-sized masks will be available—will likely be addressed by the Mayor Bass or, in our area, by CD 14 Councilmember Ysabel Jurado (or CD 1 Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez for our Glassell Park and Highland Park neighbors).

Jurado and Hernandez and their staffs were distributing air purifiers yesterday to affected residents but it remains to be seen how many more will be available to the public and in what areas.

If, like a certain editor of this newsletter, you've been confused by the conflicting messages of "run your home's AC" and "don't run your home's AC," see our explainer below the Events of the Day.

Also below, Eagle Rock Pet of the Week!

Enjoy eggs and omelets made to order, potatoes, bacon or sausage, and toast or pancakes. Beverages include coffee, orange juice, and champagne.

Cost: $8. First responders and current or former military personnel: $7. Rantz Automotive Center has sponsored the first 50 breakfasts. How's that for community spirit?

Where: Fraternal Order of the Eagles, 1596 Yosemite Drive
When: Sunday, June 21, 9 a.m.–noon

Special guests Bill Duke and Richard Chaves, who co-starred in the 1987 sci-fi classic, will attend the screening. Presented in 35mm.

Where: Vidiots
When: Sunday, June 21, 3:30 p.m.

You may be hearing and reading different advice about whether it is healthy to run your home's air conditioning given the compromised air quality due to the ongoing cold storage facility fire in Boyle Heights. The answer depends on what kind of cooling system you have.

In newer suburbs, almost everyone has a modern HVAC system but in older neighborhoods such as Eagle Rock, Glassell Park, and Boyle Heights you can walk down almost any block and find, say, a 1920s Spanish Colonial with no AC, a 1930s Craftsman with a whole-house fan, a mid-century bungalow with window units, and a recently renovated house with modern central air.

If you have no air conditioning you should keep your windows closed and run fans inside your house when it gets warm.

If you have modern central air (HVAC), it's generally safe—and often preferable—to run it during smoky conditions because the system continuously filters and recirculates indoor air.

Most people with window AC units should be fine using them during a smoke event. If your unit has a setting labeled "vent" or "fresh air," turn that feature off and keep windows and doors closed.

If you have a whole-house fan, you should not run it when outdoor air quality is poor. Whole-house fans work by pulling outside air into the home through open windows and exhausting it through the attic.

Okay, but what even is a "whole-house fan"? Until yesterday, I had never even heard the term. Is it just a really big fan like one of those industrial numbers? Turns out no. It was a system for cooling homes before HVAC and portable window units became widely available. It works by pushing the hot air from inside your home outside, like an exhaust fan. It then sucks in air from the outside and moves the air through the home, obviously not advisable when the quality of the air outside is unhealthy. 

How do you know if you have a whole-house fan? Your house or apartment would probably have a large louvered grille in the ceiling. Some are actually set into a window-frame and the window needs to be open for it to operate. Bottom line: if your cooling unit needs the window to be open, it is probably a whole-house fan. 

One last note, a whole-house fan is not the same as an attic fan, though a whole-house fan may indeed push and pull air through an opening in the attic. An attic fan, another remnant from the 20th century, works primarily by venting hot air out of the attic. 

If you rent your apartment, house, or condo and are unsure of what type of AC you have, call your landlord. 

Species: Feline Strayicus Nigrum

Notable Achievements:

Enter your pet to be featured as Eagle Rock Pop's Pet of the Week!

Have a dog, cat, bird, lizard, rabbit, turtle, or other beloved companion? Email a photo of your animal pal to [email protected] and include your pet’s name and a few fun facts about them.

As always, thanks for reading, and if you know of someone who may appreciate Eagle Rock Pop, please forward this newsletter to them and encourage them to subscribe.

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