State Sen. Jeff Denham is working to give the power of the
county fair back to the people with a bill that would restructure
the organization of local fair boards that he says will give more
control to the locals and allow for greater flexibility.
Hollister – State Sen. Jeff Denham is working to give the power of the county fair back to the people with a bill that would restructure the organization of local fair boards that he says will give more control to the locals and allow for greater flexibility.
Denham, R-Merced, introduced the bill at the beginning of the year that, if passed, would allow San Benito County’s agricultural association – which oversees the county’s fair – to appoint its own board of directors instead of the governor appointing the nine members, according to Denham’s aide, Nick Rappley.
However, members of the local 33rd District Agricultural Association of San Benito County aren’t sure if the bill would be a boon or a bust for the county because they haven’t received any straight-forward information concerning the specifics of the bill, according to San Benito County Fair CEO Kelley Ferreira.
“We (the board) haven’t really talked about it because we haven’t had any information,” Ferreira said. “I couldn’t say what the pros and cons are because I really don’t know.”
Rappley said the bill would allow local agricultural associations to better run their organizations without having to go through the state whenever a decision needs to be made. For example, if an association wanted to sell a pick-up truck, it would have to go through all of the cumbersome state processes such as putting it up for auction, transporting it and a host of other bureaucratic red-tape, Rappley said.
This bill would give that power back to the locals and streamline many of the decisions, he said. And because the governor currently selects the nine board members of each of the 54 district agricultural associations throughout the state, this bill would allow the agricultural associations to create a way, either by appointment or an election, to locally select board members.
“It would change how the board of directors is selected, and change it so a local method would be used and in doing so, would change the way the do business,” Rappley said. “It would relieve some of the strings that are attached.”
And while the organizational techniques would change significantly, the state’s funding commitments to every county fair would remain the same, he said. The bill has progressed through the Senate and will be up for a vote before the Assembly’s Agricultural Committee by the end of the month.
“I don’t see a down side of this for the locals,” Rappley said. “Does somebody in Sacramento know how to run what’s going on in San Benito County? No, the folks in San Benito County know what’s best for their fair.”
While Rappley said the bill will only affect the district agricultural associations throughout the state who send a written request asking to be included in the bill, Ferreira said he hasn’t received anything requiring them to send a notification of approval.
Additionally, he said he has received sketchy details on the bill and isn’t ready to comment on whether he believes it would benefit the San Benito County Fair or not.
“This would give us a little more local control and flexibility,” Ferreira said. “But I’ve gotten used to working with the old system. I’ve had some fabulous directors appointed by the governor.”
While Rappley did not have an exact count at press time of how many fair boards throughout the state have agreed to be part of Denham’s legislation, he said the number is substantial and his office has received a positive vibe from the various boards in California. And Rappley said if San Benito County wants to get on the band wagon, it must send a written request to be included by the end of the month.
But Ferreira feels left in the dark over the entire issue, he said.
“All this stuff’s going on, but I have nothing to give to my board,” Ferreira said. “I have yet to get anything from Sacramento. There’s a lot of questions but nothing to come out as far as answers.”
