Sonoma County supervisors are set to vote Tuesday, September 15, on whether to give the fairgrounds' longtime operator a one-year contract instead of the usual five, a stopgap move officials say is needed while they figure out how to fill the financial hole left by the end of live horse racing. The county has contracted with Sonoma County Fair and Exposition Inc. to run the Santa Rosa fairgrounds since 1955, and the current five-year deal, last renewed in 2021, is set to expire.
County Administrator David Guhin is recommending the board renew the operator's contract through September 30, 2027, rather than lock in another five-year term, according to The Press Democrat. Guhin has said the loss of horse racing has hit fair attendance and revenue hard, and the shorter deal is meant to buy time to negotiate a new long-term agreement while the county completes planning for the fairgrounds' future. That future contract would also consolidate a tangle of existing arrangements — including the fairgrounds operating agreement, Veterans Memorial Building agreements, parking arrangements, and a Verizon telecommunications lease — into a single framework with clearer roles and responsibilities, the paper reports.
Nearly 90 Years of Racing Comes to an End
Racing at the Sonoma County Fair was called off after the 2024 season, closing out a tradition that had spanned almost 90 years. The decision followed the permanent closure of Golden Gate Fields in Albany in June 2024, according to the Daily Racing Form. Golden Gate Fields had long served as Northern California's primary commercial racetrack, and its shutdown, paired with a sharp decline in the region's racehorse population, left Santa Rosa without a viable circuit to plug into.
The collapse wasn't isolated to Sonoma. The California Horse Racing Board rejected fair racing applications for Humboldt and Tehama counties, per the Paulick Report. Track closures across the region affected Bay Area trainers, with some relocating to Southern California or other circuits.
The Money Problem Racing Left Behind
The numbers tell the story of what disappeared with racing. The loss of horse racing affected admissions, parking, concessions, food and beverage sales, and sponsorships, and alcoholic beverage sales alone declined 15% to 20%, the fairgrounds operator's report noted, according to the Press Democrat's account. Sonoma County Fair and Exposition reported a $1.3 million net loss from the 2025 fair, based on a presentation by Matthew Daly on August 4.
This year's numbers didn't improve matters. The 2026 Sonoma County Fair drew 81,859 gate ticket scans during its 10-day run, a preliminary tally showed, marking a 7% decline from 2025's 88,050 scans. Overall 2026 fair revenue fell an estimated 8% to 9% from the prior year, per Daly, and the operator projected a $937,650 net loss for its 2026 budget. Daly has said the operator may find it difficult to hit its own $8.7 million revenue projection for 2026, a steep drop from the $11.3 million in fair revenue recorded in 2024 tax filings. The 2027 fair is set to return to its traditional late-July dates.
Two Sports Leagues Circling the Racetrack
With the oval sitting idle, county and city officials have spent the better part of a year courting sports leagues to fill the void. Sonoma County joined negotiations with the United Soccer League, mirroring an earlier agreement from the City of Santa Rosa to evaluate the fairgrounds for a multi-purpose stadium seating at least 5,000 spectators plus an entertainment district, according to the City of Santa Rosa. The negotiations were also reported by NorthBay biz.
That soccer proposal, though, hinges on something the county can't control. A July 2026 update from Santa Rosa noted negotiations remain contingent on the United Soccer League identifying a prospective team owner before moving past preliminary feasibility studies, since USL expansion requires private ownership partners to anchor franchise development. The exclusive negotiation agreements between the county, the city, and the league are set to expire September 17, 2026, per the Press Democrat, giving the sides only days of runway before the current arrangement lapses.
Andrew Sturmfels has said the one-year fairgrounds contract would give staff room to keep working with the board committee exploring long-term investment options at the site, according to the Press Democrat's reporting. Meanwhile, the Pioneer Baseball League has expressed interest in constructing a baseball facility adjacent to the Jockey Club at the fairgrounds. The league had 12 teams, with Oakland and Davis participation, a Davis-to-Marysville move, and a new Modesto club. Nearby, the Santa Rosa Jockey Club site is also part of the fairgrounds property.
If talks with the Pioneer Baseball League don't pan out, Sonoma County may consider other opportunities for the horse-track area through a request for proposals led by the county's Economic Development Collaborative agency.
A Site With More Than One Job
The proposed one-year deal would be shorter than Sonoma County's standard cycle. Whatever comes next has to work around the fairgrounds' other role: the 200-acre site serves as an emergency evacuation site during wildfires and natural disasters, according to the Sonoma County Fair & Event Center.
Off-season commercial bookings, which help supplement thin fair admissions revenue, have also taken a hit. Cannabis trade show Hall of Flowers, which launched at the fairgrounds in 2018, relocated its Northern California show to Sacramento for the fall 2026 show, scheduled for November 4-5, a loss for the fairgrounds. The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to take up Guhin's contract recommendation at its meeting Tuesday, September 15.
