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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/24/03 B A K E R S F I E L D CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE MEMORANDUM October 24, 2003 TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council FROM: Alan Tandy, City Manager /~7"b,,./, /--,~. SUBJECT: General Information 1. Enclosed for your review is the proposed City Council meeting calendar for 2004. ' It is scheduled for adoption at the November 5th meeting. Please contact City Clerk Pam McCarthy at your earliest convenience to let her know your concurrence with the dates, as proposed, or with any changes you may have. 2. I will be off next Wednesday through Friday. John Stinson will be in charge. The office will be able to contact me if necessary. 3. In case you missed the announcement, the Los Angeles Lakers announced at last Sunday's sell out game that they will return next year. 4. According to the League of California Cities, the tentative ruling from the court indicates a likely dismissal of the lawsuit filed by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers' Association challenging the VLF pull. Out there, still, is litigation which could invalidate the State's borrowing plan to cover the deficit. 5. A public meeting is being set up for Wednesday, December 3rd to discuss the possible temporary street closures in the Westchester area with that neighborhood. 6. Recent articles from the Seattle Times and USA Today are enclosed regarding the impacts of rising health insurance costs which are being felt by both employers and their workers. 7. Water Resources reports that the Pioneer recharge pipeline and the Rio Vista Lake pipeline construction projects are moving forward. Both projects will supply water to the new lakes in and around the Rio Vista Park area. 8. The Special Enforcement Gang Violence Report for the month of September is enclosed. Honorable Mayor and City Council October 24, 2003 Page 2 9. Bakersfield is still the most affordable housing location in California, according to Coldwell Banker's annual Home Price Comparison Index which was released this week. 10. Continuing with more positive statistical news, Bakersfield has been ranked #4 among midsize cities in the west as the best locations for entrepreneurial activity. The list of cities from the survey is attached. 11. Responses to Council requests are attached, as follows: Councilmember Maggard · Review of GET stop location on Auburn near Canyon Hills church. AT:rs cc: Department Heads Para McCarthy, City Clerk Trudy $1ater, Administrative Analyst DRAFT SCHEDULED MEETINGS DRAFT JANUARY 2004 THROUGH DECEMBER 2004 BAKERSFIELD CITY COUNCIL ---'~REG. MTG. @7PM [~-------1BUDGET MEETING & PRESENTATIONS WORKSHOPS @ 5:15PM Monday's @ Noon, Wednesday's @ 5:15pm Hearing on 6/9, Adoption on 6/23 Holidays - City Hall Closed r'--'lJoint city/county Meeting JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH S M T W TH'F S S M T W TH F S S M T W TH F S 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 18 ~!19 20 21 22 26 24 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 25 26 27 28 29 30 29 28 29 30 31 APRIL MAY JUNE S M T W TH F2 S S M T W TH F S S .M T1 W2 TH F S I 3 I 3 4 5 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 6 7] 8 9 10 11 12 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 16 17] 18 19 20 21 22 20 21 22 23] 24 25 26 25 26 27 28 29 30 23 241 25 261 27 28 29 27 28 29 30 30 31 JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER S M T W THI F S S M T W TH F S S M T W TH F S 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 4i!5 6 7 8 9 10 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 29 30 31 26 27 28 29 30 OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER S M T W TH F S S M T W TH F S S M T W TH F S 1 2 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 28 29 30 26 27 28 29 30 31 31 C:\Documents and Settings\rsmiley\Local Settings\Temp\2004CouncilMeetings.xls The Seattle Times: Workplace. feels health-coverage ills Page 1 of 4 seattl, etimes.com Monday, October 20, 2003, 10:00 A.M. Pacific Permission to reprint or copy this article/photo must be obtained from The Seattle Times. Call 206-464-3113 or e-mail resale~,seattletimes, com with your request. Workplace feels, health-coverage ills