When the heat hits in California, public swimming pools become vital refuges for tens of thousands of families, many of modest means. But because of bureaucratic red tape and the aftermath of pandemic shutdowns, many pools statewide are confronting a labor pool problem — not enough lifeguards.
Oceanside is one of these. The coastal Southern California city recently earmarked $600,000 to upgrade one of its oldest and most beloved public pools, the Brooks Street Swim Center, which serves a low-income neighborhood. The pool's future triggered an intense dispute last year when some city council members wanted to shift its funding to a new aquatics center in a more affluent part of town, an idea that was shelved after community members called it racist and "disrespectful."
But because of the lifeguard shortfall, Brooks Street Pool is one of many in California that have been forced to cut back hours.
