Publisher urges county to correct Calaveras Visitors Bureau nonprofit classification ahead of budget vote

Christopher Butner, publisher of Calaveras2026election.com, used the May 27 public-comment period to accuse the Calaveras Visitors Bureau (CVB) of misrepresenting its nonprofit corporation type and urged county counsel and the chief executive to correct the tourism promotion agreement before the board votes on the fiscal year 2025–26 budget.

Butner said the CVB’s public materials and website “perpetuate a blatantly false claim” by describing the organization as a nonprofit association rather than its actual corporate form. He told county counsel Edwards, CEO Hitchcock and the board that the distinction between a mutual-benefit nonprofit corporation and a public-benefit nonprofit corporation has legal and financial consequences for permissible activities, taxation, fundraising, and distribution of assets on dissolution.

Butner said he has repeatedly raised the issue and characterized the CVB’s misclassification as fraudulent. He asked the board to facilitate revision of the tourism promotion agreement to correct the CVB’s nonprofit corporation type before the FY2025–26 budget vote. The transcript records his remarks but shows no formal board response or action on the comment during the meeting.