Residents urge more pickleball courts, saying parks can boost neighborhood safety; city gives timing update

Several Cerritos residents used the public-comment period on April 21 to urge the city to install more pickleball courts and to connect park programming to neighborhood safety efforts.

Norma Williamson, a Casa La Cuesta neighborhood watch block captain, said neighbors knowing neighbors is a top burglary deterrent and recommended that parks be activated to draw residents outdoors. "Pickleball is a great social event. It is a natural community builder," Williamson said, listing reasons the sport encourages quick social connections and can increase park use.

Teddy Lloyd told the council he and many residents support the council's prior approval to add pickleball courts at Liberty Park. Lloyd recommended the council consider dedicated courts rather than dual-use tennis/pickleball courts and offered examples from neighboring cities where conversions produced strong local use.

City Manager Robert Lopez updated the council on implementation: staff has identified two tennis courts at the southern end of the six courts at Liberty Park that will be designated for dual use, staff has procured movable portable nets (four per tennis court) and engaged a striping contractor, and the earliest contractor estimate to begin work is this summer. Lopez also said staff is conducting activity surveys on east-side courts and plans to return an agenda item to council in June for further consideration.

Council members acknowledged the public comments and the staff timeline; no formal action was taken during the meeting on new pickleball installations beyond the status update and scheduling for a June agenda item.