Board Supports Hahn Proposal to Extend County Pool Season

Caption: Supervisor Janice Hahn at the reopening of the Palm Park Pool

Los Angeles, CA – Starting next year, Los Angeles County pools will be open for six months out of the year rather than just ten weeks.  Today, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to support a proposal by Supervisor Janice Hahn and co-authored by Supervisor Kathryn Barger to extend the pool season as the region experiences longer, hotter summers.

“Summer may be coming to an end, but the hot summer weather is not,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn. “People love our County pools and they are sorry to see them close every August, right in the middle of the hottest months of the year. Our public pools are some of our most valuable community resources and they should be open as long as the weather permits.”

The LA County Department of Parks and Recreation manages 30 pools countywide and 25 of them are only open ten weeks out of the year. This year, the summer season pools were open to the public from June 15th to August 21st.

“With triple-digit temperatures lasting through the fall, Los Angeles County communities need affordable, accessible ways to keep cool,” Supervisor Kathryn Barger said. “Extending the swim program at local pools will allow residents to stay active, connect with neighbors, and beat the heat.”

Today, at the regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors, the board voted unanimously to support a motion authored by Supervisor Hahn and co-authored by Supervisor Kathryn Barger to extend the annual pool season from a ten-week season to a six-month season from May 1st through October 30th.  The Department of Parks and Recreation will work with the County’s Chief Executive Officer to identify ongoing funding and resources to support this extended pool season and develop a plan to recruit and train additional lifeguards.

The department will report back to the board in 90 days.