Fact Brief: Is the Santa Clara County Fair put on by a private organization?

Yes.

The Santa Clara County Fair is hosted and run by a private organization, the Fair Management Corporation since 1995. FMC is a nonprofit five-member board of directors that is separate from the county, where two directors are appointed by the county Board of Supervisors and three directors are county employees appointed by County Executive’s Office.  

 This change was made in May after the county argued there was too little oversight of FMC and long-term planning for the fairgrounds. 

The first fair took place in 1944 and grew in popularity peaking in 1967 when attendance topped 360,000 over the 10-day festival. At one point, it was the third largest in California.

In the 1990s, financial instability and mismanagement of the fairgrounds led FMC’s predecessor to declare bankruptcy in 1994. 

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Sources

• Fair Grounds Heritage Foundation Santa Clara County Santa Clara County Fair History
• County Of Santa Clara Grand Jury Report Santa Clara COunty Fairgrounds management Corporation