Assemblyman Solorio Issues Statement Regarding
His Current Position on the Sale of the Orange County Fairgrounds

SACRAMENTO, CA - State Assemblyman Jose Solorio (D-Anaheim) issued this statement today regarding the legislation necessary to authorize the Orange County Fairgrounds sale agreement between the City of Costa Mesa and the State of California.
"I have offered several legislative ideas to the City of Costa Mesa that would make their proposal to buy the Orange County Fairgrounds more acceptable in the Legislature.

In particular, I provided them with suggestions on ways to strengthen the governance provisions, protect employee jobs during the transition, and prioritize their rental income for use in the impacted area. I also requested that they remove the tax loophole that would essentially take money from schools throughout the state so the operator can pay the city rent money.

The City has responded to these ideas, but as it stands now, there is still a gap in how far they will go and what I think would be minimum concessions to enable me and others to defend the proposal in the Legislature. As a result, I am now recommending to the Governor that he consider dropping the sale altogether.

Since the Legislature is working on budget bills now, there is still time for Costa Mesa to pursue legislation to purchase the fairgrounds. However, I can't defend their current proposal or justify why the State should allow them to make so much money from property that belongs to all Californians."

State Assemblyman Jose Solorio is the Chair of the Assembly Insurance Committee and serves on the Assembly Appropriations, Local Government and Transportation Committees. He represents the Sixty-Ninth Assembly District, which includes the cities of Anaheim, Garden Grove, and Santa Ana. For more information about Assemblyman Solorio, visit www.assembly.ca.gov/solorio.
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Capitol Office: State Capitol, P.O. Box 942849 • Sacramento, CA 94249-0069
Phone: (916) 319-2069 • Fax:(916) 319-2169
District Office: 2400 East Katella Avenue, Suite 640 • Anaheim, CA 92806
Phone: (714) 939-8469 • Fax:(714) 939-8986
E-Mail: Assemblymember.Solorio@assembly.ca.gov
Web Site: www.assembly.ca.gov/solorio