Tourism?

 Tearing up our roads?  Leaving trash in our parks?  Hauling their butts out of the river?  Lois, what you describe sounds more like illegal immigrants than tourists.  You seem ever so happy to tax.  Why not entice those prospective tourists with the fact that our prices are lower in these times when people might be trying to find a deal?  Let's use marketing and commercialism rather than binding us with more and more government in our lives.

Oh, by the way,  your point about hauling their butts out of the river is a good argument to leave the routing of the river as is. 

Good day.

 You know, San Antonio has a huge tourist business centered around  the Alamo, and the San Antonio River,  which runs through the center of town. Financial Services, Health Care, Defense and Tourism are the economic drivers of San Antonio. The town is every bit as hot as Bakersfield in the summer, but has built its growing economy on creating a unique  environment around the river, known as River Walk. Good luck on getting the tax increases for the current visitors for their stops at the place that believes only single family homes spread as far as the eye can see have any value. If we had a Kern River flowing year around with a real city plan there could be hope for Bakersfield.

 Adam, dear boy, the City is, in fact, in the process of upgrading such an area at Central Park.  You need to be an advocate of the Mill Creek Project.  Surrounding businesses and neighborhoods should flourish.  The Kern River rarely would make its way as far west as you might like.  The Mill Creek Project will allow city slickers to enjoy water on its way to the farmers that bought it.  Seems like we're on the right path here.

Now let's stop these ridiculous rantings calling for more taxes.

There is no such thing as a "Good Tax."  Let's tax our way to prosperity - yeah that works right?   Besides, I 've contracted a serious case of  the tax rash.

 The Mill Creek Project is an important piece of the urban gentrification process, and certainly could help in transitioning this downtrodden area back into general use. However, it is a small piece of the larger puzzle in making Bakersfield more than a collection of housing sprawl stuck amid the oil derricks. A user tax on hotel guests coming to town costs the locals nothing and generates needed local dollars.

Here we are years later after getting a windfall in needed road improvement money from the federal government, with a tiny string attached of becoming a "self help" county, which only required chipping in a quarter cent with a local sales tax to generate all the necessary funding.  No way, the locals say. That is a tax, and taxes will not be tolerated.

Here we are years later after witnessing the inhumane destruction of thousands of discarded pets due to an underfunded Animal Control department and lax local laws concerning spay/neuter requirements. A small assessment coupled with licensing fees on breeding could dramatically reduce the indiscriminate waste of thrown away pets and overpopulation in this area. No way, the locals say. That is a tax, and taxes will not be tolerated.

I could list schools, or the escalating costs of continued high landfill usage which will only continue to climb without a major recycling push and many other serious quality of life projects many of the community find would greatly benefit our existence here, but this is an area that is "penny wise and pound foolish" and not much seems to change other than the increasing pollution levels and lowered property values.

You get what you pay for.

 Maybelline and VincentHanna:

I did not call for an increased transient occupancy tax in Bakersfield, that is at a respectable 12 percent, which is still below average for California, hence we're still affordable.

But in the unincorporated areas of Kern, the same tax is only 6 percent, which is UNHEARD OF and is a terrible disservice to the residents of THIS COUNTY.

I'm always amazed by the NO TAX mantra. Don't you like clean, dependable water, police service, roads you can actually drive on, fire protection? All of these things cost money and if we're going to live in large populations together, we have to pool our resources to make sure we have these basic quality of life services.

There are good taxes and taxes do a lot of good. Yes, we have to watch government to make sure they're not making poor choices with our money.

But screaming NO TAXES is just not facing reality.

 Lois, my dear, I must scream,"NO TAXES".  The mismanagement of tax dollars is cancer like and, I fear, terminal.  You good hearted souls seem to have the best intentions.  Of course we all want clean water, etc., etc.  I'm just sick of continually being the giver.  I feel overrun with takers.  I'm no help to the situation either as I cannot offer a solution.  However, more taxes are the wrong direction and pushing me more and more into a socialistic society.

I do enjoy your writing.  You are my current favorite.

And furthermore, welcome to Manager Don Cohen.  The interim manager that preceeded you left a fantastic foundation for you to build on.  I look forward to reading about your many successes. 

 Well, the money has to come from somewhere so if people don't want the hotel tax, it'll be property tax or maybe we'll just have to get paid for allowing more sewage waste dumping.

 How about getting rid of the ridiculous Army downtown every Fri/Sat night on Eye st. Solve both problems of not enough green and welcoming tourists, eh? The city has come this far with whatever taxes they've had, and all Gov. operations continually get worse while more and more people (money) comes in. Why is the goal always to increase government when they aren't doing very well? Not to mention, unincorporated Kern likely does more hunting (permits) and often more driving. They pay one way or another, as if they're supposed to. If the City or County wants more money, they can make it the same way everyone else has to - OPEN A BUSINESS OR OFFER A SERVICE. Then charge for it. But they alwasy fail because, it's Government. If an expenditure were required, maybe they would do a better job of maintaining their investment. With taxes, it's just spending someone else's money. A credit card with no limit.