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Recommendation to request City Manager, or designee, to work with the Long Beach Health Officer and the Parks, Recreation and Marine Department to conduct outreach, draft safety protocols, and discuss and enact related strategic planning initiatives with youth sports leagues in preparation for reopening our parks to youth sports activities as allowable by the State and City health orders within 60 days.
DISCUSSION
On March 19, 2020, the State of California and City of Long Beach instituted emergency orders as a response to control the spread of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19).
Since then, we have pulled together as a City to successfully “flatten the curve” enough to now move further into the phased approach of the Governor’s guidelines for reopening (see covid19.ca.gov/roadmap
for details). We’re now able to more fully open our businesses and public amenities while maintaining all necessary safety protocols. Our childcare services are now open to everyone in the public, not just our essential workers.
As we look forward to safely opening more, I want to make sure our youth sports leagues are part of that conversation. Obviously, their play and seasons have been interrupted along with everything else, and like everything else, they’re no less important to get up and going again. Thousands of Long Beach youth participate in our sports leagues on a yearly basis. They provide a needed outlet for the energy and interests of our younger residents while doing so in a safe and structured format that emphasizes teamwork and cooperation. The mental and physical benefits of youth sports participation is well documented and are needed now more than ever.
In May of 2019, the Parks, Recreation and Marine Department started a process of outreach to each park user group in the City to help inform long term goals for a 10-year Parks Strategic Plan. There is opportunity to look not just at the ways in which each league can best serve yout...
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