Is Dick Ackerman still working for the Orange County Fair Board? And was in he in the meeting on March 10 with Fred Aguiar? What was discussed in the meeting with Fred Aguiar? Those were the questions asked by board member David Padilla during the March 11, 2010 meeting of the Orange County Fair Board. The meeting was called on 10 days notice to discuss plans to convert the Fair into a citrus fair, a different type of fair allowed under California law.
David Padilla pressed CEO Steve Beazley for clear answers about the Ackerman and Aguiar issues. Beazley claimed he took the meeting to "gather information" and not as representing Fair Board. Beazley confirmed he met with Aguiar but that Ackerman was not with him. Padilla asked for that a report on the matter be brought to the regular board meeting on March 25.
The meeting with Aguiar and possibly Ackerman centered around creating a citrus fair to replace the Orange County Fair. A citrus fair is allowed to use state property to conduct their business but is run by a private non-profit group which is allowed to appoint their own members and create their own bylaws. The citrus fair board members are subject to the Brown Act, but are not subject to many of the other laws that the current Fair Board must follow. Additionally, the creation of a citrus fair would allow current fair staff to retain their jobs and their pensions as citrus fairs can buy into the CalPERS system.
The ploy to create a citrus fair is just another way for the Fair Board to form a non-profit corporation to grab control of the Fairgrounds. Under this scheme, they won't have to buy the property to use it and will have minimal public oversight. The Board voted to move forward with exploring the formation of a citrus fair and evaluating other governance structures. David Padilla was the only member voting against the measure.
Download 207_agda_10_03_March11BoardMaterials A discussion of forming a citrus fair is in the packet.
The next board meeting is on Thursday, March 25, 2010 at 10 AM at the Administration Building off Arlington. The report on the meeting among Steven Beazley, Fred Aguiar and Dick Ackerman will be ready.
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