HYE MIN PARK, KELLY KLIMA, SOPHIA CHARAN, JAVIER ROJAS AGUILERA
Identifying Resilient,
Sustainable Cooling
Strategies for Los Angeles
How Might Landlords of Single-Family
Homes Meet Indoor Temperature
Thresholds?
A
s climate change intensifies, the world will have more-frequent, more-severe, and more-
prolonged heat waves.
1
Recent research indicates that such events can be dangerous and,
in some cases, deadly—especially for older adults and young children.
2
As these events get
worse, they might lead to even more ill health effects and deaths than we have seen his-
torically. Increasingly, individual communities are considering how to adapt to these heat risks in
ways that account for their local context and populations.
3
One of these communities is the County
of Los Angeles in California. Historically, Los Angeles County has had a mild climate; the mean
daily maximum temperature generally stays below 80 degrees Fahrenheit (°F) at Los Angeles Inter-
national Airport,
4
91°F in Pasadena,
5
and 95°F in the San Fernando Valley.
6
More recently (such as
in 2018 and again in 2024),
7
Los Angeles County has seen high temperatures of more than 110°F,
with statistically significant increases in heat illnesses, emergency services, and hospitalization
rates during these heat wave events.
8
Heat-related illnesses and deaths are preventable, and cooling
indoor temperatures via air conditioning (A/C) is the most common protective measure.
9
However,
more than 1.1 million units (or more than 30 percent of residential homes) in Los Angeles County
lack any cooling devices,
10
and renters face more challenges than homeowners to access cooling in
their homes. Given this context and the high level of renters in the county,
11
the Los Angeles County
Board of Supervisors began working in 2024 to develop an ordinance that would establish a maxi-
mum indoor temperature for rental units, aiming to promote equitable access to cooling and safe-
guard vulnerable renters from extreme heat.
12
Research Report
