North County Report: Del Mar Fairgrounds CEO Had Rocky History 

Last week, I received a surprising press release from the Del Mar Fairgrounds in my inbox. 

“22nd DAA Board votes to part ways with CEO,” the presser said. 

The 22nd District Agricultural Association Board of Directors, which oversees the Del Mar Fairgrounds, voted in a closed session meeting on April 14 to fire its CEO Carlene Moore. The board also named Board Chairman Sam Nejabat as interim CEO for 10 days. 

Fairgrounds officials gave no reasons for Moore’s termination. 

Some residents have speculated to me that it could be a response to a string of scandals and lawsuits the Del Mar Fairgrounds has faced during Moore’s six years as CEO. We’ll get into that, but first I want to look back further—before Moore came to the Del Mar Fairgrounds. 

Trouble in Calistoga 

Moore joined the 22nd DAA as deputy general manager in 2019. Before that, she was CEO of the Napa County Fairgrounds in Calistoga for nine years.  

Leading up to her departure from Napa County, she wasn’t a favorite among some Calistoga residents. 

The Napa County Fairgrounds, which is home to the Napa County Fair, a speedway and a golf course, faced serious decline during Moore’s tenure, according to a Grand Jury Report from May 2017. (Grand Juries like the one in this case are local citizens commissions that have some power to audit local institutions. They are not a part of the court system.) The Fairgrounds faced a structural budget deficit, deteriorating infrastructure and a gradual decline in attendance. 

The Grand Jury found the Fairgrounds in a “disturbing” state, the report noted.  

It found pervasive “neglect and lack of maintenance” affecting “every element of the Fairgrounds properties, including the buildings, the grounds, and all the facilities intended for public use,” the report continued. “Further, the Grand Jury found a disconcerting lack of transparency in the financial reporting of the Fairgrounds Association and signs of divisiveness in the conduct of its Board of Directors.” 

When the Grand Jury released the report in 2017, the Fairgrounds revenue had not exceeded its expenses since 2011. Moore became CEO in January 2010.  

Some residents blamed Moore for the Fairground’s troubles. News reports from Moore’s last few years in Calistoga detail a growing resentment from many community members toward her leadership.  

For example, during a Napa County Fair Association Board of Directors meeting in August 2017, one resident named Ted Surber said he thought the problems with the fairgrounds started when Moore took over management, according to a 2017 report by the Napa Valley Register. 

“Since she came here, this fairgrounds has gone steady downhill. We’ve all seen it happen. The fair manager needs to be able to handle a lot of different hats and have a lot of experience … this is a hard job here, you’re running a big business. Uh uh, she can’t do it,” he said. 

Another resident, Scott Atkinson, called for Moore’s resignation at the same meeting. 

Eventually, in 2018, the Napa County Fairgrounds shut down a majority of its operations before completely shutting down in 2020. Moore started working at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in February 2019 as a deputy general manager, before becoming interim CEO and eventually CEO. 

 In 2024, the city of Calistoga purchased the dilapidated Fairgrounds from the county of Napa, and it’s now known as the Calistoga Fairgrounds. Calistoga officials have said it may take several years before the Fairgrounds can be used again because it’s in need of significant infrastructure repairs. 

Trouble at the Del Mar Fairgrounds 

Criticism of Moore’s leadership has continued at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, even up until her last day. 

At the April 14 22nd DAA board meeting, several public speakers urged the board to fire Moore. 

Former board president Russ Penniman told the board there was widespread dissatisfaction with Moore among longtime staff members. And Donna Ruhm, a former commercial director for the San Diego County Fair, said she retired after the 2021 fair because of what she called toxic leadership. 

And that’s not all. I recently wrote about the Fairgrounds getting hit with another lawsuit just last week. 

Brad Oates is suing the agency for age discrimination, wrongful termination and rest and meal break violations, according to a complaint filed on April 16, two days after Moore was fired. He alleged Moore passed him over for a job because of his age and hired her nephew instead.  

Last year, former fairgrounds executive Melinda Carmichael also sued the Del Mar Fairgrounds and the 22nd DAA alleging retaliation and a toxic work environment.  

Moore was also at the center of that complaint.  

In her 2025 complaint, Carmichael stated that, starting in 2022, she repeatedly raised concerns of alleged illegal conduct, racist remarks and other actions by a former human resources director. But Carmichael faced retaliation for her complaints from Moore, she claims.   

In 2024, the Farigrounds agreed to pay the federal government $5.5 million to settle allegations it had received funds from the pandemic-related Paycheck Protection Program even though it was not eligible. 

In 2021, the Fairgrounds and 22nd DAA faced a lawsuit from carnival operator Talley Amusements, which alleged that Moore and Fairgrounds officials rigged a contract process to ensure that a different carnival operator would get the exclusive rights to run the games and rides at the County Fair.  

That lawsuit eventually settled in court with the Del Mar Fairgrounds having to pay $500,000 to Talley Amusements.  

Have any information, tips or story ideas you want to share? Email me at tigist@vosd.org. 

In Other News 

• California Attorney General Rob Bonta and the San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians are both suing the city of Poway because the city allegedly violated environmental law by letting construction proceed on a housing development where Native American remains and artifacts have been found. (Union-Tribune) 
• Oceanside is considering using some funds from its half-cent sales tax measure, Measure X, for a homeless outreach program made up of case managers and social workers, which would replace the Oceanside Police Department’s current Homeless Outreach Team. (Coast News) 

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