A better than fair proposal

John Campbell

As a fourth generation Californian, and someone who has made Orange

County home for over 28 years, I appreciate the special memories that

the Orange County Fair has given to the many residents of this

county. I have recently put forth a proposal that I believe will

enhance the fair experience for generations to come.

The proposal I have made is to move the fair to the new Orange

County Great Park. The fair is currently owned and operated by the

state of California, not the county of Orange. Part of this proposal

is to put the Orange County supervisors in charge of the fair instead

of the governor. After all, it is not the state fair. Shouldn’t

Orange County run the Orange County Fair?

Moving the fair will help create a new, better fair that carries

out the traditions of the past and has the flexibility to grow to

meet the needs of the future. Additionally, the sale will allow the

existing fairgrounds, which are property of the state, to be put to

another use. One of these uses will be to sell much of the property

to be redeveloped into mixed and much-needed housing and job centers.

Much like what has been done at the former Tustin and El Toro Marine

Bases.

With the proceeds from the sale we will have the opportunity to

make great things happen in the county and in the state. Some of the

proceeds from this sale can be used to finance entirely new fair

facilities at the Great Park, while creating public uses and parks at

the current fairground location. The rest of the proceeds would be

used to reduce the state deficit.

In short, the move will create new opportunities for the fair

while providing Costa Mesa with new land use options, new diverse

revenue sources and help the state budget deficit.

The more this proposal is discussed, the more benefits seem to

spring from it. Some of them are as follows:

The Great Park has 1,100 acres of open space. That’s a lot of

space. Locating the fair there will enable it to be adjacent to

preserved farming areas and perhaps a Williamsburg-like 19th century

Orange County town replica. The park’s more rural setting will return

the fair more to its original agrarian concept. The space around it

gives opportunity for synergistic overlap with other public

facilities in the Great Park.

The fair will have all new facilities financed from the proceeds

of the sale of the current property. It can be new, fresh and state

of the art.

This will not just be without cost to taxpayers, it will actually

benefit them. The state could net as much as $200 million from the

sale of this property -- after taking out money needed to rebuild the

fair facilities. This is a huge contribution to our state’s budget

deficit that will help reduce any remaining pressure to raise taxes.

The current fair location is prime property in the heart of Costa

Mesa. The redevelopment of this property could be a showcase of urban

planning for the city. The property is big enough to have parks and

housing and expanded educational facilities. There is no shortage of

vision in Costa Mesa for what this area might become. The value of

the surrounding property would be enhanced. Revenue to the city would

undoubtedly increase through property and sales taxes.

The amphitheater and other uses at the current location have been

sources of complaints by surrounding neighbors for decades. This

would solve that problem because the Great Park is big enough to not

have nearby residences.

The fair, its property and its operation will be controlled by

locally elected supervisors rather than a governor-appointed board.

That local control and ownership will create a flexibility and

responsiveness that is not available under the current structure.

Sounds pretty good, huh?

I understand that by moving the fairgrounds we are talking about

change, which has led some to write letters to this paper voicing

concerns about the proposal. People who still hold feelings about an

airport at El Toro have written in as well as others who feel very

nostalgic about the fair and its current location. I have also heard

from many that believe this change will be an exciting one for the

residents of Orange County, as they have an opportunity to create

great things at these two locations.

Visitors to the fair will get new and expanded facilities.

Taxpayers get a reduced deficit. The Great Park gets a countywide

compatible public use. Costa Mesa gets a new, exciting and

progressive urban center. It’s a vision that makes sense all around.

I fully intend for this process to be a public one and I look

forward to hearing your views.

* JOHN CAMPBELL (R-Irvine) is an Assemblyman representing the 70th

District in Orange County, which includes the cities of Newport

Beach, Laguna Beach, Irvine, Tustin, Lake Forest, Laguna Woods and

Aliso Viejo. He is also the Republican nominee for 35th District

state Senate seat. He can be reached via e-mail at

assemblymember.john.campbell@

assembly.ca.gov or via fax at (949) 863-9337.