‘A good first start’— Extreme weather shelters coming to L.A.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is moving forward with a plan to create year-round emergency shelters to protect unhoused people during extreme weather.

Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who introduced the motion, said the county’s cooling centers and winter shelters are “a good first start,” but not enough.

“We've experienced wildfires and unrelenting heat waves especially in the fifth district. Temperatures have exceeded 115 degrees in the Antelope Valley for a stretch of several days,” she said. “And as we enter this fall and winter seasons, more tough weather conditions will impact our communities including rain and freezing temperatures that can threaten the lives of people living on our streets.”

She said that during the recent heat wave, the cities of Lancaster and Palmdale had cooling centers available, but the space and hours of operation were limited.

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The motion directs the county to establish at least one 24/7 emergency climate shelter in each of its eight service areas. County workers have 90 days to find funding and sites for the shelters.

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