AFTER TWO YEARS of uncertainty, Santa Clara County Fairgrounds leaders are gearing up to change their own governing structure, ceding more control to the county over the 165-acre public property’s future.
The Fairgrounds Management Corporation board of directors on Wednesday last week voted unanimously to move forward with the county’s recommendations to go from five volunteer board members appointed by the Board of Supervisors to two, with the other three directors being county employees appointed by County Executive James Williams’ office. The board will prepare the changes for a formal vote at its next meeting, which would include amending the organization’s bylaws.
County leaders established the Fairgrounds Management Corporation as a separate legal entity with a five-member, supervisor-appointed board in 1995. The structure was meant to maintain a level of independence, but officials say the structure has since led to a lack of fairgrounds operational oversight and hampered the county’s long-term plans for the property as an entertainment and community gathering space.
“This governance change, I think, will create more opportunities for the vision of the current board members to be actualized,” fairgrounds board member Jean Cohen, who is also executive officer of the South Bay Labor Council, told San José Spotlight. “There will be more attention and resources from the county to help with the master planning processes, ensuring the full potential of the fairgrounds is realized.”
Board Chair Vicky Bosworth has been involved with the fair for most of her life and has expressed doubt about the governance changes.
“I do not feel they are necessary, but they will happen whether or not we approve them, so my voting for this stems from the idea of, if we can’t stop it, let’s see if we can have some control over how the change takes effect,” Bosworth told San José Spotlight. “I’m not sure two volunteer board members is enough because the fairgrounds is truly a volunteer piece of property.”
The county’s proposal came after a period of questionable fiscal and operational stewardship under the fairgrounds’ old executive director, Abe Andrade. In a report published earlier this year, county auditors found fairgrounds management contracted with vendors who were family members of fairgrounds officers and employees between 2017 to 2023, when Andrade was in charge. The report also found fairgrounds leadership made payments to vendors with no formal agreements and failed to select contractors through competitive bidding. Auditors also found the Fairgrounds Management Corporation farmed core planning duties out to third party consultants.
Andrade left his role in 2024 and was succeeded by Salene Duarte.
Bosworth said things have turned in the right direction under Duarte’s leadership.
“After the former executive director, we as the board learned a ton. We saw where we lapsed and stepped up to the plate and that’s what Salene was doing. We were just getting momentum,” Bosworth said. “She has really turned not only the revenue of the fairgrounds around, but also the ambience and attitude of the staff working there. Everyone’s excited about it and they want to be here, largely due to her influence as a leader.”
Other members of the community welcome the governance changes.
“I certainly feel what they’re proposing is warranted and needed,” Megan Davies, a parent of three Gilroy High School students working to become farmers, told San José Spotlight.
Davies and other parents were in uproar earlier this year after fairgrounds officials changed the date of the annual fair to keep their carnival contracts. Instead of the traditional month of July, the fair will instead be held Aug. 19-23. Junior livestock parents said the new dates would force their children to balance their participation in junior livestock shows with their first week of school, and mean three extra weeks of financial burden to feed and care for livestock.
Public confusion over the fairgrounds’ governance came into play during this dispute, when parents spoke out on the date changes at a meeting of the board of supervisors, which has no power over day-to-day fair operations.
“We feel strongly that things were handled so poorly that the county fair is not an institution my family will be supporting moving forward,” Davies said.
Bosworth said she still has unanswered questions about how the changes will work.
“The county wants to make revenue and some members of the public want the fairgrounds to be open space. You can’t do both,” Bosworth said. “There has to be a decision there. If you want revenue from it, does the county get it or does it get back to fairgrounds?”
Duarte said she’s appreciated the guidance of the fairgrounds’ current board.
“At the same time, I’m hopeful that these governance changes will not only keep the fairgrounds moving forward, but also help accelerate our progress in the years ahead,” Duarte told San José Spotlight.
County Executive James Williams said the governance changes will provide stronger public oversight and accountability.
“The board of directors’ action represents an important step toward establishing a governance model that serves community needs and more closely aligns with the county’s long‑term vision for enhanced stewardship of this important public amenity,” Williams told San José Spotlight.
Contact Brandon Pho at brandon@sanjosespotlight.com or @brandonphooo on X.
This story originally appeared in San José Spotlight.