Marta Segura, the first fire chief for the city of Los Angeles, was quietly fired from her position last month, The Times has confirmed.
Segura stepped into the new role in 2022 amid a significant increase in climate-induced heat events. His appointment by then-Mayor Eric Garcetti came with great interest, as it made LA only the third American city to name a chief heat officer, following Phoenix and Miami. Segura also served as director of the city’s Office of Emergency Coordination.
Segura confirmed that Bass’ management let him go last month, as first reported by Substack Climate Colored Goggles. He said no reason was given for the decision, but declined to comment. Segura was paid about $222,000 in 2025, according to public salary data.
Officials in charge of Bass said they are in the process of appointing a new person to take the role.
“Extreme heat is one of the most dangerous weather hazards in Los Angeles, and it will only get worse without urgent action,” spokeswoman Paige Sterling said.
The new heating chief will “advance Mayor Bass’ Climate Action Plan,” Sterling said, including improving the city’s heat management and resiliency plan, expanding tree plantings and implementing citywide cooling strategies. “We thank Marta for her work as the City’s chief executive officer.”
Some environmentalists said Segura’s departure would bring chaos to a city that is already facing dire climate challenges.
“Where have all the environmental leaders gone in this administration?” asked Mark Gold of the nonprofit Natural Resources Defense Council. Other recent departures include Janisse Quiñones, who stepped down as head of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power in March; and Barbara Romero, who resigned as the city’s sanitation chief in October amid rumors that she was fired. Both were proponents of clean energy and sustainability goals.
The City’s Office of Sustainability, which led the implementation of Garcetti’s New National Green Deal, was also restructured under Bass, with many of its functions moved to the Board of Public Works and the Office of Climate Action. Last year, the Office of Climate Coordination was also moved from Public Works to the city’s Department of Emergency Management.
But while Bass has confirmed and in some areas LA’s climate goals have been advanced — such as moving to 100% renewable energy by 2035 — climate has often been less important than homelessness and public safety. The mayor last year proposed eliminating the Office of Climate Action amid a $1 billion budget shortfall, a move that was rejected by the LA City Council.
With Segura gone, the office’s former staff of six is now down to one employee, deputy fire chief Gordon Haines.
Still, some members of the city council were able to make progress on heat issues outside of the office. Last fall, council members Euniss Hernandez, Adrin Nazarian and Bob Blumenfield introduced a proposal to impose indoor temperature limits on city tenants, mirroring legislation from the LA County Board of Supervisors. The proposal is moving forward with the writing process now.
In April, Bass released a new Climate Action plan for the city that replaces the Green New Deal and calls for doubling local solar power by 2030, reducing the use of fossil fuels in building buses and cities, and addressing the risk of heat, among other things.
Department of Emergency Management spokesman Joseph Riser said he could not comment on personnel matters, but the position of the fire chief “remains a priority for us as we work to continue to ensure that climate resilience issues are addressed throughout our risk planning efforts.”
Segura was appointed to the role as the city faces increasing weather risks, including severe droughts and extreme heat waves. A record heat wave in September 2022 killed hundreds of people across the country and nearly knocked out the power grid.
Segura’s appointment also followed a Times investigation into the death toll of extreme heat, which found that California consistently overcounts heat deaths, and that the effects of heat disproportionately affect poorer neighborhoods in Los Angeles.
Bass’ office said a new chief would be announced this month.
