Council May Set Hearing on Lawsuit Settlement

The City Council will decide Monday whether to schedule a public hearing on the settlement of a lawsuit that Costa Mesa officials filed in 1991 against directors of the Orange County Fair and Exposition Center.

At issue was the fair board’s proposal to build a hotel and restaurant on the grounds. The lawsuit sought to block such development, alleging that it would create noise and traffic congestion in nearby neighborhoods.

The city agreed last month to drop the lawsuit after the fair board decided not to proceed with the project.

But Richard Spix, an attorney who in the past has sued on behalf of residents over noise at the Pacific Amphitheatre, which is part of the fair complex, said this week that he is not convinced that fair officials have the best interest of the residents in mind.

“I have a problem with the procedures they are using,” he said, “and I also have a problem with the substance of this agreement.”

Spix said he is not certain, either, that city officials considered all points of the agreement and how it might affect residents.

City Manager Allan L. Roeder said the council has no legal obligation to hold a public hearing on the matter. Lawsuit settlements by the city, he said, do not require public approval.

But in the interest of fairness, he said, the council has agreed to hear Spix’s request for a public hearing on the issue.

The council meets at 6:30 p.m. Monday at City Hall, 77 Fair Drive. Information: (714) 754-5225.