New Collective Bargaining Agreement Addresses Psychological Toll Of Watching Empty Beaches At 5 AM

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA — The Los Angeles County Professional Lifeguard Association successfully negotiated a new provision into its collective bargaining agreement this week, adding a specific premium for dawn-patrol tower assignments, which union leaders have described as “psychologically taxing in ways previously unrecognized by county HR.”

The new provision, formally titled “Coastal Solitude Compensation” but universally referred to by members as “loneliness pay,” adds $4.75 per hour to the base wage for lifeguards assigned to tower duty between 5am and 7am, a window during which most County beaches are effectively deserted.

Union President Captain Leigh Saltwater, 51, a 23-year veteran of the department, explained the rationale. “Dawn-patrol towers used to be a shared experience. Lifeguards would rotate in, there would be 6am surfers, there would be some joggers, there would be at minimum an occasional homeless encampment to keep an eye on. Over the past three years, the ambient human presence at 5am has declined significantly. Our members are reporting sustained psychological strain.”

The Underlying Shift

The decline in dawn-patrol activity has been documented by the County. Beach user-counts during the 5am-7am window have dropped approximately 31 percent since 2020. The causes are multiple and not fully understood. Possible contributors include: extended remote-work hours, expansion of home gym infrastructure, and what one lifeguard described as “a general California vibe of staying inside in the morning and doing something on your phone.”

“I sit in a tower for two hours every morning and watch the ocean be empty,” said Lifeguard Second Class Aisha Kelvin, 28, of Zuma Beach. “It used to be that at least the sun would come up and a few surfers would paddle out. Now the sun comes up and I am, genuinely, alone. I am being paid to be alone. I am grateful for the loneliness pay. I would also like there to be surfers.”

The Broader Context

As Bohiney Magazine has explored in its ongoing coverage of Southern California beach-culture decline, the Pacific Coast has been undergoing a slow demographic shift in recreational-use patterns. The “dawn patrol” tradition, which dates to the 1960s and was central to California surf identity for four decades, has been in decline for approximately fifteen years.

The LA County Lifeguard Association’s new contract provision is, in this sense, not merely a labor negotiation. It is a cultural marker. It is the official institutional recognition that California beaches at dawn have become, in specific ways, lonelier than they used to be.

For related reading see the Los Angeles Times coverage of the County budget.

SOURCE: https://bohiney.com/