Unrest between parents, board at local little league

The governing body of a local little league is under fire from parents who are unhappy about how things are being run. The Indio Youth Sports Association is dealing with some major tension between adults and it’s taking a toll on the kids. The IYSA season is in full swing. Baseball and softball teams take the diamond nearly everyday for practice or games, but it’s what’s happening off the field that’s drawing attention.”It’s taken some things away from them,” said board vice president Daniel Watson. “Privileges they assumed that they had. It’s everybody’s field not theirs.”

Watson and a new board took over in August. Watson says making positive changes including following bylaws previous boards ignored. Some parents like Lydia Regalado don’t agree. “We paid a big due for this and we hardly can practice because it’s always Desert Baseball,” said Regalado.

She says the new board gives travel teams in the league more practice time than the recreational teams. What’s more, she says the softball and baseball teams aren’t on an even playing field. “The girls this year only play until May and the boys still play until June, and this year we finished the same,” said Regalado.

Parents continue to voice these frustrations, one even writing a pointed letter to the board. That led the board to write and post a response on its website, addressing the “negative information.” It also spells out what’s been accomplished under the new group in an effort to put the complains to rest. “They’ve just been pounding and pounding and pounding on everybody, spreading a bunch of lies about people around there,” said Watson.

While the board and the parents disagree about what’s true and what’s not, they do agree, if this continues, the kids will suffer the most. “Your actions should show you’re here for the kids,” said Watson. “You shouldn’t have to tell people you’re here for the kids and it is frustrating.”