El Dorado County Supervisors cut funding for tourism organization, Visit El Dorado

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THIS IS NOT THE PLACE TO LOOK FOR SAVINGS. THE GRAPE WILL PUSH OUT AND THEN THEY’LL PRUNE IT AGAIN. IT WAS CHRIS DELFINO’S PARENTS WHO STARTED THIS FARM. MY FATHER CAME HERE. MY MOTHER. THERE WAS NOTHING BUT TREES AND WE TURNED INTO A FARM. OVER THE DECADES, DELFINO’S CHILDREN HAVE JOINED THE FAMILY BUSINESS. I WANT TO SEE GENERATIONAL, AND I WANT TO HAVE THAT TOUCH WHERE I MEET THE PEOPLE. WE MEET THE PEOPLE. THEY COULD TALK TO US AND KEEP IT REALLY WHOLESOME IN THAT WAY. HAVE THINGS MADE HERE, BAKED HERE. DELFINO SAYS HE RELIES ON PARTNERSHIP WITH VISIT EL DORADO, THE EL DORADO COUNTY’S VISITORS AUTHORITY, FOR MARKETING THEIR APPLE HILL FARM TO VISITORS. WE’VE EXPANDED IT AND WE WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW IT’S NOT JUST OCTOBER AND AND, YOU KNOW, AND SOME OF SEPTEMBER, IT’S NOT JUST SIX WEEKS ANYMORE. IT’S LITERALLY A YEAR ROUND. BUT LAST MONTH, THE EL DORADO COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO CUT THE FUNDING FOR VISIT EL DORADO. A COUNTY SPOKESPERSON, CITING EXPECTED BUDGET CONSTRAINTS FOR THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR, ADDING THE $279,000 IN FUNDING CAME FROM AN UNSTABLE FUNDING SOURCE FROM TOURIST SPENDING. SHE SAYS IT’S DECLINED IN RECENT YEARS. I KNOW THERE’S A THERE’S A PROBLEM WITH THE MONEY. I DON’T UNDERSTAND HOW THIS PART IS GOING TO FIX THAT PROBLEM. JODI FRANKLIN IS THE LONGTIME DIRECTOR OF VISIT EL DORADO. SHE MARKETS THE COUNTY AND ITS WEALTH OF ACTIVITIES, SHE SAYS, TO PEOPLE WITHIN A 3 TO 4 HOUR DRIVE, BRINGING THEM AND THEIR DOLLARS TO THE AREA. THEY’RE LOOKING AT UNDER ALL THE ROCKS. I FEEL LIKE THIS IS NOT THE ONE YOU WANT TO LOOK UNDER, BECAUSE WE’RE THE ONES MAKING THE MONEY. FRANKLIN AND DELFINO SAY THEY’RE CONFUSED BY THE SUPERVISOR’S DECISION AND HOPE SOMETHING CAN BE DONE TO SAVE. VISIT EL DORADO AND THE RESOURCES IT PROVIDES LOCAL BUSINESS OWNERS. VISIT EL DORADO IS A CRITICAL ELEMENT TO MAKE PEOPLE COME HERE FROM OUTSIDE THE COUNTY, AND WHEN THEY COME, THEY’RE GOING TO COME BACK. BUT WE GOT TO GET THEM HERE IN EL DORADO COUNTY. LEE ANNE DENYER KCRA THREE NEWS. AND THOSE CHANGES START JULY 1ST. AND VISIT EL DORADO ISN’T THE ONLY ORGANIZATION THAT’S LOSING MONEY. TEN OTHERS ALSO HAD THEIR FUNDING DROPPED FOR THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR, INCLUDING THE EL DORADO COUNTY FILM COMMISSION, THE CALIFORNIA WELCOME CENTER IN EL DORAD

El Dorado County Supervisors cut funding for tourism organization, Visit El Dorado

Whether it's heading to South Lake Tahoe, spending the day at Apple Hill or rafting the American River, El Dorado County attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors a year. The organization tasked with promoting the county’s activities, however, has lost its funding.Last month, the El Corado County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to cut the funding for Visit El Dorado, the El Dorado County Visitor’s Authority, and numerous other organizations. Chris Delfino, of Apple Hill’s Delfino Farms, said he relies on partnership with Visit El Dorado to bring new visitors to their family farm. He said it's customers from outside the area that help his family keep their doors open.“We want people to know it's not just October,” he said. “It's not just six weeks anymore. It's literally year-round.”He said messaging from Visit El Dorado helps inform visitors of events throughout the year and helps manage the busy apple-picking season in the fall.“When they come, they're going to come back, but we’ve got to get them here,” he said.As for the reason for the cuts, an El Dorado County spokesperson cited expected "budget constraints for the next fiscal year,” explaining further that the funding for these programs came from an "unstable" funding source based on tourism dollars.“I don't understand how this part is going to fix that problem,” said Jody Franklin of Visit El Dorado. “We're the ones making the money. We're inviting (visitors) to spend the night, spend their money, and then go back to their homes.”The changes go into effect July 1.“I am so concerned over the businesses and the partnerships,” Franklin said. “It takes so much more to get those visitors back after you've lost them.”Visit El Dorado isn't the only organization losing funding. Ten others also had their funding dropped for the next fiscal year, including the El Dorado County Film Commission, the EDH Welcome Center and the Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

EL DORADO COUNTY, Calif. —

Whether it's heading to South Lake Tahoe, spending the day at Apple Hill or rafting the American River, El Dorado County attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors a year.

The organization tasked with promoting the county’s activities, however, has lost its funding.

Last month, the El Corado County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to cut the funding for Visit El Dorado, the El Dorado County Visitor’s Authority, and numerous other organizations.

Chris Delfino, of Apple Hill’s Delfino Farms, said he relies on partnership with Visit El Dorado to bring new visitors to their family farm. He said it's customers from outside the area that help his family keep their doors open.

“We want people to know it's not just October,” he said. “It's not just six weeks anymore. It's literally year-round.”

He said messaging from Visit El Dorado helps inform visitors of events throughout the year and helps manage the busy apple-picking season in the fall.

“When they come, they're going to come back, but we’ve got to get them here,” he said.

As for the reason for the cuts, an El Dorado County spokesperson cited expected "budget constraints for the next fiscal year,” explaining further that the funding for these programs came from an "unstable" funding source based on tourism dollars.

“I don't understand how this part is going to fix that problem,” said Jody Franklin of Visit El Dorado. “We're the ones making the money. We're inviting (visitors) to spend the night, spend their money, and then go back to their homes.”

The changes go into effect July 1.

“I am so concerned over the businesses and the partnerships,” Franklin said. “It takes so much more to get those visitors back after you've lost them.”

Visit El Dorado isn't the only organization losing funding. Ten others also had their funding dropped for the next fiscal year, including the El Dorado County Film Commission, the EDH Welcome Center and the Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce.

See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

El Dorado County Supervisors cut funding for tourism organization, Visit El Dorado

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