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Kern County board directs staff to negotiate with proposed operator of Metro baseball complex after heated public debate
Summary
After hours of public testimony from parents, longtime volunteers and representatives of the RFP winner, the Kern County Board of Supervisors authorized staff to negotiate a contract with Influencers Youth Sports for operation of the Metro Recreational Center baseball complex, with instructions to include protections for Northwest Baseball and return the agreement to the board for approval.
The Kern County Board of Supervisors on a majority vote authorized county staff to negotiate an operating agreement with Influencers Youth Sports for the Metro Recreational Center baseball complex, but directed that contract talks include explicit protections for the longtime recreational tenant, Northwest Baseball.
The board’s action followed a lengthy presentation by county General Services staff on an RFP process that produced a top score for Influencers Youth Sports (IYS) and intense public comment from dozens of parents, volunteers and community leaders. Michelle Burns and Katrina Slayton told supervisors the competitive process weighed proposers’ approach, operational readiness and experience; IYS scored highest in the committee’s weighted scoring, with Northwest Baseball ranked third.
Why it matters: Metro Recreational Center hosts 13 baseball diamonds and long-running recreational leagues. Supporters of Northwest Baseball said removing the long-term community operator would displace affordable rec programming that serves hundreds of children; supporters of IYS said their proposal would invest in facility upgrades and expand tournament revenue and youth development opportunities.
“I am here to tell you our intent is never to replace Northwest Baseball,” said Corey Davison, who identified himself as president of Influencers Youth Sports. “We guarantee an annual reinvestment of $75,000 back into the complex.”
Northwest Baseball leaders urged the board to preserve the league’s low-cost, inclusive model. “Recreational ball is community,” said Chris Keeler, a Northwest volunteer. He and other speakers said Northwest has been the facility steward for decades, has invested volunteer time and money and offers seasonal fees far lower than travel-club programs.
County staff described the RFP process in detail: an RFP distributed to more than 20 potential operators, a pre-proposal site meeting, four proposals submitted, and an evaluation committee of four county staff who scored and ranked proposers (IYS scored about 91%; Northwest Baseball about 86.9%). Staff recommended selecting IYS and authorized the Chief General Services Officer to negotiate and execute the operational lease under existing ordinance authority.
Supervisors pressed staff on two points: who signed off on the evaluation committee and whether the board could require the negotiated agreement come back to the board for review. Staff said the facilitator selected the evaluators (the facilitator did not participate in scoring) and that, while the Chief General Services Officer has signature authority under county ordinance for operational leases, the board can direct staff to bring any negotiated agreement back to the board for approval.
Board members struck a compromise in public comments and debate. Supervisor Couch said the agreement’s terms matter more than promises: “It doesn’t matter what they say; it matters what the agreement says.” Supervisor Flores urged contractual guarantees for recreational access and the $75,000 reinvestment. Supervisor Perez—speaking strongly in defense of Northwest Baseball’s multigenerational community role—said he favored keeping the existing arrangement but acknowledged the board must weigh competing public interests.
Motion and next steps: The board voted to authorize the Chief General Services Officer to negotiate with Influencers Youth Sports with “special emphasis” on protections for Northwest Baseball and to return the negotiated agreement to the board for final approval. Staff also noted the current lease allows a holdover period so current operations and upcoming seasons would not be immediately disrupted while negotiations proceed.
What remains unresolved: Northwest Baseball advocates asked for firm, written guarantees in any deal (hours, priority access, rent and reinvestment language); staff and the proposed operator said those items are negotiable. The board did not adopt a final contract at the hearing; it only authorized negotiations with direction to incorporate protections and bring the agreement back for a public vote.
The county’s General Services department will conduct the negotiations and report back to the board with a proposed agreement that the board may approve, modify or reject.
