City Council — 2024-12-17

Tuesday December 17th of the Ojai City Council. Let me read one note before we begin which is at special meetings as is today, the city council allows for public comments on notice agenda items only in accordance with the Brown Act so we will not have general public comments not on the agenda today hopefully that was clear for everyone Mr.

Thank you, Mayor. I'll make this brief. The Ojai Pickleball Act was approved by the voters at the general election in November. Since that time it has been certified by the Ojai City Council. That was on November 10th. It is slated to go into effect on December 20th. One challenge that we face as a city is the act is silent as to what the hours for the pickleball courts shall be. I wrestled with this topic quite a bit, scouring through the Ojai Municipal Code and policies and procedures.

We have released information to the council going one way, going another way trying to decide what the hours should be but the bottom line is The city manager does not have the authority to set the hours for the pickleball courts. It's a recommendation according to the code from the Parks and Recreation Commission, but ultimately you as City Council have the authority to make that determination. So we have in front of you tonight a proposed resolution.

I've characterized it as a starting point. The resolution basically uses the hours and the measures that were in place at the time the courts were closed because Sewell Park Pickleball Courts opened It does not mean that has to be the proposed hours or measures, but I figured council needed some place to start from and so that is where we are beginning tonight. I don't feel the need for your benefit to recite what those hours are. You struggled over them for a long time months ago, but I think that's really all I have unless the city attorney wants to add anything to what I've said.

That's a good summary of

it. We're available for questions as they come up. Let me ask the question, and it could be for now or later, whatever you think is appropriate for either one of you. Can you clarify the role of the Parks and Rec Commission in relation to the council? Because we've seen several things go past.

It'd be

nice to be on the same page

there. So the Parks and Recreation Commission, like all city commissions and boards is advisory to the City Council. The code has tasked the Parks and Recreation Commission with setting the hours for park facilities but ultimately it is for you to approve because they are advisory to you.

Agreed. All commission decisions in the end either directly or on appeal come to the council. Any

other questions for staff?

I have a couple. I won't go into whether or not the code actually says that, because that's a pretty clear code that Park and Recs determines the hours and for instance in Planning Commission it says the Planning Commission determines hours But can be appealed or overruled by the City Council. So there is a direct and absolute connection between the Planning Commission and the ability of the City Council to overrule, but that does not exist on the Planning Commission. I mean on the Park and Rec's commission, but that's not actually... so that's just one point I would make.

The pickleball courts have had three times, three hours and days in their history. The first was open dawn to dusk seven days a week. The second was based on an MOU two to three years ago that was, you know, hammered out. That was for I think three years or whatever it was—I'm not exactly sure because it predates me—that it would be all days But the hours would be 8.30 to 11.30, and winter would be 2.00 to 5.00, and summer would be 2.30 to 5.30. Then at the time that the pickleball courts were closing—that is a stopgap measure between closing the courts And opening the soul courts, it became extremely restricted. Which was two days you couldn't play at all. Sunday you could play for three hours.

You had to use owl paddles and so what it seems to me is that we have taken the most restrictive period ever and the shortest and made it the baseline from where we start. And I found that that probably caused a little bit of confusion amongst the community, that that was the chosen time because that was just a stopgap measure until the Seoul Park Courts opened. So I just want to also make clear that there were three time frames that we could have chosen from and we did not. We chose the most restrictive. And then I will point out well So I was wondering why that was.

Sure, I can answer that question. So you know, I understand what you're speaking to and those are all true things you've said but for me this is something that has to be decided by council and that's why we're here for the special meeting. I agree with having a special meeting to make this determination. That is my recommendation As your city manager, I'm just going from the last direction that was provided and it wasn't really for any other reason than that. This is the last direction provided. I understand what you're saying that it is also the most restrictive but it was the last direction provided. It's also the only direction provided to me during my tenure as City Manager

Fair enough. And then I have one last question for the City Attorney. Hithertofore, when those two reductions in time were made they never went to the Park and Recs Department so there was no recommendation for any of those from the Park and Recs Department. So I just want to point out that as well that you know There's a lot of moving parts here, there's a lot of processes that haven't been followed that have been followed that we don't understand. So I just want to sort of point out where those are and why did it never go to the park and recs because their only recommendation that they've made about pickleball was that you know the courts stay open, you build a wall and use blue paddles So that was the last recommendation from the Park and Rec's commission that never was formally either adopted or rejected from this council.

