August 5, 2019 - We are in a battle for the soul of Mariposa County. Are we the Mother of Counties with a rich diverse cultural, historical, and agricultural heritage or are we just another part of Yosemite National Park? It is time for you to decide.
We, the taxpayers, funded yogg, LLC consultants based in Richmond, Virginia in the amount of $55,250 to develop a branding campaign, logo, and a new County Seal. In the 6/25/19 Board of Supervisor meeting minutes Adam Mead stated yogg’s “target demographic (for the branding campaign) of family men, aged 25 - 44 years of age, who want to move from their present location, but stay in California.” I guess there aren’t any female wage earners, business owners, or entrepreneurs that might want to relocate to Mariposa County. To her credit, Supervisor Smallcombe did bring up the fact that any proposed images should be applicable to other demographics such as female medical professionals.
Also in the 6/25/19 Board of Supervisor’s minutes, it states that “Supervisor Menetrey discussed the importance of a logo which should be memorable and tie to a place”. So what did they come up with? A logo that is reminiscent of several other registered and trademarked corporate logos (think REI) and in USFS/YNP colors (why am I not surprised at that...). Will yogg, LLC back the County up if one of those companies decides that it is trademark infringement? The contract has a hold harmless clause in it, so if REI or any other company feels that the Mariposa County logo is trademark infringement or has any other dispute, Mariposa County will be responsible. yogg LLC also specifies "no guarantees" - that doesn't exactly make me dance for joy! The yellow “mountain” background behind Mariposa looks like the mountains are on fire! Somehow I personally do not want to be reminded of all the fires that we have had.
Our history should be a large part of our "brand". What happened to the courthouse being part of our "branding"? Isn't our courthouse the oldest working courthouse west of the Mississippi River? We ARE the Mother of Counties (11 counties to be exact). There is much more to our County than Yosemite (part of which is also in Tuolumne and Inyo Counties) and the mountains. I for one am proud of our history. It needs to be preserved for future generations and advertised for what we are. And someone pointed out to me - Where is the butterfly in all this? Seems like Mariposa (butterfly) got lost in all this rush to trample on what this County holds dear....and what represents us –
On another note, have you seen the new proposed County Seal which cost an additional $3,200 in taxpayer funds? We are no longer the “Mother of Counties”. We're losing our history one small bit at a time - little by little it seems like they are trying to erase it! We ARE the Mother of Counties! Put that in on a search engine and you get Mariposa County! It’s time for this county to formally adopt the county seal that they already have – not label us “Home of Yosemite”. Since the current County Seal was never adopted by the Board of Supervisors, just adopt the one that the County has been using for 40 years and be done with it!
Is this proposed branding campaign worth $55,250 of taxpayer money or would the money have been better spent on fixing the county roads or other infrastructure than on a logo that looks like burning mountains. The things that are going to attract entrepreneurs and businesses to re-locate to this county are better infrastructure, high speed broad band, affordable housing – not a logo that looks like Mariposa County mountains on fire!
It’s time that the public started letting their elected representatives and the CAO know what they think about this proposed campaign. Whether you agree or disagree - it's time to stand up and be counted or our history, heritage, and traditions will be trampled over in the name of "change”. It’s time to voice your opinion and check out the proposed branding campaign for yourself by attending the branding “road show” in your area, or if you can’t, then contact your District Supervisor by e-mail, phone, or letter. Some of them are responsive and some of them really DO think that Mariposa County is just part of Yosemite, not the other way around. Be part of the solution, not part of the problem. We are ALL Mariposa County!
Branding Roadshow schedule: Lushmeadows Clubhouse, 5 – 6:30 p.m., August 5; Coulter Cafe, 5 – 7 p.m., August 12; Ponderosa Basin Fire Station, 6 – 8 p.m., August 13; Midpines Park, 5 – 7 p.m., August 14; Mariposa Arts Park, 5 – 7 p.m., August 15; Tenaya Lodge, 9 – 11 a.m., August 17; McCay Hall, 5 – 7 p.m., August 19
Cathi Boze
Catheys Valley
