Judge rules UCLA baseball can return to Jackie Robinson Stadium
UCLA baseball plays at Jackie Robinson Stadium in 2021. A judge ruled Monday that UCLA baseball will be allowed back into Jackie Robinson Stadium after initially locking them out. (Daily Bruin file photo)
By Dylan Winward
Oct. 29, 2024 4:58 p.m.
This post was updated Oct. 29 at 11:34 p.m.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
A judge ruled Monday that UCLA baseball will be allowed back into Jackie Robinson Stadium.
Judge David O. Carter previously locked the university out of the stadium – located on land owned by the Department of Veterans Affairs – on Sept. 26, stating that the land was not being used to benefit veterans. He then ordered the stadium’s parking lot to be turned into temporary housing Oct. 7, leading to the university filing an appeal against the ruling, which was later rejected.
Carter previously ruled the lease on the stadium was illegal Sept. 7.
According to the Los Angeles Times, UCLA was permitted to use the stadium until the end of the 2025 season after agreeing to pay $600,000 – double the initial rent – to the Department of Veterans Affairs. The future of the stadium beyond that remains in doubt, with Carter saying it is still possible the land will be used for new veteran housing after 2025.
[Related: UCLA Jackie Robinson Stadium parking lot to become modular housing for veterans]
Rob Reynolds, a veterans advocate and Iraq war veteran, said he was disappointed by the judge’s decision, adding that the amount of rent money UCLA offered is lower than the current salary of UCLA baseball coach John Savage. Savage earned $848,000 in 2023.
Reynolds added that he hopes UCLA will provide more money to help veterans construct temporary housing before the winter. He added he is still expecting modular housing to be built on the stadium’s parking lot.
“We’re trying to get modular housing built on the property,” he said. “If UCLA could help pay for modular housing being built on the property, maybe that could be a starter with the plaintiffs.”
The stadium, which opened in 1981, is scheduled to host the Bruins’ first home game against Nebraska on March 14. Access to the stadium resumed 12 p.m. Tuesday, according to the LAA Times.
“We are excited to practice and play in Jackie Robinson Stadium this season,” UCLA Athletics Director Martin Jarmond said in a written statement. “Our young men have been working hard and keeping a positive attitude throughout this period of uncertainty, and we are pleased that they will be able to resume their regular training at the stadium.”
Contributing reports by Gabrielle Gillette and Ira Gorawara, Daily Bruin staff.
