7 newbie tips to the L.A. County Fair

I’m not much of a fair guy — I never win at carnival games, I get dizzy as a passenger in a car, and fair food is as overrated as In-N-Out. But last week, I attended the Los Angeles County Fair for the first time ever because why not?

Besides, if Miguel Santana can be a Fairhead, so can I.

He’s one of the most influential people in Southern California: longtime confidante of the late Gloria Molina, former chief administrative officer for Los Angeles and current president of the California Community Foundation. But I think he had the most fun as head of the L.A. County Fair from 2017 to 2020, a stint immortalized by his appearance on the cover of the 2022 book “100 Years of the Los Angeles County Fair” riding a gondola lift alongside the book’s author, legendary Inland Valley Daily Bulletin columnist David Allen.

“Who’s there says a lot about us as Southern California,” Santana said of the L.A. County Fair’s audience as I exited the 10 Freeway toward the Fairplex. “It’s a sense of Americana and proof we can be diverse and American at the same time.”

I asked if this fair was as big as the Orange County Fair. He laughed the way all Angelenos do when presented with a comparison to Orange County.

“It’s enormous. You’re gonna get your 10,000 steps.”

Behold, then, this newbie’s L.A. County Fair tips:

Times columnist Gustavo Arellano at the 2025 L.A. County Fair.

(Gustavo Arellano / Los Angeles Times)

Have a Pomona homie drop you off

Fair parking is an ungodly $22.50, and don’t you dare try to leave your jalopy at nearby Ganesha Park unless you want to spend a couple hundred dollars fishing it out of some random tow truck yard. My Pomona parking hookup was faithful reader Fernando Iniguez — gracias, Fern Iggy! I owe you a Jerez sweatshirt.

Buy your tickets online

$21.50 on the internet. At the gate? $32. Um, yeah. But one big complaint, Fair lords: It took me three attempts to buy my tickets online. Ever heard of Zelle?

Feel the music

“There’s going to be so much music,” Santana told me, and he was right. Between live bands, Spotify playlists, DJs and radio stations, it was like walking through a wholesome Coachella. Bachata smoothly transitioned to Go Country went to KCRW became Taylor Swift switched over to a super-chirpy cover of the O’Jays’ “Love Train” at the Disco Chicken stand. And though Pharell Williams’ “Happy” played at least five times while I visited, the atmosphere was so cheerful that I didn’t have to scream to drown out his ode to optimism.

Hang out at the petting zoo for the best people watching

There’s nothing like seeing suburbanites who probably think meat comes from Erewhon fairies stand with terror in their eyes as bleating sheep and goats swarm them asking for pellets.

Lose yourself in the fair

How much did fairgoers live in the moment? I saw next to no one use their smartphone other than for photos. And I also noticed a middle-age white guy in a MAGA cap standing a few feet away from a Muslim family with nary a negative look at each other. They were too busy staring ahead like the rest of us at an octet of magnificent Clydesdale horses ready to pull a Budweiser wagon.

Head to the coolest section of the fair

I loved all the vegetables and livestock at the Farm & Gardens, enjoyed the trippy art at the Flower & Garden Pavilion and appreciated the juxtaposition of a lowrider show next to the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum near the Millard Sheets Art Center. But the best part of the fair was the area labeled “America’s Great Outdoors” — and I say this as someone who thinks camping and hiking are for the (literal) birds! Volunteers sawed logs with kids, taught them how to pan for gold, showed off desert reptiles and even hosted an environmental magic show. Throw in a replica of a Tongva hut and a U.S. Forest Service fire lookout tower and the nearby sound of the RailGiants Train Museum, and this is what Knott’s Berry Farm used to be before it became whatever the hell it is now.

Block off at least three hours to fully enjoy

I had to rush back to Orange County for a columna the day I visited, so I only spent an hour and a half at the fair. I had to skip the tablescape competition, didn’t go through the exhibit halls and was only able to eat at Hot Dog on a Stick because they make the best lemonade on Earth. But it was wonderful to leave the problems of the world mostly at bay for a few hours to enjoy the living, breathing Wikipedia that is a county fair at its finest — and the L.A. County Fair is definitely that.

Huge Snorlax plush toy: Next year, you’re mine.

Today’s top stories

Wildlife biologist Carl Lackey, with the aid of a dog, chases off a California black bear that was captured and relocated to the Carson Range.

