Hello, I lived in Mariposa for 10 years and moved to North Dakota. I have lived in North Dakota for the past 16 years. I want to relocate back to Mariposa and am looking for a job. I have a bachelor's degree in business administration with a minor in human resource management. I have been a newspaper reporter for over 5 years and have been the assistant to our county emergency manager for almost three years. Does anyone know of any jobs available in Mariposa or the surrounding area? Thank you, Leasa A. Lura fcreporter05@yahoo.com

August 6, 2010 Each Member Mariposa County Board of Supervisors RE: THE NEED TO COMPLETE THE COUNTY GENERAL PLAN BEFORE CONSIDERING A CATHEYS VALLEY COMMUNITY PLAN Honorable Supervisors: A serious gap exists in the Mariposa General Plan update process. The Conservation and Open Space Elements, both mandatory elements, are incomplete and no Plan Implementation actions can take place, either adoption of a Community Plan, an Area Plan, or zoning legislation, unless the mandatory elements are all completed. The County General Plan and its companion Environmental Impact Report expressly states that Mariposa County contains certain special status plant and animal species, that the areas containing these species are protected by Federal, State and local laws, but the County has deliberately postponed until an unspecified future time preparing mandatory “development guidelines, conservation plans and programs, and environmental protection measures” (General Plan Chapter 11). The General Plan calls for preparation of a “comprehensive map of environmental resources in Mariposa County”, but doing this mandatory task is also put off indefinitely which has made it the responsibility of land owners who, one-by-one, over an unknown amount of time, will perform site surveys in conjunction with EIR’s on private projects they want to develop on their ownerships. The General Plan further assumes that land owners will cooperate in preparation of a comprehensive map by disclosing the extent of resources on their land and how they intend to deal with them. The General Plan goes on to say that “area plans should embody greenbelts and open space lands to preclude rural sprawl”. For 35 years I have watched other California Counties prepare their mandatory Conservation and Open Space Elements (usually two separate plans) and then prepare Natural Community Conservation Plans, Multiple Species Conservation Plans, Habitat Conservation Plans, etc. all done so land owners can know where already-protected species are likely to exist and what they have to do to avoid or mitigate impacts to them. I’ve written several times to Mariposa decision makers about all of this and I have yet to see the mandatory identification maps and the policy and procedural framework that have to be implemented. The State Department of Fish and Game and the US Army Corps of Engineers also wrote to Mariposa County urging the same thing, and so did the local ecological consulting firm Live Oak Associates along with several law firms plus the State Department of Housing and Community Development; but none of this has been done and it is impossible for a land owner to know whose land and how much land must be set aside and preserved (or restored to a natural condition) in order to meet the requirements of law. This is one of the most basic responsibilities of a California County. The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires that a general plan or community plan EIR identify development policies and measures to implement those policies so that the public may know on a parcel by parcel basis where those policies shall apply. A Community Plan must either contain or incorporate by reference all of the mandatory elements of a general plan. The County General Plan is not done. It is sorely deficient in meeting important legal obligations and it only states (always in future tense) that the County “will” do its duty or “shall require” others to do it. Instead of wasting time and tax payer money trying to divide the County into multiple, “mini-General Plan areas”, Mariposa must devote the necessary resources and effort to completing the County General Plan that is already part way along. I offer the following statutory references to underscore the need for this work: the California Environmental Quality Act will not allow the County to take plan implementation zoning actions (CEQA Sect. 21083.3) that rely on a General Plan EIR until the General Plan or Community Plan “contains each of the mandatory elements specified in (CA Govt Code) Sect. 65032” and it “contains specific development policies adopted for the area included in the community plan, and identifies measures to implement those policies, so that the policies which will apply to each parcel can be determined.” (emphasis added). Again, these time sensitive requirements are not yet included, according to statements in the County General Plan. Since habitat areas always extend over property lines, community plan boundaries, etc. and further because Federal and State law requires such areas to be studied and protected in a comprehensive way, it makes no sense to continue the Catheys Valley Community Plan effort until a County-wide framework for habitat protection has been prepared and adopted. The CVCP proposal to eliminate clustering and to require minimum five-acre parcels is widely recognized as the worst possible pattern for suburban sprawl. It has the greatest environmental impacts that result from extra long driveways and too many drainage crossings to reach widely spread homesites. It has the greatest per dwelling cost for extending electric, phone, cable TV and internet lines. It results in the most vegetation removal for clearing fire protection zones. It requires the most vehicle miles driven for everyday shopping, school buses, emergency vehicle access, deliveries and all other transportation needs (up to 14 vehicle trips per house per day). Because of the need to set back homesites from floodprone areas, protected habitats, ridgelines, etc. there is no assurance that a land owner has any potential to create 5-acre parcels at all. It may in fact be a fictional feature of the proposed CVCP. On the other hand, the County General Plan specifically encourages “flexible site development and clustering to conserve designated scenic routes, views, and viewsheds” and, I should add, to avoid unmitigable environmental impacts. The CVCP Supplemental EIR skirted the obvious need to compare impacts and costs of 5-acre lot size development with clustering the same density as encouraged by the General Plan. This applies even to “global warming”. What went wrong with the proposed Catheys Community Plan that would eliminate clustering and seriously hamper a land owner’s ability to subdivide his land. Fixing the General Plan’s deficiencies would be a lot easier, faster and cheaper than trying to subdivide the County into autonomous bailiwicks. A State of California planning agency offers good Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping, many layers of data that can be viewed on the internet and obtained without cost. It practically does the whole job.

