Mariposa County Fair
Sierra Sun Times file photo

March 16, 2020 - After years of inadequate funding, many rural fairs and fairgrounds were on the brink of elimination and in need of a long-term revenue stream. In 2017, Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC) supported Assembly Bill 1499 by Assembly Member Adam Gray to dedicate a portion of the State’s share of sales and use tax collected from transactions at fairgrounds to support the network of (qualifying) fairs.  

To date, over $20 million has been collected under this Act, but has yet to be dispersed. On February 1, 2020 the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) re-opened the 45-day public comment period on the formal rulemaking on how these revenues to qualified fairs and fairgrounds, further delaying the process in getting these much-needed dollars out the door. RCRC submitted comments in January seeking to ensure that CDFA expedite this much needed funding and fulfill the intent of AB 1499 to fund operational needs, including deferred maintenance, at our state- and county owned fairgrounds.

RCRC’s comment letter can be found here.   Counties wishing to comment to CDFA are encouraged to do so by Monday, March 16, 2020.  For more information on this rulemaking, see here.
Source: Rural County Representatives of California