Melissa Fox, candidate for the 70th AD seat of termed out Chuck Devore, urges people to work to derail the sale of the Orange County Fairgrounds. Assemblyman Chuck Devore voted to sell the Fairgrounds to the highest bidder, an act which could make the 2010 Orange County Fair the last Orange County Fair ever.
To close the budget gap, the Orange County Fairgrounds, along with the Cow Palace in San Francisco and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum were put on the "for sale" list. Both the Cow Palace and the Coliseum were taken off the "for sale" list because elected representatives pushed back because they realized these sales were not in the best interests of the public. Of the six properties originally scheduled to be sold, only one, the Orange County Fairgrounds, is being sold.
Melissa Fox reminded people about the role of the Fairgrounds, "The Daily Pilot has called the Orange County Fairgrounds our “crown jewel.” It is not only home to the annual County Fair – the Fairgrounds also hosts wonderful community assets such as the Centennial Farm, visited by tens of thousands of school children a year, and the only affordable equestrian center remaining in Orange County. It is home to many community organizations, including the All American Boys Chorus. And it is an important economic asset that we can’t afford to lose: the weekly Orange County Marketplace supports more than 1,000 small businesses."
Concerns about potential conflicts of interest have been recently raised because six of the eight Fair Board members are members of the newly formed Orange County Fair and Events Center Foundation established to buy the Fairgrounds. At the most recent Fair Board meeting, Fair Board members stated that there currently is not a conflict of interest policy for relations between the Fair Board and the Foundation. Members of the Foundation maintain there is no conflict of interest because the Fair Board will not determine the winning bidder in the sale. When asked if there is a potential conflict of interest, Deputy Attorney General Helen Ahrens, representing the Fair Board, would not answer the question and stated she did not know who in State government would be able to help the public answer this critical question.
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