Neighbors Report Ongoing, New Issues at Hidden Valley Pickleball Courts Despite Reduced Hours

Problems include players repeatedly hopping fence to play during off-hours, according to residents; also, brouhaha over hiring of private security to patrol downtown; upcoming meetings

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By Gage Walker

More than two months after Martinez sharply restricted hours at the Hidden Valley Park pickleball courts, nearby residents say many of the same problems persist – as well as the development of new ones. To add to the privacy and noise disturbances, residents have reported players repeatedly hopping the fence to play during off-hours.

In late September, the city cut pickleball access from seven days a week to just three: Tuesday evenings, all day Wednesday and a four-hour window on Sunday mornings. City officials have also warned publicly that continued violations of the new rules could lead to closure of the courts altogether. But residents who live directly adjacent to the facility say they have had to call the police multiple times since the changes took effect.

“It’s still a complete nuisance for the homeowners,” said neighbor Jason Garry, who lives on Lakeside Court. “During October, it was frequent that we had to call the non-emergency police line, because people were there.”

Garry estimates that players have broken in about five times by climbing over a low point in the fence near the gate. He said he thinks the onus has shifted onto the residents to monitor the area. “Are they expecting homeowners to call multiple times a week?” he said. “That we have to police the area.”

A sign alerts players to new limited hours for play at the Hidden Valley Sport Courts.

In an email, Eve Kearney, executive assistant to the city manager, said Martinez police have received six calls to the courts since Sept. 24 (the date the new hours took effect), though not all were related to off-hours play. She said the city is encouraging residents to report any violations to the police non-emergency line so that staff can track the incidents, and she has not personally heard of any rule-breaking as a “large ongoing issue.”

Residents closest to the facility say the reduced hours have brought some relief but not a resolution. “It was akin to having your house next to a shooting range, except I would say a little louder, because we’re so close to it,” said neighbor Tyler Harding. He said the new hours have made his backyard noticeably quieter on closed days, but all the same problems still exist.

“There’s still noise, there’s still people setting up tables and chairs, and the privacy, the trash and the public urination, which we’ve still had issues with. All of that is still happening; it’s just the quantity has been reduced,” he said.

Harding said players jumped the fence almost daily during the first week of the new schedule before tapering off to about once a week more recently. He said he has emailed city staff each time he has captured an incident on video. The city installed a temporary fence, though he believes it has created new problems without addressing the original ones.

The newly installed temporary fence is seen next to the pickleball courts.

Some neighbors have also raised concerns about ongoing privacy intrusions. One homeowner, who asked not to be identified for safety concerns, described players knocking on her door to retrieve pickleballs, and, in one instance, a woman peering over her backyard fence to ask for a bag of ice. She said she has reported fence hopping to the police three times, though she believed the dispatchers were “annoyed” initially with her first call because they had not been informed about the new hours.

“Obviously, they have more important things to attend to, so it takes them awhile, but they eventually come out and ask people to leave.”

She said the reduced hours have improved her quality of life, but that the only permanent fix would be relocating the courts.

Garry said he believes noise levels at the courts still violate city code, even with the reduced schedule, particularly on Wednesdays, the one day the courts operate for 12 consecutive hours. The city commissioned a sound study earlier this year but has refused to release the results. Kearney said the study “was ordered by the city attorney, so it is considered privileged” and will not be made public.

Garry said he has spoken with attorneys in preparation for a potential lawsuit if the city does not close the courts permanently.

“I think they’re knowingly doing something illegal right now with the courts open,” he said. “Legally, I don’t think those courts can exist there.”

Garry said the lawyers he’s contacted are “very familiar” with noise-related cases, and are interested in pursuing action if the city does not take further steps.

Harding said he is hesitant to pursue litigation but would like to see the city announce plans to relocate pickleball to a more appropriate location in the parks master plan. “Pickleball should be somewhere else. If Martinez is going to have a pickleball facility, it should be at the waterfront or somewhere without residences,” he said.

On Nov. 7, the city emailed a detailed “Neighborhood Pickleball Survey” to homes within 500 feet of the courts. The survey, sent to more than 100 houses, asks residents about their experiences with pickleball before the courts were reopened, if their sleep has been affected, noise, privacy, parking and their ability to enjoy their homes. It also asks whether residents would support closing the facility completely.

Kearney said the city hopes to bring the survey results to the City Council in early 2026, and that officials want to avoid repeating the months-long cycle of trial periods that took place over the summer. She said the city is seeking a “more permanent” outcome, and has paused any further modifications to the courts until staff can analyze the survey responses alongside additional feedback.

“We do want to make sure that the community is involved, and that the neighborhood specifically is being heard,” Kearney said. “We recognize that’s a really important part of the process as we’re deciding the future of the courts.”

With winter arriving, residents say they expect less play in the coming months but fear that noise, crowds and rule-breaking could return when warm weather returns.

