Tehachapi city wisdom:

Listen up Bear Valley Residence Tehachapi City is now affecting you!

 Tehachapi city leaders in its quest for  "local control" have done it again.  Tehachapi City wants to use the Bear Valley dispatch center for the new city police department.  The Tehachapi City "locally controlled police" will also be staffed to the level that Bear Valley currently staffs it department.  The Bear Valley Police do a great job with what they have however Bear Valley is not Tehachapi its quite smaller in population and troubles.  What this means for Bear Valley?  By using the Bear Valley dispatch center Tehachapi City will overtax an already busy dispatch center. By dispatching from BV  the Bear Valley Police will be the main back up to the City since the County Sheriff will be out of the information loop.   The Bear Valley Police will constantly have to leave the valley to assist the understaffed Tehachapi City Police department.  This will mean that Bear Valley many times will be left with no or just one police officer.  So Tehachapi City's "local control" just spilled into regional control.  Good job City now people in two communities will be less safe.  When will they stop this messy power play.  

It's more then that!!! Tehachapi City has turned down a plan that would have added two new Fire Station in the Tehachapi area! This plan  would have also added 3 more firemen for Bear Valley, full time Fire Stations in Golden Hills and Stailion Springs. This is hurting all of the Tehachapi Valley in the name of "Local Control"!!! To top that Tehachapi City is now messing with Fire Protection in Cal. City!!!


M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E

The one thing about this fire district is that we in the tehachapi area would pay for it on our tax bills.  I say we hold our county supervisors accountable and make them protect us like they do the Bakersfield area without added tax.  Why should we pay more for the protection our current tax structure is supposed to provide.  We need to have a station in Golden Hills and Stallion Springs its an injustice to not protect these tax paying citizens.

The thing about the fire district is that the money will be the County Fire Chiefs to spend in the Tehachapi Area. The County BOS will not be able to take it from him and use it for something like nurses for jail inmates or what ever. $100 per year for 2 new fire stations and 30 more firemen, thats a good deal, plus you will get that money back ( and then some) from your fire insurance rates going down. These new stations will not be in the City but right next door. They will be able to help in the city just like Keene does now but faster. We in the City have loved ones in the county as well. We want wants best for the whole Tehachapi Valley!!  Tim and Jason are hurting everyone with their plan. They are hurting the City by bringing cost UP and service DOWN. They are hurting the county folks be preventing a good plan for them. Now they are hurting Cal. City it looks like.

28 plus Kern County Firemen sent down south to help today!

Why is that?  Is that a good thing?

tehachapiforlife, Thanks for noticing that 75% of my neighbors on the Anita Drive blocks, East of Snyder, have my signs out.  Being the kind hearted neighbor that I am, I thought of asking Mrs. Teel, who is one of my neighbors, if she wanted one of my signs to put out on her lawn, but thought that might be pushing things a bit. :-))  

Did you notice the signs along the detour along E Street off the main Blvd.?  I'm hoping that everyone who drives by those signs remembers who and why they are having to drive this detour, and for such a long time.

Seriously and sadly, the reason the firefighters were sent down south today was because of the apparent arson fires in Riverside County.  I'm sure you've heard by now that four firemen have lost their lives and a fifth man is badly burned over 90% of his body.  This is gut wrenching and my condolences go out to those mens' families and to all our fire personnel who spend their lives trying to help people only to be kicked in the gut like this.  We have had too many of our fire personnel in California die this year.

I don't feel like talking politics here, especially on this subject, but what in hell is going to happen when our inexperienced and untrained "City Fire Personnel" get into a situation they can't handle.  How many of them will die or how many victims will die because of their lack of training.  This type of scenario could happen any day now and will cause the citizens of Tehachapi untold grief.  And, with an untrained and undermanned police force, wouldn't you think the criminal element in our City is just waiting for a free-for-all when that situation hits the fan?

This is serious business.  This is not a little toy fire department and a little toy police department for Jason Caudle to play with.  This power hungry boy has got to be reigned in.  Apparently the Mayor and the City Council can't, or won't do it.  

Why, would people of reason allow Jason Caudle to be in charge of the hiring of such serious positions?  

Why on earth would anyone give someone of Jason Caudle's known and extreme lack of experience complete control to manage a fire department, police department and an entire city?  

City Council and Mayor Grimes, get your heads out of the sand and look around and see what you have created.  Shame on each of you and shame on us for letting you keep your positions.  Regardless of Jason Caudle's pitiful performance, you put him in the position.  This, my friends, is your responsibility and I hope to heaven that no one has to pay with their life because all of you were "playing at city government" and hoping to see your names in the paper.

Stan Beckham

>> City Government << it looks to me that 99% of all the post on here are against what the City is doing. From Fire, code enforcement and development. Is there not one person out there willing to say something good about our City Government? Are all these post from one upset person or group? Where is the opposition to what they are saying? Is everyone upset with whats going on or happy and not talking? I want to know the other side before I vote.

Anonymous- I ask you to go read Mrs. Mariana Teel's statement in this weeks paper. It will give you a good idea as to why so many of us are fed up and want new blood in the city council. In it she lists several citizen issues that she and the other members of the council are aware of. She then goes on to tell you why SHE feels that more than half of these issues are not warranted, and tells us WE need to go into the future with our eyes wide open. Am I mistaken when I say I thought city council members are supposed to speak and work for the citizens in the city??? She even says it at the end of her statement,".. let me represent you!" Personally the hole statement had me very confused. She starts out saying, Yes, I hear you and I know these are issues for you, then she goes on to say why we need to go against thes issues and we need to think more open-mindedly, and then in close she asks us to let her represent us??? 
Many are fed up because they refuse to listen to us and they vote on what THEY want, what THEY think we need, what THEY feel is right for us. THEY works for us! THEIR job is to do what we want, not the other way around, and if this isn't enough they keep spending our money like it's their own also just to benefit a chosen few. 
I would really like to know the other side to, and at one point I think there actually may have been one. Now I'm not so sure.

