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OC Fair rolling in green stuff, but raising prices
August 5th, 2008, 3:00 am · 40 Comments · posted by Teri Sforza, Register staff writer
Wouldn’t it be luxurious to have as much money sitting safely in the bank as you spend in an entire year?
Ahhhhh. A cushion equal to 100 percent of your operating costs. Let’s do lunch! Oink!
This, er, is not quite the case in my household, and probably not in yours. And it’s certainly not the case for many local governments in California:
- Cities often scrape to set a teeny 5 percent aside for a rainy day,
- and schools struggle to set aside a measly 2 to 3 percent. Sink or swim, kiddies!
But the venerable Orange County Fair, which just concluded another spectacular run, is predicting a cold hard cash reserve of 85.8 percent this fiscal year.
That’s probably a bit conservative, as last year’s cash reserve turned out to be 90 percent of 
operating costs (originally predicted to be just 81 percent).
Ninety percent! For pig races and blooming onions and needlework competitions and baby chicks and demonstrations of the latest greatest mop on Planet Earth.
GIMME MORE
The Orange County Fair, a division of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, is what some might call “loaded.” Despite this institutional wealth, the Fair:
- will hike adult ticket prices by 11 percent next year, from $9 to $10.
- will hike vendor rental rates about 6 percent next year.
- will hike food concession rental rates another 1 percent next year.
All the while, kids paid $3 to enter their popsicle stick collections (et al) into competition, while adult wanna-be photographers (and the like) paid $5 to enter their creations, and pros paid 
$10.
When The Watchdog last visited the fair’s financials - 10 years ago - its reserves were already fat. In 1998, the fair had $7.1 million in the bank for a rainy day (57 percent of what it spent annually).
By last year, reserves had more than tripled, to $23.7 million (90 percent of what it spent annually). Sky’s the limit; there’s no cap on how much can be accumulated.
Sweet.
Does the fair need more money?
FISCAL PRUDENCE
The coming price hikes, the fair’s senior vice president Steven Beazley has said, will help finance $55 million in new construction over the next decade (including a new administration building and a 30,000-square-foot exhibit hall).
But the fair could essentially reach into its pocket tomorrow and pay for almost half of that new construction in cash, no?
Says the fair’s Dena Heathman, vice president of finance and administration (by email, through a spokesman): “While we have cash reserves of approximately $25 million, this is short of the $55 million capital expenditures that are planned and since we do not receive any financial assistance from the State, we rely upon our own revenue streams. Any price increases are given serious consideration, but due to the fact that the OC Fair is below market in admission, parking, and concessionaire costs compared to the other major California fairs, we feel confident that we are still offering a great value to our customers while improving the facility for the public benefit.”
OR NOT….
One could argue that fiscal prudence has not exactly been a hallmark of all the fair’s operations. Suffice to say that my colleague Tony Saavedra found that the nine-member, politically-appointed fair board has taken $988,000 worth of freebies in the last five years.
That includes nearly $400,000 in elegantly catered meals (top sirloin with cabernet wild mushroom sauce, roasted lobster tail and rosemary stuffed prime rib) and $377,000 in free concert tickets at the fair-owned Pacific Amphitheater (in the last two years alone).
The fair board is starting to cut back on this possible law-breaking gift of public funds. That’s nice to know, since the $1 ticket price hike alone stands to gain the fair another half-million or so in revenue.
Meanwhile, I’m still trying to figure out how I spent $100 at the fair on Friday night… $7.50 for the chicken kabob, $9 for the Diet Cokes, $6 for the strawberries, the rest of the treasury on funnel cakes…? It won’t be any cheaper next year. Hey! If anyone found a few Andrew Jacksons on the ground near the funnel cake stand, they must be mine….
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BOO!!! That’s it. I boycotted this year, and now I’ll never go back.
The OC Fair will never get another dime of my stash. The board members made sure of that!
Besides, if you’ve seen the fair once you’ve seen it a million times. The only thing that changes are the performers at the concerts. And their quality has gone consistently downhill.
I’ve paid my last $10 for a dry turkey leg.
Record profits, admission price hikes, taking millions in free tickets and lavish dinners instead of giving them to charity. These people are absurd! I didn’t go and now I most certainly will never go back.
Mr.Schwarzenegger; who do I have to bend over for to get one of these greedy appointments?
At least they are not in the red!
Some honest people must be running the show.
crazy… what are they thinking? nobody wants to pay $100 to go to the fair. it’s just not worth it.
I’ve been to better carnivals than the OC fair, that were mostly free or cost only a few bucks for entertainment.
also, have better concerts and keep the prices down. make the best seats available, don’t give ‘em all away to your cronies.
I too spent $100.00 in two hours at the fair this year and got nothing. $6.00 for onion rings that were inedible. We had to just throw them away. $8.00 for corn dogs? WOW It was a disappointing day and I will never go back. They will never see another dime of my hard earned money.
