Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : Antelope Valley Fair Making Changes After Critical Audit

The Antelope Valley Fair is making dozens of changes in its operations in the wake of a scathing state audit that made nearly 200 recommendations necessary to bring the fair into compliance with state regulations.

Fair officials on Thursday released an 18-page audit response, which details the changes that will be made as a result of the audit released in November.

Fair Manager Bruce Latta said the fair is required “to show this plan has been implemented” in six months.

Many of the changes, according to the response, were implemented even before the audit was released. More have been made since and some are left to be done in coming months.

“We have a little more work to do,” said Latta, who was hired as fair manager less than a year ago. “Six months from now I’ll feel a little better.”

While no criminal violations were found, auditors with the state Department of Food and Agriculture made nearly four times the usual number of recommendations compared to audits of other state fairs. In addition, auditors said many of their findings were “significant.”

The audit covered a two-year period beginning Jan. 1, 1991, and found violations ranging from the use of state funds to buy alcohol to the employment of temporary workers for more days than state law permits in a year.

Numerous problems found during the audit had been identified in previous audits but never corrected, Agriculture Department officials said. This time, however, they said they are confident the violations will cease.

Fair Board President Charla Abbott said the audit has been a learning experience. The nine board members, some who have served for more than two decades, are more familiar than ever with state fair regulations as a result of the audit, she said.