California District 18: Welcome
Friday, December 18
ALL WAIVER REQUESTS DUE NO LATER THAN JANUARY 31, 2010
When a league applies for its annual charter with Little League, it pledges to abide by all the rules and regulations of Little League. However, under special circumstances, it may become necessary to apply for a temporary waiver of a rule or regulation. It is very important to remember that a league must not take any action contrary to Little League rules and regulations until receiving expressed, written permission through the Charter Committee waiver system. A waiver request, while it may be supported by documents from the parent(s), may be submitted only through the proper chain of command. A league wishing to apply for a waiver of a rule or regulation must do so via the following method:
Step 1. The local league Board of Directors votes whether or not to request the waiver.
Step 2. If the local league Board of Directors votes to request the waiver, the President writes a letter, detailing the request.
Step 3. In the case of a player waiver, the League President from the league that is requesting a waiver must contact the league where the player currently resides and ask for their opinion of the waiver request. The request for an opinion should be done in writing or by email.
Step 4. The request for waiver and all supporting documentation is then forwarded to the District Administrator.
Step 5. The District Administrator includes his/her written opinion, and forwards all documents to the Regional Director.
Step 6. The Regional Director will present the situation to the Charter Committee for action.
Step 7. The Charter Committee will inform the Regional Director of its decision, and the Regional Director will inform the District Administrator.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q - Can a local Little League waive its rights to a player who lives within its boundaries, allowing that player to participate in another Little League program?
A - A local Little League does not have the authority to waive such rights. Only the Charter Committee in Williamsport has this authority. If the Charter Committee votes to grant a waiver, the District Administrator will be informed in writing. Waivers, if granted, are for the current season only.
Q - Can a child who does not have residence within a league’s boundaries play in that league for the regular season only, provided he/she is not eligible for Tournament Play (all stars)?
A - The local league may request a waiver, listing all circumstances that warrant such a waiver. Only the Charter Committee in Williamsport can make the final decision. If the Charter Committee votes to grant a waiver, the District Administrator will be informed in writing. Waivers, if granted, are for the current season only.
Q - If a parent signs a notarized statement granting temporary custody of a child to a friend or other family member, can that friend or family member’s residence be used for registering a child to play in Little League?
A - The only acceptable documentation regarding a change of custody is court-ordered custody (a decree issued by a judge who has jurisdiction in the matter).
Q - Does the District Administrator have the authority to grant a waiver of a rule or regulation? Example: Could the District Administrator give permission for a local league to register players whose residence is outside the league’s boundaries?
A - Any waiver of a rule or regulation can only be made by the Charter Committee in Williamsport. No other person or group has this authority. If the Charter Committee votes to grant a waiver, the District Administrator will be informed in writing. Waivers, if granted, are for the current season only.
Q - If the District Administrator is opposed to the request, does it mean it will fail?
A - All of the aspects of a waiver request are taken into account by the Charter Committee, and the opinion of one or more parties involved does not necessarily mean the request will be denied
Friday, December 18
The League President will process all II (d) / IV (h) forms. Once the President completes the form, he/she must compile "residency requirement" verification that each youngster meets the conditions of II (d) / IV (h) as outlined above. The League President will present this verification to the District Administrator for review. Once the District Administrator verifies the documentation meets the regulations, the District Administrator will sign the II (d) / IV (h) form granting his or her approval. The league and the District will maintain the form and documentation in their files. The verification process is only required once during a participant’s career. The league must maintain this form and documentation for this player for the duration of his/her career until the player graduates from the program or breaks service with the league. Tournament team players will be required to carry a copy of this form and documentation with them throughout the tournament. If contested during tournament play, the league will be required to produce the documentation. Additionally, if it is determined at a later date that the player does not meet the conditions of II (d) / IV (h), the player is ineligible for further participation. Situations in which documentation is not available must be referred to the Charter Committee through the regional office for a decision. The decision of the Charter Committee is final and binding.
All II (d) / IV (h) waivers requiring Charter Committee consideration must be submitted to the Western Regional Director no later than April 1, 2010. Requests submitted after that date will not be considered.Frequently Asked Questions:
What do I need to submit for each II (d) Waiver request?For each and every player you request to be covered under Regulation II (d) you will need to provide three (3) proofs of residency for the players former address located within your league boundaries and three (3) proofs of residency for his/her current residence.
