[Kern County] Grand jury recommends City Council select sales tax committee members at 'random' for fairness and transparency

A Kern County grand jury is saying members of Bakersfield’s sales tax oversight committee should have been chosen through “random drawings” to ensure fairness and transparency in the selection process.

In a report released Wednesday, the grand jury detailed its investigation into the process the Bakersfield City Council went through to choose the nine members of the independent oversight committee.

In several rounds of voting that occurred in February, the council used a unique approach to whittle down the 82 Bakersfield residents that applied for a position on the committee.

During the first round, each council member voted for nine of the applicants. Any of the applicants who received four or more votes were given a position on the committee, and those who did not receive any votes were eliminated.

The rounds continued until all nine positions had been filled.

“The voting process was used in hopes that only the ‘best of the best were selected,’” the report said.

However, at the end of the voting process, seven of the nine committee members had been chosen from a list provided to the city by a coalition of Bakersfield business and public safety groups that included the Greater Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce, Kern County Taxpayers Association, Bakersfield Association of Realtors, Bakersfield Police Officers Association and the Bakersfield International Association of Firefighters.

Many of the committee members had ties to those organizations, leading many in Bakersfield to believe the voting had been unfair.

“After the Citizens Oversight Committee was selected, public complaints began to surface,” the report said. “The consensus of the complaints is that the selection process was not fair because the Council relied heavily on Coalition recommendations and did not provide transparency.”

A better method, at least according to the grand jury, would be for the council to merely select at random any of the 82 applicants for the committee.

The alternative would likely have leveled the playing field for all those who applied, while potentially ignoring other factors such as an applicant’s level of experience and skill.

Councilman Bob Smith defended the council's voting method, which he proposed.

"There are obviously people who shouldn't be on there," he said, referring to the 82 applicants the council selected from. "And there are people that have better qualifications. Randomly picking out of a hat makes no sense to me."

He said the method used by the council was fair, and was used in other circumstances.

Council members used the voting method because they worried the large number of applicants would make voting on each individual committee seat too cumbersome.

One member of the oversight committee still needs to be added. Pritesh Patel, who was selected by the council in February, resigned from the committee before the first meeting, citing a busy schedule.

The council is set to add the new member in May.

Applications are still being accepted at the City Clerk's office.

Committee members serve three year terms, meaning the council will need to select an entirely new committee in 2022, when the term limits expire.

The grand jury recommended the council stagger the committee members' terms in four-year periods to avoid having all new members every three years.

April 10, 2019

Bakersfield.com and The Bakersfield Californian

By Sam Morgen

[Humboldt County] Opinion: County civil grand jury: What we are and what we’re not

A March 13 decision by a criminal grand jury to not seek indictments in the Josiah Lawson case gives fresh proof that terminology is key and the general public is easily confused with the concepts of civil and criminal grand juries. They are not the same thing and they do not deal in the same matters.

The term “civil grand jury” means different things to different people. First, we are not a criminal grand jury. We do not decide guilt or innocence of individuals accused of a crime. We can recommend to the District Attorney that she take action if our investigations uncover possible wrongdoing by office holders or public administrative officials, but that is a rare action.

Criminal grand juries are empaneled when law enforcement or the courts have a specific issue under consideration. Such juries may serve for short periods of time and they are not used often in this area. Conversely, civil grand juries serve for a year at a time, studying multiple issues of concern to the jurors, complainants, or as directed by state law (as in jail inspections).

These two types of grand juries are vastly different in scope and goals, but both serve a serious need and require observance of secrecy to work effectively.

Most importantly, civil grand juries are not partisan. We all have our views, but we are trained to leave our personal beliefs at the door and delve into the world of facts as they are, not as we wish they might be. The findings we reveal after our investigations and reports are completed are borne of sometimes tedious homework and collaboration. Our goal is not a Perry Mason “gotcha” moment, but a realization that maybe we could do this or that better! Hopefully that realization results in recommendations our government officials can and will use.

Another thing that cannot be emphasized enough is the difference between the Jurors’ Association and a sitting grand jury. The Association is composed of veterans of previous grand juries who have no official connection to any current investigation. We only involve ourselves in prodding government to take seriously reports and recommendations made by the previous grand jury.

