Since it appear that invited teams outnumber teams going through the qualification process- why not make it an Invitational Tournament and have set qualifications to be invited? To avoid the accusations of favoritism etc...., just set a criteria of how to get invited. You can still draw from top teams and attract more top teams from outside California(while still maintaing the terrific Socal location) Earlier notice will also allow teams to better budget and fundraise to get there. I understand the play to get in concept, but since that does not seem to be the reality anyway-why stick with it?
Here's an example, but I am sure there are many other ways to come to a similar solution-
Here's who would be invited:
Top 25 previous year PGF Teams
Top 10 ASA National Finishers
Top 5 NSA National Finishers
Top 5 USSSA National Finishers
Top 2 TCS WS finisher
PONY National Champ
LL National Champ
10 at large bids
perhaps 2-3 international invites
Other orgs not mentioned might also be added
Any team not finishing in the TOP 25 would excluded for the following years PGF
This will help keep a nice rotation of very good teams and rotate out those that do not compete. It keeps other tournaments and organizations relevant, but establishes PGF as the "Premier" place to go and introduces it to a much larger audience than it has now.
JMO