Mayor Karen Bass’s adminstration quietly appointed a new chief heat officer over a month ago, The Times has confirmed.
Daniela Simunovic took on the role May 31 after the administration discreetly fired Marta Segura, the first person to hold the position. Simunovic previously served as Bass’s senior director of climate and sustainability for three years.
The chief heat officer is responsible for overseeing the city’s response to extreme heat, one of the deadliest climate risks facing California. Like her predecessor, Simunovic will also head the city’s Climate Emergency Mobilization Office.
The move comes after Bass proposed eliminating the office entirely when facing a $1-billion budget shortfall. The L.A. City Council rejected the move, and the final budget ultimately moved the office from Public Works to the Emergency Management Department.
Los Angeles created the office in early 2021 to coordinate city efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect Angelenos from climate disasters worsened by global warming. Then-Mayor Eric Garcetti appointed Segura as its director.
The following year, L.A. moved to also name the office’s director as the city’s chief heat officer, making it the third city in the country — after Phoenix and Miami — to create such a position.
On the hottest days, heat-related illness can account for nearly 1 in every 100 emergency department visits in L.A. County. In 2025, the County recorded 10 heat-related deaths, according to a new dashboard.
Segura was paid about $222,0000 in 2025 according to payroll data from the city controller. Simunovic, while in her role as senior director of climate and sustainability, was paid about $161,000 last year.
Before joining L.A. City government, Simunovic was a senior advisor for the California Air Resources Board, which is responsible for protecting the public from air pollution.
The Substack Climate Colored Goggles first reported Simunovic’s appointment Thursday. A spokesperson with Mayor Bass’s office confirmed it in a statement to The Times.
“Many stakeholders and City partners have been working closely with her and are excited to have her lead the office, including during the current Extreme Heat Warning in effect for the City of L.A.,” the statement said.
The Climate Emergency Mobilization Office has been “working with community partners on the development of the City’s Heat Action and Resilience Plan,” it read, “which should be completed by early 2027.”
Despite Bass’s proposal to cut the office last year, the mayor has reaffirmed and advanced several L.A. climate goals, including reaching 100% renewable energy by 2035.
Bass’s Climate Action Plan, released in April, called for doubling local solar power by 2030, reducing the use of fossil fuels in buildings and city buses, and addressing heat risk by planting more trees to increase shade, establishing “cooling centers” to provide relief during hot days and developing the Heat Action and Resilience Plan.
