Empty bleachers: Let Them Play CA, and their fight for youth sports during COVID

Jordan Green jgreen@beaconmedianews.com

The universal difficulties of being a parent are well established. The unrelenting nights of staying awake while your new infant cries until the sun shines the next morning. The “terrible twos” when two-year-olds are first exploring their ability to test their parents’ patience. The early teenage years when the intensity of puberty is matched by the desire to rebel. Yet the need to protect kids will always hold prominence over the brief frustrations that arise from their upbringing.

This was especially true during a global pandemic. Never in modern history have parents had to deal with something so intense and bizarre. No matter the culture of a family or the personality of a child, every parent felt an insurmountable weight on their shoulders.

This was certainly the case for Brad Hensley. He and his wife, Kristin, reside in Carlsbad, Calif. where they raise their son and two younger daughters. Their son had just entered his junior year of high school in 2019 and was eager to train for his senior year football campaign. His daughters, on the other hand, were avid dancers and did so competitively throughout their childhood.

Then March 2020 came around, and everything stood still. The Hensley family thrived most when they were active, but doing so was impossible during that time, as — much like Los Angeles County — San Diego County had strict isolation and social distancing mandates.

Restaurants closed. Schools shut down. Public spaces disappeared. Organized sports dissolved. And for the Hensley household, those absences took a major toll.

“My kids, and every kid for that matter, had no outlets,” Brad Hensley said. “As a parent, I quickly realized that my son and daughters needed to play sports. It was so vital to their psychological, physical and emotional development. Obviously, parents that I knew were saying similar things.”

“And during that period, it went well beyond my family’s circumstances. We are in a loving household, but what about kids who aren’t? A lot of kids aren’t as fortunate and are in socio-economic situations where those lack of outlets were harming them irreparably.”

All Brad and Kristin could do at this time was attempt to raise their kids in a reality that was fully out of their control; deciding to counsel and confront their children through the hardship and hope that those outlets would eventually come back.

They waited, and waited, and waited some more. But the angst in the household got worse, and worse, and worse.

Months later, it reached a boiling point for the Hensleys.

In mid-December 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom released an update regarding the state’s protocol on youth sports. After months of hopeful news, including the potential return of outdoor, non-contact sports and the possibility of a testing method that would monitor COVID-19 activity amongst teams, Newsom announced the state would mandate yet another delay to youth competition in regard to team sports.

It was considered a wake-up call for the Hensleys. They believed officials didn’t see the importance of having accessible sports as an outlet, and they decided that they wanted to introduce formidable pressure. Brad and Kristin reached out to attorney Ken Elliott, who was also a dear friend, and decided to file a lawsuit against the state of California. They argued that the state’s protocol against youth sports was a violation of the California Constitution’s equal protection clause.

Through the lawsuit, they questioned: if professional and college sports are able to return under certain COVID guidelines, why not youth sports?

It was a firm action that built momentum for them to start a non-profit organization and a movement that defined the rationale of some parents of student-athletes during this time.

On Dec. 31, 2020, Brad, Kristin and Elliot needed to get eyes on their suit and mission. They decided to start a Facebook page that likeminded people could join. The trio was the first to follow, and by the end of the first day, the number of followers reached 50. The following day it was up to 500. By the end of the week, they were up to more than 1,000. At the end of January 2021, it was set at more than 60,000.

Known as “Let Them Play CA,” parents all over the state were joining the page and sharing their own stories regarding California’s shutdown of youth sports. Through Facebook, parents told stories of watching their children face depression; coaches discussed witnessing their players gravitate towards gang-related behaviors on the streets; teachers spoke out about noticing studentathletes giving up on their education. These sorts of anecdotes were more commonplace than ever before.

“At one point, I had a team of 12 monitors, approving every post and monitoring comments, and even then, it was hard to keep up with. We were running this thing 24/7, and the rallies and everything were about as grassroots and pure as it got,” said Hensley.

Throughout January, the group grew bigger due to the continued disappointing developments regarding a comeback. A tier system was in place by the state based on case rate per county, meaning if the tier threshold was met by the county they were eligible to begin playing outdoor sports again. The issue, according to Let Them Play CA and similar advocacy groups, was that the tier system was far too restrictive and made it difficult for counties to begin the transition process.

Additionally, the most frustrating aspect for these parents is that nearly every single state in the United States had already made the transition, and data they were presented with demonstrated that there was a minimal difference in transmission rates between those areas and California — which was the same data that drove the

National Federation of State High School Associations to revise its guidelines and disregard the tiered system in February of 2021.

It wasn’t just social media posts that portrayed these frustrations. Groups within the Let Them Play CA bubble would plan rallies — which practiced social distancing and implemented mask requirements — that would see hundreds of people create signs and support all across California.

