Attorney General Grants Mateel’s Request to Continue to Operate as a Listed Charity

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Mateel logo feature

Dear Editor,

The Mateel has an important update regarding our suspension by the Registry of Charitable Trusts. The Attorney General’s office has approved the Mateel’s request to continue to operate, as a listed charity by the state, effective through May 7. Our 2016 audit (2014 and 2015 having been previously submitted – contrary to what was reported by some media outlets), is in process, and is on track to be filed before the end of April. Once that audit is filed with the Registry of Charitable Trusts, our suspension will be resolved. The Mateel Community Center is continuing to work on finding its footing following recent financial difficulties, and each of these $10,000 audits have not been an easy problem to hurdle.

To clarify, the Mateel’s non-profit standing was never suspended. Rather, it was our standing with the Registry for Charitable Trusts. Nevertheless, we are looking forward to the prompt resolution of this matter.

We have heard the public’s request for more transparency and to be kept up to date on pertinent issues. Sometimes the news we have to report is hard to hear, but we hope the community will continue to support the Mateel and its events as we strive to resolve these complex problems. We all want to see the Mateel survive and thrive long into the future.

In the meantime, we’d like to welcome you to the hall for Andre Nickatina on April 14,The Crystal Method on April 28, J-Boog on May 25, and of course the 42nd Annual Summer Arts & Music Festival at Benbow State Park on June 2nd & 3rd. Pre-sale weekend tickets for the Arts Fair are available and can be purchased in advance online for $35. Mateel members can buy advance weekend tickets for $30 at the office only.

Come out to these events and show your support for the Mateel – together we are stronger!

Sincerely,

Anna Rogers

For the Mateel Board of Directors, Secretary

Garberville

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Whole Mateel
Guest
Whole Mateel
5 years ago

Welcome GOOD NEWS for the struggling Mateel Community Center!
Slowly, step by step, we shall rebuild and renew our beloved, socially important MCC!
Thanks AG!

Sold out
Guest
Sold out
5 years ago

What exactly do they didn’t for charity? Seems like a weird ego driven business to have bad music events now..

DELUSIONAL LIBERAL
Guest
DELUSIONAL LIBERAL
5 years ago

Sounds crazy to me I’d like to have 2 Mil filter through my hands and say it’s a non profit

JoshSour
Guest
JoshSour
5 years ago

The Mateel is Humboldts version of the Trump administration.

😛
Guest
😛
5 years ago
Reply to  JoshSour

Are you sure your not talking bout yourself Sweet? The way I hear you treat folks in town, is by far more Orange than your comment.

Ed Voice
Guest
Ed Voice
5 years ago

If the Mateel is being transparent, how come they can’t provide the documents and who is Bright Kavanagh?

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Ny1PLwI4lr43-eZxf3gsEdkikDOItPJ8

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Zrx5dA-NZI39od372s_2oGiDvBjsaEXx

In the letter from the State AG, it states the Mateel’s status will remain “suspended until it has resolved the outstanding issues”. So I guess they’re still letting you drive on a suspended drivers license?

How much did Bright Kavanagh cost to write that letter?

Diesel Dually
Guest
Diesel Dually
5 years ago
Reply to  Ed Voice

Also:

The Mateel Admin and staff needs to honestly account for funds received vs amounts deposited!

When you are suddenly broke next time, you better be able to show where ALL money went!

Stealing the proceeds is not charity! Everyone IS watching…

Whole Mateel
Guest
Whole Mateel
5 years ago
Reply to  Diesel Dually

Please offer FACTS to back up your claim of “stealing”! Till you do, ‘everyone ISN’T’ believing you!

Sold out
Guest
Sold out
5 years ago
Reply to  Whole Mateel

Umm
They said Grom their own mouths they grossed over 2mil, for years in a row, and are still a mil in Debt. What happened to the money?

Sold out
Guest
Sold out
5 years ago
Reply to  Whole Mateel

You watch too much TV

Ed Voice
Guest
Ed Voice
5 years ago

It’s amazing what you said or stated in your letter Anna:

“To clarify, the Mateel’s non-profit standing was never suspended. Rather, it was our standing with the Registry for Charitable Trusts.”

Can you explain what that meant?

