CEO’s home to get system

The Orange County Fair Board voted 5 to 0 Thursday to pay for a $3,000 security system at the home of Steve Beazley, the president and chief executive of the Orange County Fairgrounds.

His home had been targeted in several cases of alleged vandalism — such as being pelted with eggs — dating to July, according to a staff report. Beazley’s annual salary is $143, 539.

Board Chairwoman Kristina Dodge, who was scheduled to press the case before the rest of the board that public money should be spent on a private security system at the Beazley residence, was absent from Thursday’s board session, as was Board Vice Chairman David Ellis.

When it comes down to the safety of Beazley and his family, the political differences should not be considered, said board member Gary Hayakawa. He added that it was he who brought the issue up after hearing about vandalism and defamation directed at Beazley, his home and family.

The four incidents of vandalism at the included the spilling of a liquid that left behind a strong odor, fair officials said.

They added that fliers accusing Beazley of committing criminal acts against women and children had also been disseminated in his neighborhood.

Board member Dale Dykema, who directed the meeting in Dodge’s place, said Beazley did not ask for the security system to be installed, but that it was an initiative brought on by some of the board members after hearing about the incidents.

Neither the staff report nor the presentation during the meeting discussed the correlation between the vandalism and false accusations, and Beazley’s job as the fairgrounds’ president and executive officer, thus raising the question of why public funds should be spent on securing his home.

After the meeting, Robin Wachner, the fairgrounds’ spokeswoman, said the incidents happened as public emotions over the proposed sale of the fairgrounds escalated.

“There’s a time correlation between the attacks and the things happening about the sale,” she said.

The fairgrounds’ trustees also voted 4 to 1 to amend the board’s policy, requiring all fair board subcommittees to be led by at least three members, which means all meetings and discussions are now subject to the state’s open meeting laws. Dykema voted against it.

Before this vote, the board’s subcommittees consisted of two members and the meetings were not open to the public, something board member David Padilla had criticized publicly and worked to change.