City lets Bailey-Findley go

Editor’s note: This changes the type of meeting to a joint meeting between the Orange County Fairgrounds Authority and Costa Mesa City Council.

COSTA MESA — Becky Bailey-Findley, who was hired as a consultant by Costa Mesa to help with its negotiations on buying the Orange County Fairgrounds from the state, no longer works for the city.

To Bailey-Findley’s surprise, that information was made public today during a joint meeting between the Orange County Fairgrounds Authority and the Costa Mesa City Council.

Bailey-Findley, who was on vacation in Europe, said after the meeting that she needed to speak with Costa Mesa City Manager Allan Roeder to get some clarification on her employment with the city because when she left, she left as an employee. When she came back to work today, she also assumed she was still employed by the city, she said.

Recently, Facilities Management West, the real estate company Costa Mesa is working with to finance and operate the fairgrounds, asked Bailey-Findley to take over as the fairgrounds’ acting chief executive if the sale went through. Bailey-Findley, who served as the fairgrounds’ chief executive from 1994-2008, welcomed the invitation to help ensure a smooth transition, but that wouldn’t have occurred until the sale between the city and the state was final, she said.

The City Council, Costa Mesa City Atty. Kimberly Hall Barlow and Roeder went into a closed session after the meeting to discuss the sale.

During the joint meeting, Roeder also mentioned people who are working in Sacramento on behalf of the city. According to the California secretary of state’s website, Sloat, Higgins, Jensen and Associates, a lobbying firm, was hired by Costa Mesa on July 23.

Councilwoman Katrina Foley said Roeder was given authority months ago to hire the necessary consultants to help the city with the purchase of the fairgrounds.

July 23 happens to be the date the California Legislature voted to authorize the sale of the fairgrounds a year ago.

Barlow also announced that a law firm was retained by the city to assist her in drafting the ground lease between Facilities Management and the city.