Madera County Has No Ethics

By DJ Becker/The Madera News June 2nd, 2023

Residents were shocked, but not surprised to learn Madera County actually has no written code of ethics.

Recent inquiries by The Madera News revealed unlike most other California counties, Madera County’s basic municipal code dates from the 1970s (current Madera County code) and contains no specific ethics code or operating standards applying to officials that typically prohibit corruption, dishonesty, self-dealing, nepotism, cronyism, favoritism, or inappropriate behavior or relationships between officials and other county personnel.  

Lack of Integrity 
Critics of county officials also claim the county lacks integrity and call it “damn convenient and no coincidence… there are no written regulations” prohibiting self-serving behaviors.  Residents and employees, some who spoke only on the condition of anonymity have long said they have been subjected to a culture of serious intimidation, and fear of retaliation if they dared speak out. 

No Duty to Act in Taxpayers’ Best Financial Interest
Also absent are the requirements that elected county officials, department heads and employees act professionally and transparently in the best financial interest of residents when spending tax dollars, and treat residents with courtesy, honesty, and respect. 

No Accountability, Residents Demand Change
Without a code of ethics, there is also no accountability or deterrence for malfeasance or other questionable actions, leaving residents calling for change and enforcement of ethics standards through a truly independent oversight review committee like most other counties have. “Is it any wonder they get away with all this stuff? The deck is stacked  – and no one is ever held accountable for anything here in Madera County,” said a longtime employee. Go to Madera Taxpayers for Responsible Government on Facebook to add your thoughts, and share information, or ideas on these issues.   

Madera County Grand Jury Functions Allegedly Obstructed, Reports Ignored
Residents have noted the citizen Grand Jury, the only ‘watchdog’ group responsible for monitoring Madera County’s operations has reportedly not had consistently working internet or reliable, working office equipment to adequately perform their volunteer functions for at least the last five years. The operating budget of the Grand Jury is also directly controlled by the Madera County administration, which observers insist is a direct and serious conflict of interest and should be changed. A 2019-2020 Madera County Grand Jury report posed the question of local officials: “Public Servants or Self Serving?”

Requests for Transparency and Information Ignored
Requests for information or comment to Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Jay Varney on the lack of a county ethics code were not answered. Varney, a long-time associate of Madera county supervisors, was formerly Sheriff and was selected and appointed as CAO by the Board of Supervisors in June 2020. Records available at PublicPayCA.gov show Varney, not a degreed municipal CAO, was paid an annual salary and benefits package of approximately $335k or more in 2021. Varney has repeatedly declined to respond to residents or comment on how and where Madera County has spent or used the $30 million dollars of federal windfall recently received from the American Rescue Plan.  

Mountain Residents Left Without Fire Protection
North Fork resident Kris Hamilton said the volunteer fire stations in her community sit vacant in some of the highest wildfire risk areas while the county supervisors spent large sums of money on conferences and other questionable vanity projects like the million-dollar roadside sign. “Why doesn’t this county have a Code of Ethics like other counties have? Does this county’s leadership think they have a free pass to spend and operate without it? There is no trust. No transparency, and no excuse – for the failings of this county’s leadership. No audits, no ethics. And now the hospital is closed.” Hamilton said. 

A Resounding NO on Another ‘Measure T’ Ballot Tax Increase Measure. 
Another frustrated county critic said “Now these … supervisors want to increase our sales taxes again – with another ballot Measure T. Heck no! We will fight that again. They just don’t get it, nobody trusts them to collect or (appropriately) spend the tax money they already have collected.” 

Residents point to a long list of additional decisions below they call bad faith, all recently made during the time Madera County has had a three or four-million-dollar budget deficit :

$60k Spent at the Board of Supervisors Bass Lake Conference
A request for public records by The Madera News shows at least $60k was spent by supervisors in May of 2022 at a lavish three-day, two-night management retreat at Bass Lake for approximately 200 favored employees and guests. The charges included rooms, spa suites, elaborate appetizers, meals, mileage, and lodging and transportation for corporate management speakers from the Bay Area, in addition to their speaking fees. 

$27k Annual Raise for an Executive Assistant
Reclassification, without public discussion, in 2022 of select employee positions with annual step raise increases of $27k per year, raising those salaries to approximately $97k in salary and benefits annually.  

Appointment of Board of Supervisor’s Campaign Manager to Top County Position  
Residents also questioned the 2023 appointment of Supervisors Poythress and Frazier’s recent campaign manager to the position of Executive Director of Madera County Economic Development.  

$45k Annual Raises for Sheriff and District Attorney
Reclassification, without public discussion, by the Board of Supervisors, which increased the annual salaries of the Madera County Sheriff and District Attorney positions by $45k each, resulting in salaries and benefits packages of over $320k, leaving residents wondering what the raises were in exchange for. Personnel in both offices said they were completely unaware of the proposed raises and said at the time their employee bargaining units were being told no funding was available for them. The raises for the Sheriff and DA went into effect in 2022. 

$30K Annual Raise for Board of Supervisors Recently Quashed by Resident’s Objections
Residents of the Eastern Madera County Taxpayers group were able to stop a proposed annual raise of $30k each for the new sitting Board of Supervisors in February 2023 by circulating petitions demanding the raise ordinance be repealed, with local residents holding recall signs at the public podium in the county chambers. Records show the proposed supervisors raise ordinance was placed on the county calendar five days before Christmas and was scheduled for a final vote after the review period, on February 14th. Residents said the timing strategy was no coincidence and was designed to slip in the vote on the supervisor’s salary increase on the consent calendar during the holidays when residents would hopefully not be paying attention.  The Madera County Board of Supervisors position is part-time, has full-time staff, and is currently paid approximately $97k or more in salary and benefits annually, depending on longevity.

Bad Faith Sales Tax Distribution with the City of Madera
Knowledgable sources within the City of Madera, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity, have long objected to the years of inequity in the County City Tax Sharing Revenue agreement which they say does not fairly return close to the appropriate amount of sales taxes generated within the city limits, to the City of Madera.  “They drag their feet and delay. They dictate, they don’t negotiate (in good faith) on anything. They can’t collect… or misspend their money fast enough,” said one person with knowledge of the subject, referring to the county operation. The City of Chowchilla reportedly sued Madera County to obtain a higher return amount of the sales taxes their city generates.

Please go to Madera Taxpayers for Responsible Government on Facebook to add your thoughts, and share information or suggestions on these issues.