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Committee hears AB 258 to increase fairground funding metric; bill sent to suspense file
Summary
AB 258 would raise the percent-of-gross-receipts metric that funds California fairgrounds, moving funding closer to the historical $32 million level; proponents argued fairs serve as emergency response hubs. The committee designated the bill a suspense candidate for fiscal review.
Assemblymember Conley presented AB 258, which proposes increasing the funding metric in the governor's annual budget for the California fairs network (a share of gross receipts from fairgrounds) to better approximate the historical $32 million appropriation supporters say fairs once received.
Supporters said fairgrounds serve as community assets and emergency staging areas — more than 300 activations in the last decade, they said — and that the current metric provides roughly $4.7 million statewide, which they argued is insufficient. Cliff Munson (California Fair Alliance/manager of the Siskiyou Golden Fair) and Sarah Cummings (Western Fairs Association) testified in support, and Treasurer Fiona Ma was listed as a co-sponsor.
Committee members asked about the fiscal magnitude and whether the proposal amounted to an earmark; one member called the increase an earmark and raised concerns about fair boards' policies in individual counties. No primary opposition appeared at the hearing. The committee designated AB 258 a suspense-file measure for further fiscal review.