According to the State AG’s website:

The Attorney General regulates charities and the professional fundraisers who solicit on their behalf. The purpose of this oversight is to protect charitable assets for their intended use and ensure that the charitable donations contributed by Californians are not misapplied and squandered through fraud or other means. The main elements of the Attorney General´s regulatory program are:

~The attorneys and auditors of the Charitable Trusts Section investigate and bring legal actions against charities and fundraising professionals that misuse charitable assets or engage in fraudulent fundraising practices. If you have a complaint about a charity or fundraising professional, please use our complaint form, pdf.

~The Registry of Charitable Trusts administers the statutory registration program. All charitable trustees and fundraising professionals are required to register and file annual financial disclosure reports with the Registry. In addition, nonprofit organizations that conduct raffles for charitable purposes are required to register and file an annual financial report.

~The Attorney General also offers guidance to help Californians make important personal decisions on charitable giving. These resources include the Guide to Charitable Giving for Donors, pdf and searchable databases to learn about specific charities and charitable fundraising professionals in the state.

https://oag.ca.gov/charities

So Anna, if as you say “the Mateel’s non-profit standing was never suspended”, could you imagine what it would be like to pay state & federal taxes on the Mateel’s income? You guys are scary good at misleading the public, just like the letter sent by Brigit Kavanagh, representing the Mateel Board. When was the last time the Mateel “served lunch to low-income individuals three days a week”? https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Ny1PLwI4lr43-eZxf3gsEdkikDOItPJ8

Blue Slide
Guest
Blue Slide
5 years ago

What is up all these trolls hating on the Mateel? The Mateel is great. As a kid I had Aikido and basketball practice there. The shows and other events were amazing. Nothing has changed. It’s still a great place for our youth and for music. Unfortunately the old-timers who always donated their time and money are getting old, not to mention the price of weed sucks. If you don’t live in sohum and you don’t donate a significant amount of time and energy to the community then please be quiet, you’re not a part our community and we don’t need your negativity. Thank you to all the volunteers helping to keep our institutions alive.

Ed Voice
Guest
Ed Voice
5 years ago
Reply to  Blue Slide

I am only treating the Mateel, as the Mateel treats the South Fork Eel River and its threatened and endangered wildlife habitat. What goes around comes around…

The Mateel is overseen and regulated by the State of California, not your community. It is tax exempt from state and federal income tax, not just tax from your community. And the Mateel degrades a state and federal listed Wild & Scenic River, that flows thru more than just your community.

The South Fork Eel River does not just belong to your community, it has a community of its own, that cannot speak for itself. I guess Water does not = Life in your community!

Maybe if you respected the river and its community as much as your own, we would not be having this conversation?

groba dude osnt trustafarian
Guest
groba dude osnt trustafarian
5 years ago
Reply to  Ed Voice

AND: The NPO’s of SoHum often appear to be operated with impropriety, and in an opaque manner, such as the Community Park group, the SHCHD, and the Mateel Community Center.

When an organization appears to have mishandled or straight up stolen the proceeds of “fundraising events” and then the organization is “broke”, some significant changes need to occur, especially when the overall operation runs afoul of regulatory agencies, as SHCHD frequently does, and the MCC certainly has. The NPO status requires reports, and continuous monitoring to assure that the NPO is operatiing in a legal manner.

In SoHum, you have a hospital which operates with the appearance of impropriety, but no one seems to be concerned, or care! In a community where “drug money” makes up for many shortages, one would think that shady operations would arouse suspicions! Perhaps apathy really does pervade the pot-growing society in Garberville…

As for the MCC, no one seems to ask the question: “how do you account for the shortage of funds, following the events that raised significant income?

Hopefully, YOU are watching! If you don’t care, or if you just want to get high and go to the concert, please don’t criticize those who have some interest in seeing NPO’s operate legally and with some transparency.

Whole Mateel
Guest
Whole Mateel
5 years ago

Hey ‘dude’!
There is some great irony in your plea, “please don’t criticize…”, after YOU accuse, without facts, the MCC of “straight up stolen proceeds”, “shady operations” and “impropriety”. PLEASE OFFER US FACTS OR KEEP YOUR PROJECTIONS TO YOURSELF!
At worst, the (post-Carol B) MCC is guilty of naivety and inept management. To some degree they made it up as they went. And hence they did not employ accounting techniques (as one example) that are generally standard in most businesses. This may be the result of an organization born from the money and sweat of ‘outlaws’.
THIS COMMUNITY NEEDS THE MATEEL to be a healthy and balanced place! So, while knowing that the past was far from perfect (in the same way many of us reflect on our lives, businesses, past human relations, etc.) let’s get behind their efforts to turn it around and focus on that goal!

