District urged to reject fee plan

A San Fernando Valley youth sports league urged the Los Angeles school board Wednesday to reject a plan to charge youth groups that use district athletic fields and facilities.

The fees go into effect next year and would raise about $4 million, which officials say would help the district make up part of a $95-million budget shortfall. The charges were approved in June as part of this year’s $6.2-billion budget, but the fee structure was not put into place until several months later.

In a letter to the board secretary, an attorney for the nonprofit Valley Youth Conference Inc. said the group cannot afford the fees, which can be up to $25.50 an hour, and asked the board to reject the program before Jan. 15. About 10,000 students and 7,500 families participate in the youth conference’s programs.

--

-- Jason Song