Understanding Extreme Heat in Pacoima, CA
A closer look at Pacoima's extreme heat risk.
Land Acknowledgement: As we look over this StoryMap, we would like to respectfully acknowledge that the space we are sharing today resides on the unceded traditional homelands of the Chumash, Gabrielino/Tongva, Serrano and Tataviam people, and we would like to pay our respect to elders and relatives both past and present.
Pacoima Community Profile
This StoryMap looks at Pacoima's risk of being affected by extreme heat events and gives a little bit of background about the community. For residents of Pacoima, or those interested in learning more about it, this StoryMap is very useful.
Pacoima is surrounded by three major freeways: the 210, the 5, and the 118. It also hosts over 300 industrial sites and the Whiteman airport that negatively affect the health of residents.
Like the other areas included in the USC PLACE study, Pacoima is an environmental justice community. Since there are so many industrial facilities in the area, air pollution is a huge problem for residents.
Some places that contribute the most to air pollution in Pacoima are the Valley Generating Station, a gas power plant, and the Whiteman Airport. The airport releases the most toxic chemicals into the environment and puts residents at risk for breathing problems and cancer ( 4 ).
The airport and generating station have faced a lot of push-back and protests from community members. Particularly, residents have demanded that these operations shut down.
Extreme Heat and Air Pollution in Pacoima
Calendar plot showing the daily maximum temperature in Pacoima/Panorama City during Summer 2024. Darker colors mean that temperatures were higher.
The calendar plot to the left shows the daily maximum (high) temperature for each day during Summer 2024. Based on this, we can see that there are several days already where it is 90 degrees Fahrenheit or hotter (orange or darker). However, the number of hot days is only expected to rise in the future. Between 2035 and 2064, Pacoima is expected to have 108 (!) days a year (more than 3 months) where temperatures are above 90 degrees Fahrenheit ( 5 ).
The graph below shows that temperatures in Pacoima have steadily been rising over time. In particular, we can see how many days were hotter than 90 degrees Fahrenheit from 1990 to 2020 (red bars). The yellow line shows the average number of extreme heat days within a five year period. We see that in general, the yellow line is moving up slightly which means that it is getting hotter in Pacoima over time.
Graph showing the number of days hotter than 90 degrees Fahrenheit (red bars) in Pacoima between 1990 and 2020.
Due to Pacoima's built environment (buildings, sidewalks, etc.) that emit heat and a lack of green space (trees, parks, etc.), it is likely that residents will feel hotter, especially if access to air conditioning is limited. Many places in Pacoima also don't have proper tree canopy coverage, which means that areas are not shaded by trees ( 6 ).
Calendar plot showing the level of PM 2.5 (a pollutant) in the air each day throughout Summer 2024.
Air quality, which is already a major problem for residents in Pacoima due to the many industrial sites and the Whiteman Airport, will get worse as the number of hot days rises. For example, higher temperatures can increase pollution from cars, industrial sites, etc. which can make breathing and other health-related issues worse ( 6 ).
The calendar plot on the right shows the level of PM (particulate matter) 2.5 on each day in Pacoima throughout Summer 2024. PM 2.5 is a pollutant that can cause health issues related to the lungs and heart. As it gets hotter, the negative health effects of PM 2.5 are expected to get worse. Darker colors on the graph mean that PM 2.5 levels are higher (i.e. air quality is worse).
The heat is something that can make you lose your patience. Even if you have AC at home and you feel comfortable, you can’t stay inside forever. When I go outside for errands, I feel it in my head; sometimes, it makes me feel unsteady.
Community Characteristics
As stated on the main StoryMap, we were interested in three neighborhood traits: age, median income, and public transit dependency (how many people use public transit to get to work). These traits were studied as these can show how at risk (vulnerable) residents of a place are of being hurt by extreme heat.
