How do you know it's Spring in Ladera Ranch?  Soccer!  Over the years, Ladera Ranch has seen tremendous growth in youth soccer.  Other sports have added to their number as well, including Little League baseball and NFL Youth Football.  For each of these sports to thrive, it requires dedicated players, coaches, parents and a place to practice and play.  It also requires a heavy amount of administration of field use by the Ladera Ranch Maintenance Corporation (LARMAC). 

American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) Region 1455 has long been the biggest game in town, but recently it has been facing criticism from Ladera-based coaches and organizers of Saddleback Valley Soccer Association (SVSA) for, as they say, failing to give back unused field times and share in Ladera's scarce turf resources.

In a recent sit-down at the Ladera Times weekly "lunch bunch" (Fridays, 12-2PM at Infusion), Keith Townson, Director of the SVSA Ladera Ranch Region voiced his concerns over the way LARMAC manages the fields.

"They [AYSO 1455] only use 80% of their permit times during the regular season, and 20-30% of it in the off season," said Townson.  Townson said that he conducted an extensive study of the field use, including photographing and video taping empty fields. 

Townson said that he would prefer a system where LARMAC would allocate fields based on residency and registration, so that leagues and teams with the most Ladera Ranch players would have a preference in the field scheduling.   

According to AYSO 1455 Regional Commissioner, Tim Leonard, a Ladera Ranch resident from Echo Ridge, "We're on track to have 2,100 kids this year.  Most of them are from Ladera Ranch, and we are the only league that plays exclusively in Ladera Ranch."  

SVSA has a total of 350 players in it's league, with 115 as part of the "Ladera Ranch Region".

115 vs. 2100 is about 5%, so in essence, SVSA is asking for 5% of the field space for practice and games.

"The only place we have in Ladera Ranch is the Oso Grande field, and that is for practices only," said Thomson.  "We have only been allowed to have one game on a turf field in Ladera Ranch and we had to ask for AYSO to give back that unused time."  Thomson said that there were no games scheduled for the entire day, but AYSO only allotted them 3 hours to play.

Leonard admitted that AYSO is more aware of the issue.  "We are all, LARMAC included, a little more aware of this now," he said.  "If nobody is going to use them, then we will give them back."

In addition to field use issues, Townson says that they are being over-billed.  According to LARMAC guidelines, a league must have 91% of its players as Ladera Ranch residents if it expects to get the field permits at a 90% discounted rate.  AYSO has a 95% residency rating and SVSA has a 93% rating.  But AYSO gets the 90% discount on permit rates while SVSA has been billed the full rate.  LARMAC's Community Director, Pat Berry said that after looking into the matter SVSA was initially billed at a 50% level, but they have never been re-billed and a new bill we be going out to them at the 90% discount level.

Townson was also concerned about damaged goals that are owned by LARMAC that have been claimed by AYSO, indicating that AYSO had put their stickers on the eqipment.  Pat Berry said, "AYSO has their own goals at the fields, and to my knowledge the stickers are only on their goals."  Townson admits that the goals in question are in what he calls the "goal graveyard" on Cox 2 and unusable.  Berry said that he had directed maintenance crews to remove any stickers on LARMAC owned goals.

Leonard said that his league had been making regular repairs to LARMAC-owned goals but that they are in such disrepair now that they are unsafe.  Townson says that SVSA has offered to pay for welding repairs to fix the goals, but requests to complete the work have gone unanswered by LARMAC and Merit Property Management for months.  Pat Berry indicated that some repairs had already been made and that LARMAC maintenance workers were awaiting parts to make repairs on the others.  

Above the back and forth, both leagues echoed sentiments about wanting it to be all about the kids.    

"What I would love," said Leonard, "is for one kid to make it into professional soccer who would say 'I got my start in AYSO Ladera'". 

"We would love for our kids to be able to play on the fields where they live," said Tompson.