Sitting grand juries often benefit from the Association because it can communicate more freely with the media and educate the public about reports already issued. Current grand juries also benefit from its willingness to assist in the interview process of prospective jury applicants. This separation of tasks is critical. The sitting grand jury must maintain confidentiality for its investigations and reports to be taken seriously. Taking such reports seriously is already a difficult enough challenge when government entities sometimes ignore or minimize the validity of the reports and relevancy of the recommendations.

In a previous article we discussed the devastating Camp Fire in Butte County in the late summer of 2018 (“Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury: Serving the citizens,” Times-Standard, March 2, Page A4). Though this fire, with its death and destruction, did not happen here, lessons should be learned about taking civil grand jury reports seriously. The Butte County Civil Grand Jury previously warned of inadequate evacuation routes, but Butte County supervisors did not heed the recommendations. Fires, earthquakes, tsunamis and floods are known local hazards. However, we have another known hazard studied by the civil grand jury in 2017 — sea rise. Humboldt Waste Management Authority has its facilities sitting right at the water table on Hawthorne Street in Eureka and the civil grand jury recommended it consider possible sea rise, whether sudden or gradual, resulting in a recommendation to make plans for a possible relocation of their infrastructure. Who is ultimately responsible for what happens when the calamity is already upon them? Is this a far-fetched scenario? Ask the residents of Paradise now if they should have heeded Butte Civil Grand Jury recommendations. There are countless other examples available … and we will offer them as this series continues.

Jim Glover writes on behalf of the Humboldt County Grand Jurors’ Association. This monthly column about the Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury is provided by the Humboldt County Chapter of the California Grand Jurors’ Association (CGJA). We provide the public with informational and educational materials on the California Grand Jury system. Please contact the civil grand jury with complaints or issues you believe need to be investigated. For information on the Jurors’ Association email us: hcccgja@gmail.com.

April 6, 2019

Eureka Times-Standard

By Jim Glover

[San Diego County] Julian Fire Department in Final Days? Voter Fraud, Grand Jury Interest Alleged

Blog note: read the item about alleged grand jury interest toward the end of the article.

When results of Julian’s Measure A election are certified Thursday, the clock begins ticking down the days of the last volunteer fire department in San Diego County.

But officials aren’t clear on exactly when time expires — ending the 35-year-old Julian-Cuyamaca Fire Protection District and launching county control via Cal Fire.

Meanwhile, a legal challenge to the election is being discussed, and the District Attorney’s Office has been sent complaints alleging voter fraud in the referendum ending March 19.

And the county Grand Jury might be interested in the fraught path to dissolution.

On Wednesday, the local leader of the agency that oversees new public bodies said he’ll receive certified results April 8 and expects the transfer of firefighting and ambulance services to County Service Area 135 to happen “as soon as possible.”

“Under the law, that means any time through December 19,” added Keene Simonds, executive officer of the San Diego Local Agency Formation Commission, or LAFCO. “The commission is expected to provide feedback to staff on setting the transfer date on April 8.”

Results as of Wednesday showed mail ballots from 1,434 of 2,496 district residents have been counted — a remarkable 57.4% turnout rate.

Some 773 residents (54%) voted “yes” on Measure A to dissolve the district vs. 659 (46%) voting to keep the district with dozens of professionally trained volunteers.

Simonds said he was hoping to meet with JCFPD and the county ahead of the LAFCO meeting to “collectively talk about a possible transition plan and setting a firm transfer date.”

But he said Julian fire district officials declined to meet. (Julian officials didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.)

Alex Bell, a spokeswoman for San Diego County, said Wednesday that a decision on when to end Julian’s fire agency will be made by LAFCO on April 8, “but we expect dissolution to occur on April 8.”

She said Julian’s assets, including the new fire station on the Mosler Property deeded to the Kumeyaay Diegueño Land Conservancy, will transfer “when the Certificate of Completion is recorded by LAFCO.”

The JCFPD board will be dissolved and district assets will transfer immediately to the county upon recording of that document, Bell said via email.

When that happens, Julian won’t have its own fire chief. Tony Mecham of Cal Fire, as the county’s fire chief, will oversee operations in the 87-square-mile backcountry tourist mecca.