What do I need to submit for each IV (h) Waiver request?For each and every player you request to be covered under Regulation IV (h) you will need to provide three (3) proofs of residency for the parents former address located within your league boundaries and (3) proofs of residency for his/her current residence. How many documents am I required providing for proof of residency?
Residence shall be established and supported by documents from THREE OR MORE of the following categories to determine residency of such parent(s) or guardian: 1. Driver’s License
2. Voter’s Registration
3. School records
4. Welfare/child care records
5. Federal records
6. State records
7. Local (municipal) records
8. Support payment records
9. Homeowner or tenant records
10. Utility bills (i.e., gas, electric, water/sewer, phone, mobile phone, heating, waste disposal)
11. Financial (loan, credit, investments, etc.) records
12. Insurance documents
13. Medical records
14. Military records
15. Internet, cable or satellite records
16. Vehicle records
Note: Example – Three utility bills (three items from No. 10 above) constitute only ONE document.
Does this mean that I have to provide three forms of proof of residency for each player’s former and current address?YES, you will need to attach a total of six proofs of residency to each waiver. Three providing their former address located within your boundaries and three providing their current address.
What if I cannot provide the documentation to support the waiver request?Situations in which documentation is not available must be referred to the Charter Committee through the regional office for a decision. The decision of the Charter Committee is final and binding. The District deadline for any and all waiver requests will be March 1, 2010 (President’s Meeting). This will allow sufficient time for me to review all submittals and forward to the Western Regional Director by April 1, 2010.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact any member of the District 18 Staff.
Saturday, November 14
All District 18 Personnel:
In anticipation of the 2010 International Congress, one of the proposed agenda items is to allow leagues to register league age 4 year olds for participation in a league’s Tee Ball division. This item was a part of the 2007 Congress Agenda but did not receive enough votes. Since that time, there has been growing interest.
Until the Congress and voting by the delegates, the Charter Committee is permitting the Regions to approve requests for 4 year olds to be registered and assigned to a 4 year old only or 4/5 year old only Tee Ball division (strictly Tee Ball, no modified coach pitch).
Please advise your league personnel of the above allowance without needing to submit individual waiver requests provided you follow the given stipulations.
Thursday, February 14
District 18 would like to include all Board Members, Managers, Coaches, and League Parents to the District 18 e-mail mailing list. Keep up to date with rule changes, upcoming events, Tournament of Champions, All-Stars, and much more. All you have to do is send a message to the District Administrator with your name and e-mail address and you will be added. Please add your name to our list today at mmrakich@sbcglobal.net
Friday, December 18
In 1952 the first city to join Little League Baseball was South Pasadena National Little League. In 1953, California District 18 was established under the leadership of District Administrator Jim Hamilton. That year San Gabriel American, San Gabriel National, San Gabriel Eastern and Sunnyslope Little League established programs. 1954 was a big year as six more leagues including Temple City American and Temple City National joined District 18. In 1958 Roy Praisler took over as the District 18 Administrator. In 1961 Mr. Praisler decided he needed an assistant to help him with the operation of the fast growing District 18. He decided to appoint a young league president from Temple City National Little League to be the Assistant District 18 Administrator, that person was Al Millham. Al Millham held the position of Assistant District Administrator until 1966 when he was elected as the District Administrator for District 18, a position he held for 28 years. At that time in 1966, the Little League program had grown to include more than 1,600,000 players. In that same year a future District 18 Administrator, Milan Mrakich, was born in Temple City, California. During Al Millhams administration, District 18 grew from having only Little League Baseball to include Junior, Senior and Big League Baseball as well as all divisions of softball. In 1984, Al Millham was elected for a three year term by his peers to the most prestigious honor of serving in the highest capacity a District Administrator can serve – as the representative of the Western Region on the Little League Baseball International Board of Directors in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Two years later in 1986 there were more than 2.5 million Little Leaguers playing worldwide. Al Millham retired as District 18 Administrator in November of 1994 and appointed long time assistant Milan Mrakich to become District 18 Administrator. Today, within District 18 there are 16 Little Leagues representing over five thousand youngsters in all divisions of baseball and softball annually and throughout the world there are over three million children on six continents playing in the Little League program.
