This July 4th, more county pools will be open and more lifeguards will be on duty—for higher pay.
That's music to a local mother's ears.
For Micaela Ramirez, whose children are too big for the kiddie pool in their backyard, the pool at Salazar Park in East Los Angeles is a blessing. It allows Zimori, 6, and Jacob, 9, to burn off energy. She said they have gone almost every day since it opened this summer. And this year, they can continue splashing around in the fall, if they choose.
The swimming season at Los Angeles County's dozens of seasonal pools has been extended from the typical 10 weeks to five months, beginning with their openings June 10. And nearly 600 lifeguards staff those pools, which are open Monday through Saturday.
Seeking to combat a wave of lifeguard shortages across the country, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors earlier this year approved a motion by Supervisor Janice Hahn to increase pool lifeguard pay by 20%, to between $23.86 and $25.87 an hour.
Supervisors also made the process of becoming a county lifeguard a little easier by relaxing the testing requirements. Applicants were required to swim 300 yards — or about the length of three football fields — in 6½ minutes. Last year, applicants had to swim 500 yards in 10 minutes. The age requirement was also lowered from 17 to 16.
As of June 14, the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation had hired 356 new lifeguards and rehired 224 returning ones, according to Hahn's office.
Thanks to strong recruiting, this is the first time in five years that all Los Angeles County pools will be operational, according to the department.
Summer and year-round schedules for events such as Everybody Swims, Lap Swim, Youth Teams, Aquatic Exercises, Swim Lessons, and Night Swim are available through the LA County Parks Aquatics website. And for the July 4 holiday, the pools have extended free swimming hours from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 2 to 4:30 p.m.
Ramirez, 49, likes what he's seen at Salazar's pool.
She said lifeguards take turns monitoring pool users and checking water chemical levels. She and her children feel safe and clean, she said.
“It is always good. I recommend it because, first of all, [the kids] “At the end of the day, the kids get tired,” she said with a smile. “They make friends, they learn to swim, and even for me as a mother, it helps me stay active.”
To boost hiring, the Board of Supervisors earlier this year approved a motion to increase pool lifeguard pay by 20%.
(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
At the summer pool kickoff event on June 14 at Don Knabe Regional Park Pool in Cerritos, Hahn donned a lifeguard uniform.
“Some of our hottest days are in September and October,” the county supervisor said, “but, in our old 10-week swimming season, our pools were closed and off-limits to residents at that time. That didn’t make sense.”
“Now everyone, from children to seniors, can make the most of their local pool and everything it has to offer.”
