I Mariposa EDC Charter
1. Mission Statement
The Mariposa County Economic Development Corporation’s Mission Statement is intended to be both simple and encompassing:
“To Promote Sustainable Economic Growth In Mariposa County”

This mission statement drives all activities of our programs.

2. The Issue of GrowthDuring the next 20 years, an additional 20-million people will be added to California’s existing 30-million population. This growth will occur as a result of numerous social and economic forces in the nation and around the Pacific rim. The State Department of Finance predicts that a significant portion of this growth will occur within the Central San Joaquin Valley. This high level of future growth in the San Joaquin Valley will have a profound impact on all of the Sierra counties, including Mariposa.

The Mariposa County Economic Development Corporation feels that this growth is inevitable in the region and in the County. Growth, in itself, is neither good nor bad; our inability to properly manage and direct growth, however, could have a negative effect on our economic, political, physical, social and environmental systems. The Mariposa EDC feels that future population growth can be managed in such a manner as to preserve the natural resources and quality of life which serve as magnets to population growth.

3. Mariposa EDC Position StatementThe Mariposa County Economic Development Corporation has adopted the position of promoting sustainable development in Mariposa County. We believe a sustainable County will have a growing economy that equitably provides opportunities for a satisfying livelihood along with a safe, healthy environment.

The Mariposa County Economic Development Corporation membership has diverse interests and attitudes. In this diversity, however, are some shared ideals and visions for Mariposa’s future. Based on the goals of the President’s Council of Sustainable Development, the Mariposa County EDC’s approach to sustainable development is based upon eight fundamental concepts:

• A Healthy Environment
Growth and development must not result in long-term or irreversible contamination or pollution of our soils, water or air which would pose health and safety problems to people and/or wildlife.
We Believe:
• Great progress has been made in protecting the environment over the last 25 years and we must continue to make progress during the next 25 years. We can best achieve this goal through market incentives and the power of environmentally aware consumers.
• Environmental regulations have improved and must continue to improve the lives of County residents and visitors. Basic standards of performance that are clear, fair, and consistently enforced remain necessary to protect that progress.

• Economic Prosperity
Growth and development must contribute to the economic prosperity of existing and future residents of the County.
We Believe:
• To achieve our vision of sustainable development, some things must grow-jobs, productivity, wages, capital and savings, profits, information, knowledge, and education,and others-pollution, waste, and poverty-must not.
• Change is inevitable and necessary for the sake of future generations and for ourselves. We have the ability to choose a course for change that will lead to the mutually reinforcing goals of economic growth, environmental protection, and social equity.

• Social Equity
Growth and development in the County should have beneficial impacts on all members of our community.
We Believe:
• Steady progress in reducing disparities in education, opportunity, and environmental risk within our community is essential to economic growth, environmental health, and social justice.
• Economic growth based on technological innovation, improved efficiency, and expanding markets is essential for progress toward greater prosperity, equity, and environmental quality.

• Conservation of Natural Resources and Biodiversity
Growth and development in the County should contribute to the conservation of our non-renewable resources (air, water, & soils), promote biodiversity of the region’s plant and animal life and enhance the sustained production of our renewable resources.
We Believe:
• Even in the face of scientific uncertainty, public environmental policy should take reasonable actions to avert risks where the potential harm to human health and or the environment is thought to be serious or irreparable. To the same degree, we should not squander our public support for environmental quality on unsubstantiated claims of environmental hazards and contamination.
• Environmental performance should be measured by objective standards that can be uniformly enforced and have a scientific relationship to a publicly identified environmental problem.

• Stewardship and Individual and Institutional Responsibility
Sustained growth and development must rely on individuals, organizations and institutions adopting a concept of “stewardship” of our County’s soil, water, air, scenic and wildlife resources.
We Believe:
• Future environmental progress will depend largely on individual, institutional, and corporate responsibility, commitment, and stewardship.
• A growing economy and healthy environment are essential to maintaining the County’s quality of life.

• Sustainable Communities
Growth and development must preserve, protect and enhance our communities and villages.
We Believe:
• Economic growth, environmental protection, and social equity are linked. The EDC Strategic Plan incorporates concepts of integrated goals, policies and actions to achieve our economic development goals.
• The current environmental regulatory system should be improved to deliver required results at lower costs. In addition, the system should provide enhanced flexibility in return for superior environmental performance.

