Judging of Fair Board Candidates Includes Their Connections

By JOHN CANALIS

April 7, 1997 12 AM PT

SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

When Cirque du Soleil set up its Big Top earlier this year for several weeks of shows at the Orange County Fairgrounds, the renowned Canadian acrobatic troupe found itself in the middle of a controversy.

Residents of nearby neighborhoods complained that music and special effects during the performances were rattling their windows, frightening their pets and making their evenings miserable.

Though residents took their concerns to the City Council, municipal leaders have no control over the fairgrounds, which are 160 acres of state-owned and -governed property in the middle of town.

Furthermore, when they appealed to the fair’s board of directors, they learned to their chagrin that not one of the trustees lives in Costa Mesa.

“We look for individuals who have strong community involvement, knowledge of California’s agriculture, particularly, and inevitably the governor picks who he thinks is most fit to serve on these boards of directors,” said Steve Tatum of the governor’s office of appointments in Sacramento.

State and local officials say that professional or charitable achievements, political party loyalty and status in the community--not home addresses--are the criteria for choosing fair board members.

All of those now serving on the panel were appointed by Gov. Pete Wilson.

People willing to serve on the board send applications to the governor’s office.

“Anybody from Costa Mesa can apply for the position,” said Gary Hayakawa, a fair director. “We can say something, but it is the eventual decision of the governor.”

The most recent Costa Mesa resident to serve was Elmer Montano, who was appointed in 1977 and served through 1980.

Whether anyone from Costa Mesa has applied then since is confidential, Tatum said.

Two appointments in March put former Orange County Supervisor Donald Saltarelli of Orange and produce company owner A.G. Kawamura of Huntington Beach on the fair board. Both are well-known in their respective circles.

“You have to be politically connected to be on there,” said Costa Mesa resident Sandra L. Genis, a former City Council member.

“Usually, if there’s a Republican governor, you have to do something nice for the Republican Party. If there’s a Democratic governor, you have to do something nice for the Democratic Party,” Genis said.

The situation is typical for fair boards across California, officials said. Of 82 fair locations, 55 are in the special districts governed by the state through boards of local residents appointed from Sacramento.

“It’s generally those people who have been supportive of the party,” said Jim Lindberg, appointed in 1992 to the Orange County Fair Board and its current president.

Directors are not paid for their services.

“There really are no perks to speak of,” Lindberg said. “You do it for the community.”

Directors say that where they live does not affect their ability to serve the community well. In March, for example, the fair board appointed a committee to study how to resolve the Cirque du Soleil noise issue.

Many of them have longtime ties to the community and, in some cases, to the fair itself.

Director Randall “Randy” Smith describes himself as a “fair brat,” having attending summer events there since the 1950s, when his father, a Santa Ana farm equipment dealer, took him to shows.

“I just grew up going to the fair,” Smith said. “It was really attractive for me to be involved.”

The annual summer fair, held in Costa Mesa since 1949, is not the only event for which the grounds are used and for which the directors are responsible. Film shoots, swap meets and exhibitions are scheduled year-round.

“It’s a lot more work than people realize,” Hayakawa said. “The payoff is community service.”

The immediate community could be served better, some residents insist, if at least one board member were from Costa Mesa and the City Council had more input about how the property is used.

Former Councilwoman Genis said City Hall is typically consulted only after events are scheduled, mostly to coordinate traffic control, police protection and other issues.

The relationship between city and fair officials is improving, Councilman Joe Erickson said. City officials and residents of the Mesa del Mar community learned at a neighborhood meeting, for example, of a schedule change for the fairgrounds’ motorcycle races.

Lines of communication are opening, Erickson said, and would be still better if the city had some representation on the fair board.

To achieve that, he said, is “one of my longtime goals as a council person and one that is shared by many of the residents.”

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Who’s Who

The Orange County Fair’s directors are from across the county, but none of them live in Costa Mesa. The members:

Jim Lindberg, president

Home: Corona del Mar

Occupation: Retired Air Force general; part-time real estate agent

Gary Hayakawa, vice president

Home: Irvine

Occupation: Horticulturist

John Crean, director