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Intro to case:

Lopez v. Seccombe. 71 F. Supp. 769. 1, US District Court for the Southern District of California, 1944. was a 1944 court case within the city and county of San Bernardino upon whether Mexican Americans were able to use the city’s public pool at any time despite the cities restricted limits. It is one of the “first successful judicial challenges to racial segregation”. It is case regarding the discrimination Mexican Americans had faced in southern California in the 20 century.

Mexican Immigration

Mexican migration to the Inland Empire expanded during the Mexican Revolution (1910-1920’s). During World War I, Mexican immigrants were recruited to work on ranches for periods at a time, but they were not welcomed to stay. Many Mexicans who had come to work were exploited and if they ever did anything against their employers, they were easily deported. ^ The Immigration Act of 1921, passed numerical quotes on immigration, that allowed only 3 percent of residents of the same nationality to be recorded on the Census. The Immigration Act of 1924 reduced it to 2 percent. There were debates over immigration and many argued that seasonal migration was essential to the success of U.S agriculture.

Many immigrants that came to the United States, would reside in Califronia, Arizona and Texas, with the largest concentration shifting from Texas to Califronia through the 1920’s. Most immigarnts would settle in the inland part of Southern Califronia counties of San Bernardino and Riverside. By 1928, more than 40 percent of all inland births were of Mexican descent. In 1929, the Central Chamber of Commererance, wanted to figure out how really needed were Mexcian laborers. Many Mexcians that were part of these communities, owned or leased their homes and established familial ties to the area. Many were no longer moving back and forth to Mexico and the US, they were local. Mexican families settled in inland Southern California, in settlements in Claremonet, Corona, Pomona, Redlands, San Bernardino, and Upland.

Segregation

Discrimination against Mexicans in public facilities represented one of the most objectionable forms of prejudice. It was inferior treatment and some decided that they not taking second class treatment. An example was when a Mexican couple wanted to be seated at the center section of the movie theatre but were asked to move just because they were Mexican. They were given the option to sit at the very front, side aisles, and the balcony which were known to be the least comfortable. When the male Mexian American offered to pay the difference for the better seats, he was denied. Many other business displayed an “Whites only” not only leaving out Mexicans, but many other ethnicities.

Latinos were also forced to attend “Mexican schools” established in Califronia cities at the time. Mexican Americans were not allowed to attend to schools in their district if they were full of Anglo students. They would have to the extra 10 miles to get to a Mexican school. Many claimed that they were separated because Mexicans had to be taught in Spanish, but the prohibition from attending Anglo schools was unconstitruional.

Another act of discrimination was the use of public swimming pools. Mexican Americans were only allowed to swim on one day out of the week before the pool was supposed to be clean. This form of segregation was a consituiational and violation of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth amendments. Mexicans were also taxpayers and were entitled to the rights of the same public facilities. During the 1940’s, there was other publicized cases about swimming pools in communities such as Riverside, Colton, and San Bernardino. Riverside agreed to desegregate after being confronted by Mexican-American leaders. In San Bernardino and Colton, they suggested that Mexicans only swim in their own neighborhood pools but the only pools in the Mexican barrio were private pools. This would amount to discrimination in public swimming pools once again with no change.

Background on Ignacio Lopez:

Ignacio Lopez was a Mexican American civil rights activists. He had roots from Mexico but moved to America at a young age and was not afraid to speak up against the discrimination he had experienced. He was born in 1907 in Guadalajara Mexico but became a naturalized citizen of the US. He had grew up in the San Gabriel Valley  and attended high school at Pomona High school in Pomona and went on to further his secondary education at Chaffey College in Ontario and then at Pomona College in Claremont. Further on in life he became a civil rights activist for Mexican Americans and went on to author the newspaper: El Espectador. His main motive with publishing the newspaper was to “support every action to combat this insult to our racial dignity, but we need tht support of Every One of our readers.” He further advocated for Mexican Americans to not tolerate discrimination and even openly stop purchasing goods from known prejudiced stores. He believed “they did not have to stand by passively and accept prejudice in public places.”  He was the main plaintiff for the case of the San Bernardino public pool and leaves a lasting legacy upon the Mexican American community in southern California. (Mexican Americans: Leadership, Ideology, and identity, 1930-1960)(Mario T. Garcia pages 84-87).

Background on Seccombe:

William Seccombe was the mayor of San Bernardino at the time of the court case. He had served as mayor from 1941-1947. Born in Nova Scotia, Canada, he himself was an immigrant. He grew up in San Bernardino after his parents moved there during his childhood. Mexican Americans in San Bernardino were always subject to discriminatory practices that varied from public school to even public works such as pools. It can be argued that he was the last part of generational racism.

