Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Accountability topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Public commenter accuses county officials and Visitors Bureau of criminal misconduct; files cited complaints
Summary
A member of the public told the board he filed criminal complaints alleging misuse of public funds and other wrongdoing tied to a tourism-promotion agreement and warned of additional complaints and potential congressional interest if the board does not act.
During the general public comment period on March 24, Christopher Butner (publisher of CalaverasWatchdog.com) told the Board of Supervisors he filed criminal complaints (numbers cited on the record) with the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office alleging grand theft, misuse of public funds and fraudulent misrepresentation tied to the Calaveras Visitors Bureau and a four-year tourism-promotion agreement. Butner named elected officials and the Visitors Bureau president in his remarks and said he planned to file additional complaints if the tourism-promotion agreement is not voided.
Butner repeatedly urged the board to place the tourism agreement on the April 14 agenda or to call a special meeting before April 14. He also referenced alleged historical financial dealings and potential congressional interest in related testimony, and said he would notify oversight bodies if local action was not taken. The board did not take action during the meeting; no board member made a formal response on the record to the allegations during public comment.
The meeting record shows the allegations were made as public comment; those statements are claims by a private individual and were not adjudicated at the meeting. There was no official response, and the county clerk did not report any concurrent criminal-case filings or administrative follow-ups during the session.