Despite concerns that the Julian fire station acreage on state Route 79 would revert to the Kumeyaay Diegueño Land Conservancy, county spokeswoman Bell said title for that property is held by the JCFPD.

“Titles to all assets, including the fire station property, will transfer automatically to the county upon dissolution,” she said.

A conservancy phone number wasn’t answered Wednesday, and email to its leader yielded no response.

But Brian Kramer, a member of the Julian fire board, said recently that a citizens group might challenge the Measure A election.

“There’s chatter on Facebook about multiple people here in Julian who know … people who voted in this election who do not live here,” Kramer said in a phone interview. “They live in Colorado. They live down the hill. They don’t have residency here.”

He also said some Julian residents didn’t get their ballots — having bounced after being sent to a residential address instead of a P.O. Box.

Under state law, voters can contest an election for a variety of reasons, including that illegal votes were cast or errors occurred in the vote-counting programs or summation of ballot counts.

Kramer said complaints about voter fraud have gone to Registrar of Voters Michael Vu.

Vu confirmed this.

“We did receive a complaint alleging there were three registered voters not residing in the district,” he told Times of San Diego. “This was forwarded to the District Attorney’s Office for review.”

(DA spokeswoman Tanya Sierra said: “Our office cannot confirm whether or not there is an open investigation.”)

But Vu last month denied that nonresidents would have been mailed a ballot. In any case, he’s received no complaints that someone wasn’t able to vote because they did not get a mail ballot.

“In every election (including this one), voters who are eligible to participate and who state they did not receive their ballot would have the originally mailed ballot suspended and a new ballot sent to them,” he said.

The newly elected Julian fire board opposes dissolution in contrast to the previous panel, which requested the breakup.

And the board is pursuing its own legal challenges to Brown Act violations of the previous fire board.

Toward that end, it has hired Cory Briggs as special counsel, who’s “got a reputation as a bulldog,” board member Kramer said, alluding to the San Diego mayoral candidate’s history of quashing City of San Diego efforts to fund Convention Center expansion.

Briggs, who said he was retained by the board March 15 and would charge a discounted $275 an hour, declined to discuss litigation strategy publicly.

Kramer also said he and two other Julian fire agency advocates attended a 3-hour “integrity check” meeting March 11 at the Registrar of Voters Office where at least three members of the San Diego County Grand Jury showed special interest.

“As we were leaving, a couple of them said: ‘Good luck on your vote, good luck, good luck. We’re watching it,'” Kramer said last month. “I just thought it was very interesting that they were there.”

Rose Orcino-Madruga, foreperson of the 2018/2019 San Diego County Grand Jury, confirmed that grand jurors attended what she called the public “Logic and Accuracy Test” meeting at Vu’s invitation.

She said the registrar regularly issues invitations to the public and others to observe its operations.

But she wouldn’t say whether an investigation was under way.

“The Grand Jury is prohibited from discussing anything further regarding its activities pursuant to Penal Code Sections 911 and 924, et seq.,” Orcino-Madruga said via email.

The day after the March 19 vote, county Supervisor Dianne Jacob noted that final numbers were not yet in but said: “It is my hope that the community will now come together regardless of the outcome and heal after what was a long and often divisive debate over this issue. We all want a safer and better protected Julian, and I believe we should work side-by-side to reach that goal.”

LAFCO’s Simonds echoed that sentiment Wednesday.

“This proposal has generated a considerable amount of interest on both sides of the reorganization over the last year and ultimately left to the voters to decide,” he said.

“To this end, and with a relatively high turnout aided by the decision to use a mail ballot, a clear majority of voters in Julian support the reorganization. It is now time to move on per the voters and implement the reorganization.”

April 3, 2019

Times of San Diego

By Ken Stone

[Kern County] Letter to the Editor: Support Kern County grand jury's recommendation

The Kern County grand jury has issued its recommendations regarding red-light cameras in Bakersfield ("Grand jury recommends Bakersfield install more red-light cameras," Mar 1). The grand jury recommended increasing the yellow-light interval to 3.9 seconds from 3 seconds. Nick Fidler, Bakersfield Public Works director, said the city will look into it.

Increasing the duration of yellow lights as recommended could be equivalent to approximately one car length.

