City Beat - citybeat's Blog - Bakersfield.com

Wednesday night meeting

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:22:18 PST

There's a sea of blue here tonight...not sure why. Lots of presentations to various employees, including police.

But maybe they're here to talk about the lack of a contract? We'll see.

Stay tuned. Generally a light agenda but you never know.

- Gretchen Wenner, staff writer

Bike riders: Watch for drilling rig on bike path!

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 10:42:42 PDT

Wheelmen and women: Here's a press release for you about upcoming work along the bike path. Heads up!

From the city's water resources department:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, October 14, 2009

During the two week period of October 19, 2009 through November 2, 2009, a City contractor in a large truck, mounted with a drilling rig, will be taking soil samples at various locations adjacent to the Bike Path between the east side of Manor Street to Allen Road Bridge. This work is being done in cooperation with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to ensure the accreditation of the levees.

The Bike Path will remain open with construction signs warning of construction ahead. It will still be accessible for public use; however, everyone is asked to slow down and use caution when passing through the construction zone.

We wish to thank the public for their patience while this work is being performed.

Canyons meeting under way... Bldrs Exchange drama...

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 15:48:28 PDT

UPDATE: City Council meeting is now under way...not yet to Canyons

• Tidbit: The alleged embezzlement drama at the Kern County Builders Exchange took on an added twist with the revelation Ken Weir has been supplanted, perhaps fired, as the group's accountant, Christine Bedelll reports, after missing the missing money.

Tonight, The Canyons comes for a vote before the council, finally. I'll be blogging from the meeting.

Any wagers on the outcome?

- Gretchen Wenner, staff writer

Recycling wackiness

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 10:37:46 PDT

Monday's committee meeting was about as good as it gets in terms of goofy drama, when a recycling policy discussion played out like a Twilight Zone episode.

The underlying issue remains, however, and wll hopefully get a more serious airing at the city Budget and Fnance Committee's next meeting.

Weir brought up an excellent point: The work he's been appointed to do is fruitless since it conflicts with current city "policy."

If the city has no intention of taking a more proactive approach to recycling...if it wants to keep its default position of reacting to state mandates and nothing more...then the metro planning group Weir has been assigned to should quit wasting time crafting a plan.

This is a complicated topic that deserves the full council's discussion, so hopefully Weir's request for policy verbiage will at least make it out of committee next time around.

Ya think?

- Gretchen Wenner, staff writer

State's property values decline for first time since 1933...

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 12:29:28 PDT

Just got this release from state tax officials, the Board of Equalization, announcing a year-over-year decline in California's assessed property values for the first time SINCE 1933! (yowch).

It's no surprise, but declines were worst in the Central Valley.

The board's report separates county- and state-appraised properties. I'll attach the spreadsheet in Excel format if you enjoy reading such things.

Statewide, the drop was 2.4 percent. In Kern, it was 6.2 percent.

- Gretchen Wenner, staff writer

Here's the entire release:

Bill Leonard: Total Statewide Property Values Decline
First decline in statewide total since BOE began keeping records in 1933

Bill Leonard, Member of the State Board of Equalization (BOE), today reported that the total value of state-assessed and county-assessed property declined to $4.448 trillion for 2009-10, a drop of $107.2 billion (2.4 percent) from the previous year. This is the first year-to-year decline in the statewide total since the BOE began keeping records in 1933.

The value of county-assessed property fell by $107.6 billion (2.4 percent) to $4.372 trillion. The value of state-assessed property, mainly privately owned public utilities and railroads, totaled $76.1 billion, an increase of $400 million (0.5 percent). Editor’s note – please see attached matrix.

Year-to-year percentage increases ranged from a high of a 7.1 percent gain in San Francisco County, to a low of a 13.4 percent decline in Merced County. Thirty-eight counties posted year-to-year declines, with 14 of them declining by five percent or more. Only two counties (San Francisco and Trinity) saw a positive growth rate exceeding five percent.

The assessed valuation in California’s 15 coastal counties (which account for nearly 60 percent of total assessed valuation) fell 0.6 percent. In contrast, the assessed valuation in the 43 inland counties fell 4.8 percent, twice the statewide average.

