Welcome to 408MX!

Hey guys, I am new in the area and the only place I have rode is 408 mx. Sad to ask, but where else is there to ride?

I finally sent off my response to Supervisor Chavez's form letter

Good morning Supervisor Chavez,

Thank you for taking the time in responding to my concerns. I must however dispute your facts and I encourage you to look further into this matter.

I understand that the agreement is with FMC who manages the property on behalf of the County.

According to our records, in December 2017, FMC and the 408MX discussed a new rate and the 408MX owner was asked to pay 10%. The operator didn’t think he could make the new rent and was hoping for a rent reduction so he declined. However, after communicating with some riders, an investor came forward and agreed to pay the increase. 408MX contacted FMC two days later to let them know the 10% increase was acceptable, 408MX continued to email FMC, who never responded nor returned the phone call. This was well before the current lease ended. 408MX rate was $6,000 a month and the 10% increase would have put them at $6600. Unfortunately no one from FMC contacted the 408MX owner and his lease ended. As for the current rates, paintball, they are paying under $8,000 a month for their 9+ acres and your new offer as you are saying is a New Lease to 408mx was $25,000 for a dirt lot without a building.

I am completely disappointed because I took the time to attend the Board of Supervisors meeting on January 9, 2018. I understood the Board was going to look into the matter but instead - nothing has been done. The facts you have provided are not accurate.

Finally, I filed a Public record request on December 26th asking for any and all correspondence between the supervisors and FMC regarding 408mx and I still have not received anything. Under California State Law, the County is required to respond to my request within 10 days. Can you please ensure that my request for public records is fulfilled as required by state law. I would like to expand my request to include any correspondence between FMC and any and all County staff and FMC and the Board of Supervisors from December 1, 2017 to present.

Selena Copeland ... See more

Here is the email I received from Cindy Chavez.

Good afternoon, thank you for contacting me about the 408MX facility at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds. I have reached out to the Fairgrounds Management Corporation (FMC) to learn as much as I could about this situation.



First some background: The company that operated the 408MX facility had an agreement, not with the County, but with the Fairgrounds Management Corporation (FMC). FMC is the entity that manages the Fairgrounds property for the County. The County Management Agreement requires FMC to adopt a balanced budget and to host the Annual County Fair. The Annual County Fair operates at a loss and requires a subsidy. The Board of Supervisors expects FMC to charge rents that reflect market-level rates for use of Fairgrounds land so that FMC can achieve its obligation of achieving a balanced budget, including fully funding the annual County Fair. This way, the Fair can provide the opportunity for youth agricultural competitions (4H, etc.) without direct tax payer support.

In December 2017, the 408MX operator gave notice to the FMC that he would be vacating the property. He informed the FMC that the 408MX business was losing money and further communicated with the FMC Executive Director on how best to level his track area. Accordingly, the FMC accepted his termination notice and began to look for tenants to fill the space. The FMC is now entertaining multiple offers for use of this land.

In late December, media reports began to surface which charged that the 408MX operation was “kicked off” the Fairgrounds; this surprised FMC, because it was the operator who gave his notice, not the FMC. At the January 9 Board of Supervisors meeting, members of the public expressed concern about the closure of the 408MX facility. Informed that a meeting was scheduled for late that day between the new partnership (former 408MX operator and a new investor) and the Fairgrounds, the Board asked for a future report on those talks.



At that meeting, the FMC offered the new partnership the opportunity to rent the former 408MX space for $2,500 per acre. Other Fairgrounds tenant companies are paying as much as $8,000 per acre. The former 408MX operator had offered to pay $650 per acre, about 8% of market value. FMC’s reduced price offer to the former 408MX operator expired on January 25 without an agreement by the former 408MX operator.



I understand your disappointment with the closure of the 408MX facility at the Fairgrounds.



I also appreciate how much you value motocross as a recreational opportunity. The County does value providing a wide range of recreational opportunities to our residents. Currently, our County Parks facilities offer hiking, horse riding, fishing, rowing, camping, field sports, golf, archery, and even disc golf and model airfields. Among the riding sports, we offer a Motorcycle Park and a velodrome. However, there remain many growing sports that we do not currently accommodate, including curling, cricket, and, now, motocross. I will keep your particular experience with motocross in mind as we seek to expand our offerings.



Again, thank you for reaching out to share your views.





Cindy Chavez

County of Santa Clara Board of Supervisors, District Two

70 West Hedding Street, San Jose, CA 95110

(T) (408) 299-5020 (F) 408 295-8642 ... See more