Other cities have experienced approximately an 80 percent reduction in citations issued from increasing the yellow light duration by one second. About 3,569 citations were issued for left turn red-light violations in 2017. Assuming a collection rate of 54 percent ("As red-light camera citations tripled in the last 10 years, city maintains program saves lives," Dec. 15, 2018), revenue to the city would be reduced by $755,433 a year [3,569 citations x a 54 percent collection rate x $490 per citation]. According to city records, the city has seen a net loss of $602,067 during the previous 10 years, so additional losses will not be readily adopted.

In my previous piece ("Bakersfield should fix its red-light camera problem," Nov. 9, 2018), I encouraged the citizens of Bakersfield to contact City Manager Alan Tandy and their City Council representative. Now is the time to support the 19 citizens who volunteered their time to serve on the grand jury analyzing data and making the right recommendations. Looking into it is not enough. Tell them you support the grand jury recommendation to increase the duration of yellow lights at major intersections in Bakersfield to 3.9 seconds. Do it now. You might also consider leaving a message for Presiding Judge Charles R. Brehmer of the Kern County Superior Court.

March 31, 2019

Bakersfield Californian

Letter from Richard Foster, Pismo Beach 

[Marin County] Letter to the editor: Not surprised about emergency radio woes

Blog note: this letter references two grand jury reports.

Regarding Marin emergency radio project delays — first, let me thank those hard-working men and women in Marin County who put their lives on the line to keep us out of harm’s way.

While I am alarmed that their $40 million emergency radio system overhaul is three years behind schedule, I am not surprised. Anyone prying open the doors on major technology projects in Marin knows this to be a familiar story.

In 2004, the Board of Supervisors approved implementation of new software to run the government’s enterprise affairs. In 2010, they were forced to shut the program down with almost nothing to show for their $30 million investment. The replacement software has also suffered from years of delays. The Marin County Civil Grand Jury covered this episode in two outstanding reports. Lack of expertise and core-competence is cited as a key contributor.

Over the past 18 months, every community has wrestled with elected officials and their planning departments about Verizon’s intention to place small-cell 5G wireless facilities on thousands of our light poles. It was clear at public meetings the government was barely qualified to discuss the technical intricacies of the project. Half-time executive officers with no staff and no experience run the two JPA’s involved in the process.

Every government agency has its tax guns aimed at the public right now, from water to waste. New technologies are supposed to be lowering our costs. I don’t accept that I should be forced to pay one “homeowner” penny more until Marin proves it can provide 21st-century smart city solutions as a buffer against cost increases.

March 30, 2019

Marin Independent Journal

Letter from Bruce Vogen, San Anselmo

[Humboldt County] Letter to the editor: Wrong Jury

In light of the recent decision of a grand jury in the matter of the death of David Josiah Lawson, some clarification may be in order ("This Doesn't End," March 21). The criminal grand jury investigating the death of Mr. Lawson is in no way connected to the civil grand jury.

There has been some commentary in the news and social media that has some people attributing names of civil grand jury members as if they were part of the panel that found insufficient evidence to charge an individual in this matter. This is inaccurate. Grand jury members listed on the county website are not the ones included in the Lawson matter.

Criminal grand juries are selected by the court upon a request by the district attorney and this is a process seldom used in Humboldt County. On the other hand, civil grand juries serve for a full year at a time and are selected from a pool of applicants for those positions. They investigate governmental issues and create reports on an annual basis.

For additional information, you may contact the Humboldt County Chapter of the California Grand Jurors Association at hcccgja@gmail.com or leave a message at (707) 502-2168.

March 28, 2019

North Coast Journal

Letter from Jim Glover, Eureka

[Tehama County] 100 years ago: Tehama citizens must decide on new courthouse [history]

Blog note: grand jury procedures were a little different 100 years ago, at least in Tehama County.

The citizens of Tehama county will be given an opportunity to put themselves on record as being for or against a comprehensive program of public improvements. The matter will come of them as a bonding proposition, the program being for an issue of bonds to build bridges throughout the county and to build a court house in keeping, not only with the present needs of the county. but in keeping with the multiplied business of the county for years of growth ahead of us.

