The 487-acre Fairplex in Pomona is seen as a lifestyle destination center.
Having been one of the kids bused to the Los Angeles County Fair to experience a different life, Miguel A. Santana, City Administrative Officer for the City of Los Angeles, couldn’t be more stoked with his new job as president and Chief Executive Officer of the Los Angeles County Fair Association (LACFA), the private nonprofit association that manages the 487-acre Fairplex in Pomona, Calif.
Miguel A. Santana, president and CEO, Los Angeles County Fair Association
Especially exciting to Santana is the mandate to grow Fairplex into a lifestyle destination, from developing the farm at Fairplex, a working organic garden, into more of a year-round education experience to hosting recreational soccer on the ground’s new soccer fields opening in March. Michael Ortiz, LACFA board chair and interim president while the fair searched for a replacement for Jim Henwood, who resigned in April calls Santana perfectly suited for the job at hand.
Santana takes charge Jan. 17, at which point Ortiz hopes to re-enter his retirement. The goal had been to place a new manager before the September fair, which drew 1,350,000 people, but it was not to happen. “He did come to the fair, though,” Ortiz said.
Santana will be paid a base salary of $485,000 annually and will be eligible for up to 10 percent of that in bonuses based on performance goals and objectives. He will also receive a one-time $25,000 signing bonus.
Henwood’s salary was much publicized prior to his departure, a fact Ortiz still finds amazing given the fact his compensation was independently assessed as proper for the job he was doing. Santana is making sure everything is transparent.
“He’s managed a $9 billion budget for the city and handled the leases with the convention center and coliseum,” Ortiz noted. He was chief of staff for Gloria Molena, county supervisor whose responsibilities included Fairplex. His background as well as his compensation is perfectly aligned for the job at hand, Ortiz said.
“I’m very familiar with the fair and Fairplex,” Santana said. “I lived for 20 years in Claremont. Pomona is a place I’m very familiar with.”
His goal is to see Fairplex grow as a learning and entertainment center — a lifestyle center — for a broader community. “Millions of families have fond memories of what L.A. County was before we became such a populated urban region. Fairplex is our town square; it’s a public asset. People can come to work, play and learn, all on the same campus.”
Ortiz added that they are both committed to addressing the issue of involving the millennials, a demographic that is somewhat missing. “They are interested in growing their own food and in a different lifestyle." Fairplex has a lot to offer that generation. Ortiz also said only about one third of the estimated 4 million guests at Fairplex each year come during the fair.
The executive search was handled by Stewart Spencer, which lined up 9 finalists from a field of nearly 40 candidates. "It was a good experience all around," Ortiz said.
Santana, 47, has spent 24 years in county and city government. He was dubbed "LA's Mr. Fix-it" by Los Angeles Magazine. Santana spent 16 years in county government, where he rose to become a Deputy Chief Executive Officer overseeing several social service agencies whose annual budgets exceeded $9 billion a year. He was recruited to the city in 2009 by former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and as City Administrative Officer worked to restore the city's finances.
Santana, who reports both to the Mayor and the 15-member City Council, was reappointed by Mayor Eric Garcetti in 2013. Since then, Santana worked to strengthen the City's bond rating and developed a comprehensive strategy, in coordination with the county, to address the region's homeless crisis.
According to the press release, "Santana’s selection comes at an important time in the relationship between LACFA and the county, its landlord, as recent audits have suggested an evaluation of the Association’s lease agreement. Santana, who has a 20-year working relationship with First District Supervisor Hilda Solis and long-term ties countywide, is looking forward to hitting the reset button on LACFA's nearly 80-year partnership with the County."
In his city role, he also dealt with issues common to both fairs and cities, like accessibility, security and traffic control.
He also told Venues Today he is committed to getting to know and learning from his peers in the venues industry. "It’s important to learn from your colleagues in this industry just as I did by talking to other city managers here,” he said. “There is a huge value in being connected.”
Santana earned a Master's Degree in Public Administration from Harvard University and earned his B.A. in Sociology and Latin American Studies from Whittier College.
He also serves on the boards of the United Way of Los Angeles, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), Discovery Cube Los Angeles and LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes.
Interviewed for this story: Michael Ortiz, (909) 865-4201; Miguel Santana, (213) 473-7533