• Civic Engagement
Sustained growth and development must involve all segments of the community in public decision processes.
We Believe:
• A knowledgeable public, the free flow of information, and opportunities for review and redress are critically important to open, equitable, and effective decision making.
• Mariposa will play an enhanced role in the State and National community with respect to decisions about the environment, equity, natural resources, and economic progress. The Mariposa County EDC can provide a forum for the articulation of our views on State and National issues which have an impact on our lives and livelihoods.
• We need to work towards a collaborative governmental decision process that leads to better decisions; more rapid change; and more sensible use of human, natural, and financial resources in achieving identified community goals.

• Education
Effective civic engagement on issues of growth and development require that the public be informed and knowledgeable.
We Believe:
• County residents must have access to high-quality and lifelong formal and non-formal education that enables them to understand the interdependence of economic prosperity and environmental quality.
• Education is necessary to support steady advances in science and technology. These advances, in turn, result in improved economic efficiency, the protection and restoration of natural systems, and modification of consumption patterns.

The concept of sustainable development, within the context of this Strategic Plan, can best be defined as the ability to meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Practically speaking, sustainable development is a set of policies, practices and behaviors that aim at simultaneously achieving economic prosperity, environmental quality and social equity. Sustainable development is an ideal that we continually move towards.

4. Mariposa County EDC Goal & Objective Summary:
The Mariposa County Economic Development Corporation has adopted the following goals:

• A Diversified Economic Base Which is Not Solely Dependent of Tourism and Retirement.
• A Well Trained and Educated Labor Force to Support a Diverse Economic Base.
• Community Infrastructure Capable of Meeting the 21st Century Needs of Business and Commerce.
• Long-Term Sustainable Economic Growth Throughout the County.

Objectives for the Year 2000:
By the Year 2000, the Mariposa County EDC’s objectives are to:
• Policy A-1 Retain, Expand and Foster Local Business and Industry.
1. Reduce small business failure during the first five years of operation to a level below national standards or 50%, whichever is lower.
2. Increase the number of small businesses employing 2 to 10 full-time workers by 5% per year.
• Policy A-2 Recruit New Business and Industry to Mariposa County.
3. Recruit 10 new employers to locate in the County each employing three people or more, which meet the environmental, technical and wage objectives of the Mariposa County EDC.
• Policy A-3 Promote “Home Industry” or “Cottage Industry” Mixed Use Development for Information Technology Businesses.
4. Assist in the establishment of 25 basic “Home” or “Cottage” enterprises throughout the County.
5. Propose revisions to Mariposa County zoning regulations to establish standards for “campus” type industrial developments.
• Policy A-4 Enhance the County’s Present Educational and Job Training Resources.
6. Establish a Mariposa County Life-Long Learning program which provides instructional assistance to a minimum of 500 students, workers, employers and general members of the community per year.
• Policy A-5 Improve Mariposa’s Investment and Development Climate.
7. Prepare and periodically review clear quantifiable social, economic and environmental standards for development proposed in Mariposa County.
8. Propose an amendment to Mariposa County development regulations which eliminates the need to unnecessarily submit development proposals to discretionary permit review procedures; propose regulations which limit discretionary permit review procedures to adopted and specific social, economic and environmental standards.
• Policy A-6 Support Development, Expansion and Application of Modern Communications Technology.
9. To maintain a telecommunications service in the county at a level of sophistication and cost comparable to neighboring metropolitan areas of the region.
10. To provide access to every resident of Mariposa County to modern telecommunications resources.
• Policy A-7 Promote Sustainable Growth and Development.
11. Develop a survey instrument which measures community attitudes on key factors known to reflect the a quality of life in a community which can be used to measure changes over five year time spans. Factors should encompass:
• Environmental Health,
• Economic Prosperity,
• Social Equity,
• Conservation/Biodiversity,
• Stewardship,
• Sustainable Communities,
• Civic Engagement, and
• Education
• Policy A-8 Promote and Support Development of Community Facilities & Infrastructure.
12. The Mariposa County EDC will
• Assist in the development of a new county library facility.
• Assist in the development of a new High School for Mariposa County.
• Promote the development of a new community sports complex in Mariposa County.
• Promote the development of a community cultural center.
• Promote the development of public transportation support facilities throughout the County.
• Policy A-9 Support Development of Visitor Service Industries and Activities That also Serve Local Residents.
13. the Mariposa County EDC will
• Support the development of a commercial riding stable, guest ranch, equestrian and hiking trail system and similar types of uses in the area.
• Support the development of commercial recreation facilities such as a gym, bowling alley, golf course, driving range, water slide, etc.
• Support the development of public parks, the Mariposa Creek parkway, a community outdoor theater and other open space/cultural facilities in the Mariposa.