A 100-year lease on our fairgrounds? Show up Oct 28.

A company that's only months old, with no finished projects, wants up to 100 years on our fairgrounds. Under the agreement the fair board signed in August, the lease could run 50 years plus two 25-year renewals, at the company's option alone. The company told other fairgrounds its data centers would draw 8 to 10 megawatts, about the power of 7,000 to 9,000 homes. It hasn't given a number for Perris. Homes sit within half a mile of the fairgrounds.

As residents objected, the pitch changed. "Data center" became "compute center," and the sales talk turned to emergency response.

In September, more than 150 of us showed up at the fair board's meeting. Not one person spoke in favor. The Riverside Record reported that the board's president said the agreement would be on future agendas. It isn't on the agenda for Oct 28.

So on Wednesday, Oct 28, we go back, and we tell the board: no study, no lease, no data center. End the agreement. The board can't vote on it that day, but it will hear us, and it's the board's last meeting before its November 18 agenda is posted.

Other fairgrounds are already saying no.

In Ventura, residents packed their fair board's meetings, and in September that board voted 5 to 3 to end its agreement with the same company.

On Wednesday, October 21st, Santa Barbara's Earl Warren Showgrounds said it will not consider a data center on its property.

Perris has voted 5 to 0 to ban data centers citywide, including edge data centers, like this one proposed at the fairgrounds. But the ban can’t reach the fairgrounds, which is state land.

Now it’s our fair board’s turn.

Bring a sign. Make your own, or print one from SaveLakePerris.com. In September, people held their signs on the covered patio outside the meeting room, where the board could see them through the windows.

When and where: Wednesday, Oct 28, 4:00 pm, Administration Building Board Room, 18700 Lake Perris Drive, Perris. Enter at the palm-lined driveway off Lake Perris Drive, park beside the Administration building, and follow the signs to the meeting room.

If you come:

- Arrive by 3:45. Public comment comes right after the opening items, and the room is small, so early arrivals get the seats inside. In September, when it filled, people sat on the covered patio outside.

- To speak, ask staff at the door for a speaker card. In September, people in the room were called before people on Zoom.

- Say it your way. If you want words: "We don't want a data center at the Lake Perris Fairgrounds. End the agreement with Global Stack, and put it on your November 18 agenda."

- The board won't answer during public comment. That's normal under state law, but what you say will be heard by those attending and many others.

- If the board doesn't have a quorum, come anyway. In September, public comment went ahead without one.

- You don't have to speak, and you don't have to live in Perris. Every person there counts.

Check SaveLakePerris.com before you head out for any last-minute changes.

Can't come in person? Join on Zoom: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81337438988 (meeting ID 813 3743 8988) and raise your hand to speak. By phone, call +1 669 444 9171, enter the meeting ID, and press *9 to raise your hand. Or email the board before the meeting. The email is ready at SaveLakePerris.com.

Before the 28th:

- Bring one person. If everyone who came in September brings one more, we double the crowd. A text from someone they know works better than any post, and the site has a ready-made invite.

- Flyer your street, especially near the fairgrounds, where many neighbors still haven't heard. Print the half-sheet handout and leave it at the door, never in or on a mailbox. Tips are on the site.

Nothing has been approved, and this agreement can still be ended with 30 days' notice. Let's fill that room again, and the patio too. See you on the 28th.

Thank you to everyone who has signed. More than 2,300 people have signed so far. Everything is at SaveLakePerris.com, and for the latest news and updates, follow @SaveLakePerris on Instagram or facebook.com/SaveLakePerris or watch the full videos on Youtube.

En español: una empresa con apenas unos meses de existencia y sin ningún proyecto terminado quiere hasta 100 años en nuestro recinto ferial. En septiembre, más de 150 personas fueron a la reunión de la junta de la feria y nadie habló a favor. Aun así, el acuerdo no está en la agenda del 28 de octubre. Por eso volvemos, con más gente, a decirle a la junta: ni estudio, ni arrendamiento, ni centro de datos. Que termine el acuerdo. Ventura ya terminó su acuerdo con la misma empresa, y el Earl Warren Showgrounds de Santa Bárbara acaba de decir que no considerará un centro de datos en su propiedad. Ven el miércoles 28 de octubre a las 4:00 pm (llega antes de las 3:45) a la Sala de juntas del edificio de Administración, 18700 Lake Perris Drive. Trae un letrero; puedes imprimir uno en SaveLakePerris.com/es. Para hablar, pide una tarjeta al personal en la puerta. Si la junta no tiene quórum, ven de todos modos: en septiembre, los comentarios del público se llevaron a cabo sin quórum. No tienes que hablar ni vivir en Perris; todos son bienvenidos. Revisa SaveLakePerris.com/es antes de salir por si hay cambios. ¿No puedes ir en persona? Conéctate por Zoom: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81337438988 (ID 813 3743 8988), o llama al +1 669 444 9171 y marca *9 para levantar la mano. También puedes escribirle a la junta: SaveLakePerris.com/es. Trae a una persona.