Tehachapi's Online Community News & Entertainment Guide
Tehachapi's Online Community News & Entertainment Guide
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The Tehachapi City Council began their March 7 meeting by recognizing Tehachapi's community service organization #loveTehachapi, which received the Regional Award of Merit for Community Involvement from the Kern Council of Governments (KernCOG). The group had been nominated for the award by the City of Tehachapi. Read the full story on page 3. Approved by the Council was an airport dust mitigation agreement with the Eastern Kern Pollution Control District for a grant to control dust at the east...
On March 15, Tehachapi City Manager Greg Garrett was the first speaker for the Greater Tehachapi Chamber of Commerce as they welcomed back their monthly luncheons for 2022. Jeanette Pauer the new president of the Greater Chamber of Commerce did an excellent job getting the monthly luncheon back on everyone's calendars. Pauer met with Garrett and city staff in February and asked if he would be the first speaker of the year and provide a city update for the community. Garrett talked about...
Please join the Greater Tehachapi Chamber of Commerce at our March Chamber Networking Luncheon on Tuesday, March 15, noon at Big Pappa’s Steakhouse & Saloon, 1001 W. Tehachapi Blvd. Ste. C200. The guest speaker will be Greg Garrett, Tehachapi city manager. Garrett will give us an update on current projects and programs that enrich the quality of life for Tehachapi and the surrounding areas. Garrett has been city manager for the City of Tehachapi since 2009. Since that time, he has overseen the completion of the City’s General Plan, dir...
Undergrounding of Valley Blvd. utilities moves forward At their February 7 meeting, the Tehachapi City Council adopted a resolution that created an Underground Utility District. Development Services Director Jay Schlosser said this is the next necessary step in preparing for relocating the overhead utilities along Valley Boulevard between Las Colinas Street and Curry Street to underground and removing the existing telephone poles. The City Council approved the project on January 18 following a...
Season 3, Episode 120 – TVRPD Update Corey Torres, the general manager from Tehachapi Valley Recreation and Parks District, stops by the TehachaPod studio to talk about the activities and programs slated for 2022. The Brite Lake Fishing Derby is set to return after being postponed the last two years and youth sports are in full swing with signups for the upcoming seasons available. Corey talks about what to look forward to and how to sign up. Season 3, Episode 119 – Safe Surrender Baby Awa...
If you are a city resident, you have received some information via a resident newsletter explaining some challenges forthcoming in the City of Tehachapi. While our budget is currently balanced, our reserves and financial position strong, the nature of our municipal government is one that requires proper long-term planning. As part of that process, we project our budget out five years each time it is adopted by the City Council. As you may be aware, we are facing some large increases for...
Hamed Jones, Tehachapi's new Director of Finance was introduced to the City Council at their February 7 meeting by City Manager Greg Garrett. Jones is taking over the city's financial reins from Hannah Chung who recently retired after over 20 years as the city's Finance Director. For the last four years, Jones has been the Administrative Services Director for the Bear Valley Springs Community Services District. Jones and his family have been Bear Valley residents since 2008. Prior to the Bear...
After careful consideration, Tehachapi Police Chief Kent Kroeger has rescinded his retirement and will remain chief of police in Tehachapi, a post he has held since 2014. Kroeger had initially announced his retirement in December of last year. The City of Tehachapi hired a consultant to conduct a national search for his replacement and while several qualified candidates applied, the challenges surrounding the law enforcement profession were apparent during the search process. "After careful...
On Feb. 10, Tehachapi Mayor Phil Smith and City Manager Greg Garrett were guest speakers at the Rotary Club's weekly meeting. The Mayor spoke first, sharing about several improvement projects the city is working on. "Grant money isn't that easy to get," he said, "but we have a staff that is very dedicated." Thanks to their dedication, grants have funded several city improvement projects, including that of planting 400 trees in an effort to "re-oak" the valley, mitigate greenhouse gases and beaut...
The Tehachapi Police Department has completed a review and analysis of the crime statistics for 2021 revealing an 11.5% reduction in Part I crimes from 2020. Part I crimes as defined by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are: criminal homicide, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny theft, grand theft auto, and arson. In 2021, total Part I crimes reported/known were 360, an 11.5% reduction from 407 Part I crimes in 2020. The 360 Part I crimes in 2021 also represent...
Tehachapi Mayor Phil Smith presented retiring Finance Director Hannah Chung with a Certificate of Recognition for her 20 years of service to the City of Tehachapi. Chung leaves behind an impressive legacy of financial records that have been honored three time by the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA). City Manager Greg Garrett announced that Tehachapi's new finance director will be introduced in February. The Tehachapi City Council meets on the first and third Monday of the month at...
"A Faithful Friend is the Medicine of Life" – Ecclesiastes Charles White is another one of those people who make a tremendous difference wherever they go just by being who they are. His business skills are outstanding, his personal skills are excellent, and he is just so motivated in everything he does. You don't even have to know him personally to experience his gifts to our community. For instance, I like to walk. I often use the benches around town to rest while I'm on a walkabout. The o...
