$5,300 split among several hundred players doesn't seem particularly burdensome.

I've always been curious to know what percentage of the players in the various leagues that use the fields and pools are actually from Los Altos or Los Altos HIlls. Do you have any numbers on that? It seems like another instance of Mountain View picking up the slack where Los Altos has refused to do so.

In 1977, age 10, life already felt a bit darwinistic. In the summertime, I delivered the Mountain View Sun on Wednesday afternoons. I would ride my bike from Shower's Dr to my friend's home and then to McKelvey Park for baseball. I borrowed my friend's glove. My parents were always too busy working. I soon quit baseball and began hustling newspapers. I know several players from surrounding neighborhoods that went on all the way to college baseball. I would not have been able to pay the additional fees as a kid. What kind of message are we sending kids who ask their parents if they can join a team to play and are told no because parents don't want to or can't spend the money?

No, no fees. The priorities of the local community governments need to be in the interest of youth's health and recreational opportunities, to further decrease the pool of at-risk youth and encourage kids from all financial backgrounds to join the local leagues. It is in the best interest of the community to keep public recreational facilities free and open to all citizens.