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Hundreds of parents and coaches urge transparency after reports of exclusive access talks for Centennial Park fields
Summary
Dozens of local coaches, parents and youth leagues told the council they fear a private organization's talks with the city could restrict public access to Centennial Park and other synthetic fields; the city manager said no contract exists and any agreement would be brought to council.
Hundreds of players, parents and youth-league representatives turned out at Tuesday's Santa Ana City Council meeting to demand transparency and fairness after reports that a private soccer organization sought exclusive use of synthetic fields at Centennial Park and Santa Ana Stadium.
Speakers from Mesa Verde, United Latin, Jam Sports, Santa Ana United and other local clubs described long-term reliance on city fields and said they fear being displaced by preferential agreements. Karen Perez, a league organizer, said she requested public records about an exclusive agreement and had not received a timely response: "Why are the negotiations being done under the table?" she asked.
Multiple speakers accused an outside club associated with Oscar Reyes (described in public comments as La Academia/Albion) of receiving secret preferential treatment; some said they had documents and emails showing club outreach. Coaches and parents said Centennial Park fields were built in part with local fees and argued the city must prioritize Santa Ana residents and community leagues. Victor Quiroga, a coach, said his team includes 45 players and asked whether they would retain access if an exclusive deal were finalized.
City manager and staff said the city does not have a contract giving exclusive use of Centennial or other public fields to any organization. The city manager told the council: "We do not have a contract. If we were to have a contract, we'll bring it before the city council. At that point, it could be publicly discussed." He confirmed staff will follow up and that staff and the parks department will provide more information.
Council reaction and next steps
Councilmembers said they expect full transparency. Councilmember David Penalosa, who was criticized at the meeting, denied being "best friends" with the organization; Penalosa said he attended school with many local residents and employees, but he did not hold back that the matter would need a transparent, council-level review if a formal proposal arrived. Several councilmembers requested a public accounting of field-allocation processes and asked that staff respond to records requests.
This was a public-comment-driven issue: no contract or agenda item transferring field control was on the council docket, and no vote was taken. The city manager committed to follow up and to provide answers to the questions raised by leagues, including records requests and clarification of the parks-allocations process.
Ending: Council members and staff said they would provide additional information and reiterated that any formal agreement would be presented to the council for a public decision.
