Heat waves create a health and safety risk for communities in Los Angeles (LA) County and throughout the world. Both 2023 and 2024 set new records as the hottest year ever, and longer and increasingly intense heat conditions are happening more often than before. Emergency department visits for heat-related illness spike during heat waves. Some groups are more vulnerable to heat, including older adults, young children, pregnant people, unhoused individuals, outdoor workers, athletes, and people with chronic medical conditions, because extreme heat can worsen conditions such as cardiovascular, respiratory, cerebrovascular disease, and diabetes-related conditions.
Protecting residents and workers from health impacts, including heat-related illness and death, is a critical responsibility of government. LA County is one of many jurisdictions across California and the country that are adapting to the increasing heat, both through policy and practice.
In January 2024, the LA County Board of Supervisors passed a motion directing the Department of Public Health to work with other County departments to create a safe maximum temperature threshold for residential units, gather stakeholder input, and prepare a draft ordinance.
To begin the process, Public Health reviewed local ordinances from across the country, assessed relevant literature on the establishment of indoor air temperature standards, commented on the California State Assembly Bill 209 draft report prior to the Final Report being issued in early 2025, and gathered input from key stakeholders.
The ordinance was presented at the County’s Health and Mental Health Services cluster on July 16th, 2025 (see pages 15 – 27 of the meeting agenda), and is scheduled to be heard in front of the Board of Supervisors on August 5th, 2025.
In April 2024, Public Health hired a contractor to gather input from experts and potentially impacted tenants and landlords, as well as aligned interest groups, to help develop an ordinance to establish a maximum indoor temperature threshold for rental units and prepare a report with final recommendations for the Board of Supervisors
Public Health worked with other County departments throughout 2024 to review and consider stakeholder input, as well as findings from studies and other jurisdictions, and weigh different options for developing a maximum indoor temperature threshold. The draft ordinance was reviewed by County Counsel, and Public Health made a presentation to the Health Deputies at the November 20, 2024 Cluster Meeting (see pp. 146 – 168 of the meeting agenda).
Public Health also hosted six virtual stakeholder meetings in English, Spanish and Chinese to present the draft ordinance and gather input from stakeholders.
| Date, and Time | Language(s) | Audience | Resource |
|---|---|---|---|
|
November 7, 2024 5:30-7:00 PM |
English, Spanish | Tenants, Tenant Organizations, and Community-Based Groups |
Presentation
: English ⋅ Español |
|
November 14, 2024 10:00-11:30 AM |
English, Spanish | Landlord Organizations, Building Experts and Interested Parties |
Presentation
: English ⋅ Español |
|
December 11, 2024 5:30-7:00 PM |
English, Cantonese | Tenants, Tenant Organizations, and Community-Based Groups |
Presentation
: English ⋅ 简体中文 ⋅ 繁體中文 |
|
December 18, 2024 10:00-11:30 AM |
English, Cantonese | Landlord Organizations, Building Experts and Interested Parties |
Presentation
: English ⋅ 简体中文 ⋅ 繁體中文 |
|
February 5, 2025 5:30-7:00 PM Join |
English, Mandarin | Tenants, Tenant Organizations, and Community-Based Groups |
Presentation (Last Updated: 2025-02-21)
: English ⋅ 简体中文 ⋅ 繁體中文 |
|
February 6, 2025 10:00-11:30 AM Join |
English, Mandarin | Landlord Organizations, Building Experts and Interested Parties |
Presentation (Last Updated: 2025-02-21)
: English ⋅ 简体中文 ⋅ 繁體中文 |
Once all six meetings had been completed, Public Health reviewed, analyzed, and summarized content from transcripts, chats, and Q&A to create an overall report of stakeholder feedback. Please note that the Report to the Board of Supervisors outlines the consideration given to the input and the final decisions made.
Subscribe for future updates or email the Office of Environmental Justice and Climate Health at DPH-OEJCH@ph.lacounty.gov.
