The San Benito County Fair and its fairgrounds might not survive
the rest of the year if Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed budget gets
approved, Bolado Park’s chief executive warned Tuesday.
The San Benito County Fair and its fairgrounds might not survive the rest of the year if Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed budget gets approved, Bolado Park’s chief executive warned Tuesday.
Stipulated in the budget, Brown calls for an elimination of all fair funding. It would effectively cut $200,000 – or 40 percent – of the county’s fair’s total budget, the fair’s Chief Executive Officer Kelley Ferreira said. He contended the cut would cause the fair’s downfall.
“If they cut it, we are done,” Ferreira said in an interview with the Free Lance.
Ferreira still is optimistic that such a projected downfall might be premature, as he waits for more information from the state in regards to the proposed cut’s possible effect on San Benito’s 86-year institution, he said.
“They are sending more information today,” he said.
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The cuts are part of Brown’s $12.5 billion budget cut that also targets the university and state school system, among other programs. The $32 million proposed cut to the county fair system would affect the state’s general fund.
Bolado Park is one of 78 fairs throughout the state, and the county grounds operate year round with hundreds of activities, including the San Benito County Saddle Horse Show & Rodeo, fundraisers, and the actual three-day fair the first weekend in October.
“We always have something going,” Ferreira said. “We are open 365 days a year.”
Listed as a class 1 fair – one of seven classes ranging from the smallest (1) to the largest (7) – its average budget is around $500,000 per year with an average generated income of $300,000, Ferreira said. There are three full-time workers, including Ferreira, and the fair has more than 60 volunteers helping throughout the year.
Class 7 fairs include the Del Mar Fair and the Orange County Fair, Ferreira said. The amount of funding received by the state depends on the population size of the county.
Overall, the state, as of two years ago, has funded the county fairs with $32 million per year. Previously, county fairs were funded through income from horse racing.
Despite the threatened cut of funds, Ferreira doesn’t expect a return to the old funding mechanism because of decreasing revenue, he said.
“It won’t be looked at as another source of funding,” he said.
The governor’s proposed budget will threaten the elimination of at least 31 fairs throughout the state, including San Benito County, Ferreira said. County fairs are a $3 billion industry that brings over $100 million in sales tax revenue to the state.
Look back for more on this story.
