Kelly Olds out as chief executive of San Joaquin County Fair

STOCKTON — After just four years overseeing operations at the San Joaquin County Fair, Chief Executive Kelly Olds has been removed from his post.

The 2nd District Agricultural Association, which manages the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds, on Friday voted to relieve Olds of his duties.

In an email response to The Record Friday afternoon, Olds said he had no comment, except “to express my hope that the community supports the Fair because it is an asset to the city of Stockton and the County of San Joaquin can not afford to lose.”

Olds, 70, was hired as fair CEO in 2014, taking over from Janet Covello.

He was tasked with managing all the events that take place at the fairgrounds, including the Delta Speedway, the Stockton Flea Market and various car shows and festivals.

One of his first duties as CEO in 2014 was revamping the San Joaquin County Fair, which was canceled that year due to declining profits. The fair returned in 2016.

Before taking the helm of the fair, Olds was CEO of Visalia-based Provisions Food Co., a wholesale food distributor; CEO of Driftwood Dairy in El Monte, which supplied milk for the Los Angeles Unified School District; and a vice president with Super Store Industries. Phone calls to board President Joe Bacchetti and board member Sam Fant were not returned. Board member Judy Rodriguez did not respond to email inquiries.