JOSE SOLORIO 714-939-8469, or 916-319-2069
LOU CORREA 714-558-4400, or 916-651-4034.
I’ve been writing about what a terrible deal Costa Mesa was snookered into making with Facilities Management West, turning over public control of the Fairgrounds to the above guy until the year 2066 – for not really that much money. And I’m working on Chapter 3 of my Great Fairgrounds Swindle saga – “Threats, Bribes, and Videotape.”
But meanwhile time is ticking by, and we could be doing something now to stop this travesty, and we’re not. Our sources in Sacramento tell us that the legislature could easily stop this deal cold in its tracks, sending the city and state back to the drawing board. Our sources tell us that the key legislators who could make this happen are Orange County’s two Democrats, Assemblyman Jose Solorio and Senator Lou Correa. Our sources tell us that these two gentlemen need to hear from their constituents on this matter, but “the silence has been deafening.” So let’s fix that.
If you already know what a bad deal it is, and how the threats forcing Costa Mesa to accept the deal were pure hot air, then please go ahead right now and make these two calls, asking them to say NO to the Sale, and to send Facilities Management West packing!
JOSE SOLORIO 714-939-8469, or 916-319-2069
LOU CORREA 714-558-4400, or 916-651-4034.
For now, here’s a very helpful summary of what we’ve figured out so far, in question and answer form, from the Orange County Fairgrounds Preservation Society:
SOLD OUT BY THE CITY!
Are the Fairgrounds still at risk?
YES! The City of Costa Mesa is negotiating to buy the Fairgrounds from the State, but the City has also agreed to lease the land and all rights to a private company, Facilities Management West.
Won’t the City of Costa Mesa still control the property?
NO! Once a year, the City will meet as the “Orange County Fairgrounds Authority” to make suggestions. FMW can choose whether or not to respond, with no accountability to the public.
Doesn’t the agreement require that existing uses be maintained?
Well, sort of. The agreement requires that the annual Fair, the Centennial Farm, the Youth Expo, the equestrian uses, and a “marketplace/swapmeet continue, but FMW will be able to relocate and re-size any of the required uses, so long as they’re kept in SOME form at a minimal size. We may find community activities vastly scaled down in favor of more profitable enterprises.
Won’t the Costa Mesa General Plan and Measure C protect the Fairgrounds?
No! The general plan lists what is allowed at the Fairgrounds, but doesn’t require that any specific uses be retained. Besides, under the new agreement, FMW will be able to build and operate other uses, not permitted under the general plan, as long as 3 out of 5 members of the Fairgrounds Authority agree!
Why should we be concerned?
The Fairgrounds could be turned into a convention center, a version of LA Live, or worse. One version of the FMW agreement actually discussed revenue from a sign program “similar to LA Live.” That’s no longer specifically included, but it’s not prohibited either. Some lease documents refer to an entity called “Orange County Fair Amphitheater Market and Expo, LLC” – i.e., OC FAME.
But, isn’t it better to get more revenue, so the City will have more money for essential services like police and fire protection?
NO! The agreement CAPS revenue to the City, so extra revenue from more intense uses will all go to FMW/OCFAME. Besides, if they have events like the RAVE recently held at the LA Coliseum, costs for Emergency Services could easily eat up ANY return to the City.
Why not just wait and see how it goes?
Costa Mesa is ready to sign the final contracts and the lease will last 55 years! Till 2065 or 2066! Once the agreements are finalized, we’re stuck for generations.
What can we do to stop this?
See above – call Jose Solorio and Lou Correa TODAY and ask them to stop this rotten deal. Ask them to provide for openness and public accountability in future governance of what is STILL OUR Fairgrounds. Keep the Fairgrounds a property of the people! And stay tuned to this page…
Vern, another great article. Thanks for letting us know. I will be calling Correa’s office and let them know this is not ok! I hope everyone else does too.
“I’ve Had Enough” Please contact me about the John Williams situation. chezvern@aol.com
Oh my god that guy is disgusting (Ken Fait). Just to think that we would put the fairgrounds in the hands of that money grubber. But we also have the city council to thank for it too. Keep up the good work Vern and getting the word out about this unfair deal. The more people learn the facts the more they will share in our anger. And I think it is going to be an angry mob that will ultimately kill this deal. People are tired of corrupt politics and a lone few out for the almighty buck while others are losing their jobs, living on unemployment and feeling the pain of the economy.
And how about Mr. Save the Day’s son getting a DUI! Yes, Kenneth M. Fait was nailed at a Costa Mesa checkpoint on September 16th and cited for DUI!
Dude, Mansoor is sooooo wussy. You wonder why he’s so afraid of Fait? Wouldn’t look Fait in the eye!
LOL Paula Was Here. You can really see that in the fuller longer video of Mansoor’s questioning of FMW which I hope to put up in my next story.
Remember, Allan has been in these guys’ pocket before ANY of the other councilmembers, having got at least $6000 in donations from them (which he was forced to return temporarily) and voted in their favor from the start – AND he went on to vote in their favor AFTER this scene. But here, having not been on the negotiating team, and having just noticed what a shitty deal the City got (somebody had to have brought it to his attention) he’s trying to regain just a LITTLE self-respect, but gets quickly slapped down by mean old Ken.