High-profile people in sports, such as Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, longtime Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz, Green Bay Packers offensive tackle David Bakhtiari and longtime NFL player James Lofton, supported the nonprofit’s stance on a return to youth athletics.

Brad and Kristin’s grassroots community was quickly becoming a Californian phenomenon, and its initial goal of applying pressure to state and city officials was working. In February the San Diego District Court ordered a temporary restraining order against Governor Newsom’s shutdown, and three weeks after, a settlement was reached and both indoor and outdoor sports were welcomed back in California.

After months of being restricted from competing and doing what they truly loved, the Hensleys could once again enjoy athletics, including Brad and Kristin’s son who got to embrace one final year of high school football. Guidelines and social distancing remained during those early stages — but these kids didn’t mind; they were just glad to be back.

A lot of credit for the inevitable return, Brad believes, belongs to Let Them Play CA.

“I don't know exactly what it was,” Hensley confessed. “Was it the lawsuit? Was it the media pressure? Was it our support from the medical community? Was it support from the legislature? Bottom line is that on Feb. 19, the San Diego District Court gave a temporary restraining order against the governor's shutdown of youth sports that opened it up. And then within three weeks of that, we reached a settlement to allow both outdoor sports and indoor sports.”

“So, you know, our group would say that without Let Them Play CA, sports wouldn't have happened when it did,” he went on to proudly acknowledge.

While the transition back to high school sports was generally perceived as a promising development about the state of the pandemic at that time, there remained a wide range of people who were skeptical about the safety of returning to play. Was it truly safe enough to put kids back on the field? Or did pressure from outside parties force officials into making a dangerous decision?

These concerns created fairly widespread criticism against Let Them Play CA. Detractors argued that parents who partook in rallies supporting the nonprofit were COVID skeptics and were perhaps not aware of the impact of the pandemic and how easily it could be transferred. Therefore, supporters oftentimes would fall under the umbrella of conservative thinkers.

Despite the occasional disapproval aimed at Hensley, it never faltered the way he understood his mission for Let Them Play CA.

To him, it was never meant to be a politically motivated group, and he hopes no one who engaged in the community treated it as such. Instead, it revolved around basic human rights; particularly for his children and those within the community.

In Southern California, the Hensleys had to sit back and watch as thousands of kids out of state got to compete again and enjoy what resembled a normal life. It infuriated Brad and Kristin that they didn’t have that option. It infuriated their kids. It infuriated hundreds of local families, who like the Hensleys could do nothing but wait for officials to give the clear.

Let Them Play CA arose from that frustration and wanted immediate action. Yet, here we are nearly two years later since it was founded, and Brad still sees a tremendous future for the nonprofit he helped create despite high school sports no longer facing any COVID-related hurdles.

He is still seeking an answer for exactly what the organization’s identity will be now. But he knows, for certain, that it will not be a space to welcome anti-vaccine or anti-mask jargon. Instead, it will be an outlet to discuss children’s mental health, along with making sure kids always have tools that help get them through any point where they begin to question their purpose or value; something several kids did during quarantine.

“Right now I’m dormant, mainly because there isn’t a cause that is as pure and nonpartisan as the youth rights we were fighting for,” Hensley said. “Everything has changed. The world is very politically charged, and the causes we focused on have quickly turned into something not as pure as what we originally fought for. So, in general, Let Them Play CA views that time as a mission accomplished.”

In 2020, Brad simply bought into a mission that he believed was his responsibility as a parent. He will continue to follow the same instinct moving forward — it just seemed far more difficult, and impactful, when the world was flipped upside down.

Read the remaining three stories of our “Empty Bleachers” series at https://heysocal. com/

Los Angeles

Duarte

Register today for the San Gabriel Valley Women’s Summit on March 7

Registration is now open for the San Gabriel Valley 2023 Women’s Summit on Tuesday, March 7 beginning at noon at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Monrovia-Pasadena.

Formerly named the Duarte Women’s Business Expo, the event was the creation of the late city of Duarte Mayor and Councilmember Tzeitel Paras-Caracci with the intent of hosting a day for current and aspiring women business owners to learn and grow. Registrants will hear from dynamic guest speakers including this year’s keynote speaker Dr. Rachel McClements, the chief operating officer at Five Acres responsible for administration, coordination, development, and implementation of all agency operational activities, and closing speaker, Jennifer Vane Of Counsel with WKD telling her journey of rejoining the workforce after 14 years of being a stayat-home mom. To learn more and register for the summit, visit the Duarte Chamber of Commerce’s website.

