Campaign-funded banner pulled from Rocklin field — did it break Little League rules?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Campaign-funded banner for Assemblymember Joe Patterson hung at Twin Oaks Park fields.
- Little League rules and IRS bar leagues from participating in political campaigns.
- League defended sponsorship; banner removed after parent and media inquiries.
A campaign-funded banner promoting Assemblymember Joe Patterson was taken down from a Rocklin youth baseball field days after it appeared, with no clear determination of how Little League rules apply when sponsorship comes from a candidate seeking reelection.
The banner, paid for by Patterson’s campaign, was displayed for three days at Rocklin Little League fields at the city-owned Twin Oaks Park before it was removed last week.
At the top, the banner read “Supporting Our Future Leaders Through Youth Athletics,” with “PATTERSON STATE ASSEMBLY” displayed prominently below. The banner included disclosure language required by the California Fair Political Practices Commission: “Paid for by Joe Patterson for Assembly FPPC ID #1476880.”
It was taken down Thursday, March 19, after The Bee inquired about the banner, which hung on a fence behind home plate.
One parent contacted The Bee on March 18 after exchanging several emails with Rocklin Little League officials, questioning whether the banner complied with league rules and nonprofit restrictions on political activity. Rocklin Little League officials told that parent they reviewed the banner and determined it did not violate those rules.
Rocklin Little League officials did not respond to repeated requests for comment from The Bee.
Patterson, R-Lincoln, said in an interview Friday that he did not believe the banner violated any rules. He said the sponsorship was paid for with campaign funds.
“The law allows me to use campaign funds for things that have a legislative purpose, a campaign purpose or a charitable purpose,” he said.
Little League rules prohibit campaign support
Little League International rules prohibit local leagues “from providing support to a person’s campaign for any elected office.”
“In the local Little League Constitution, there is a specific reference barring the league from supporting a political candidate,” the league says as part of its “playing rules” posted on its national website. It adds that the rule “mirrors the same prohibition” in the Internal Revenue Code.
The IRS code is more specific, saying that such charitable organizations qualify for tax-exempt status if “the organization does not participate in, or intervene in … any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office.”
Kevin Fountain, a spokesperson for the national organization in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, said its West Region office would review the situation with the local league.
“These programs are not allowed to endorse political candidates or campaigns through sponsorships,” Fountain said.
Fountain declined to say whether the Rocklin banner was removed due to a violation of Little League policy or what consequences, if any, could follow.
Campaign funds used for sponsorship
Patterson said he paid $1,500 to sponsor two banners — $1,000 for signage at the main field and $500 for a banner on a secondary field where his son plays.
Patterson said he used campaign funds for the sponsorship because his campaign regularly donates to nonprofits. In a social media post Saturday, he said, “I have donated thousands of dollars (maybe tens of thousands?) to various charities in our community.” The groups he listed included the Placer County SPCA, the Roseville Police Activities League, Rocklin and Whitney high schools, “and many others such as youth sports leagues.”
“Each time funds are solicited for an event or program, it generally comes with a standard recognition — like signage at the event, or a table at a dinner ... logo in the program ... etc.,” he said in the Facebook post. “This is very standard.”
He told The Bee the sponsorship should be treated like any other contribution to the league.
“I received the same exact benefit as every other contributor at the level — a sign,” Patterson said.
His relationship with the league dates back to around 2018, he said, when his oldest son joined the program and Patterson served as a coach while he was a member of the Rocklin City Council. He was elected to the Assembly in 2022 and is running in the June primary for a third term.
Photos posted to Patterson’s Facebook page in October and November 2022 show similarities in design between his first campaign signs and the banner displayed above the Rocklin field’s backstop, which he also posted Saturday. The design also appears as the cover image on Patterson’s Facebook page.
Patterson, Rocklin league say banner was not political
Patterson said he did not consider the banner to be political, regardless of how the sponsorship was paid.
“It’s hard for me to classify it as a political sign,” he said. “The top of the banner talks about supporting youth sports. It would be kind of weird to say that local community leaders can’t sponsor their kids, teens or leagues and receive the same benefits as every other business.”
Patterson said he wasn’t sure whether national Little League officials asked Rocklin Little League to take the banner down.
“I did have a conversation with them and told them they can remove the signs to prevent a small number of angry parents causing a distraction,” he said. “The kids don’t deserve that.”
Rocklin Little League officials defended their decision to run the banner in an email to the parent, who shared the messages with The Bee.
“The banner has been deemed to not be a campaign banner but rather in support of the kids/youth,” Rocklin Little League information officer Brent Pierce wrote. “We are not supporting a political campaign by putting it up as we would do the same for other local officials currently in office thereby impartial and of equal opportunity.”
Pierce did not respond to The Bee’s requests for comment.
Federal law limits political activity by nonprofits
Rocklin Little League is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and, under federal tax law, cannot participate in or intervene in political campaigns on behalf of candidates for public office.
In emails with the parent, Pierce said “The matter has been discussed with the mayor, City Council, an attorney, District 11 Little League, and the IRS.” He also included a statement from Tim Barile, vice president of Rocklin Little League, who said the league’s acceptance of Patterson’s sponsorship did not violate nonprofit restrictions on political activity.
“A sponsorship banner displaying a donor’s name — without campaign language, without any electoral appeal, and without directing anyone how to vote — does not meet that standard,” Barile wrote.
Ellen Aprill, a retired tax law professor at Loyola Marymount University, said the league’s interpretation was legally sound.
“The candidate and the Little League have the better of the argument here,” Aprill said. “I should also note that the signage apparently only identifies him as a legislator, which gives additional protection.”
City initially sought removal of banner
While the league said the banner did not violate its rules, city officials overseeing the park initially took a more cautious view.
Veronica Tracy, director of the city’s Parks and Recreation Department, initially told the parent the banner had been posted without city approval.
“This has not been allowed,” Tracy wrote in an email on March 17. “Sometimes leagues will post banners on-site without city permission, which is the case here.”
In her first email, she said the city had contacted the league to remove the banner.
Later that day, Tracy told the parent the city paused its request to remove the banner while consulting the city attorney.
“We did ask to take them down this morning but then followed up as we hadn’t seen the signs personally,” she wrote.
Haley Reid, a spokesperson for the city of Rocklin, told The Bee in an email March 18 that the city does not regulate signage content.
“The city of Rocklin has a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with all youth sports organizations that outlines guidelines for the use of city facilities, including the posting of banners and signage as it relates to the time, place and manner of posting,” she said.
The banner was removed the next day, March 19, and has not returned.
This story was originally published March 26, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
