Steven Mayer here, filling in for city-government reporter Gretchen Wenner on her day off.

Nothing earth-shaking to offer today for city watchers, but this may be worth noting.

The city of Bakersfield has shut down its official Twitter presence on the Web. For those who don't know, Twitter is a free service that lets people keep in touch with others through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?

Here's an example: "I'm eating scrambled eggs for breakfast."

Scintillating, isn't it?

OK, sometimes tweets are more relevant, but you have to keep them to 140 characters or less, a major disadvantage for people like me who love the sound of our own prose.

I chatted briefly with Bako City Manager Alan Tandy who said he told the city's tech department that keeping track of a Twitter account is just not a priority in these days of dwindling resources.

When I clicked on the city's icon today in a Twitter account, this is what came up:

"That page doesn't exist!"

Chuck Waide of the Service Employees International Union, which represents city employees, said city workers should not be affected.

"The city has always had a policy that you don't use e-mail and Internet for non-city business," Waide said. "And the city has consistently enforced it."

If you must tweet on Twitter, Waide added, pick it up on your cell phone during breaks, or pick it up at home.