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op-ed LagunaUnmuted (Medium)

A Rigged Game: The Troubling Story Behind a California High School's $19 Million Pool

LagunaUnmuted (Medium) · Laguna Unmuted

Author
Published:
2025-08-11
Retrieved:
2026-05-15
URL:
https://medium.com/laguna-unmuted/a-rigged-game-the-troubling-story-behind-a-california-high-schools-19-million-pool-57863ed7726b

Board-majority-aligned critique of the LBHS pool modernization project. Vault capture is a WebFetch summary; verbatim quotation would require re-fetching the original.

Key points

  • Investigates LBUSD's pool modernization at the high school as a 'rigged' procurement process.
  • Argues the RFP specified a '50-meter pool' as the primary objective, predetermining the outcome and short-circuiting competitive bidding.
  • Notes the city-of-Laguna-Beach joint-use agreement that justified the larger pool was rejected by city council on March 12, 2024; the design contract was nonetheless awarded two days later and the final pool built at 45 meters.
  • Reports community group Sensible Laguna estimated renovating the existing facility could save '$8 million to $10 million' versus the modernization design.
  • Recommends independent selection committees, public weighted scoring rubrics, and phased community engagement for major contracts.

Cited by 2 events

  1. Board approves $18.8M pool modernization hard-cost contract

    LagunaUnmuted's August 2025 critique of the pool modernization project preceded the January 2026 hard-cost contract approval; cited here for the board-majority-aligned framing of the project's history.

  2. Board approves bid advertising for LBHS Pool Modernization Project 5–0

    Board-majority-aligned critique of the LBHS pool modernization budget and procurement, published August 11, 2025 — a month before the pool-bid advertising vote.