I MET AL GORE AND OTHER ITEMS

About fifteen years ago, after I was a County Supervisor, I traveled
to Shelbyville, Tenn., which is the home of part of my mother's
family. At a Rotary luncheon, as guest of a second cousin, I was
introduced to the program of the day, then Senator Albert Gore Jr..
A handsome young man with much of the speaking style that one sees
today. I shook his hand and looked him in the eye, and we spoke of
the possibility of us being related, as Gores are found in the
Stephens-Ervin side of the family. He said that everybody in
Tennessee was related someway especially if they received their first
land via a grant following the Revolutionary War. My ancestors
bought their grant from an old veteran, moved through the Cumberland
Gap, on to the Duck River Valley of what is now Tennessee. Al Gore
is from Nashville on the highland plain, north of Bedford and Moore
County from which mother's folks sprang. Farmers all, except by the
time that WWII ended they all became school teachers or government
officials in such things as the Weather Department. All believed in
education for the boys and a nice farm house for the women.
The words spoken by Mr. Gore were the typical acknowledgements of
the service paid by the various Rotarians to their community and
state. He knew all their names and accomplishments and one could see
why he was elected Senator as his father had before him. I couldn't
make up my mind if he was really intelligent or just clever until I
asked my cousin about him and his place in his state. Tradition, he
told me, had as much to do with his election as skill. The people of
Tennessee trusted his father and they trusted the son. Tennessee at
that time was a one party state. No longer because of the migration
of many northerners over the last twenty years. Farming hogs and
tobacco has been replaced by Nashville music, and car companies who
build public arenas for walking horses to prance in. Datsun (Nissan)
brought civic pride in a special horse and jobs that avoided benefits
for the workers to Bedford County.

Pike Phillips came from Bedford County. He was a hunter for the
Wawona Hotel and had a reputation concerning a taste for whisky. He
is buried in the Wawona Pioneer Cemetery, across the road and north
of the barn. Also buried there is a soldier from the Army days and many
unmarked Indian graves. Al Gordon could point out the spots where
the Natives were buried, and now he is gone.

There is much discussion about the fix for Hwy 140 at the slide.
Nothing will make everyone happy. The costs run from $35- 300
million. Whichever is selected for the final fix is not as
interesting as getting it done as quickly as possible. It is sad in
a way that repairing the ability of the road to be used by tour buses
is so important. It is true that quite a lot of business is being
lost to companies in the county as a result of the diversion.
Actually I am beginning to appreciate the district director for
CalTrans and the difficulties he faces. Having to deal with this
road issue in the face of another such interruption on a freeway in
the East Bay that was repaired in twenty or so days, while he has to
predict up to six years for Hwy 140 must bother him. In private
conversations he generally seems unhappy with the lack of resolve
demonstrated by Sacramento in our case. No doubt that the quick fix
in Oakland was an economic issue, but so is this one but not to the
same scale in money nor votes.

That brings me to a discussion of criticism that has been directed
towards the Tourism Bureau and me personally about the program we
have embarked on. First, let me tell you that all of the requests
made in a contract with the county ten months ago, have been complied
with. On June 5 the Tourism Bureau will report their activities to
the Board of Supervisors. The report will consist of a review of the
activities of the Bureau in those ten months, the details of which I
will reserve for the Board meeting. It is enough to say that each of
the items requested have been completed with the exception of one
that was not requested and that is the seating of a permanent
director of the Bureau and that will come soon.
What I would like to discuss is the future of tourism in Mariposa
County. We seem to have a problem understanding the scale of things
here. Even though the Bed tax was instituted in the l960's, it did
not reach the proportions of importance until after Prop 13 and Prop.
8 were adopted. The main issue has to do with the division of local
property taxes and the adoption of the Williamson Act. At the
present time your county receives only 25% of your property taxes for
general county operations. The other 75% goes primarily to the state
for education with a small percentage going to special districts.
This inequitable split in this tax actually increases as the years go
on. In spite of the fact that property taxes are allowed to raise a
maximum of 2% each year, the general county fund receives only ¼% of
that increase or .25 cents per dollar increase. This makes it more
difficult for the county to properly fund general county operations
such as Sheriff, Roads, Administration, Library, General
Administrative functions, Fire, etc. Most of the social programs are
subverted by state or federal revenues upwards to 80%. In fact,
these programs represent the greater part of the 80 million dollar
budget. But when it comes to salaries, retirement and health
benefits, housing etc., the funds must come from property tax or BED
TAX.

