STATE REJECTS ALL FAIRGROUNDS BIDS!

FAIRGROUNDS SALE BIDS REJECTED
The Daily Pilot reports, HERE, that the state Department of General Services has rejected ALL seven bids for the sale of the Orange County Fair and Events Center!

"NOT IN BEST INTERESTS..."
According to Mona Shadia's article, the letter to the governor indicated that the offers, "are not in the best interest of the citizens of California because they do not obtain the highest and most certain return for the state."

LEASE/PURCHASE NOW AN OPTION?
This may mean that the rumored lease purchase agreement being knocked around by Costa Mesa city officials might actually have a chance of succeeding.

Calls to the City Manager for comment went unanswered. * I did hear from Allan Roeder this evening. My comment above was misleading... when I called his office around 3:15 this afternoon he was juggling other calls like the proverbial one-armed paper hanger. Because I hoped to get this entry published quickly, and because of him being deluged with other calls, I didn't really expect to hear from him before I pushed the "Publish" button. I didn't leave word for him to call me. If I had, I know he would have done so promptly. I didn't view my call as a priority for him.


FOLEY "ECSTATIC"
I did speak with Councilwoman Katrina Foley, who was ecstatic, in her words. She said this just shows what can happen when "the people" band together and make their views known - the politicians listen. She expressed gratitude to all those diverse constituencies who banded together to fight this effort to sell the Fairgrounds. She was especially effusive about the efforts by Assemblyman Jose Solorio and his staff.

WAY TO GO!
Congratulations to all those hard-working folks who marched, gathered signatures, created web sites and provided leadership to fight the sale - even Jim Righeimer!

*(UPDATE) DGS WILL CONTINUE TO WORK ON SALE
It's clear from the letter from the DGS to Schwarzenegger that they plan to move briskly to find a way to sell the Fairgrounds. With that in mind, (and with the words of Mayor Mansoor today in which he reminded us that this is not over ringing in our ears) the celebratory press conference called by Sandra Genis' Orange County Fairgrounds Preservation Society scheduled at The Fairgrounds Centennial Farms location at 10:00 a.m. Thursday, March 18th (tomorrow) may be a muted affair.