Fairgrounds CEO Fired
The Del Mar Fair Board of Directors voted 8-1 to fire Chief Executive Officer Carlene Moore at their meeting Tuesday. Only Director Phil Blair voted against the action, which occurred during a closed session lasting over 4 hours.
Carlene Moore was appointed CEO in 2019 and helped the Fairgrounds survive the impacts of the COVID pandemic, including no fair in 2020 and a much smaller event in 2021. The survival strategy required a major reduction in permanent staff, and a tightening of financial controls.
These steps allowed the Fairgrounds to survive and return to financial stability, but Moore’s tenure was also marked by significant claims of mismanagement, including litigation by Talley Amusements that claimed she improperly changed the scoring of bids, resulting in a $500,000 settlement to Talley; claims by some workers of retaliation and a negative work environment, and the repayment of $5.6 million to the Paycheck Protection Program after the U.S. Attorney’s Office disputed the Fair’s eligibility for the funds.
During the public comment period before the closed session, several speakers criticized Moore’s performance as CEO.
Russ Penniman, who served on the board for 16 years including two terms as president, spoke of concerns he’d heard from former employees about a toxic work environment. Penniman mentioned a lawsuit filed in September 2025 by CAO Melinda Carmichael alleging a hostile work environment, retaliation, and harassment under Moore’s leadership. He also referred to a letter sent to the board by four HR professionals detailing the same toxic culture.
Donna Rhum, who worked for the 22nd DAA for 29 years as Commercial Director, managing the food, commercial vendor, and midway programs also spoke during public comment. She spoke of how, in the spring of 2020, 60% of staff were terminated with no visible regret,” and that “long-serving employees felt discarded and betrayed.”
Recent meetings of the Fair Board have criticized Moore for her handling of the negotiations with the City of Del Mar about affordable housing on the Fairgrounds property. Del Mar City Manager Ashley Jones had these comments about the firing of Moore:
“With regard to the transition of executive management for the District, the City is committed to doing our part to maintain a collaborative and positive working relationship with District leadership. We look forward to working with the District Board and staff to ensure our mutual efforts, including consideration of affordable housing on District property, continue to move forward in a timely and coordinated manner.”
Board Member Phil Blair, who voted to retain Moore as CEO, had the following comment:
“Carlene Moore is a very capable CEO and we all wish her well going forward in a new leadership role.”
Board Chair Sam Nejabat will serve as interim CEO effective immediately.
