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San Gabriel council introduces ordinance to open parks earlier and adds playgrounds to morning access
Summary
The City Council on Jan. 20 introduced Ordinance 727 to change park hours to 6 a.m.–10 p.m. for most parks and approved an amended Resolution 26-02 to specify permitted activities (adding 'playgrounds'); council voted 5-0 to move the item to a second reading at the next meeting.
San Gabriel’s City Council on Tuesday introduced Ordinance No. 727 and approved a related resolution that would allow most city parks to open at 6:00 a.m. and close at 10:00 p.m., with activity-specific hours set by Resolution 26-02. Community Services Director Perez told the council staff recommends the change to accommodate morning exercisers and to better manage noise and light impacts.
"What we're proposing is 6AM to 10PM," Community Services Director Perez said while outlining the ordinance and the accompanying resolution. Perez said the change would apply to Smith Park, Lugo Park and Roosevelt Park, while Marshall Park — a gated facility — would remain on its established 9:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m. schedule.
The council and staff discussed which activities should be permitted at the earlier hour. Perez said staff proposes that certain 'active recreation' uses remain restricted until later hours; the resolution lists organized play such as pickleball, tennis, basketball, soccer and handball and, following council direction tonight, will include "playgrounds" in that list so playgrounds would not open at 6:00 a.m.
Perez also recommended removing references to school playgrounds from the municipal code and instead handling those hours through joint-use agreements with the school district for Coolidge and Washington schools. Perez said updated park signage would be posted and that the cost to update signs would be absorbed by the current fiscal-year budget.
Councilmembers sought clarifications: Councilmember Herrera Avila confirmed that court-based activities such as pickleball would not change start times under the proposal; Vice Mayor Chan asked why Marshall Park would differ, and Perez explained it is gated and staffed to open later. Staff also said they would work with public works and the police department to review lighting in parks and bring any added lighting forward as part of the budget process.
Councilmember Wu moved to adopt the staff recommendation with an amendment to Resolution 26-02 that adds the term "playgrounds" after "pickleball" in section 1, and to introduce Ordinance 727 by title only; Councilmember Ding seconded the motion. The motion passed by a vote of 5–0. City staff said the ordinance will be presented for second reading and a formal adoption vote at the next regular council meeting.
The council did not identify any fiscal impact from adopting the ordinance and resolution tonight; staff said sign updates would be covered by the current budget. Next steps are the scheduled second reading of Ordinance 727 at the next regular meeting and any additional staff follow-up on park lighting.
