CalaverasWatchdog

08/26/2026

The Calaveras Visitors Bureau has accumulated year-end reserves exceeding half a million dollars in unspent transient occupancy tax funds for each of the last four reported fiscal years as the fire districts confront proposed TOT funding cutbacks in the wake of the Gann Fire, and as we approach the September anniversaries of the Butte and TCU 2-7 Fires.

"CEO (Teresa) Hitchcock and members of the board, before voting on September 22 to approve any fiscal year 26-27 TOT funding for the Calaveras Visitors Bureau, you owe us an explanation for lax oversight of the Calaveras Visitors Bureau’s hoarding of public funds from its annual TOT allocations occurring on your watch."

If the Calaveras County Visitors Bureau, California is not going to invest the transient occupancy tax funds it is allocated by the county government to promote tourism, then give those funds to the fire districts now.

And then an investigation must be launched into the Calaveras Visitors Bureau's leadership and the entirety of its Board of Directors to determine why it is sitting on anywhere from $518,000 to $638,000 at the end of each fiscal year, for four years, instead of using those funds for the promotion of tourism.

Calaveras County's direct travel spending from 2024 to 2025 represents zero real growth when adjusted for inflation.

Zero.

When adjusted for inflation, Calaveras County tourism has remained flat or, in some years, declined, since June 2019, as has transient occupancy taxes when adjusted for inflation.

Calaveras travel-supported employment fell 11.5 percent — a loss of 350 jobs — between 2022 and 2025, from a high of 3,030 jobs in 2022 to 2,680 jobs in 2025.

What is the Calaveras Visitors Bureau doing with hundreds of thousands of dollars in annual allocated transient occupancy taxes they are given, year-after-year, to - checks notes - promote tourism?

Teresa Hitchcock is the County Executive Office and the buck stops with her. Answers are demanded.

613 words · 3 min read

08/26/2026

I'm sorry... is this a friggin' joke? "Based in the state capital of Sacramento, White Brenner LLP lawyers and lobbyists focus on sound public policy."

One law firm represents over half of Stanislaus
County’s cities. (And Sonora and Angels Camp and Ione). Are people concerned? No wonder these little rural cities are so financially f-cked up.

Your tax dollars... allegedly, pilfered, folks.

One law firm charges millions of dollars to represent over half the cities in Stanislaus County. Some residents and former clients have raised questions about potential overcharging, erroneous billing or potential conflict of interest. (Conflict of interest... An Angels Camp City Council speciality).
The Sacramento-based law firm White Brenner represents at least 30 to 55 cities and special districts throughout California at any given time, including Newman, Oakdale, Patterson, Ceres and Riverbank.

Do you think Michael Hodson, Angels Camp City Administrator, is concerned and investigating potential overcharges?
My first questions is, do you think Michael Hodson, Angels Camp City Administrator, is concerned and investigating, first and foremost, potential conflicts of interest within the Angels Camp City Council?

Additional Represented Cities:
Arroyo Grande
Ceres
Dixon
Livingston
Newman
Oakdale
Patterson
Redwood City
Riverbank
Rocklin (in specific matters like eminent domain)
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/mvncnzpst6og2wjx9hb03/Questions-raised-about-White-Brenner-billing-in-Stanislaus-_-Modesto-Bee.pdf?rlkey=qlezbpe5eeqob18p2eqn3t5rt&dl=0

Shared with Dropbox

08/26/2026

Autumn Andahl District 2 Calaveras Supervisor… You care about kids? Is this post a joke? The District 3 Supervisor, who literally sits next to you, is in the Epstein Files.

Rest in Peace Dolly.
Thank you for creating Imagination Library and bringing free books to the children of Calaveras County. First 5 Calaveras in partnership with Calaveras Community Foundation brought Dollys program to Calaveras County. Her Life-size cardboard cutout grassroots marketing tool can be found at our local public libraries and affiliates promoting Dolly Parton's Imagination Library free book program.

As a First 5 Calaveras Commisioner I spend a lot of time promoting early literacy and love to see her Image out there In our libraries reminding us how Important books are!

