LA aims to expand cooling centers during hot days

The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday, April 3, approved a motion seeking to expand the city’s cooling facilities during extreme heat events by enhancing its use of libraries, recreation and senior centers.

Council members voted 14-0 to pass a motion introduced by Council President Paul Krekorian and Councilwoman Katy Yarsolavsky. The motion directs city departments to report back with recommendations on how to best operate these buildings as cooling centers, and costs associated with that effort.

Krekorian was absent during the vote.

As part of the report back, council members are also seeking information regarding areas with the greatest heat risk; potential partnerships to aid in this endeavor; potential amenities or spaces that should be offered at cooling centers in areas of need; and plans to increase public awareness about this resource, as well as how to better maintain cooling centers.

The city will also consider applying for grants to support the creation and upkeep of additional cooling centers.

According to the motion, which was introduced in December 2023, extreme heat poses a “significant and increasing” health risk in Los Angeles. The city already advertises libraries, recreation and senior centers as places Angelenos can go to in order to stay cool, but these locations are not deemed official “cooling centers.”

While these facilities provide services and programming — especially during the hot summer months of June to September — they “face obstacles” to protect the public from excess heat, the motion reads.

City officials intended to create, what they describe as, a “cohesive” cooling strategy across city facilities. In doing so, the city can also make itself more competitive for state and federal grants geared toward supporting heat-related responses.

“A united heat response would make the city a stronger applicant for statewide and federal funds that may flow to the city’s recreation centers and facilities, senior and adult centers and other libraries,” the motion reads.

City leaders noted that the Climate Emergency Management previously applied for a state Community Resilience Center Grant. The money, which may provide up to $10 million, could be used by the city to conduct additional heat-risk research and retrofit three libraries into “heat resilience” centers.

The Council’s Energy and Environment Committee approved the motion earlier this month.