On June 28, 2022, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved an ordinance amending County Code, Title 11 - Health and Safety, to require public pools and pools at children's camps or schools to create an aquatic safety plan, provide appropriate lifeguard staffing, and increase reporting to the Department of Public Health on any drowning or rescue incidents. The ordinance is known as "Roxie's Swim Safe Ordinance," in honor of 6-year-old Roxie Forbes, who drowned at the swimming pool of a children's summer day camp in Los Angeles County. In her memory, her parents, Doug Forbes and the late Elena Matyas established the Meow Meow Foundation to advocate for drowning prevention and were instrumental in the development of this ordinance.
Read Roxie's Swim Safe Ordinance
The new ordinance requirements will go into effect on January 1, 2023. Leading up to this date, the Department of Public Health will focus on educating pool operators, conducting workshops, and holding open houses for question answering.
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Updated: 2022-07-20
To learn more about drowning prevention, please visit our Drowning Prevention page.
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