Editorial:

On March 25, when the Orange County Fair & Event Center board authorized $3,000 for a security system at its chief executive’s home, the trustees also voted to end a good neighborly policy of offering free tickets to the annual fair to nearby residents.

The board voted 5 to 0 to charge $1 per ticket for batches of up to 20 — which had been available at no cost to households in bordering neighborhoods — and do away with complimentary parking passes at Orange Coast College’s Lot E. Fair officials said the move could generate $20,000 in extra revenue, and would allow them to set aside complimentary tickets for marketing and outreach efforts, such as giving away tickets to charities and prospective fair entrants.

We applaud the board’s intention to promote the fairgrounds, but we question the timing of this move. It can only deepen the trustees’ growing unpopularity in surrounding neighborhoods.

We call on the board to restore the old policy, because changing it is an insult to the neighbors. OK, charging them a buck for admission to the annual fair, which normally costs $10, is a nominal fee. But the board should not have tampered with offering them free tickets and parking.

It’s only fair compensation for the nonsense — i.e., the traffic congestion, littering, outdoor urination and other boorish behavior — that those residents have to put up with whenever the county fair is on.

At the least, the neighbors shouldn’t have to pay a penny to get in.