Maps that show age, median income, and public transit dependency for Pacoima are shown below. Tree canopy coverage is also included on the public transit map. Note that maps show results in census tracts (outlined in gray). Census tracts are divisions created by the United States Census for data collection purposes ( 7 ).
Age
The following map compares the percentage of people under the age of 5 (left) to the percentage of Pacoima residents who are 65 years old or older (right). In both maps, darker purple and pink colors mean that there are more older (or younger) people in a census tract.
Children seem to be present throughout Pacoima, but tend to live in the peach and pink areas (central Pacoima). Older adults (over 65 years old) also live in different areas in Pacoima, but a few areas have a larger amount of older adults than in L.A. County generally. There are the most older adults in the southwest (bottom right) part of Pacoima as seen by the dark purple color.
Areas with lots of children and/or older adults are more at risk of being hurt by extreme heat than other parts of the city. Both children and elderly people are more likely to experience heat-related illnesses as their bodies aren't as good at dealing with heat. Time spent outside (children) and the impacts of medication (older adults) also puts these groups more at risk ( 8 ).
Map showing the percentage of people younger than 5 (left) and those over 65 (right) in Pacoima.
Income
Annual household income was also studied in Pacoima as lower income communities tend to be more at risk in extreme heat events. In our map, darker colors mean that income levels are higher.
In Los Angeles County, the median annual household income is $82,026. All census tracts, with the exception of the navy blue ones, have median incomes that are below this. Income is the lowest by the Hansen Dam Golf Course as seen by the yellow and light green colors.
In general, Pacoima residents make less money annually than other Angelenos, especially by the golf course. Income is important when thinking about extreme heat as low-income (frontline) neighborhoods tend to be hotter than high income areas in part due to lots of heat-absorbing buildings and sidewalks, and not a lot of greenery ( 9 ). Residents may also not be able to afford AC or medical care if needed.
I only have thin curtains, so a lot of light and heat get in…It’s really difficult for me, too. Because, having an air conditioner makes the electricity bill extremely expensive.
Public Transit Dependency
Finally, we looked at the percentage of people who depend on public transportation (buses, railes, etc.) to get to work (left). As the colors get darker, a higher percent of people use public transportation when commuting (orange or red). We compared this map to the amount of tree canopy cover, which looks at how much of an area is shaded by trees (right) ( 10 ). Darker shades of green indicate that there is more tree cover in an area.
Our map suggests that between 0 to 15% of people in Pacoima depend on public transportation to get to work. A majority of the census tracts are yellow, which means that only 0 to 5% of people in these areas use public transit to commute. We do see areas in central and eastern (left side of the map) Pacoima that have higher rates of public transit use (orange areas).
Overall, tree coverage is low and unequal throughout Pacoima. There are several areas with less than 10% tree coverage (light yellow) and there is only one tract where coverage is more than 25% (darkest green). For areas where public transit dependency is high, tree coverage tends to be between 10 to 20%, which means that between 80 to 90% of an area is unshaded by trees, making exposure to heat worse.
One thing to consider is that people who take public transportation to work are out in the heat when waiting for buses, trains, etc. In Pacoima, this heat exposure is worsened by a lack of shade from trees and the urban heat island effect (when certain areas are hotter than others due to a lack of trees and green space), making people more likely to be hurt by extreme heat.
Resources
Interactive Map
The map below shows different places that Pacoima residents can go on hot days. Some "cool spots" include libraries (the purple book icon) and recreational centers (green icon). We recommend that users input their address into the WebApp so they can see what facilities are around them.
Please check each facility's hours before going to them during hot days!
Interactive map showing heat relief resources in LA County. Type in your address to get started!
Organizations
If you are interested in getting more involved with environmental justice efforts (related to extreme heat or otherwise), check out the following organizations.
