12 SOLERA DIAMOND VALLEY | FEBRUARY 2026
By eresa Rossetti, Resident
Carmel-by-the-Sea is a lovely little city in Monterey County
known as a tourist destination due to its natural scenery and
artistic history. You may have visited there to enjoy its quirky kind
of vibe, to see if you could spot Mayor Clint Eastwood (1986-1988),
or just to enjoy the peaceful views, great shops and restaurants.
City planners, dating back to the early 1900s, set regulations
that new buildings must be constructed around existing trees,
with new trees required where it was deemed there were not
enough. There are no streetlights or parking meters. There are no
sidewalks in the residential areas. But the most interesting thing
to me is that the businesses and homes have long had no street
numbers. This was changed in 2024 when the Council voted to
establish street addresses, but there is still no home delivery of
mail. Imagine not having delivery trucks dropping packages at
your door!
For retirees, the nearness of the beach, the existence of parks
within the city, and the quaintness of the town could make it an
ideal place to retire. Within city limits, Forest Hill Park is home to
a playground, a basketball court, horseshoe pits, and picnic tables,
as well as pickleball courts for the residents to enjoy.
But you may want to wait before you pack your bags. This past
November something rather extraordinary was decided by the
City Council. After years of resident complaints and numerous
unsuccessful remedies to mitigate the pop, pop, pop of the balls,
Carmel became the first California city to (gasp) ban pickleball
at public facilities! Then Laguna Beach demanded that players
switch to quieter paddles or be fined! In Silicon Valley they have
set aside $100,000 to tone down the noise. What's an aficionado
to do?
Perhaps stay here at SDV, enjoying our courts which, as far as I
know, no one has yet filed a complaint about!
They
Did
What
?!?