Ed Voice
Guest
Ed Voice
5 years ago
Reply to  Whole Mateel

“At worst, the (post-Carol B) MCC is guilty of naivety and inept management. To some degree they made it up as they went.”

Since day one (1979) the Mateel has had to comply with all state and federal laws and regulation as a 501c3 and Tax Exempt Organization in the State of California. If as you say “To some degree they made it up as they went”. I would disagree, not if you look at their founding documents. If “they made it up as they went”, it was by choice and Ignorance of the law is no excuse:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1zQr7kFklX1jjYCbo0ZLon2Lg22Uqg0WN

Whole Mateel
Guest
Whole Mateel
5 years ago
Reply to  Ed Voice

Yeah Ed. Just like all the residents who lived in the hills, we all abided by the rules and regs. Suuuuuurrrre. Lol.
You seem to forget that the ‘outlaw, alternative culture’ that developed here, from the late 1960’s-early 1970’s were at first maligned and discriminated against (remember that someone even burnt down the first Mateel/Fireman’s Hall!), so we did what we thought was right. And, without enforcement, we were able to create a lot of wonderful aspects of this community that many have benefited from.

Ed Voice
Guest
Ed Voice
5 years ago
Reply to  Whole Mateel

Bottom line, there is no accountability, only finger pointing and excuses. Again, the Mateel treats people like they treat the river.

One of the perks about being a 501c3 in California, you are not required to obtain a business license from your City or County; as long as you are in good standing with the Registry of Charitable Trusts (CA AG). The Mateel has never been required to obtain a business license from Humboldt County until March of this year (2018) for SAMF and all other future events they conduct until they are in good standing again with the CA AG.

So my question, if the Mateel is good to go and conduct business as Anna stated, why would the Mateel need to obtain a County Business license for non-profit fundraisers outside the MCC?

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ObxdCtaGupv4QI1K9eSC3jzWNKySM7KN

Sold out
Guest
Sold out
5 years ago
Reply to  Whole Mateel

Plus it’s b nice is one of them.manned up and admitted wrong, but until then it’s just excuses and dogdging the FACT that money came in but didn’t go out the right places. Charotyy butthole

Diesel Dually
Guest
Diesel Dually
5 years ago
Reply to  Sold out

The community needs many things, but the Mateel needs honest accountability, businesslike management, and responsible practices with sober oversight. What the Mateel really needs is some practice being operated by the folks who purport to be adults and pretend to be somewhat professional.

Locals who promote themselves as being capable do not always perform well, and may be less than above board. As I said before, being a good drug dealer does not make you a concert promoter. AND, large amounts of cash can take on a life of their own, and in some cases the money grows legs…

Naivete is not a substitute for legal and competent operations.

Taurus Ballzhoff
Guest
Taurus Ballzhoff
5 years ago
Reply to  Whole Mateel

And let’s see some facts relating to “where the money went”.

Ed Voice
Guest
Ed Voice
5 years ago

TB, since the MCC doesn’t make all their public tax records public, here is the last complete year the public has to work with (2015).

Here is a pic of page 1/part 1 of the 2015 MCC 990 tax return. Please note the ‘Prior Year’ (2014) and ‘Current Year’ (2015) totals; Revenue. Expenses and Net Assets or Fund Balances.

What I find interesting is line 12, line 15, line 18, line 19 and 21.

As for Line 15 (Salaries, other compensation, employee benefits) who was paid $567,354.00 in 2014 and $612,138.00 in 2015?

As for Line 21 (Total liabilities, which is another word for debt); so who did the MCC owe money to for $490,250.00 in 2014 and $534,671.00 in 2015. BTW both great attendance years for Reggae?

It’s not brain salad surgery or rocket science to figure out what happened, just follow the money…

Taurus Ballzhoff
Guest
Taurus Ballzhoff
5 years ago
Reply to  Ed Voice

Thanks Ed, you are speaking a volume of truth, happy trails!

