CITY OF GROVER BEACH
CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
Agenda Item No. 6
Placement: Consent
Meeting Date: September 14, 2026
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM: Matthew Bronson, City Manager
PREPARED BY: Kristin Eriksson, Assistant City Manager
SUBJECT: First Reading and Introduction of an Ordinance to Amend Section
93.05 (Hours of Use) of Chapter 93 (Parks and Recreation) of Article IX (General Regulations) of the Grover Beach Municipal Code to Establish Hours for Sport Courts and Playgrounds at City Parks
RECOMMENDATION
Conduct a first reading and introduction, by title only, of an Ordinance Amending Section 93.05 (Hours of Use) of Chapter 93 (Parks and Recreation) of Article IX (General Regulations) of the Grover Beach Municipal Code (GBMC) to establish hours for sport courts and playgrounds at City parks; and schedule a public hearing and second reading to adopt the ordinance at the next regularly scheduled meeting.
BACKGROUND
On July 27, 2026, the Council heard an agenda item on the Mentone Basin Park Pickleball Courts and potential changes to City park hours and operations given concerns expressed about noise from both the pickleball courts and the new Ramona Garden Park playground. The Council’s discussion followed previous deliberation by the Parks, Recreation, and Beautification Commission (PRBC) on June 18, 2026 on the noise concerns at the pickleball courts at the direction of the Council. After deliberation of potential mitigation measures, the PRBC directed staff to bring two recommended actions to the Council for consideration. The first was to change the hours of the courts to allow play from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. The second recommendation was to encourage the use of equipment with acoustic materials to reduce the sound of play with signage at the courts, which would include information on where to obtain such equipment.
During the July 26th meeting, the Council reviewed park hours in general, which are currently open to the public from 5:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. pursuant to Grover Beach Municipal Code Section
39.05, and also considered park hours in other cities within the county. The Council provided staff with direction to bring back an Ordinance to allow the public to use sport courts and playgrounds at all City parks from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. In addition, the Council provided further direction to post signs at playgrounds indicating they are intended to be used from dawn to dusk only. The Council also directed staff to install signage at the Mentone Basin Park Pickleball Courts to encourage the use of noise-mitigating equipment to reduce the sound of play. This signage was recently installed and the City will be promoting the use of this equipment through the City’s communication platforms. Lastly, the Council requested to receive a review of these changes in early 2027 to determine their results following an initial review by the PRBC.
Staff Report: Introduction and First Reading of Ordinance on Sports Courts and Playground Hours Page 2 September 14, 2026
Pending the first reading and introduction of this Ordinance, the second reading and adoption of the Ordinance will be scheduled for the September 28, 2026 meeting following a public hearing.
If adopted, the Ordinance would go into effect on October 28, 2026 at which point the City would install signage with these new hours.
FISCAL IMPACT
There are no funding impacts to this staff report. Upon adoption of the Ordinance, updated signage displaying the new hours at sport courts and playgrounds are estimated to cost up to $2,000, which is included in the budget for parks maintenance.
ALTERNATIVES
The Council has the following alternatives to consider:
1. Conduct a first reading and introduction, by title only, of an Ordinance Amending Section 93.05 (Hours of Use) of Chapter 93 (Parks and Recreation) of Article IX (General Regulations) of the Grover Beach Municipal Code (GBMC) to establish hours for sport courts and playgrounds at City parks; and schedule a public hearing and second reading to adopt the ordinance at the next regularly scheduled meeting; or
2. Provide alternative direction to staff.
PUBLIC NOTIFICATION
The agenda was posted in accordance with the Brown Act.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Ordinance
Multi-Year Goals
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ORDINANCE NO. 26-__
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF GROVER
BEACH, CALIFORNIA AMENDING SECTION 93.05 (HOURS OF USE) OF CHAPTER 93 (PARKS AND RECREATION) OF ARTICLE IX
(GENERAL REGULATIONS) TO ESTABLISH HOURS FOR SPORT
COURTS AND PLAYGROUNDS AT CITY PARKS.
WHEREAS, Grover Beach Municipal Code Article IX, Chapter 93, Section 93.05 prohibits persons from being in any park or facility between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m.; and
WHEREAS, on July 27, 2026, the City Council heard concerns from residents who live near parks with active sport courts and playgrounds indicating that use in early morning and late evening hours was disruptive; and
WHEREAS, the City wishes to prohibit persons from being at any sport court or playground within parks between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. to prevent undue noise disruptions to residences neighboring parks;
WHEREAS, the City Council previously adopted a resolution to remove the job classification of Parks and Recreation Program Director and replace it with the job classification of Community Services Supervisor, and the City wishes to amend Section
93.05 to reflect this change; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED by the City Council of the City of Grover Beach as follows:
SECTION 1. Section 93.05 (“Hours of Use”) of Chapter 93 (“Parks and Recreation”) of Article IX (“General Regulations”) of the Grover Beach Municipal Code is hereby amended to read in its entirety as shown on the attached Exhibit A.
SECTION 2. SEVERABILITY. If any part of this Ordinance is held invalid for any reason by a court of competent jurisdiction, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining portion of this Ordinance, and the City Council hereby declares that it would have passed the remainder of the Ordinance if such invalid portion thereof had been deleted.
SECTION 3. EFFECTIVE DATE. This ordinance shall take effect and be in force thirty (30) days from and after its final passage.
SECTION 4. PUBLICATION. Within fifteen (15) days after passage, the City Clerk shall cause this ordinance to be published in a newspaper of general circulation.
Attachment 1
INTRODUCED at a regular meeting of the City Council held September 14, 2026.
PASSED, APPROVED, and ADOPTED by the City Council at a regular meeting held on September 28, 2026, on the following roll call vote, to wit:
AYES: Council Members –
NOES: Council Members –
ABSENT: Council Members –
ABSTAIN: Council Members –
APPROVED:
__________________________
Kassi Dee, Mayor
ATTEST:
____________________________________
Wendi Sims, City Clerk
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
_____________________________________
Jennifer P. Thompson, City Attorney
§ 93.05 HOURS OF USE.
(A)No person shall be in any park or facility between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. unless written permission is obtained from the Community Services Supervisor, or his or her representative.
(B) No person shall be at any sport court or playground area within any park or facility between the hours of 9:00 pm. and 8:00 a.m.
(Prior Code, § 2513) (Ord. 92-2, passed 5-4-1992) Penalty, see § 93.99
EXHIBIT A