Costa Mesa officials to meet with Gov. Schwarzenegger on OC fairgrounds

Costa Mesa Mayor Allan Mansoor, Mayor Pro Tem Wendy Leece and Councilwoman Katrina Foley are scheduled to meet with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in Sacramento Monday to discuss canceling the sale of the Orange County Fairgrounds, Foley said Wednesday.

The meeting will take place at the governor’s office. The council members and City Manager Allan Roeder will sit down with Schwarzenegger from 11:30 to noon, Foley said. Since three of the City Council’s five members will be meeting with the governor, it will officially be noticed as a special closed session city council meeting, Foley said.

“I’m encouraged that after months of requesting to meet, the governor finally recognizes that Costa Mesans count,” Foley said. “Our hope is that he takes our concerns seriously and recognizes the dramatic negative impacts the sale will have on families and small businesses.”

The fairgrounds was put up for sale in October as part of a plan to sell high-valued state properties to help narrow the state’s budget deficit. Although Schwarzenegger proposed several high-valued properties for sale, the 150-acre property in Costa Mesa was the only one put on the market after the state Assembly voted on it in July.

Bids on the fairgrounds are due to the state on Jan. 8 and a floor auction is scheduled on Jan. 14. State officials hope to fetch between $90 million to $180 million for the property.

Meanwhile, Assembly Bill 1590 is due to be heard by the state Assembly’s Business and Professions Committee on Jan. 12. The bill, which was introduced by Assemblyman Jose Solorio, aims to rescind the July Assembly bill that authorized the fairgrounds' sale.

Foley is scheduled to testify before the committee in favor of AB1590.

Although the city and the county are opposed to the sale, they are due to place a joint bid for the purchase, in case the governor does not stop the sale.

The Orange County Fair and Events Center Foundation, which was formed by members from the Orange County fair board, also intends to bid for the fairgrounds and run it as a nonprofit organization, much like the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds in Pomona.