The Del Mar City Council "felt the love" from the overwhelming
majority of those who attended its first public meeting on a potential
purchase of the Del Mar Fairgrounds since news broke of the deal two
weeks ago.
About ten people addressed the council during its update on the $120
million purchase agreement with the governor's office for the
fairgrounds, all but one expressing complete support.
Del Mar had been negotiating with the state since July 2009, after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said he may be willing to sell the fairgrounds to help cash-strapped California cope with its budget crisis. The vast majority of these discussions took place in closed-session.
Del Mar Mayor Richard Earnest said the governor's office had
"muzzled" the City Council, keeping it from sharing details on the
purchase. What has become public is that Del Mar, the County's smallest
city, would finance the agreement three ways: selling bonds, a loan
from the state, and a prepaid, 55-year lease with a group of horsemen
led by Michael Pegram, a Del Mar resident who owns 2010 Prekaness Stakes winner Lookin at Lucky.
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