I agree with you folks out there…the O.C. fair is getting way to costly. I spent over $200 @ the O.C. fair last year. Now the raising ticket prices??? I will definitely not go back to the fair!
Hey winers….
It’s called “free enterprise”!!!! The Fair is not supported by tax dollars. They can do what they want. If you don’t like it, don’t go. If you can’t control your own spending, don’t go to the fair, or anywhere else for that matter. It cost $9 to get in. You end up spending $100. What does that tell you? Stay home.
Maybe I’ll wait a few years before I go back. I enjoy the fair, but that sinking feeling in your wallet begins to grate after a while. I’m looking forward to Tustin Tiller days, where you don’t feel bad about spending money.
I agree with VoiceofReason.
The complainers better not be going to Disneyland, Knotts, an Angels game, the movies, etc. Prices there are just as bad if not worse.
My family will not be going back next year. We could not believe that roasted corn on the cob cost $3.75 each! They don’t charge that much at Chili’s or TGI Friday’s. We were shocked by the prices on food.
The rides are also rediculously expensive. Childrens rides required 6-to-8 tickets per child. That amounted to about $6-to-8 dollars per ride, per child. Not even Disney charges that!
We’re done with the OC fair!
Voice of Reason:
I think you’re missing the point. The Fair is supposed to exist to honor the Orange County citizens. When you have those in charge scarfing up a million dollars in free meals and tickets over the past several years and treating their business associates and high-powered cronies, that is not honoring the ordinary citizen. In effect, the Fair has been hijacked by a bunch of power-crazed loons who take all that they possibly can. Then they raise our admission ticket price and the cost of food to help cover their greediness. Try looking at this from a reasonable perspective.
Alan, etc. Knotts is like $25 to get in nowadays with the latest discounts and all the rides (which are actual roller coasters) are FREE. that actually makes it cheaper than the OC Fair and their rickety rides which are not nearly as good. and all that overpriced greasy food… even a hot dog is like $5-6. c’mon.
ocobserver,
I realize it rankles the senses to see a privileged few seem to get all the freebees, but the fact is that it doesn’t affect the average Fair goer in any way. The $9 entrance fee is at or lower than the price of state fairs. The food is expensive, but it is everywhere. It’s a once-a-year event that is fun and unique. It’s no more “hijacked” than any enterprise run by a committee. You can’t fall into the “those people are making obscene money” pit, or else you end up resenting every CEO, entertainer, athlete, etc. They make the money and get the perks because they worked for it. Whether they deserve it, by your or my standards, is irrelevant.
Wait a minute . . . a government organization that is NOT in the red? Oh to be so proud!!!!!!
Voice of Reason:
You said:
“They make the money and get the perks because they worked for it”
Apparently no one told you yet. Fair board members are unpaid volunteer positions. Taking a million dollars in freebies is not part of the deal. That was a million dollars that could have been reinvested in the operations and could have made the admission ticket price increase unnecessary. Were you one of those who benefited from the gifting? I ask only because your argument makes absolutely zero sense and flies in the face of reason.
It’s all perspective guys. There had to be …something that you liked-please, show some love here OC! ps…Thanks to all the Maintenance Crews and upper management- we enjoyed an extremely well upkept and clean time when we were there several times. Ever wonder what becomes of the plastic bottles disposed of? Recycled plastic lumber babee!! We sat on the nicest, cleanest picnic tables that were placed in cool, shaded areas strategically for the tired, hungry, and simply enjoyed the views. A feast of many senses to say the least. Eco-friendly, environmentally responsible, minimal maintenance, attractive look and color and comfy too! Hats off to the decision maker and all things green!
Looks and sounds like they’re holding to next years theme..”Thinking Big”. ( We’ll be there in full force and hungry!!) Say…Cheeeze!
Interest about how the fair made so much money when it’s rumored that they could hardly pay for police services
oc,
I’m refering to the the CEO’s, etc. You get the jist. Don’t twist it. As far as reinvesting, if you are concerned about saving $2 a year for admission to the fair, you’ve got bigger problems to think about.
Oh, and I’m about as far away from being involved in the fair as possible. I didn’t even go this year. It’s always the sign of a weak argument to throw out the “you must be one of them” card when someone disagrees with you.
The Fair Board and administration has hijacked the Fair from the people of Orange County. Greed and self-interest rule the day, and the residents of Orange County be damned. The Board’s attitude: let them eat funnel cake while Rome burns! Boycott this horrid example of unchecked bureaucratic excess with no accountability to taxpayers. In 2009, vote with your pocketbook: Hell no, I won’t go (to the Fair). -Disgusted former Board Member
No thanks…after reading about all that goes on with the Fair board, I feel in need of a hot shower. They will NEVER get another dollars from Shoes or any of his family.
What a rip.
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