By Shirleen Holt Seattle Times business reporter Nicole Franklin expected her organization's employee health insurance would cost more this year. But nothing prepared the Bellevue finance director for the numbers that screamed from the page. A 56 percent increase in two years. Worse, the premiums for workers on the family plan had doubled, from $437 a month to $860. "We thought, 'Holy cow, what are we going to do here?'" Franklin works for the Washington Society of CPAs, a nonprofit accountants' group that relies on its culture and perks such as generous medical and dental coverage to keep employees happy. The association faced a tough choice during the summer: Absorb the added expense (impossible), pass the cost on to its 23 employees or stop subsidizing some coverage entirely. Franklin's problem is being played out across the country, in the back rooms of small grocery stores to the glass offices of the giant auto- and airplane makers. The cost of employee-sponsored health coverage has risen an average 14 percent a year since 2000, the result of spiraling health-care costs. m,, ~ ~ In Washington, employers pay an average $3,444 a year to cover a ?~,,'~,,.~"~.=~"~'~-'~'"'~ single employee, up from $2,651 in 2001, industry experts say. ,,.~....~-~'~"~,~- ~ ,~,,,,~."~'-'~'~" Family plans have risen even more in the past two years, from about ~-- ~., ~,~.ll~,.~. $7,286 to $9,467. By 2004, they're expected to top $10,500. ~,~I~,, ~--~--I ~ ta*nnal~.- a~i.~ll~., The insurance increases are eating into profits, shrinking workers' -'--"-"""-'-- paychecks, eroding pay raises, slowing new hires and sparking labor disputes. Low-cost health insurance was a sticking point in each of the walkouts or threatened strikes of the past 15 months -- by workers at Boeing, Qwest, Bon-Macy's, plus janitors, teachers, carpenters unions and currently grocery-store clerks in California. More than half of U.S. employers this year shifted a portion of their higher insurance costs to workers and retirees by raising premiums, deductibles and co-pays, according to a study by Watson Wyatt Worldwide, a human-resources consulting firm. Safeco recently announced it would cut retiree health benefits for newer and younger workers while http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/PrintStory.pl?document_id=2001770212&zsecti~... 10/21/2003 The Seattle Times: Workplace feels health-coverage ills Page 2 of 4 lowering the subsidy for some current retirees. Boeing now requires non-union employees to pay up to $105 a month toward their premiums, depending on the plan. The company used to cover the entire premiums. "Our insurance benefits have risen 15 percent a year," says Boeing spokesman Ken Mercer. "That cost is projected to be $2.5 billion -- that's billion with a 'b' -- by 2005." ~.~" :!- An executive with Ford put the situation in perspective: The automaker spent more on health insurance in 2002 than it did on steel, i~enlarge The high cost of health care As the person hired to shop around for the best deals, it often falls to Everett benefits broker John Rettenmier to explain to his clients why health insurance is skyrocketing. At company meetings, he uses as a teaching tool a hospital invoice from 1961. "Do you know how many lines of charges there are? Seven," he says. "Four days in the hospital at $30 a day; the delivery was $40; the anesthesia, $6; the lab work, $5; drugs, $4.50; dressings, $10; nursery, $8.50 a day. Total, $211. I'd like to see a birth bill now. It's probably 30 pages." Today, a hospital birth costs an average $8,000, one of a multitude of procedures made more expensive by medical advancements, costly new drugs and state-of-the-art equipment. How business is coping When surveyed, employees tend to blame malpractice suits for the Nearly2Operc~aoftJ..8, small, rising costs. Indeed, medical malpractice insurance has risen from busin~sso~nenchtmgedtheir, botefit about $10,000 five years ago to as much as $80,000 a year today, an glare in 200~. Of those; mo, t~d expense that raises health-care costs and thus insurance rates. on some o! the cost imwa~ to But experts, including Rettenmier, say the biggest factor is that more ae~u~db~, ~ e5~. Americans are simply getting more health care. S?itchedms#rer8 ~ 35% "My dad is a 78-year-old who's in excellent health, but he needed a P,~i~d ~ ,~. knee replacement," Rettenmier said. "Well, $10,000 later, his knee's emPloyee 30% ~.t~-t~,,=.