Veto Blocks Exhibition Building for Fair

Terming the appropriation “premature,” Gov. George Deukmejian Tuesday deleted from his $40.5-billion state budget $1.95 million to build an exhibition building for the San Fernando Valley Fair.

In his veto message, the governor said the fair “does not have a permanent site as yet, nor is it known what facilities or alterations may be needed once a permanent site is acquired.”

As a result, he asserted, “Allocation of funds for a display building at this time is premature,” and he rejected the $1.95 million earmarked for it. The allocation was among $663 million blue-penciled from the 1987-88 state spending plan.

The fair, which is scheduled to begin a five-day run next Wednesday, must find a new home because its 51-acre site at North Campus of California State University, Northridge is targeted by the university for development.

Mel Simas, the fair’s program coordinator, said Tuesday that, as of now, “this will be the last year” at the CSUN site. As for the $1.95 million knocked out of the budget, Simas said, “I assume we’ll reactivate the request next year.”

Another Provision Intact

Deukmejian left intact another provision--inserted into the budget by Sen. Alan Robbins (D-Van Nuys)--designed to help the fair find a permanent home. Under the provision, the state Military Department is directed to complete plans to move the Air National Guard from Sepulveda Dam Recreation Area to Hansen Dam Park. Such a move, which faces an uphill fight, would leave the Sepulveda site available as a new home for the fair.

Robbins described Deukmejian’s final budget as a “mixed bag.” Nevertheless, he said, “But overall, I don’t believe he’s been unfair to the Valley.”

Among other major Valley area items left in the budget are $8.5 million for Mission College’s permanent campus in Sylmar; $14.9 million for a library at CSUN and about $5 million for three park-and-recreation projects in Pacoima, Granada Hills and Canoga Park.

Deukmejian rejected a variety of other Valley-area spending proposals, including:

$770,000 for the purchase of land next to the Van Nuys State Office Building for expansion, saying, “The need for the state to acquire this property has not been justified.”

$400,000 to cover a courtyard at the State Office Building because the request should have been submitted through the regular budget process. It was inserted by the Assembly-Senate conference committee that fashioned the budget sent to the governor.

$250,000 for grants overseen by the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. Deukmejian objected because the money was allocated from a special fund, set up from the sale of vanity automobile license plates, that has higher priorities, he said.

$200,000 to renovate a historic post office on Sylvan Street in Van Nuys so that it can be used as a community theater by the Back Alley Theatre. The governor left another $100,000 in the budget for the project.

Joe Edmiston, executive director of the Santa Monica Conservancy, said the governor’s vetoes would discontinue grants that have been given in the past to programs providing outdoor experiences to youths who would normally be denied them.

Deleted from the budget was $50,000 for the Woodcraft Rangers to run a winter camp for students of year-round schools at the conservancy’s Circle X Ranch; $40,000 to Ahead With Horses of Sun Valley to give mountain equestrian experience to the severely handicapped and $20,000 to the William O. Douglas Classroom for children’s mountain nature walks.

Aware of Possibility

Edmiston said he believes those groups were aware that their grants might be cut and have been attempting to find other money to continue the programs.

Laura Zucker, producing director of the Back Alley Theater, which now operates a 93-seat house on Burbank Boulevard, said the group could buy the post office building at 14530 Sylvan St. with the $100,000 left in the budget. However, she said, the $200,000 that the governor vetoed was needed for renovation.

Zucker said the group could still lose its Historic Preservation grant if it fails in the next two years to raise the rest of the $2.1 million estimated as the cost of the entire project.

“There is no point in acquiring the building if we can’t complete the project,” Zucker said. “We wouldn’t take the state’s money if we couldn’t complete the project.”

The Back Alley hopes to convert the 1930s post office building into a 368-seat theater.

The building is one of the few examples in the Valley of the distinctive architectural style associated with the Works Progress Administration, the Depression-era federal agency created to put the unemployed to work.