Dodgers Signs Vice Chairman

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The Los Angeles Dodgers organization has brought civic and business leader Steve Soboroff on board as vice chairman as part of ongoing efforts to counter negative publicity in the wake of a savage beating of a fan last month.

Soboroff, a well-regarded community leader, will be the new public face of the League Baseball club. He will lead efforts to improve the atmosphere and fan experience at Dodger Stadium, strengthen ties with community and philanthropic organizations and expand conservation and sustainability programs at the facility. He will report directly to Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, the organization said in a Tuesday announcement.

Soboroff, who began his new job Tuesday, also will coordinate implementation of recommendations from former Los Angeles Police Chief Bill Bratton, now a private security consultant, to enhance safety and security at the stadium.

“Steve understands this city as few others do, and his contributions have made Los Angeles a better place,” McCourt said in a statement. “Not only will he infuse great ideas and energy to the Dodger organization, but he will use his trademark ‘get-it-done’ approach to extend the Dodgers’ positive impact on Los Angeles.”

McCourt, whose image already had been hurt by his high-profile divorce case, came under fire for allowing the family atmosphere at Dodger Stadium to deteriorate, highlighted by a March 31 incident in which fans wearing San Francisco Giants apparel were attacked by men wearing Dodgers apparel. One of the victims, Bryan Stow of Santa Cruz, is in a medically induced coma at a Los Angeles hospital, and two suspects in the assault remain at large.

Soboroff, 62, is former chief executive of the Westside’s Playa Vista mixed-use development, and a former president of the Los Angeles Recreation and Parks Commission. He currently is board chairman of both the Weingart Foundation and the Expo Center at Exposition Park. As a senior adviser to former Mayor Richard Riordan, Soboroff played key roles in putting together the Alameda Corridor project and bringing Staples Center to downtown Los Angeles.

“The fan experience starts with a safe, comfortable, family environment, and extends from there,” Soboroff said in a statement. “That’s the recipe for success in the city’s parks, at Playa Vista and in every neighborhood throughout Los Angeles. It is about having the right plan, and putting that plan into action.”

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