So it's once again more confusion, but let's get on those are my questions really is why didn't it? Why haven't we ever done that?

In summary, prior councils chose for reasons that worked at the time and are lawful to not have the Parks and Rec Commission advise on the settlement of a lawsuit threat which was the deal from 2020 through 2024. That was the City Council settling a lawsuit threat by agreeing to limitations on hours. That has of course now expired. That expired at the beginning of this year.

The other adjustment in hours the council acted on their own because in the end it's up to the council. And so tonight it's up to the council

If I can respond to this rule just to say, I'm not taking the hours as presented as anything special or in more concrete. I was hearing the city manager say here's a place from which to at least start from but not fixed in any way.

Yeah, I actually heard the same thing. But to articulate something is to make it more real than anything else so that is my only point.

Understood any other questions for staff? Yes,

I just want to clarify that if the Parks and Rec Commission is unable to act The city council sits in its place. That's my opinion, yes. And that and that's what's asking the city attorney as well but uh and that would be applicable as to any of our commissions that if we have a commission that's set up to handle particular issues And for any reason they're unable to act it remains the authority of the City Council To act in their stead

In the end, the City Council has the power. The City Council is elected entity There's some asterisks on Planning Commission regarding interaction with our code and state law But we're not talking about the Planning Commission tonight but in general if the commission can't act the council can act in its Asserting the authority of the city

Anything more, Mr. Whitman? And then just to clarify one more time just so I'm clear let's the Parks and Rec Commission is meeting in 2025 they could come up with hours for any park we would it would then come it would tell me if I'm correct it would not come to this body although a council person could bring it up and the Council could discuss it is that correct?

It depends.

Okay, according to your code they have the ability to set the hours for park facilities. Park facilities are also somewhere else in the code defined actually to include a pickleball court because the code says that they have the ability to set the hours arguably one could say that if they make a recommendation that recommendation stands but ultimately it is a recommendation because in their powers the first statement is that their advisory to you

Mm-hmm, and there's also other language on the code that allows anybody who's unhappy with the decision whether council member or any other person To appeal any decision at the staff or Commission level up to the council So in the end it can come to Council which we've seen recently right? We've seen that in other contexts.

Mm-hmm

So just a quick clarifying so even I have only seen that in the planning commission context so that is also the case for the other commissions and

Correct, and

that's in

chapter four of title one appeals

great.

Thank you most often see section 1-4.05 which is a council appeal but the same language earlier in the same section allows anybody else to appeal And again planning commission tends to have its own rules. Yeah zoning is something different

yeah

Just just for clarification because that this seems like Maybe it's a whole or there's, you know, inconsistencies in the way that our ordinances read and I'll note for the record that we may have the perfect clerk to help us go through our ordinances and try to get everything resolved. I'm talking about Steve Quillacy, he has performed that function for the Planning Commission for years in terms of saying hey this provision is inconsistent with this but the point I wanted to make is It seems to be a unique situation that the parks and rec can set an hours of use.

And it can be implemented immediately, but that it would then be subject to appeal Or is that, am

I incorrect

in that?

So I'm gonna let the city attorney jump in. I am arguing that they can do that but this is the problem with the code. Okay it's a little unclear and if you don't like one provision sometimes you can go find another provision that contradicts what you just found Mr. City

Attorney. Yeah in total the code is 500 pages written over 100 years so it's not all consistent. I'm not giving up anything we don't already know. Every line of the code is not consistent with every other line of the code There is sufficient support, though for me to give you my advice as your city attorney that all decisions are appealable to the council. There is code language that would support the Parks and Rec Commission making an hours decision which staff would then implement but immediately on appeal to council. There's other language that could support the manager deciding in this kind of a context to take that as a recommendation and not implement it until the council has acted again at all roads lead to the council,

the parks and rec manager in that context that you just said or you mean the city managers? I see. Yeah.

