A blog about Politics and News.
Real Name: Gretchen Wenner Address: 1707 Eye Street Bakersfield, CA 93301 Member Since: November 01, 2007 Last Signed In: October 14, 2009 Profile Views: 1849 Blog Views: 37453 Bike riders: Watch for drilling rig on bike path! Canyons meeting under way... Bldrs Exchange drama... Recycling wackiness State's property values decline for first time since 1933... City seeking applicants for Board of Building Appeals Homebuilders v. city (and county): Latest buzz Council, Weds night: development "freeze?" Suing Bakersfield: Pork hits fan? And they're off! City Council seat beckons... City of Bako: Initial damage estimates from state budget deal November 07 December 07 January 08 February 08 March 08 April 08 May 08 June 08 July 08 August 08 September 08 October 08 November 08 December 08 January 09 February 09 March 09 April 09 May 09 June 09 July 09 August 09 September 09 October 09 November 09 Get e-mail updates from this blog, and download to print on the go with the City Beat Printcast.
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As expected and feared, state officials are reaching into city and county tills to balance the budget.
Alan Tandy, Bakersfield's city manager, estimates the hit to city coffers this way (the budget isn't yet published, so exact tallies aren't available):
• $6.5 million in property taxes, a loan to be repaid in three years.
• $4.8 million "take" of gas taxes this year and the same next year.
• $2.5 million "take" of redevelopment funds.
Total...
I'll be blogging from tonight's city council meeting, but in the meantime looks like the fun will begin beforehand.
Here's a late-breaking press release. Stay tuned:
PRESS CONFERENCE
City Hall
1501 Truxtun Ave.
Bakersfield, CA
5:00 PM
July 15, 2009 Tuesday 10:00 AM
Why are Local Taxpayers Subsidizing the Federal Courthouse ?
Bakersfield—Ken Mettler, president of the California Republican Assembly is asking why...
It's hard to keep track of ANYTHING going on in Sacramento these days, but the Bee's latest entry indicates Schwarzenegger is backing off a two-tiered retirement system.
For now.
Ted James at the county sent a map of the initial boundaries of the proposed airport zone. This is a rough sketch; it will be revised so it doesn't cut across property lines.
I also made a map on the county's GIS system showing the airport (blue), current spheres of influence (pink), city limits (tan), and the Beardsley canal west of 99, which the proposed zone currently follows. (That section between 99 and the canal south of 7th Standard is where the Saco Ranch Commercial Center is...
Guess what: The Californian bought a table at Tuesday's State of the City Luncheon Forum (the paper belongs to the Chamber).
So I'll get to attend AND eat, maybe even with the table to myself if my editor is still consumed by sprinkler problems at that hour.
My plan is to blog from the luncheon to let y'all know what's being served, who's there and how delightful the future looks.
Ttune in around noon (assuming I can get the wireless connection to...
Today the city council should vote on the increase to traffic impact fees.
The ensuing drama, I suspect, will actually come later if/when homebuilders sue.
Remember there likely won't be public comments at today's session since the comment portion was technically closed when the council last met.
One subject brought up at the last meeting, about staggering fees into three sections (possibly through a Mello-Roos scheme) seems to have more or less...
If you can afford to spend $6 (SIX DOLLARS!!!!) on a Sunday New York Times, you'll find a shot of City in the Hills included in the Magazine section on p. 41.
It's part of a photo montage called "Ruins of the Second Gilded Age" (which you can enjoy free online) by a fancy Portuguese photographer who went around the country shooting abandoned building sites.
I guess it's nice to have our fair city included, but personally — and OK, I'm no artist — the CIH shot...
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