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Senate committee advances bill to standardize and revise compensation process for fairgrounds managers
Summary
SB 493 would rename fair managers to "secretary managers" at District Agricultural Associations, direct CDFA to conduct periodic salary surveys and remove CalHR from final salary approval. The committee passed the bill and supporters said it would improve recruitment and recognize fairgrounds' role in emergency response.
The Senate Agriculture Committee advanced SB 493 after testimony that fairgrounds managers now perform year‑round work that includes emergency response, grant writing and facility management and that compensation structures have not kept pace.
Senator Josh Becker, who presented the bill, said secretary managers run critical operations at District Agricultural Associations (DAAs), manage facilities used for emergency response and are on call year‑round. "These fairgrounds ... are critical infrastructure that serve as the backbone of the state's emergency network," Becker said, noting their roles during the COVID response.
Sarah Pelley, a secretary manager at a district fair, testified for CERV (California Emergency Response Resiliency Venue and Fairgrounds). She said California has 52 DAAs and that fairgrounds were activated 30 times last year, contributing "17,885 open for emergency and community response," and that fairgrounds produce 364 days' worth of annual fairs statewide. Pelley said the bill would direct the California Department of Food and Agriculture to conduct a salary survey, set a fair compensation range and update it every three years; it would also remove CalHR from the salary approval process and align titles in code.
Supporters told the committee that secretary managers' duties now cover public safety, grant management and year‑round operations and that standardized compensation would help recruit and retain leaders. Senator McNerney said the work is substantial and involves active emergency coordination, praising the bill.
The committee recorded a 4–0 vote to pass SB 493 as amended to Appropriations. Proponents included CERV and the Western Fairs Association; there was no registered opposition at the hearing.
