LA city, county open cooling centers, extend hours as Southland bakes

With dangerous triple-digit heat in the Southland’s forecast through the weekend, the city today announced extended hours at five cooling centers, while Los Angeles County opened several additional places for people to seek refuge from torrid temperatures.

The city’s Department of Recreation and Parks said cooling centers at these locations will be open Friday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.:

• Fred Roberts Recreation Center, 4700 Honduras St., Los Angeles, 323-234-8650
• Highland Park Recreation Center, 6150 Piedmont Ave., Los Angeles, 213-847-4876
• Lake View Terrace Recreation Center, 11075 Foothill Blvd., Lake View Terrace, 818-899-8087
• Mid Valley Senior Center, 8801 Kester Ave., Panorama City, 818-892-0892, and
• Shadow Ranch Recreation Center, 22633 Vanowen St., West Hills, 818-883-3637

In addition, all Recreation and Parks facilities can be used as cooling centers during normal operating hours, the agency said.

A complete list of city cooling centers, with locations and hours of operation, can be found at the Los Angeles Emergency Department website.

The Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation, meanwhile, announced it has opened several cooling centers for the weekend. They will be open Friday from 10:30 a.m.-7 p.m. and Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Pets are allowed but must be leashed and with the owners at all times.

They locations of the county parks’ cooling centers are:

• Jackie Robinson Park, 8773 East Ave. R, Littlerock
• Stephen Sorensen Park, 16801 East Ave. P, Lake Los Angeles
• Val Verde Community Regional Park, 30300 Arlington St., Castaic
• Castaic Regional Sports Complex, 31320 N. Castaic Road, Castaic
• George Lane Park, 5520 West Ave. L-8, Quartz Hill
• Pearblossom Park, 33922 N. 121st St., East Pearblossom
• Col. Leon H. Washington Park, 8908 Maie Ave., Los Angeles
• Amelia Mayberry Park, 13201 Meyer Road, Whittier
• Adventure Park, 10130 S. Gunn Ave., Whittier
• Mary M. Bethune Park, 1244 E 61st St., Los Angeles
• Lennox Park, 10828 S. Condon Ave., Inglewood
• Franklin D. Roosevelt Park, 7600 Graham Ave., Los Angeles
• Earvin “Magic” Johnson Recreation Area, 905 E. El Segundo Blvd., Los Angeles
• Del Aire Park, 12601 S. Isis Ave., Hawthorne,
• George Washington Carver Park, 1400 E. 118th St., Los Angeles.

A complete list of county park cooling center locations, along with safety tips to stay safe in the heat, is available at the county parks and recreation website.

A list of all Los Angeles County cooling centers can be found at the Ready LA County website.

The city recreation department also suggested city swimming pools as another way to beat the heat, saying the pools will be open daily. Visit SwimLA.org for locations and hours of operation.