Hanson Bridgett Champions Equitable Access to City Ball Fields Through Pro Bono Advocacy in Lafayette

 

SAN FRANCISCO – Oct. 9, 2025 — Hanson Bridgett LLP is proud to support the Lafayette Moraga Youth Association (LMYA) in its effort to ensure fair and equitable youth sports access within the City of Lafayette and its Buckeye Field complex. This work involves advocating for the City's compliance with California’s Fair Play in Community Sports Act, which requires equal opportunities for girls and boys to participate in community athletics and access comparable facilities.

For more than two decades, Lafayette’s four city-owned ball fields have primarily served boys’ baseball, with three fields reserved exclusively for baseball and only one of which was recently configured for girls’ softball. This imbalance has limited scheduling options and playing opportunities for hundreds of young girls in the community.

“Youth sports are an integral part of the Lafayette community, but the reality is that the girls' softball programs have not had the same access to fields as the boys' baseball programs for many years,” said Partner Matthew Peck. “We’re honored to support LMYA's fight to help ensure that every child — regardless of gender — has equal access to safe, high-quality fields and the chance to play, grow, and compete on a level playing field.”

Earlier this year, the City’s Parks, Trails, and Recreation Commission voted unanimously to recommend multi-use modifications to one of the two diamonds at Buckeye Fields to create more equal access and shared usability between softball and baseball programs. The proposed improvement — already funded in the City’s 2025-26 budget — calls for removing the raised pitching mound, which would be replaced with a non-permanent raised mound for baseball games, and replacing the infield with regulation softball dirt, creating a field suitable for both sports.

This improvement is essential to ensure that girls have the opportunity to develop their skills under USA Softball regulations, so they can compete on equal footing — whether on their home field, when traveling to other communities, or as they advance to higher levels of play. Playing on a regulation softball field, rather than a grass baseball infield, ensures girls can develop the sport-specific skills, timing, and confidence essential to fair competition.

The Lafayette City Council will review the Commission’s recommendation on October 27, a key step toward ensuring fairness, inclusion, and equal opportunity for all children in Lafayette.

Background on the Issue

• Unequal access today: Lafayette currently has four fields operated by the Parks, Trails, and Recreation Commission between its Buckeye Fields and Upper Community Park complexes – only one of which can be used for girls' softball right now, as the other three fields include permanent elevated baseball mounds and are exclusively used for boys' baseball programs.  
• Promoting equal play: California law requires cities to provide girls’ sports programs with the same quality of fields, facilities, and scheduling access as the boys’ programs. Lafayette’s effort to update its field use policies and make necessary field improvements reflects its commitment to fairness and inclusion. The field modification wouldn’t take anything away from baseball —with portable mounds, all four fields will remain suitable for baseball programs, and the improvements would finally give girls access to the same opportunities and quality of experience as their peers in baseball.
• A Practical, Budgeted Solution: The City’s Parks, Trails, and Recreation Commission unanimously recommended improving one of the diamonds at Buckeye Fields so that it can be shared by both softball and baseball. Modifying one field at Buckeye to enable girls to learn how to play on a regulation softball field is critical to their development as softball players and will prepare them for fair competition. The project is already funded in the City’s budget, yet continues to receive strong opposition.
• Commitment to the community: By supporting LMYA in its effort to secure equitable field access for girls' softball, Hanson Bridgett is helping advance fairness, inclusion, and opportunity for all young athletes — values that reflect the firm’s long-standing dedication to bettering the communities where its people live and work.

About Hanson Bridgett's Pro Bono Program

As an industry leader in public service, demonstrated through the firm's commitment to pro bono legal work, nonprofit support, and volunteering to lift up and improve our communities, Hanson Bridgett proactively works to make a difference and ensure that justice and equity are served and preserved in California and beyond. Learn more about Hanson Bridgett's Pro Bono program.

About Hanson Bridgett

Hanson Bridgett LLP is an Am Law 200 law firm with more than 200 attorneys and offices across California. Rooted in California and well-versed in its complex legal landscape, the firm proudly serves clients nationwide. The firm is structured to support businesses, public agencies, nonprofits, and individuals spanning industries including: construction, corporate and risk management, government and transportation, employer services, health and senior care, wealth management, and real estate and environment. As the first law firm certified as a B Corp, Hanson Bridgett is deeply committed to public service, sustainability, and advancing the communities where we live and work – in California and beyond.

For media inquiries, contact:

Patrick L. Clos
Communications Manager
Hanson Bridgett LLP
415-995-5098
pclos@hansonbridgett.com