But then ultimately for what we're doing tonight. We're the board that has authority to make a decision about hours.

Correct, and any other aspect of the pickleball subject?

Such as sound mitigation etc.

Correct and then one of the key options is already noted but worth repeating is the council could adopt tonight if desired an interim set of rules and then ask also task the Parks and Rec Commission with coming up with a recommendation to come back to Council for further discussion for a more permanent set of rules In other words, your decision tonight doesn't need to be the end of this discussion. Not that we need more special meetings than pickleball but if this isn't the be-all end-all, the council can absolutely have the Parks and Rec Commission study this matter in detail and then come back to Council in the future once we have a commission seated.

Anything else?

I just want clarification, because I think I've read so much stuff the last few days. Did I read somewhere where it said that the pickleball courts at City Hall are not considered a park? And that's why

there was questions. That was our original opinion. However, we have since found language in the code that actually defines what park facilities are and included that it would be a court. So it's a park.

It also says pickleball courts at Libbey Park and a big bold city sign right there just as an FYI more inconsistency whatever

another project long term we could make the code all match but that's a much harder project

in our free time,

right?

Wonderful. So we are going to open it up to public comments and I have the tiniest preamble, which is I was thinking about this for the past couple of days. What I'm hoping we could do is talk about what is in front of us today, which is we have a Measure O that was passed and we have what's in front of us. So I'm hoping that obviously you can say whatever you like, but what I'm thinking is it would be easy to want to rehash all of the conversations we have had in the past, but that's not what we're here to do today. So to talk about the sound testing, et cetera, is not what's on our plate.

Okay first off we have Brian Akins then Randy Roth and then Allegra Roth

Good evening, Mayor, Council, City Manager, City Attorney. My name is Brian Akins I'm a 10 plus year commissioner with the city of Ojai's Historic Preservation Commission six and a half years as those is chair and two years as vice-chair I have been to, believe I've been to every meeting that has discussed pickleball. That meant a lot of cold nights over at Libby Bowl.

Really cold. I'm not here tonight to express an opinion just to share a few facts and insight of these landmark Smith Hobson grounds so sorry Mayor but i'm going to go back 100 years A brief history towards the grounds that became a city landmark. 1926, the conversion of the outside of the Hobson House to Spanish-style construction in the guest house is completed. 1928, Grace and Fred Smith, in case you weren't aware, the Smith-Hobsons permanently moved into the guest house at the Hobson. 1968, Grace Hobson dies. 1973, Fred Smith and his daughters Barbara and Helen Margaret Smith donate the Hobson estate to the City of Ojai. 1976, the Ojai City Hall moves in. 1981, Fred Smith passes away. 2017, Ojai City Council approves a resolution designating the Smith-Hobson Estate as historical landmarks.

And when we're talking about landmarks, we talk about character-defining features. So also in that same report it concludes with, it should be noted that at the completion of the Smith Hobson Estate in 1926 consisted of the main house, guest house, garage with apartment, horse barn, small cabin, tennis court, trellis picnic area, outdoor dance floor, miniature golf course and extensive gardens.

So just for history, that tennis court has been around for about 96-98 years. Not in the best of shape. In the 10 years that I've walked those grounds, I've walked the area over there when it was Dangerous to walk in the daylight. Tim Kraut called me about three or four years ago, said hey we want to repurpose. Repurpose is a great word that we love at HBC. The tennis courts to a pickleball court I said okay I'll hop in my car and I'll drive there and right the next thing I did was I googled pickleball because I had no idea what it was I also asked Tim Kraut, have you ever walked those asphalt grounds? Because to walk them in the daylight is dangerous. And so he gave me the different things. He told me what their plans were. I took it back to the Historic Preservation Commission to tell them about it and to see whether they would approve just in taking that concept forward and they did again repurposing.

Thank you.

Thank you Mr. Eakins. Randy Roth, Allegra Roth, and then Renee Roth. Triple Roths.

