Shane do you really think you'll get an answer to that question? I can see all of them now- they just look to Caudle for an answer and he'll say we'll get back to you.

I may not get an answer to any of my questions, but it will make others think when the Council refuses to respond.

The Tehachapi City Council does NOT care about us. If they did they would have did what the study said to do.

The Current Tehachapi City Council needs to go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So they spent millions and millions for nothing?

Yes, I agree that our TOTAL governmental system needs to be changed. At the local, state and federal levels as well. They are all marching against us. We The People. And, since all politics are local, it has to begin here. It is We The People who are the Electorate and WE are the ultimate boss. WE tell the City Council what we want and THEY tell the City Manager what they want HIM to do. Something has gone haywire here. Now, having said that, there are two Council seats coming up for election next year. Hand and Grimes. Who will step forward to run against them? Is it you? If I wasn't too old, it would be ME! The time to start preparing to run for either or both of those seats is....NOW! It's time to stop moaning and griping and do something positive!

Jim Richards

I am sorry to see so many of you are unhappy at our City Counsil. I don't believe that I have seen many of you at the meetings. If you were to attend the City Counsel meetings you would find a dedicated group of people who truly care about Tehachapi and the citizens input. Case in point the Petro Truck Stop was defeated by the local citizens. Your counsil was willing to put the brakes on incontrolled growth and hire a respected consulting firm to reseach how best to precede in developing our town. They also authorized a Fire Department Study ( I believe in the hopes of the report supporting our local Fire department) When the report showed that it would be a wast of money and duplicate services I think they were taken aback and are considering options. OUR CITY COUNSIL MEMBERS are OUR NEIGHBORS- their dedication and love of Tehachapi started BEFORE their Service to Her. I have taken many a troublesome issues before our city counsil's for the LAST 21 YRs. I have normally  found them to be open minded for what is in the best interest of OUR Town. If the Citizens of Tehachapi want to pay for duplicate Services then Call our City Hall Attend OUR City Counsel meeting in large numbers. Remember we live in a democracy MAJORITY WINS. By the way I believe Stan Beckham was against the TFD maybe some one could ask him at the next meeting. He also seems to believe that Wind Turbines in Capital Hills would be attractive I personally dont want them any closer then they are. Liz Fox

Diamond- Just wanted to clear up some things that you are misinformed about.

1.) Many of us HAVE attended meetings on this issue.

2.) If we weren't there attending those meetings the Fire Study never would have happened! WE demanded one because we KNEW what the results would be.

3.) Stan Beckham knew what the fire study would say because he was listening to the people. He was for the study and that is why he was against TFD. He knew it wasn't what was best for our city.

4.) They AREN'T considering other options. It is a done deal as of the 1st of July. They have gone against what the fire study recommended and have decided to NOT add another firefighter at station 12. Please note that they could do this and they'd still be spending less money than if they had gone with their own fire dept.

Majority of us on here have been fighting this fight for over a year! We went to meetings and asked questions over and over that were NEVER answered. The city council and manager have acted very shady over this whole issue. Majority of them were taken back by the study I'm sure and that to me is the most disappointing part. We were giving them the FACTS long before the study was done, but it took thousands of dollars for a study before they "believed" us. This is unacceptable to me. Some of us talked to council members personally and were assured that they would go along with whatever the study recommended and that public safety was number one. Well they have just gone against that, some might say they lied through their teeth. So yes, some of us are VERY unhappy with our current city leaders.

Fire Department Issues.

The recent fire study resulted in the dissolution of Tehachapi's Fire Department.  Many negative comments were made about some 3 million dollars spent by the City to develop the department.  It was hardly, if ever, mentioned that the majority of the funds were received from grant monies and did not come directly from Tehachapi coffers. No one noted that the City Fire Department and County Fire Departments were housed together in the station at Curry and Valley until that arrangement became impossible and the City moved out to a house on Pinion.  The house was purchased for under $30,000.00 and can be sold at a profit. The large white fabric building was a necessity to protect valuable fire equipment and was set up with inmate labor.

Much has been written about the need for another fireman. Unfortunately, budgeting for another firefighter on all three shifts involves more than just the pay and benefits for one or even three persons.  The budget must provide for sick leave relief, vacation time, days off, etc. That mandates the hire of about 4 people.