Commission OKs banners

Deirdre Newman

Sponsorship banners should be allowed on athletic fields, the

Planning Commission decided Monday.

While youth sports leagues have been displaying these kinds of

banners for decades, the city code does not address them. The issue

was brought to the city’s attention by complaints from residents near

California Elementary and TeWinkle Intermediate schools claiming that

the banners caused blight.

The commission disagreed, voting 4 to 1 that an ordinance allowing

sponsorship banners be given to the City Council for consideration.

Commissioner Eric Bever cast the sole dissenting vote.

Representatives of the youth sports leagues applauded the

decision.

“I think they made the right decision, basically because of the

fact that these banners have been up for almost 17 years during our

baseball seasons” said Brent Mazur, the players’ representative for

Costa Mesa National Little League.

An attorney hired by Mesa Verde Villa Homeowners Assn., Dirk

Petchul, refused to comment on the issue. Homeowners are deferring

all comments to Petchul.

During those 17 years, no one ever made a peep about the banners,

Mazur said. Then last July, members of the Mesa Verde Villa

Homeowners Assn., near the schools, raised a host of issues relating

to youth athletic field use, including questioning whether the

banners complied with the city’s sign ordinance.

On Monday, the commission listened to nearly two hours of

testimony on the issue, said Chairman Bruce Garlich. Ultimately, the

commission members were swayed by the fact that the sponsors help to

lower the fees for the kids to participate, Garlich added.

“I think we all agreed that the use of the banners as a means to

do fundraising and help defray the costs of the fees that are charged

for kids to participate was a worthy cause,” Garlich said.

The sponsors enable the kids to register for only $75 per season,

Mazur said.

“[The banners] are to show appreciation to our sponsors for

helping us out so these kids can come out and have low cost -- so we

don’t have to charge $150 like Newport Beach does,” Mazur said.

Since the issue was raised, the leagues have been taking the

banners down after every game and putting them up again for the next

game, Garlich said. Bever would not support an ordinance unless it

included a requirement that the leagues continue doing that, but the

rest of the commission did not feel the same way, Garlich added.

“The consensus of the commission was that that was a burden that

was unnecessary,” Garlich said.

The Mesa Verde Villa Homeowners Assn., a condominium project next

to from the fields, has been working with staff for the past few

years regarding the use of the fields. The homeowners objected to a

lighting project in 2001 because they said enhanced lighting would

cause more fields to be used and consequently increase the traffic,

noise and trash. The city respected their concerns and did not

install the lights.

Last July, some of the homeowners complained that soccer and

little league baseball have created negative effects such as noise,

parking problems and overuse of the fields.

Council members Libby Cowan and Mike Scheafer both said they did

not see a need for the council to consider the issue.