Los Angeles City Council adopts 82°F maximum indoor temperature for rentals, adds implementation steps

The Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday voted to adopt a maximum indoor temperature standard for rental housing, directing city departments to study implementation steps and potential costs while approving amendments to phase in enforcement and support programs.

Councilmember Bob Blumenfield, who led the motion to adopt the county health code standard for the city, framed the measure as a public‑health step to protect renters from extreme indoor heat. “No one should have to live in a sweat box,” Blumenfield said, urging coordination with LADWP and building officials to pair standards with incentives and grid planning.

Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, a co‑sponsor, described the proposal as urgent for public health: “82 degrees, that is the line between life and death,” she said, citing county data on excess emergency‑room visits during heat events and arguing that renters and medically vulnerable residents disproportionately bear the risk.

Supporters at the microphone included public‑health and housing advocates. Juanita Chavez of the Sierra Club’s Angeles chapter told the council the ordinance addresses a “matter of health and safety” and urged prompt action; Gisela Friedman, speaking for NRDC, opposed amendments that would indefinitely delay adoption for a comprehensive grid study.

Representatives from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power told council members the utility’s LA100 and LA100 equity studies have modeled multiple electrification and load scenarios and identified grid upgrade priorities. “We have finished the LA 100 study and the LA 100 equity study,” LA DWP manager Haik Malsasian said, describing ongoing modeling and planned infrastructure upgrades in areas where air‑conditioning load is expected to grow.

Councilmembers approved two amending motions that changed reporting instructions and implementation details. A technical ‘‘perfecting’’ amendment and a separate amendment directing Building and Safety, City Attorney, City Planning and LADWP to report on the city’s authority to update building codes under Assembly Bill 130 passed in committee and were adopted in the chamber. The amending motion labeled 12B passed with a recorded vote of 14 ayes; amending motion 12A passed 11–3; the final amended ordinance passed 14–0.

The adopted package instructs the Los Angeles Housing Department, LADWP, Department of Building and Safety and other departments to report back on feasibility, costs, potential funding or incentive programs (including additions to the Rent Stabilization Ordinance capital improvement list), and any necessary code changes. Council members said those report‑backs are intended to limit delays in getting cooling relief to tenants ahead of summer heat.

The council’s action follows similar county policy and a broad coalition of labor, tenant, environmental and health groups that urged the city to set a maximum indoor temperature. Advocates said the measures should include workforce investments for installation and maintenance, while some council members sought assurances LADWP modeling would prevent unforeseen grid strain.

Next steps: the council directed multiple departments to return with reports on jurisdictional authority, grid impacts, programmatic incentives and cost estimates on a timeline set in the ordinance; implementation will depend on those report‑backs and subsequent administrative rule‑making.