Background to the Case

In June, San Bernardino entered one it’s hottest summers yet. The Perris Hill Plunge was a public pool located in a white neighborhood in San Bernardino. Due to the incredible heat, the pool was a pass time for local residents in the area, they were expecting at least 4000 swimmers each day. Unfortunately, for Mike Valles and Bobby Daste (Latino teenagers), they were unable to enjoy this hot summer day together. Upon arriving to the pool, the two were asked if they were Mexican.

Mike stated: “Yes I am” and he was denied entry to the pool. The worker exclaimed, “Today is not your day to swim, you need to come back on your day to swim.” Mexicans were only allowed to swim on the day before cleaning day. Bobby said he was Cuban and was granted entry. This was obviously not about the color of your skin, it was a segregation against  Mexicans. Mike went home that day and complained to his parents. Gonzalo, his father, grew angry of the constant discrimination that he and other of Mexicans had been experiencing. Gonzalo decided to organoze a community meeting in order to support desegregation of the Perris Hill Plunge. Many people who supported the cause showed up and advocated for the recreational facilities on the west side. Many also spoke against it. When Gonzolo spoke, many supported him and created the Mexican American Defense Committe (MADC).  Mexican-American leaders, including Ignacio Lopez, Father Jose Nunes, Gonzolo Valles Miguel Ciriza, Eligio Romo, and Eugenio Nogueras, publisher of El sol de San Bernardino went to federal court in 1943, after many failed attempts with the city council to come up with an agreement, with the goal of using San Bernardino as a test case to force desegregation of public swimming pools.

Lopez v. Secombe

The main argument of the plaintiffs was that Mexican Americans were entitled to use public swimming pools under the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments. The aftermath of the court case was the judge ruling that the respondents were ultimately conducting in an illegal matter. Since the plaintiffs were citizens of the United States they were guaranteed the same rights and privileges as white people even though they themselves were Mexican. The “petitioners are entitle to such equal accommodations, advantages, and provieleges and equal rights and treatment with other persons as citizens of the Uniteed Staes, in the use and enjoyment of the facilities of said park and playground”. The judge rules that Mexicans are able to use the facilities as well as at the same time as the whites as long as it was open to everyone. If anyone, were to deny Mexicans entry to the pool, that is declared unconstitutional and ultimately illegal. This case would be used in the Mendez vs Westminister case which would ultimately rule against the segregation in schools in the neighboring Orange county.

References

1. Blackstock, J. (2015, June 29). Pivotal san bernardino case fought discrimination against Latinos. Daily Bulletin. https://www.dailybulletin.com/2015/06/29/pivotal-san-bernardino-case-fought-discrimination-against-latinos/
2. Carpio, G. (2019). Collisions at the crossroads: How place and mobility make race.California
3. Castro Padilla, Jose Luis (2023) "Judge Paul J. McCormick: The Prelude to Desegregation in the United States," History in the Making: Vol. 16, Article 13.https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/history-in-the-making/vol16/iss1/13
4. García, M. (n.d.). A world of its own: Race, labor, and citrus in the making of Greater Los Angeles, 1900-1970. University of North Carolina Press., 1900-1970. University of North Carolina Press.
5. García, M. T. (1989). Mexican Americans: Leadership, Ideology & Identity, 1930-1960. Yale University Press.
6. Lopez vs Seccombe, 71 F. Supp. 769 (S.D. Cal. 1944). https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp/71/769/1674780/
7. Ocegueda, M. A. (n.d.). Sol y sombra: San Bernardino’s Mexican Community, 1880-1960 (dissertation).
8. Ocegueda , M. (n.d.). History in the making a journal of history. PDF Free Download. https://docplayer.net/39676937-History-in-the-making-a-journal-of-history.html
9. Oboler, S., & González, D. J. (2005). The Oxford Encyclopedia of latinos and latinas in the United States. Oxford Univ. Press.
10. Ortiz, P. (2018). An African American and Latinx History of the United States. Beacon Press.
11. Sanchez, G. J. (2023). Beyond Alliances: The Jewish role in reshaping the racial landscape of Southern California. Purdue University Press.
12. Venturi. (2015, December 25). William Seccombe: Respected SB Mayor, Civic Leader & Segregationist. SBCSentinel. https://sbcsentinel.com/2015/12/william-seccombe-respected-sb-mayor-civic-leader-segregationist/

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11. Sanchez, G (2018-09-20). "Beyond Alliances: The Jewish Role in Reshaping the Racial Landscape of Southern California". Oxford Scholarship Online. doi:10.1093/oso/9780198827252.003.0009.
12. Venturi (2015-12-25). "William Seccombe: Respected SB Mayor, Civic Leader & Segregationist | SBCSentinel". Retrieved 2023-12-04.