Pomona : Tax on Fairgrounds Events

Officials of the Los Angeles County Fair reacted angrily Wednesday to a decision by the Pomona City Council to levy a 10% tax on admission to all events at the county fairgrounds except the fair itself and off-track betting.

Sid Robinson, a spokesman for the fair, said: “We’re really shocked. This devastates our non-fair program and really kills the hotel project.”

Robinson said more than 1 million people attend gun shows, auto swap meets, trade exhibits and other events at the fairgrounds each year. Robinson said the fair has been counting on these events to provide customers for a 250-room hotel envisioned for the site.

The admissions tax, which would also include a tax on fees paid by exhibitors for space, could discourage trade show promoters from staging shows in Pomona and reduce revenues needed for the hotel project, Robinson said.

The council adopted the tax on a 3-2 vote, with Mayor Donna Smith and Councilman Mark A. T. Nymeyer dissenting. The tax was proposed by Councilman C. L. (Clay) Bryant, who said the tax would raise $1 million or more. Smith said the fair association should have been consulted first. But Bryant said: “The fair doesn’t consult the City Council when they want to raise the admissions charge.”