Ask The Californian: Littering tough to prosecute
| Sunday, Jan 10 2010 10:24 PM
Last Updated Sunday, Jan 10 2010 10:24 PM
Q: Does the city of Bakersfield have a way of reporting litterbugs’ license plate numbers online? I live near a city park and the local high school kids just throw their trash out of their car windows onto my street. The sad part is that there is a trash can literally 10 yards from where they litter, but they are either too lazy or too stoned to walk their trash over to the can. Maybe a warning letter in the mail would scare these kids straight. I am sure the city (with their financial troubles) could use the $1,000 per fine to help with the revenue shortfalls if a warning does not work.
— Jon Barrett
A: David Paquette, city code enforcement supervisor, responded:
The act of littering is a misdemeanor. In order for an officer to issue a citation, the violation must be committed in the officer’s presence.
Providing license plate numbers of vehicles involved in littering is not sufficient for code enforcement to take action. With a license plate number, the registered owner of the vehicle could be identified. However, the code enforcement officer would have difficulty proving that the occupants or driver of the vehicle at the time the littering was observed by a private citizen was the registered owner of the vehicle.
The Kern High School District Police Department may be another resource to assist you with addressing problems being created within the community by students in the area of the high schools. They too will be limited in the action that can be taken unless the misdemeanor is committed in their presence.
Q: Although not in Bakersfield or even in Kern County, many of us make the commute south on a fairly regular basis and so I suspect that the mess at Interstate 5 at Templin Highway is of wide interest to the denizens of Kern.
Some years ago, a storm did major damage in this area. The repairs were never completed and that section does not fit any definition of a safe Interstate. Temporary, OK. But for years? And the area has been used as a speed trap.
Currently there is no equipment or personnel at the site. What’s happening? Any timetable for completion? Not interested in hearing about a shortage of funds, as that wasn’t an issue when the problem occurred, and there has been no shortage of other large projects on I-5.
— Name not given
A: Maria Raptis, a spokeswoman for Caltrans, answered your question:
The question concerns the status of a slope reconstruction and stabilization project on northbound I-5 at Templin Highway near Castaic. Two of three phases are complete. The third and final phase will reconstruct the roadway to its original alignment — returning to four lanes in each direction.
The Phase 3 construction project was awarded to Security Paving Company in late October 2009. The public can expect to see work and lane closures beginning mid-February in a construction zone beginning approximately one mile south of the Templin Highway undercrossing to the Templin Highway undercrossing. The project is scheduled to be completed in summer 2011.
After a series of unusually heavy rains in 2006/07, the hillside cut slope along the westbound I-5 at this location experienced a large deep-seated, bedrock-controlled landslide. During Phase 1, one northbound lane was taken, or realigned, in order to maintain four lanes in the southbound direction. The ongoing lane closure will continue throughout the project.
At this time, three northbound lanes and four southbound lanes remain open to motorists.
Much of geotechnical work completed during Phase 2 was not visible to the motoring public because it involved grading, removal of millions of cubic yards of rock, earth and sediment, installation of underground drainage pipes and other erosion and sediment control measures and devices within the hillside.
Q: I read an article in TBC last week featuring someone from Café Med who was delighted that Stockdale Highway’s construction was completed three weeks early.
It seems to me that the street is still far from being finished. There’s a gap of a few inches where the gutter meets the blacktop, there are no lines painted for lanes, and cones still block several turn lanes. Do you have any idea why construction has gone stagnant for the past two weeks?
— Jennifer Randel
A: Unfortunately we’re publishing your answer late but there’s still some useful and timely information to share so we’re doing so.
First off, construction on Stockdale Highway was suspended during the holidays to allow for the increased traffic on this street from people accessing merchants in the area during the busy shopping season, said Rick Millwee, city construction superintendent.
Construction is now expected to be complete sometime in late February or early March, he said.
Q: What are they doing out at the old softball complex at Canteria and Highway 178? It looks like they are finally doing a little work there.
— Name not given
A: That’s the Mesa Marin Sports Complex, which will have four softball fields with lights. Construction will also include a parking lot, restroom and concession stand.
It’s scheduled to be complete in July.
Ask The Californian appears on Mondays and Thursdays. Submit questions to asktbc@bakersfield.com or to The Bakersfield Californian, c/o Christine Bedell, P.O. Bin 440, Bakersfield, CA 93302.