I'm Randy Roth, Ojai resident and an enthusiastic but not very talented pickleball player. First of all, I'd like to welcome Kim and Andy to the City Council. I am personally grateful to both of you for the service. Anybody who's willing to take on the burden of public service deserves our gratitude. Thanks. Thank you. I want to make a few observations. First, I believe in the rule of law and the value of democracy.

You might ask what practical impact these beliefs have on my life, and here would be my response. In the most recent presidential election, the candidate I voted for did not win. Nonetheless, on January 20th, I will accept the fact that the man who won the most votes—and not my preferred candidate—will be my president. I respect the will of my fellow citizens at the national level.

I ask that the citizens and public officials of Ojai respect the will of the majority who voted in favor of Measure O. My second point is that the words of Measure O are clear and unambiguous, quote, City Hall pickleball courts shall be and remain open to the public year round without any, any City permit or other city permission required, unquote. Given the strength and clarity of these words, the pickleball community would be justified if we chose to play at any time with any equipment with no limitations.

But because we are not unsympathetic to the sensibilities of our neighbors, of our own free will, we're willing to impose upon ourselves some limitations of schedule and paddle usage. As I said, we will impose these constraints upon ourselves not because the city has the right to regulate us but because we want to be respectful of our fellow citizens. Ojai has some important issues that deserve the time and attention of our elected officials.

The pickleball issue is settled. The people have made their will known.

Thank you Mr. Roth. You already know what I'm going to say. So yeah, please just so we can get through it because what we want to do is not have it where people feel uncomfortable to talk here and so let's just all respect each other. We're all neighbors right? So Allegra Roth, Renee Roth and then Bill Miley

Hi, my name is Allegra Roth. That's a hard act to follow. I'm the daughter of Renee Roth and Randy Roth. You might not know them. They kind of stay out of local politics pretty behind the scenes. I grew up in Ojai. I went to San Antonio school. I went to Matilla Ha. And I'm back here today to speak in front of you about pickleball. Never never thought I'd be here.

I studied community development at UC Davis, I studied public policy at UC Berkeley. And there's a lot of overlap here with pickleball and everything I studied. And what I think of right now when I think about the resource that the city has right now with these pickleball courts, it's pretty impressive cities throughout the state cities throughout the country Are writing grants begging the federal government, begging the state government for resources to create what you have right here.

And what a privilege it is to have these this resource available to the public. And I think it's really great opportunity right now for the city to say we want to create hours that are accessible to working class families. People that work nine to five, they want to play on the weekends. That's kind of just like how working class America is and Ojai has the opportunity to make this space accessible for those folks. I could talk more about how much I love pickleball but I don't think that's necessary a lot of people are here to say that And I'll just close by saying, I think one of the greatest shows of leadership is to delegate and to know when your job is done.

And it does seem like this ballot proposition is clear on what you're responsible for and what you're not responsible for. And so I think, yeah, respecting the vote of the people, what a privilege it is to do that. And I urge you to do that tonight. Thank you.

Just do the quiet ones, that's great. So Rene Roth, Bill Miley and then Tim Kraut.

OK good evening council. I remember being here and saying please please keep the pickleball courts open on weekends because my family when they come to town and my daughter is here with her boyfriend who's visiting. They what's the first thing they want to do? Let's go play pickleball dad where can we play when can we play. I was here begging for those courts to stay open so that we could have weekend play. Now, I just want you to know, I was out playing pickleball today for the first time in nine months. I had knee surgery. I haven't been able to play. I was thrilled to be able to play with my family today.

And we all took the day off. We really didn't plan on having to be here to talk about Pickleball for this meeting tonight. This was the last thing we really wanted to have to do, to tell you the honest-to-God truth. But we're here because there are people who have continued to interject into public policy of our council, limitations and restrictions that go above and beyond the reasonable effort of people to try to make concessions and get along.

