Sheriff’s Department gives up seeking $129,194 for policing at Trump’s Costa Mesa rally
The Orange County Sheriff’s Department has decided not to pursue payment of a nearly $130,000 bill sent last summer to the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa for policing costs racked up during now-President Trump’s April 28 campaign rally and the fracas that followed.
The episode resulted in a new policy that outlines how the two organizations will handle events considered “high-risk.”
The rally, which occurred with only a few days’ notice, drew an overflow crowd of Trump supporters to the Pacific Amphitheatre and attracted hundreds of protesters who flooded nearby streets late into the night.
Several police vehicles were damaged as demonstrators smashed their windows and jumped on top of them. Seventeen people were arrested.
On June 24, the Sheriff’s Department sent an invoice for $129,194 to the Fair & Event Center for law enforcement services provided during the event.
After receiving the bill, the fairgrounds “contacted the Sheriff’s Department and advised that they would assist with the collection of the charges from the Trump campaign,” Fair & Event Center communications director Terry Moore said this week.
The organization “repeatedly attempted to seek payment” from the campaign but was unsuccessful, Moore said.
Given the circumstances, the Sheriff’s Department in late October “decided not to pursue payment” from the Fair & Event Center, according to sheriff’s Lt. Mark Stichter.
However, should the fairgrounds receive a check from the Trump campaign at some point, the Sheriff’s Department “will absolutely submit an invoice to the OCFEC for payment of law enforcement services provided during the rally,” Stichter said.
Emails seeking comment from the Trump campaign, which spent $39,670 to use the amphitheater for the event, were not immediately returned Wednesday.
In July, the campaign sent a check for $15,655 to the city of Costa Mesa to cover some of its policing costs for the rally.
Though the Sheriff’s Department and the Fair & Event Center reached their understanding a few months ago, it wasn’t publicly known. A handful of residents questioned the status of the invoice at last week’s Fair Board meeting.
Board Chairman Nick Berardino said the issue generally has been resolved.
“It wasn’t as if folks learning about this and its financial implications sat down and said, ‘OK, well, no mistakes were made,’” he said at the Jan. 26 meeting. “We looked at this and we have set forth a brand new policy to handle this.”
The policy, which the Fair Board adopted in September, is intended to better manage and plan for events with the potential to have significant noise, traffic, lighting or public safety effects on surrounding neighborhoods or that are complex enough to disrupt crowd control and public safety efforts.
Under the policy, before officials sign a contract for an event, they will meet with local law enforcement, city officials or nearby school leaders to get their thoughts on how the event could affect surrounding neighborhoods.
Fairgrounds staff and law enforcement also will work to develop security plans for an event. The costs of security must be paid in advance by the person or group renting the property.
Berardino acknowledged “that hosting the Donald Trump event brought more challenges than anybody expected.” But he added he’s confident the new policy will stave off such problems in the future.
“I think we’re ready,” he said. “Should we ever be faced with this again, the same mistakes won’t be made.”
Moore said there are no other outstanding claims or invoices for the Fair & Event Center related to the rally or the protest.
Twitter: @LukeMMoney
