The sands have shifted for the Orange County fairgrounds board just as they were attempting to vie for the governor’s attention and offer a proposal to share more revenues with the state from fair operations.

The proposal was scheduled to have a hearing on the proposal at today’s monthly meeting of the fair board. That’s not going to happen.

According to sources close to the governor’s office, the message came over last night to members of the fair board: the discussion is over, even before it began.

Fair officials have already confirmed that the proposal has been tabled.

Now that Costa Mesa has stepped forward and given a concrete plan for buying the fairgrounds, the governor is telling all other bidders or interested parties that they’re out of luck.

— NORBERTO SANTANA JR.

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