College Board Refuses to Play Ball With Suns

Complaining that they had too little time to make a proper decision, Ventura County Community College trustees on Monday night rejected a deal to bring minor league baseball to Oxnard College, despite the city of Oxnard’s unanimous approval of the plan earlier in the day and the apparent support of the community.

The decision virtually ends any possibility the Palm Springs Suns will play in Oxnard in the 1997 season, according to a league official.

The board, which split on a 2-2 vote on whether to rent Oxnard College’s baseball field to the Suns for the 1997 season, cited inadequate environmental impact studies, inadequate parking studies and a lack of time to fully consider the proposal.

“I don’t want to vote ‘no’ on this, because I would like to see this happen,” said Trustee John Tallman, “but the bottom line is that I’m not ready to vote ‘yes.’ ”

Don DiCarlo, the Suns owner, expressed extreme disappointment with the board’s vote, citing political reasons for the decision.

“We have to think about this decision and find out if it was politically motivated,” said DiCarlo, referring to competing proposals to bring minor league baseball to the neighboring cities of Ventura and Camarillo.

“It’s a shame that the trustees gave into their own special interests instead of looking at the positives to the community,” he said.

Oxnard Councilman Bedford Pinkard, who attended Monday night’s meeting, said it was yet another example of Oxnard being treated like the unwanted stepchild.

“It’s sad that Oxnard College and the city of Oxnard continue to get the short end of the stick,” Pinkard said. “The sad thing about it is that the community will continue to suffer.”

Tallman and Trustee Norm Nagel, who both voted against the agreement, criticized the time restraints that had been placed on the board by the nine-team Western League, which demanded the Suns finalize agreements with the city and college by Wednesday.

“There are so many issues out there that need to be thought of,” Nagel said. “Why didn’t Mr. DiCarlo tell us in advance that there was a drop-dead deadline?”

In contrast to the trustees’ decision, the City Council--unanimously and with virtually no debate--approved a $250,000 loan and licensing agreement with DiCarlo on Monday afternoon.

The agreements, hammered out over the weekend by attorneys representing the Suns, the city and the college, would have run from Dec. 15 to Oct. 6, 1997, with an option to extend the lease an additional two years, city officials said.

The deals would have made the Suns legally and financially liable for operation of the Oxnard College ball field. The agreements basically indemnified the college and the city against any accidents that would have occurred during a game or practice, said City Atty. Gary Gillig.

The loan document authorized the city to lend DiCarlo up to $250,000--but only until other lenders or direct investors were found--to renovate the Oxnard College ballpark, add extra lighting and increase its seating to 2,500.

“For the most part, the calls I have received have been 10 to 1 in favor of the project,” said Trustee Peter Tafoya, who voted in support of the agreement along with Trustee Allan Jacobs. “The issue of whether they succeed or not is yet to be determined. However, should they fail the infrastructure will have been improved.”

Outgoing Trustee Timothy D. Hirschberg was absent.

The decision on whether the team will be allowed to play in the 1997 season is up to the Western League, whose members are scheduled to vote on the matter Wednesday, according to President Bruce Engel.

Although the trustees’ decision is likely to force the Suns to sit out the 1997 season, DiCarlo said he would approach Engel today with the hopes of persuading him that another acceptable ball field could be found in Oxnard.

Enthusiasm for the ballclub’s relocation was voiced by many Oxnard residents at the council and college board meetings. Several neighborhood council groups and student associations from the college showed up to support the Suns’ relocation.

“We believe that bringing the Suns to south Oxnard will provide the necessities to revitalize the community,” Pat Simmons of the ad hoc South Oxnard Revitalization Coalition said at the council meeting. “We see this as a positive thing.”

Some speakers, however, expressed concern over the impact the team would have on the neighborhood around Oxnard College. Others were angry that the time pressure did not allow for enough community input or discussion.

“Oxnard is being bullied by a bottom-of-the-barrel baseball team that nobody else wants,” said neighborhood resident Shirley Godwin.