Temporary CIF rulings allow Southern California wildfire victims to play Sundays, grants transfers eligibility

Southern Section commissioner Mike West, in conjunction with CIF Executive Director Ron Nocetti offer compassion, temporary suspension of key bylaws; LA City Section extends regular season

A fire in Pacific Palisades has created chaos in Los Angeles, Calif. forcing residents to evacuate the area while heavy winds blow. d / Channel2Now

Suspension of longstanding California Interscholastic Federation bylaws have temporarily been offered to student-athletes affected by the Southern California fires.

Until the end of the school year, teams in the greater Los Angeles area will be allowed to play games on Sunday and athletes forced to transfer will gain immediately eligibility at their new school.

These will affect student athletes and teams in both the Southern and LA City sections.

• PRACTICE RESUMES | Neighboring schools respond to Palisades

All is covered here in a message released Thursday morning from Southern Section commissioner Mike West, citing rulings from CIF Executive Director Ron Nocetti.

The complete release below is from West:

Support for Victims of the Fires in the Los Angeles Area

The new year has brought challenging circumstances for many in the Southern California area. The fires in the Palisades and Altadena area are unprecedented and will have a lasting impact on these communities. There has been a tremendous outpouring of support for individuals in these communities from across the Southland and from across the country. I hope that all the support offered can provide some relief and solace to the community.

The CIF will provide support as best we can to the schools affected by the fires directly or indirectly. Today, Ron Nocetti, the Executive Director of the State CIF, has authorized a temporary suspension of Bylaw 504.M to allow for Sunday participation should impacted schools need to use this day to complete their winter athletic schedules. Ron Nocetti’s message reads:

Pursuant to Bylaw 1108, the CIF Executive Director issues the following notice: Temporary Suspension of CIF Bylaw 504.M. (Sundays):

As a result of the impact of the fires in the greater Los Angeles area, the CIF is temporarily suspending Bylaw 504.M. for the remainder of the 2025 winter sports season. The temporary suspension of this Bylaw is only for those schools impacted by the fires but may include another school to allow for a competition to be scheduled or rescheduled. The schools involved in those competitions may mutually agree to use Sunday as a possible day for those competitions. While the provision in Bylaw 504.M. prohibiting a school from interscholastic participation (practice and/or games) on seven (7) consecutive 24-hour days is being temporarily suspended, CIF Bylaw 506 (Practice Allowance) remains in effect.

• HISTORY, HOPE, RESILIENCY | Southern California wildfires

The above temporary suspension of Bylaw 504.M. is effective as of January 16, 2025, and shall remain in effect for the remainder of the 2025 winter sports season.

This temporary suspension of Bylaw 504.M only applies to schools directly or indirectly affected by the fires. If you have a question regarding your school’s eligibility for this dispensation, don't hesitate to contact the Southern Section office before participating on a Sunday. Also, if schools cannot complete their winter schedule by the end of the winter season, even with the temporary Sunday dispensation, the games will be considered no-contest and not a forfeit.

Declared Emergency Eligibility Waiver

If, as a direct result of the fires, a student must transfer schools due to school damage or the family has been displaced, the student will be allowed to gain immediate eligibility at their new school. Administrators at schools where these students are enrolling may contact our office for a copy of the waiver to be completed by the family and school administration. Don't hesitate to contact our office with any questions regarding this waiver.

From everyone in the Southern Section office, our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone directly or indirectly affected by the fires in and around the Los Angeles area.

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• The Los Angeles City Section announced Thursday also that its winter regular season will be extended one week for basketball and soccer.

In a release, the section of 156 schools in the Los Angeles area will also condense its basketball and soccer playoffs from three weeks to two weeks, between Feb. 19 and March 1.