An unlikely North Long Beach voice proposes an equity plan to City Officials intent on meeting the Coastal Commission’s “special conditions” to open New Belmont Pool.
NEWS In a sobering and - in some instances - scathing report, the California Coastal Commission won’t allow the City to build the $85 Million Belmont Beach Aquatic Center unless it meets the Commission’s “special conditions” intended to assure that underserved kids are not redlined from access.
"Sitting a large pool complex in a location that is less accessible by underserved communities in Long Beach perpetuates historic patterns of discrimination that created barriers to coastal access and recreation in communities of color and low-income communities."
- California Coastal Commission, Staff Report
The Coastal Commission’s meaning of access is far more involved than merely the right to enter the pool.
In ten pages of an 85 page staff report the California Coastal Commission precisely lays out how, unless revised, the City’s current plan to provide access to underserved residents is neither equitable nor inclusive.
Here’s a snapshot of what the Coastal Commission is requiring under what they call “Special Conditions”:
City must perform a City-wide community outreach and revise its inadequate public access program. (initial outreach was too exclusionary)
The City’s outreach must apply “culturally appropriate outreach methods to equitably engage and survey Long Beach residents.”
Input collected from underserved residents must be used to determine “what type of recreational programming at the BBAC (if any) is most desired and how it could best be accessed.”
To assure accountability, the City must establish an evaluation program and reports on participation.
To enforce follow through, if substantial disparities in access to the pool are discovered after an evaluation then the City’s Public Access Program must be amended.
Until this program is approved and ready to be implemented, the Belmont pool cannot be opened.
When longtime North Long Beach resident, Dan Pressburg, read the Commission’s findings his focus went immediately to problem solving. “If City leaders mobilize the schools in underserved Districts such as mine we can save so many children's lives and give them a skill for life.”
Once an opponent of the pool, Pressburg believes that so many tax dollars have already been spent over the past 7 years that it makes little sense to throw the baby out with the bath water.
Pressburg says,” if I have to live with it, then it ought to be fair.”
Ultimately, Pressburg would like to see Long Beach Unified School District partner with the new Belmont Pool to make swimming a graduation requirement. But in the short term, he and activists from Move Our City are floating an idea that starts with after school programs and physical education curriculum.
“The reasons the Coastal Commission findings are so compelling,” says Pressburg is because through the lens of a swimming pool we have a window into “the dividing lanes between the haves and the have nots in Long Beach from an outsider’s perspective.”
Mr. Pressburg hopes his plan will have an impact on the City's next steps. He has also requested a seat on the pool's stakeholder committee which doesn't yet have a 9th District representative.
Perhaps the most alarming observation the commission made was this one:
“The City raised environmental justice concerns about the Elephant Lot because it is closer to the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles and a public pool facility at this location could expose more people to poor air quality.”
The Elephant Lot is next to the Long Beach Aquarium. A pool built there would be far more accessible to children in North, West and Central Long Beach.
Understandably, the City wouldn’t want to put any more children at risk than already are. It is, however, worth noting that the only instance where the Commission references our City “rais[ing] environmental justice concerns” was when it was convenient to oppose building the pool nearer to underserved residents.
Thus, it stands to reason that when the City says it wants to protect “more people” from poor air quality, it really means protecting affluent people from poor air quality.
Underserved Children are already breathing dirty air from the Port and paying for each breath with their quality of life and shortened lifespans.
However, had key Coastal Commissioners, such as former competitive swimmer Commissioner Turnbull-Sanders, not raised so many heartfelt equity concerns the City, our Mayor and Coastal Commissioner Roberto Uranga were prepared to move ahead with an inequitable plan for underserved children.
Here are additional quotes from the Coastal Commission’s finding that will likely shape not only our coastline but our City’s political narrative moving forward.
Underserved Residents Had No Seat at the Table
“...the City’s proposed programming to enhance access to the BBAC for underserved communities was not developed in consultation with representatives from such communities.”
It's Just Too Far
“When considering environmental justice issues related to the proposed project, the first concern is the sitting of the development in a part of coastal Long Beach that is more affluent, predominantly white, and not easily accessible from other parts of the City.”
“One bus that runs once or twice an hour under normal weekday circumstances...the closest bus stop is approximately ½ mile from the project site and an approximately 15-minute ride from the Downtown Long Beach Transit Mall where transfers would be required to reach inland Long Beach.”
“[the pool] will provide recreational opportunities that disproportionately benefit those wealthier residents who live close to the proposed project site and enjoy access to more recreational amenities. those who can afford cars, and those with time to transport themselves to the proposed pool complex.”
The Pool Should be Affordable for all Residents
“more than twice the percentage of Black households lack car access than other households and Latino, Asian/Pacific Islander, and Black workers all earned lower wages compared to White workers.”
“individuals who do not live near the proposed location have less disposable income to spend on aquatic programs, pool use (entry fees), and transportation to the site.”
“The decline in public pools disproportionately burdens lower income families who cannot afford to pay for costly swim club memberships or classes at private facilities.”
Too Few Pools for Too Many People of Color
“the City of Long Beach has a population of 462,628 and a median household income of $60,551. Notably, 72% of Long Beach residents identify as people of color and 47% speak a language other than English at home.”
“Despite the size and population, there are currently only three year round public pools in Long Beach that offer open swim lessons and aquatics programming. Both [pools are] indoor and have been closed during the pandemic”
Air Pollution
“The proposed project, which would be the largest pool facility and offer more programming and recreational opportunities, will be located far from communities more burdened with public health impacts of pollution and which have greater sensitivity to the pollution.”
Black Drownings
“According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is an increased likelihood of African American youth and young adults drowning in swimming pools compared to other races/ethnicities. It is believed that differences in swimming skills may explain this inequity.”
“Research indicates that a history of racial discrimination and access to swimming pools and swim lessons resulted in fewer Black communities participating in aquatic activities than White individuals.”
“In addition to racial disparities, there is also a growing class disparity in swimming abilities that emerged due to pool closures and less investment in building new, affordable public pools.
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