Thanks for finally picking up a story that's been covered by local blogs for months.

You guys are getting to be like the Orange County Register, late to the story, and failing to give attribution to the folks who been doing the grunt work,

So a professional politician is threatening the OC Weekly with a lawsuit.
As the late OC newsman and former Hearstling Stan Dunn said, "You know you've made it when the politicians sue or threaten to sue you."

Kudos to the Weekly for publishing my somewhat critical comment. It's a big county, with lots of scandals, and the Weekly only has so many resources.

Speaking for those of us in the blogosphere, we're delighted when the bulldogs at the Weekly sink their teeth into a scandal.

We're amateurs, and we have deep and abiding faith in the professionals at the Weekly.

Go get em, just drop a link to ocprogressive.com or pacificprogressive.com once in a while.

Gus Ayer: Stop whining. And where has your blog been on the issue of Loretta Sanchez breaking the hearts of undocumented students for failing to endorse the DREAM Act? That's right: nowhere, other than your apologist remarks on my Facebook account.

Finally picking up a story? WTF? I won't make any claims that we were first on this, because I don't know, but we have previously blogged about the proposed sale:

Foes of Proposed Orange County Fair Sale Launch Website: 9/21/09 http://blogs.ocweekly.com/navelgazing/a-clockwork-orange/orange-county-fair-unfair-webs/

What's It Gonna Take to get You to Drive Off With These Fairgrounds: 10/09/09 http://blogs.ocweekly.com/navelgazing/a-clockwork-orange/oc-unfair-fairgrounds-sale/

Gustavo: Stop whining yourself!
Someone disagrees with you mildly on Facebook and it's a grudge match forever?

My point on Facebook was not to defend Loretta. Rather it was to bemoan the fact that journalism in the OC lacks any liberal voice. I'd love to see a world where there was the Register attacking Loretta, a less regressive paper covering her honestly, and you carrying the alternative message.

I agree with you completely on the Dream Act. We're just missing a moderate or liberal voice to even report on Loretta.

This is one of those meta points, where I agree with criticism of Congresswoman Sanchez when she makes a mistake, but it still grates that there's no liberal voice to compliment her when she's doing exactly the right thing.

In the broader world of the progressive blogosphere, I take pains defending Loretta as someone who voted against the invasion of Iraq abd against FISA, and as someone who is far more liberal than her district, yet gets lumped in with the worst of the blue dogs.

And as to what our blog does, I don't feel the need to repeat something that someone else has done very well, and your criticism of Congresswoman Sanchez on this issue has been on point.

They call it "consultant" but in the Daily Pilot Oct 18th article they said, "Fair board members said they hired Dick Ackerman to lobby the state for the sale". Dick Ackerman himself is quoted as lobbying on behalf of the fair to the state. This represents a clear legal voilation. Termed- out Dick Ackerman has a one year restriction on lobbying activities. Where have you guys been? Right after Moxley called they probably fired up the shredders at Nossaman....

hey hey
ho ho
This corrupt Fair Board has got to Go!

This thread is juicier than the fair board story: Gustavo outs OC Progressive, Progressive notes Gustavo's legendary thin skin... Can't wait for the next post!

Gus: Take your last line in consideration next time you try to compare us to a rag.

Ed: I actually have a skin of steel, but I don't take attacks against my colleagues lightly. Also, there's no "outing" of Gus--just go to his blog, and you'll see who's who.

OK, you kids done? Let's get back to the issue, here. This a HUGE story that has reeked from the very beginning. And, the tenticles seem to be reaching throughout the county. Righeimer's smoke screen attempt to "save the fair", Linda Ackerman's bid for Duvall's Assembly seat, and on and on. Tuesday the Costa Mesa City Council will debate whether to send a strongly-worded letter to the Governor on the whole Fair Sale issue. In the meantime, they are proceeding to so burden the Fairgrounds with use restrictions that no one will want to buy it. Kudos to Moxley and The Weekly for this info... keep up the good work.

Good Article. The Carona cronies can't seem to keep their hooks out of the OC Fairgrounds.

We're happy that Moxley is writing about this now, and also hope everyone knows that Gus has been on this issue all year like white on rice. One recent influential masterpost:

http://ocprogressive.com/diary/996/will-jerry-brown-get-in-front-of-the-orange-county-fairgrounds-scandal

Don't miss tonight's Costa Mesa City Council meeting for the premiere of "Tainted Sale!"

And Gus: It's even sadder when you don't allow comments on your blog from the general public.

I too was wondering why you guys were slacking on this. Check into Riggy and Ellis relationship. More Costa Mesa drama? Councilwoman Leece slapping God on the walls of the Chambers. Get on it.

Eh??

Petty grievances aside, it's the issue that's important, and everybody's happy to see the bulldogs at the OCWeekly, the only real investigative journalists in the OC, sink their teeth into the hide of the scoundrels trying to bring back their patronage machine.

Gustavo,

I recently invited Gus Ayer to cross-post on my blog, in order to pump up the readership at his blog.

His response? Well, let's just say he was not very appreciative. Apparently he doesn't dig that we go after his blue hack pals.

I wonder why Gus won't post his readership data? Even Lib OC does that.

That said, great post Moxley! Game on for these cabrones. It would be great to see Dick Ackerman dragged off in chains - after his clueless wife loses to Norby today.

It does seem strange that the people appointed to handle the fair can simultaneously form a private group to buy the same said fairgrounds? I hope it gets looked into. Once the fairgrounds are gone, they are lost forever to OC.

The Fair Board only recently publicly posted their meeting agendas and minutes on their website. They all need to be removed. Trinity (TBN) might be the highest bidder.

OC Progressive allows public comments, you just have to register.

Gus and Art Pedroza have more in common than they will care to admit. They both have fiery temperaments.

Art has a great blog. People read it. It's entertaining. So is Navel Gazing.

Don't get mad at Gus, he goes to meetings, reads agendas, reads staff reports and did a bang up job on how screwed up the toll roads are. And he's been writing about the shenanigans at the fair for weeks now.

Not many people are reading those reports and going to these mettings, and given the restraints on journalists these days, they can't be everywhere.

So we need Gus.

Joe: You compare me to Art as if I'm supposed to be insulted by it. Shit, we ourselves have said that Orange Juice! is the Weekly of the blogosphere. And I never insulted Gus; just went after his assertion that we're like the Reg.

No I was comparing the other Gus to Art.

Sorry for being imprecise.

Seems to me there is a simple solution to this situation. The Governor should fire the entire Fair Board and replace them with folks who don't have a conflict of interest and who will focus on running the Fairgrounds. The current Board would then be free to spend all their time building their non-profit Corporation and raising money to pay fair market value, for this taxpayer owned property.

I thought Duvall voted against the sale of the OC Fairgrounds? Not sure what connection is there between Duvall and Ackerman with regards to the sale of the OC Fairgrounds.