Governor schedules a day at the fair

Simon Brown

After months of contention ended in a balanced state budget this

week, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has decided to take a trip to the

Orange County Fair.

Schwarzenegger will speak at the fair today at 1 p.m. on the

Heritage Stage about his recent work to balance the budget. His

speech is expected to last about 30 minutes, said Vince Sollitto, a

spokesman for the governor.

Schwarzenegger has chosen to come to the fair because he considers

it a good opportunity to speak with his constituents after passing a

major piece of legislation, Sollitto added.

“Gov. Schwarzenegger has always said that he is the people’s

governor,” Sollitto said. “The governor wants to keep people informed

as to what is going on. The governor is going to report back to

Californians and thank them for their help in passing the state

budget. He wants to show what can happen when people work together

and tell [people] that there remains work to be done.”

After the speech, don’t expect to see Schwarzenegger nibbling on a

fried Oreo or spinning in circles on one of the rides.

“The governor is coming to the fair to make a personal

appearance,” fair director of communications Lisa MacDonald said. “We

don’t believe he’ll stay long after that.”

Even though Schwarzenegger’s visit will be brief, a day at the

fair for the governor is no walk in the park for fair officials.

Since the governor’s visit comes as a last-minute surprise, several

events scheduled for the Heritage Stage in the early afternoon will

be moved to a later time. But overall, fair officials said they are

thrilled to have the governor in attendance today.

“The Orange County Fair is pleased and honored that Governor

Schwarzenegger has chosen to address the Orange County Fair,” fair

Chief Executive Becky Bailey-Findley said.

Security is not expected to be an issue, as the Orange County

Sheriff’s Department is always present at the fair, and fair

officials do not expect above-average crowds.

“[Schwarzenegger] is providing his own security,” Costa Mesa

Police Lt. Ron Smith said. “He is using our helipad. We have had no

requests for assistance beyond the use of the helipad.”

Since there is no additional charge to hear the governor speak,

today may offer the best value of the entire fair.

“If someone wants to come and visit the fair [today], they get an

added value by coming to see [Schwarzenegger],” MacDonald said.