On Dec. 20, 2021, representatives of the Tehachapi Valley Recreation and Park District and the City of Tehachapi were joined by members of the Chamber of Commerce to cut the ribbon for the new Ollie Mountain Sports Park located at 410 W. D Street. Waiting behind the ribbon were about 100 individuals waiting to use the new steel ramps. In October of 2020, TVRPD closed the Ollie Mountain Skate Park and removed the ramps. The original wooden ramps had deteriorated, become unsafe and needed to be...
Residential curbside organics collection In April 2021, the Tehachapi City Council sent a letter to Sacramento supporting an amendment to SB1383, the law that would require a mandatory residential organics recycling program and a third collection barrel to begin in January 2022. The amendment took into consideration public concern about the hardship of rate increases caused by a third barrel collection at a time of financial burden brought about by COVID-19. The amendment delays penalties for...
City Manager Greg Garrett has announced the promotion of Corey Costelloe to the position of Assistant City Manager for the City of Tehachapi. Costelloe has been the Economic Development Coordinator and will assist the City Manager's office with various directives and aid all other city departments in their service to the residents of Tehachapi. He will continue to handle economic development initiatives including business recruitment, expansion and retention of current businesses in the city....
Rolinda Lee Kennedy-Jenson, 65, of Rosamond, California, passed away on Wednesday, November 24, 2021, at Adventist Health in Tehachapi. Linda had the most beautiful soul, with a kind and humble spirit. Linda was beyond loved and adored by all that had the pleasure to know her. The world won't be the same without her. Linda was born on January 28, 1956, on Edwards Air Force Base, California, to Earl Adams and Karen Kennedy. She married Jeff Jenson in 1996. Linda moved from North County San Diego...
Toys for Tots had another great year here in Tehachapi collecting just under 900 toys for kids in our community. Last year between our collections at Christmas and our Christmas in July, we collected over 1,200 toys. This year we were at about the same level, collecting over 300 this past July. We've been fortunate to have several incredible businesses supporting this effort. Country Real Estate, Tehachapi Martial Arts Center, the City of Tehachapi, Bank of the West and Tehachapi Treasure Trove...
For the third consecutive year, the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) has awarded the City of Tehachapi with the “Distinguished Budget Presentation Award,” the highest form of recognition in governmental accounting. A panel of independent professionals reviewed the city’s budget document for the current 2021-2022 fiscal year and not only awarded this prestigious honor but did so without a single implementation recommendation from the panel. “This is another outstanding achievement for our finance department and for our city as we c...
Cal Rossi from Southern California Edison (SCE) spoke to Tehachapi Rotarians at their December 9 meeting. Rossi has been the SCE government relations manager responsible for our area since 2009 when he began his relationship-building efforts with local leaders, a position which became more important recently with the policy of Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS). His territory covers an area from Bakersfield to Mammoth and includes Kern, Inyo and Tuolumne counties. Rossi began by thanking the...
The Tehachapi Valley Healthcare District is looking for "a new vision for the community," the district's CEO Caroline Wasielewski told the Greater Tehachapi Economic Development Council (GTEDC) on Nov. 3. The quest for a new vision offers the public the opportunity to be involved in shaping the community's healthcare resources. Now that Adventist Health Tehachapi Valley operates and manages the new district-owned hospital, she said, "our task is to provide healthcare without running a...
In the absence of Mayor Pro-Tem Michael Davies, the Tehachapi City Council voted unanimously but reluctantly to approve a new six-year agreement between the city of Tehachapi and Kern County Fire Department. The new agreement included an increase in the annual fee paid to the county for fire services. This agreement would increase the total charged for fire service from $749,846 in 2022 to $2,249,866 by 2028. This amount would include an increased amount from the City’s General Fund from $...
TehachaPod, the official podcast for the City of Tehachapi was advised by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts on November 1, that our episode "Grid Hardening by SCE in Tehachapi and PSPS" will receive a silver award for a Special Episode by a Government Podcast. The acknowledgement is the third award received by TehachaPod in the past two years and the second of 2021. This episode featured SCE Expedited Grid Hardening Director Terry Ohanian and Government Relations Manager Cal Rossi...
"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." –Maya Angelou When I first met Lewis Brown I felt uplifted and inspired. It was fascinating to feel so impacted by someone I met for the first time. I remember thinking, "This is a man who truly makes a difference in the lives of others. What an honor it is to meet him." I shouldn't have been surprised because so many people had told me that Lewis was "...
The 34th annual Holiday Cottage Program supporting Kern County Foster Children was the topic of discussion on Season 2, Episode 110 of TehachaPod. There are more than 2,000 children in the Kern County foster care system and this program provides holiday gifts for these children. Jana Slagle from the Kern County Department of Human Services talks about the Holiday Cottage Program and how foster children make a wish and the community has an opportunity to fulfill that wish. Slagle explains the...
City of Tehachapi’s promotional video went viral reaching hundreds of thousands of people across the United States on Facebook, alone, in what has become the most-watched video produced by the City of Tehachapi in the five years of making in-house videos. On Thursday, Oct. 21 the City of Tehachapi produced a one-minute recruitment video promoting the City of Tehachapi to the In-N-Out Burger corporation. It took off instantly, being shared and picked up by media outlets locally at first, and t...
