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When we go to a state fair and buy a hot dog or place a bet on a racehorse, some of the tax revenue generated from our dollars is earmarked for a state fund that goes back to support the fair.
Assemblymember Damon Connolly (D-San Rafael) proposed a bill last week that would accelerate funding from that source to California’s 75 fairgrounds.
The Fairs and Exposition Fund within the California Department of Food and Agriculture is meant to be used for certain projects at fairgrounds. The CDFA secretary could allocate the money over any time span. Connolly’s bill, Assembly Bill 1711, would change that rule by setting a clear timeline for those funds to be distributed by Dec. 31 of each year.
The bill also proposes expanding the list of projects to include improvements for emergency services.
“Fairs play a pivotal role in the North Bay, by serving as emergency and evacuation sites during wildfires over the past few years. However, fairgrounds experience a significant backlog of deferred maintenance,” Connolly said in a statement Feb. 4.
The Fairs and Exposition Fund can be used for projects involving public health and safety improvements, maintenance, emergency needs, changes required to keep the physical conditions of the fairgrounds up to code standards, and the protection of fair property like fencing or flood control. The funds can also be used for acquiring or improving facilities to better the fair operations.
Fairgrounds make their money through admission and ticket sales for concerts, grandstand shows, races and other special attractions. Vendors pay for space rentals and often share a portion of their sales. Some fairs run a midway attraction, with Ferris wheels and teenage thrill rides. They also make money on sponsorships and parking fees. Direct operating support for county fairs can come from state agricultural departments or local governments.
The Marin County Fairgrounds has solar photovoltaic installations and energy-efficiency retrofits at the Exhibit Hall and related buildings, reducing annual utility costs by tens of thousands of dollars. In addition to lowering operating costs, it has been certified as a green business by the California Green Business Network.
“California fairs are economic engines, community gathering places and essential emergency response assets,” said Sarah Cummings, president & CEO of the Western Fairs Association, which is sponsoring the bill along with the California Fairs Alliance. “This legislation builds on important progress already made by ensuring that funds generated by fairs are reinvested in fairs on a predictable timeline.”
– Story by Ruth Dusseault, Bay City News Service
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