Pickleball gets Court 4 at Piper Park; tennis keeps 1 and 2, with Court 3 shared

At Piper Park, where four courts have become the front line of Larkspur's tennis-versus-pickleball squeeze, the Council on Wednesday settled Capital Improvement Project 27-202 with a three-way split: Court 4 becomes a dedicated, permanently striped and netted pickleball court, Courts 1 and 2 stay dedicated tennis, and Court 3 becomes flexible for both, scheduled by staff. The motion, from Councilmember Kendall and seconded by Vice Mayor Paulson, passed unanimously by voice vote. Court resurfacing at Centennial Park was part of the same project item.

Council had three choices on the table: the Park and Recreation Commission's plan (one dedicated pickleball court, three dedicated tennis), the City Manager's plan out of a working group process (two dedicated tennis courts, two flexible), or the compromise it ultimately adopted. The City Manager argued that fixed programmed time slots, rather than open "whoever shows up" play, would resolve most of the conflict on its own, and proposed new pickleball nets and clearer scheduling.

Eight members of the public spoke. Nicole Serensic, a working-group member who said she represented more than 250 pickleball players, argued fairness cut her way: tennis already had two fully dedicated courts and pickleball had none. Richard Bennion, also from the working group, said he would be "doing cartwheels" over a single dedicated court. Leo Geraldi, the city's tennis contractor and coach for 26 years, countered that pickleball noise disrupts instruction and asked for Courts 1, 2 and 3 grouped for tennis, noting USTA and Marin League matches run roughly twice a month. Nancy Bialek pressed for at least one striped, netted pickleball court rather than shared surfaces only.

Paulson favored sticking with the working group's original compromise and revisiting it in six months, as the city did with the dog park; Mayor Andre leaned toward one dedicated pickleball court, citing the size of the pickleball community and the confusion caused by multiple sets of lines on one surface. The compromise landed pickleball on Court 4 rather than the Court 3 advocates had requested.

Council will endorse Grand Jury's findings on MCE, with the mayor drafting the response

Larkspur will not send a minimal reply to the 2025-2026 Marin County Civil Grand Jury report on Marin Clean Energy. Council directed Mayor Andre to draft an expanded response endorsing the report's findings and recommendations, to come back at a future meeting ahead of the September 16 response deadline. The report, "MCE, Marin Clean Energy: A Series of Missteps Highlight Need for Governance Changes," faults the MCE board's oversight and cites a $200 million cost increase from mismanaged energy contracts along with a lack of transparency.

“I fully support the grand jury's findings and will aim to implement many of their recommendations on the MCE board, particularly those dealing with greater fiduciary responsibility and transparency to our ratepayers.”— Mayor Andre

The City Attorney advised that Council could endorse the recommendations broadly but should steer clear of findings aimed at the qualifications of specific, unnamed board members. Andre, who sits on the MCE board, read from the report's conclusion that the board had ceded authority over energy procurement — MCE's core function.

Vice Mayor Paulson credited Andre with raising the issues over two years and backed a fuller response. Public commenter David Mohler also urged an expanded response, saying the "apple was pretty rotten at its core" despite MCE's polished public presentations.

Marina and Heather Gardens residents say the student parking placards are being faked

The annual review of the preferential parking program in the Larkspur Marina and Heather Gardens neighborhoods, created to blunt overflow parking from Redwood High School, turned into a catalog of complaints about the paper placards themselves. Thomas Atkins of 634 Revere Circle said the tags can be forged with a felt pen and are often obscured hanging from a rearview mirror. Vicki Young of 3 Via La Brisa called for permanently affixed stickers instead, saying there are "so many fake yellow tags out there." Deborah Harnett of 50 Corte del Barrio described students driving up to 40 mph and littering, and asked whether the permit fee could be waived given what residents already pay on the lagoon bond.

The City Manager reminded the room that the placard system exists because neighborhood input at the time ran strongly against the sticker enforcement police preferred — a compromise worth remembering before reopening it. Staff proposed continuing the program as-is, with no change to permit charges, while working with neighborhood representatives and possibly law enforcement on refinements.

Vice Mayor Paulson said the Tamalpais Union High School District should be brought into the conversation and share responsibility for enforcement, since Redwood is a closed campus. Councilmember Kendall noted that speeding, counterfeit placards and trash are three problems that may need three separate fixes. Council accepted the review unanimously and directed staff to engage neighbors on possible changes.