Tehachapi's Online Community News & Entertainment Guide
Tehachapi's Online Community News & Entertainment Guide
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Recently the Tehachapi Police Foundation, a wonderful group of community volunteers who raise funds to help purchase equipment for the Tehachapi Police Department, held their annual awards ceremony and honored some very-worthy individuals. John Funderburk was named "Volunteer of the Year," Mark Machanic was recognized as "Civilian Employee of the Year" and Richard Kiser was named "Officer of the Year." All three have tremendously helped our organization under the leadership of Police Chief Kent...
There's no denying the fact that we live in an amazing place. In a mountain valley that looms over deserts to our east and rich agriculture valleys to our west. Tehachapi was forged from its very beginnings to be unique, set apart from our neighbors, outside of the mold that has been cast around us. You could credit this to science, or a creator, that's your business but I know where I stand and what has been placed in our hands is nothing short of divine. We were provided with God-given...
Legendary radio broadcaster Paul Harvey had a well-known feature that was heard by millions of Americans on radio stations across the country each week, it was called "The Rest of the Story." His features included more information on stories that were reported in the news media and throughout history. "The Rest of the Story" was Harvey's chance to tell everyone what really happened. It's been grossly-underreported over the last few weeks about what is actually being prioritized by the City of Te...
I had heard multiple comments over the last few months that it doesn't snow in Tehachapi "like it used to" or like "when I was a kid." I know my former classmate Jon Hammond even wrote about that sentiment recently as well. Thanks Jon, it seems like it hasn't stopped snowing since. The recent series of snow storms added to the charm of Tehachapi and brought back those memories of "real" snow. Not the one-inch icy varieties that became commonplace the last few years, but a real measurable snow...
The City of Tehachapi has joined several other stakeholders throughout Kern County in assisting the Kern Economic Development Corporation with a new talent, innovation and entrepreneurship endeavor. The end goals are to create a support structure for upstart businesses in Kern County and help them grow into major economic contributors in our area. At the kickoff meeting, Tehachapi representatives suggested one thing when it came to the 10-year goals for this organization, sustainability. What...
12 has arrived and as the City Manager I have the privilege of spending some time in the coming weeks bragging about the accomplishments over the last 12 months in our soon-to-be-released 2018 Annual Report. For those that aren't familiar, each year we release an annual report that recaps the accomplishments by our City in the previous year and spend late January and February presenting the multimedia version of the report as a guest speaker at various community gatherings, including the...
Two Saturday’s ago, the streets of Downtown Tehachapi were filled with patrons at Main Street Tehachapi’s Annual Ugly Sweater Wine Walk. The fundraiser, which invites attendees to walk through our thriving downtown area and sample wine and food from local businesses, sold nearly 500 tickets and was a huge success. Reports from local businesses also drew praise for the number of visitors and new residents that were enjoying the festivities. They found this out because in typical Teh...
Sometimes we all just need a little reassurance in our lives. This past week those of us at City Hall and in the community got that reassurance with the results of our City election and the opening of our new hospital. In government, as well as in many of our personal lives, we certainly don't hear enough of the positive feedback. It's the naysayers that command attention, they often times have the loudest voice, spin the most lavish tales and are the first to find fault in every situation. I'm...
It is important both in our personal and professional lives to really focus on what matters. Often we're distracted with the imperfections around us, the bumps in the road, the details of the journey, that we forget about the moments, the defining moments that make us, that make our community. In our personal lives those moments could be things like our first day of school, our first car, first job. Graduating high school, leaving for college, marriage; all these moments woven together provide...
The industrial revolution changed the habitation patterns of the world. Rural residents needed to live around cities where the jobs and services were located. As we continue along in today's technical revolution, the pace of technology is shifting those patterns once again. Transportation, the internet and new business practices allow residents to commute to their jobs from further distances. Many can telecommute and have the ability to work from essentially anywhere. That advancement of...
Thanks to a robust economy, a business-friendly climate and the desirability of Tehachapi, our Downtown is operating at full strength. Buildings that sat vacant due to a variety of factors will be unoccupied no more. The old Ace Hardware building at 228 Tehachapi Blvd. is currently being renovated to serve as company headquarters for World Wind and Solar. The design is impressive and will offer a welcome gateway to Downtown. Meanwhile across the street, the former lumber shed and bulk yard is...
It's been hard to miss, but healthcare options in Tehachapi over the last three years have increased significantly. By the end of this year, residents will have at their fingertips, the best care in the history of the Tehachapi Valley. Yes, it has been that type of transformation, a transformation that started with a leap of faith. First, it was the approval of the bond measures to finance the construction of the new hospital. That building attracted a new partner a year ago in Adventist...
