For a week, the Metropolitan Little League’s fall season was in limbo.
The city of Santa Fe Springs had revoked the league’s access to its municipal fields over allegations the organization was improperly subleasing them to another nonprofit.
The league, which denied the claim, was forced to scramble to salvage games. Parents were upset. The dispute bled into the political realm, with a league leader alleging the entire episode was a result of her decision to run for City Council.
On Wednesday, a day after The Times reported on the dispute, the city said it was reinstating its previous agreement with the league, allowing children to return to its baseball fields.
“From the beginning, our goal has been to find a path forward that supports our young people while also ensuring that the City’s public facilities are used fairly and responsibly,” City Manager René Bobadilla said in a written statement.
Bobadilla, a former city administrator from Huntington Park and Montebello, thanked the Metropolitan Little League’s newly elected league president, Joe Esparza, for “reaching an understanding.”
Esparza, who officially takes the reins as president Thursday, could not immediately be reached for comment.
Nicholas Razo, Santa Fe Springs’ assistant city manager, told The Times that the city had previously raised concerns with the league about subletting and took action after learning the practice was continuing.
“We understand how important youth baseball is for our community,” he said. “But this is about ensuring that all the organizations that use our city facilities are following the same rules and expectations.”
At issue was Metro Little League’s relationship with the Metro Baseball Academy, a separate nonprofit that runs clinics, or training programs, for league players who pay to participate.
Until recently, the academy operated as a private organization with a board that included Little League members — including Odalys Valladares, the league’s president. The city did not say whether MBA’s access to the fields would be restored.
City officials said they looked into the nonprofits after receiving complaints, and learned that Metro Little League had created the academy to run its clinics, allowing it to use the fields year-round.
Razo said that raised questions about whether the academy was bringing in more children from outside the area than allowed by the city, and using the fields at the lower rates provided to the Little League.
Under its agreement with the city, at least 60% of Metro Little League’s players must live in Santa Fe Springs.
Razo said the city became suspicious when someone forwarded a message in which academy officials directed parents to register their children under the Little League for the fall season after the registration deadline.
Valladares said the league, like many others, often allows children to sign up after the registration deadline if there’s room. She also denied the league was subleasing fields to the academy, saying that the Metro Baseball Academy, operating independently from the league, was paying the city to use the fields.
She said the league operates within a specific boundary that includes parts of Pico Rivera, Whittier, South Whittier and Norwalk. She said most of the players are from Santa Fe Springs.
Andrew Hernandez, president of the Metro Baseball Academy, shared email exchanges and invoices dating to July demonstrating that the academy had been paying for its use of the athletic fields.
“We requested field use, received permits, paid the associated fees, communicated with city staff, and responded to concerns when they were brought to our attention,” he wrote in an email to The Times.
He also included a July letter in which he pleaded with city officials for a fee waiver, as his organization faced financial hardship.
“Perhaps part of this situation is my own reluctance to ask families for more money,” he wrote in his email to city leaders. “However, I do not want MBA to become another program where only the most financially privileged children are able to participate.”
Hernandez said the city denied his request. Then, on Sept. 23, he and Valladares were told that the city was revoking access to the baseball fields for both the Little League and the MBA.
Valladares said she and others resigned from the MBA board in hopes of addressing the city’s concerns, and she later chose to forego reelection to the Little League board, as well, to allow new leadership to take over.
However, she said neither the league nor the academy violated city rules, and maintains that the problems began only after she launched her campaign for Santa Fe Springs City Council.
Valladares said she was told that Councilmember Annette Rodriguez, who is seeking reelection and whose grandson plays in the league, told parents at a recent game to vote her and the rest of the board out.
“This only shows there was no proof of allegations of wrongdoing on my part,” Valladares said of the news that the field lockout was lifted.
She said she would continue to coach and support the league so that it could continue to succeed and flourish.
Others in Santa Fe Springs have also alleged retaliation related to the dispute.
Aden Medina, 20, who worked as a supervisor for Parks and Recreation, said he was fired this month after the city learned he was coaching for the Little League.
Santa Fe Springs confirmed Medina’s employment but said it could not comment on the circumstances surrounding an employee’s separation from the city.
Councilmember Joe Zamora who had served as the city’s mayor, was stripped of that title at Tuesday’s City Council meeting — a move multiple sources told The Times was allegedly motivated, at least in part, by his support for Valladares.
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