The Great Western Show has been providing entertainment for 100,000 members of the public each year for 22 years at Fairplex in Pomona without ever having had a major incident of any kind. The lawsuit seeks relief for violation of the U.S. Constitution and the California Constitution, along with damages for deprivation of civil rights.
Constitutional issues center around both commercial free speech and non-commercial free speech.
Civil rights issues center around a variety of constitutional issues and rights and protections associated with freedom of speech and association, due process, equal protection, and protections against the impairment of contracts. Great Western Shows is asking the court to rule that the County ordinance is invalid and unenforceable under both state and federal constitutions. Great Western Shows also is seeking preliminary and permanent injunctions restraining the County and its agents from enforcing any provisions of the ordinance. Supervisor Yaroslavsky voted to close the Show ultimately because of a single illegal transaction, conducted by way of a sting operation, allegedly performed by one of those exhibitors after the show and at an off-site location. The Great Western Show is the largest and most popular event held at Fairplex each year, second only to the Los Angeles County Fair itself.