L.A. suburb reverses Little League lockout after field-use dispute

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Set us as preferred 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.California The dispute between the city of Santa Fe Springs and the Metropolitan Little League has put the 65-year-old youth sports partnership in jeopardy.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 Le...