LA City Council is taking steps to protect renters from the increasing dangers of extreme heat by proposing a citywide cooling mandate. A new motion introduced by Councilmembers Eunisses Hernandez, Bob Blumenfield, and Adrin Nazarian calls for the city to adopt a maximum indoor temperature threshold of 82 degrees Fahrenheit for all rental units.
The motion closely follows a similar law recently passed by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, which applies to unincorporated parts of the county. That county ordinance requires all habitable rooms in covered rental units to be kept at or below 82 degrees. It allows landlords flexibility in how they meet the standard, including using passive cooling, mechanical systems, or a mix of both. Enforcement for the county law is scheduled to begin in 2027.
The new city motion requests that the City Attorney, Department of City Planning, and Department of Building and Safety report back with options for adopting the same county health code provisions into city law. The goal is to create consistency between city and county rules and ensure all Angelenos, regardless of jurisdiction, are protected during increasingly frequent and dangerous heat waves.
The motion outlines the public health urgency behind the proposal. Woodland Hills reached 121 degrees in September 2020, the highest temperature ever recorded in Los Angeles County. Heat-related emergency room visits spike during major heat waves, and seniors are more than twice as likely to die from extreme heat than the general population. Low-income communities bear the greatest burden, with three to four times the rate of heat-related illness compared to wealthier areas.
According to the Department of City Planning, 63 percent of Los Angeles residents are renters. That statistic, combined with projected increases in extreme heat days, makes this a citywide health and safety issue. The motion states that setting a safe indoor temperature is a public health imperative and that protecting renters from deadly indoor heat must be a priority.
It also highlights the city’s long-standing reliance on the county for public health regulations. Los Angeles does not have its own health department and typically conforms to county health codes. Adopting the county’s standards would ensure alignment and help avoid confusion across jurisdictions.
In addition to establishing the 82-degree threshold, the motion calls for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and the Housing Department to propose expanded incentive programs. These would support tenants and landlords in installing energy-efficient cooling systems, such as air conditioners or heat pumps, while also exploring opportunities for solar energy, cool roofs, and union-run HVAC rebate programs.