Kids These Days:

One of the worst cases of bureaucratic bungling I’ve ever witnessed in either Costa Mesa or Newport Beach took place last week.

The Costa Mesa Parks and Recreation Commission held its regular meeting Wednesday in the City Council Chambers.

On the agenda that night was the approval or denial of a request by Rigoberto Bautista of the Aztec Basketball League for a permit to occupy the downtown gymnasium. The league requested use “for seven hours on Sundays for an initial six-month term, beginning June 20, 2009, with an option for an additional six-month term by mutual consent,” according to the commission’s agenda.

The gym the league uses in Santa Ana is being renovated.

The report noted, “The gymnasium is currently open for drop-in volleyball and basketball on Sundays. Granting of this request would eliminate these [Sunday] programs.”

On an average Sunday, there are 13 volleyball players, just enough to cover two teams, and nine basketball players, not enough to cover two teams. I used to be one of those nine, but stopped paying on Sundays because there weren’t enough players.

Participants pay to play and one does not have to be a resident. The average Sunday take is $66, or $3,430 annually. The Aztec Basketball League offered to pay the city the commercial nonresident rate of $120 per hour, or $840 for each day used. On an annual basis, this agreement would generate $43,000, a profit of almost $40,000.

The staff recommendation was to approve the permit.

On Wednesday night, the commission’s chairman, Kurt Galitski, offered a motion to approve the permit but got no second from any of his colleagues, and so the permit was denied.

To find out how this no-brainer got so screwed up, I met with Galitski and asked him a few questions.

First, I asked whether any evidence had been presented or testimony offered that the Aztec league was a credit risk, i.e., that they would not pay their bills.

“No,” Galitski said. In fact, Galitski told me that Recreation Manager Jana Ransom called the city of Santa Ana for a reference check and was told they always paid on time.

Second, was there any evidence presented or testimony given that the league would be a nuisance or inconvenience because of crime, parking or other reasons?

“No,” Galitski said again.

I asked Galitski whether displacing the small number of participants each Sunday may have been a factor. (Note: The gym is open every day for basketball and two days a week for volleyball.)

Galitski told me the recreation staff couldn’t provide proof that any of those 22 people even reside in the city.

My next question was about alternatives. Could the permit be put back on the agenda and approved? “Probably,” Galitski said, “but it could not be done in time to satisfy the league.”

Next, I asked Galitski what could be done with that $40,000. “We could have used it to keep the [downtown] pool from closing.”

So, let’s recap: The gym is severely underutilized on Sundays and operates at a loss on that day. Along comes a permit request worth $40,000 in revenue from a reputable, credible partner, but it is denied not because they don’t pay their bills, not because their league is filled with unsavory characters, not because of potential resident displacement, and not because staff recommended denial.

So, what’s left, hmm?

By not approving the Aztec permit, Commissioners Mike Brumbaugh, Jeff Matthews, Kim Pederson and Terry Shaw missed an opportunity to save the downtown pool from closing or to use the $40,000 to save another program for kids. I want to believe that these four men had sufficient reasons to deny the permit.

If so, they owe the cash-strapped residents of Costa Mesa that explanation immediately. If they don’t provide an explanation, the ACLU may require one, and that could cost a lot more than $40,000.

Nice work, guys.

STEVE SMITH is a Costa Mesa resident and a freelance writer. Send story ideas to dailypilot@latimes.com .