GBU Mountain News LXVI July 18, 2014 (PDF)

GBU Mountain News

GBU Mountain News

July 18, 2014 - LXVI
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independent - unbiased – professional
July 18, 2014 – LXVI

Community Involvement only in Pine Mountain Club?
-What about the other hamlets?By Gunnar J Kuepper

Edie Stafford (left) looks on as Supervisor David Couch and Fire Chief Brian Marshal do the ribbon cutting

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GBU Mountain News
July 18, 2014 - LXVI
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On Saturday, July 12, 2014 Pine Mountain Club
celebrated its annual community day. The day began
with a Townhall meeting 10:00 a.m. Supervisor David
Couch, Kern County Fire Chief Brian Marshall, Vince
Fong District Director for Congressman Kevin
McCarthy, Jessie Dahliwal California Department of
Public Health Drinking Water Program and Jim Beck,
General Manager of the Kern County Water Agency
made presentations. They addressed a wide range of
topics, from Kern County's 2014-15 budget, to water
shortage & drought, to the increasing risk of catastrophic
wildland fires, to issues involving the Department of
Veterans Affairs and local services for Vets. More than
80 people attended the meeting and listened to
informative and competent speeches.

A large crowd of ~300 attended the Ribbon Cutting
Ceremony at PMC’s Fire Station 58

Afterwards the group went across the street to attend the
Ribbon Cutting at the newly constructed Fire Station 58.
To everybody's surprise a crowd of estimated three
hundred PMC residents was eagerly awaiting the
ceremony. Presentations were made by Supervisor David
Coach, Fire Chief Brian Marshal, A.J. Durocher & Don
Eubank, both retired firefighters, and Kathleen
Weinstein. As the President for a local Quilting Club she
presented a most beautiful quilt with a variety of fire
service emblems and insignia. .
Special Thanks were also given to those individuals, such
as Scott Robinson, Edie Stafford and many others that
fought long and hard for a new fire station and those that
most recently put their political willpower behind the
project, including Supervisor David Couch. The residents
of Pine Mountain Club have to be commended not only
for addressing life-saving issues but for their
involvement in their community.

After the ribbon was cut the large crowd explored the
each room in the 8,500 square foot building, admired the
modern and spacious design, particularly the huge
kitchen. The newly constructed Fire Station 58 includes
two apparatus bays, staff living quarters, emergency
medical supply room, oxygen cascade room, hose tower,
covered wash area, storage room, emergency generator,
1,000 gallon above ground fuel tank, public and staff
parking, as well as landscaping.
The lack of civic engagement in other parts of the
Mountain Communities, including Frazier Park, is
sometimes amazing. Civic engagement is defined as
"individual and collective action to identify and address
issues of public concerns."
A few weeks ago Supervisor David Couch had invited
the community to discuss and provide input on "a penny
for your thoughts."
Supervisor Couch wanted to know from the community
how the County's resources (budget) should be allocated.
Deciding about the budget allocations is the most basic
and important principle of democratic governance. That
meeting gave all residents the opportunity to voice their
opinion about policies and public services, and/or about
the need to support, reform or replace institutions that do
not serve the public.
Amazingly, only a very few residents showed up. Not
one business owner or representative showed up, none of
the teachers from local schools, and not one
representative from the many non-profit groups in our
area. Considering that many people are complaining
about local government and the alleged lack of services,
this was a rather sad showing.
How will you promote the quality of life in a community,
if you do not show up? As citizens we need to participate
in the political and non-political processes that impact us,
the people, our environments, and our communities.

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GBU Mountain News
July 18, 2014 - LXVI
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Content
1. Community Involvement only in Pine Mountain
Club? By Gunnar J Kuepper
2. All Things Local
 What really happened Monday Night on Johnson
Drive in Frazier Park?
 Do you want to become a Volunteer at the 2014
ZombieFest?
 Cosplay Parade on July 24, 2014
 Vacancy on the ETUSD Board of Trustees



Water Alert Stage II in Frazier Park by Frazier
Park Public Utility District
 New Laws became effective in California on
July 1, 2014
3. All Things Regional
4. All Things Global
 Airliner shot down in the Ukraine
 ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria)
5. People

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July 18, 2014 - LXVI
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6.
6.1
6.2
6.3
6.4
7.



Law Enforcement Corner
Kern County Sheriff’s Office – Frazier Park
Incident Log July 1-8
Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (LASD)
California Highway Patrol
Bakersfield Police Department (BPD)
Animals Matter
Izzy – Available for adoption at the Shelter on
the Hill in Lebec

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8.
9.
10.
11.