The sentiment of the people on this matter of permanent public improvements is so unanimous that a meeting of the grand jury with the board of supervisors today seemed entirely a thing to be expected. It is a forerunner of the spirit of harmony that is to keep pace with the development of the county, for the board and the grand jury did not meet as two bodies in conflict, but as two bodies of forward looking citizens bent only on service to the county. It is fitting that these two bodies should be jointly discussing public improvements and how to get them.

The entire membership of the grand jury was present this morning when the board of supervisors was invited in to confer with them. W. N. Woodson, foreman of the grand jury, presided in his characteristic manner. In his opening remarks he explained to the board of supervisors that it was not the purpose of the grand jury to usurp any of the functions of the board or to trespass in any way on their duties. He states, however, that it was the sense of the grand jury that the county should at once undertake a program of permanent public improvements, and to this end they sought a conference with the board. Mr. Woodson outlined briefly the needs of the county as to bridges and a new court house, and his sentiment was reiterated by every member of the board. Judge Ellison was called into the conference and, seconding the things Mr. Woodson had said, went further into the details of the necessities of the county. He declared the time is ripe for the construction of a bridge at Squaw Hill, made necessary by the rapid subdividing and settlement of the Stanford ranch lands; of the construction of permanent bridges to connect up the highway system of the county: and of a new court house, the need of which has been more than apparent for so many years.

Besides the several members of the board who spoke in favor of bonding for these improvements this sentiment was also expressed by L. L. McCoy, Mr. Holland, William Dale. L. W. Warmoth and others.

At a meeting in the afternoon the resolution was adopted by the grand jury.

— March 21, 1919

March 21, 2019

Red Bluff Daily News

[Kern County] Plans underway to extend Kern River Bike Trail to Buena Vista Lake

Blog note: this article references a 2018 grand jury report.

Avid cyclists have long envisioned a Kern River Bike Trail that would one day stretch from the mouth of the Kern River Canyon to the Buena Vista Aquatic Recreation Area.

Now it seems the western end of that dream could become a reality.

Samuel Lux, a professional engineer and assistant director of the administration and engineering division for the county of Kern, has been working for some time on devising a workable path and acquiring right of way for just such an extension.

There are still some hurdles to get over, Lux said, but he's optimistic that the "Western Extension," as it is known, will ultimately be built.

"I feel confident we can get this through and done within the (time) extension I'm asking for," he said.

The 12-month extension into the 2019-20 fiscal year would have to be granted by the state's Active Transportation Program, created in 2017 to encourage increased use of active modes of transportation, such as walking and biking.

The goals of the ATP include increasing the portion of trips accomplished by walking and biking, increasing the safety and mobility of non-motorized users, advancing efforts to achieve greenhouse gas reduction goals, enhancing public health, and more.

So the trail extension seems consistent with the goals of the ATP.

The plan as it now stands is pretty simple. The trail, which currently ends at a parking area at Enos Lane, would turn south and follow Enos Lane, or Highway 43, about six miles to Lake Webb and the recreation area.

"It would be a Class I trail, not a Class II," Lux said.

It means that while it will basically follow the two-lane highway, there will be a separation, a space, between the highway's shoulder and the bike path.

"We estimate the project construction costs to be approximately $3.8 million," he said.

Avid cyclist Pete Wollesen, who has lived in Bakersfield for some 35 years, loves the idea of a longer bike trail.

"Oh boy, that would be awesome," he said. "I ride out to Enos on a regular basis, and I sure wish there was somewhere else to go once you get there besides turning around and going home.

"I ride nearly every day, including a daily commute to work, so I’m used to riding in traffic. I will tell you that the most terrifying experience I’ve ever had on a bicycle was riding on Enos Lane with semis and RVs hauling trailers whizzing by at 60 mph only inches away from my shoulder."

A separated paved trail would make a significant difference.

"Even a shoulder wider than the road stripe would be welcome," he said. "In some areas that’s all the room I had."

In a report released in early 2018, the Kern County grand jury's Administration, Audit and County Services Committee urged the Kern County Public Works Department to continue to apply for grants to help expand the network of bicycle lanes and pathways in and around Bakersfield.

Over the past 10 years, the grand jury wrote, the county has spent $46.4 million on pedestrian and bike paths in the county — but more are needed.