~ done. We have MRIs when people have knee problems. We have all cut ~cot~ ~ ~.. these technologies that certainly do improve health care but they come at a great cost." 2~s,~,~~t~-m For small businesses, the double-digit increases are reversing some' ~e.large of the employee gains made in the boom years. TERRA Resource Group, a job-placement agency, had piled on the perks in the 1990s: more paid leave, time off for volunteering, short- and long-term disability insurance. This on top of an already generous health plan that included dental and vision coverage paid entirely by the company. Yet year-after-year insurance increases, including a 40 percent jump this year, are forcing the Everett http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/PrintStory.pl?document_id=2001770212&zsecti~... 10/21/2003 The Seattle Times: Workplace feels health-coverage ills Page 3 of 4 company to take back some of the rewards it has granted. "We have bit the bullet several years and finally just said we can't do $11~ll bushlo~s it any more," says Steve Neighbors, who runs the company with his ~,~aia~ th, s,nat~ ~t.S. wife and founder, Betty Neighbors. lntsiness, that tes~ likety it ~itl offer health insurance. "This is the first time in 20 years that we went to our employees and i Percentage with said, 'We've got two choices here. One is that we can reduce the Employees ! health plans package, or you can contribute to the plan.'" 3 to 9 10'to 24 TERRA's 21 employees decided they'd rather pay $50 a month ~ to 49 toward their premiums than shrink their coverage, which rose from ~o to ~qO $203 to $285 a month. Premiums for the family plan rose to nearly $495 a month, for which employees now pay about half. a~,n,,~. (~ enlarge Just after the company delivered that bad news, it discovered its supplemental disability insurance is going up 50 percent. The insurance rates, combined with a 30 percent rise in workers' compensation insurance, weigh on Neighbors. "We're doing more business than we were before, but the margins are slimmer. There's tremendous pressure." The costs are also affecting workers' incomes. For the third year in a row, raises will stay below 4 percent next year, according to Hewitt Associates, a human-resources consulting firm. The annual increases are at their lowest in 30 years. Housing Hope, an Everett nonprofit that provides housing for low-income families, wonders if it will be able to give any raises this year, let alone hire new staff. The organization budgeted an extra $25,000 to cover an expected rise in health premiums for its 50 employees. The actual increase, however, came to $50,000. "That's a whole position we could have funded," says Ed Petersen, executive director. The nonprofit already eliminated its disability insurance, but this latest increase has sparked another round of discussions among staff. One option was to scale back coverage, another to raise the employee contribution, which is now at 10 percent. In the end, they decided to leave things as they are for now. "We've agreed to pay the higher cost," Petersen says, "but ! don't think it's something we can sustain." Retirees and employees with families are carrying the bulk of the increased cost burden. Safeco retiree When he retired from Safeco in 2001, Lou Amoldi figured his $70 monthly health-inSurance premium would go up, but not by 1,100 percent. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/PrintStory.pl?document_id=2001770212&zsecti~... 10/21/2003 The Seattle Times: Workplace feels health-coverage ills Page 4 of 4 "I got the bulletin that says Safeco's in hard times, blah, blah, blah," says the 64-year-old, who lives in Bellevue. "And then they said we've got to make further adjustments, and by the way, this year the (monthly) premium will be $836." That's more than Amoldi and his wife pay for their monthly property taxes, car insurance, utility bills and food combined. "I'm going to have to look at some other plans," he says, "or my wife and I will go back to work." Safeco, which saw its coSts for retiree benefits jump 40 percent this year, is among a growing number of companies either cutting back or dropping those benefits altogether. In 1993, nearly