Quirks of the County - Jburger's Blog - Bakersfield.com

Wind, Valley and Driver Road.

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:59:54 PST

There' s a lot on the table at tonight's Kern County Planning Commission meeting.

The first high-profile proposal, and argueably the most brazen, will be Andreis Lewis' proposal to convert 12.5 acres of property from agricultural and residential zoning to property suited for commercial development near the intersection of Driver Road and Rosedale Highway in Rosedale.

Kern County Supervisors rejected Lewis' request for a larger mixed-use development on the same spot in August. They told him to wait until the Metropolitan General Plan was updated.

He decided not to wait.

Proposed changes to the general plan would put Lewis' Neighborhood Development proposal in an urban development reserve area that would be recommended for development after 2035. Lewis could still propose development there, if the proposed general plan is adopted, but he would be required to make more concessions to offset environmental impacts.

Kern County Planning Department staff is recommending disapproval.

Won't you be my Neighbor(hood Development)?

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:20:56 PST

Andreis Lewis with Neighborhood Development, LLC is a brave man.

Back in August Kern County Supervisors shot down his plan to build homes and apartments on Driver Road at Rosedale Highway in a rural area of northwest Bakersfield.

The vote was close — a tight 3-2 decision.

But supervisors offered Lewis a bit of advice at that August meeting. They suggested he wait before bringing any new project back to them until the Metropolitan Bakersfield General Plan has been updated.

Lewis didn't wait.

He's now proposing commercial development on the site. His proposal goes to the Kern County Planning Commission at 7 p.m. Thursday. County staff are — unsurprisingly — recommending that the Planning Commission decline to bless the project's construction.

But ultimately Lewis will have to go before Supervisors again, hat in hand, looking for their approval for the request they told him not to make.

It should be an interesting meeting.

Concrete Crush Again

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:21:51 PST

We're on at the board of Supervisors.

Kern County Planning Department chief Jim Ellis is delivering the staff report on the M&B Land Development concrete-crushing project.

Both the businessman who proposed the project - Mark Polhamus - and neighbors have appealed the decision of the Kern County Planning Commission to approve a two-year use permit with a re-review of the project after that time.

Neighbors don't want the project approved at all.

Polhamus wants more than two years to operate this add-on to his flat-bed truck rental business.

Concrete Crush

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:39:38 PST

I'm skipping the board of supervisors meeting this morning to work on a piece for tomorrow's paper.

But don't worry. I'll be at the afternoon session to watch the final debate over the proposed concrete crushing plant out on Rosedale Lane.

Supervisors are in a classic development pinch between neighbors who don't want the recycling operation near their homes and the land owner who points out his property is zoned to allow the operation with a conditional use permit.

Check out Lois Henry's characteristicly saucey opine on the situation here.

We'll see you all at 2 p.m.

Evacuation plan - some maps

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:33:45 PDT

A good resource for pre-planning your route out of Bakersfield in the event one of the dams at Isabella Lake fails are maps included in the power-point presentation OES Chief Georgianna Armstrong presented to the Board of Supervisors today.

Here's a slimmed down version of her power point with just the maps. She said better versions will be available to the public after the plan has final approval.

County budget report - Q1 2009-2010 budget

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:21:34 PDT

Supes are getting their report on the performance of the county of Kern's 2009-2010 budget in the first three months of the fiscal year.

The county is tracking an $11 million shortfall in revenues in the time period. Spending is tracking per budget.

It's to early to worry, county budget staff said.

"We feel its premature to begin projecting the year-end cash balance," said Budget Director Gloria Dominguez.

Isabella Dam evacuation plan

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 09:13:50 PDT

This morning is all about the Isabella Lake dam.

Supes will get a report on the dam investigation from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Then they'll get a look at the updated evacuation plan that will get people out of the way of the water if the dam fails.

Supervising growth plans.

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:10:21 PDT

We're on at the board of supervisors' meeting.

It looks like it will be a fun meeting. There is a good audience. The power-point the planning department is intending to run through has intriguing comments like:

"The existing plan focus has been directed to growth on the preiphery rather than infill dor densification."

and

"Currently planned growth is not transit-friendly."

Ted James is saying that the meeting is a chance to relook at the way we have been growing and see if government can' t incentivize more dense, central development.

Health Agency - will supes bless merger?

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:04:47 PDT

The main event on this afternoon's agenda is the planned merger of the Public Health, Environmental Health, Emergeny Medical Services and Animal Control departments in one public health services agency.

Matt Constantine will run the new merged department under the current plan.

But first we've got to get through some other items.

Supes morning.

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 09:37:38 PDT

Anthony Trujillo, chief of the field operations bureau of the California Department of Social Services presented an award to Department of Human Services for an exceptional rate of accuracy in the food stamp program.

Kern County Department of Human Services had a 4.36 percent error rate in its food stamp prorgam.

The state's error rate was 5.77 percent over the same time period.

County enters merger talks Tuesday.

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 14:39:51 PDT

Four county departments could find themselves in a merger of convienence on Tuesday when Supervisors meet.

Go here for the full story.

Basically Public Health Services, Environmental Health Services, Emergency Medical Services and Animal Control would be united in holy bureaucracy as the Health Services Agency under the control of new Public Health Director Matt Constantine.

Constantine got the permanent Public Health job Tuesday.

It's kinda like rolling Constantine's two previous gigs — running first Animal Control and then Environmental Health — into a huge job managing Public Health and then slotting Emergency Medical Services and its Director Ross Elliott into the fold.