To learn more about Imagination Library or register your 0-5 year old please visit:

https://first5.calaverasgov.us/Programs-Mini-Grants

08/25/2026

Speaking of security cameras. This is not a good look for Calaveras County governance, at all.

I am not going to draw any conclusions, and I don’t want to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but the amount of pressure being exerted on the Calaveras County government and Angels Camp City Council is pretty intense and only going to get more intense, because people are waking up, exposing, and calling out the local systemic and endemic corruption that has been baked into the operating systems of these two rural county governments… since the 1850’s… and this corruption has now escalated to the point that has exceeded all norms that people are just justifiably sick to death of the ineptitude and incompetence of the Calaveras Board of Supervisors and Angels Camp City Council and every department within these governments.

The security camera surveillance trailer that was out today in the parking lot at Government Center (Calaveras County owns two of them, by the way), while perceived as an admission of guilt, I believe is due to probable security concerns, because, at the very least, the county government is fearing backlash due to the intensity of the utter disgust people have with all government corruption and corrupt government officials, be they elected or appointed.

You want change? People better start showing up to the Board of Supervisors and Angels Camp City Council meetings and demand that change or demand the resignations of these so-called leaders.

08/24/2026

The U.S. annual inflation rate for 2025 finished at an average 2.7 percent, representing a nominal increase in Calaveras County direct travel spending from 2024 to 2025, but represents zero real growth when adjusted for inflation. Zero. And, for some reason, the Calaveras Visitors Bureau leadership thought it was a good idea to invest $40,000 in a custom van, instead of allocating those funds to monied tourism generation.

And then there is the Calaveras Visitors Bureau's inexplicable and unconscionable transient occupancy tax funding hoarding, in where the CVB’s very own IRS Forms 990 filings show that during the four fiscal years ending June 30, 2025, the CVB reported year-end net assets ranging from approximately $518,000 to nearly $638,000 while continuing to receive annual TOT-funded allocations by as much as $350,000 annually.

For the CVB's fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, they were sitting on a year-end surplus of approximately $518,000 that was never spent on tourism marketing...

Calaveras travel-supported employment fell 11.5 percent — a loss of 350 jobs — between 2022 and 2025, from a high of 3,030 jobs in 2022 to 2,680 jobs in 2025.

The Calaveras Visitors Bureau is a ship without a rudder or a captain somehow sailing on sea of cash and the Calaveras Fire Districts are being subjected to a proposed TOT funding cut that would reduce the allocated amount of transient occupancy tax – or TOT – funding that would be received by the county’s fire districts from $662,500 to $132,565.

Load that Calaveras Visitors Bureau van up with fire fighting equipment, paint it red and hand it off to the fire districts.

Recommended reading: https://calaveras2024election.com/f/calaveras-visitors-bureau-report-big-on-bluster-short-on-facts

08/24/2026

City of Angels Camp Public Records Act Request Protocols and Outstanding Public Records Act Requests: Transparency, Accountability and PRAs. August 24, 2026 Blog Post. .

City of Angels Camp Public Records Act Request Protocols, Outstanding Public Records Act Requests, and Confirmation of the Factual Record of City of Angels Camp Finances. Statement to be included as part of the public re...

08/22/2026

Quite the ordeal… A mere 5 miles from Murphys. God Bless these fire fighters… Watchduty sez: Forward progress of the fire has been stopped, and hose lays are tied in, per Incident Command. All aircraft are released from the fire except one helicopter, per air attack. Resources will remain on scene for approx 4 hours for mop-up.

08/19/2026

Since we remain on the subject of Data Centers... I hate to sound cliché, but... "there goes the neighborhood..." A potential data center, the Buena Vista AI Factory, is under development in Amador County on a long-defunct biomass site next to Harrah’s Northern California. The state has identified biomass-related industries among core economic development sectors across the Sierra foothills region. So, the project potentially checks some boxes for funding and other state support.

A potential data center, the Buena Vista AI Factory, is under development in Amador County on a long-defunct biomass site next to Harrah’s Northern California.

08/19/2026

Stockton council candidate Desiree Lynch has been arrested on multiple felonies related to perjury and election fraud.

