Greeter – Jason Carter
Prayer – Randy Saunders
Flag Salute – Charlie Moe
Song – Bee Barmann: You’re a Grand Old Flag
Guest Spoke Editor
Clinton TrimmerClint and his wife Megan have been Salvation Army Officers for twelve years, having held appointments in Los Angeles, Montana, and Wyoming. In 2021, Clint and Megan became Corps Officers for The Salvation Army in Bakersfield. As Corps Officer, Clint oversees and directs the church and social work of The Salvation Army in Bakersfield. Clint and Megan have two sons, Lincoln (8) and Wesley (4).
Visitors & Guests
Visiting Rotarian: Quon Louey – Region 1 Executive Assistant Governor
Jeff Gutierrez hosted Samantha Davis
Nik Boone hosted Matt Lemon
Kathy Abernathy hosted Mike Madrigal
Alex Balfour hosted Alex Garcia
Don Bynum hosted Shawn Hart
Steven Rodrigue hosted Amy Gonzalez
Good News:
Mike McCoy announced a $10,000 reward for the stolen neon sign from Trout’s in Oildale. The Kern County Museum has hired a private investigator funded by an anonymous donor to find the iconic sign.
Randy Saunders announced that tickets are still available for the Boy Scouts’ A Distinguished Citizens Dinner honoring Kern County’s Energy Industry Heroes. The dinner is being held at Luigi’s Thursday, October 24. Contact Randy if you are interested.
Joe Hay thanked the High School District for another great Principals and Partners Day, which took place on Wednesday, October 16.
Ally Triolo refused to give a good news announcement even when pressured by her table.
Program:
Congressman Vince Fong spoke about his 18 weeks in the US House of Representatives. He started by announcing that he and Amanda are expecting their first child and describing some challenges of being newly married and a new congressman.
The theme of the talk was that we should all be thinking about what type of communities and economy we want to have in 30 years. Then, work toward creating the community we want in the future. Of course, this is done by thinking about policies and politicians today and asking ourselves if they will lead us toward the envisioned future. The vision laid out was one where people could have good careers while raising families in safe neighborhoods. Congressman Fong believes the Central Valley, specifically our end of the valley, is prime to create that kind of a future. It can only be done by expanding technology and efficiency regarding water usage, energy exploration and generation, infrastructure to support future communities, and transportation to ensure everything and everyone can move freely. Kern County has excellent assets to train the workforce that will be needed and to support the companies that will help make our future a reality.
Bill Lever asked about California's current leadership’s unwillingness to work with business owners and entrepreneurs like Elon Musk. The reply was that change is coming, and in the next 10-15 years, California's leadership will look completely different.
Jean-Luc asked if California can mine rare earth minerals. The reply was yes. California has some rare earth minerals, but even the ones we don’t have, other states or, at the very least, friendly nations have them. Emphasis was placed on decreasing dependency on China for mining and tech manufacturing.
Ally asked why we aren’t moving forward with the state and the feds working together. The reply was that the feds can fund projects, but even when they do, the state can block the project from moving forward.
Jorge asked about the differences between the Assembly and Congress and personal goals. The reply was the personal goal is to keep the wife happy. Concerning the differences the reply was that it is a lot easier to know people on the state level and get work done than on the federal level because there are so many more congressmen and senators to get to know.
Mike Allen asked about completing the Highway 58 project and whether it would become Interstate 40. The reply was yes, it would become Interstate 40. The slowdown in connecting to Interstate 5 involves clearing EPA reports.
Mike Willis asked about the progress made on the high-speed rail. The reply was that the proposal as it stands now would fail, but pivoting to a high-speed cargo rail would generate the needed traffic to make the project profitable.
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