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L.A. mayoral hopeful Raman raises urban heat issue
Nithya Raman noted that poorer neighbourhoods are disproportionately affected by rising temperatures.
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Jeffin T. Kaleekal - Fri, 20, Mar 2026
- 01:43 EDT
- 26
Nithya Raman talking about city temperatures / Nithya Raman via X
In her most recent campaign video, Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman, contesting for the city's Mayoral office, has addressed the rising temperatures in cities like LA.
The Kerala born Democrat, in the run-up to the upcoming primaries, announced plans to lower the city's temperature by planting trees across the city.
Highlighting how a neighbourhood's income levels determine the area's temperature, she said, "Look at a map of temperatures in LA on a hot day like today. In LA, your zip code determines your temperature. In wealthier neighborhoods, you'll find trees, parks, and shade.
She continued, "In low-income neighborhoods, you'll find miles of bare asphalt. No trees, no shade. That means in some neighborhoods, the temperatures are 5 to 10 degrees hotter than others."
ALSO READ: Nithya Raman launches Griffith bike lane for safer LA streets
In a 2019 study published by Chakraborty and others in Environmental Research Letters, they analyzed urban heat in 25 cities worldwide and found that poorer neighborhoods faced higher heat exposure in 72 percent of cases, mainly due to less vegetation and more paved surfaces.
The study highlights urban heat as an environmental justice issue and calls for targeted green infrastructure in vulnerable areas.
Raman described the difference in temperatures as 'life-or-death' and noted that heat stroke can have a fatality rate of 50 to 80 percent if left untreated.
She continued, "For decades, Los Angeles built warehouses and freeways in working-class neighborhoods.But no parks, no trees. Now those same communities are the hottest places in the entire city.
Raman acknowledged that the consequences of rising temperature in certain neighbourhoods disproportionately affect "Low-income Angelenos, Black and Latino families, thousands of unhoused residents trying to survive on these hot streets."
She also argued that extreme heat is the most significant climate threat faced by the city.
Raman said, "Heat deaths are preventable. I'm running for mayor because staying alive during a heat wave shouldn't depend on your zip code."
She continued, "I'll make sure every Angeleno has a safe place to cool down when temperatures spike. I'll plant 100,000 trees and build shade in the hottest parts of LA."
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