According to San Joaquin County Jail records, Lynch was booked into county jail just after 10 a.m. on five felony counts, including perjury, voter registration violation and the false filing of a declaration of candidacy.

Lynch’s arrest comes just 24 hours after she announced she would continue her campaign to unseat District 5 Councilmember Brando Villapudua this November. Four days earlier Lynch announced that she would no longer be campaigning following accusations circulating online that she had lied about her residency.

Councilmembers must live in the districts they represent. District 5 encompasses south central Stockton.

San Joaquin County District Attorney Ron Freitas said in a statement later Wednesday morning that Lynch’s arrest was a culmination of a weeks-long public corruption investigation following a referral from the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office after the June primary.

“The charges allege that Lynch perjured herself by registering to vote and filing as a candidate using residential addresses where she did not live,” according to DA’s statement.

Lynch is alleged to have committed perjury “on or about” three different dates in the last year, once on Nov. 10, again on Feb. 5 and then on March 2. The council candidate is also facing charges of “causing, procuring, or allowing false voter registration” and “filling a false nomination or declaration of candidacy” on or about Nov. 10 of last year through and including Aug. 17.

Lynch, a registered nurse, is currently being held in county jail on $100,000 bail.

Read more here:

Lynch was arrested just after 10 a.m. Wednesday on five felony counts, including perjury, voter registration violation and the false filing of a declaration of candidacy.

08/18/2026

Fiscal Oversight of the Calaveras Visitors Bureau is Long Overdue. Excessive Accumulation of Publicly-Funded Reserves, and Evaluation of Tourism Promotion Effectiveness is Necessary.

During the period of four fiscal years, the last of which ended on June 30, 2025, the Calaveras Visitors Bureau year-end net assets or fund balances exceeded $500,000 in each of those four fiscal years.

The increase ranges from approximately $206,000 to $326,000 annually of accumulated year-end net assets or fund balances, per the Calaveras Visitors Bureau’s own IRS Forms 990 filings, resulting in accumulated reserves exceeding five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) for each of the last four reported fiscal years, from a low of five hundred eighteen thousand and four dollars ($518,004) to a high of six hundred thirty seven thousand eight hundred and fourteen dollars ($637,814).

These excessive TOT reserves, accumulated as the CVB continued receiving annual TOT allocations from Calaveras County and the City of Angels Camp, are funds the CVB has demonstrably proven they’re unable, incapable or grossly unqualified to effectively invest in consistent tourism revenue growth.

Calaveras County's direct travel spending from 2024 to 2025 represents zero real growth when adjusted for inflation.

Zero.

When adjusted for inflation, Calaveras County tourism has remained flat or declined periodically, annually, since June 2019.

Calaveras travel-supported employment fell 11.5 percent — a loss of 350 jobs — between 2022 and 2025, from a high of 3,030 jobs in 2022 to 2,680 jobs in 2025.

What is the Calaveras Visitors Bureau doing with year-after-year of allocated transient occupancy taxes they are given to promote tourism? They sure aren't spending it on tourism promotion with over a half a million dollars languishing in the bank NOT being spent on tourism promotion and it shows.

And the Calaveras Supervisors proposed cutting Fire District TOT funding as the Calaveras Visitors Bureau is hoarding these exorbitant amounts of TOT, depriving the fire districts from their fair share of their TOT allocation.

Who is in charge of forensic accounting in the Calaveras County government?

Well, the buck should stop with the CEO, Teresa Hitchcock.

Martin Huberty, the Calaveras Visitors Bureau Executive Director, who also serves as the Calaveras County District 3 Supervisor, who receives two annual, transient occupancy tax-funded full-time salaries, which, when combined, approaches $200,000 annually, needs to come before the Board of Supervisors, at minimum two weeks prior to the date that the final FY 2026-2027 budget is adopted, and explain himself.

County staff must also prepare an independent financial and performance analysis of the Calaveras Visitors Bureau before any future adjustments to its funding allocation or contractual relationship are considered.

This financial negligence that would deprive Calaveras County fire fighters of their transient occupancy tax funding source, in one of top ten most flammable counties in the United States, is unacceptable and unconscionable.

Read and share. . If you're not pi**ed off, you're not paying attention.