Updates due to L.A. Wildfires
Air quality has also gotten worse due to the devastating wildfires that occurred throughout Los Angeles in January 2025. Wildfire smoke and ash can be 10 times more harmful to human health than normal pollution and can remain in the air for months, or even years ( 11 ). Although the 2025 wildfires sparked major concerns about air quality throughout the region, these health risks and poor air quality have always been a reality and concern for environmental justice communities like Pacoima and others who are on the frontline.
Information from the South Coast AQMD about how to protect yourself from wildfire smoke. Click on the image for more resources.
Check out the image on the right for tips about how to stay safe during a wildfire. We encourage residents to be cautious and actively protect themselves from wildfire pollution. Also keep in mind that some air quality indexes do not account for ash and other smoke particles, so while the air quality may be "good" you could still be exposed to toxins.
As Los Angeles rebuilds, we urge the city and county governments to acknowledge that this is stolen land and to see the tragic climate disaster as an opportunity to reconnect indigenous peoples to their ancestral land. The Palisades fire is on Chumash, Gabrielino/Tongva land, while the Eaton fire is on Serrano, Tataviam, Gabrielino/Tongva land. There is no one better to manage the land than its original care takers.
Sources
- Moran-Perez, G. Pacoima Beautiful: The Voice for Environmental Injustice [Internet]. Daily Sundial; 2019 Oct 14 [cited 2024 Sep]. Available from: https://sundial.csun.edu/154919/news/pacoima-beautiful-the-voice-for-environmental-injustice/
- California State University Northridge. Resilient Pacoima: A Plan for Building a Strong Community [Internet]. 2020 [cited 2024 Sep]. Available from: https://www.csun.edu/sites/default/files/Pacoima_Plan_English_Spreads_SP20.pdf
- Champlin, C. ‘She Coughs When She’s Sleeping’: Life in Polluted Pacoima [Internet]. LAist; 2021 Apr 22 [cited 2024 Sep]. Available from: https://laist.com/air-quality-pacoima-asthma
- Pacoima Beautiful and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Community Partnership Understanding Toxic Risks [Internet]. 2017 Jan 19 [cited 2024 Sep]. Available from: https://19january2017snapshot.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2016-08/documents/california_pacoima1_report-508.pdf .
- Turner, K., Middle, A., Rogers, M., Engel, R., Schneider, F.A., and Van Tol, Z. Site Design and Human Heat Burden in Pacoima, California [Internet]. UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation; 2023 Apr [cited 2024 Sep]. Available from: https://innovation.luskin.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/luskin-pacoima-extreme-heat-report.pdf
- Chavez, A. Heat is LA’s Primary Climate Hazard - Extreme Heat Can Kill [Internet]. El Sol del Valle de San Fernando; 2023 Jul 19 [cited 2024 Sep]. Available from: https://sanfernandosun.com/2023/07/19/heat-is-las-primary-climate-hazard-extreme-heat-can-kill/
- United States Census Bureau. Census Tracts [Internet]. [cited 2024 Sep]. Available from: https://www2.census.gov/geo/pdfs/education/CensusTracts.pdf
- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Heat and Older Adults (Aged 65+) [Internet]. [cited 2024 Sep]. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/extreme-heat/risk-factors/extreme-heat-and-older-adults-aged-65.html?CDC_AAref_Val=https://www.cdc.gov/disasters/extremeheat/older-adults-heat.html
- Barboza, T., and Vives, R. Poor neighborhoods bear the brunt of extreme heat, ‘legacies of racist decision-making [Internet]. Los Angeles Times; 2021 Oct 28 [cited 2024 Sep]. Available from: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-10-28/extreme-heat-built-environment-equity
- LMU Center for Urban Resilience. 2020, June [cited 2024 Oct]. Available from: https://uscssi.maps.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=f5ab42ce957546c0b8730fedd44bce93
- Schrank, A. Concerned about LA air quality? Here are 7 expert tips [Internet]. LAist; 2025 Jan 21 [cited 2025 Jan]. Available from: https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/la-air-quality-health-tips
