When the Scouts were required to leave the Cabrillo Beach Youth Center in December 2025, I felt many of the same emotions that people throughout San Pedro felt: surprise, sadness, and frustration.
For generations of local families, this was never just another piece of Port property. It was a place where young people learned to swim, camp, sail, and grow. It was where friendships were formed, confidence was built, and lifelong memories were made. I have my own memories there as well, listening to the San Pedro band Mid-Life Crisis and watching fireworks at many a Fourth of July celebration.
That history matters. So does the pain caused by the camp’s closure.
I serve on the Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners, but I was traveling through Asia when the final decision was made to require the Scouts to vacate the property. When I learned what had happened, I began asking the same questions many in our community were asking: Why did this happen? Why now? And what would become of this important youth- and community-serving waterfront space?
I asked to inspect the site with members of the Port of Los Angeles Construction and Maintenance and Engineering teams. What I saw changed my understanding of the situation. The amount of work required to make the property safe and suitable for children was far greater than I had expected.
Beneath the outdoor deck seating, the supporting structure showed severe deterioration. In the electrical room, two phone-booth-sized electrical boxes bore a waterline approximately two inches high. A sobering sign that water had entered a place where it never should have been. Outside, improper drainage was directing rainwater toward the building’s foundation and other critical areas.
The bathrooms were the usual nastiness of public bathrooms but also lacking adequate access to hot water for showers to serve an aquatic facility of this size.
The swimming pool also needs resurfacing, and its rust-covered deck must be completely rebuilt. These were not cosmetic problems that could be solved with fresh paint and a weekend cleanup. There were serious structural, electrical, drainage, sanitation, and safety issues.
For well over a decade, the Scouts had operated under a month-to-month lease. That arrangement allowed programs to continue, but it made long-term capital planning extremely difficult. It is nearly impossible for any nonprofit organization to launch a major fundraising campaign, especially one requiring tens of millions of dollars, without long-term control of the property it is being asked to improve.
Renewing the lease would have required a major upfront investment by the Scouts to resolve these issues. It would have placed an enormous fundraising burden on the Scouts at a time when their resources were already needed for basic programming, staffing, and activities for young people.
None of that erases the disappointment about how the closure occurred. Our community deserved clear communication and a clearer understanding of what was at stake. Transparency is especially important when decisions affect a place with so much history and emotional significance.
But we also have an obligation to be honest about the facility’s condition and realistic about what it will take to preserve it for future generations.
The Port has already committed $5 million to the project and, this week, secured an additional $5 million for renovations. That brings the Port’s planned investment to $10 million, with the potential to attract additional funding connected to Olympic activities.
A new organization, Pathways to Podium, was created to manage the property as it is prepared for use associated with the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Just as important is the commitment for the facility to return to youth and community use after the Games.
The Port expects to issue a Request for Proposals in 2027 to select a long-term operator. That process must produce an organization capable of maintaining the property responsibly and reopening it to the many community groups that came to depend on it, including the Scouts.
That commitment matters. The Olympics should be a bridge to the camp’s future, not the end of its community legacy. I understand why people were angry. I shared much of that anger before I walked the site and saw the conditions firsthand.
The goal should be bigger than simply reopening the gates. We have an opportunity to create a safe, modern, and financially sustainable waterfront facility that serves Scouts, schools, youth sports organizations, nonprofit groups, and San Pedro families for decades to come.
The closure of the Cabrillo Beach Aquatic Community Center was painful. If this summer’s sailing events are any indication, the facility is well on its way to realizing its full potential. With a $10 million Port investment, the opportunities created by LA28, and a firm commitment to restoring broad community access, we can protect the spirit of this special place and ensure that generations of young people continue to learn, play, and grow on our waterfront. spt
Lee Williams is a local real estate expert, community advocate, and harbor commissioner at the Port of LA. He believes in smart growth and investing in community, culture, art, and history. He can be reached at lee@lamove.com.
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