The county and the city of Costa Mesa just announced that the two government entities have approved a memorandum of understanding to purchase the Orange County Fairgrounds, which is state-owned property Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger wants to sell. A private foundation composed of members of the public Orange County Fair board previously indicated it wanted to buy the land and facilities, but the foundation has imploded in recent weeks due to corruption and conflict-of-interest allegations.
The city/county joint press release follows after the jump . . .
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Dec. 16, 2009
ORANGE COUNTY AND CITY OF COSTA MESA APPROVE OC FAIRGROUNDS AGREEMENT
Santa Ana–The Orange County Board of Supervisors and Costa Mesa City Council have
approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) regarding the proposed purchase,
governance, and operation of the Orange County Fairgrounds.
“This
partnership between the County and the City of
resource is based on our common belief that the highest and best use of this
property is for the benefit of the public,” said Supervisor John M.W. Moorlach,
Second District. “We appreciate the excellent cooperation demonstrated by the
City and look forward to working with
Mesa
“The
City Council strongly believes that the best solution for the taxpayer is to
halt the sale,” said Mayor Allan Mansoor.
“If this outcome is not possible, then the partnership we are creating
to secure this treasured asset is the next best alternative.”
“The primary goal of the Board of Supervisors is to
ensure that this property remains
stated Supervisor Bill Campbell, Third District. “While we will continue to
urge the State to stop the sale of the property, this action protects our
ability to submit a competitive offer to acquire the fairgrounds and exhibition
center at auction.” Council Member Gary
Monahan added, “Saving the Orange County Fair and
is what we all want to accomplish. A
City/County alliance is an effective structure that will make our joint bid more
competitive.”
Central to the agreement is the belief that the cancellation
of the sale of the Orange County Fairgrounds is in the best interest of the
public. However, if the sale cannot be stopped, the County and City want to be
prepared to submit a bid in the State's Request for Proposals process and have
a plan in place for joint governance of the Fairgrounds.
Should the County and City be successful in their efforts, the
creation of a Joint Powers Authority is envisioned to govern, finance the
purchase, and operate the Fairgrounds with the financial backing of the County
and City. Through approval of the MOU, the County and City have also reaffirmed
to the State their commitment to maintain the Orange County Fairgrounds in
perpetuity as a public facility.
OC Weekly Editor-in-Chief Matt Coker has been engaging, enraging and entertaining readers of newspapers, magazines and websites for decades. He spent the first 13 years of his career in journalism at daily newspapers before “graduating” to OC Weekly in 1995 as the alternative newsweekly’s first calendar editor.