The decline in assessed valuation was especially concentrated in the Central Valley. Assessed values dropped 9.9 percent in the Northern San Joaquin Valley, 4.8 percent in the Greater Sacramento Area, and 4.2 percent in the Southern San Joaquin Valley. Southern California declined 2.5 percent, roughly in line with the statewide figure. The drop was mildest in the San Francisco Bay Area (0.8 percent).

Of the twelve counties with rolls exceeding $100 billion, three counties (all in the San Francisco Bay Area) posted an increase in assessed valuation: San Francisco (7.1 percent), San Mateo (0.5 percent), and Santa Clara (0.1 percent). The assessed valuation in the other nine counties declined: Riverside County (-10.5 percent), followed by Sacramento (-7.2 percent), Contra Costa (-7.0 percent), San Bernardino (-6.0 percent), Alameda (-2.5 percent), San Diego (-2.4 percent), Ventura (-2.4 percent), and Orange (-1.4 percent). Los Angeles County, with the largest assessment roll at $1.083 trillion, declined 0.6 percent, down $6 billion over 2008-09.

Bill Leonard, of Sacramento/Ontario, was elected as the Second District Member of the State Board of Equalization in 2002 and reelected in November 2006. Prior to his election, Bill Leonard served in the State Assembly (1978-1988, 1996-2002) and in the State Senate (1988-1996).

The five-member California State Board of Equalization (BOE) is a publicly elected tax board. The BOE collects more than $53 billion annually in taxes and fees supporting state and local government services. It hears business tax appeals, acts as the appellate body for franchise and personal income tax appeals, and serves a significant role in the assessment and administration of property taxes. For more information on other taxes and fees in California, visit www.taxes.ca.gov <http://www.taxes.ca.gov /> .

Assessed Values Matrix <http://www.boe.ca.gov/news/2009/Assessed_Values.xls>

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City seeking applicants for Board of Building Appeals

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 11:48:57 PDT

[Editor's update: This isn't a high-workload position; the board last met in 2003!]

If you’re a construction pro and want to do some public service, the city is looking for two people to fill open slots on the Board of Building Appeals.

The board “resolves issues relating to the suitability of alternate materials and methods of construction” and interprets building codes, a city press release says. Meetings are held when an issue arises. Training and experience in the construction industry provide the main qualifications, along with being a city of Bakersfield resident. Annual filing of economic interest forms are required.

You can pick up an application at the city clerk’s office at City Hall North, 1600 Truxtun Ave., or online at the city clerk's page of the city's Web site.

Applicants are encouraged to contact each city council member regarding interests and qualifications. The council appoints members. Membership is ongoing with no specific term. And it's unpaid.

The city clerk’s office must receive your application no later than 5 p.m. Sept. 24.

Homebuilders v. city (and county): Latest buzz

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 11:35:58 PDT

Just got off the phone with city attorney Ginny Gennaro. She tells me the city will issue a press release tomorrow (Friday) regarding the homebuilders' lawsuit.

What does that mean?

Here's my guess, which is conjecture only at this point:

The council will vote at its next meeting to officially hold off on considering large projects while the suit is in play. (What us regular folks would consider a development freeze.)

GEEK ONLY ALERT! NORMAL PEOPLE STOP READING HERE:

Some technicalities underlying the guesswork...this gets wonky quick.

Under state law, the city is allowed to make changes to the general plan up to four times a year.

Each "cycle," which includes all of the projects under consideration, counts as one change. So if 15 projects are voted on during one cycle, that counts as one amendment under the four-per-year limit.

Last night, the city postponed three of five projects (biggest = the Canyons) in the current cycle and approved the other two. But the two voted on (some city/county cleanup that didn't involve traffic impact fees) won't go into effect until the current cycle is officially ended.

At the moment, it's in a state of suspended animation, so to speak.

The cycle will end when all of the projects in it are approved, denied or punted to the next cycle.

So, the council could end the cycle (again, my conjecture only until we hear more) by shuttling the three postponed projects to the next cycle. Then they could put off consideration of the next cycle until the litigation is resolved.

Or something.

Any better guesses?

- Gretchen Wenner, staff writer

Council, Weds night: development "freeze?"

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 17:26:51 PDT

It's almost time to start tonight's meeting.

Whether it becomes outwardly interesting depends on whether anyone says anything publicly...council members or citizens.

