Love the deep-fried Twinkie, but that county fair may be a fraud haven

I remember the Los Angeles County Fair as the place my son got the whirlies so badly on a carnival ride that he needed to visit the medical tent. And the place of my dad’s late-life triumph, taking home ribbons for his budgerigars, the parakeets he reared in a backyard aviary.

Who knew that county fairs could also be the place of mismanagement and fraud? Jessica Garrison did. She’s my Los Angeles Times colleague, who just came out with an investigation exposing the popular and seemingly wholesome annual celebrations of food, carnival rides and farm animals as the scenes of theft, bribery and embezzlement.

Jessica found that one-third of the state’s 77 fairs have been cited by state auditors or government officials over the last decade for misusing taxpayer money, pressuring businesses for bribes or treating public resources as their own. “At still more fairs, officials have been called out in government reports or lawsuits for glaring failures of good governance,” her story reported. A 2016 state audit found the Los Angeles fair, based in Pomona, paid its president more than $1 million in salary and allowed dangerous housing conditions at an RV park on fairgrounds.

It’s not hard to see what brought on the trouble. Fairs amount to big businesses but operated by legions of micro-entrepreneurs, often overseen by local grandees who are deeply entrenched. It takes skads of contracts to provide hot dogs, cotton candy, deep-fried everything, carnival games, parking, security and more.

Why transparency is important in fair management

“They help each other. How business is done is insular. It’s not open or transparent,” David McCuan, a professor of political science at Sonoma State University, said. Combine that with the big money at stake, McCuan said, and you’ve got a recipe for mismanagement and corruption.

Fairs may seem quaint along California’s urban and densely populated coast, but fairgrounds often serve as a community hub in much of the state. Promoters stage rodeos, picnics and concerts there. The state often takes the properties over during local disasters as staging crews for firefighters and other emergency workers.

The governor appoints boards for each of 52 district agricultural associations and those groups oversee annual fairs. Another 25 fairs in the state’s network follow a similar program. The events mostly pay for themselves via admission and concession charges, with the state providing $7.6 million in taxpayer support.

It doesn’t seem like the governor and other statewide officials devote much time to this small and exotic ecosystem. Even when outsiders uncover shortcomings, that sometimes doesn’t lead to dramatic changes.

‘Gross mismanagement’ in Kern County

In Kern County, for example, a 2019 audit found “gross mismanagement” and that several fair employees maintained second jobs — which they performed while simultaneously clocked into their posts at the fair. The fair board of directors and chief executive also bought expensive dinners and bottles of fine wine with fair credit cards despite rules against it, the audit found.

But, six years later, the CEO and most of that board remain in their posts. In a statement, state officials essentially said that they’re keeping a close eye on things.

The story of financial hanky-panky seems unlikely to go away. In a comment posted on the Times investigation this week, one reader, who claimed to be a former deputy attorney general, recalled defending an (unnamed) fair against sexual harassment and improper contracting claims.

“Part of the problem with these fairs is their legal status. They are independent local public agencies,” said the anonymous commenter. “That means essentially no oversight and that the director can run the agency as a fiefdom, a rich source of jobs and contracts … In less urban areas the fair director has likely held his position for years and is a catered-to local celebrity/institution. I see no change unless the legal status/structure changes.”

Today’s top stories

Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel appear at a news conference at the Justice Department on Dec. 4 in Washington.

(Alex Brandon / Associated Press)

The Justice Department is creating a list of ‘domestic terrorists’

• In a recent memo, the Justice Department ordered the FBI to create a list of “groups or entities engaged in acts that may constitute domestic terrorism” and to establish a “cash reward system” to encourage individuals to report on others.
• The memo, sent by Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi, also directs law enforcement agencies to identify “domestic terrorists.”

Why L.A. traffic getting better is not entirely a good thing

• Traffic congestion in L.A. was down 1% in 2025 compared to the year prior, according to a transportation analytics firm, making the city the 10th most congested one in the world this year.
• A combination of remote work and empty buildings in downtown L.A. may have contributed to this decrease, but it also means fewer clients for businesses in the area.