Low cost spay/neuter clinic at the Animal Care
Center in Lebec on July 11, by Candace Huskey,
Shelter on the Hill
 Video(s) of the week
 Trivia about Dogs (and people)
Our Library
 Calendar
Incidents & Accidents - Homicides, Arrests, Traffic
Accidents, Fires & Rescues throughout Kern County
Arts – Music – Theatre
Business Affairs

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12.
Teens
13.
Nature, Science & Technology
14. Weather
 Frazier Park Weather Forecast
 El Niño – What is that?
15.
Kern County
 Board of Supervisors Meetings
16. Upcoming Events
17. Safety & Disaster Preparedness
 New Earthquake Maps released by the USGS higher risks for much of the US
18.
Media Affairs
 Shield Laws
19. Legislative Affairs
 New Legislation for California (July 18)
20.
Where to Go – What to Do
21.
Op-Ed
22. Health & Fitness
 California Department of Public Health (CDPH)
Warning Not to Use Certain Tattoo Products Due to Risk of Infection
23. Business Directory
24. Classifieds
 Cars for Sale
 Job Offers
25.
Important Phone Numbers

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GBU Mountain News
July 18, 2014 - LXVI
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All Things Local
What really happened Monday Night on
Johnson Drive in Frazier Park?
On Monday, July 14, 2014 some drama was created on
social media about ongoing shootings in the northeastern
parts of Frazier Park. At least one resident living near the
Family Resource Center reported being in fear for her
life. Sergeant Brown with the Frazier Park Sheriff’s
Substation stated what really happened:
“On July 14, 2014, at about 9:00 PM, deputies were
dispatched to a house on the 2900 block of Johnson
Drive in Frazier Park to investigate three gunshots
possibly heard in the area. The deputies discovered that
two roommates were involved in a loud argument and it
appeared one of the men may have struck a vehicle three
times with a hammer, causing the banging sounds. One
of the men left before the deputies arrived, and the other
man turned two firearms over to the deputies for
safekeeping because he was under the influence of his
prescribed medication and did not want them in his
house. A deputy inspected the firearms and it appeared
neither of them had been recently discharged. The
deputies did not develop probable cause of a crime being
committed, and there were no arrests.”
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Cosplay Parade on July 24, 2014
By Thomas Hurst
Do your kids (and you) love to dress up? Learn how to
design a costume based on your favorite characters in
comics, video games, movies, or anything in between.
Cosplay 101 is a locally created workshop for all ages
interested in learning about and practicing costume play,
or cosplay. Sponsored by Computers and Games, hosted
by our Frazier Park library, and in conjunction with
professional cosplay group, Keepin' It Nerdy, Cosplay
101 is a place to prepare for your next convention visit
and have fun with fellow geeks!

Do you want to become a Volunteer at the
2014 ZombieFest?
The first meeting for volunteers for the October 26, 2014
ZombieFest will take place this Friday, July 18, at 6 pm
at Scott Parson’s Computer & Games Store at 633 San
Gabriel Trail in Frazier Park (next to the La Sierra
Restaurant). Everybody is welcome to participate.

Our final meeting is July 24, 2014 at 3 pm and will
culminate in a cosplay parade from the Library to
Computer and Games.
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Vacancy on the ETUSD Board of Trustees

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Are you ready, willing,, and pable to serve on the Board
of Trustees for the El Tejon Unified School District
(ETUSD)? Most recently Board member Scott Robinson
moved to Flagstaff, AZ and subsequently resigned from
the board. At a special meeting on Tuesday, July 15,
2014 the remaining four Trustees decided to appoint a
new member at the July 31, 2014 meeting.
Interested candidates must reside within the school
district and be registered voters. If you are ready, willing
and able to serve in the best interested of those attending
any of the three ETUSD schools, contact Audrey
Weingarten with the Superintendent’s Office at 661248-6247 extension 3.