Anonymous - Yes the City Council has done some good things over the years.  It is just of late, with all the growth and expansion that has been mismangaged and misguided that the citizens of Tehachapi have become weary.  The bad is out weighing the good at this point and the City Council is not willing to put a stop to it.

I'm a citizen like you.  I never really thought about entering this political arena until I had to fight City Hall and quickly saw what kind of mess our city government was becoming.  Further, I did not see any light at the end of the tunnel for getting us back on track.  

I have responded to another who accused me of wild accusations and to Mr. Smith's accuation of my having 'political interests' backing my campaign.  Please right click on the following link and "Open in Another Window", i don't want to take the focus off the subject on this Blog.  http://www.tehachapinews.co...

Kindest regards,

Stan Beckham

I am glad to see most of you supporting Stan.  He's a local guy and has the smarts and drive to get the job done right the first time.  I can't believe the knuckleheads that are worried about what will happen if he has to go up against Teel.  Don't worry madam, he'll grow on you in time.  Just follow his lead and you'll be OK.

Stan make this new fire department the fired department, OK?

Go get 'em buddy!

Casey 

I hope WE are not asking for the City Fire Department to go away. I will never support NO City Fire Department. I just want whats right, I want the City of Tehachapi to get the biggest bang for it's buck. What the City is doing now is not that. I want a City Fire Department but not like what we have or where its going. NO one in 'The Group' has ever asked for NO City Fire Department. I would like to see what we had 2 years ago. That was 2 fire trucks in Tehachapi for the cost of one. Not one at the cost of two, like what has been proposed, and what would have happened if 'The Group' didn't stand up and say "No way" There is also OTHER options on the table that would improve fire protection for Tehachapi City as well as the entire Tehachapi area. The guys that work for Tehachapi are very good guys. Some are very good firefighters. Most I would love to work with again. What we didn't like was the promotions, the very limited testing, the lack of training, the red helmets, the "Company One" call sign, the cost, and how the County guys were treated. The leaders in this town have been told what needed to be done to make this all go away. They have decided to not respond, they have chosen to let things stay the way they are. NOW they have people calling for there jobs and for NO fire department. Stan and Henry may or may not get elected but either way I hope the leaders in this town get the message this time!  There are people in City Hall that have the capability to learn the truth. There are others that will never be able to learn the truth. Teel and Smith are just some of the ones that have closed there minds and ears to us.

Well i dont want a Fire Department that cost 1million dollors more. When it will not be better. I dont want leaders that start a department then does a study to find out if its needed.

Shane – I’m quoting you because you have stated clearly what you want, “There are also OTHER options on the table that would improve fire protection for Tehachapi City as well as the entire Tehachapi area. The guys that work for Tehachapi are very good guys. Some are very good firefighters. Most I would love to work with again.”   With the diminishing revenues to the City of Tehachapi as the housing boom is slowly grinding to a halt; I too, would like us to be able to go back in time to the on call situation with TFD that worked well in the past. As I recall, these guys did well and worked with the KCFD well and with some proper negotiation with the KCFD we could have solved any problems or challenges that we faced.   What I DO NOT like about our new TFD, with Chief McLaughlin, are the issues you state so well, “What we didn't like was the promotions, the very limited testing, the lack of training, the red helmets, the "Company One" call sign, the cost, and how the County guys were treated.” Some of these issues, i.e., undeserved promotions, limited testing, lack of training…these issues can cost peoples’ lives, including and most probably those very firefighters benefiting from these frills.   Now, there will be some "sensitive soul" out there who will call me “alarmist”, but most level-headed people realize the need for proper training as a safety concern, not only for the public, but also for the personnel involved. As I have said before this IS NOT PLAYTIME!   The cost of the newly created TFD is prohibitive. We are at $3,000,000 and counting, plus the $1,500,000 per year price tag and that is if we don’t have something major happen. And, now there is “the study” to see if we actually need this new service. Well, here I go “bashing” again, this whole nightmare could have, and should have, been handled better.   This is nonsense and yes, Shane, you said it; there are ALWAYS other options. I am running for City Council because with my business experience I have become good at negotiating contracts and finding a way to say “WE CAN” instead of “WE CAN’T.”  This is the way successful companies are run, this is the way successful governments are run.  Teamwork is also crucial, and this in your face competition being dished out by the TFD under its current leadership is inexcusible.

THE GOAL is to have the BEST POSSIBLE services for the citizens of Tehachapi.   I will look at the Fire Department Plan, I will look at the Police Department Plan, I will look at our “decades old General Plan”, along with the MANY other issues before this council. I will first ask for and negotiate for the changes that we need; and, if that doesn’t work I will fight for the changes that we need in order for our city governement to be fiscally responsible and responsive to the community.  And, I fully intend to ask for an accounting of where this $3,000,000 has been spent.   BUT, I need YOUR help on November 7^th. I need your support, and the support of all the citizens of Tehachapi that you can contact, to get out to polls and VOTE for STAN BECKHAM for City Council, and also, write-in HENRY SCHAEFFER. Oust Teel and Smith and you can take back your city council.   Thank you for your support,   Stan Beckham

Cal. City Fire Chief ( that Tehachapi City Fire Chief and assit. City manager picked for them) has quit his job and moved back home. I guess he didn't like what he saw.  Thats good news for the guys at Cal City.........Now maybe Tehachapi City will keep out of others business!!!!!!!