That's why we're here today. Unfortunately, that's why we're here. I really wish we could have been able to sit down get along and make some decisions but there were people who did not want to make any concessions whatsoever they wanted us gone from the courts Okay, so we're here today. We have many more options. I am not sure what the hours of play should be and what the limitations should be. I really hope you will support keeping the courts here in the center of town for children and families to come and play on Saturdays and Sundays. I think that's really important For our families to know they can bike ride into town, they don't have to go to Casitas or Soule Park. This is a community resource on community grounds with the City Hall being the center of our community.

It's a great resource and I hope you can continue to make that possible. Thank you.

Thank You Ms. Roth. Bill Miley, Tim Kraut and then Linda Wilson

Hello. My family has lived in Ojai City since 1968. I read the letter from the attorney, the pickleball players hired to draft the initiative and also who they retained to write a letter that's on their website about this meeting. What the hired attorney missed in the letter was the original concern about play on the Old Smith Hobson Tennis Court. Sounds that become noises when it reaches others beyond the pickleball play area.

Quick history, right after the initial play, it's about four years ago, noise complaints started coming to this city. Layman efforts were made by the city to build a rock wall with a screen on top, and then a three-foot wall along South Ventura Street. A screen above the three foot wall. Noise complaints continued over four years. Then the council agreed to work with the county to build five new courts at Soule Park, which we now have.

Interesting even the city administration touts the health benefits of playing pickleball even through the extent it helps with depression. They don't mention the injuries that's not the issue folks the issue is sound which becomes noise when it enters the property up to 500 feet away. Repetitive, interrupting, disturbing, maddening pop-pop-pop voices of players, waiters and watchers resulting in potential mental health issues including depression.

Owl paddles brought some less intensive pops The hardball sounds continue. The voices can be a significant part of the noise intrusion. How will the rules for paddles and balls be enforced? They can't with the rules that exist now. No one controls these courts daily and hourly. Owl paddles, how are they enforced? Softballs to play with, how will they be enforced?

Loud noises, how will they be enforced? So they're not allowed. The traveling sounds and noises are the issues. It's a noise that pickleball play creates that's the issue. Residents that live 100, 200, 300 plus feet away will still be intruded upon. Pop pop pop, voice voice voice. Likely, there will be digital decibel meters used to record play sounds in the future. By those of us who believe...

Thank you Mr. Miley. Tim Kraut, Linda Wilson and then Brenda Kraut.

Good evening, Council, staff, Mr. Mayor. So my question tonight is why are we here? The people have spoken. I don't think that if we had lost, we'd be having this meeting. I don't think the opponents would be giving us any concessions had we lost And that's the truth. So why are we here? You're discounting the citizens of Ojai, the ones that passed this measure, the ones that put you Andy in that position and that's not respecting the vote of the people.

This council, the past council when Betsy and Susan was on it they had a chance at that time to negotiate. We couldn't negotiate it to deal with the homeowners actually we never had a chance to. We were never included in any negotiations at all. It always came from they had hired an attorney, the attorney wanted this that another thing. The city bent over backwards and put all those mitigation measures in When they got done, I asked Bill Wyrick. I said OK Bill all these things are in now what happens now? He said we've done everything that the neighbors had asked for.

Everything they never came to us and ask us what we wanted so. The council voted then to shut it down so we the public citizens got that initiative on And then the public voted for it. It's not about me, it's about the citizens in Ojai and they're telling you right now we want this. We wanted to stay but yet the neighbors are saying wait a minute let's back up. We want concessions.

They never would have given us one concession and we wouldn't be here had we lost. We would have taken our ball and gone elsewhere So tonight I want to close with Andy, you won the election fair and square. This is like Michelle telling you how to set the agenda. You see what I'm feeling like? You won the election. You're the mayor. But yet Michelle's going to come in and set the agenda. That's not right.

Thank you.

We talked about Linda Wilson, Brenda Kraut and Jessica McRae.

Good evening, my name is Linda Wilson and my husband and I have been residents here in Ojai since 1981. I honestly can't wrap my head around what's happening here two or three years ago $13,000 was paid for a professional sound study the Park and Rec Commission made their recommendations And what did they say exactly? What the people just had to force through by an initiative this month Just think how crazy this moment is. Your own constituents had to organize, gather signatures, mount an entire initiative campaign to make you do what your own experts recommended years ago.