Arcadia

Two more horses die after injuries at Santa Anita Park; fifth death in four weeks

Two horses have been euthanized after suffer- ing racing injuries at Santa Anita Park, state officials confirmed to City News Service Sunday. The 3-year-old filly Decorated My Life was injured during Saturday's ninth race on the turf, requiring euthanasia, according to Mike Marten, public information officer for the California Horse Racing Board. Also Saturday, the 3-year-old gelding Merit Song was injured during the fourth race on the main track at Santa Anita, requiring euthanasia. Decorated My Life died on her third birthday. She had seven races and one first-place finish in her career. Merit Song had nine races and one first-place finish in his career.

Burbank

Burbank-based Walt Disney Co. announces 7,000 job cuts as part of $5.5B cost-cutting move

The Burbank-based Walt Disney Co. will slash 7,000 jobs as part of a $5.5 billion cost-cutting effort, CEO Bob Iger announced Wednesday. The possibility of layoffs at Disney has been rumored for weeks, with Iger regaining his footing in the CEO's office following the surprise ouster of CEO Bob Chapek in November. Iger broke the news during an earnings call Wednesday afternoon, following the release of the company's first-quarter earnings report. Iger said he is targeting $5.5 billion in cost savings "across the company."

Long Beach

Suspect in fatal stabbing near MacArthur Park arrested in Long Beach

A man suspected in a fatal stabbing near MacArthur Park is in police custody, authorities said Friday. Members of the LAPD/ FBI Fugitive Task Force arrested Alexander Adams in Long Beach on Wednesday on suspicion of the Jan. 9 killing of Nicholas Garcia. He was booked on one count of murder, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. LAPD officers responded at 3:15 p.m. on Jan. 9 to the 600 block of South Alvarado Street regarding an assault with a deadly weapon and upon their arrival found Garcia suffering from a stab wound to the chest. Homicide detectives learned during their investigation that Garcia had been involved in a fight with Adams, who fled on foot after the assault, police said.

Orange County

Orange County

Transient pleads guilty to sex assault at Santa Ana massage parlor

A 25-year-old transient pleaded guilty Friday and was immediately sentenced to two years in prison for sexually assaulting a woman at a massage parlor in Santa Ana, but he will be freed as he had credit for that amount of time already in custody. Bret

Wade Bishop pleaded guilty to attempted sexual battery by restraining and assault with the intent to commit a sex offense, both felonies, as well as false imprisonment and burglary, both misdemeanors. Bishop accepted a plea deal from Orange County Superior court Judge Scott Steiner. Bishop went to a massage parlor at 1319 N. Main St. on Feb. 22, 2021, asking for a free massage, according to court records. He was told it would cost $40 and was escorted out.

Anaheim

Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes celebrates at Disneyland

Patrick Mahomes was honored with the traditional post- Super Bowl parade at Disneyland Monday, one day after being selected as the MVP of the Kansas City Chiefs' 38-35 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII. The afternoon parade carried Mahomes through the heart of Disneyland, going past Sleeping Beauty Castle and continuing to Main Street, U.S.A. The "I'm going to Disneyland" commercial and parade began in 1987 and featured New York Giants quarterback Phil Simms after he was chosen the MVP of Super Bowl XXI which was played at the Rose Bowl.

Riverside

Riverside County Riverside County daycare operator suspected of molesting children

The 53-year-old operator of a Riverside County child day care facility was arrested Friday for allegedly molesting two children, though police suspect there may be other victims who have yet to be found. Ladislao Diaz Cuevas was booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center on suspicion of lewd acts on a minor under 14 years old and forced sexual penetration of a child. Cuevas is being held in lieu of $500,000 bail.

Riverside

Fire at Riverside apart-

Ment Extinguished

A fire that began on the balcony of a second-floor apartment was extinguished in Riverside, fire authorities said Tuesday. Firefighters were called at 10:45 p.m. Monday to the 3400 block of Fifth Street where they learned the flames had extended into the apartment and caused significant damage, said Riverside County Fire Authority Battalion Chief Michael Staley. The apartment's smoke detectors alerted the occupants to the fire and they safely exited the apartment, Staley said. No injuries were reported and the cause of fire is under investigation.

Corona

Corona hiring for multiple positions

Looking for a job as a public servant? The City of Corona is looking to fill 38 positions in accounting, animal care, IT, recreation , and public works. The city is even looking for a new assistant city manager. To apply, visit https://www. governmentjobs.com/ careers/coronaca.

San Bernardino

San Bernardino County

Arrowhead Regional Medical Center earns top achievements in 2022

Through the Board of Supervisors’ leadership, Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC) has earned many accomplishments and widespread recognition for its medical leadership and staff, which recently led to the hospital receiving a Level I Adult Trauma Center verification by the College of Surgeons. In 2022, ARMC opened a state-of-the-art Family Health Center in Fontana, that was approved for onsite cardiovascular surgery by the California Department of Public Health, and was named by U.S. News & World Report as the Best Hospital for Maternity Care, earning two California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative Quality and Engagement Awards.