The business of the City isn't always conducted at City Hall or City Council meetings. Matter of fact, much of what is done to benefit the citizens and the community is conducted at a variety of meetings and networking opportunities, many that take place right here in Tehachapi. Take emergency preparedness and response for example. Just last week the Kern Operational Area Advisory Committee met at the Tehachapi Police Department as first responders and Kern County Emergency Operations Center sta...
History is chalked full of examples where areas of opportunity attracted a generation of opportunists. There was the "New World" that sparked explorers to take to the seas, then came the push west and our "Manifest Destiny" that attracted pioneers to hitch wagons and settle in homesteads and new communities west of the Mississippi River. There were gold rushes in California and Alaska, silver rushes in Arizona and Nevada and a host of other happenings that attracted those that were always...
I hoped the community enjoyed the All American 4th of July Festival and the Fireworks Spectacular hosted by the City of Tehachapi. It has become a marquee event for our community and it attracts visitors from all over, especially as many surrounding municipalities no longer provide such festivities on our Independence Day. I couldn't help but be very proud of our town, our citizens and our country this past 4th of July. We really are blessed to not only live in this Nation, but in this...
Tehachapi's got talent. No that isn't the name of a new variety show for network television, although I do believe we could fill a few hours of air time with some folks in our community, but that's another story. Our talent is our workforce, the people we supply to companies both in and out of the area. Those people who choose to make a career in the private sector in several industries that surround our community. These businesses invest millions in talent attraction efforts, bonuses, stipends...
Last week we said goodbye to our friend and Mayor Ed Grimes. We closed a historic chapter in our City's history in which Ed played an integral part, we'll continue to think of him, his family and the fingerprints he left on our community for many years to come. They say heroes are remembered, but legends never die. I think that applies to Mayor Ed Grimes. With our goodbyes said, we in City Hall now must move forward with our City business. It's a necessity for the people and our duty as public...
Each great City department requires a dedicated leader and team willing to follow that direction, which is the case with our very own Tehachapi Police Department. Brought back on line in 2007, the department has continued to evolve with the opening of the station on West C Street and the hiring of Chief Kent Kroeger in 2014, as well as the reorganization of communications and dispatch from a contract to in-house operation in 2016. Most recently the City streamlined our after-hours public works...
I am often amazed at the quality of work performed by the employees here at the City of Tehachapi. The work required in several departments is performed on a daily basis by educated and talented individuals that keep the City running. One of the more important areas is our water and wastewater operations. For you, the residents, you expect clean water to be in the tap, and wastewater to leave your homes and businesses in the City sewer system. One of the many tasks of a full-service City like...
Recently the Greater Antelope Valley Economic Alliance, in which Tehachapi is a proud member/investor, held their 2018 Economic Outlook Conference. Adam Fowler, the Director of Research and an economist for Beacon Economics out of Los Angeles, gave the keynote address. As many others have recently, he addressed "fake news" when it comes to the economy. There is no such thing as "Republican" or "Democratic" economic news, it's all one market supported by real data. For example, unlike the...
I'm very proud of the way Tehachapi continues to shine among our peers in Kern County. Recently, Tehachapi was showcased as part of the Kern Economic Summit in Bakersfield, as both our healthy real estate market and business climate were topics of discussion. Our own Roger Hayes, owner of Sierra Technical Services, one of the largest employers in the City and developer of several crucial pieces of combat training drones for the military, was on a panel discussing the aerospace industry in Kern...
I was leaving a meeting recently at the Community Room of the Tehachapi Police Department building on my way back to City Hall. When I leave that venue there are plenty of ways I can take to City Hall. I can continue on C Street until I reach Curry, from there I can turn on D, E, F, or Tehachapi Blvd., since they all connect to Robinson where City Hall is located. For some reason the words "there are many roads to City Hall" just sort of stuck in my mind. As I dwelled on that a little during...
The City of Tehachapi has released our "2017 Year in Review". This is an annual project we started several years ago to showcase the accomplishments of the City, our various departments and the citizens over the previous calendar year. This year we focused on the theme "We The People" with each section of our City operation being addressed under one of the core principles found in the Preamble of the United States Constitution. We firmly believe that "We The People" of Tehachapi, live up to the...
I've said it before many times, but it's worth repeating: The City is a collection of businesses whose services are designed to enhance the quality of life for Tehachapi residents. Some of our businesses like the water and wastewater departments, directly affect every City resident. Others, like Development Services, often have less of a direct-effect, but still impact the quality of life for all. One of our most-unique businesses, one that has the potential to affect nearly everyone but often g...
Welcome to 2018, a year of remarkable potential and, dare I say, a historic year for our community on the business and commerce front. 2018 will include a major shift in our local retail with the addition of Walmart. As construction crews break ground and go to work on this long-awaited project, the opportunities for jobs, local tax revenues, improved infrastructure and accompanying new businesses will be unprecedented. It is another step in the responsible growth that our City has been...
