Good question. High costs to use the facilities keep community groups on limited budgets from using facilities. Unlike a city facility which is open to all users able to pay a nominal fee and meeting published user guidelines, Fairgrounds staff pick and choose the events to be allowed on the property. Anyone find it odd that rowdy events which sell a lot of alcohol and fill up the parking lots at $10 a car take priority over a community group trying to find a reasonably priced place for a meeting?

Yes, the Fair Board meetings could be held in the evening when the Public who own the Fairgrounds could attend the meetings. Fair Board Directors choose to meet at 9 AM Thursday morning and choose to not meet in the evening. Keep asking the Directors to move the meetings to the evenings.

Yes. The Public own the OC Fairgrounds and paid all of the bills for the Master Site Plan process. Fair Board Directors and staff made a decision that the Public would only be granted one (1) meeting in the evening to give their input. A decision could have been made to include the Public on equal footing with the Fair Board Directors, staff and contractors, but the Public did not make the cut.

No. The OC Fairgrounds is able to make changes to their property without involving the Public, who own the OC Fairgrounds. As a State Agency, the OC Fairgrounds is not subject to the same planning and permitting processes which the Anaheim Convention Center and Resort Area are subject to. The OC Fairgrounds is considering issuing bonds, using tax increment based financing, or other public financing tools to enact the Master Site Plan. As a State Agency, the OC Fairgrounds is not required to get public approval for planning, building, financing, or building aside from the CEQA process. The OC Fairgrounds does not have the same noticing or hearing requirements for planning and permitting as cities have, which means projects can be undertaken without telling the Public. These actions can be taken at OC Fair Board meetings held once a month at 9 AM on Thursdays.

The OC Fair Board meets at 9 AM * on Thursday, February 22, 2018. A cost benefit analysis is being done regarding the Master Site Plan. The work is supposed to be done in mid-February. The Board has refused to provide the Public with updated information regarding what is being decided in the back room. Agenda to be posted on Feb 12, 2018.

The Board meeting is held in the Administration Building at 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92626. Due to construction on Arlington Drive, enter through the Main Gate on Fair Drive and drive around the Pacific Amphitheatre to reach the Administration Building. 

*They choose to meet at this time.