Invocation: Steve Illingworth
Flag Salute: Jordan Kaufman
Song: Jim Baldwin (God Bless America, and God Bless Jim for his singing ability!)
Visitors:
- Bart Hill introduced his wife Napier
- Lynn Blystone introduced Joe Kandle
- Jordan Kaufmann introduced his dad John Kaufmann
Good News Announcements:
Shawn Kelly announced the birth of his first grandson (who was endearingly named “Shawn”)
Mary Barlow announced a reminder about CALM’s upcoming “Wine in the Wild” fundraiser on June 14th from 5:00-8:00 pm
Dave Morton announced that President Steve’s demotion will be held on June 28th, and that a demotion committee full of miscreants has been formed to ensure a lovely send off for President Steve
Steve Illingworth announced the birth of his 8th grandchild, and that his new Sleep Center will be having a grand opening on Thursday, June 7th
Dr. Bob announced that his grandson had successfully graduated from high school
President Steve said he had good news and bad news. The good news was his youngest child was accepted to UCLA; but the bad news was he’s a USC Trojan and can’t stand the idea of writing those “bastards” a check (as he so lovingly put it).
President Steve also gave an update on how Tracy Kaiser’s husband, Brian, was doing; and he asked that the Club continue to keep Tracy and Brian in their thoughts and prayers. President Steve then announced the Havana Nights fundraiser has been postponed to the Fall (date TBD).
Program:
Today’s speaker was Lorelei Oviatt, Director of Kern County Planning and Natural Resources. Before Lorelei began her presentation Jeff Gutierrez shared a personal note with the club that Lorelei was actually responsible for helping Jeff’s daughter find a job she loved.
Lorelei began her presentation by discussing the tough regulatory environment in California – a statement that garnered moans and eye rolls from the audience. She then covered the Kern County General Plan 2040. Lorelei stated the last time the County adopted a General Plan was back in 2004. She admitted that plan was solid, but it was time to update it for the future. Lorelei shared her struggles with creating a plan that tried to project into the future through 2040. She gave the example of “should I plan for driverless cars when developing roadways?” Lorelei said rapid advances in technology is what makes developing a general plan so hard.
Lorelei said she approached the Kern County General Plan 2040 by asking “how does the County streamline business permitting while following State rules and ensuring quality of life?” From there the General Plan was broken down into six sections:
Lorelei expanded on the above mentioned elements and said the County was focusing on the following issues:
- Water insecurity: Lorelei shared that the County is working hard to predict future water situations throughout Kern County, and that the County’s view of water is that of a moral obligation as opposed to just a legal one.
- Soil stabilization: Lorelei said that due to the drought certain parts of the County have soil that is easily displaced during windstorms. She gave an example that in Eastern Kern a windstorm buried houses because of the loose top soil.
- Economic development: Lorelei stated her office is working hard to streamline the business permitting process.
- Healthy Communities: Lorelei said the County is committed to better access to healthcare, food, and air quality within our community.
Lorelei spent much of her presentation discussing the permitting process. She stated that from approximately 2011-2016 oil and gas companies had an impossible time trying to get permits. The permitting process was highly litigious, and the environmental impact reports were impossible to get through. Lorelei said the current permitting process now only takes five days. She further elaborated that one trade-off for quicker permits was that businesses were required to pay more fees; but the fees are equal, create a fair playing field, and the money is used to help improve the County’s air quality.
FUN FACT:
Kern County has nine times more renewable energy than any other County in the State.
Another fun fact from today’s program is that Lorelei does not appreciate the threat of being sued. She said the minute someone or some entity threatens to sue her she abruptly ends the conversation and tells them “you have to get in line to sue the Kern County Planning Commission.” She further elaborated the threat of suing someone does not create healthy dialogue, and Lorelei appreciates healthy dialogue and community input to help solve County problems.
Photos courtesy of Girish Patel
