Bergeson Will Amend Bill That Set Off S.D. Outcry

Scrambling to undo what she says was a “misunderstanding,” state Sen. Marian Bergeson (R-Newport Beach) said this week that she will drop provisions in one of her bills that would have created a horse-racing track in northern San Diego County to rival the popular Del Mar Fairgrounds.

But Bergeson said she still intends to push for legislation that could ultimately allow Mildred Vessels, a onetime owner of the Los Alamitos Race Course, to operate an off-track satellite wagering operation on her ranch in San Luis Rey, a neighborhood in Oceanside.

The bill has been introduced but no action has been taken on it yet.

The original version of Bergeson’s bill sparked protests in northern San Diego County because it would have established a second San Diego County district agricultural association with its own fairgrounds and that would have permission to have horse races there three weeks a year.

In addition to allowing for three weeks of racing at the new fair, the measure would also have allowed off-track betting via satellite. The measure had been labeled an “emergency” so that the track could be in operation during the 1991 racing season.

Residents of Bonsall near the ranch had expressed dismay at the news of the proposed project. They said that a fairgrounds and the traffic it would bring would destroy the rural atmosphere of the area.

“This has taken the community not only by surprise, but it’s a shock,” said Dominic Savoca, president of the Bonsall Community Assn. “People generally do not believe that this is a wagering community. . . . The most important thing is that traffic is going to be just intolerable. It’s ludicrous, really.”

Operators of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club also oppose the proposal, arguing that the San Diego market cannot bear another satellite-wagering operation.

Bergeson said she introduced the bill at the request of Vessels and Jack Clifford, a Sacramento lobbyist for horse-racing interests.

Bergeson said she introduced the pre-written legislation as a courtesy because Vessels’ property is in her district, but she admitted that she “had no idea” that her bill would have allowed live horse racing. She and top aide, Chris Kahn, both said they did not catch the horse-racing provision because the measure was handed to them only hours before the March 8 deadline for 1991 proposals.

“I think it was a misunderstanding,” Bergeson said. “I was not putting in a bill to have live racing. My intent was to receive land for the purpose of a citrus fair.”

Bergeson said she will now amend the proposal to take out the horse-racing provision and downgrade the proposed “agricultural association” designation to a less prestigious one of “citrus fair” to help area farmers promote avocados. There are only two other such fairs in California--in San Bernardino and Cloverdale--and board members are not appointed. The state still regulates some of their financial activities, but oversight is generally less stringent, according to legislative staff members.

Even so, Bergeson conceded, that lesser designation could still allow Vessels to run an off-track betting operation should Vessels receive a license from the state.

“I haven’t supported off-track betting, and it does put me in conflict with previous positions,” Bergeson said. “Once the track is established, it is up to the people who are in charge of the board.”

Bergeson said she still believes that population growth in northern San Diego County and Riverside County warrants a second fair in the area. “Citrus is very appropriate to San Diego and Riverside County,” she said. “That’s the avocado capital of the world there.”

Vessels could not be reached for comment.

Clifford said on Tuesday that he takes responsibility for the problems with the bill. He said that deleting provision for live horse-racing would be no problem.