The Ojai Post

Posted by: "Paul Jenkin" pjenkin@sbcglobal.net pjenkin63
Fri May 15, 2009 12:15 pm (PDT)

Restriction-laden fairgrounds would be difficult to unload

By Kevin Clerici
Friday, May 15, 2009

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger might want to peddle the Ventura County
Fairgrounds for cash, but he could struggle trying to find a buyer
willing to pony up an estimated $30 million to $70 million for
property loaded with restrictions.

The Ventura site was among more than a dozen state-owned properties —
including the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, San Quentin State Prison
and Cal Expo — the governor suggested Thursday could be sold or leased
to raise cash amid the state’s growing fiscal crisis.

The 63-acre fairgrounds might possess million-dollar ocean views, but
its current operators say selling the site for private development
would dishonor the wishes of the E.P. Foster family, which donated the
Seaside Park land to the public in 1909.

“The grant deed for this property states it cannot be sold, only
deeded back to the heirs of the Foster family,” Barbara Boester-Quaid,
the fairgrounds CEO, said Thursday. That’s one reason, she said, that
previous campaigns by cash-strapped state officials to sell off the
grounds went nowhere.

Even if a private entity were to gain control of the fairgrounds, any
changes — such as oceanfront housing — would require lengthy approvals
from the Ventura City Council and the state Coastal Commission,
powerful coastal regulators not fond of reducing public access to the
beach.

“There would be a lot more hurdles to go through than for a property
the state owns outright,” said Michael Bradbury, fair board president.

Phil Foster Ranger, a great-grandson of E.P. Foster, said his great-
grandparents gave the acreage “for the benefit of the entire community.”

The deed specifically states the land shall not be taken for private
or corporate profit, he said. “I doubt our governor is even aware of
this,” he said. “It would be terrible to see it disappear.”

Other properties on the list include Cal Expo, site of the state fair
in Sacramento; the Orange County Fairgrounds; the Del Mar Fairgrounds,
site of the San Diego County Fair; and the Cow Palace, a nearly 70-
year-old exhibition hall in Daly City near San Francisco.

The sales could raise $600 million to $1 billion, although it would
not provide financial relief for two to five years, according to the
proposal.

The Ventura beachfront location is “a premier site” ideal for “a mixed-
use development that would include hotel/convention facilities and
residential units,” according to a short state description of the site.

Any land-use change, however, would require an amendment to the city’s
local coastal plan, said Steve Hudson, a district manager in the
Coastal Commission’s Ventura office. Such a change would first require
approval from the City Council, then the Coastal Commission, he said.

Reaction Thursday to the budget proposal was swift.

“We are confident that once given a full examination, the governor and
other leaders will realize these fairs are far too valuable in their
current state,” said Stephen Chambers, director of the Western Fairs
Association, a trade organization representing county fairs.

Ventura Councilman Jim Monahan called it “shortsighted” and a “red
herring” to drum up support for five state budget measures on
Tuesday’s ballot, which are trailing in the polls.

Jim Luttjohann, director of the Ventura Visitors and Convention
Bureau, described the fairgrounds and coastal paths around it as
“incredibly unique” and a tourist attraction that could never be
replaced if torn down or fenced off.

“I think they’d have a huge fight on their hands if they wanted to
sell the fairgrounds,” Ventura Mayor Christy Weir said.

The site has a rich history, including when it was taken over by the
U.S. government and converted into a military base during World War
II. The military built Quonset huts there, which still stand, and
paved over parts of the site, which changed much of its character.

Boester-Quaid said no one from the governor’s office notified her of
the sale proposal, and the governor didn’t mention the fairgrounds by
name in a Thursday news conference.

“This doesn’t come as any great shock or concern at this point,”
Bradbury said. “I see the chances of a sale at about slim to none.”

____________________________________

Paul Jenkin
Surfrider Foundation - Ventura Campaign Coordinator