Fair board hears protest

Wearing neon-orange buttons bearing the slogan, “Derail the Sale,” about 150 protesters showed up at the Orange County Fair and Events Center board meeting Thursday morning to ask fair board members to denounce the proposed sale of the Orange County Fairgrounds, or resign.

“Our goal is to protect the future of the fairgrounds, and the only way to do that is no sale,” said Brian Lochrie, from the Orange County Fairgrounds Preservation Society.

Protesters denouncing the sale of the fairgrounds filled the fairgrounds administration building in Costa Mesa, spilling out into the hallway during the fair board’s regular meeting.

Many of the protesters voiced their concerns that a land developer would buy the fairgrounds and turn the property into houses or condominiums, which would drain sales tax revenue from Costa Mesa and eliminate jobs.

Members of the fair board have formed a nonprofit entity, the Orange County Fair and Event Center Foundation, in an attempt to purchase the land.

Critics of the nonprofit question the group’s motives for wanting to buy the land. The foundation has yet to say where the money will come from to purchase the fairgrounds.

“If [the foundation] buys it, they would have free rein to do whatever they want with the property,” said Costa Mesa resident Kristy Raney, who showed up at the fairgrounds Thursday to protest the sale.

The state of California announced in October that it would formally begin accepting bids on the 150-acre fairgrounds site and event center.

“We all want to ensure the future of the fairgrounds, but there are many different ideas on how to do that,” said Robin Wachner, communications director for the Orange County Fair and Events Center.

The deadline for potential buyers to submit bids for the fairgrounds is Jan. 8, and the new owner would take control of the site by Oct. 1.

State officials hope that unloading the fairgrounds site will help California plug a multibillion-dollar budget deficit.

The state has estimated that the land could fetch $96 million to $180 million. The Assembly voted to put the property up for sale in July, as the state teetered on the brink of insolvency.