More Info: 

http://www.laderalife.com

http://www.sbvsa.org

http://www.laderasoccer.com

Stephane Roger Marchand, 43 of Ladera Ranch will be arraigned in Orange County Superior Court on May 5, 2011 for a burglary he allegedly committed on February 5 on Mill Ridge Farm in Ladera Ranch.  The Orange County District Attorney's office said that Marchand is accused of taking electronics and gardening equipment.  

This is the same Stephane Marchand that many Ladera residents have complained about on LaderaPortal and LaderaLife message boards since May of 2010, when he sent a mass e-mail titled: "To all Ladera Ranch Families: PLEASE READ THIS E-MAIL", in which he advertised an "attorney network" that would force your lender to give you a 30-year fixed loan for as little at 1%.  

Others received e-mails from him offering to create an "Alias Credit File" that he claimed was "100% LEGAL & LEGETIMATE! 100% EFFECTIVE!" where you get to pick a new name and get a 735+ credit score.

On one occasion, he sent a seemingly less illegitimate SPAM email blast advertising his wife's new Monavie multi-level marketing Acai berry juice franchise. 

In a series of long-running rants on LaderaPortal.com under various aliases, Marchand posted documents associated with the allegedly fraudulent business venture, including a copy of one of the checks paid to him by the plaintiff and cashiers checks paid to himself from the company bank account.  You can't make this stuff up.  He actually put it all online.

In late-breaking news, Marchand's wife Nicole was arrested Monday April 25th after a domestic dispute reported by Stephane.  Two OC Sheriff deputies arrived at the house off University and took Mrs. Marchand into custody shortly after Mr. Marchand returned home.

An 18-year-old from Ladera Ranch died Sunday after he fell about 50 to 60 feet onto a cement embankment from a freeway overpass following a traffic crash, authorities said.

At about 11:40 p.m. Saturday, Cameron Cook was a passenger in a 2001 Chevrolet Camaro going north on the 57 freeway south of Katella Avenue at 65 to 70 mph when the car was involved in what the California Highway Patrol described as a "solo traffic collision." There were no further details on what kind of collision it was.

The car came to a rest, facing north on the right shoulder and partially blocking the No. 5 lane, according to CHP.

The driver and Cook exited the car. Someone stopped shortly after the accident and advised the driver to turn on his emergency lights. While the driver went back inside the car to turn on the lights, Cook remained on the right shoulder near the Camaro's rear.

A few minutes later, a 1993 Honda Civic traveling north on the 57 struck the front left side of the Camaro. The force of the collision caused the Camaro to be pushed to the right, striking Cook and pushing him backward over the overpass railing.

Cook was transported to UCI Medical Center in Orange, where he died at 5:08 a.m. Sunday, according to the coroner's office.

CHP did not release names of either driver. The Camaro driver, listed as 18 and from San Juan Capistrano, suffered minor injuries and was not sent to a hospital, according to CHP. The driver of the Civic, listed as 24 and from Highland, suffered bruises to her right hand and a gouge to her right leg, according to CHP.

CHP said it does not know the relationship of the Camaro driver to Cook.

Dear Ladera Ranch Community

As you may know, the Board of LARMAC, the master homeowners association in Ladera Ranch and the LARCS Board, the community services organization for Ladera Ranch, both refused the request of Taste of Ladera to use Founders Park in 2011. In an effort to secure an alternative location after these rejections, the Sheriff department, Fire department, and the County granted Taste of Ladera an encroachment permit No. 2011-00040 for closing Windmill North of Corporate Drive. We sought additional space adjacent to the street closure and were declined. We continue to have road blocks brought up from the Property Managers, LARCS, and LARMAC despite our concerted efforts.  We have worked too hard for the last eight years on having an issue free event to go into this event with anything but the perfect set-up and layout.  Although not necessary to conduct the event, we needed the additional space to make it the exceptional event that people have come to expect.

I can’t begin to express my appreciation for all the time, support, and work our volunteers and charities have devoted to making this event spectacular, which was a big part of our decision.   We will keep you up to date on any developments surrounding Taste of Ladera. We need your support to locate and secure a successful event for next year’s Taste of Ladera 2012.

Sincerely,

Michelle