half of large companies offered retiree health insurance. By 2001, that figure had dropped to less than a third, Mercer Human Resources Consulting found. Other employers are boosting an employee's contribution for family coverage if a spouse declines coverage from his or her own employer's insurance. Boeing charges some workers an extra $100 a month for that; at Verizon Communication, it's $40. The Washington Society of CPAs hasn't had to take that step yet, but it did raise employee contributions after staff members said they'd rather pay more out of pocket than have their coverage reduced. Those on the family plan now pay $360 a month out of pocket, $100 more than last year. They still pay only about 12 percent of their benefits costs, a smaller chunk than the 20 percent typical for small businesses. But that share may increase, too. "We have fought tooth and nail to hang on to that," Franklin says. "But I can see this next year we're going to have to go back to the staff and ask them to pay a higher percentage." Shirleen Holt: 206-464-8316 or sholt~seattletimes, corn Copyright © 2003 The Seattle Times Company http://seatt~etimes.nws~urce.c~m/cgi-bin/PrintSt~ry.p~?d~cument-id=2~ ~ 77~2 ~ 2&zsecti~... 10/21/2003 ~. USATODAY.com - As health care costs rise, workers shoulder burden Page 1 of 4 PRINTTHIS As health care costs rise, workers shoulder burden · By Stephanie Armour and Julie Appleby, USA TODAY In California, 70,000 supermarket workers are walking the picket lines to protest proposed health benefit cuts. Thousands of commuters in Los Angeles have been stranded as public transit mechanics walked off their jobs over changes to a health insurance trust fund. And in Chicago, garbage piled up for days this month after trash haulers went on strike to prevent health insurance cost increases. A striker pickets in front of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in Los Angeles. By David McNew, Getty Images On the picket lines and at the bargaining table, health care has emerged as the top concern, replacing wages and job security. Though the battles involve union members, they illustrate what many workers face: the ending of an era when large employers covered most -- if not all -- of the cost of health care and the beginning of a future when workers will increasingly be responsible for those costs. In the past two years, with insurance premiums rising at their fastest clip in a decade, employers have shifted more of the cost to workers. That has come as a shock after the managed-care decade, when workers saw their out-of-pocket costs for medical care go down. Now, it's back to the future as employers embrace ideas that fell out of favor with the rise of managed care: annual deductibles and co-payments of 20% or more for doctor visits, drugs and hospital care. There's also a twist that more workers are seeing for next year: Employers who cover the first $1,000 or so of medical expenses, then require workers to fill in the "doughnut hole" of up to a few thousand dollars before full coverage kicks in again. Those changes have already hit the non-unionized working world. Now, unions are fighting to maintain what most workers have already lost: insurance premiums fully covered by their employer. Only a few firms ~ 4% of large employers this year ~ still pay 100% of premiums for family coverage, down from 21% in 1988, according to a comprehensive survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation, a non-profit research htt~://usat~day~printthis~c~ickabi~ity~c~m/pt/cpt?acti~n=cpt&expire=&ur~~D=7996743&fb~~~~ 10/21/2003 ~, USATODAY.com - As health care costs rise, workers shoulder burden Page 2 of 4 Toni Grayson, 46, of Sunnyvale, Calif., was laid off in June as a product manager. She is looking for a job but needs one with good health insurance because of ongoing medical conditions. In some cases, she has had to pay more than $200 out of pocket for her prescriptions. 