While political insiders negotiated in relative secrecy about the proposed forced sale of the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa, Sandy Genis—the city's former mayor—has been a one-woman show, delving into the finer points of the deal and revealing the anti-public terms. At City Council meetings and in quotes to inquiring reporters, Genis has claimed the deal allows a future real-estate developer incredibly wide latitude to alter the existing property with almost zero public oversight. What about putting a giant Wal-Mart or Mercedes-Benz dealership on the site? The questions raised by Genis helped inspire 50,000 residents to sign a petition asking Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to rescind his order calling for the sale of the fairgrounds as a misguided attempt to reduce the state's massive budget shortfall. A resolution isn't clear at the moment, but what is certain is that Genis made an impact.
