County pays Little League to abandon home fields
A yearlong scuffle over a renowned East San Jose Little League whose baseball players were compelled to leave the home fields they've used for over half a century is nearing its end — but their deal is far from a grand slam.
Eastridge Little League President Johnny Cisneros on Monday signed an agreement with Santa Clara County that will inject $225,000 into his league's coffers, with the money intended for finding future fields as well as equipment costs.
In exchange, the league's 135 players must not set foot on the three baseball diamonds at Reid-Hillview Airport, fields that the county claims are a public health risk because of the leaded fuel expelled by nearby airplanes.
The infusion of cash will last until 2025 when the county will reclaim any funds that the league hasn't spent; a specific date by
which the players must officially leave Reid-Hillview is still being hammered out. The team serves Latino youth who come from a community less affluent than nearby neighborhoods and cities.
“There's some good that can come out of it,” Cisneros said in an interview. “But losing the fields is sad.”
Though the deal with the county doesn't include a permanent home field, Cisneros said he is currently looking into resettling at three diamonds at August Boeger Middle School. He's also considering merging with the neighboring East Hills Little League.
Since the league's inception in 1972, it has leased the fields at Reid-Hillview on Cunningham Avenue from the county. Yearly operations costs for Eastridge amount to roughly $11,000 a year.
David Campos, a county attorney who has been working on the Eastridge agreement, said he's pleased to have worked with the league to find a resolution.
“The county's top priority
is that the families involved in the Little League get their needs met,” Campos said.
The battle between Cisneros and the county started in February 2022 when the county informed him that he'd have to leave Reid-Hillview the following March. Since then, Cisneros has continued to use the fields despite the county's orders — and has also called into question the lead hazard claimed by the county. The league also uses fields at Overfelt High School and Hillview Park.
The county's move at the beginning of last year also thrust the Eastridge Little League into the center of a much larger conflict over Reid-Hillview Airport. County officials and neighbors have been working to close the airport for years, citing noise complaints, public health concerns and the need for open land to provide much-needed housing.
But opponents of the closure say the health risks are overblown — and that ReidHillview serves as critical infrastructure for the area.