'Tm looking at companies 2000 2O03 that have good benefits," Grayson says. "If I didn't have that, it would be ~,.,,:.: K,,~,,,/~ ~.,~o~ o~ devastating." ~mpte~,er -sp~n~er~d health benefits, 2000, 2G03 Increases in out-of-pocket costs come as an extra surprise because managed More people lark care held down workers' costs for such things aS drugs, doctor visits and coverage hospital care. A study by Health Research and Education Trust Vice President Percemaoe of the minus, e- Jon Gabel in the April 2001 issue of Health Affairs showed out-of-pocket costs that is unirmured: for workers fell 23% from 1990 to 1997, excluding the amount they paid for i~ premiums. ~4 ~' ~' . :~ '' Now, the average co-pay for an office visit has jumped to $15, from $10 last ~ ~' ~ ~ ~':~' , year, and many employers are re-instituting annual deductibles and separate 8% ~ ~ ~ ? ? ,~ payments for hospital care, averaging $200 per admission. Even so, 4% ~'~ ~ ~ employees' share of health insurance premiums is statistically unchanged i~,~. ~ ~:~, ~., since 2000, at 16% of the cost for single coverage and 27% for family, 0 according to the Kaiser study. '87 'O2 Number~ mlllkm~ of unir~ured, m "These are modest shifts. Employers have been reluctant to cut back because ~ unemployment is only at 6%, which is historically Iow," says Paul Fronstin, at  the Employee Benefit Research Institute. "They have not passed on health 40 ~i ~ ~ increases to the degree they could have." 20 But the pressure of rising health care costs is also forcing some workers to ~o ~ ~ make tough choices between higher wages or preserving benefits. In a ~t~[!!k!l!!f!~ contract approved this month, the United Auto Workers settled for smaller' o wage hikes and accepted some plant closings in exchange for a deal that '87 '02 maintains a health plan requiring no monthly payroll deductions. $~u~¢e~ Cereus, Health and the city A~erage annual premium by en~oyer~ per worker:. S~n ~ $5,515 w~, D.C $5~01 $5,874 Tampa ~ .rea ~'~ $6,350 Minneal~is~. Paul Housk)n $6,811 ~ $6,818 http://usat~day~printthis~c~ickabi~ity~c~m/pt/cpt?acti~n=cpt&expire=&ur~ID=7996743&fb~~~~ 10/21/2003 US. ATODAY.com - As health care costs rise, workers shoulder burden Page 3 of 4 "You do see some situations where unions are demanding no cuts in.health benefits, even at the expense of wages," says Paul Ginsburg, an economist at the Center for Studying Health System Change, a non-partisan research group in Washington. The grocery workers are among those who still have no monthly payroll deductions for health care. In California, three grocery companies m Albertsons, Kroger's Ralphs stores and Safeway's Vons stores -- want employees to contribute to monthly health insurance premiums for the first time, one of several proposed changes that union members are battling. Under the management proposal, workers would pay $5 a week for individual coverage and $15 a week for family coverage. Union leaders say the question isn't whether their members get too good a deal. Instead, they say, the question should be why non-unionized employees are forced to pay so much. "No one should pay an arm and a leg for health insurance," says Jill Cashen, a spokeswoman at the United Food and Commercial Workers Union. "When companies cut benefits, it leaves more people uninsured, and that raises rates for everyone." The latest Census Bureau figures show the fastest rise in the number of uninsured in a decade, up 2.4 million in 2002, with job losses and lost coverage at work blamed for a large part of the increase. The total number of uninsured is estimated at 43.6 million. An issue for employers, too Rising costs are an issue of concern for some employers, too. The amount that Windber Medical Center in Windber, Pa., has to pay for its employee health care costs went up about 20% this year. Some of that has been passed along to workers, but the organization takes steps to reduce the impact by focusing on preventive care such as massage therapists and a workout center that employees can use. "Health care is our No. 1 expense, next to salary," says Nick Jacobs, the administrator at Windber. "As baby boomers continue to age, it'll put a tremendous pressure on health care costs." Employers say intense profit pressures in this slow economic recovery mean many companies can no longer afford to offer such packages if they hope to remain competitive. Striking supermarket employees "pay no premium at all for health care, and that's almost unheard of," says Gary Rhodes, a spokesman at Kroger. "It's not realistic in today's world to expect companies to continue footing the bill for double-digit increases in health care." Also frightening for grocers in California: