For the last 18 months or so, I have been intimately involved in the
economy of this county, what makes it work, it's past and future.
For an old coot to have this kind of opportunity to examine at close
hand what makes this county work or not work, has been fascinating.
As an historian (non academic) I thought I knew what kept this place
together, fed its citizen and provided the government with enough
revenue to function. The interesting item that I have always been
aware of is that lots of things can go on in the outside world, to
the west of the Millerton Road that will have little effect on our
day to day lives.

 Nothing has ever been what I would call
spectacular in the way of growth and our thinking that we had some
hand in keeping it that way is a lot of bull. We pass General Plans
and Ordinances and stand back and take pleasure that we have
accomplished our goals of slow, deliberate goal: not looking like
Oakhurst; not even controlling what growth has come here. Facts are
that the lack of incentive and capital has more to do with what we
look like than anything we have done deliberately.
Take for example, we adopted a General Plan a year ago, and, it is
well known, that the county is vulnerable to legal action if the
Zoning Documents are not in consistency with the General Plan. Yet
they are still two lovely pieces of adopted paper that have
inconsistencies within them and little likelihood of coming together
any time soon. We have no Specific Plan Advisory group in the town
of Mariposa, and thus it is left to the good people in the Planning
Department to make fundamental decisions for our
County seat without the advice of its citizens.

We discovered something in this last 18 months and that is we have a
major industry in Mariposa County that pays for a lot of things that
is desirable to both the citizens of the county and the folks who
work for us.
We have been able for forty years to tax the Tourists who visit our
county and use the money thus paid to provide for desirable results.
It is terribly important that we keep this tax intact and find ways
to expand the proceeds because we are so dependant on the industry
that collects the revenue. According to Park Service studies,
Tourism related to Yosemite National Park results in $400,000,000 of
benefit to the counties surrounding the Park.
Last fiscal year alone, the lodging industry collected and paid to
the Treasurer of Mariposa County more than $9.2 million dollars based
on $92,000,000 in gross sales of pillows, and the beds on which they
lay.
The TOT is deposited in the General Fund. Up until l976 the
revenues thus gained were used to offset some of the property taxes
that we paid with little or no reinvestment in the industry that
supported the collection of the tax. Perhaps that was OK because we
had other industries such as agriculture, timber, construction,
government, and land speculation that could keep the place going.
But about the time of Prop 13, a decision was made to; first of all,
establish a split in the property taxes between the County General
Fund and the State of California representing the School District.
There would be small percentages for special districts but by and
large the School District (i.e.: the State of California) would
receive 67% of the property taxes and the county roughly 27%. The
State would then send back to the School District a sum of money
related to the "Average Daily Attendance" in our schools. Over the
years the percentage that the State gets is closer to 70% and the
county 25%.

We are now in a situation where the property values in Mariposa
County have increased while the attendance in our schools have
decreased thus putting together a situation where, I am sure, that
the State is getting more property taxes then we are getting revenue
back from the State to operate our schools. And the problems that the
schools face are almost overwhelming. Programs are being or will be
cut even further, demands for personnel enhancements will increase,
costs of transportation to bring students to our schools is
increasing rapidly and infrastructure requirements will continue as our children (grandchildren) get an education in Mariposa County.

The two private industries in Mariposa County that have supported
our economy these last thirty years have been Tourism and Retirement.
Sure there are other opportunities that have occurred, but they pale
in comparison with the two key activities. We can measure Tourism
and we can effect its production, and we are doing that. Retirement
is a little harder to measure but the main indicator is the Real
Estate Activity. The third activity that supports the economy is
Government, not just the employees, but all the goods and services
government buys and services provided.
Not to long ago there were more than 120 real estate sales licenses
in Mariposa County, with those who worked at it doing well. Not that
many years ago there were only one or two real estate companies in
Mariposa and I remember when one of the agents was given a national
award for selling $1 million dollars in real estate value and
everyone was aghast. Not in Mariposa County one would say? Not with
range land going for $20 to $50 dollars an acre.

The great scare word in these parts is "GROWTH". We have folks that
spend most of their waking hours spreading the doom and gloom of
Growth. The result is Mariposa County Government becomes transfixed
in fear. Prior to Prop. 13, Mariposa County Government cared little
about what people did with their private property. Little or no
permits were required for anything. During the early l980's (and I
was part of this), the county realized that the state was demanding
more and more control over local activities. Government had found,
as the result of an inability to adjust revenues to meet demands,
that the only way to respond to the legislative priorities, was to
impose fees, or create "Enterprise Zones". That meant that services
ordinarily provided by the county such as landfills, building
permits, and so on, had to be paid for by the user. Your property
taxes no longer would cover the cost of doing business. Most of you
never come into contact with the legal system, but every service that
is provided requires a fee.

None the less we are now challenged once again by a number of
issues. First of all the national economy is sliding. The price of
fuels is increasing rapidly. One only hopes that the Stock Market or
the Bond Market will survive intact because it upon these indicators
that the retirement and health care benefits of our employees
(County. State and Federal) are based. You may be aware of the
problem that Mariposa County has right now as the result of the last
mess based on the rapid decline in the value of Silicon Valley where
our State retirement system was invested. We are now trying to
consider selling bonds to cover the deficit and while no one has said
so as yet, look out because the bond market may not be able to give
us the escape route that we seek. The only advantage will be if bond
rates decline significantly to give the county a substantial margin
between the interest being paid to the State Retirement System and
interest we would have to pay on the bonds, if they can be sold at
all. One possibility is that, usually during downturns in the
economy, bonds become a better investment and we might be able to
find a favorable opportunity. I do not know if the Board of
Supervisors is able to move rapidly enough to take advantage of the
situation if it occurs.

OK, so what has this all to do with the Ferguson Rockslide. In my
opinion the State of California, ie:CalTrans, did us no favor in the
way that they placed the west bridge at the detour on Hwy 140. They
are very quick to reply that we are ungrateful that they were able to
reopen the bridge in 4 ½ months. I am a little confused by that
claim considering how rapidly they respond to other emergencies, and
I am also informed by folks outside CalTrans that they have more
bridges available and they could have easily done it right in the
first place. Their problem now is that this is not considered an
emergency anymore and it would take just as much time going through
the "process" then it would to complete the final solution, to just
place another bridge at the correct angle to accommodate the traffic
that is not now able to use Hwy 140. Frankly, I think we are going
to have to live with this situation for some time because of higher
priorities of a cash strapped State. (More to come)

Leroy Radanovich

Leroy Radanovich Email:
Leroy Radanovich


To Read More By Leroy Radanovich:
Leroy Radanovich's Mariposa Life Archives
 

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