Supervisor Huberty's Many Conflicts Lead to 18 Vote Recusals

October 2, 2024: Since taking office on January 2, 2023, as Calaveras County District 3 Supervisor, Martin Huberty, who also serves as the Executive Director of the Calaveras Visitors Bureau, has recused himself 18 times, as of this date of publication, depriving the citizens of the county the representation they voted for, as well as the leadership Calaveras County tourism-dependent businesses require from creative, innovative, qualified and focused tourism marketing leadership.

While receiving over $2.4 million in public transient occupancy tax-funding since mid-2019, when Martin Huberty took the role as Executive Director, the Calaveras Visitors Bureau routinely misleads the public and its government benefactors concerning its fiscal impact to Calaveras County by failing to adjust its reporting for inflation, and therefore failing to accurately report the real purchasing power of the County’s annual tourism revenue.

In real dollars, utilizing the U.S. government’s Consumer Price Index for accuracy, the fiscal impact of the Calaveras Visitors Bureau has, in fact, experienced negative or flat growth under Huberty’s “leadership,” as has been previously published to Calaveras2024Election.com in this detailed report: County Supervisors and DA Barbara Yook Ignore Evidence of Calaveras Visitors Bureau Corruption.

Additionally, District 3 Supervisor Martin Huberty (Compensation $82,000+), in his conflicted role as Executive Director of the Calaveras Visitors Bureau (Compensation: $80,000+), has been the subject of an ongoing FPPC investigation since July 2023, Case 2023-00471, for evidence of campaign finance violations during his 2022 campaign for District 3 Supervisor, for his failure to disclose multiple sources of income as the Calaveras Visitors Bureau Executive Director and Chamber of Commerce CEO (Estimated $55,000+ for FY 2022 based on 2021 Calaveras Chamber IRS filings).

If Martin Huberty cannot manage his own money, how can he be trusted to manage your tax dollars?

Inclusive of the Calaveras County Office of Economic and Community Development, there are 13 Calaveras business bureaus, combined, that are bereft of competent leadership.

Murphys, the economic engine of Calaveras County, has been sputtering for three years, since late October 2021, waiting for a post-pandemic rebound of tourism that has yet to materialize.

According to the Calaveras Visitors Bureau meeting minutes, “Statistics are showing wine and retail are down all over California as well as 8% down in hospitality employees.” LINK - Page #1, item #2: https://www.gocalaveras.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-June-CVB-Board-Meeting-Minutes.pdf

Yet, no unique and innovative marketing efforts have been developed by any business bureau to overcome this downturn in tourism, although there are many examples of the collective suppression of entrepreneurs by the leadership of the Calaveras Visitors Bureau, Calaveras Winegrape Alliance, Murphys Business Association and the Calaveras Chamber of Commerce. Reference this detailed June 2023 report: https://murphyscalifornia.biz/unrealized-revenue

The tourism-dependent businesses of Calaveras County are done tolerating county-sanctioned and institutionalized conflicts of economic interests, cronyism and exclusionary collusion through the willful suppression of entrepreneurialism and innovation in favor of select support of legacy personalities, businesses and industries through the advocacy of inexperienced and - it is alleged - inept individuals entrenched in a range of both Calaveras County governmental and business bureau leadership positions. 

The business bureaus, particularly, the Calaveras Visitors Bureau, Calaveras Winegrape Alliance, Murphys Business Association and the Calaveras Chamber of Commerce, need to be purged of ineffective leadership, restaffed, and consolidated into financially viable and sustainable entities with a common mission to support existing and emerging innovative Calaveras businesses, as well as bring new businesses and monied tourists to Calaveras County.

Institutionalized incompetence and cronyism must be removed from public office.