Our system of “county-fairs” is one of California’s most under-appreciated assets, brought to the forefront during the current fires raging through parts of the state. In an opinion piece published this week, Mariposa County Supervisor and former RCRC Chair, Kevin Cann, explains that fairground facilities are emergency operations centers; temporary housing for people who have been evacuated and/or lost their homes; secure housing for horses, livestock and other animals during emergencies; and, most importantly, a staging facility for firefighting crews and equipment. Cann sheds light on the State’s long-standing lack of investment in fairground facilities, advising that “the State is seeking to shut down or otherwise disinvest in them, even while utilizing these spaces to protect the health and welfare of firefighting crews doing battle in the current, disastrous fire season.”
Read the full opinion piece here.