Robert Garrova covers criminal justice for the LAist and KPCC newsroom.
explores the weird and secret bits of SoCal that would excite even the most jaded Angelenos. He also covers mental health.explores the weird and secret bits of SoCal that would excite even the most jaded Angelenos.
He also covers mental health.A game of pick-up soccer at Loma Alta Park? For a group of Altadenans, it's been complicated A group of fire survivors want to resume playing soccer at an Altadena park, but the county is saying no. Robert Garrova has more.A group of about a dozen fire survivors said they were excited to get back to something they’d been doing together for years: a weekly informal pickup soccer game at Loma Alta Park.On a recent sweltering Sunday at Loma Alta, the park was abuzz with life: kids playing on a large jungle gym and parents sitting and talking on the grass.If you're enjoying this article, you'll love our daily newsletter, The LA Report. Each weekday, catch up on the 5 most pressing stories to start your morning in 3 minutes or less.That afternoon, the park was just a bubble of normalcy. All around were the stark reminders of the fire that tore through Altadena — rows and rows of flattened and dusty lots, melted gates and charred trees. About half of the dozen or so Altadenans who say they’ve been meeting here for the past eight years appeared from different corners of a large grass field at the park, empty save for a few signs that read:"This field is designated for baseball and softball only."But this group of friends, including several dads, said since 2018, they’ve bonded playing soccer here. The Loma Alta soccer crew From L-R: Bryce Nicholson; Graham Fortier; Mike Lazzareschi; Alan Matthew Ruiz; Patrick Connor; Nicole Casburn; Gareth Casburn; and Joel Zobrist“Finding these guys and this game is really what brought me into the Altadena community in a lot of ways,” said Graham Fortier. “This is kind of my backyard. I came here with my son... They grew up here,” Patrick Connor recalled.All three and their families lost homes in the Eaton Fire. Bryce Nicholson’s family’s home was spared. One of his children was just 2 months old when the family had to evacuate.“There’s something kind of symbolic and hopeful about coming to your only park left and talking about where people are at with their rebuilds or what’s going on at the local school district,” he said. “Or just to make fart jokes.” The group said they were excited to get back to their weekly tradition last summer, months after the fire was extinguished. But in December, they said an L.A. County sheriff’s deputy told them they couldn’t play soccer on the field anymore.Fortier said they feel like the goal posts have been moving on them as far as justification from L.A. County staffers goes. They said officials cited reasons including grass mutilation, needing a permit and that the use is ultimately up to the park director’s discretion. “To tell us that we can’t play a game that we’ve been playing in eight years at our park — our only park that didn’t burn down — I think it’s ridiculous. And I’m gonna keep playing until they kick me off,” Fortier told LAist. In a statement, L.A. County Parks said designated baseball fields are for the “exclusive use of baseball, softball, and youth sports. They are not soccer fields.”In “the near future” the county said it will be able to offer a multi-use field at the nearby Charles White Park, where a variety of sports, including soccer, will be allowed. “Our goal is not exclusion — it is stewardship and safety. We remain committed to working with all park users to ensure safe, fair, and sustainable access for everyone in our communities,” the statement added. Joshua McGuffie, a longtime member of the soccer crew who grew up in Altadena and saw his parents’ home destroyed in the fire, said the county’s previous requests to obtain a permit and to stop playing with cleats were inappropriate. “It feels like the county parks coming in and saying, like, ‘Look, A, You need to pay and, B, you need to play unsafely.’ It’s just mystifying to me,” McGuffie said. He and other players feel the insurance and other costs associated with getting a permit are prohibitive and their informal group of far fewer than 25 players shouldn’t be required to do so. The group said they have a meeting with Supervisor Kathryn Barger’s office next week to discuss their situation.Patrick Connor said it’s painful to be turned away. And he said he feels like it’s intervening in his healing, his recovery from the fire. “People ask me: ‘How are you doing?’ I’m not doing that great,” Connor said. “I had, like, serious insomnia after the fire... And the thing that was really good for me was exercise and being with fire victims.”Later that afternoon at Loma Alta, Bryce Nicholson said he and several others in the group were cited by the sheriff’s department for playing soccer on the field.“Because this is a good space for people that don’t often have many spaces, and a community that has been through so much,” Nicholson said. “Why can’t they just meet up at a park and play a game like they have for a long time?” You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead . Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community. Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.Housing & Homelessness
Eaton Fire Soccer Field Loma Alta Park Los Angeles County Parks
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Fire crews respond to large house fire outside Willow Creek Country ClubLogan Stefanich is a reporter with KSL, covering southern Utah communities, education, business and tech news.
Read more »
Two pets rescued from large house fire in Sandy neighborhoodA large house fire broke out in the Sandy area, prompting a response from Unified Fire Authority and the Sandy Fire Department.Benjamin Porter, a spokesperson
Read more »
Fire destroys four homes in Atascosa CountyATASCOSA COUNTY, Texas — A fire destroyed four homes in Atascosa County on Thursday afternoon, according to the sheriff’s office.Deputy Chief Eric Kaiser with t
Read more »
Altadena residents with bone-dry lots turn to ABC7 after receiving bills from water companyOne resident who received a water bill says even the water meter on his lot was destroyed in the Eaton Fire.
Read more »
San Gabriel Valley Habitat celebrates first Altadena rebuild after Eaton FireThe first home built by San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity has been completed after just five months.
Read more »
100-year-old woman displaced by Eaton Fire says insurer refusing to cover needed home repairsA 100-year-old woman is out of her Altadena home due to the Eaton Fire and now she says that insurance is giving her the runaround.
Read more »