Last year's announcement by Wal-Mart that it would introduce its "supercenters" to the state. Those stores stock full grocery lines as well as general merchandise. "The prospect of Wal-Mart, a non-union employer with very modest health benefits, entering this market has convinced the established supermarket chains that they need to reduce their labor costs," economist Ginsburg says. While health care costs are currently the hot issue in California, the problem has bedeviled labor negotiations across the country. This year, union workers at General Electric went on strike to protest GE's plans to shift more health care costs to workers. In the contract ultimately agreed upon, workers will continue to pay the same percentage of company health care costs m about 18% ~ over the next four years, but premiums might increase. The labor negotiations are also raising other key issues about the fate of health care coverage, including the use of tiered benefits. To help preserve the status quo for current union members, a growing number of employers are trying to negotiate plans that provide better benefit packages for veterans and scaled-back plans for new hires. http://usat~day~printthis~c~ickabi~ity~c~m/pt/cpt?acti~n=cpt&expire=&ur~ID=7996743&fb:~~~ 10/21/2003 ...USATODAY.com - As health care costs rise, workers shoulder burden Page 4 of 4 Union leaders say such a disparity would hurt morale and spur turnover and could have lasting ramifications on the standard of living of future workers. Speaking above the din of striking California workers chanting, "save our health care," Vons employee Linda Bloom, 47, of Anaheim, says such a system would be detrimental. "The two-tier system would basically mean no health benefits for new hires. That's not fair. We want to keep the grocery business a wonderful place to work." Employers say the two-tier system rewards veterans for their years of service but also provides cost-saving measures. That can spell trouble for unions, however, which have already been facing declining membership. "If management gets the two-tier coverage, it is going to be seen as a major loss for the unions," Mark Theodore, an employment lawyer with the Los Angeles office of Proskauer Rose. "There will be little incentive to want to join a union." Find this article at: http :llwww.usatoday.comlnewslnationl2OO3-10-20-healthcare-cover_x.htm Check the box to include the list of links referenced in the article. http://usat~day~printthis~c~ickabi~ity~c~m/pt/cpt?acti~n=cpt&expire=&ur~ID=7996743 &fb=... 10/21/2003 ~~~~ BAKERSFIELD POLICE ~ Date: October 21,2003 To: Alan Tandy, City Manager From: Eric W. Matlock, Chief of Police Subject: Special Enforcement Gang Violence Report I have enclosed the Special Enforcement Unit's monthly report for September. Please call me if you have any questions. EWM/vrf Bakersfield'Poll.ce Department .SPecial Enforbement Unit · Monthly· Report - September 2003 The following is a compilation .of the performanCe of the Special Enforcement Unit and significant incidents / investigations for September 2003, 69 Felony Arrests 5 Guns Seized 34 Special Reports General Offense 24 Misdemeanor Arrests 87 Fl's 21 Reports Felony Warrant 18 Arrests 0 Citations 11 Vehicle Reports 13 Misdemeanor Warrant 36 Prob,/Par, Searches 0 Search Warrants Arrests 3 2003 Shootings Hrs, Assisting Other 7 2002 Shootings 270 Hours In Training 123 Department 2 2001 Shootings Sections 7 2000 Shootings 6 1999 Shootings Year to Date Statistics January- September 2003 521 Felony Arrests 49 Guns Seized 440 Special Reports General Offense 194 Misdemeanor Arrests 1152 Fl's 167 Reports Felony Warrant 45 Citations 91 Vehicle Reports 113 Arrests 156 Misdemeanor Warrant 457 Prob./Par. Searches 12 Search Warrants Arrests 35 2003 Shootings Hrs. Assisting Other 24 2002 Shootings 2225 Hours In Training 4485 Department 25 2001 Shootings Sections 42 2000 Shootings 81 1999 Shootings From: David Lyman To: David Lyman Date: 10/22/03 2:16PM Subject: Bakersfield Again CA's Most Affordable Housing Market Bakersfield Again California's Most Affordable Housing Market Excerpted from PR Newswire October 22, 2003 10:52am Bakersfield is the most affordable housing market in California, according to a study released today. Coldwell Banker(,D Real Estate Corporation released its annual Home