San Bernardino

Armed suspect from San Bernardino shot, killed after chase

An armed robbery suspect from San Bernardino was fatally shot by police after a high-speed chase that ended in a fiery crash in La Habra. Officers from the Fullerton Police Department attempted to stop the suspect, who was driving a Ford Explorer just after 1 a.m. at Harbor Boulevard and Chapman Avenue. After refusing to stop the suspect led them on a chase from Fullerton to nearby La Habra, according to a report from ABC 7. The suspect's vehicle collided with a black BMW, which flipped on its side and the Ford Explorer caught on fire at the intersection of Beach Boulevard and Imperial Highway, according to witnesses at the scene. Shortly afterward, police shot the suspect, who died at the scene.

Ontario

Ontario woman dies as two crashes occur at same time on 5 Freeway in Dana Point Firefighters, paramedics and California Highway Patrol officers were dispatched to two unrelated crashes that occurred at about the same time on the northbound and southbound lanes of the San Diego (5) Freeway in Dana Point, which resulted in one death, authorities said Monday. Both crashes occurred around 2 a.m. Sunday, just south of Camino De Estrella, the Orange County Fire Authority reported. The four-vehicle crash on the northbound freeway resulted in a fatality at the scene, according to California Highway Patrol Officer K. Gibson. A 25-year-old woman from Ontario died when her 2016 Honda crashed into a disabled 2019 Toyota vehicle and overturned, Gibson said. The Honda struck a 2019 Lexus when it overturned and pushed the disabled Toyota into a 2022 Tesla, the officer said.

M onrovia

February 2

At 4:13 p.m., a victim reported he was robbed in the area of Royal Oaks and Mountain. The known suspect entered the victim’s vehicle and pulled an axe from his backpack, told the victim to give him the car keys, and exit the vehicle. This investigation is continuing.

February 3

At 12:46 a.m., a resident in the 400 block of Patrician Way reported a suspicious vehicle in the area. Officers responded and contacted two occupants inside the vehicle. One subject was found to be wanted by a local agency for felony offenses. Upon further investigation, it was discovered the vehicle was stolen from El Monte. During a search of the vehicle, a loaded firearm was found along with several social security cards, credit cards, and driver's licenses. Both suspects were arrested and taken into custody.

At 2:27 a.m., an officer was patrolling the area of California and Myrtle when he observed a traffic violation. He conducted a traffic stop and contacted the driver who showed signs of impairment. An investigation revealed the driver was under the influence. The driver was arrested and transported to the MPD jail to be held for a sobering period.

February 5

At 8:17 a.m., victims in the 800 block of West Colorado reported fraudulent activity on a mobile account. This investigation is continuing.

At 10:03 a.m., an officer was in the 700 block of West Huntington when he heard the sound of a traffic collision occur nearby. He searched the area and discovered the collision. Both drivers complained of pain due to the collision. The party at fault was cited.

February 6

At 8:00 a.m., the resident in the 1200 block of Sherman stated her son took too many pills. Officers arrived and contacted the son, who admitted he took too many sleeping pills. The subject was transported to a local hospital for a mental evaluation.

At 8:18 a.m., a witness in the 100 block of South Madison stated that a bus struck a parked vehicle inside a parking lot. A report was taken.

At 8:28 a.m., the victim in the 400 block of South Ivy reported check fraud. The victim paid a vendor with a check and an unauthorized person cashed the check.

At 10:45 a.m., an employee from a business in the 200 block of East Foothill reported his vehicle was stolen from a parking structure. This investigation is continuing.

At 11:44 a.m., the reporting party called from the 1000 block of Royal Oaks and stated that someone stole some of his belongings. He said he was hospitalized for three and a half months and upon returning home, he noticed items missing. There were no signs of forced entry. This investigation is continuing.

At 11:55 a.m., a resident in the 100 block of East Walnut reported his catalytic converter was stolen. This investigation is continuing.

At 11:59 a.m., officers responded to the 400 block of North Canyon regarding a male subject that inappropriately slapped a female subject. This investigation is continuing.

At 8:01 p.m., an officer stopped a vehicle in the 1500 block of South Myrtle for a traffic violation. The driver was unlicensed and the vehicle registration was expired over six months. The driver admitted to having drugs in the vehicle. A search of the vehicle revealed prescription drugs without a prescription. The driver was cited and the vehicle was towed.

February 7

At 10:56 a.m., the owner of a business in the 100 block of West Foothill reported an employee received a call from a male subject pretending to be the owner. The caller told the employee to purchase gift cards and to call him with the numbers. She did what she was instructed to do by whom she thought was the owner. This investigation is continuing.

At 11:23 a.m., the reporting party stated someone stole