Ed Voice
Guest
Ed Voice
5 years ago

“groba dude osnt trustafarian”; As much as I agree with your statement, lets not confuse NPO’s and Public Agencies. SHCHD is not a NPO (Non-Profit Organization) they are a Public Agency. SHCHD does have an NPO, e.g. Barbara Truitt, Foundation Director, Southern Humboldt Community Healthcare District; the only problem is, they are delinquent with the Ca AG’s office as well. And they don’t file taxes with the IRS. I wish someone would ask Barbara Truitt, Foundation Director, what her compensation is at her position and how many other employees/staff are paid at the Foundation by the SHCHD?

Groba dude trustafarian osnt
Guest
Groba dude trustafarian osnt
5 years ago
Reply to  Ed Voice

Thanks, Ed. The apathy surrounding the hospital amazes me, and apparently no matter what they do, no matter how stupid and incompetent the leadership, no matter how much of the public’s money is wasted, nobody seems to care.

The board has been stuffed with non-elected members, while the “retired “ former chairman still rules, but they still want another tax to support their poor quality operations.

Happy trails!

Ed Voice
Guest
Ed Voice
5 years ago

I know, back in March I contacted the SHCHD Board, asking for information about the SHCHD Foundation. They returned my email, saying they will forward my questions to the SHCHD Foundation, since the SHCHD Board Assistant/Clerk has nothing to do with the SHCHD Foundation. This comes on the heels of the SHCHD Foundation sponsoring events for 2018, i.e. at the Southern Humboldt Community Park. Since I had never heard of the SHCHD Foundation before, I looked them up and found their standing was “delinquent” with the Ca AG. I thought it was strange a Foundation that wanted to sponsor events was not current and listed as “delinquent”. What does it say about the organization or the Parent public agency that it shares in name? It all made since when I saw that Barbara Truitt was the Director of the SHCHD Foundation.

BTW, the SHCHD Foundation has never got back to me…

groba dude osnt trustafarian
Guest
groba dude osnt trustafarian
5 years ago
Reply to  Ed Voice

I would have been surprised if anyone, ever, responded to anything asked about SHCHD. I don’t think I have ever seen any financials for this operation, either. Surely there must be tax records…

Whatever the financial situation, the hospital is run in the dark, in a back room, in secret, by a group so deeply corrupt and incompetent, that I am unable to adequately describe my feelings in simple words, other than “continuously horrified”.

The idea that the community would somehow be willing to pass a new parcel tax is so ludicrous, and the logic used by the administrators at Barbara Truitt Hospital to somehow justify stupid mistakes like investing in a CAT scanner, probably just because it sounded good to Harry Jasper when he was trying to make himself appear to be some kind of expert 6 or 7 years ago… This gang of idiots uses their state of the art thinking to dream up some costs and then tries to scare you into paying for their stupidity and wastefulness.

Shameful is a word that describes their misguided mission.

Remember, folks, this is your chance to vote to LOWER YOUR PROPERTY TAXES!!!
VOTE NO ON THE SHCHD PARCEL TAX!!!

I think “not for profit” is the way they describe themselves, but “crooked and not too bright” would be a better description.

Meme i i
Guest
Meme i i
5 years ago

The whole “whitewashing” by Anna Rogers of this latest Mateel cluster Fck is just so jaw dropping STUPID..
Agnes i i i Me Me Me Patak needs to please just SHUT UP and go away, you had your chance to make our Mateel great AND SOLVENT and you failed. All of the Mateel Board and staff needs to resign. While they were out on their incompetent EGO TRIPS , our poor Mateel was going under under their watch. PLUS, they mortgaged our PAID OFF BUILDING! You were told to never ever do that and you did !
You are each incompetent failures But collectively you all failed our Mateel and community. Thanks a lot.

JD
Guest
JD
5 years ago

To me, the Mateel stopped acting as a non profit community asset and became a concert promoter – not a very good one at that. Also, their claims about NOT knowing the audit filing requirements shows that they didn’t have one person on the board or in management, not one, who was the slightest bit knowledgeable about the what and how of being a non profit. This is basic non profit 101 stuff, not rocket science.

Joe dirt
Guest
Joe dirt
5 years ago

Divide and conquer that’s what happened just like the names came from two places now a divided community we limp along once a Mighty Lion of reggae now a Hungry Cat that won’t feed the hungry but want’s more food maybe they need to know how it feels to eat out of a trash can
Careful how