I Think I'm Going To Be Writing A Lot Tonight ...

I have a feeling I am going to be writing a lot tonight. The workshop packet is published and can be found on the city's website. I tried to link it below (not sure if it worked). I have posted it to the website under the "document" tab. It is the 8th document titled "Board Packet 8/12/2020". Read and you will see why you need to show up to the 3:30 City Council meeting on Wednesday, August 12th. The presentation is not all negative; there are some positives. (Thank you City Planner for partnering with us and providing us time to be heard.) However, I do not believe this presentation is balanced nor is it unbias from the community's perspective. For example, there are only 5 pros sited to 7 negatives while 24 citizens wrote emails and 6 individuals showed up in person to Council meetings in support of backyard hens to zero negative comments received. Why would that be? On this website, front page, there are 13 pros listed. (Anyone who has talked with me knows I could easily come up with another dozen.) Those pros are factual and real. Many of the negatives sited are imaginary or mere possibilities. Direct quote from the packet, "Code Enforcement currently responds to approximately ten complaints related to chickens annually. Most of those calls are relative (I think they meant to write related) to roosters." ONLY TEN! They should be saying, "Great job Bakersfield backyard hen community for being responsible citizens." This should get you stirred up and motivated to take action. I can't even imagine how many dog complaints they received. Right before this statement the packet sites 9 "Code Enforcement Issues". Are you kidding me? Only approximately 10 complaints annually (which is probably less, or they would have stated the higher number) and of those 10, most are rooster related. The math does not add up. These are not real code enforcement issues for OUR Bakersfield community. The presentation is not balanced nor is it unbias. They actually site "Social outcry where roosters are removed from homes where members of the household have become attached to the animal." Social outcry is how they describe a father explaining to his child that the hen turned out to be a rooster and it would not be respectful to keep it in a neighborhood. A child will be upset. They should be because owning and raising animals as intelligent and social as hens teach children about love and empathy. The lesson learned from having to rehome the rooster and the importance of respecting the neighborhood is what should be highlighted. If the City is trying to say the family does not want to get rid of their rooster then say that, but don't call it "social outcry". Remember, only approximately 10 annual responses to chicken related complaints. ONLY 10! When you read the workshop packet and begin to unpack their statements, I am confident that you will come to the same conclusion that I did, which is, "though there are some favorable statements the balance is clearly slanted to the negative perception". This is why you need to show up to the City Council meeting on Wednesday. If you do not show up - then email or call City Council. No excuses if you want the protection of an ordinance allowing hens. On the bottom of the first page continuing to the top of the second page, of the posted workshop packet, you will find a phone number (661-326-3100) and an email address (City_Clerk@bakersfieldcity.us) for how you may share your support for backyard hens. We have 373 members in the Facebook "City of Bakersfield Backyard Chicken Initiative". I also share posts with the "Permaculture Gardening Club" (949 members) and the "Kern County Poultry Family" (367 members). Our online petition has 766 signatures. We will not get this approved if only 24 people express their desire to have backyard hens. See you at the council meeting!

https://bakersfield.novusagenda.com/AgendaPublic/