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Ceres youth coaches warn new ballfield lights blind players, urge fixes
Summary
Coaches from Ceres Youth Baseball told the City Council that LED fixtures recently installed at Costa Fields are angled in ways that cause glare, create dark spots and pose safety risks; they asked the city and vendor to adjust fixtures and consider additional lighting or pruning to correct visibility issues.
Ceres youth baseball coaches raised safety concerns at the Jan. 26 City Council meeting about recent lighting work at Costa Fields, saying some newly installed LED fixtures are angled in ways that blind players and leave large dark spots on the fields.
"They're in an angle that when the players are playing, you can see the light in your eyes," Jorge Guerrero told the council during public comment, saying the glare has caused players to lose sight of the ball. Guerrero said Field 3 required work but that the same upgrade has left three other fields "worse than they were before."
Ismael Ontiveros, vice president of the league, said adjustments already attempted by the contractor made conditions worse in places. "When they lifted those lights up, now it's causing blind(ing)," Ontiveros said. He described a near-miss in which a third baseman was nearly hit after turning at the last second and seeing a light in his face.
Both speakers said they had met staff and the vendor and asked the council to keep the issue on the record so the city can insist the contractor deliver promised corrections. "We just wanted to be on the record," Guerrero said.
Council members acknowledged the safety concerns and said staff would follow up. Vice Mayor Martinez and others noted upcoming tree pruning, but coaches said at least one dark area is unrelated to trees and needs fixture or aiming changes. The council did not take formal action at the meeting but referred the matter to staff for follow-up with the vendor and for any necessary adjustments.
Next steps: staff to continue adjusting lights and pruning where appropriate and to report back to council if additional remedies or funding are required.
