The city of Santa Fe Springs approved a new policy to make public access to sports fields and related facilities more fair.
The City Council unanimously approved the policy this month at a regular meeting. A virtual workshop of how the new policy process will work is scheduled for 5 p.m. Monday, April 22.
“This is our attempt to try to create more transparency and make our field-use open for folks that want to use it in our community and outside our community,” City Manager René Bobadilla said during the meeting.
The Athletic Field and Facility Allocation Policy establishes clear guidelines for how space is allocated among residents and community-based organizations. It also promotes the use of athletic fields and facilities to support sports activities, as well as overall health and wellness, according to city staffers.
The new policy lays down processes for fair distribution, coordination of multiple spaces, preservation of facilities, prevention of unsafe or impermissible uses, and ensuring financial accountability for any damage incurred.
Santa Fe Springs’ Parks and Recreation Department is responsible for coordinating and allocating athletic fields and sports facilities to organizations and the general public for various activities and programs.
“Currently, the demand far exceeds the availability,” said Director of Parks and Recreation Gus Hernandez during the meeting. “We have 14 athletic field spaces right now and we currently work with 27 organizations throughout the year to allocate field space and that’s in addition to our in-house programs, so there’s definitely a high demand for these spaces.”
That high demand prompted the need for a comprehensive policy and to ensure that residents were prioritized above other non-resident groups. In the past, fields were allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, regardless of residency status, Hernandez said.
Staff began working on the policy in the later part of 2023, city officials said. It follows the industry’s best practices for field allocations and it was thoroughly vetted through the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee at their meeting on Feb. 7, and unanimously supported submitting the policy to the City Council for consideration.
The policy also establishes different categories for the types of sports teams the Parks and Recreation Department will be looking for through the allocation process, aimed at prioritizing resident usage. There are 13 priority group classifications.
The first priority group will be activities or programs conducted and/or sponsored, or co-sponsored, by the city. Second is the recognized groups, with priority per agreement with the city, such as Metropolitan Little League and Norwalk-Santa Fe Springs Saints Football and Cheer. Third will be schools located within the Santa Fe Springs boundaries, such as Santa Fe Springs Christian School.
Fourth would be resident youth nonprofit groups, and fifth would be nonprofit resident adult groups, which currently the city does not work with but anticipate a future need. Sixth would be business resident groups, such as one-day company events, for example softball tournaments.
The rest would include youth resident groups; adult resident groups; youth non-resident, nonprofit groups; youth non-resident groups; adult non-resident, nonprofit groups; adult non-resident groups; and finally all other groups not already classified.
In the old application process, fields were allocated on a six-month permit basis and the application was due six months prior to the usage. The policy will now break this up into four different permit allocation periods, Hernandez said.
Instead of a six-month application process or waiting period, there is going to be a three-month waiting period, and applications will be taken from the first through the 15th of those months and then staff will prioritize those groups based on the classifications. For example, to request use of field space in spring during the months of February, March and April, the application process will be from Nov. 1-15.
The policy also includes a formula in case two teams have the same priority and need field space on the same day and time. It will be based on Santa Fe Springs residents only.
Santa Fe Springs City Council voted 5-0 to approve the policy at its Tuesday, March 5 meeting.
“This policy represents a significant step in ensuring fair access to our city facilities and athletic fields,” Mayor Jay Sarno said in a statement. “By prioritizing city residents, we are reaffirming our commitment to serving the needs of our community members first and foremost. I am confident that this decision will strengthen our community bonds and enhance the quality of life for all who call our city home.”
The first training session to ensure understanding and compliance with the new policy will be virtually on Monday, April 22, at 5 p.m. Applications will then be collected May 1 through 15 for reservations that take place June through October.
For more information, call 562-863-4896 or email recreation@santafesprings.org, or visit santafesprings.org.
