PaliHi Plead for Tennis Courts: Library to Go on Tennis Courts

Members of the Palisades High School Girls Tennis Team spoke at the Park Advisory Board meeting asking for space to play.

Palisades High School varsity tennis player Remy made a plea to Los Angele Recreation and Parks officials for courts and said, “parks are meant for kids to play.”

Unfortunately, RAP General Manager Jimmy Kim did not seem to understand the concept. He proposed shutting the top four tennis courts for repairs for the next four to six weeks and putting the “new library,” a 50 ft. by 50 ft. building on tennis court 7 & 8.

About 80 people attended the Zoom Park Advisory Board Meeting on August 28, when Kim spoke. Members of the PaliHI girls’ tennis team attended and begged for a place to practice and play. The girls need the courts from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. through October to compete this season.

Courts 5, 6, 7 & 8 have been used by the PaliHi tennis teams for the past 30 years.  After the January Fire, L.A. Department of Water and Power used courts 5 & 6 to store heavy equipment, damaging the courts. When DWP vacated the park in June, there was a promise the courts would be repaired. Three months later, nothing has been done.

Supposedly when the park did soil testing there was a minute amount of Arsenic between the upper courts and the lower courts, but that also has still not been remediated, either.

PaliHi’s Anne said, “More than half of the girls on the team have lost their homes. We were told we would be able to play here. That promise was broken. We’re not asking for special favors, just a place to play.”

The top four tennis courts are available because residents have been playing on them for the past six weeks.

Residents have been playing on the upper four tennis courts.

Teammate Ella who had attended last semester at another school, came back to Pali so she could play her senior year with her team. Ella pointed out that there had been delays in fixing the courts. “We’re just asking for honesty and fairness.”

Nicole, a senior, explained “we lost our homes, and this past year has been a really difficult time. I practiced at the Pali Rec Center my whole life. We need your support.”

Another teammate Maria said, “Our coaches have been calling and trying to find places for us to practice.” The tennis team was allotted two weeks at Mark Twain, because LAUSD was told the girls would be able to go back to the park. There aren’t enough Rustic Courts for both teams, because some of the courts are used by a private school.

Coach Bud Kling said, “We have no place to go.” Kling has run one of the most successful female athletic programs in CIF – LA City Section history, with 29 CIF-LA City Team Championships. He also lost his home in the fire.

Coach Robert Silvers said, “It’s time for the girls to go home. A promise has been broken.”

After the meeting a temporary solution was found, but one would hope the lower courts could be repaired before the spring boys’ season.

The courts on the left are 5 & 6, which were damaged by DWP. The lower courts 7 & 8 is where a proposed building would be put.

PROPOSED TEMPORARY LIBRARY:

Park General Manager Jimmy Kim initially proposed putting a building on the grass by the tree. Notice the pavement of the parking lot, which needs to be replaced.

The public library also burned in the Palisades Fire and initially Kim proposed that a temporary building be placed on the upper park lawn.

But,  he said had heard from residents that they didn’t want the “temporary”  building put on the tiny bit of remaining green grass. He announced that  “We’re going to put the temporary library on tennis courts 7 and 8.”

One community member said, “It’s short-sighted to put a library on tennis courts, there’s so few places to play.”

A member of the Friends of the Palisades Library posed a question. Instead of a building, “why couldn’t they just bring in a book mobile?”

Since there is a shortage of tennis courts in Pacific Palisades, why would a temporary library building go on two of the eight courts? What is Kim’s connection to the library?

He answered that question during the meeting, “We’ll be sharing space with the library.”

Why would the Rec Center have to share space with the library, since the small gym is one of the buildings that survived the fire?

That question was not answered, but Kim did say the roof repair for small gym was on hold depending on the scope of work that will be done by Steadfast and L.A .Sports Strong.

L.A. has partnered with those two nonprofits to rebuild a gym and a redesign of the area, including landscaping. Community feedback will be sought in early September with groundbreaking planned for January 2026. “There will be ample opportunities for the community to comment,” Kim said.

And repair of the paring lot, which hasn’t been repaved since the park was opened in the 1950s? The PAB was told That too will wait until the new recreation area is completed, possibly in 2027.

(Editor’s note: That repair delay could be a decision that could open the City up for liability issues, particularly since bocce is starting and many of the people are elderly. The parking lot and sidewalk are so bad, this editor took a tumble and landed on her side in May, when walking with a friend. I was bruised, but no bones were broken, but someone else might not be so lucky.)