In the book Deeper Than Gold, by California Indian ethnologist Brian Bibby, the Miwoks admit their chief at the time of Yosemite’s discovery was Chief Bautista. Bautista was a military ally and afraid to enter Yosemite Valley. Chief Tenaya is documented to be the founder of the Paiute colony of Ahwahnee and spoke Paiute, so why is the Park wasting taxpayer’s money constructing another Miwok roundhouse and giving it to the non-profit Southern Sierra Miwuks? Where’s the Mono Paiute village? This is a desecration to the memory of the original Indians of Yosemite. NCERT books

The recent comments by Mr. Evans should be offensive to just about everyone. His bigoted and hateful rant published by the Gazette set a new low. I can assure Mr. Evans that almost all "teabaggers" are in fact democrats whereas "Tea Party" members while mostly conservative come from all groups in America and are composed of people who value their liberty and are alarmed by the destruction of our country by a president whose loyalties are manifestly not to the USA. The Gazette should be very careful when publishing outrageous lies and libel by someone like Mr. Evans.

I just recently started trying to locate a DOROTHY FAYE GARNER for my grandfather Hank Swope. Dorothy was his sister and hasn't been in contact with her for 15 years or so. I know how he wanted to find her so I started searching, only to find that she passed away in March. If anyone has any info on her I would appriciate if you would please contact me at tina_weston@yahoo.com we would like to know if she had any family and what had happened. Thanks, Tina

Why another Miwok Roundhouse in Yosemite? On a recent Yosemite trip I discovered the Park Service is constructing another Miwok ceremonial roundhouse in the Park. The site of this new Miwok roundhouse is right on top of a Paiute campsite of Wahoga. The headman of Wahoga was a Paiute man named Lancisco Wilson. This is the second Miwok roundhouse Yosemite National Park has constructed in the Park. The first roundhouse, built in the1970s, is behind the Yosemite Research Center and Indian Museum. Now the Park is creating another Miwok roundhouse in Yosemite Valley, a place not indigenous to the Southern Sierra Miwuk. In the book Deeper Than Gold, by California Indian ethnologist Brian Bibby, the Miwoks admit their chief at the time of Yosemite’s discovery was Chief Bautista. Bautista was a military ally and afraid to enter Yosemite Valley. Chief Tenaya is documented to be the founder of the Paiute colony of Ahwahnee and spoke Paiute, so why is the Park wasting taxpayer’s money constructing another Miwok roundhouse and giving it to the non-profit Southern Sierra Miwuks? Where’s the Mono Paiute village? This is a desecration to the memory of the original Indians of Yosemite, and why is our government wasting good money on a falsehood.

There is an error in your story on the Hall of Fame inductees. Michael Moore did not score over two thousand points in baseball. Basketball was his sport.

