Archive Messages | From our President Sandy Genis

 On the evening of Tuesday June 22, at around midnight, the Costa Mesa City Council, acting in their capacity as the Orange County Fairgrounds Authority (OCFA), voted to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Facilities Management West to lease and manage the Orange County Fairgrounds for the next fifty five (55) years.

As currently written, the MOU is a terrible disappointment. While the Orange County Preservation Society wishes to see the land continue as a fairgrounds, we are concerned that the pending agreement provides for no meaningful public oversight as to operations or specific uses. Our goal had been to preserve the existing uses at the fairgrounds with full transparency and accountability to the public. The proposed agreement provides neither.

Just once a year, Facilities Management West will present its plans to the City Council/OCFA. The City Council/OCFA will be able to offer comments and suggestions, but Facilities Management West will be under no obligation to actually address the City’s concerns.

Under the MOU, Facilities Management West will have the right to alter existing improvements to the property and build new improvements without consent of the City Council/OCFA.  Facilities Management West will have the right to subdivide the land. Facilities Management West will be able to enter into contracts for subleases, licensing agreements, operating agreements and other contracts without City Council/OCFA approval. That means there will be no public hearings or opportunity for the general public to be heard.

In accordance with the Costa Mesa General Plan, the land must be used as a fairgrounds. This includes exhibitions and conferences, equestrian uses, agriculture and livestock activities, an outdoor marketplace, temporary retail sales, concerts and entertainment uses. This is true regardless of who owns the land.

Under the MOU, the annual fair, Centennial Farm, Youth Expo, equestrian uses, and reciprocal parking with Orange Coast College and other parties would continue, subject to FMW reaching an agreement with OCC and those other parties. It is not clear what will happen if FMW and OCC do not agree on terms. The Orange County Market Place would continue for up to an additional eighteen months, unless FMW decided to exercise termination rights sooner.

Under the MOU, Facilities Management West will have the right to relocate and resize any of the required uses, so long as they are maintained in some form at a minimal size. Approval of the City Council/OCFA will not be required, so this can all occur without public hearings.

Nothing in the MOU addresses neighborhood impacts. Under the MOU, Facilities Management West, or their sub lessees, could operate around the clock. Events could be booked simultaneously for different parts of the site. Should operations result in the type of gridlock experienced years ago from fairgrounds operations, the City/OCFA will have little they can do. The City/OCFA will have no authority over events or operations at the fairgrounds.

The City’s authority over the property will not be much different than if it had been sold at auction -- maybe worse. Under the MOU, if the City adopts new zoning restrictions for the land to address problems as they arise, Facilities Management West will have to be reimbursed financially.

Though the Memorandum of Understanding has been approved, the final lease documents and trust deed have not yet been finalized. We urge you to contact the Costa Mesa City Council (op2council@ci.costa-mesa.ca.us ; 714-754-5285), the Mayor (AMansoor@ci.costa-mesa.ca.us ), and the Governor’s office (916-445-2841) and demand that they provide for openness and public accountability in future governance of what is still our fairgrounds, at least for a few more weeks.

PLEASE ACT NOW!

With the help of thousands of local residents, we convinced Governor Schwarzenegger to set aside the auction of the Orange County Fairgrounds to a shopping center developer. The State is now negotiating exclusively with the City of Costa Mesa, but we can’t rest yet. Either side could back away. 

 

We must encourage the City Council to keep moving forward, to keep this precious public asset in public ownership. We must continue to urge the Governor (phone 916-445-2841) to do the same.

 

 

Monday May 10, at 4:00 pm, the Costa Mesa City Council will hold a special meeting torank potentialpartners inthe fairgrounds purchase.  That will set the course of future actions.  The meeting will be at City Hall, 77 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa.

 

 

Please plan on attending.  Urge the council to continue negotiations with the State to purchase the fairgrounds and keep it in public ownership.  Ask them to conduct future governance of the fairgrounds with full openness and accountability to the public. 

If you cannot attend the meeting, you can e-mail the council atCAgenda@ci.costa-mesa.ca.us  andop2council@ci.costa-mesa.ca.usor call the City at (714) 754-5285.  Contact the mayor atAMansoor@ci.costa-mesa.ca.us . However, we strongly encourage you to attend the meeting in person. 

May 18, 2010 starting at 6:00 pmis the last currently scheduled City Council meeting before the State’s deadline to complete negotiations. This meeting may also be critical, so please save that date.  This will likely be our last chance to provide input before the City makes its final decision on the potential purchase.

As the State deadline approaches, the City may schedule additional meetings.

 

The agenda has finally  been posted for the special council meeting on Monday http://www.ci.costa-mesa.ca.us/council/agenda/2010-05-10-S.pdf  .   The City council will be ranking their potential partners.  One partner proposes to manage he property on behalf of the City, with the city holding title to the land.  Under the other proposal the City would pass title to the land over to a private party.  We didn't work this hard to see the fairgrounds pass out of public hands into private ownership.   It is imperative that as many people as possible attend.  Bring your neighbors, relatives, friends, etc.  and forward the message below.  Thanks.