Santa Ana Unveils New Pool While Residents Learn It Is Not Yet Open

Santa Ana residents have long waited for the completion of the Memorial Park Aquatic Center, a facility intended to provide year-round programming for the community. This month, the city held an unveiling ceremony for the new pools, an event that quickly became a source of confusion and frustration for local families.

Diana Vargas, a longtime resident of the Memorial Park neighborhood, brought her children to the event after seeing a flier advertising the opening. The children were prepared to swim and use the slide, only to be told upon arrival that admission was limited. Vargas recounted that staff informed her it was an event for VIPs and specific students from Washington Elementary, with general access planned for a later time.

“It’s only for VIPs, and it’s only for certain Washington Elementary kids. You will be able to go in at 1:30 p.m.,” Vargas said in a phone interview describing the interaction. Her youngest son, trying to reassure the family, suggested they go to another pool, a pattern the family has experienced in other cities. “We could go to the other pools, they won’t say anything,” Vargas said.

During the ceremony, elected officials participated in the activities and staged photo opportunities. City Council candidate Giovanni Chavez, with assistance from Congressman Lou Correa, shared a video on Instagram promoting the pool as evidence of expanding city services. The post occurred shortly before the November election. Despite the public celebration, the pools were not fully open to the general public at the time of the event.

Artists and city officials noted that the rushed ribbon cutting complicated the restoration of an iconic Chicano mural located at the center. The discrepancy between the celebration and the actual status of the facility has raised questions about transparency at city hall. Residents and council members have asked when the pools will actually open, whether they will be free, and who was invited to the special event.

City Spokesman Paul Eakins declined to answer questions by phone on Monday, directing inquiries to email, and did not respond to those emailed questions. City Manager Alvaro Nuñez also did not respond to a request for comment that same day. In an email to city council members shared by Councilman Ben Vazquez, Nuñez stated that staff is investigating the lack of clear communication surrounding the pools.

“We recognize the importance of clear communication and timely community access,” Nuñez wrote in the Monday email. He added that concerns regarding staff communication and delays in activating the aquatic center are under review through the city’s internal personnel process. “Our priority remains ensuring that the facility serves the community as intended,” he said.

Vazquez expressed a desire for the city manager’s office to answer basic questions publicly. He suggested that parents of children turned away should have been allowed to sign necessary paperwork at the gate rather than sending their kids home. Vazquez added that he last heard the pool would open in May. He noted that the city manager’s office appeared thrown off by the fact that the Emigdio Vasquez mural was not open on the same day.

Mayor Valerie Amezcua, Councilmembers Phil Bacerra, Thai Viet Phan, David Penaloza, Johnathan Hernandez, and Jessie Lopez did not respond to requests for comment. Amezcua, Bacerra, and Vazquez are running for reelection, while Penaloza and Lopez are competing for a state assembly seat. The incident follows a pattern of communication issues at city hall, including recent confusion over changes to community garden operations.

Earlier this year, signs at community gardens indicated a reduction in operations, prompting questions from residents and officials. City leaders attributed the signs to a mistake and later revealed they had quietly paused programming due to budget cuts. Despite $11 million in budget reductions that affected staffing, the city allocated over $937,000 for its public information office this fiscal year. Internal emails showed city executives scrambling for answers from Parks and Recreation staff to clarify the changes to garden operations.