Ahead of a week-long extreme heat event, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on Monday ordered the opening of hundreds of libraries, recreation centers and other locations to be available as cooling centers for residents.
Bass was expected to conduct a news conference at 1:30 p.m. Monday, where she will discuss her plans to protect Angelenos from the record-breaking heat that will impact the city.
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“As a former nurse and a physician assistant, I know first-hand that this heat is something to treat extremely seriously, and I’m making sure the city is preparing accordingly,” Bass said in a statement. “Hundreds of city facilities, including libraries and recreation centers, are available for Angelenos who need to stay cool. Do not hesitate — get indoors and into air conditioning and protect yourself.”
The Los Angeles Fire Department was actively monitoring weather conditions and is prepared to respond to emergencies, according to the Mayor’s Office. The Mayor’s Office of Public Safety also continues to coordinate with the Emergency Management Department and the Los Angeles Police Department to respond to the heat wave.
Residents are encouraged to sign up for weather alerts at NotifyLA.org.
The city has hundreds of locations open for relief from the heat, including recreation and park facilities and local library branches. For locations and hours, people can visit laparks.org/reccenter and lapl.org/branches for information about the cooling centers, or call 3-1-1 to learn more.
The city has selected the following locations to operate under extended hours from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., exclusively to residents and their pets who may seek relief from the heat in areas such as the San Fernando Valley, downtown and South Los Angeles:
— Canoga Park Senior Citizen’s Center, 7326 Jordan Ave.
— North Hollywood Senior Citizen Center, 5301 Tujunga Ave.
— Pecan Recreation Center, 145 S. Pecan St., downtown L.A.
— Algin Sutton Recreation Center, 8880 S. Hoover St.
Additionally, the Department of Recreation and Parks will continue to operate public pools and splash pads during normal hours of operation. Residents can find their nearest pool at swimla.recreation.parks.lacity.gov/.
The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority is conducting outreach to inform unhoused residents of the extreme heat and providing them with information about safety, cooling center location, where to find water bottles and other supplies.
The agency is expected to operate so-called “climate stations,” where unhoused residents can receive cold drinks and sit under shade at the following locations:
— Towne St. (between Fifth and Sixth streets) across the street from the ReFresh Spot
— San Pedro Street, mid-block between Sixth and Seventh streets
— Fifth Street and Maple Avenue.
More of these stations are expected to open in Skid Row.
The ReFresh Spot located at 544 Towne Ave. is also open and provides unhoused people in Skid Row access to drinking water, restrooms, showers and laundry facilities. The ReFresh Spot is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to anyone in the community, free of charge.
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power reminded residents to conserve energy use where possible, as demand for electricity may increase as customers run air conditioners.
In the event of a power outage, residents can report such issues at ladwp.com/outages or by calling 1-800-342-5397. DWP customers can sign up to receive outage alerts via text or email at ladwp.com/outagealert.