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Committee hears bill to increase annual governor's budget metric for California fairgrounds funding
Summary
AB 258 would raise the percentage of gross receipts from fairground taxable sales included in the governor's annual budget for fairs to approximate prior funding levels; sponsor said the change would restore funding closer to $32 million and better support emergency use of fairgrounds.
Assemblymember Connolly presented AB 258, which would increase the annual budget metric for California fairgrounds to 5% of gross receipts of taxable sales on fairgrounds, with the goal of restoring funding toward the historical $32 million level. The committee designated AB 258 as a suspense-file candidate.
Connolly said the current metric, established by AB 1499 (2017), produces significantly less funding than the $32 million that previously supported fairs. He said the 2011–12 elimination of an earlier appropriation left a gap that AB 1499 did not fully close; the current allocation in the most recent budget was about $4.7 million to be split among more than 70 fairs.
Cliff Munson, CEO and fair manager for the Siskiyou Golden Fair in Yreka and chair of the California Fair Alliance legislative committee, testified in support and said fairgrounds serve as emergency staging sites, medical sites and evacuation centers. "Just since I've been our fair manager, we have served more than 22 times as an emergency services location for our community," Munson said. Sarah Cummings, CEO of the Western Fairs Association, also spoke in support, calling fairs economic engines and community assets.
Supporters noted there was no opposition recorded in committee and said the legislature would still retain appropriation authority in the governor's budget process.
Action and next steps: The committee recorded that AB 258 would be referred to the suspense file for fiscal review; no committee roll-call vote on passage was recorded at the hearing.
Ending: Sponsors said the modest increase is intended to help fairs maintain infrastructure and continue emergency-response roles; critics on the dais raised concerns about earmarks and governance of individual fairs but no formal opposition testimony was recorded.
