Karen Kimura

Nominee: KAREN KIMURA

Does this person live or work in Los Osos? : Yes

Why do you feel this person deserves to be honored?

I am very pleased to nominate KAREN KIMURA for Citizen of the Year, 2024.

Karen has lived in Los Osos for more than 40 years and has been active with Head Start and CAPSLO (Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo County).

CAPSLO is a nonprofit agency that focuses on helping people and changing lives through serving over 26,000 persons across Central and Southern California, the majority of whom live in San Luis Obispo County. They are committed to eliminating poverty by empowering individuals and families to achieve economic self-sufficiency through a comprehensive array of community-based programs that focus on:
• high-quality early education and child care
• accessible, affordable dependent care
• addressing barriers to safe, affordable housing and basic needs
• health services and education
• resource connection and navigation

Pickleball in Los Osos is led by Karen Kimura. It was her vision, organizational and collaborative skills that first created an opportunity to play and enjoy pickleball in Los Osos on a daily basis.

In early 2022, Karen and a five friends wanted to play pickleball where they lived, rather than drive to Morro Bay. There were no locations available. They began to meet together about how to do it. They asked County Parks about painting lines for dual use of tennis and pickleball at the LO Community Park.

But Parks did not support this request. Undaunted, a creative solution was devised. If no lines were to be painted, they would make pickleball courts themselves each day they played on the Los Osos Community Park tennis courts. They used string and masking tape and bought and assembled portable nets. Despite the inconvenience, they began doing this three days a week at noon, a time when tennis players said tennis was seldom played. Week after week they continued. As weeks became months, more and more players from Los Osos came to join them. That was the beginning.

Karen believed Pickleball players should have a place to play where they live. It is a significant cost savings from driving roundtrip to Morro Bay. It reduces the burden for MB on its courts. It fosters community and personal relationships.

Starting with a few like-minded friends, Karen created Los Osos Pickleball. Karen is the current and founding president of the Los Osos Pickleball Community (LOPC), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. There are now more than 160 community pickleball players who receive a monthly newsletter edited by Karen. Her patient, persistent, and above all positive approach continues to grow the number of players and the number of volunteers who are willing to contribute their talent to improving the opportunities for the Los Osos Community to play this healthful, fun and community-building sport.

Pickleball, the fastest-growing sport in America, has gained immense popularity in recent years. This dynamic sport is accessible to people of all ages and skill levels. The demand for pickleball courts is rapidly increasing as more individuals discover the many benefits of this sport, and our community of Los Osos is no exception. Here are some pickleball benefits:
Inclusivity: Pickleball is a sport that welcomes players of all ages and abilities. It's easy to learn, making it a fantastic activity for families, seniors, and everyone in between. This inclusivity strengthens the sense of community and promotes social interaction.

Health Benefits: Playing pickleball provides an excellent cardiovascular workout, improves hand-eye coordination, and helps to maintain a healthy weight. Regular physical activity, like pickleball, is key to reducing the risk of chronic illnesses and enhancing overall well-being.

Social Engagement: Pickleball is more than just a sport; it's a social activity. It fosters friendships, encourages teamwork, and builds a strong sense of community. The camaraderie on the courts is truly special.

Economic Impact: Developing pickleball facilities can have a positive economic impact on our community. It attracts visitors from neighboring areas, contributing to local businesses and tourism.
As pickleball continues to grow, it is the vision of LOPC to continue to work with community members and public agencies to help assess the needs for more opportunities to play the great game of pickleball, and to offer and support workable solutions for Los Osos to bring them to reality.

There were hurdles a plenty.

As the County Park Commissioner for District 2 for 34 years, I sat on the Commission as Karen and her group came before us many times. The tennis players were vehemently opposed to the pickleball play and their attempt to want permanent lines on the courts. In all the years I have sat on the Commission, NO group has ever approached us with such positiveness and willingness to help make their dream a reality. It was truly a pleasure to support their project. But, the County didn’t have any money to make the necessary adjustments and additions to the tennis courts.

Undaunted Karen kept returning to ask how her group could help make pickleball a reality. Our then Park Director Nick Franco was just about to retire and he feared long, drawn out public hearing with irate tennis players insisting the tennis courts not be shared.

In all my years I have never seen a group with such a positive attitude and willingness to help as Karen and her “picklers.”

Over time because of their willingness and cooperate with the tennis community Karen and the group were successful.

After the initial months, Karen asked County Parks to help by painting small guide dots on two tennis courts, which they did, making it faster to set up string lines each time. And Karen received approval from Parks to adopt into county property a steel lockbox bought by pickleball. This meant what was needed for the day could be stored conveniently on-site.

By Autumn, the six players who began playing at the Community Park had grown to sixty. In October, Karen met with Supervisor Dawn Ortiz-Legg, who came to Los Osos. After seeing how to create a court for the day with string, masking tape, and temporary nets, the Supervisor expressed her support for local opportunity to play pickleball as she watched more than twenty-five players take turns playing pickleball on four temporary courts.

In November, Karen provided public comment at the meeting of the Los Osos Community Services District (LOCSD) about the needs of pickleball players, as well as the need for a larger park in Los Osos for active recreation. Pickleball asked County Parks that month for a meeting to discuss the growing need in Los Osos to play pickleball conveniently. However, Parks declined a meeting, wanting to wait until a Cal Poly study it had commissioned about pickleball and tennis was received. This was disappointing to LOPC, as by then there were 44 players per week playing in a way that was not convenient- a situation that would continue.

