Ask TBC: When can a gardener start work in the morning?
| Sunday, Mar 14 2010 12:00 PM
Last Updated Sunday, Mar 14 2010 12:00 PM
Q: Are there regulations as to when a gardener can start in the morning? My neighbor's gardener starts before 7 a.m. on Saturdays. It is not the most peaceful way to start the weekend.
-- Natalie Durbin
A: In both the city of Bakersfield and county of Kern, gardeners -- like construction workers -- shouldn't be starting until 6 a.m. and should end by 10 p.m., code enforcement officials in the city and county said.
Q: (I'm wondering about) the corner of California Avenue and N Street. I work close to that corner and haven't seen any change. There has been a sign that says Pizza Coming soon for a very long time. Any idea when that business will start construction or is this just another death of small businesses due to the collapse of the market?
-- Daniel A. Nichols
A: The city of Bakersfield has no record of any requests or approvals at that corner, according to Planning Director Jim Eggert.
Q: Why is the road widening just east of Hughes Lane not being completed through the three houses, leaving this deplorable bottleneck remaining on a major thoroughfare?
-- Robert Smith
A: Arnold Ramming, a design engineer in the Bakersfield Public Works Department, said:
The current construction is being done to satisfy the city's obligations under a resolution passed by the City Council in 2002 pertaining to a zone change on, and annexation of, the first five properties west of Anita Lane.
There was an agreement that the city would construct the street improvements along the frontage of those five properties. The properties west of the current construction were not part of that annexation, so that agreement does not pertain to those properties.
Q: I have always been under the impression that we had laws pertaining to selling cooked food products. I thought you had to have not only a business license but a license from the Food and Safety administration. I've now had people come to my door trying to sell me their homemade tamales. I'd ask them some questions if it weren't for the fact that they come to my door after dark, and so far I've been home alone at the time.
-- Sharon Hightower
A: The tamale seller must have a county environmental health services-issued permit, said county Public Health Department Director Matt Constantine. The county regulates food sellers to ensure they're handling food safely and in a clean environment.
Food sellers must prominently display their permit on their vehicle or cart. Permits change color every year but they're always 3 inches by 3 inches and usually placed in a vehicle front window or on a cart. If you see food sellers operating unsafely or without a permit, call the Environmental Health Services Department at 862-8700 or submit a complaint online at www.co.kern.ca.us/eh.
It's not always easy for the county to catch an unpermitted seller after the fact but gathering pieces of intelligence helps, Constantine said.
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.