(John Axtell / Nevada Department of Wildlife)

A woman’s grisly death inflames debate over how California manages problem black bears

• An autopsy determined that 71-year-old Patrice Miller had probably been killed by a black bear after it broke into her home, marking the first known instance in California history of a fatal bear attack on a human.
• The story of Miller’s grisly end have come roaring into the state Capitol this spring.
• Wildlife officials estimate there are now 60,000 black bears in California, roughly triple the figure from 1998.

An epic guide to the best motels in California

• The motel, a word born in California, turns 100 this year. In this guide, we jangle our room keys to explore the greatest motels across the state.
• Before you hit the road, here’s the 34 coolest, kitschiest, most fascinating motels in California.
• Plus, 5 fascinating facts about motels, from murders and movies to Magic Fingers.

UC and CSU get some relief in Newsom’s budget plan

• Proposed funding cuts for UC and CSU are not as bad as they were in January, under Gov. Gavin Newsom’s revised state budget.
• The proposed cut to UC dropped from $397 million in January to $130 million four months later, representing a 3% year-to-year budget cut.
• For CSU, Newsom’s budget cut went from $375 million in January to $144 million, also a 3% budget reduction.

Riverside wants to become ‘the new Detroit’

• As of Monday, commuters in Riverside are the first in the country to ride a fully self-driving, publicly accessible bus that is deployed by a city transit agency.
• To date, other iterations of self-driving buses around the country are limited to private roads or properties, or rely on drivers to lend the occasional hand or foot for certain parts of the route.

What else is going on

• In-N-Out is adjusting its menu after FDA bans red dye No. 3. Here’s what’s changing.
• The Menendez brothers move closer to freedom as Newsom drops clemency probes and sets a parole hearing.
• A missing camper was ‘miraculously’ found alive after surviving weeks in snowy High Sierra.
• Questions loom over Trump’s order to create housing for 6,000 homeless veterans.
• An L.A. Vietnamese man came for an annual ICE check-in, then nearly got deported to Libya.
• LA28’s plan for a car-free Olympics now includes air taxis the price of a high-end Uber.
• L.A. council backs $30 minimum wage for hotels, despite warnings from tourism industry.
• A judge denies an emergency motion to stop transfer of L.A. Zoo elephants Billy and Tina.

Commentary and opinions

• With his ‘casting couch’ defense, Weinstein continues to damage the culture he once ruled, argues columnist Mary McNamara.
• AmeriCorps volunteers were making America healthy again. Until Trump fired them, says guest contributor Daphne Miller.
• Legendary trainer Eddie Futch told an up-and-coming Freddie Roach to never open his own gym. At age 35, that’s exactly what he did with Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, writes columnist Bill Dwyre.

This morning’s must reads

California

It took LAPD 23 years to identify one of their own as the culprit in this fatal love triangle

Was it tunnel vision? An attempted cover-up? Questions linger about why it took the LAPD decades to arrest Det. Stephanie Lazarus in the 1986 murder of Sherri Rasmussen, who married a man Lazarus wanted for herself.

May 15, 2025

Other must reads

• Tariffs give 157-year-old chocolate maker Guittard a bitter taste.
• Rancho Palos Verdes is home to a Trump golf course. But his cuts are imperiling the city’s landslide response.
• Even bad exposition can’t trip up Tom Cruise, flying high with ‘Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning.’
• The Doors at 60: Surviving members and famous fans break down the greatness of iconic L.A. band.
• Teachers tend to plan pregnancies with summer due dates. Could an LAUSD policy change that?

For your downtime

(Peter DaSilva / For The Times)

Going out

• Restaurants: 19 must-try diners and restaurants for your next California road trip.
• Theater: ‘A Doll’s House, Part 2’ at Pasadena Playhouse: A woman walks out on her husband and child, and then ...

Staying in

• Books: In ‘Lessons From My Teachers,’ playwright Sarah Ruhl finds wisdom in art, motherhood, even grief.
• Recipes: Here’s a recipe for Madonna Inn’s Pink Cloud Cocktail.
• ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and arcade games.

A question for you: What is your go-to karaoke song?

Alan says: “Your Man by Josh Turner.”
C Price says: “The Circle Game by Joni Mitchell.”

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And finally ... your photo of the day

Kaj Betts, son of Dodgers infielder Mookie Betts, runs away with the ceremonial first pitch ball as they celebrate Mookie Betts’ Bobble Head night at Dodger Stadium.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Today’s great photo is from Times photographer Robert Gauthier at Dodger Stadium where the 2-year-old son of Dodgers infielder Mookie Betts runs away with the ceremonial first pitch ball.

Have a great day, from the Essential California team

Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew Campa, Sunday writer
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters

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