40 of us can't make a difference, or can we?

Dear friends and supporters of my petition, I was about to let my petition on changing the Lt. Governors office to an office dedicated to envisioning California's future expire. But I decided not to close it just yet. Partly because I think it is still a good, even if impossible, idea. But there is a more important reason, one which has to do with something an "Office of the Future" might be working on right now, but since we don't have such an office.... The State Fair (Cal Expo) is of little interest to anyone anymore. Its a theme-park, a left over-carnival, a race track, a water slide, a few tired sales showcases (gun shows, RV shows, Home & Garden shows....). Nothing that couldn't happen elsewhere and little that really has much to do with the actual mission of a State Fair, or people beyond the Sacramento area. I had another vision (The CEAV Project) for public use of that land. I saw those 600 acres, and a lot of the undeveloped land beyond its borders as a world showcase and exposition for the advanced environmental technologies and practices of the 21st century and beyond. A permanent and evolving world's fair, and much more--one which could proactively accelerate and promote the invention and use of the tools and practices we will need to save this planet and clean up the messes we have created. Done right, it could become the center stage of what Obama called "The prize of the 21st Century". -- the exhibition and advancement of everything from alternative energy, clean water, natural habitat to issues of climate change, ocean health, soil and forest management and a myriad of other subjects of importance to our planetary health and preservation. It could certainly put California center-stage in those efforts. But if Cal Expo has its way, that's not going to happen. In fact the CEAV concept or any other idea for truly state-wide use of that land as a public commons for all the people of California to use and enjoy, will soon be foreclosed forever. Hidden behind local headlines about putting a soccer field and other theme-park amenities at Cal Expo (which also have nothing to do with any state-wide benefit or purpose for that property) is their real fixation -- to sell large chunks of the land that was entrusted to them for the benefit of the whole state, to private interests and developers who wish to cash in and pave it over with their commercial real estate, housing and other market-valued schemes. That's been the real intention of Cal Expo all along. And this time, they are moving quickly in the direction of making it so. They may succeed, this time. When they are done, my vision or yours for an appropriate use of the last large, undeveloped urban public commons in the state won't matter. The opportunity will be gone, given away to a few very local, narrow self-interests. And it won't be coming back, not anytime soon. Probably not ever. Likely, some other place, some other country will have gotten the idea and made it theirs. What can you do? Probably little. But I thought I'd mention it on the odd chance a few of the supporters of this petition might know some other people with influence or appropriate skill-sets who might step forward and stop this disaster before it goes any further. If you would like a small FAQ sheet on the CEAV Project vision for Cal Expo, you can email me at editor@saczee.com and I'd be glad to send it to you. Thanks for reading, omoiyari and Happy New Year to you all. - Red