Santa Ana parents protest as city considers granting exclusive field access to a private youth soccer club

Young soccer players, coaches, and parents urged the Santa Ana City Council on Tuesday to stop the city from negotiating a contract that would give exclusive access to public soccer fields to the private youth soccer club La Academia.

City officials have said no deal has been reached yet. But residents expressed concerns the negotiations have taken place in private and are driven by a personal relationship between La Academia leadership and City Councilmember David Penaloza. In a city where green space is in short supply, they worry restricting field access to a private group would come at the expense of opportunities for the rest of the city’s youth.

“We learned that there's a specific group that wants to take over synthetic fields at Centennial [Park], and that's very concerning for everybody else,” Joaquín Olvera, owner and president of the Mesa Verde Youth Soccer League, told LAist. “If that happens, then where are the rest of the organizations and kids going to be playing?”

What we know about the deal

Negotiations for said deal have been happening behind closed doors for at least the past several months, and no information from the city has been shared with the public.

“The city manager told me the intent was to give priority to a league with ties to the professional soccer system, supposedly to provide more opportunities for Santa Ana athletes,” City Councilmember Benjamin Vazquez told LAist. “I am upset this decision did not come before the council, and I want to see a more equitable and democratic process for awarding field use among all soccer leagues.”

City Manager Alvaro Nuñez did not respond to requests for comment but said during Tuesday night’s Council meeting that no deal is set in stone.

“We do not have a contract,” Nuñez said. “If we were to have a contract, we would bring it before the City Council, and at that point, it could be publicly discussed.”

Advocates are concerned that the deal may never reach a public meeting since the city manager is authorized to sign contracts of up to $50,000 without the need for Council approval.

“[Nuñez] has not signed any agreements with La Academia,” city spokesperson Paul Eakins said. “They contacted the city about using fields. If anything moves forward, details will be shared at that time.”

Oscar Reyes, director of La Academia, did not respond to requests for comment.

How it started

Dozens of public speakers Tuesday night pointed their comments at Penaloza, who they say stewarded the ongoing negotiation.

Penaloza refutes playing any active role in the talks, as well as the assertion he is best friends with La Academia’s leaders, whom he says he’s known since elementary school. The council member said all he did was connect the group with the city manager’s office.

“So they told me their idea, and I said great,” Penaloza said during his closing comments Tuesday. “So, like I had done with … hundreds of other residents and business owners and developers that have reached out to my office, I facilitated a meeting.”

Despite sitting in on one of the group’s meetings with the city for “10 minutes, briefly,” he added, he is not pulling any strings for La Academia.

Why it matters

Santa Ana is a densely populated city in Orange County, and historically, residents have pushed for more open, green spaces.

According to the Public Trust for Land, residents in low-income neighborhoods have access to 47% less park space per person than those in the average Santa Ana neighborhood, and Latino neighborhoods have 55% less access.

Without recreational activities, like soccer, and the space to play, parents and coaches worry more young kids will be drawn to gang violence.

“Here in Santa Ana, everybody knows somebody, or even family members, who are gang-affiliated,” Maria Behana, a soccer mom and coach, said. “[We] want to keep our kids out of the streets because they start at a young age. You clearly can go into one of our schools and see who is already starting to affiliate, and it's really sad, but that is the culture here in Santa Ana. It is gangs and violence.”

Private soccer clubs are pricey, Behana said.

“You have to try out, and then on top of that, the fees start at $500,” Behana said. “And then if you want to travel, it's $2,000 to $7,000. It's very expensive to play soccer, and that's not even including uniforms and cleats.”

Julian Gonzalez joined his mom Maria Behana at the Santa Ana City Council meeting to urge council members to reject a deal that would give exclusive access to publci soccer fields to one private soccer club.

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Destiny Torres

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LAist

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For Behana’s 9-year-old son, Julian Gonzalez, soccer is everything.

“My favorite part about soccer, when you score a goal, you get a part inside of you, you feel motivated and happy and excited,” Gonzalez told LAist. “I started soccer at 8 years old, and if I can't play that much, I can't put my dreams into it. My dream is to go pro in soccer and play for the top leagues.”

Officials say

City Councilmembers Johnathan Ryan Hernandez and Jessie Lopez told LAist they are concerned about the way this negotiation is being handled.

Lopez said she is “strongly opposed” to the privatization of taxpayer-funded facilities.

“Any attempt to hand out city contracts to friends and political donors behind closed doors is unacceptable,” Lopez said. “These decisions must be part of a public conversation — it’s the ethical thing to do, and it’s what our residents are demanding.”

The process lacks transparency, Hernandez said, adding, “We should not prioritize profit over the needs of our most vulnerable youth.”