Cities Make Noise of Their Own to Block Fairground Concerts

Like homeowners horrified to learn that a rock ‘n’ roll band may move into the neighborhood, Del Mar and Solana Beach officials are trying to thwart an entertainment firm that wants to stage concerts at the Del Mar Fairgrounds.

The city councils of the adjoining cities this week decided to send protest letters to the Del Mar Fair Board, opposing the bid of the New York-based Nederlander Corp. for a 20-year contract at the fairgrounds.

“In terms of noise and traffic, this would make the Grand Prix seem like prayers at a monastery,” said Solana Beach Councilwoman Celine Olson. “This could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back as far as the fairgrounds’ impact on neighboring communities.”

‘Noise Would Be Terrible’

Del Mar Councilwoman Brooke Eisenberg said her constituents “do not want tens of thousands of people coming to the fairgrounds for concerts. The noise, traffic and pollution would be terrible.”

Officials in both Del Mar and Solana Beach point to Nederlander’s bitter and litigious relationship with the Orange County Fair in Costa Mesa, where the nationwide entertainment firm has staged concerts at the Pacific Amphitheater since 1984. A homeowner group sued Nederlander because of noise from the concerts, and the Orange County Fair Board was brought into the suit as landlord of the fairgrounds.

In turn, the board sued Nederlander for allegedly allowing excessive noise, selling alcohol to minors, not properly maintaining the amphitheater and breaking an agreement not to run concerts during the fair season.

The relationship has gone so sour that the board has considered buying out the remaining 36 years on Nederlander’s contract. The firm put the value at $20 million, which prompted the fair board to order an audit by the state attorney general.

On Sept. 19, an unusual court hearing will be held at the amphitheater to see if a new sound system, akin to one used at the Hollywood Bowl, might satisfy the homeowners’ concerns and end the costly legal fight.

Neil Papiano, the attorney for Nederlander, said in an interview that residents of Del Mar and Solana Beach should not be worried by the Costa Mesa controversy.

Shorter Season, Milder Music

He said the Nederlander proposal for Del Mar is for a much shorter season featuring much milder musical groups than at Costa Mesa.

At Costa Mesa, the concert season stretches from March to November, and this year features 52 concerts, including entertainers such as KISS, INXS, Elton John, the Beach Boys, Dizzy Gillespie, Linda Ronstadt, Miami Sound Machine and the Moody Blues.

At Del Mar, Papiano said, the concert season would be a summer affair, with symphonies and middle-of-the-road entertainers who generally attract smaller and more sedate crowds than those associated with rock groups.

Papiano said he could envision Frank Sinatra, Lionel Richie, Barry Manilow, Julio Iglesias and Placido Domingo being booked for Del Mar.

Del Mar and Solana Beach officials, however, remain firm in their opposition.

“We do not want them to promise one kind of thing, and then deliver something else,” Olson said.

“This outfit, no pun intended, does not have a good track record,” Eisenberg said.

Part of Overall Racing Bid

The Nederlander entertainment package is part of an overall bid to assume control of the annual 43-day thoroughbred racing season at Del Mar. Nederlander has joined with Ogden Corp., a New York conglomerate with experience in food concessions, construction and race track management.

In all, six bidders are competing for the contract, including the current operator, the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club.

The Nederlander-Ogden partnership, doing business as Del Mar Thoroughbred Joint Venture, has vowed to build a new grandstand more quickly and cheaply than other bidders--and to possibly include an amphitheater.

It is the only bid to promise not to ask for state bond money to build the grandstand, using instead a private loan repaid through off-track betting revenue.

At a public hearing last month, Papiano was backed by an Ogden architect, an Ogden financial executive and two executives from the Smith-Barney financial house, who said private financing is readily available.

Papiano, long associated with the Hollywood Park race track, said payments to the state from the Del Mar track, declining in recent years under the stewardship of the Thoroughbred Club, would increase sharply under his clients’ plans for expansion.

Papiano said the group’s board of directors would include jockey Willie Shoemaker, Hollywood Park medical director Dr. Robert Kerlan and longtime baseball executive Buzzie Bavasi.

The Daily Racing Form, the bible of the racing industry, called the Nederlander-Ogden plan “the most sensational proposal” among the six bids.

Papiano said the concert plan is an integral part of his clients’ bid and that, without it, the bid would be moot.

Overlapping Authority

Del Mar and Solana Beach officials want the Del Mar Fair Board to reject the idea of holding concerts at the fairgrounds other than during the annual 19-day fair.

The decision on awarding a contract for the racing season involves overlapping authority between the Fair Board and the State Race Track Leasing Commission, a six-member state panel.

The commission has authority to select an operator for the 43-day racing season. But several of the bids, including the Nederlander-Ogden bid, would require the Fair Board to alter various policies guiding operation of the fairgrounds.

Other bidders want the board to scrap long-held plans for a new grandstand, relinquish control of off-track betting and embrace night harness racing. If the board refuses, the chances will increase greatly that the contract will again be awarded to the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club.

The Fair Board is scheduled to meet Tuesday to discuss whether to change board policies to accommodate some of the bidders.

Fair Board member Jan Anton said the board has no written policy restricting concerts only to the fair season but that, out of deference to Solana Beach and Del Mar, it has not attempted to bring more concerts to the fairgrounds.

‘Tried to Be Sensitive’

“The board has tried to be sensitive to its neighbors,” Anton said. He declined to speculate on what the board will decide Tuesday, but said he is aware of the Costa Mesa controversy.

“I’m going to look into it,” he said.

Papiano accused unnamed opponents of trying to scuttle the Nederlander-Ogden bid by spreading stories about the Costa Mesa lawsuits.

“People can’t attack our bid because it’s clearly the best, so they attack the entertainment proposal, which is only part of the bid,” Papiano said. “We’re the only group that promises a new grandstand by 1991 without state money. If it’s a fair appraisal, and if the Fair Board is not just trying to protect local interests, we’ll win.”

The letter from the Del Mar council to the Fair Board restates the council’s support for the Thoroughbred Club and its opposition to expansion of activities at the fairgrounds, such as nighttime concerts or harness racing.

The letter from the Solana Beach council, set to be written by City Manager Michael Huse, will support the Thoroughbred Club and express “concern” about traffic and noise problems that could occur if more activities are scheduled.