The hottest item, the homebuilders' lawsuit, is set for closed session.

If we're lucky someone will showboat a little and we'll get further insight into the standoff between the city and residential builders.

The Canyons is slated for a 3-week postponement along with 2 other projects. The council, in the meantime, will give city staff an indication of how to proceed with large projects impacted by the lawsuit.

One observation: Councilmember Weir obviously hoped to devote whatever clout he could to help the Canyons project get approves. He shares the "property rights" outlook of project supporters.

Now, obviously, tension between residential developers and his other big big backer, the Abernathy/Thomas machine, to whom he is (literally) deeply indebted, most likely means he'll have to support the traffic impact fee side of things.

Any chance he'll break rank, or is that even possible for an Abernathy man?

Councilmember Sue Benham is on vacation tonight; otherwise all are present.

-- Gretchen Wenner, staff writer

Suing Bakersfield: Pork hits fan?

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 20:08:01 PDT

As expected, homebuilders are suing the city over traffic impact fees.

(Click on the blue box to download a PDF version of the 23-page complaint.)

Technical aspects of the state Mitigation Fee Act form the heart of allegations the program isn't legally sound.

The revised fee schedule, for example, is based on traffic/growth projections through 2035, but the city and county's existing metro General Plan — which is supposed to be consistent with the impact fee program — only goes to 2020.

Why do you care?

The city needs the money to cover matching funds for the Thomas roads money. Some councilmembers have admitted in public meetings that if locals had passed a half-cent sales tax, the fee dispute wouldn't be going on.

State law, though, lays out requirements for collecting impact fees specifically so cities and counties DON'T use them as a "special tax" — which requires 2/3s voter approval.

If homebuilders successfully torpedo the higher fees? That's a long way off, but it could cut seriously into local general fund dollars.

Developing...

- Gretchen Wenner, staff writer

And they're off! City Council seat beckons...

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 10:01:37 PDT

A race is already forming for Irma Carson's city council seat. (Her term is up in December 2010; she's probably not seeking reelection.)

In addition to the two who've already filed papers (Sean Battle and Wesley Crawford Sr.), a staffer of Dean Florez (Jeremy Wright) says on Facebook he's mulling a run:

For all you inquiring minds who keep asking various versions
of the following question: "Jeremy, will you run for Ward 1 City Council if
Ms. Carson steps down?" Answer: I'm seriously thinking about it. We'll
see...

Does anyone out there interact with their city council representative very often? What find ye- is he/she responsive? Accessible?

City of Bako: Initial damage estimates from state budget deal

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 11:58:23 PDT

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 estimate: $13.8 million this fiscal year; $4.8 million next fiscal year (fiscal years start July 1).

LA County supes have already voted to sue the state, with other localities expected to join.

In Bakersfield, the city council would have to vote on the matter, but Tandy said city staff believes the taking of gas tax and redevelopment funds are "clearly illegal."

(Fun read: veteran Sac Bee columnist Dan Walters says Cali officials would be Madoff cellmates if the state was a corporation...)

Developing...

- Gretchen Wenner, staff writer

Federal courthouse: Pre-meeting drama

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 15:55:55 PDT

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 the city council today is gifting over one million dollars worth of public park property and agreeing to build a parking structure costing at least one half million dollars for use by the federal government on the backs of local taxpayers.

Either the federal government needs a courthouse or they do not.

“Is the city expediting this tax exempt facility to save the Mill Creek Redevelopment boondoggle? The federal government bureaucrats previously approved a courthouse project and a downtown back up project that did not cost the local taxpayers and in fact would have produced local tax revenues……how is this current deal good for the local taxpayers?”, states Mettler.

“The Conscience of the Republican Party”

Fiscal & Social Conservatives

www.RepublicanAssemblyofKernCounty.com

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State backing off pension reform?

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 13:45:26 PDT

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.

Map geeks only: Airport zone first peek

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 11:39:08 PDT

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 planned.) Shafter and Bakersfield's sphere's face off at 7th Standard.

Click on the blue boxes to download the PDFs.

For super geeks, the formal name of the proposed zone is the "Airport Economic Opportunity Area."

The city is saying they've never heard of such a thing, though I did find at least one California city — Marina — that has an airport economic development area.

