Sounding Off:

While it’s disappointing that the Orange County fair board didn’t vote to oppose the sale of the fairgrounds at its February meeting, it’s encouraging that three of the six board members present then seem to have had a change of heart.

Fair board Director David Padilla read a compelling statement against the sale and decried the board’s practice of holding committee meetings behind closed doors.

Director Gary Hayakawa seconded a motion to reconsider those meetings. And Director Joyce Tucker shared her regret at how this had all turned out.

Fortunately, there’s still time for the board to take corrective action. Tucker said she’d call the governor and ask him to stop the sale.

We encourage the rest of the board and members of the public to follow her lead and call Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger at (916) 445-2841.

We look forward to the board’s addressing the issue again at its March meeting. So far, 25 Orange County cities, several school districts, the county and nearly every state legislator from Orange County have gone on record against the sale.

We hope that Chairwoman Kristina Dodge and Vice Chairman David Ellis will join the growing chorus of residents, businesses and community leaders who oppose the sale of the Orange County Fairgrounds.

We’ll never forget that lobbying efforts of this board put the fairgrounds on the auction block in the first place.

But it’s high time they atone for their misguided actions and do their best to stop the sale now.

SANDY GENIS, a former mayor of Costa Mesa, is president of the Orange County Fairgrounds Preservation Society.