‘Field of Dreams’ Playground Opens Under Political Cloud

It is a half-acre patch of dirt, just a fence and sidewalk away from a busy six-lane road. But for hundreds of Eastside boys and girls, it is their “Field of Dreams.”

An El Sereno youth center Wednesday opened the playground, named after the Kevin Costner movie, to dozens of eager neighborhood youngsters who were treated to games of baseball, soccer and some much-welcomed ice cream.

It took some ingenuity and tenacity on the part of Margie Huitron, executive director of the 800-member El Sereno Youth Development Corp., to transform the once-vacant lot on Huntington Drive, which was overgrown with shrubbery, into her own version of “if you build it they will come.” But the center, despite its new field that will soon be complete with grass and trees, is in deep financial trouble, Huitron said.

The children have become a little-noticed casualty in the controversy surrounding Councilman Richard Alatorre, who for years championed the charity, which he helped found in 1993. Now, Huitron said, the organization is suffering from the name association.

Alatorre is the target of a grand jury investigation into alleged corruption, and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, of which he is a board member, is investigating whether he illegally solicited donations from special interests for charities he supported, including the El Sereno center.

Last year, Alatorre paid $8,000 in fines for what he called “unintended” violations of city and state fair political practices. Among other things, he had improperly intervened with the city on behalf of an event-planning firm founded by his wife, which raised money for the charities.

Alatorre’s troubles are spelling deep financial problems for the El Sereno youth center, Huitron said.

An annual fund-raising event earlier this year generated only $20,000, compared to about $150,000 last year, she said.

Supporters are leaving in droves, scared off by federal and local probes into the councilman’s dealings, Huitron said.

Alatorre, speaking through his deputy chief of staff Luisa Campano, did not comment directly on how the controversy involving his name may have affected the center’s fund-raising ability.

Campano said the councilman feels it is unfortunate that negative publicity has hurt the center, but he blamed it partly on the media, which she said seldom cover positive stories from the community. “He is hopeful that the executive director will continue her efforts to raise funds and the level of awareness,” she said.

Despite the dwindling financial support, however, the center is doing its best to provide for the children.

Two months ago, she called Century Housing Corp., which owns the lot next to the center’s modest facilities on Huntington Drive. The nonprofit, low-income housing developer had purchased the land several years ago, but there was no demand for housing, said Regina Babitsky, Century’s community relations officer.

So, Huitron jumped on the opportunity. The center is leasing the lot for $1 a year, and the plan is to keep it as a playground as long as possible.

“There is definitely no talk of taking it over,” Babitsky said.

And for the dozens of boys and girls cheering and playing on the “Field of Dreams” Wednesday, that was good news.

“It’s nice for us to get outside,” said Louie Nunez, 10, flushed after a game of soccer in the 90-degree weather.

The center serves children ages 5 to 18 from the El Sereno, Lincoln Heights, Alhambra and City Terrace areas. Most of the families are second-generation immigrants, and many are headed by a single parent, center officials said.

Huitron said the center’s operating budget is $250,000 a year, but she is having trouble even paying the five-member staff.

About 60 to 80 boys and girls use the facility daily for a wide range of educational and recreational activities.

“These areas are gang-infested, and many of our boys and girls come home after school to an empty household,” Huitron said. “They just come here to have fun, to be kids.”