The vision that was had in the l960's that BED TAX would help the
economy of the county, which was very depressed in those days, was
not realized due to the tax revenues being deposited to the general
fund to sub vent the property tax. At that time it was live stock
grazing and ranching that paid the bills in Mariposa County and most
of the operators were having a hard time. There were other factors
such as having an Assessor that would undervalue property, in order
to keep people in business. Believe it or not, there was a time when
county government was run to protect the private sector.
When the BED Tax was contemplated, the idea came from observation
that the City and County of San Francisco, which has a Charter,
imposed such a tax on their visitors for the purpose of raising money
for civic re-development in areas which would benefit the visitors.
Some of us, I guess I am the only one left, saw this as a possible
opportunity to attempt the same thing as a vehicle to aid a difficult
economy. Visitation in Yosemite was under 2 million and most of the
motel and hotels outside the Park were either small or pre-war. It
was very difficult to make a living renting rooms for around $10 a
night. Mariposa County does not nor did it ever have a Charter,
which means that in order to institute such a measure, the
Legislature would have to approve, which it did.
Until the middle l980's, when the BED Tax rate was 6%, little of the
revenue was used for promotion of the economy of the county. In
l986, the Board felt that it was time to invest a significant
percentage of the revenue in an attempt to improve the financial
condition of both county government and the private sector. We had
just gone through a period when the various measures designed to
transfer responsibility for many functions to the State began to
restrict the revenue that the county had for general functions. In
additions the beginning of multiple social programs increased local
costs.

Such things as Mental Health, Drug and Alcohol Programs, Family
support and others, were created as the result of Federal mandates to
the States, along with a portion of the funds to operate such
programs. No longer were families the sole support of their members in
trouble, but now the government became responsible. The needs for
new revenues became evident. Two things occurred. First the state
audited the Mariposa County Assessor and found that Mariposa County
was not appraising properties in the county up to a state standard of
25% of market value. We were somewhere around 18%. Having to
increase these appraisals over a period of years caused difficulties.
Then the voters restricted the increase in property taxes with Prop
13 and subsequently, either the county or the state, set the split
between the State and the County of the property taxes. All of these
issues contributed to some of the problems we face today. Add to
that the lack of a General Plan in Mariposa County until l981 and the
arrival of a number of outside land developers starting in l960, who
began developing within the vacuum of no land use plans, road
standards, or zoning. In the l970's an attempt was made to institute
some regulation but a large outcry by mostly members of the Western
Mining Council (do you recognize that organization? They no longer
exist.), drove the county to adopt Ordinance 180 which essentially
declared most of the land in Mariposa County Unclassified except for
a few uses such as garbage dumps (one was proposed on Triangle Road),
chicken ranches, hog farms and junk yards. Those required a use
permit.

Gradually, over the last twenty five years, the economy and
population of the county has grown. We still have one school
district with the highest per student transportation costs in the
state. We also gradually became more and more dependent on the
income from tourism. I can easily recall when the Chamber of
Commerce was touting Mariposa County economy as being based on two
things. Recreation and Retirement. In the l960's we attended a
number of Boat Shows in the Bay Area inviting the public to come to
Mariposa County for the "new" Lake McClure and Yosemite. Rural roads
in Mariposa at that time were not anywhere up to even today's
standards. AE. Zoning and eventually the Williamson Act Contracts
declared the western 25% of the county off limits for any
development. That principle is still in place. In desperate need
for more revenue to run the county, the Board of Supervisors raised
the BED Tax 1% and dedicated a portion to a contract with the Chamber
of Commerce in an attempt to increase revenues.
Revenues have increased. There are a number of reasons. Some
success by the Chamber and eventually the Visitor's Bureau in raising
visibility to the outside world. Perhaps more important was the
development of new and more competitive lodging units both in
Mariposa and along the Merced River Canyon. And, the ability to
market those units. The Bed Tax increased to 10% and room rates
increased to meet the market and realistic costs. All of these
adjustments have resulted in a total of $8.7 million in Bed Tax
revenue during the last fiscal year with the possibility of more if
aggressive marketing was employed.

