Council Won’t Rehear Settlement of Fair Suit

The City Council has refused to hold a second public hearing on the settlement of a lawsuit filed in 1991 against the directors of the Orange County Fair and Exposition Center by the city of Costa Mesa.

Attorney Richard Spix had requested a rehearing on the settlement last week. Spix, who has filed several suits on behalf of residents because of noise at the Pacific Amphitheatre, said the city was hasty to settle the suit. (Spix was not a party to the lawsuit being settled.)

But Mayor Joe Erickson said the public had a chance to comment on the settlement at a joint meeting of the council and fair board in July.

“There was just not enough new evidence that is required to hold a new hearing,” he said.

The city agreed to drop the suit last month when the fair board dropped its plans to build a hotel, restaurant and off-track betting facility at the fairgrounds.

The lawsuit sought to block the developments because city officials thought it would create noise and traffic for residents.

Most of the council agreed with Erickson that since it had already been discussed by the council in an open session, there was no reason to reschedule.

The only dissenting member of the council was Sandra L. Genis, who said she still thinks the terms of the settlement are too lenient, including the provision limiting the number of people who may be on the fairgrounds at any one time to 25,500.

“The ceiling is huge enough that they could have the amphitheater going and the swap meet at the same time. And when we had that situation in the past, people complained bitterly,” she said.

Genis added that the agreement also paves the way for the fair board to begin expanding its exhibit halls.