Some punishments go too far. Like the prison sentences our justice system once assigned to criminal offenders caught with marijuana thanks to the “war on drugs.”
They were aggressive.
And aggressive is exactly how the Central Coast Youth Football League is being when it comes to the Orcutt Youth Football League. It’s confusing, but the Central Coast league oversees the Orcutt league and decided to throw the playbook at Orcutt for seven players who allegedly had an “illegal practice” one Sunday after baseball. It’s not even half the team.
These players had pads and helmets on, assistant coaches (who happened to be their fathers) were there, and it was filmed by an opposing team parent from Santa Ynez. Those coaches were suspended for the season. Those seven players who are part of a 24-member youth football team were initially also suspended, and the team’s coach who wasn’t even there received a five-year suspension!
On top of that, none of the Orcutt teams can compete in the All-Stars competition. The entire league is being punished because seven football players who also play baseball together decided they wanted to play some football after practice. Seems harmless to me.
And a five-year suspension for the coach who wasn’t even there and didn’t know about the practice? That’s aggressive. What’s the Central Coast board’s beef with Coach John De Marco? Why does he get five years and the coaches who were actually on the field only get one?
Seems weird. Seems fishy.
And every child who plays in the Orcutt Youth Football League deserves to be punished? It’s youth football. Not the National Football League. Not college football. Not even high school football.
These children are 11 years old with volunteer coaches. Chill. Out.
You know what’s also dramatic? Guadalupe and the never-ending Royal Theater project debacle.
Remember that Capital Campaign Committee the City Council decided to form to help raise the funding shortfall to finally get the project off the ground?
They had one meeting in nine months. They violated the Brown Act when they had it. And the council recently decided to dissolve it and form a different committee. What?
City Attorney Philip F. Sinco confirmed that he “failed to alert” the council about the whole Brown Act thing.
“I apologize for my error on that. I don’t want to make any excuses why I thought it might not be a Brown Act body,” Sinco told the council. “I shouldn’t have.”
He added that city staff felt that there didn’t need to be a committee at all. It’s too much extra work and city staff is already providing oversight! Well. City residents don’t feel that way. And it doesn’t appear that way, either. This thing is a mess!
And City Councilmember Whitney Furness, who’s been calling for transparency since before the committee was formed and then served on the committee again called for transparency! What?
“What we are lacking is a regular, transparent meeting/discussion—oversight of the project,” she said.
I’m so confused. Isn’t that what was supposed to happen with the Capital Campaign Committee?
What really seems to be lacking is leadership, organization, and accountability. How about the council form a committee on that?
The Canary is also aggressive. Send beef to canary@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Sep 18 – Sep 25, 2025.