Legal Question in Real Estate Law in California

Re: Legal Use of Private Land in California

Who owns the land? The right to use private land is rooted in ownership, and can be passed along to others (non-owners) by lease, rental, license, easement and a few other concepts.

If you own the land or have acquired the right of use from the owner, then the next set of laws, rules and principles to consider are those limiting the rights of an owner or other person in lawful possession to use the land. These include zoning laws (e.g., you can't operate an iron foundry in a residential neighborhood), nuisance principles (you can't have a bar within 500 feet of a school) and private CC&Rs (conditions, covenants and restrictions) such as deed restrictions against parking RVs in your driveway.

I'd say that holding sporting events would be highly regulated by zoning and planning restrictions, and that many if not most parcels of land could NOT be used for sporting events such as team games, horse racing, motor speedways, and so forth.

Accepting donations is also a regulated practice, and without more information I'd have to say that your question raises many legal caution flags.