It is time to implement these very studies you commissioned and then ignored. The sheer waste of it all is staggering. The waste of the taxpayers' money on ignored studies, the waste of countless hours, the citizens time energy to achieve what your experts already told you to do and now incredibly this is still somehow before you tonight. As if a voter mandate that perfectly mirrors your own expert recommendation needs what exactly? More decisions, more delay, more hoops to jump through.

The people not just a few loud voices the majority of the voters have legally mandated this action it's time to stop bending to the wishes of a few over the clear legal directive of the many I find myself standing here frankly astonished, having to defend a voter initiative that does nothing more than implement the very recommendation you had sitting on your desk for years.

I urge you finally please to listen both to your own experts and their constituents. Stop this and implement the initiative without further delay. The people have worked very hard to make this happen. The time is now.

Thank you. Brenda Kraut, then Jessica McRae, then Ron McRae.

I've kind of the same opinion as Linda that I just can't believe that I'm standing here again and I really kind of take exception to the manager's explanation of why his staff report Contained the recommended hours that it did because I know all of you received the email from the opponents Demanding that you do something even though they did lose the election which seems to be lost in this whole conversation That you implement these hours The hours that were in the staff report was almost a mirrored reflection of what they were requesting and So we're still, I feel like this council, the staff is still listening to the opponents. They are acting like the opponents won this election and like had been pointed out before me is that it wasn't just a handful of people who put that ballot on the election, I mean that measure on the ballot We got over eleven hundred signatures from the citizens in Ojai to put that.

That measure on the ballot and then it was then it was passed. The margin of which is past has no relevance here there. It doesn't matter if it was one vote just like we pointed out with the mayor. It does not matter so I still feel like that we are being that we are not being listened to And I'm sure all of you have seen this letter from the attorney. It's been mentioned. He outlines the requirements and the content of that measure very clearly, and in fact there is one paragraph it says to the extent the city is considering giving into the demands of Measure O's opponents, especially with regard to limiting the hours and days during which the City Hall Pickleball Courts may be used or the types of paddles and balls that may be used. The addition of such new and different terms would amount to a permit or permission requirement would not be consistent with or further the purpose of Measure O Would not be consistent with measure owes liberal construction requirement and would violate measure owes amendment provisions.

So that's clear, I mean you have. You know maybe? I mean like Randy said, maybe we would be willing to make some kind of concessions, but if we do its concessions on our part. In fact, if everyone has forgotten here, I Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Kopp. Jessica McRae, Ron McRae and then Denise is it's Keone Skippy?

Yeah.

Hi, I'm Jessica McRae. Welcome to our new mayor and council member.

Thank you.

I'm here to speak on the enforcement of the commitments That are stated in the ordinance on sound mitigation. Imagine being sick with the flu and trying to sleep in your home but you can't because of pickleball imagine trying to relax and read a book but you can't because of pickleball imagine leaving your house and getting sent into fight or flight mode because of the terrifying screams coming from the pickleball players true story happened to me Imagine what that does to a person's nervous system. These are those people's homes, this isn't a game.

The ordinance states in section B purpose and intent of the ordinance item seven our local community of pickleball players is committed to being respectful and responsive to the concerns of others including neighbors who reside near the City Hall Pickleball Courts. Item eight Our local community of pickleball players will apply state-of-the-art technology to mitigate sound and other potential adverse impacts from the playing of pickleball at the City Hall Pickleball Courts. And in Section D, City Hall Pickleball Courts Mitigation Commitment.

Those who use the City Hall Pickleball Courts shall commit to making reasonable efforts to adopt state-of-the-art technology, to mitigate sound and other potential adverse impacts from the playing of pickleball at the City Hall Pickleball Courts. The most effective sound mitigation technology at this time is the Owl Paddles and Gamma Librarian Foam Pickleballs. Per the ordinance, this equipment should be mandated in order to play on the city hall courts.

