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Santa Ana recreation staff report on athletics, aquatics training, grants and upcoming festivals
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Summary
Recreation officials reported 460 participants in boys basketball, described in‑house lifeguard instructor training that reduced certification cost from $350 to $55, reported grant awards/pending grants for life jackets and scholarships, and previewed the tech festival and summer events.
Deputy director for operations and community services (introduced earlier in the meeting) briefed commissioners on recent work across the recreation division, covering athletics, aquatics training, community engagement and upcoming events.
Athletics: staff said the boys’ basketball season began in December with roughly 460 participants. The department is expanding girls‑only programming and planning girls’ volleyball; scheduling aims to stagger boys and girls opportunities so both sets of programs can run.
Aquatics and workforce training: staff described winter pool closures for maintenance and an internal lifeguard‑instructor training program. They said about 10–12 employees recently obtained lifeguard‑instructor certification through in‑house training that reduces typical external certification costs (cited at $350) to an internal rate cited as $55. The in‑house model lets the department certify trainers cost‑effectively and retain training capacity.
Grants and equipment: staff reported receiving a small equipment grant providing 25 approved life jackets (transcript description of the grant source is ambiguous) and said the department has applied to partners including the American Red Cross, Kaiser Permanente and the USA Swimming Foundation for supplemental funding to support scholarships and reduced‑cost lessons. If awarded, staff said scholarships could reduce lesson costs to an estimated $15 for residents.
Events and engagement: staff presented the winter–spring 2026 edition of the Kultura publication (programs and events from Feb–May 2026), reported social‑media growth (parks accounts surpassing 10,000 followers), and announced sponsorships (two sponsors at $10,000 each for the Tech New Year Festival). The department is negotiating renewed cultural‑festival support from the Anaheim Ducks and exploring a floor‑hockey program.
Youth programming: staff briefly summarized youth activities at neighborhood centers (enrichment, seasonal camps, excursions) and cross‑program collaboration with wellness, library and sports staff.
Staff invited questions about scheduling (commissioners asked about sequencing of girls’ and boys’ sports) and suggested commissioners participate in social‑media outreach rather than operating a separate commission account.
Next steps: staff said lifeguard recruitment and hiring cohorts are planned for March and April, and the department will continue grant follow‑up, sponsorship development and promotion of spring and summer events.
