For the first time in years, San Francisco will have an official presence -- complete with cable car -- in the Hall of Counties at the California State Fair in Sacramento.

Getting there wasn't nearly as simple as people might think, said Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, who helped with the effort to bring the city back to the fair, which opened Wednesday.

"At first it looked easy, but then one barrier after another would come up," she said. "But it got done."

Work started last year when Bob Twomey, Ma's district director, wondered why San Francisco didn't have an exhibit at the fair when most of the state's 58 counties were represented. Interns at Ma's office then worked on determining what was required and finding people who could help. That included finding a way to get an authentic cable car from San Francisco to Sacramento.

In the end, it took the combined effort of groups like the San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Chamber of Commerce, the Municipal Transportation Agency, the sign display union and the stagehands union to finance, design, build and transport the exhibit, which will promote the city and its attractions.

Total cost, including transportation, was about $3,500, but some of that money may be coming back if the city's exhibit can win some of the various awards offered by the fair for things like content, marketability, craftsmanship, creativity and use of technology, Ma said.

The county exhibits have been a popular part of the fair since they were introduced in the late 1800s. The fair will run until Aug. 1, with information available at www.bigfun.org.