There was a time when small private investment could create these
changes. But it took large capital invested in the county to bring
us to where we are today. In addition, the marketing of Yosemite,
California and Mariposa County world wide plus the sinking of the
value of the dollar brought and brings even today, many visitors from
Europe and the Far East. They are not only important but critical to
our success. The recognition of the importance of this market even
by the Board of Supervisors is demonstrated by their investment
through the Visitors Bureau in a foreign component to their marketing
program. The leadership for this development came from the private
sector, of course, but its value none the less is important.
Early this year the Visitors Bureau became a private organization
and will soon receive its non-profit status. The importance of the
program can only be measured in return on investment. That return on
investment is given many great challenges, some political and some
structural. The price of gasoline, for example, will have a long
term affect. The disruption of Hwy 140 by a rock slide is having a
measurable affect. Lack of understanding of the concepts that are
directing the effort, which cause political interference, will have
an affect. The facts are that we are in a very competitive market
and if we do not use the best minds, highest skills, most creative
products to advance our goals, we will have wasted our resources.
Sometimes this is hard to understand. We are an $80 million county
living in a $389 million market and it is our responsibility to take
advantage as much as we can, within our abilities, to be a full
partner in that market. And, this is a market with many competitors.
Not just other National Parks but many and diverse units competing
for the same dollar, including Indian Casinos, other destinations and
attractions. Public interest in Yosemite has declined especially
in day use. While day use customers may not stay in our lodging
units, although we hope they do outside the park, they do leave
behind sales tax along with merchandise and food purchases...

What of the future? Immediately I understand the concerns of
some small business owners, but it must be understand that if we do
not strengthen and solidify our place in this market at this time,
delaying will only cause us to fail over the long period. This
winter and spring it was determined that the best way to create an
immediate strong presence in the tourism market was to concentrate on
our greatest asset, Yosemite National Park. There was a time in
recent years when some leaders in our county wanted to ignore that
issue. A marketing plan looks at the longer goals. Spring is our
time to fill Yosemite, and yes, all of Mariposa County resorts
because it is the time when many things are happening. Waterfalls,
River Rafting, wildflowers, a long winter of staying at home, warm
days and cool nights and beauty everywhere. The best outcome of this
effort is to encourage all of Mariposa County to be a destination, for
Tourism is our only industry and we must support it. Tourism employs
eight out of ten Mariposa County residents that are employed one way
or another. The Park Service has done a study to determine how
important it is to have Yosemite National Park in our County. Look it
up, it is on the internet. Next comes fall with no waterfalls or
River Rafting, but still a beautiful time of the year at every
elevation. Still warm, not hot, at the lower elevations with many
things to enjoy. The next phase in the marketing program directs the
visitor to come to our county to visit our historic towns and country
side, while not neglecting the beauty of Yosemite Valley in the fall.
The idea here is to extend the seasons. It has been said for many
years that we should be emphasize the "shoulder months". I have been
listening to that for many years, and yet, little success has been
shown. Why? Children are back in school so families are not going
to vacation at great distances. Europeans still come into October,
and believe it or not, Australians and New Zealanders come to
Yosemite in droves in December and January because it is their
vacation time when their home land is hot. We go south for the sun;
they go north for the cool.
This last week I spent two days with Australia's top travel writer.
We toured Yosemite Valley yes, but he was especially interested in
the High Country, Wawona, the Big Trees and Badger Pass Ski Resort.
I had him in Mariposa for part of a day talking about the Gold Rush
and his people's part in it. We provided him with photographs and
information about out county.
Not likely that I will continue with this program very much longer,
but it has been a genuine pleasure to help as much as I can. I hope
you enjoy the new visitor's guide, as it is our first in many years.
It is being distributed throughout the state and even to Europe,
locally in our Visitor's Centers, through the hotels and motels, and
will be on our web site in a new and innovative way. I thank the
county government and the industry the opportunity to serve my home.

Leroy Radanovich

Leroy Radanovich Email:
Leroy Radanovich

To learn much more about Mariposa County along with
historical photos:
A signed copy of "Images of America" - Mariposa County,
By Leroy Radanovich can be purchased at his web site:
Radanovich Galleria & Books






This is a early day photo of the Mariposa Mine in
Mariposa County that is mentioned in the article to
the left by Mr. Radanovich.

This photo and others can be purchased in various sizes.
All prints are archivally printed on fiber based paper, given a selenium wash which renders the photographs permanent with a warm tone ready for framing
Radanovich Galleria & Books










Mariposa in 1920

This photo and others can be purchased in various sizes.
All prints are archivally printed on fiber based paper, given a selenium wash which renders the photographs permanent with a warm tone ready for framing
Radanovich Galleria & Books









Mariposa County Courthouse written by Leroy Radanovich and
Scott Pinkerton is a book about the oldest courthouse in California that is still in use today.
The book is signed by Leroy Radanovich.
To purchase the book:
Radanovich Galleria & Books








Mariposa in 1860


This photo and others can be purchased in various sizes.
All prints are archivally printed on fiber based paper, given a selenium wash which renders the photographs permanent with a warm tone ready for framing
Radanovich Galleria & Books