Longtime Bakersfield residents Bill Cooper and Rich O'Neil were instrumental in the development of the bike trail and the Kern River Parkway, the latter which officially extends along the river from Manor Street to the Stockdale Highway bridge near the Park at RiverWalk.

Cooper attended a scoping meeting when the project was proposed and argued for a route along the Cross Valley Canal to the Farmer's Bridge over I-5 and then on to the community of Tupman, an extremely underserved area, he said.

From Tupman, he suggested the bike path could have followed the California Aqueduct south to the Buena Vista recreation area.

"We were kind of over-ridden on that," he said.

But like Wollesen and many others, he views the extension of the bike trail as progress.

"If it links to Buena Vista in an efficient way," Cooper said, "that will be good."

March 17, 2019

The Bakersfield Californian

By Steven  Mayer

[Humboldt County] Letter: Civil grand jury is not criminal grand jury

In light of the recent decision of a grand jury in the matter of the death of David Josiah Lawson, some clarification may be in order. The criminal grand jury investigating the death of Mr. Lawson is in no way connected to the civil grand jury.

There has been some commentary in the news and social media that has some people attributing names of civil grand jury members as if they were part of the panel that found insufficient evidence to charge an individual in this matter. This is inaccurate. Grand jury members listed on the county website are not the ones included in the Lawson matter.

Criminal grand juries are selected by the court upon a request by the District Attorney and this is a process seldom used in Humboldt County. On the other hand, civil grand juries serve for a full year at a time and are selected from a pool of applicants for those positions. They investigate governmental issues and create reports on an annual basis.

For additional information, you may contact the Humboldt County Chapter of the California Grand Jurors Association at hcccgja@gmail.com or leave a message at 707-502-2168.

March 16, 2019

Eureka Times-Standard, Lost Coast Outpost (later date)

By Jim Glover, secretary-treasurer, Humboldt County Jurors Association 

[Calaveras County] Calaveras County new economic development department bears fruit

Blog note: this article references a Tuolumne County grand jury’s report on the general subject. We have posted many articles about it. Grand jury reports attract media attention across county lines.

Calaveras County’s economic development department is less than 13 months old and it has a budget of $172,493, said Kathy Gallino, the department’s director and sole employee.

Ninety-five percent of that budget equates to Gallino’s salary and benefits, she said Wednesday. Her budget also includes $1,846 for conferences and training, and a travel budget of $999. Her position was created in July 2017 by the Board of Supervisors. She was selected for the director’s job in December 2017, and her first day was Jan. 22, 2018. She reports to the county administrative officer.

“My department was created to facilitate business attraction, retention and growth,” Gallino said. “The supervisors wanted to revive the county’s economy, especially given the downturn that started in 2008, and then the Butte Fire. It took a toll on our county, hit us hard.”

People in Calaveras County are trying to do economic development different from their next-door neighbors in Tuolumne County.

Less than four weeks ago, Tuolumne County supervisors voted unanimously Feb. 19 to dissolve the Tuolumne County Economic Development Authority and end a partnership with the City of Sonora that dated to late 2008. The Sonora City Council also voted that day to withdraw from the EDA and begin the process of shutting it down. Two days later the TCEDA governing board voted 5-0 to terminate the chief executive officer Larry Cope’s employment contract.

Cope earned a base salary of $163,625 and his spending was the focus of a Grand Jury report released in June that led to audits of the authority’s operations and finances. Decisions to dissolve the TCEDA came a day after The Union Democrat published a report on Cope’s travel and business spending, which the newspaper found amounted to more than $100,000 in 2017 and 2018.

One of the findings made by a Tuolumne County Civil Grand Jury report released in June was that Cope went to England for a month in 2017 and used just four vacation days, with the rest mostly labeled as “comp time.”

Other economic development efforts

Calaveras County used to partner with Tuolumne County in the Central Sierra Economic Development District and Central Sierra Planning Council, a former joint powers authority serving Tuolumne, Calaveras, Amador, Alpine and Mariposa counties, and the cities of Sonora and Angels Camp.

The council is now disbanded, but Calaveras and Tuolumne counties are still members of the district, and the district is administered by Mother Lode Job Training staff. Its stated aims include bringing workforce and economic development assistance to businesses and residents in the Mother Lode region.

