Downtown Los Angeles is classified as an Urban Heat Island and residents of Skid Row are uniquely vulnerable to the urban heat island effect.
In response to the brutal heat waves of September 2020, a grassroots planning/advocacy public health “think tank” developed to work on making sure the Summer of 2021 was better for Skid Row residents.
This effort is Skid Row Cooling Resources and the practical result of the Skid Row Cooling Resources Group were four Cooling Stations/Canopies on different Skid Row sidewalks going 24/7 from July to October 2021. All four featured pop up canopies for shade, a Misting Tent, and a Water Bar as a filter attached to a fire hydrant where ice cubes were then added for a cold cup of water. And ice tea and sunscreen and art activities.
The nonprofit of record was Homeless Health Care Los Angeles and the SRCR Group recommended Urban Alchemy be brought in to provide the 24/7 staffing. The metrics (City Hall language) were outstanding and so Skid Row Cooling Resources as a Summer of 2021 pilot project was a huge hit. Eleven different government agencies, nonprofit service providers, local businesses, and independent consultants were listed for this collaborative effort.
Here is the Land Acknowledgment created specifically for Skid Row Cooling Resources:
We Acknowledge the Land beneath what man has made. We Acknowledge the Tongva, Native indigenous people of Los Angeles, and their ancient village Yaangna, what we call Downtown Los Angeles. We Acknowledge Biddy Mason as the “patron saint” of Downtown Los Angeles, a former slave who became a Matriarch of early Los Angeles. Biddy Mason was a wealthy landowner and philanthropist to the poor and those in need. We Acknowledge the Native indigenous people of Los Angeles, their special relationship with Mother Earth, and their hospitality, inviting us into that special relationship. We Acknowledge the patience, kindness, and compassion of Mother Earth.
That was 2021.
In the Spring of 2022, three different members of the Group sent out a group email saying this is a good time for a zoom to start talking about what 2022 could look like. That zoom never happened apparently because City Hall showed no interest.
In June 2022, the Group was sent an email by City Hall saying there would only be two locations for the summer. I was upset by it going from four to two and also upset that one of the two locations would not be Sixth and San Pedro by Midnight Mission. The metrics of 2021 clearly said the location at Sixth and San Pedro was doing the most good.
An arts-focused advocacy effort began in the beginning of 2023 to take the two locations back to four (or more). I also learned more about the fantastic work done by the Sixth and San Pedro location in 2021 and so I started a petition calling for four locations with one of the locations at Sixth and San Pedro.
The Mayor’s Office publicly announced there would be four Cooling locations this summer operational by the end of July with two remaining as Warming locations into 2024 and asked Downtown folks to make recommendations on what those locations would be.
On July 16th, in bouncing around the internet, I came across a City Administrative Office report dated May 12th sent to City Council titled “Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention Program Round 3 First Funding Report”. This report made recommendations on how $143,640,000 in State money would be spent. In going through it, my jaw dropped when I saw two million four hundred and ninety two thousand and four hundred and fourteen dollars were recommended for “Climate Centers (Cooling/Warming) Centers”.
City Council adopted the report on May 30th. The money goes from fiscal year July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024.
And so I have two foundational questions:
The budget for 2021 was half a million dollars which means the budget this summer is five times greater. Where is this five fold budget increase going?
If the money was available starting July 1st, why are services not starting till the end of July especially with July as a month of Heat Waves?