Tehachapi's Online Community News & Entertainment Guide
Tehachapi's Online Community News & Entertainment Guide
Sorted by date Results 1253 - 1277 of 1547
Recently, I hosted a small business roundtable at my office in Bakersfield for Kern County Entrepreneurs. One thing is certain, and the consensus was clear, taxes are taking too much time and money away from business operations and these owners would much rather be investing those dollars in their businesses. One entrepreneur said, "If I can pay less taxes I can expand and grow my business. This will allow me to create more jobs!" Another said, "Trying to figure out how to pay all of these...
The Tehachapi City Council voted unanimously to approve a Verizon Wireless cell tower ground lease agreement on Airport Hill, better known as the Rock Pile, located at the rodeo grounds. The original request came from Verizon in July, 2017 but had to be sent to the FAA for review as they wished to approve any non-aeronautical uses of airport land. The FAA requested that the City hire a consultant to assess the fair market value of the lease. Airwave Advisors, LLC was contacted and their...
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...
Kern County Budget Update This week, the Board of Supervisors passed the county's budget for the 2018-19 fiscal year. We are in year three of our four-year plan to eliminate the General Fund structural deficit, after several years of falling oil prices and rising employee benefit costs. All county departments, except for Kern County Fire, have endured cuts during our four-year plan, but the Board and I have asked your county government to maintain service levels despite these cuts. The efforts...
For the second month in a row the Tehachapi School Board meeting room was filled to capacity with those supporting an Agriculture program in the district. On Sept. 11, Highland High School Ag instructor and Tehachapi High School graduate Michael Leishman, along with four of his students, gave a presentation that included suggestions on ways to begin an Ag program here. Lieshman and his students said that there is a real need with local large growers like Grimway Farms, SunSelect, Millenium...
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...
Dignity Health establishes Tehachapi Medical Practice When Dr. Mark Pesche retired after decades of medical service in Tehachapi, it didn't take long to find a new care provider for the practice located at 707 W. Valley Blvd. Dignity Health, the fifth largest health care provider in the nation is the new tenant, and will bring their excellent care to Tehachapi residents. Isaac Lin, Vice President of Strategy and Business Development for Dignity Health says Tehachapi has been a market that has...
Two new items of note were brought up before the Tehachapi Planning Commission at their Aug. 13 meeting. Dan Proffitt from Bakersfield presented the design and site plan for a commercial truck wash and repair shop adjacent to the Pilot/Flying J Travel Center on Steuber Rd. Before submitting the project, Pilot/Flying J had to notify all area indigenous tribes of their plan asking about objections and supply a CEQA negative dec. With the completion of the truck wash, Valley Blvd. will be paved on...
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...
Alida Lorenz, a registered nurse experienced in critical care nursing and neurocritical care, has joined the Adventist Health Tehachapi Valley leadership team, hospital president Jeff Lingerfelt announced this month. In her new role as manager of acute care services, Lorenz oversees education, the medical/surgical unit and the new hospital's planned intensive care unit. "I'm really excited to become part of the Adventist Health family and be part of something as monumental for this community as...
Bonnie Quinonez, a seasoned healthcare leader from Bakersfield who has held a myriad of positions for health systems across the country and locally, has joined the leadership team at Adventist Health Tehachapi Valley, hospital president Jeff Lingerfelt announced this month. In her new role as director of operations and ancillary services, Quinonez will oversee the rural health clinics in Tehachapi, California City and Mojave, and the laboratory and radiology departments at Adventist Health Tehac...
Craig Stewart, Senior Supervisor for Eleven Western Builders, Inc. pulled the final permit for the construction of the Tehachapi Walmart on July 25 at City Hall. Mayor Pro tem Susan Wiggins was on hand along with Developmental Services Director Jay Schlosser. The almost foot-high roll of plans for the project was ceremoniously returned to Stewart stamped with the approval of the City Planning Department. Stewart said that he spent the last year in Ridgecrest where he supervised the building of...
Platinum Realty Group lead by Christy Rabe celebrated their grand opening and ribbon cutting on July 24. Area Realtors, Greater Tehachapi Chamber of Commerce and other community members joined in the celebration. Platinum Realty Group is located at 20241 W. Valley Blvd. Ste. A in Tehachapi....
Advanced Network Solutions finished setting up their new offices in Tehachapi just in time for their grand opening and ribbon cutting on July 25. They were joined by civic leaders, Greater Tehachapi Chamber of Commerce and community members. Advanced Network Solutions is located at 1001 W. Tehachapi Blvd. Ste. B-100 in Tehachapi....
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...
At their July 26 meeting, Tehachapi Rotarians listened as Dixie King, PhD., from Transforming Local Communities, compared Kern County studies done in 2008 and 2014 that pointed out the increasing use of Methamphetamine drugs in the county over the six year period. According to King, Meth is currently the drug of choice in Kern County. She went on to cite a six year county-wide study. In May of 2008, 37.7 percent of arrests in Kern County were Meth related. In May of 2014 the figure had risen to...
Last time we talked about writing a business plan and if you have done that, now what? You don't want to just stick it in a drawer and forget about it. It's time to get busy and get started. Your business plan is only part of the first step to getting started. There are several other things you need to consider. Once you have considered them you will need to create an action plan to get you started. Legal Structure Most small businesses start off as a sole proprietorship. This is the simplest...
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...
Snow Orthodontics, represented by Craig White, presented the architectural design and site plan for Snow's new offices to the Tehachapi Planning Commission at their July 9 meeting. The project is to be located on the Tucker Rd. lot located between Remax/Canine Creek and King of Siam/M&M Sports. The 13,576-square-foot facility will include storefront space and a section containing several 125-square-foot salon suites for such services as hair, nails and massage. The project, which actually faces...
If you're working with a local lender, you may already know about the USDA's Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program. It works when buying in our zip code and allows for no down payment. The catch? There are income limits involved. That is, for a 4-person household you'd need to make less than $82,700 per year, in total. For larger families, the limit is $109,150 per year. These figures are an increase of about $5,000 over last year's income limits. What it means in practical terms is...
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...
At the June 12 School Board meeting, Trustee Mary Graham announced that after 12 years on the Board, she will not be running again in November. She told the Board that "we do make a difference" and added that she hoped that there would be more than one candidate for her seat. She also reminded everyone that there will be four Board seats up for reelection in November. The other three expiring seats are those held by Carrie Austin, Jeff Kermode and Joe Wallek. Dave Long and Associates will be...
The Kiwanis Club awarded scholarships to three Tehachapi High School graduates this June. They were introduced to the membership at a recent meeting by Scholarship Chairperson, Marian Stephens. She began by thanking Dick Cavanaugh and Liz Wolfe for serving on the selection committee. Each of the three winners then addressed the Kiwanis members. Emma Stanley made good grades in high school, but she admitted she worked hard to maintain a high grade point average. She said she really had to focus...
At their June 7 meeting, the Tehachapi Rotarians had the opportunity to listen to Tejon Ranch Vice President Barry Zoeller. Zoeller joined Tejon Ranch following positions with the Kern Board of Trade, KERO television and the board of CASA. Following a video presentation, he outlined the history of the ranch and the master plan for the future of the company. Last November was the 175 year anniversary of Tejon Ranch. It was founded in 1843 from a Spanish land grant. General Edward Fitzgerald...
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...
