STUDY CONTINUES ON HOUSING

Proposal involves installing temporary homes for vets at Del Mar Fairgrounds; residents say services too far away

Del Mar Fairgrounds officials are continuing their investigation of a proposal to install temporary housing for homeless veterans and their families on the state-owned property, despite widespread opposition from nearby residents.

The idea, first presented to the 22nd District Agricultural Association board in May, calls for installing somewhere between 200 and 1,200 temporary modular buildings. The operator would provide security and housekeeping services, a kitchen and a cafeteria, recreational rooms, medical care and counseling services.

Fair board members have said the housing program, in addition to helping the homeless, could provide a new source of revenue for the district.

Fairgrounds in California and across the United States are struggling financially under the ban on large gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 22nd DAA expects its revenue to be down 90 percent this year, and it plans to lay off 60 percent of its full-time staff in October.

Gov. Gavin Newsom suggested in his State of the State address in February that state-owned properties such as the fairgrounds could be leased to local governments for shelters or other homeless services.

He also proposed allocating up to $750 million in state money, on top of previous allocations, to expand homeless services and get more people into housing.

A small and relatively unknown Los Angeles company, Fixx Solutions, presented the unsolicited idea to the board.

The company made a similar proposal in March to the small Northern California town of Oroville, according to a story in the Chico Enterpriserecord newspaper. One Oroville City Council member said the shelter could be a “game-changer” for the Butte County region, which had 2,300 homeless people in March 2019, but a majority of the council opposed the idea.

So far, the Del Mar fair board has held only preliminary discussions and made no commitment to the housing idea.

“The concept of temporary or lowincome housing was simply that, a concept,” said fair board member Kathlyn Mead, who serves on an ad hoc committee that is studying the idea. “We are considering a lot of other options ... to generate revenue and jobs for staff affected by the crisis.”

The most likely site for the housing appears to be at the Del Mar Horsepark, a 65-acre equestrian facility about 3 miles east of the fairgrounds at the corner of El Camino Real and Via de la Valle. Another possible location is the fairgrounds’ recreational vehicle lot near the tennis courts on Jimmy Durante Boulevard.

Mead and Director Lisa Barkett were appointed in June to the ad hoc committee created to study the hous

K.C. ALFRED U-T Fair board officials say creating temporary housing for the homeless on the fairgrounds could help bring in some revenue that's lacking due to events canceled during the pandemic.