The Palisadian-Post newspaper shuts down

• The 97-year-old publication put out its final edition Thursday, unable to recover from the year’s devastating fire.
• The paper suffered from a lack of advertisements from local businesses that were impacted by the fire themselves, as well as a lack of readership, as many of its readers were displaced.

What else is going on

• California’s last nuclear plant cleared a major hurdle to power on.
• Ancient lake from the ice age has come back to life in Death Valley after record rainfall.
• With Altadena burning, L.A. County lacked a satellite mapping tool that could have been helpful in determining evacuations.
• Southern California families have sued Roblox, alleging that children have met predators on its platform.
• The L.A. Bowl, created in 2020, will reportedly shut down after Saturday’s Boise State-Washington game.
• DACA was once a lifeline for undocumented youth — now, it’s leaving the next generation behind.
• USC will likely have to move to SoFi Stadium for the 2028 football season due to the 2028 Olympics.

Commentary and opinions

• The Democrats are already blowing up their chances in the Senate, contributing writer Matt K. Lewis argues.
• How Frank Gehry put his stamp on L.A., and how he didn’t, guest contributor D.J. Waldie writes.
• UCLA football coach Bob Chesney and the Bruins share why they believe he will win, columnist Dylan Hernández writes.
• New mothers are tempted by Ozempic but don’t quite have the data they need, guest contributor Nicole Amoyal Pensak argues.
• The holiday season can be extra hard, so thank goodness for “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” guest contributor Abigail Rosenthal writes.

This morning’s must reads

Business

For Subscribers

Fixing this downtown L.A. building would cost $700 million, the county said. Critics say that’s way off

The decision to leave Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration was based on a half-billion-dollar miscalculation, say experts and politicians trying to save it.

Dec. 11, 2025

Other must reads

• The teen-founded nonprofit Altadena Girls was a fire relief success story. A year later, can it still help as L.A. moves on?
• The Dodgers face a “delicate” situation with their Japanese stars ahead of the World Baseball Classic — here’s why.
• Singer-songwriter Lukas Nelson on competing for a Grammy against his famous dad, Willie Nelson.

For your downtime

A day on the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway.

(David Fouts/For The Times)

Going out

• Travel: Snag a Palm Springs Aerial Tramway ticket during the busy winter season with these tips.
• Holiday pop-ups: Grab a cocktail and jam to “All I Want For Christmas Is You” at Mariah Carey’s holiday bar.
• Music: See for yourself why DJ Egyptian Lover has always been that guy at one of his upcoming sets.
• Movies: Pair some much-needed laughter with politics and watch Ella McCay in theaters.

Staying in

• Docuseries: Relive the tour that rocked the world with Taylor Swift’s “The End of an Era.”
• Television: Celebrate Dick Van Dyke as he turns 100 with this PBS documentary.
• 🥗 Recipe: Take a shot at recreating the 10 best cookies from the L.A. Times Holiday Cookie Bake-Off.
• ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and jigsaw games.

Question of the day: What do you wear when you fly?

Melissa Hartman said, “My 1970s mother forbade me to wear my favorite cords imprinted with rattlesnake skin on our flight from JFK to LAX. I raged and seethed to no avail. How this winning admonition lives unbidden all these years is beyond me, but it’s business casual every time.”

Email us at essentialcalifornia@latimes.com, and your response might appear in the newsletter this week.

And finally ... your photo of the day

A mule deer photographed on Catalina Island in 2023. The deer, named for their large, mule-like ears, have declined in recent years in California’s Eastern Sierra.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

Today’s great photo is from staff photographer Allen J. Schaben of a mule deer, the population of which has declined in recent years in California’s Eastern Sierra, often getting hit by cars or trucks. This decline has prompted concern and efforts to put up wildlife crossings in the region.

Have a great day, from the Essential California team

Jim Rainey, staff reporter
Hugo Martín, assistant editor, Fast Break desk
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew J. Campa, weekend writer
June Hsu, editorial fellow
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters

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