In 2023, the Cal Poly report, “Pickleball and Tennis in San Luis Obispo County: A Tale of Two Sports”, was issued. County Parks put the Report on the agenda of the Parks Commission for its January meeting. As expected, it reported Los Osos had no established pickleball courts. But the report neglected to mention the total amount of tennis courts available to Los Osos players as contrasted to zero pickleball courts. The report was flawed and our Commission discussed it at the time.

In late January, the County Parks Commission considered the Cal Poly Report. More than thirty pickleball players attended the Commission’s meeting. Ranging from age 5 to age 87, they spoke about the need for a convenient way to play pickleball in Los Osos. During public comment Karen noted there were many friendly interactions between players of pickleball and tennis during the past year. The County Parks Commission passed a motion supporting pickleball courts at the community park. Their discussion made clear this might be done by painting dual-use lines, or by converting one tennis court into four dedicated pickleball courts.

In February 2023 Karen officially formed the “Los Osos Pickleball Community” (LOPC), a name reflecting her desire to bring local pickleball to the entire community. Its mission- to build a significantly healthier, more vibrant and active community by increasing involvement in the sport of pickleball, through education, advocacy and participation. That month Karen and her team met with County Parks. At the meeting, LOPC received confirmation from the Director that pickleball could be played at the Los Osos Community Park, and that it could do so on a “first-come-first-served” basis, equal to tennis. However, regarding the Commission’s recommendation, Parks said it needed to reach out to tennis before it could review it. Unfortunately, because of storm damage to County regional parks and a current staff shortage, Parks said it did not have staff to engage with tennis at that time and was uncertain when it could.

At the Parks Commission meeting in March, Karen provided comment about pickleball’s growth and possible solutions to better pickleball access for the entire community. Afterward she requested a meeting with Parks to discuss these. Parks indicated it was still not ready to move forward.
Karen then reached out to Supervisor Gibson, and he met with Karen at the Community Park in April. He saw the cumbersome and time-consuming set-up procedure with string, tape and portable nets and was impressed by the number of pickleball players and how often pickleball was being played at the Community courts and by persons of all ages. He expressed his support for painting dual-use lines on the court to make it more convenient to play pickleball. He also appreciated that LOPC continued to foster friendly relations with tennis players, including for joint court maintenance.
In early June, the County Parks Director retired. Promoted to lead Parks was the Assistant Director. LOPC welcomed the new Director. In mid-June, pickleball players asked Karen for some opportunities to play pickleball in the morning, some needing this because of their schedules. In response, Karen scheduled pickleball sessions on Wednesday and Friday mornings, a time when she knew little tennis was played.

On June 20, LOPC received approval from the IRS as a 501(c)(3) federal tax-exempt nonprofit charity. At the June meetings of the Los Osos Community Services District Parks Advisory Committee and the County Parks Commission, Karen provided an update about its IRS approval and its growth. LOPC had provided 38 playing sessions in the previous month. Of 102 players on its roster, 65 different players played a total of 365 times- a 96% increase in total times played from six months earlier. At that meeting Karen also advocated for the longer term need for dedicated pickleball courts, pointing to a possible location at the old Sunnyside school.

In August Karen met with the new Parks Director to explain the community’s need for a convenient way to play pickleball in Los Osos and the practicality of painting dual use lines. The Director informed her she was also meeting with tennis players about this. Later that month Karen met with the Director and Supervisor Arnold. At this meeting the Director said she supported painting dual use lines if pickleball could pay the cost. Karen agreed.

From my standpoint as a Park Commissioner, from its early beginnings, Karen focused on creating workable solutions and building community and agency support. At the same time, she knew change would be difficult and take time. There would be opposition and disagreements. These she met with empathic consideration and a view to fairness. She knew the process would include delays, which she met with patience, positive persistence, and reasonableness.

On October 18, 2023, County Parks painted the requested dual-use lines creating four pickleball courts on two tennis courts, with one tennis court not lined for pickleball. The pickleball community gathered at the Park to watch the paint dry.

What an accomplishment and all because Karen lead the organization with a positive, helpful and patient attitude. They are one of the most successful community-based groups that ever came before our Park Commission.

In the months since dual-use lines were painted, Karen has focused on the longer term goal of getting dedicated pickleball courts for Los Osos. This a difficult challenge with no quick solution. Identifying a location is the first task.

A promising possibility is the old Sunnyside school that the school district has offered to sell to the County. On behalf of LOPC, Karen has informed the County Parks Commission of pickleball’s support of this site. She also attended joint meetings of the LOCSD and LOCAC (Los Osos Community Advisory Council) in support of the Sunnyside solution as a way to increase opportunities for active recreation.
Karen has reached out to potential partners to build consensus that Los Osos needs and should have dedicated pickleball courts—real courts. More recently, another possibility has emerged—enlarging the current community park for active recreation by developing an adjacent parcel. This is now feasible with the recent approvals and actions by County, State and federal agencies.

To that end Karen obtained the support of tennis players to join with pickleball, and at a joint LOCSD and LOCAC meeting, Karen and the tennis community advocated for a plan that would provide dedicated pickleball courts.

Karen will continue to pursue all options—positively, patiently and persistently, until a feasible site is found. Then, she can help create a site-specific, compelling vision that will catalyze raising the funds needed to turn this vision into reality.

Karen saw a need in Los Osos and acted on it. From just five people to now nearly 200 she has taken her dream to create an outdoor, health-oriented, fun activity into a reality.

People of all ages and ability are now playing pickleball weekly, and the numbers are growing. Karen’s leadership ability and vision for even more opportunities in the future is extraordinary. She has been exceptionally effective. It is for that reason I believe she is an excellent nominee and should be considered for the 2024 Citizen of the Year.

Sincerely,

Pandora Nash-Karner
COTY 1999