Tehachapi News

Community Close-up: Councilwoman Linda Vernon

As part of an ongoing series, the Tehachapi News continues to profile individual community leaders and their unique contributions to Tehachapi.

According to Tehachapi City Councilwoman Linda Vernon, her first six months in Tehachapi were not pleasant.

“It snowed 12 times,” Vernon said, referring to the wet and foggy winter of 1994 when she and her husband moved to the area from Ridgecrest.

When her husband’s job took him to Arizona, Vernon spent a lot of time home alone questioning the move and contemplating her future.

She chose to utilize her real estate license and went to work at Coldwell Banker. It was during this time that she decided to invest herself in the community of Tehachapi.

Currently, Vernon is the President of the Bakersfield Association of Realtors, just one of her many titles and fields of expertise.

From 1997 to 2005 Vernon was a columnist for the Tehachapi News, writing a weekly column titled, “Today’s Home Owner.”

In June of 2000 she became a member of the Tehachapi Planning Commission. In 2002, an opening on the city council became available. Vernon ran for that position and was elected.

“People come to city council meetings and only hear the discussions,” Vernon said, adding that the council reviews extensive amounts of background information for each agenda item prior to each meeting.

She was also president of the Main Street project from 2002 to 2003 and part of the Tehachapi Economic Development Committee.

Vernon is very much a part of the growth occurring in the Tehachapi area and she offers a warning on its control.

“You can’t stop growth, it’s going to happen,” she said, adding that Kern County is a very attractive place because it is the second most affordable county in the state.
Vernon grew up in Detroit and lived for a period of time in Santa Barbara.

“I’ve seen it all as far as growth,” she said.

Vernon believes it is very important that Tehachapi work with the county as much of the surrounding area remains county-unincorporated so that growth is coordinated with Tehachapi’s plan for the future.

In her opinion, a design concept with goals and objectives on how the city should grow is imperative.

“Don’t let the tail wag the dog,” she said.

She’s also happy about the city’s efforts to create a new area specific plan.
“It’s about time,” she said. “We need a better plan.”

As well as holding a city council seat, confirmation is pending from Governor Schwarzenegger for Vernon’s formal appointment to the California Partnership of the San Joaquin Valley, a body that oversees the San Joaquin Blueprint Committee. Both are advisory groups for intelligent growth in the San Joaquin Valley.

Vernon is a mother of four children, and was named the 2004 Woman of the Year in the 32nd Assembly District by former Assemblyman, now Congressman Kevin McCarthy.