Is pickleball the noisiest sport ever? Why one California city banned the sport
Your morning catch-up: The battle over pickleball, the slaying of Rob Reiner and his wife and more big stories.
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Carmel-by-the-Sea residents annoyed by the pop pop pop of pickleballs can finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Last month, the seaside town became the first California city to ban pickleball at public courts after years of resident complaints, my colleague Hannah Fry reports.
The sport, which blends elements of tennis, badminton and pingpong, has exploded in popularity over the last decade, with many cities building or retrofitting their public courts to accommodate crowds of paddle-packing enthusiasts.
Just as quickly as the sport rose in popularity, it became unbearably noisy for some residents living near the courts. Ire over noise has escalated to the point that battles over pickleball have raged across the country, prompting some city officials to intervene.
Laguna Beach adopted an ordinance this year requiring pickleball players to switch to quieter paddles or face a citation.
Officials in the Silicon Valley city of Saratoga set aside $100,000 for efforts to tone down the volume at its pickleball courts.
And in Newport Beach, a Corona del Mar woman sued the city, claiming that the sounds of people playing pickleball 100 yards from her home caused her “severe mental suffering, frustration and anxiety.” The city responded by limiting hours of play and installing sound-dampening materials at the nearby court.
Why pickleball is so noisy
Researchers have shown that the sound of a pickleball paddle hitting one of the sport’s hard plastic balls can be more than 20 decibels louder than the loudest tennis racket strike.
It’s an “impulsive” sound — more like a car backfiring than everyday background noise — said Nalini Lasiewicz, who runs a nonprofit called Pickleball Noise Relief.
From a backyard more than 50 feet away, a pickleball match — when using a measurement of decibels that takes into account how sounds are perceived by the human ear — could peak at 85.
Extended exposure to 80-decibel noise can cause hearing damage, The Times’ Connor Sheets wrote in 2022. It’s equivalent to hearing a freight train from just less than 50 feet away, according to a Purdue University study.
What is being done about the noise
A few solutions have been found, including moving courts farther away from residences.
Courts more than 977 feet away shouldn’t pose much of a problem, pickleball aficionado and former Carnegie Mellon University professor Bob Unetich told the Hustle Daily in 2023. Only a few hundred courts in the country are closer to homes than that, Unetich estimated at the time.
Changing the gear is another way to decrease the noise of the game.
USA Pickleball, the national governing body for the sport, announced last month that it had certified the first product in its newly launched “quiet category,” which aims to “reduce noise by 50%.”
The Owl paddle is the first on the market that delivers a decibel level below 80, USA Pickelball said in a news release. Industry-standard pickleball paddles register a decibel level of 85 and higher when a ball is struck.
Today’s top stories
Rob Reiner, 1947-2025
- The longtime Hollywood star and his wife Michele were found dead at their Brentwood home Sunday in what police are describing as an apparent homicide.
- Law enforcement sources told The Times that a family member was being interviewed in connection with the deaths.
- Reiner was known to millions as a TV actor and film director, but he was also a political force, an outspoken supporter of progressive causes and a Democratic Party activist who went beyond the typical role of celebrities who host glitzy fundraisers.
L.A. Jewish groups ramp up Hanukkah festivities after Sydney terror attack
- Jewish organizations vowed to not be deterred from Hanukkah celebrations after the terrorist attack at Sydney’s Bondi Beach.
- At a Pacific Palisades Hanukkah celebration on Sunday, enhanced security measures were in place, yet hundreds gathered to celebrate, showing the community’s determination to honor resilience and resist antisemitism.
A notorious ‘winter vomiting bug’ is rising in California
- The dreaded norovirus is climbing again in California, and doctors warn that a new subvariant could make even more people sick this season.
- Norovirus levels are increasing across the state, and the rise is especially notable in the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles County, according to the California Department of Public Health.
- Norovirus is extraordinarily contagious and is America’s leading cause of vomiting and diarrhea, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Violent online groups such as 764 are threatening teen lives. Here’s how to protect your child
- A network of online predators known as 764 recruits, grooms and extorts minors — particularly girls struggling with mental health — across the globe.
- Watch for a withdrawal from friends, obsession with new online contacts, unexplained physical marks, weight changes and mood swings in your teen.
- If exploitation occurs, never pay blackmailers. Report it immediately to the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
What else is going on
- Why is Joe Walsh selling a bunch of his old stuff?
- USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb, a Brown University alum, weighed in on Saturday’s deadly shooting that killed two students and wounded nine during final exams at the Rhode Island college.
- California’s role in shaping the fate of the Democratic Party and combating Trump is on full display.
- Former Trump Justice Department lawyers say “fraudulent” UC antisemitism investigations led them to quit.
- A young musician was gunned down in Northridge. Did childhood friends set her up?
Commentary and opinions
- California Democrats have momentum, Republicans have problems, writes columnist George Skelton.
- Is Newsom blazing a path to the White House? Times columnist Mark Z. Barabak and veteran Democratic strategist Garry South debate the governor’s chances.
- Australia just banned kids from social media. Columnist Robin Abcarian asks, shouldn’t we all?
- UC should go back to considering standardized tests in admissions, argues guest columnist William Liang.
This morning’s must read
Dozens of homeowners who were victims of the Palisades and Eaton fires allege that their banks and mortgage services aren’t giving them the relief they expected from a state law that was intended to help them.
Other must reads
- What makes a perfect holiday cookie? Behind the scenes of our cookie bake-off.
- What’s the deal with ... banana water? The Times’ Deborah Vankin investigates the viral plant-based hydration trend.
- The story behind the Oscar-worthy real estate in four fall movies.
For your downtime
Going out
- Bookshops and coffee: Books and coffee, what could be better? Here are nine L.A.-area spots to get both.
- Restaurants: Love the Filet-O-Fish sandwich? This L.A. restaurant is making a better version.
- Cookies: Would you wait 11 hours for a gingerbread cookie? At Disneyland, you just might have to.
Staying in
- Movies: In honor of Rob Reiner who died on Sunday, here are 10 of his best films as a director.
- Recipe: Here’s a recipe for “Deck the Halls” cinnamon cookies with caramel.
- ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and jigsaw games.
A question for you: What is the best Christmas gift you’ve ever received?
Email us at essentialcalifornia@latimes.com, and your response might appear in the newsletter this week.
And finally ... your photo of the day
Today’s great photo is from Times photographer Jason Armond at the site of Altadena Baptist Church, which was destroyed in the Eaton dire in January. Eleven months later, the congregation is working to rebuild their church and their lives.
Have a great day, from the Essential California team
Jim Rainey, staff reporter
Hugo Martín, assistant editor, Fast Break desk
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew Campa, Sunday writer
June Hsu, editorial fellow
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters
How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com. Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on latimes.com.
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