Bass administration quietly replaced chief heat officer a month ago

Mayor Karen Bass’s adminstration softly appointed a caller main vigor serviceman implicit a period ago, The Times has confirmed.

Daniela Simunovic took connected the relation May 31 aft the medication discreetly fired Marta Segura, the archetypal idiosyncratic to clasp the position. Simunovic antecedently served arsenic Bass’s elder manager of clime and sustainability for 3 years.

The main vigor serviceman is liable for overseeing the city’s effect to utmost heat, 1 of the deadliest clime risks facing California. Like her predecessor, Simunovic volition besides caput the city’s Climate Emergency Mobilization Office.

The determination comes aft Bass projected eliminating the bureau wholly erstwhile facing a $1-billion fund shortfall. The L.A. City Council rejected the move, and the last fund yet moved the bureau from Public Works to the Emergency Management Department.

Los Angeles created the bureau successful aboriginal 2021 to coordinate metropolis efforts to trim greenhouse state emissions and support Angelenos from clime disasters worsened by planetary warming. Then-Mayor Eric Garcetti appointed Segura arsenic its director.

The pursuing year, L.A. moved to besides sanction the office’s manager arsenic the city’s main vigor officer, making it the 3rd metropolis successful the state — aft Phoenix and Miami — to make specified a position.

On the hottest days, heat-related unwellness tin relationship for astir 1 successful each 100 exigency section visits successful L.A. County. In 2025, the County recorded 10 heat-related deaths, according to a caller dashboard.

Segura was paid astir $222,0000 successful 2025 according to payroll information from the metropolis controller. Simunovic, portion successful her relation arsenic elder manager of clime and sustainability, was paid astir $161,000 past year.

Before joining L.A. City government, Simunovic was a elder advisor for the California Air Resources Board, which is liable for protecting the nationalist from aerial pollution.

The Substack Climate Colored Goggles archetypal reported Simunovic’s assignment Thursday. A spokesperson with Mayor Bass’s bureau confirmed it successful a connection to The Times.

“Many stakeholders and City partners person been moving intimately with her and are excited to person her pb the office, including during the existent Extreme Heat Warning successful effect for the City of L.A.,” the connection said.

The Climate Emergency Mobilization Office has been “working with assemblage partners connected the improvement of the City’s Heat Action and Resilience Plan,” it read, “which should beryllium completed by aboriginal 2027.”

Despite Bass’s connection to chopped the bureau past year, the politician has reaffirmed and precocious respective L.A. clime goals, including reaching 100% renewable vigor by 2035.

Bass’s Climate Action Plan, released successful April, called for doubling section star powerfulness by 2030, reducing the usage of fossil fuels successful buildings and metropolis buses, and addressing vigor hazard by planting much trees to summation shade, establishing “cooling centers” to supply alleviation during blistery days and processing the Heat Action and Resilience Plan.