There should also be some sort of enforcement and of this technology by way of fine or removal of player if they violate the ordinance. In addition to this equipment those guttural screams while playing shall be removed from play just not making those alarming noises is the ultimate state-of-the-art Technology. The ordinance should not-

Let me interrupt for one second. Gang, audience please really what we want to have here is a place where everybody gets to come and talk and so if anybody feels uncomfortable coming here they won't come here anymore and we don't get to have a government. So I want to ask one more time please to give respect to the person who's speaking thank you. Please continue

The ordinance should not be ignored and these measures should be enacted and enforced. In addition, I have previously attended a council meeting and pointedly asked the question if the hours would remain the same as they were prior to the court closing. I was told by this council that that was the case. They would stay the same. I believe the statement released on December 11th was done without authority or an error.

Changes to play must be voted on by either the City Council or the citizens of Ojai per the ordinance section E amendment and repeal. I think I would just like the ordinance that was written to be respected.

Thank you, Ms. McRae. Ron McRae, Denise Skippy and then Lori Juntz.

Nobody here is trying to stop the pickleball playing. That's not the issue, of course. It started four years ago when the City Council said let's just put a picket ball court right over here, Johnny Johnson and Randy. They had no idea what that was or how loud it was. Asked the question, is it loud? They said no. Tim said no. So the people on the south side of the courts there, the neighbors on there had a petition that started at 7 o'clock in the morning and went all day. You could not live there. It was impossible. So we tried to sue them but we were not listening to the people across the street. We had no idea, it was just South people and we got the new hours and then after that new hours were set then the people across the street on the East side, a whole group of them wanted this started again.

They had nothing to do. I got what I wanted on there of the hours that worked they wanted it to stop also So that's what happens, but you can't live with that noise. They tried everything they can to soften it, make it a little better, but no, you can't live there. There was 2,000 people that voted to not be there and then there was 2, 000 people that said yes let's have it over there in their neighborhood who cares? I don't care, it's not going to be by me. Those two thousand people that voted for those things. Would you like it across the street from your house? That's the issue, that's all we're asking.

We're not gonna try to overturn the election. No, we lost by a few points and there was a snake because we didn't have a rebuttal on there. If we would've had, if the council coulda got us a rebuttal to say something against on the election ballot, we would've won hands down. We didn't know what they were talking about But all I can say, it's not about having the pickleball player. They gotta have a good time. We're all for that. It's about the neighbors, the people that live across there. I've been there for 30 years. That's been a really quiet place down there. The people across the street, they're getting ill about what's gonna happen. If they had that back again, like they said on the newspaper, seven days a week, all day long...

Absolutely, no one could even live there. I guarantee it There's no enforcement about I go over there a lot of time and say listen that's part. It's closed Oh, we didn't know that how are you gonna enforce them? Anyway, it's not about pickleball is about the Neighbors don't they even care about the neighbors

Thank You mr. McCrae Denise Keown Skippy Laurie Johnson and Lisa Laramendi Hi.

Hello, good evening council members and mayor my name is Denise Cowan but only my mother calls me that okay I'm known as Skippy looking at your agenda I feel like you are accepting the hours equipment and days for pickleball at City Hall which were set by three neighbors and one property owner but we won the measure I feel the Ojai Valley Pickleball Association needs to set these according to the sound study that the city paid for after all we did win Let me remind the mayor and council members you are here for the residents of Ojai, the majority who voted yes for Measure O. Please don't make us sue you to follow the law. Thank you.

Thank you very much Lori Johnson Lisa Laramendi and Sandra Hansen

Thank You the people voted yes a city park with pickleball play is Very disappointing for working folks over the last four years, we've not been able to play with the eight-to-five work schedule. Then it got restricted even more and there's no weekend play or very little weekend play. It was designed for a special group, not the general public and that's over the last four years.

We did win the ballot to open it up Summer heat can be a problem with the part-time hours, also the 2.30 to 5 especially for the older elderly group which is a lot of us not all of us but a lot of us please go with the majority vote Park Hours Dawn to dusk thank you.

Thank you very much Lisa Laramendi Sandra Hansen and then Polly Hawkins