Fairgrounds board set to discuss sale

The Orange County Fairgrounds Board of Directors will meet today to discuss its position on the sale of the fairgrounds.

The board members have faced a backlash from the community for lobbying the state to sell the 150-acre property, and residents have demanded that they state their position in public.

Meanwhile, the Costa Mesa City Council is scheduled to vote on amending the component of the city’s general plan specific to the fairgrounds. The council recently directed staff to amend that piece of the plan to more broadly define how the fairgrounds’ land should be used to preserve it as a fair and exposition center.

This is the last step the city is taking before putting the general-plan amendment on the June ballot. The City Council must first vote in favor of the issue before the general plan can be amended and placed on the ballot.

The fairgrounds board is scheduled to meet from 10 a.m. to noon at 88 Fair Drive in Costa Mesa.

The City Council is scheduled to meet at 6 p.m. at 77 Fair Drive in Costa Mesa.

— Mona Shadia