LA council to explore AC requirement for residential rental units

The Los Angeles City Council voted Friday to explore requiring residential rental units in the city to have cooling appliances, such as air conditioners.

The council sought a report from the city’s Housing Department on options to amend the city code to require “sufficient cooling apparatuses” in rental units, along with potential funding sources.

The item was brought forth in September by Nury Martinez, the former council president who resigned last week for her involvement in the City Hall racism scandal.

Several people who called into public comment blasted the council for continuing to conduct business with Councilmen Kevin de León and Gil Cedillo — who also took part in the leaked conversation from October 2021. Although León and Cedillo are still on the council, they continued to be absent Friday, even as items they and Martinez brought forward continued to be considered.

Residents in low-income neighborhoods are more vulnerable to extreme heat. The northeast San Fernando Valley, the Harbor area and South Los Angeles record more emergency room visits during heat waves than the rest of the city, according to a Climate Vulnerability Assessment report cited in the motion.

“The lack of cooling appliances directly impacts our most marginalized communities, making them vulnerable to the extreme heat our city is facing,” said Councilman Curren Price, who seconded the motion. “There is no time to waste, climate change is real and we must utilize every tool available to preserve our quality of life for future generations.”

The council also sought reports from:

• the Housing Department, chief heat officer and Climate Emergency Mobilization Office on how extreme weather and climate change will affect primarily older housing units;
• the city attorney on how the city can help tenants without air conditioning for an “unreasonable period of time”;
• the Department of Water and Power on resources and programs assisting low-income households with energy bills during extreme weather events; and
• the city administrative officer on funding sources to assist low- income households during extreme weather events.

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