May 14, 2009 3:00 AM
How OC Fair board Is Positioning the Sale of the Fairgrounds

Here's the draft resolution regarding the sale of the Orange County Fairgrounds that the fair board will vote on today.

Whereas, in 1948 the State of California and the Orange County Fair Board of Directors purchased the original 175 acres of the Fair from the U.S. Government for $65,000 per organization, for a total of $130,000, and

Whereas, the Orange County Fair is celebrating its 60th year at the site of the former Santa Ana Army Air Base, and

Whereas, the 32nd Agricultural District (O.C. Fair) is self-supporting, in that its operations and programs, including the annual Fair, are paid for by customers--not the California general fund, and

Whereas, significant physical improvements have been funded by customers, not California taxpayers, and

Whereas, for over a decade, the Board of Directors of the 32nd District Agricultural Association refused a state subsidy of $35,000 per year, and for the last several years, have received no subsidy at all, and

Whereas, the Orange County Fairgrounds are wholly contained within the City of Costa Mesa's land use jurisdiction, and

Whereas, the City of Costa Mesa's General Plan designates the property as "Fairgrounds" and

Whereas, the City of Costa Mesa has passed Resolution #09-41 opposing the sale of the Fairgrounds except to a local non-profit entity for the purpose of conducting a Fair, and

Whereas, the State of California is facing a budget deficit of over $26 billion, the largest in the state's history, and

Whereas, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed the sale of surplus or underutilitzed assets for the purpose of helping to close the budget deficit, and

Now, therefore be it resolved, the 32nd Agricultural District's Board of Directors supports Governor Schwarzenegger's proposal to sell the Orange County Fairgrounds and the City of Costa Mesa's proposal for a local non-profit corporation to acquire the property and prepetuate its use as a fairgrounds and event center, and

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