(Allan was wondering why the city couldn’t get a percentage of profits instead of a small percentage capped very low; and also passing on complaints that FMW’s team had been very rude and intimidating to the City’s team.)
The scene reminds me (as I’ll mention in chapter 3) of the end of Faust – when after selling his soul to the devil and leading a long charmed life, he realizes the end is near and pleads for just a little more time. Of course the devil has as little patience and sympathy as Ken Fait.
Lou Correa’s office says NO one has EVER called their office to ask that the sale be stopped.
Where is the public outcry?
The Latino caucus is not big enough to stop it. If the public doesn’t rise up FAST, there will be no more fairs, no more swap meets, and no more fairgrounds! The city is only taking title to the property in order to gain revenue for their general fund. The City of Costa Mesa has no other interest in that property.
Developers have now gained the upper hand!
They tell me at both offices that there have only been a few thus far. Call all four numbers, people! They’re counting on us to be tired of this issue and not paying attention any more.
I’m updating this story with a more urgent title, and putting it up at the top of the blog.
Come on guys, OJ readers are of all political persuasions, but the one thing we have in common is we don’t like getting deceived and ripped off!
Where are the 50,000 people who signed those petitions? Where are all those Measure C voters? Where are those 1,000 swap meet vendors? Don’t any of those people care anymore? I can tell you why they don’t care. It’s because they have been conned by the city into believing that “everything will be OK”. Word needs to get out that “nothing is OK”. The only thing we know for sure is that we have an excessively naive city council and city manager.
Very soon the tail will be wagging the dog at Costa Mesa City Hall. We can then look forward to an immense amount of embarrassment amongst our city officials. The finger pointing will be off the charts. Won’t we all be proud!
Move it, or lose it, folks. Our fair is about to bite the dust! Let’s get this “sale” stopped.
Word, Bootsie. Send a link to this article to all your friends and tell them to call tomorrow. People can feel intimidated to call their politicians, but the folks who answer the phone are really nice. Put this up on your Facebook page, tell all your friends to call! And I’ll keep this story at the top of the blog for the week.
Thanks.
Vern, I finally heard back from a contact at the Department of General Services. The guy who gave me the info about the possibility of the State leasing the fairgrounds if the sale fell through is gone, poof! The new guy says “The state has no plan to lease the Fairgrounds if the sale falls through. If it does, the DGS will immediately put it back on the block and try to get the best price possible. Although I asked him repeatedly if the legislation that authorized the sale last year permitted leasing as an option, he ducked the question each time and said only that their plan is to sell it.
Separately, because one of your commentors said the Del Mar Fairgrounds was also in play, I asked him about that. The answer was an emphatic NO! He said the Del Mar Fairgrounds is NOT for sale and, NO, the City of Del Mar is NOT in exclusive negotiations with the State to buy it. I think your commentor was confused.
Loved the video clip… 🙂 Old Ken Fait was not a happy camper that evening.
Well, see, they’ve been giving us mixed messages from up there, all of them threatening, because they want us to get this deal done with FMW and get them their damned money.
But even if they went thru with their threats and put it back on the auction block, and it got sold to whoever, we’d be better than we are now with the FMW deal, because we’d be protected by the General Plan and Measure C, which we aren’t now.
So… for everything (turn turn turn) there is a season.. and this is the time for Calling Bluffs.
thanks for following up, Geoff
PS They were lying or misinformed when they told us they would lease it. It’s just as likely they’re lying or misinformed now when they say they’ll put it right back up on the auction block. (Or bluffing if you will.)
The most it could get in the January auction was 56.5 million, and the DGS didn’t find that worthwhile. Since then Measure C has passed so it will probably get less. So maybe they’ll go for that or maybe not, but there’s good reason to think that’s another bluff.
WHY NOT START A CITY OF COSTA MESA EMAIL CAMPAIGN?
The city of Costa Mesa will be exposing taxpayers to far more liability in this deal with FMW that it would if it bought the fairgrounds outright. So much for their bragging about how this won’t be costing taxpayers a dime!
The lawsuits from surrounding neighbors will be off the charts. In addition to that, FMW will be able to do whatever it wants with the property because if the city objects, all FMW has to do is stop making the payments, thereby exposing Costa Mesa to additional liability of $96,000,000 (less any principal paid to date). Costa Mesa will then have only 2 choices: (1) comply with FMW’s every demand, or (2) take over the payments themselves. It should be fairly obvious that Costa Mesa will chose to buckle under to each, and every, demand made by FMW.
You have to wonder why people are willing to trade their fair, their swap meet, their amphitheater, and their equestrian center for a skyline that will eventually look like Dallas, Texas. Is that what we really want?
The only people who can definitely stop this insanity are the Costa Mesa city council and the city manager. People who really want to keep the fairgrounds exactly as they are should send an email each and every day (to the following addresses) asking the city to stop this madness and derail the sale. It shouldn’t take too many emails before the city gets the message:
AMansoor@ci.costa-mesa.ca.us, EricBever@ci.costa-mesa.ca.us, GMonahan@ci.costa-mesa.ca.us,
WLeece@ci.costa-mesa.ca.us, KFoley@ci.costa-mesa.ca.us, CityManager@ci.costa-mesa.ca.us