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GBU Mountain News
July 18, 2014 - LXVI
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Water Alert Stage II in Frazier Park
By Frazier Park Public Utility District
Due to the declared Drought Emergency, as well as the
declining aquifer in our district, we have now gone to the
“ALERT STAGE” in our Water Conservation Plan.
Please see the mandatory restrictions to below. If you
have any questions, or need help with compliance, please
contact someone from the district.
1) No use of water through any connection when the
district has notified the customer in writing to repair
a broken or defective plumbing, sprinkler, watering
or irrigation system and the customer has failed to
make such repairs within 5 days after receipt of such
notice.
2) No use of water which results in flooding or run-off
in gutters, waterways, patios, driveway, or streets.
3) No use of water for washing aircraft, cars, buses,
boats, trailers or other vehicles without a positive
shut-off nozzle on the outlet end of the hose.
4) No use of water through a hose for washing
buildings,
structures,
sidewalks,
walkways,
driveways, patios, parking lots, tennis courts, or other
hard-surfaced areas in a manner which results in
excessive run-off or waste.
5) No use of water for watering streets with trucks,
except for initial wash-down for construction
purposes (if street sweeping is not feasible), or to
protect the health and safety of the public.
6) No use of water for construction purposes, such as
consolidation of backfill, dust control, or other uses
unless no other source of water or other method can
be used.
7) No use of water for more than minimal landscaping
in connection with any new construction.
8) Use of water for outside plants, lawn, landscape, and
turf areas on a Odd/Even Program (Odd numbered
addresses Tuesday, Thursday, & Saturday. Even
numbered addresses Wednesday, Friday, & Sunday).
Watering of plants, lawn, landscape, and turf areas

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9) are prohibited between the hours of 10 a.m. and 6
p.m. No watering of plants, lawn, landscape, and turf
areas allowed on Mondays.
10) No Use of water for watering outside plants and turf
areas using a hand-held hose without a positive shutoff valve.
11) No use of water for decorative fountains or the filling
or topping off of decorative lakes or ponds.
Exceptions are made for those decorative fountains,
lakes, or ponds which utilize recycled water.
12) No use of water for the filling or refilling of
swimming pools.
Stage 2 – Alert Stage
1. Frazier Park PUD set conservation goals and call for
wide-based community support to achieve those
goals.
2. Frazier Park PUD would inform customers of
mandatory conservation measures (non-essential
water uses, listed in Stage 1 are now mandatory).
3. Frazier Park PUD would inform customers of
penalties if mandatory conservation measures are not
observed (penalties are listed below).
4. Frazier Park PUD would inform customers of
mandatory conservation water fees.
5. Frazier Park PUD limit the use of fire hydrants to fire
protection uses only.
6. Frazier Park PUD would provide customers with
retrofit kits either at cost or free depending on the
budget constraints at the time Stage 2 is announced.
Penalties for violation of mandatory conservation
measures are:
 1st violation – written warning.
 2nd violation – $100.00.
 3rd violation – turn-off of water services, plus $100
re-connection fee.
Offenses for separate water use restriction violations will
each start at the warning stage (1st violation) and the
penalties for the offenses are in addition to the regular
rate schedule charges.
In that Water Code Section 375 authorizes the
enforcement of this Water Conservation Plan, the
following enforcement measures are adopted: for any
customer that fails to comply with the foregoing, the
following remedies shall be imposed:
1. First violation, a warning letter shall be sent under
any of the 3 (three) public notice stages listed in the
Water Conservation Plan;

2. Second violation a fine shall be added to the next
month’s billing depending on the public notice stage
listed in the Water Conservation Plan;
3. Third violation the water service is disconnected
until compliance is achieved and a reconnection fee
will be added to next month’s billing;
4. Further violation in a year, in addition to termination
of water service, the installation of a restrictive
device will be placed on the water service connection
if so authorized by the Board at the owner’s expense;
In addition to the enforcement measures specified in
paragraph 2.e, the Board reserves the right to seek
enforcement and conviction of repeated violations of this
resolution as a misdemeanor as provided at Water Code
Section 377, seeking an injunction as authorized by
Public Utilities code Section 16472.5 and/or other
remedies as provided by law.
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New Laws became effective in California
on July 1, 2014
A variety of new laws became effective in the State of
California on July 1, 2014.
Important for employees:
 Minimum wage goes up to $9 in California. In 2016,
the wage will go up to $10 an hour.
 State and local governments can no longer ask job
applicants about past criminal convictions: Assembly
Bill 218 (does not apply to a position for which a
state or local agency is otherwise required by law to
conduct a conviction history background check, to
any position within a criminal justice agency, or to
any individual working on a temporary or permanent
basis for a criminal justice agency on a contract
basis)
 Paid family leave expanded to include grandparents,
grandchildren, siblings, and parents-in-law
Gun control: Large-capacity magazines are now banned
Fire Safety: All battery-operated smoke alarms in rental
units must contain a non-replaceable, non-removable 10year battery
Real Estate: Property sellers must disclose lawsuits and
claims on property.
Contractors: Prime contractors required to disclose the
CSLB license numbers of subcontractors on public works
projects.
Transgender Californians: can now easily change their
names and identity

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