Mayor Karen Bass\u2019 adminstration quietly appointed a new chief heat officer over a month ago, The Times has confirmed.<\/p>\n
Daniela Simunovic took on the role May 31 after the administration discreetly fired<\/a> Marta Segura, the first person to hold the position. Simunovic previously served as Bass\u2019 senior director of climate and sustainability for three years.<\/p>\n The chief heat officer is responsible for overseeing the city\u2019s response to extreme heat, one of the deadliest climate risks facing California<\/a>. Like her predecessor, Simunovic will also head the city\u2019s Climate Emergency Mobilization Office. <\/p>\n The move comes after Bass proposed eliminating the office entirely<\/a> when facing a $1-billion budget shortfall. The L.A. City Council rejected the move, and the final budget ultimately moved the office from Public Works to the Emergency Management Department.<\/p>\n Los Angeles created the office in early 2021 to coordinate city efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect Angelenos from climate disasters worsened by global warming. Then-Mayor Eric Garcetti appointed Segura as its director.<\/p>\n The following year, L.A. moved to also name the office\u2019s director as the city\u2019s chief heat officer, making it the third city in the country \u2014 after Phoenix and Miami \u2014 to create such a position. <\/p>\n On the hottest days, heat-related illness can account for nearly 1 in every 100 emergency department visits in L.A. County. In 2025, the County recorded 10 heat-related deaths, according to a new dashboard<\/a>.<\/p>\n Segura was paid about $222,0000 in 2025 according to payroll data from the city controller<\/a>. Simunovic, while in her role as senior director of climate and sustainability, was paid about $161,000 last year.<\/p>\n Before joining L.A. City government, Simunovic was a senior advisor for the California Air Resources Board<\/a>, which is responsible for protecting the public from air pollution.<\/p>\n