New Public Health Director

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 14:02:10 PDT

Apparently the Kern County Board of Supervisors likes Matt Constantine.

They just changed his temp job as Director of the Kern County Public Health Services Department to a permanent gig.

The move may give an indication of what supervisors think of the possibility of merging several public health departments into a single shop.

Constantine's direction, on taking the interim job in August, was to investigate the possibility of a merger aimed at increasing efficiency in county government.

Supervisor Ray Watson, one of the two supervisors studying possible mergers, said the decision on that part of Constantine's mission will be made later - but some decision is expected in a couple of weeks.

Supes AM

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 09:22:36 PDT

Consultant Gene Tackett is talking about an erroneous statement he made last week.

"I elevated the speaker before me to the level of Grand Jury," Tackett said. "By the time I got home the grand jury had called and asked who my 'honorable friend' was."

The Grand Jury is an important part of our community. They grand jury usually deliberates before saying anything, Tackett said.

Frazier Park Estates

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 19:18:22 PDT

We're on at the Kern County Planning Commission for the Frazier Park Estates project near the intersection of Interstate 5 and Frazier Mountain Park Road - for the second time.

The project is proposed by Frank Arciero, Jr. and Fallingstar Homes.

The proposal was originally 662 homes, 41 units of multi-family and sections of commercial along the main road near Flying J Travel Plaza.

But county staff sharply opposed that much development on the mountainous area south of Lebec. and proposed a much smaller optional project.

The previous hearing was a brawl, with the applicant's consultant Mike Callegy assaulting staff's honesty and integrity - charging them with leading Fallingstar forward with support throughout the six year preparation of the project only to pull the rug out from under the company at the last moment.

Last time the Commission split a 2-2 vote and pushed the project back to tonight.

So...here we go again.

Supervisors and parcel maps

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:21:02 PDT

The Sierra Club has suggested that parcel maps - part of the land division mapping process - be approved by the Kern County Planning Commission.

Kern County Planning Department staff generally approve or disapprove that parcel map after the public has a chance to comment and ask for a more detailed review.

Such a request triggers a formal public hearing before the Kern County Planning Director. The Director's decision can be appealed to the Kern County Board of Supervisors.

Director Ted James said the present process is appropriate and that most parcel maps are routine and non-controversial.

Ambulance rates

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 09:32:34 PDT

Supes will take up an old topic today - ambulance rates.

The Kern County Emergency Medical Services Department is presenting a request for a new fee system which would help fund the department operations.

The fee would be based on each individual ambulance trip.

It would bring in around $422,000 more money each year.

But the ambulance companies also want an increase in the amount of money they can charge for their services to cover the increased costs.

Tejon Mountain battle

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 08:59:59 PDT

In the old days there was a fort in the mountain pass between Bakersfield and Los Angeles.

Today the big battle in that pass isn't being fought with rifles by U.S. Army dragoons.

The battle over Tejon Mountain Village kicks off in about one minute.

The hall isn't totally full yet. But it's getting there.

And nearly everyone in the Kern County Board of Supervisors is armed with reams of paper and wearing legal uniforms, not army ones. There are some average joes and some guys with television news cameras. And me...with a tie and rumpled shirt I didn't get to iron this morning.

here we go...

E-mail bomb or effective democracy?

Sat, 03 Oct 2009 14:11:09 PDT

Kern County Supervisors got hit with a flood of e-mails Thursday as opposition to Tejon Mountain Village mobilized.

About 1,200 emails made it into the inboxes of the five supervisors before county techs locked down the source — two computer companies who contract with Tejon opponent the Center for Biological Diversity — and diverted the ongoing flow of form e-mails to a spam inbox.

By noon Friday that spam inbox had 11,200 more e-mails — apparently signed by real CBD members from across the nation who were alerted to the Tejon project by a communication from the environmental group — that had been delivered by the DemocracyInAction and Wired for Change software.

Center attorney Adam Keats calls this a practical example of the power of democracy in the digital age.

County officials call it a cyber attack.

What do you call it?

Tribe vs Laughing Horse

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:02:17 PDT

Members of the Kawaiisu tribe of Native Americans say David Laughing Horse Robinson's challenge to the Tejon Mountain Village project has no basis in fact.

“Mr. Robinson does not represent us in away, he isn’t the tribal chairman...,” wrote Julie Turner, secretary of the Kern Valley Indian Community to Kern County planners. “He is the self proclaim(ed) chairman of a tribe of one. He is always making claims that are false and I hope that the planning commission doesn’t take anything that he says seriously.”

Robinson claims Tejon Mountain Village — a project proposing 5,082 acres of homes, hotels, golf courses and shops east of Interstate 5 near Frazier Park — is actually owned by native peoples.
Kawaiisu elder Harold Williams said Robinson’s claims are simply wrong.

“As far as I know we’ve never owned any land down in the Tejon site,” Williams said. “Most of us are not in opposition to what (Tejon Ranch) is doing there. It’s their land. It’s private property.”

RMA and Kern v McFarland

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:02:04 PDT

Kern County Supervisors have finished their interviews for the Resource Management Agency Director position. But they haven't picked a new head for one of the county's most influential departments.

Supervisor Jon McQuiston said he will be reporting that deliberations over the appointment will continue after today's 2 p.m. board session. McQuiston said he wasn't sure if the board would pick a new department head today.

There were five candidates interviewed.

We've reported that Planning Director Ted James, Engineering and Survey Services Director Chuck Lackey and Roads Director Craig Pope are in the running.

The rumor mill has a couple other names...but we're waiting on confirmation. We'll let you know when we have it.