I attended the afternoon meeting of the Board Of Supervisors on July 14 for the special hearing concerning Conditional Use Permits for mining in Mariposa county. I listened to many people voice their concerns and desires, pro and con, while studying the Planning Department's handout regarding the options being considered. The Ag and MERG groups expressed their desires that mining operations obtain a CUP prior to starting operations, while quite a few citizens and miners pointed out that mining is not the open pit, scarred landscape thing of the past and that current California regulations are extremely strict and thorough, and are in fact already the most extreme in the country. They pointed out that, due to these increased regulations and fees involved, mining has decreased significantly in the state. They noted that adding a CUP requirement, where a neighbor or someone down the road could stop the project for any reason, would negatively impact mining startups which are by their nature, costly and uncertain of profit.
Sup. Smallcomb, perhaps predictably, was in favor of adding a CUP, despite people requesting her to recuse herself due to her involvement with MERG. Sup. Cann also was in favor of adding this additional layer of regulations and fees by the county, and did not feel that it was a big deal. S. Long had to recuse himself because his brother surface mines road materials from his family's ranch, but spoke as a private citizen attempting to point out how difficult business were to start and run in the first place, and each additional layer, especially one that could halt the business at local level even after state requirements were met, was not in the interests of promoting Mariposa as a business-friendly county. Sup. Jones, as a entrepreneurial businessman in his private life, made an impassioned plea to not add yet another layer of regulations on top of already existing and stringent state laws, and shared with all of us just how difficult and expensive it is to start a business in the first place. He said, "We are not being taxed to death, we are being FEE'D to death!" Lastly, Sup. Carrier spoke and felt that one more layer of protection couldn't hurt. At that point I had to leave.
What impressed me was how the supervisors were divided. Those who had been in government or private sector jobs during their careers, most having been in Government or quasi-Government jobs, all voted for adding an "additional layer of protection", the CUP in Mariposa County. Those who had been self-employed, who have experienced the difficulty of having to jump through the hoops of endless regulations in this state and experienced the uncertainty of outcome, plus the mind-numbing expense of the fees so that even IF one became successful there is only ever a smidgeon of profit waiting after the hard work and expense involved, and understood the job-killing effect of the regulations, voted against. It was not politically divided...it was entrepreneurs who during their careers worked hard with no guarantee of pay, no benefits and no paid vacations, survived by using their own talents and vision vs. people who had their paychecks handed to them every week like clockwork, replete with benefits like retirement, sick pay and paid vacations, no personal risk involved.
An analogy to sex comes to mind. The State of CA already requires 2 thick condoms (protection) to be worn before proceeding, and now the County of Mariposa requires a third layer of "protection" over the other two (which were more than adequate). At that point, why would anyone even bother?
The next time a vote for Supervisor comes around, remember... it isn't really Right vs. Left, or Conservative vs. Liberal/Progressive, it is Job Creators vs. Not Job Creators. Entrepreneurs know what it takes to be a business friendly county, those who have never been an entrepreneur seem to be more concerned with adding regulations and fees, which effectively snuff out new business. People give lip service all the time to creating jobs in this county, for good reason...but if the people in charge cannot fathom why yet another layer of regulation DOES hurt, then they do not understand how jobs are created.
Katee OwensMariposa, CA