My child has also complained about being cold, and has also complained about being hit by classmates, and being told that nothing could be done because they did not witness the incident. health questions answered

I am glad to hear about the reader who rescued the puppy from the idiot. There are so many people out there that have no respect for animals. Licenses should be required to own one. San Diego movers

Thank You Mariposa, CA.... I did find John L. Anderson by other means... Sadly, John passed away in 1998 in El Cajon, Ca. I spoke with his widow, Marylena, today and belatedly expressed my condolences to Mrs. John L. Anderson and her Family. As well, I express my condolences to any of John L. Anderson's Family that may still reside in Mariposa. I might add, John L. Anderson was a Great Friend to me when I was station with him at Fighter Town, USA - Mirimar Naval Air Station, Squadron VF121. Again, Thanks! Best Regards to All, Paul K. Beauchamp pkbeauc@suddenlink.net

Last week, after I left my favorite restaurant, I discovered a cardboard box with a sign, "Free dogs", in front of the door. There were two puppies in the box, no water, no owner. A man quickly picked up one of the puppies and walked off. I picked up the remaining puppy who was lethargic and whose stomach was distended. The puppy promptly eliminated as it had violent diarrhea. Caused by my calls for water and my questions about the owner, he showed up. I tried to convince him that it was unwise to leave a box with puppies for anyone to pick up. I also talked to him about the necessity to make sure that the puppies go to homes where they are well cared for. I asked him if he had contacted the SPCA or the good people of our Animal Control Office. He had not. I pointed out to him that the puppy is sickly, had diarrhea, and needed to see a vet. He responded that the puppy ate Chinese food and thus had diarrhea. When I told him that puppies need puppy food, he responded that his 8 dogs get Chinese food and cheese, then have diarrhea, "no problem." As we were both getting louder and as I realized that there was no convincing this man of providing adequate care for his dogs, I grabbed the puppy and left. The puppy was immediately taken to the vet who diagnosed that she suffered from roundworms. She was given shots and then received a special diet for the next few days. Within hours her lethargy decreased and she started to perk up. She was adopted by a lovely family who loves her. Thank you, Sarah and Miles. My point: Please, do not give away puppies in front of stores or restaurants. Puppies and kittens are cute and people might impulsively pick up an animal without considering the expense, time, long-term commitment it takes to care for such an animal. For those who read my letter to the editor about the puppy I picked up on Halloween on Highway 49: After I got him neutered, immunized, trained, he became the Christmas gift for a 10 year old boy. He is much loved by the whole family. Thank you, Myia and Rico.

I am looking for a relative of John L Anderson that can tell me where I can reach, get in contact with John L. Anderson. John L. Anderson was from Mariposa and I was stationed with John in Squadron VF-121 at NAS Mirimar in San Diego from June 1967 to late December 1969. The last place John lived, that I know of, was El Cajon or Chula Vista, CA. At one time he worked for Sears some where in the San Diego, El Cajon, or Chula Vista area. I think he married a woman from Guatemala and lived in EL Cajon, Ca. I wonder if The Mariposa Gazette could post or place a "Looking For" in the News Paper. I,in the past, would call John's Mother to get John's phone number.... but that was long ago. So, if there is any one in Mariposa or that subscribes to the Maraposa Gazette can help me please contact me. Best Regards, Paul Beauchamp e-mail: pkbeauc@suddenlink.net

These last few days have been warmer, but how many of us have sick children? I recently received a complaint from my younger children that there class rooms are cold. Only to be followed by a not home by a kindergarten teacher that their class room is between 33-48 degrees until after lunch when the heater finally gets to kick on and heats the room to 68 degrees. This was during our last bit of snow. I contacted the principal and the district office only to be told that they would look it to it and that they were unaware. That was last week. This week the kids are still complaining that the rooms are cold, and my oldest stated that they had an assembly to let the kids know how broke the school is and that that is why the heaters are on timers and are kept turned down. Now my kindergartner is in a class of about 20, and I was told that I was the only parent who complained about the note, Why is that? And why is the school getting away with this. I have personally walked into the office at 8am and felt the need to take off my coat because its so warm, but the kids are freezing? If the children went to school and complained that they were cold at home because their family didn't turn on the heat, you can bet that there would be an investigation through CPS as to why and being broke would not be a good enough excuse to keep the children in that home. As a result of the cold classrooms my children all have colds, and yet I am supposed to keep sending my children so that the school can get paid and we don't end up in truancy court. Something needs to be done to address this situation, and one parent unfortunately is not enough.