Ceres Youth Baseball dispute with city caught on video, fate of baseball club unclear
A dispute between a youth baseball club and the city of Ceres resulted in a heated argument that has gone viral on social media.
On Wednesday, March 18, a meeting took place between city officials, including recreation manager Joey Chavez, and Ceres Youth Baseball President Jorge Guerrero Jr. and Vice President Ismael Ontiveros Jr. about changes to the contract for the use and management of George Costa Ball Fields at Smyrna Park.
Guerrero and Ontiveros allege that city officials requested a meeting to discuss the contract. Ontiveros said the baseball club requested any changes to be sent by email or in writing, as stipulated in the contract. He said the city refused and asked to meet in person.
During the meeting, Guerrero and Ontiveros said Chavez told them the city was going to change the contract and institute new fees to use the fields.
Ontiveros said Chavez accused CYB of violating the contract because subleasing the fields to another baseball club for weekend tournaments. Ontiveros said CYB never charged the baseball club and collected fees at the gate during those tournaments only to pay for the upkeep of the field, which he said the city knows.
Ontiveros said Chavez told them that everything in the contract was going to change, including the verbiage about CYB’s right to use the field. “He said, ‘We have a city attorney, we can do whatever we want,’” Ontiveros said.
According to a copy of the contract provided to The Bee, it stipulates, “CYB shall not sublet any ball fields.” And Guerrero and Ontiveros said they did not sublease the fields.
Ontivreos said that even if CYB violated the contract, the city is required to notify it in writing. Further violations could incur fines, and the final warning could warrant the contract being voided. He said they were not given a warning of any violation, and the meeting was the first time it was brought up.
In a video shot by Ontiveros and posted on his TikTok page, he accuses the city of “taking bribes for our fields.” He said it was in reference to information he received that another Modesto-based for-profit baseball club, Arsenal Baseball, had offered the city money to enter into a contract for use of the fields. CYB believes the city wants to terminate its contract to pursue one with the for-profit club.
A representative of Arsenal Baseball said he not confirm if they entered into an agreement with the city because there is now a legal investigation into the matter.
Calls to Chavez were not returned, but Mayor Javier Lopez in a statement said, “The City Council has met in closed session to discuss concerns related to the city’s dealings with Ceres Youth Baseball and an incident that occurred at the Community Center last week (the meeting between city staff and CYB leaders). The City Council takes these matters seriously and has authorized staff to engage a third-party investigator to conduct an independent investigation into these matters and provide a recommendation to the council. The City Council will not provide any further comment on these matters until the conclusion of the investigation.”
Guerrero and Ontiveros also believe the city is trying to oust CYB from the fields in retaliation for speaking out about lighting problems.
A story in The Bee detailed problems with the recently installed lights at the Smyrna Park youth baseball fields. Guerrero and Ontiveros raised the issue and concerns about safety at the Jan. 26 city council meeting. They said the problems were not fixed and as of last week, field 4 has no working lights.
“There’s another field (field 3) where one of the poles is not working; we have said that it was bad quality, a bad job. And here we are a month later, and they’re not working,” Guerrero said.
At Monday’s City Council meeting, dozens of CYB families, parents and children clad in the uniforms and colors of their teams, showed up to express support. Several spoke out during public comment in support of CYB and highlighted the club’s five decades of operating as a nonprofit to bring baseball to Ceres youth.
The contract between CYB and the city was ratified on May 12, 2025, and extends for three years. It gives CYB priority rights for use of the fields to manage baseball leagues and tournaments for Ceres youth.
Guerrero and Ontiveros said they do not know what will happen and have yet to be notified of any official changes. They said that if the other baseball group were to enter a contract with the city, it would significantly impact their ability to keep their organization going. They are proceeding with their season, which opens this week.
This story was originally published March 25, 2026 at 7:00 AM.
