Del Norte County Fair<\/p>\n
A 2019 state audit found that fair officials improperly spent more than $1,200 on alcohol in violation of state rules<\/a>, overspent on hotels and allowed a manager<\/a> to employ a close family member. A 2025 state audit found additional violations of the state\u2019s nepotism policy<\/a>, along with $34,000 <\/a>in credit card charges without receipts, including $11,000 spent on food without a clear business purpose.<\/p>\n Eastern Sierra Tri-County Fair<\/p>\n A 2023 state audit found numerous violations of state rules, along with more than $60,000 <\/a>in \u201cunsupported\u201d credit card charges.<\/p>\n El Dorado County Fair<\/p>\n According to a 2019 El Dorado County grand jury report, the county was paying rent to a nonprofit to use property that was in fact owned by the county<\/a>.<\/p>\n Big Fresno Fair<\/p>\n A 2022 state audit found that employees used state gas to commute to and from work. The audit also found that the fair required vendors to pay an affiliated foundation, which then delivered tens of thousands of dollars in gift cards<\/a> to fair employees.<\/p>\n Humboldt County Fair<\/p>\n The fair\u2019s former bookkeeper pleaded guilty<\/a> last year to charges that she embezzled more than $400,000 from the fair.<\/p>\n Kern County Fair<\/p>\n The fair\u2019s former maintenance supervisor is facing criminal charges for allegedly stealing scrap metal. Separately, a state audit<\/a> found that the fair\u2019s chief executive and board members enjoyed lavish lobster dinners using state credit cards.<\/p>\n Kings Fair<\/p>\n A 2023 state audit found nepotism<\/a> in hiring and sloppy accounting <\/a>of credit card purchases and state fuel.<\/p>\n Lake County Fair<\/p>\n A 2024 audit<\/a> found that fair officials spent more than $4,000 on food and beverages in 2022 and 2023 without documenting a clear business purpose.<\/p>\n Los Angeles County Fair<\/p>\n A 2016 state audit<\/a> found the fair had paid its president more than $1 million in salary. The audit also found the fair was allowing dangerous housing conditions to persist at an RV park on fair grounds.<\/p>\n Fairgoers ride the Jumbo ride on the midway at the Los Angeles County Fair in Pomona in 2023.<\/p>\n (Allen J. Schaben \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n Merced County Fair<\/p>\n The fair did not keep track of unleaded fuel<\/a>, did not collect thousands of dollars it was owed<\/a> from a fair foundation and handed out tens of thousands of dollars in contracts without competitive<\/a> bidding or in some cases without a written agreement, according to a 2023 audit.<\/p>\n Monterey County Fair<\/p>\n A 2025 audit found numerous issues, including $87,000 in credit card charges<\/a> for which there were no receipts, along with purchases that auditors considered improper, including $4,320 for \u201cpersonal items,\u201d $3,588 for gift cards and $25,000 on food and beverages without proper documentation. The fair also allowed employees to live rent-free on the fairgrounds. In response, fair officials said they would \u201cattempt to collect repayment\u201d for improper purchases.<\/p>\n Mother Lode Fair<\/p>\n A 2024 audit found that officials did not have receipts for $4,000 spent<\/a> on state credit cards, along with a violation of state nepotism<\/a> rules.<\/p>\n Napa Valley Town and Country Fair<\/p>\n A 2024 audit found fair officials spent $14,000<\/a> on their credit cards without receipts, along with $27,000 on food <\/a>without providing a clear business purpose.<\/p>\n Orange County Fair<\/p>\n A 2019 state audit found that fair officials did not properly report it when an employee embezzled $9,000<\/a> and also that fair officials spent more than $200,000<\/a> on food and beverages in 2018 without keeping track of whom the meals were for or what purpose they served.<\/p>\n San Diego County Fair<\/p>\n In 2024, the fair paid $500,000<\/a> to settle a lawsuit accusing fair officials of rigging a bid for a multimillion-dollar carnival contract.<\/p>\n San Joaquin County Fair<\/p>\n A 2019 state audit<\/a> found that the fair could not account for more than $19,000 in state gas and also spent thousands of dollars in public money on \u201cinappropriate purchases\u201d of food and other items.<\/p>\n Santa Barbara County Fair and Exposition<\/p>\n Employees spent tens of thousands of dollars<\/a> buying gas and could not document it was all for state purposes, according to a 2022 audit.<\/p>\n Santa Clara County Fair<\/p>\n The fair\u2019s former director of marketing pleaded no contest<\/a> in June to taking $40,000 in kickbacks to award a security contract at the fair.<\/p>\n Santa Cruz County Fair<\/p>\n A 2022 state audit found that an employee spent $33,000 on gasoline and maintenance<\/a> for his personal vehicle, without documenting it was for official use.<\/p>\n Shasta District Fair<\/p>\n In 2024, Shasta County agreed to pay $300,000<\/a> to settle a lawsuit brought by a 9-year-old girl and her family after sheriff\u2019s deputies seized her goat so it could be butchered. The girl had raised the goat as part of the fair\u2019s agricultural program, then changed her mind about watching a beloved animal turn into meat. But fair officials refused to allow her to back out of her contract; instead the county dispatched deputies across Northern California in pursuit of the animal.<\/p>\n Jessica Long filed a lawsuit against the Shasta County Fair District and county officials after deputies used a search warrant to retrieve Cedar, her daughter\u2019s goat.<\/p>\n (Courtesy of Advancing Law For Animals)<\/p>\n Stanislaus County Fair<\/p>\n A 2023 audit found, among other things, that fair officials improperly used state credit cards on \u201clavish dinners\u201d for the fair\u2019s board of directors<\/a>, including prime rib and ribeye steaks. Fair employees also sold alcohol without a valid license<\/a>.<\/p>\n Tehama District Fair<\/p>\n A 2021 audit found $10,000 <\/a>in food and beverage purchases that lacked documentation.<\/p>\n Tulare County Fair<\/p>\n A 2020 state audit found that an employee was improperly reimbursed more than $20,000<\/a> for duplicate expenses and that state rules were not followed in numerous instances.<\/p>\n Ventura County Fair<\/p>\n In 2023, four men, including a man who worked for a payment company at the fair, pleaded guilty to stealing more than $500,000<\/a> in cash from a safe at the fair office.<\/p>\n Yolo County Fair<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
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