-- Gretchen Wenner, staff writer

Tune in Tuesday for lunch review!

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 18:39:06 PDT

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 work) for the fun.

- Gretchen Wenner, staff writer

High noon: Fee vote

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 10:38:26 PDT

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 evaporated. The homebuilders' executive told me while they appreciate the effort, even if such a complex payment schedule was adopted the builders' main concerns wouldn't be alleviated.

I'll update after the meeting.

-- Gretchen Wenner, staff writer

Sunday's random linkfest: Bako in NYT!

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 15:15:53 PDT

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 doesn't make my heart beat faster. Not much Bako feeling to it...an interior, all white. Where's the dust? But what do I know; it's art.

The first shot of Chateaux on Central in Phoenix, on the other hand, is killer.

The magazine's LONG cover story, by the way, is about ungovernable California: "On the Coast of Crazy." (Tee hee...nice headline there!) Gavin Newsom is on the front. In the print edition are also outdoorsy portraits of some guv'ner candidates...Tom Campbell, Jerry Brown, Steve Poizner...but no eMeg. Hmm.

Happy reading!

- Gretchen Wenner, staff writer

Arnold hot to change 3 at 50...

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 20:21:05 PDT

Among the latest budget ideas flowing from Sacramento these days is a proposal by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to revise the state's lucrative 3-at-50 retirement benefit.

Attached is a PDF of his proposal; click on the blue box at left to get it.

Note the Bee's story said it would affect state workers hired this Wednesday or later:

In addition, Schwarzenegger is asking Democrats to establish a far less lucrative retirement plan for state employees who are hired after Wednesday. The plan would roll back for newly hired employees pension enhancements that lawmakers and former Gov. Gray Davis approved a decade ago. The plan, if approved, would not affect the retirement plan of current state employees.

Also note it won't help with cash flow in the current fiscal year, but is expected to save a chunk ($74 billion) through 2040.

Bakersfield police and fire departments have the 3-at-50 pension plan. Councilmembers Zack Scrivner and Ken Weir have set their political sights on killing it off.

Might Arnold do it first? Or is this DOA?

- Gretchen Wenner, staff writer

More fee wrinkles...

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 19:57:25 PDT

This whole issue might end up vanishing into the ether.

Or not.

And if not, wow. Implications for the city could be big.

For now, assertions the city has utterly botched accounting for its traffic fee program are just that.

But if homebuilders sue and if litigation delays the fee plan, that alone could be a major headache. The city needs five years of impact-fee data when it goes to bond the matching funds for the Thomas roads money, for example.

At the next level, if a suit successfully overturned or dramatically altered the program...gollee. More than a headache there.

Then the furthest reaches...what if the city actually had to refund existing money, as the homebuilders' lawyer says could happen?

Since so many of you commented at length on last night's fee discussion (you people are so wonky!!! I love it), I thought you might want to weigh in on this too.

Also, I've attached a 75-page PDF of a draft traffic-impact fee report for the city of Redding, which is supposedly a decent example of what these are supposed to look like. Click the blue box at left to download.

It's my weekend now; see ya Sunday!

- Gretchen Wenner, staff writer

Sales taxes drop. Traffic fees rise. Wednesday night at the city council

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 18:44:56 PDT

While we wait for the council to emerge from closed session, here's a quick take on what's to come (during the first part of the meeting they honored tons of top high school seniors...congratulations scholars!):

Sales tax revenues dropped sharply in the first (calendar) quarter of 2009...by 14 percent, more than the expected 7 percent, compared to the previous year (I have story in works for tomorrow.) The council will hear more about this tonight.

One thing: that decline is for the current fiscal year, the one ending in less than a week. I'm not sure how it fits into budgeting for the new fiscal year.

Also, the decline seems to be sharpening in the current quarter by as much as 23 percent.

So assumptions about fiscal 09/10 sales tax revenues...a major portion of the general fund...may need to be changed. We'll see.

The budget gets passed tonight. Latest word is no layoffs are needed (11 were expected) due to attrition and shuffling. Not sure if that will change with tax decline.

Also tonight: traffic impact fees. The city council will almost certainly pass these. Any drama, aside from public speeches, will come in the form of a lawsuit.

Stay tuned...

- Gretchen Wenner, staff writer