The following items were produced by Craig Lazzeretti.

In other news…

• A social media brouhaha broke out last week over the city’s announcement that it had hired a private security firm to help monitor the downtown shopping district. In a social media post announcing the partnership with Los Angeles District Patrol, the city said “the goal of this added presence downtown is to support our local businesses and enhance a safe, enjoyable atmosphere for everyone who visits and works in our downtown.” While some applauded the move, others decried it as unnecessary and targeting the unhoused population. Mayor Brianne Zorn explained that the move came about because recent police department vacancies have curtailed the work of the department’s strategic enforcement team to address these downtown issues. The controversy has drawn local media attention. Though the city didn’t indicate in the social media post whether this would be an armed security presence, NBC Bay Area described the person patrolling the area as an “armed guard.” Click on this NBC Bay Area report for more.

  Craig’s take: I texted the following comment to Mayor Zorn on Saturday: “I’d be fine with an unarmed guard but am totally opposed to an armed one. City should not be hiring armed officers other than properly trained, sworn police.”

• The City Council is set to approve donations of $1,000 each to the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano and Loaves and Fishes of Contra Costa at Wednesday’s council meeting, which begins at 7 p.m. The accompanying staff report notes that the “recent shutdown of the federal government – the longest in history at 43 days – had dire implications for individuals on federal food assistance programs.” It also notes that both organizations have “received either in-kind and/or monetary assistance from the City in the past.”

  Craig’s take: I applaud the city for freeing up money to address the hunger needs of community members despite its current budget challenges. But, as I stated recently in a public comment to the council, a prime reason so many in our community are in need of food assistance is a housing crisis that forces too many of our neighbors to choose between keeping a roof over their head or food on their table. Although Martinez has started making incremental progress, the city still has one of the worst track records in Contra Costa County when it comes to creating affordable housing, largely because our political leaders long refused to make it a top priority. Philanthropic handouts at the holidays are nice, but they do not come close to making up for decades of policy failure.

• The council is also set to appoint Satinder S. Mahli as vice mayor from Dec. 11 through Dec. 9 of next year. The vice mayor position rotates annually among the four council members; Jay Howard served as vice mayor this past year. The full council agenda can be found at the following link: https://granicus_production_attachments.s3.amazonaws.com/martinez/7aa8e3141c3ac87da34de4c5a8a09d820.pdf

• The Martinez Unified School Board is scheduled to select its board president, vice president, clerk and secretary as part of its annual reorganization at Monday’s board meeting, which begins at 6:30 p.m. Tania Brugger has served as board president for the past year. The board will also receive a first interim budget report that shows a continuing structural deficit. MUSD is anticipating finishing the 2025-26 school year with a deficit of $2,768,076.53 (total expenditures minus revenues), which will require further budget reductions. The board also will receive a presentation on the latest district results from the California Assessment of Student Progress and Achievement. The meeting agenda can be found at the following link: https://simbli.eboardsolutions.com/SB_Meetings/ViewMeeting.aspx?S=36030321&MID=48944

  Craig’s take: The school district has a golden opportunity to address a root cause of its budget crisis by pursing an opportunity to convert some of its land on Alhambra Avenue into workforce housing while rebuilding its dilapidated adult school at a new location. The high cost of housing has negatively impacted the district’s enrollment — which is the basis for much of its funding — and ability to recruit and retain quality educators. Even as enrollment has fallen as families leave the area, the district has awarded hefty pay raises in recent years to address the cost-of-living concerns and need to hire and retain quality staff. The district is again in labor negotiations with its employee unions, and a key sticking point will surely be the desire for additional raises to address the high cost of living in the area. Similar negotiations in the West Contra Costa Unified School District broke down last week, and have resulted in teachers going on strike. While cash-strapped school districts have limited funds available to dedicate to employee raises, they do have another tool at their disposal to address the cost-of-living concerns weighing on educators: surplus land that can be converted into affordable housing. MUSD should move expeditiously to utilize this tool. Otherwise, it will continue to face the impossible dilemma of trying to find money it doesn’t have to pay its educators enough to live here.

• CalTrans said in a news release that motorists should expect daytime lane closures and delays along Highway 4 near Morello Avenue the next two weeks as crews perform final striping as part of a paving project (the work needs to be done during the day because of cold overnight temperatures). The closures/delays are scheduled from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the eastbound direction and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the westbound direction. Crews also are tentatively planning work on Saturdays, Dec. 13 and 20.

• Contra Costa County’s Public Works Department will hold a community outreach event on Wednesday, Dec. 10 from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Las Juntas Elementary School cafeteria (4105 Pacheco Blvd.) to discuss opportunities to improve the Pacheco Boulevard corridor, including safety enhancements. More information is available to https://bit.ly/PachecoBlvd