L.A. businessman Steve Soboroff writes op-ed letter in support of Dodgers owner Frank McCourt

A civic leader rallied support for Frank McCourt this week, writing an op-ed letter decrying the “piling on” against a Dodgers owner active in community affairs.

“Frank has made mistakes and errors,” the letter read, “but he has also delivered big-time when it comes to community benefits and seems to have much more to offer in the future.”

McCourt and his estranged wife, Jamie, were in mediation Friday in an effort to settle their divorce amid a highly publicized trial.

Steve Soboroff, a businessman and former mayoral candidate, said he wrote the letter and solicited others to sign it. He said his efforts were not at the request of McCourt, and that city leaders should not condemn an owner who has used the Dodgers to reach out to the community.

“There is a finite group of people who by luck or by skill can actually impact a lot of people positively,” Soboroff said. “If they take that responsibility seriously, they can do good things for the city. God knows we need good things.”

The op-ed letter comes one week after former Dodgers owner Peter O’Malley told The Times that McCourt “had lost all credibility throughout the city” and should sell the team.

“For many years, the Dodgers have been one of the most prestigious institutions in our city and throughout professional sports,” O’Malley said. “Sadly, that is not the case today.”

The op-ed letter was submitted to The Times this week by Soboroff and signed by 10 others.

“It is not just uncomfortable to watch public attempts to pour ‘salt in the wounds’ of fellow Angelenos,” the letter read, “it is bad business, bad public policy and not in the best interest of a city whose civic life depends on leaders who demonstrate a willingness and commitment to step up to the plate.”

A Times reporter obtained a copy of the letter on Friday, from a source not affiliated with the newspaper or with McCourt. Sue Horton, the Times’ op-ed editor, said the newspaper had no plans to publish the letter.

The Times reported this month that the Dodgers are $433 million in debt and that at least three parties had rebuffed McCourt last year in efforts for additional financing. In 2004, Fox sold the Dodgers to McCourt for $430 million, in a deal into which he put “not a penny of cash in,” according to his lawyer, Steve Susman.

“He is far from broke,” the letter read. “Despite what some may say, the Dodgers are worth at least $300 million more than all the debt everyone seems so excited about. …

“The naysayers are spreading rumors, lining up to snatch the team at some fire sale. Fox had the fire sale. McCourt has the equity and created real value.”

The letter saluted McCourt for the Dodgers’ on-field performance — four playoff berths in seven seasons of ownership — for spending $150 million on Dodger Stadium renovations, for his decision to move spring training “closer to home,” to the new Camelback Ranch facility in Glendale, Ariz., and for his “continued commitment to spend among the highest amounts in baseball to field a competitive team.”

The Dodgers opened the season with a player payroll ranked 11th among the 30 major league clubs. On his first day of ownership, McCourt pledged to keep the payroll figure among the top quarter of teams.

The Dodgers have put promised stadium renovations on hold since 2008, including concourse upgrades above field level and a $500-million plan to build a grand entrance plaza with shops and restaurants beyond center field. The team said it deferred the work because financing was not available amid the tightening credit market.

The letter also lauded McCourt for displaying the “spirit of Los Angeles” by purchasing the Los Angeles Marathon and revamping the course so it ran from Dodger Stadium to the Pacific Ocean.

In addition, the letter applauded McCourt for expanding the Dodgers’ philanthropic reach into the community through the marathon, the Think Cure anti-cancer initiative, a scholarship program in memory of Jackie Robinson, the construction and renovation of baseball and softball fields throughout Southern California, and a donation that helped preserve baseball and softball programs in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

“Should Frank McCourt retain his ownership of the Dodgers,” the letter concluded, “he certainly deserves every opportunity to continue making a positive impact on a city in a dire need of strong community leaders.”

bill.shaikin@latimes.com