Cope lists on his LinkedIn profile that he was executive director for the Central Sierra Economic Development District from August 2011 to July 2017 in Sonora. During his time with CSEDD, he says he designed and launched the region's first economic development website, and he updated and rewrote two Comprehensive Economic Development Strategies for the region.

The Central Sierra Economic Development District and Central Sierra Planning Council came under scrutiny in April 2011 after declining revenues led the agencies to empty their coffers and lay off an employee to remain solvent, The Union Democrat reported in June 2011. Part of the exit strategy for the agencies was closing the joint powers authority, and turning CSEDD files over to Cope and the TCEDA to continue multi-county programs.

The CSEDD still exists with a $25,000 annual budget and Dave Thoeny with Mother Lode Job Training is the executive director, Thoeny said Wednesday. John Gray, Tuolumne County district 4 supervisor, and Ben Stopper, Calaveras County district 5 supervisor, are on the current CSEDD board.

There used to be a Calaveras County Economic Development Company, a nonprofit founded in 1981. The company was absorbed six years ago by the Calaveras County Chamber of Commerce, The Union Democrat reported in March 2013.

Longtime Calaveras County residents Al Segalla and Stephen Fairchild said Wednesday the Calaveras County Economic Development Company “folded for lack of support” and “people just stopped coming.” The Calaveras County Economic Development Company was not taxpayer-funded, said Segalla, who is president of the Calaveras County Taxpayers Association.

Moving forward

Jump-starting businesses, jobs and affordable housing are keys to economic development and growth in Calaveras County, Gallino said. Wednesday morning she met with 10 local business owners and business advocates in a second-story office at Copperopolis Town Square in Copperopolis.

The business round table included Cheryl Hoag with the Copper Area Business Association, Staci Johnston with the Calaveras County Chamber of Commerce, Segalla, Fairchild, and Jack Cox, a representative for Dennis Mills, Calaveras County District 4 supervisor.

Copperopolis Town Square is a multimillion-dollar development backed by Castle & Cooke of Los Angeles that stood dormant for a decade until November when Mike Fletcher and other investors with CV Development Partners, LLC, and Copper Valley, LLC purchased the square and an extensive real-estate portfolio in Copperopolis that includes a 247-acre Sawmill Lake parcel south of the square, Saddle Creek Golf Resort, 1,770 undeveloped acres of Copper Valley Ranch, and other single parcels in the community.

Seven deeds totaling $18 million transferred in November by Castle & Cooke, according to the Calaveras County Recorder’s Office. Most of the grantees of the deeds were limited liability companies that began with the initials “CV.” Cox, who is also on the Lake Tulloch Alliance estimated $57 million has been invested in town square so far.

“What people need to understand is the value of business,” Cox said. “We live in a time when news agencies report 50 percent of young people believe socialism is the way to go. Some people don’t understand the basic value of free markets and businesses and jobs and tax revenues. These are the foundation of our free society.”

Gallino said local business communities in Calaveras County can look forward to the hiring of a new county administrative officer in the near future and a new county building official, steps that she says will help streamline permitting processes for construction and business licensing and business expansion.

“The old Calaveras, the pain-in-the-butt Calaveras, the hard-to-deal-with Calaveras, is going away,” she said.

That’s fine with Fletcher. He stood outside and said he and his partners are excited. Everything was dead there 10 years, and since November, Fletcher said, his people have spoken to 14 new businesses about moving into the square. He said he thinks they’ll be fully leased in the next three to six months.

“That whole bottom floor has seven storefronts,” Fletcher said, pointing to part of the square called Town Hall. “We’re planning it out now.” He pointed at other unoccupied spaces in the complex, saying “This space is taken, this space is taken, we just signed a lease with another new tenant up there.”

There’s been nobody to take the development forward since 2008, Fletcher said. Now the blanket is off and he and his partners are bringing in landscapers and new businesses like the recently-opened Copper Valley Café.

“This is going to be the gateway to everything up here,” Fletcher said. “My understanding is we see 4 million cars a year on Highway 4. This hasn’t had a local presence in a long time. We’re here now.”

March 13, 2019

The Union Democrat

By Guy McCarthy