Residents press Cerritos to add pickleball capacity; staff outlines constrained field-allocation rules and fee review

Residents urged the Cerritos Parks and Recreation Commission on May 7 to expand pickleball access and allow more community-run events, while staff detailed how field time is currently allocated and said a fee study is under way.

At public comment, resident Hessen Chowo said locked gates at Liberty Park and Cerritos Park East limit play during prime summer hours and recommended fitting nets with locks rather than locking entire gates so courts could remain open. "...put the lock on the net itself because it's just as easy for a thief to cut a padlock off the gate," Chowo said, arguing that leaving gates open would lengthen playable hours and reduce staff burden. Teddy Lloyd, another resident, described pickleball as a rapidly growing sport and suggested the city host tournaments or events to generate revenue: "I definitely would like to see the city of Cerritos pay more attention to it ... it can generate revenue for our own city." Both speakers urged converting underused tennis courts by marking lines and allowing players to bring portable nets.

Staff presented Item 8B, an "informational review of the athletic field allocation process," noting the city's inventory (seven softball, five baseball, six soccer and one multi-purpose field) and a master joint-use agreement with ABC Unified School District. Recreation Services Administrator Jill Tota described the community-organization classifications that determine priority: Class A (at least 51% Cerritos residents), Class B (at least 25% Cerritos residents or 50+ local roster members), and Class G (created in 2023 for groups with 12+ Cerritos residents that do not qualify as A or B). Allocation periods run winter–spring (February–June) and summer–fall (August–December), with seasonal priority to in‑season sports; field-hours entitlements are calculated per roster thresholds (for example, seven hours per week per 12 Cerritos residents for baseball/softball).

Tota also said additional field use beyond an organization's weekly entitlement is charged at $15 per hour per field and that fields may be restricted by proximity to homes, lack of lighting, or maintenance needs. During discussion, commissioners and staff noted a consultant is reviewing all city fees, including field rental fees, and that the consultant's recommendations will be presented to council later this year. A commissioner emphasized that any revenue strategy should avoid pricing out residents.

The commission received the informational report and approved it for filing by unanimous vote later in the meeting. Staff did not commit to specific court conversions or schedule changes that night; the public was invited to provide further input and staff said any program or fee changes would return through the normal review process.