I expect everybody that reads the Orange Juice to either do what you can to prevent the unnecessary and tainted sale of our Fairgrounds, or else comment here on why you support the sale or feel it’s unimportant. For my part, I will try to start each morning with a post letting you know what you can do each day to prevent this travesty from coming to fruition. It’ll be simple stuff; and I’ll also fill you in on the latest Derailment news. (a little primer here) Remember this sale is a Juggernaut, being rushed through quicker than any comparable transaction seen in California politics in recent memory. If we do nothing the sale will be final in early January. WE HAVE approximately 45 DAYS TO SAVE THE FAIR that our great-grandparents paid for with their taxes for us and our kids to enjoy.
TODAY, Monday, November 23 – MAKE TWO PHONE CALLS!!! Ask Assemblymen Jose Solorio and Van Tran to “introduce legislation IMMEDIATELY to stop the sale of our Fairgrounds.” It doesn’t matter if you’re not in their district, they represent Orange County and it’s your Fair. We need to overwhelm them with calls TODAY, tomorrow we will call someone else. (If Van Tran’s people lie to you and say that seven other fairs are also up for sale, just tell them they are wrong. Orange is the only county that is being asked to part with its fair – for reasons that are still unclear but deeply suspicious. Also, remind Tran’s people that it will help him a lot in his Congressional race against Loretta Sanchez if he is remembered as the man who saved our Fair!)
Here are the numbers you will call: Jose Solorio (714) 939-8469; and Van Tran (714) 668-2100.
Once you’ve done that, join the Derail the Sale Facebook group. And tomorrow morning at 9, if you are free, we are showing up in force at the OC Board of Supervisors meeting; 333 West Santa Ana Blvd, Santa Ana (at Broadway). Wear red if you can – our uniform representing STOPPING the sale.
Let me kick you down a little information here: I’ve just learned the legislature will be back in Sac. for a brief session around the second week of December (to vote on some Obama “Claw Your Way to the Top” education initiative or something.) This would be the perfect time for Solorio and Tran to “carry a bill” to rescind the sale; if the bill doesn’t happen then, it will be too late when the real session starts up in January. So MAKE THOSE TWO CALLS TODAY!
I just called Assemblymen Tran and Solorio but since the Board Members may have broken state laws by meeting in secret, it also makes sense to contact Attorney General Jerry Brown as well. Similar to the Senior Center in Huntington Beach, the legality of entire sale is questionable. Thanks for your informative posts.
Done…(again)!
Whether you agree with Vern on the issues of the day or not, ya gotta give him credit for getting his hands dirty and putting his perspective into action. You can’t say that about many people who follow politics.
Lynda, thanks for the calls, but the deeply frustrating Jerry Brown (who is unfortunately probably the best governor we can hope for in the next few years) is telling us he can’t investigate this because he already represents the Fair Board (who set this scam in motion.) We’re looking to other avenues – here in the OC DA Rackaukas is even scurvier, but there is a US attorney office that can look into it…. I’ll try to fill you all in on what I learn about that.
Thanks Anon, hope you called too! It’s not about me…
Great articles about our fairgrounds Vern! It’s nice to get the facts about something that was purposely made obscure by people who want to sell our fairgrounds. Hands off our taxpayer owned assets!!!
as a libertarian Republican, I would support the sale of the fair so we could reduce the size and scope of our government.
Welcome IrinveReport, and thanks for chiming in with the extreme minority view. I knew there must be SOMEONE out there who sympathized with the sale on ideological grounds (apart from the other tiny group of people who just hope to profit from it.)
Our fringer friend the Fullerton Harpoon came closest last week when he ambivalently mused, “I’m not against privatizing things per se… still it’s hard to see where the value of this is in anything but redevelopment … opportunities for corruption everywhere … how do you appraise something like a Fairgrounds…” etc. [sorry Harpoon, paraphrasing by memory]
And I responded like I will to you: Here’s a case where we see that there’s only so far any of us should take our ideologies in real life. You may theoretically like the idea of less property being owned by the public and less workers having government contracts, but the flip side is the inevitable slippery slope to the 150 acres being paved over within a few years and condos / office towers / parking lots covering the expanse. If that seems like a bold desirable vision to you, please keep it in the safe confines of your libertarian blog.
Our great-grandparents bought these Fairgrounds for us and our kids, with THEIR tax dollars. Are we now going to betray the Greatest Generation, just so some inveterate weenie or other can make bank?
IrvineReporter has what I call “ideologyitis”…an inflexible, unobjective adherence to an ideological principle no matter what realities may be staring one in the face. A conservative without ideologyitis, Andrew Sullivan, uses the example of taxes…if you have ideologyitis, there is never, ever, ever, never ever a time when taxes should be raised. Not in times of plenty, not in times of want. Even Reagan saw reality and raised some taxes out of concern for a rising deficit.
Interesting point Vern, but condos and buildings are the very productive factors that drive the economy. As long as they are making an honest profit, I have no problem.
Dude! You’ve come this far with me. But think how MANY condos and buildings the OC has, but NOTHING else like the Fair. And once it’s gone it’s gone forever.
Not wanting to be some ivory-tower elitist myself, I went for a walk through the equestrian center today, touched actual horsies and so on. It was 15 acres until recently, when the Fair Board (who pushed for this sale so they can buy it themselves, and who have admitted to wanting to get rid of the equestrian center altogether) cut it down to 7.5 acres for more parking space. And that’s what I said to my guide and he agreed – there’s nothing else like this in the OC and once it’s gone nothing like it will come back.
We humans are economic units, but we are also much more than that. And there are things we should cherish and protect. (I can’t believe I’m getting so corny in my old age) 😛
Vern, for a real treat, check out the farm animals on the other side. For anyone with kids it’s a magical treat to have your kids pet the farm animals there.
IrvineReporter, I respect that. Please lobby to have condos built at The Great Park and we will all be happy. I want to keep our American culture and roots and keep our fairgrounds.
IrvineReporter,
Why don’t you allow comments on your blog? It looks like a cheap smear site.
You do have an excellent point. I would have to say im convinced to save the fair now, based on its uniqueness. but we have to do something about the fair board.
Red Vixen, As for my site, it probably is a smear site. Lets just say im not a huge fan of the Agranistas. Im still trying to figure out tumblr, and how to configure it. If you feel like replying to my posts, feel free to email me at intergalacticman@yahoo.com and i’ll reblog it.
Kudos Irvine Reporter for flexibility and thoughtfulness, and you’re absolutely right about the Fair Board. PROBABLY none of this would be happening without them. The Board should not be made of political appointees of the Governor, spoiled greedy campaign contributors to a man (woman.)