Council approves city participation in Clean California Program

Pat Doody.

Assistant City Manager Corey Costelloe reported to the City Council that he had been approached by Caltrans for the city to participate in their new Clean California Community Designation Program.

The program would be limited to the first 100 cities to sign up and would kick off on Earth Day 2025. Costelloe said the city would receive special freeway signage acknowledging their efforts in keeping Tehachapi clean. The program requires that the city maintain 10 out of 15 criteria in order to maintain the designation.

After conferring with city department heads, it was decided that since the city was already doing 14 of the 15 required criteria, they would sign up, and Costelloe has already received confirmation from the Keep American Beautiful coordinator. The one absent item was supplying cigarette recycling bins in the city and that is being addressed.

Included in being a Clean California Community will be a K-12 education program on recycling with the assistance of Waste Management. As this was an information only item, there was no vote.

It was with a unanimous vote that the City Council approved the city's application for the Dec. 7 Hometown Christmas celebration, as well as the Chamber of Commerce request for the Christmas Parade and Tree Lighting on the same evening.

Also approved was the proposal by Development Services Director Jay Schlosser that the city pay $200,000 for the initial study for the city, with the help of Parsons Transportation, to deliver an improved safe and reliable interchange at the East Tehachapi Blvd. and State Highway 58 on-ramp. The original agreement for the study was approved at the Sept. 16 City Council meeting.

A letter to the California Energy Commission in support of Hydrostor's Willow Rock Energy Storage facility in East Kern that was submitted by Costelloe was also approved by the council. The facility, which is still in its planning stages, is a new technology and potential energy storage facility. Costelloe said that no CEQA has yet been completed on the project.

The Tehachapi City Council meets on the first and third Monday of the month at 6 p.m. They are currently meeting at the Police Department Community Room, 220 W. C St.