Trump rally and protests prompt changes in O.C. Fair Board policies
A Donald Trump protester lies in front of Costa Mesa police in riot gear at the intersection of Fair Drive and Fairview Road on April 28. The Orange County Fair Board has adopted new policies to help plan for such high-profile events in the future.
Almost five months after a campaign rally at the Pacific Amphitheatre for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump sparked protests that snarled traffic and resulted in vandalism, the Orange County Fair Board adopted new policies Thursday that they hope will help administrators better manage and plan for such high-profile events in the future.
The policies, which include having at least seven business days for staff to adequately conduct advance planning for an event and assess its potential impacts, were adopted with little discussion. Board Chairman Gerardo Mouet and members Sandra Cervantes, Newton Pham and Robert Ruiz were absent.
Events considered high profile include those with the potential to present significant noise, traffic, lighting or public safety impacts on surrounding neighborhoods, or ones that are complex enough as to disrupt effective crowd control and public safety efforts.
“Many of the items addressed in this new policy are the result of lessons learned from the Trump rally,” fairgrounds Chief Executive Kathy Kramer said.
Trump’s April 28 rally at the PacAmp, which occurred with only a few days advance notice, drew an over-capacity crowd of supporters, as well as hundreds of demonstrators who flooded nearby streets, blocking traffic on Fair Drive and Fairview Road.
Several police vehicles were damaged as demonstrators smashed their windows and jumped on top of them. There also were minor scuffles and shouting matches within the fairgrounds itself. Seventeen were arrested.
Fair Board members later apologized to Costa Mesa residents living near the fairgrounds and pledged to look at new operating procedures to manage future events.
Protests erupted along the street surrounding the Orange County Fairgrounds where Donald Trump, then the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, held a rally April 28. The Orange County Fair Board has adopted policies to better handle such events in the future.
Under the new policies, before signing a contract for another such event, officials will meet with area stakeholders — including local law enforcement, Costa Mesa city officials or nearby school leaders — to get their thoughts on how the event could impact surrounding neighborhoods. Together, fairgrounds staff and law enforcement will develop security plans and require that security costs be paid in advance by the person or group renting the property.
The cost for Trump’s campaign to use the PacAmp was $39,670, according to the rental agreement.
The campaign later cut a $15,655.81 check to Costa Mesa City Hall to cover some of the costs it racked up policing the rally.
Kramer said Thursday that the Fair & Event Center has also received a $129,000 invoice from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department for the policing services it provided for the rally. The bill has been sent to the Trump campaign for payment, she added.
Another new policy is that the person or group holding an event is not allowed to issue tickets, vouchers or passes in excess of a venue’s maximum capacity.
Tickets for the Trump rally were available in advance for free online, though hundreds — reportedly even those with tickets — were turned away after the 8,500-seat amphitheater was full.
Kelly Shelton, executive assistant to Costa Mesa Chief Executive Tom Hatch, said both Hatch and Police Chief Rob Sharpnack reviewed the policy and “felt that it adequately addressed the issues.” The city also appreciated working collaboratively with the fairgrounds on the effort, she added.
Fairgrounds activist Reggie Mundekis praised the new policies.
“If this was just your usual boring, cheerleading political rally, we wouldn’t be here,” she said. “So hopefully we’ve all learned our lessons from this and we can move on and have better engagement with the community on what are compatible and acceptable events.”
Jay Humphrey, who’s running for Costa Mesa City Council, said the Trump rally “kind of woke people up” to the potential impacts a high-profile event can have on the surrounding Costa Mesa neighborhoods. He praised the Fair and Event Center’s work on developing the new strategies.
“The way you become a good neighbor is you take care of your neighbors like you want them to take care of you,” he said, “and I appreciate the fact that you guys try to do that.”
Twitter: @LukeMMoney
