Community Input

Results from Phase III Community Forums

The Bakersfield Californian - March 29, 2000

Our Slogan

  • A better place to live
  • Getting better all the time

Our Image

  • New high tech center of California
  • Attractive on and off ramps to freeway system
  • Demetris Southerd (the Greek)
  • Strong supporter of the Education System
  • Our students have highest GPA in state

Our Reputation

  • Shady, beautiful, not dusty
  • Not the butt of jokes
  • Broad based economy-recession proof
  • A Great Place to Visit..the Greatest Place to Live!

Civic Culture

  • Strong planning committee
  • City and county governments work together

Business Environment

  • National companies with employment presence
  • All businesses are on the leading edge of technology
  • Industrial park land is developed & occupied
  • Light manufacturing
  • Software development

Arts & Culture

  • More activities that Bakersfield is known for
  • Movie theater that shows independent films
  • Affordable family entertainment
  • Public art
  • Downtown activities (more like 1st Night activity)

Heart of the City

  • Large park surrounded by modern buildings, restaurants, and cultural centers
  • Cool new baseball stadium
  • Downtown high rise condo's
  • Trees, fountains, river emphasis, green, shade
  • Art! To buildings - Centers - more
  • Water theme Park - more for kids/families
  • Quality redevelopment to replace blighted areas

Technology

  • Hub for software development & manufacturing
  • Strong division at Cal State Bakersfield

Transportation

  • Vastly improved traffic light system
  • More telecommuting - less congestion
  • Bikes!
  • Speed rail

Our Values

  • Sense of community
  • Hardworking workforce
  • Cleaner air - trees, water, awnings, lampost - ie asethetics, caring for the earth!

Biggest Changes

  • It actually looks nice when you drive down 99
  • Feel safe strolling downtown after dark

Break Thrus

  • Fuel cells - no gas, each house business has own generating plant.
  • Longevity - longer productivity
  • Ability to improve air quality developed
  • People are aware that they can make a difference - it's up to them

Looking back I'm most proud of…

  • We've become a diverse, integrated community
  • We learned tolerance
  • We planted 1,798,300 trees to become a shady community
  • We preserved our identity as a city of hard working people

Our Vision for our Economy over the next 10-20 years

  • More diversity
  • Higher median incomes
  • Lower unemployment rates
  • Strong & visible
  • Ethnic presence - ie Hispanic culture integrated and celebrated

What kind of Economic Development Initiatives do we want to create?

  • Create incentives to attract supplier companies to tech. Backbone of California
  • Ensure Airport expansion happens

What kind of Jobs/Work do we want to attract here over the next 10-20 years?

  • High technology jobs
  • Higher paying
  • Manufacturing/more stable blue collar employment opportunities
  • More artistic jobs
  • Work at home
  • Flex-time jobs - walking to work opportunities

Our Vision for Downtown

  • Speed rail from Truxtun depot to connect with N/S speed rail along 99
  • Cool landscape concepts at all exits of 99
  • Really attractive people's (visitor's) first impression @ California & 99
  • Trees all along Hwy 58
  • Union Ave. - clean it up! It's so visible - better housing, trees, attractive mobiles, clean up trash & litter!
  • Golf course downtown N. of 24th St.
  • Water park, wave pool, water slides at N end of town
  • Entertainment - parks near Museum
  • Manufacturing center near Golden State Hwy
  • A Riverwalk thing with a real river (So. Fork of Kern) instead of canal. Parks with paths etc. alongside; Hi Tech Building, Vetern building, shops and restaurants all along with art on the buildings/ Museum and TREES
  • Downtown #2 North of Union Ave. between Truxtun and Hwy 178
  • Tear down the old JLJ apartments alongside 178
  • Water in mad made lake - East Bakersfield
  • Redevelop Lakeview - tear down projects and build new housing

In our Community's Future We Wanted and We Got

  • A real Kern River - has water, wildlife and is buffered by natural boundaries and flows
  • Efficient roadways, freeway system with well-engineered traffic signals
  • Expanded cultural offerings
  • An airport to accommodate high tech companies/growth
  • Strong economy with job opportunities for professional, technical and labor
  • A zoo that compliments the community
  • A bullet t5ain to San Francisco and Vegas and L.A.
  • Vital downtown with upscale residences
  • Aggressive enforcement of air quality laws and regs
  • Highpaying clean industry
  • Safer neighborhoods
  • Places to relax in - walk, stroll, enjoy outdoors
  • Old Town -refurbish & Museum redeveloped
  • Upgraded public transportation, lower auto use
  • Downtown street life - café's shade, pedestrian walkways
  • Access to health care for all
  • Wide bike lanes - a bike friendly community
  • Public art/statues
  • Access to river
  • Tree-lined streets everywhere

What we Didn't Want and Didn't Get

  • Higher unemployment rates
  • Dirtier air
  • More potholes and bad roads at rail crossings
  • No more asphalt patch
  • No more prisons!
  • No more homeless!
  • Trash, litter
  • Crime
  • Gangs
  • County islands within Metro Bakersfield
  • To lose our city's unique identity
  • Demetris Southerd ( The Greek)

Common Themes

  • Clean up and beautify
  • More activity to city
  • Upgrade jobs
  • Real river
  • More trees
  • Higher paying jobs
  • Better transportation
  • Acceptance - embracing diversity
  • Downtown focus
  • Better education
  • Diversified economy