Price Comparison Index (HPCI), which offers an "apples-to-apples" comparison of similar homes sold in typical, middle-'management transferee neighborhoods in 317 markets across the U.S. and 25 markets in Canada. The snapshot study provides insight into the nation's most expensive and most affordable markets among the top most relocated-to areas within the United States. According to Coldwell Banker, Bakersfield is the most affordable housing market in California. The 2003 average sales price in Bakersfield was $215,842. Here are some highlights from the study: -- California has the greatest variance between most expensive and least expensive housing markets: $1,146,533, between La Jolla ($1,362,375) and Bakersfield ($215,842). -- The cumulative national average sales price of all markets surveyed in the Coldwell Banker HPCI is $318,172; up nine percent from $291,097 in 2002. -- The stud~/s most expensive market is La Jolla, Calif. ($1,362,375) and the most affordable market is Binghamton, N.Y. ($121,400), indicating a price difference of $1,240,975 for a similar 2,200 square foot home. -- Six of the country's 10 most expensive markets are in California. Two are in Connecticut and one each in Hawaii and Massachusetts. -- Of the top 10 most affordable markets, two were in Oklahoma and there was no major predominance among the rest as the cities spanned all regions of the country. -- American markets that come closest to the HPCI national average sales prices are both in Pennsylvania: Westchester, $317,250; and Media, $319,725. -- Alabama has the least price variance between markets: $2,750; with Huntsville being the most expensive ($182,075) and Mobile being the most affordable ($179,325). Coldwell Banker Real Estate Corporation conducted its Home Price Comparison Index study by compiling survey data from Coldwell Banker offices throughout the U.S. and Canada. Its affiliates in the corresponding HPCI markets submitted the average sales price of sold listings in the first half of 2003 that met the criteria of the HPCI subject home. The criteria for the HPCI subject home is: Single-family dwelling, 2,200 square feet (approximately)***, 4 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, family room (or equivalent) and 2-car garage in neighborhoods/zip codes within a market that is typical for corporate middle-management transferees. *** 2,200 square feet was the baseline figured used as size criteria for the HPCI subject homes. However, it is possible that in certain markets the size of the subject homes varied. From: David Lyman To: David Lyman Date: 10/24/03 9:34AM Subject: Bakersfield One of Top Cities for Entrepreneurs Bakersfield is one of the top midsize cities in the west for entrepreneurs, according to a new study published in Entrepreneur Magazine. In its 10th Annual Best Cities for Entrepreneurs, the magazine teamed up with Dun and Bradstreet to rate large and mid-sized cities throughout the nation on entrepreneurial activity, small business growth, job growth, and risk. Bakersfield ranked #4 among midsize cities in the West for 2003, and ranked #33 in midsize cities nationwide. Thelisting of midsize cities in the West is attached. To read more about the complete survey: http://www.entrepreneur.com/Maqazines/Copy of MA SeqArticle/0,4453,310931,00.html Entrepreneur and D&B's lO~h Annual Top Miclsize Cities in the West for 2003 * -- Overall rank Vallejo/Fairfield/Napa, CA 1 (15*) 78 35 93 51 2 Modesto, CA (21') 75 63 86 18 3 Stockton/Lodi, CA (23*) 41 69 93 20 ~4' B~kersfieldl CA (33~), 5 Tacoma, WA (38*) 97 29 43 23 ' 36 , 6 S~ne, WA (42*) 7 Salinas, CA (45*) 22 40 71 54 8 Fresno, CA (48*) ~ 67 69 12 9 Ventura, CA (63*) 50 13 56 25 10 Honolulu, HI (68*) 37 58 31 10 Santa Barbar~Santa 11 Mari~Lompoc, CA (69*) 39 18 42 35 Visali~ulare/Po~e~ille, ~ 12 CA (7t*) 13 Santa Rosa, CA (76*) 14 9 54 41 Calculating the Results Four criteria are used to rank the cities: Entrepreneurial Activity (based on the number of businesses 5 years old or younger), Small-Business Growth (based on the number of businesses with fewer than 20 employees that had significant employment growth from January 2002 to January 2003), Job Growth (change in job growth over a three-year period through January 2003), and Risk (bankruptcy rates). A score of 100 in each category is ideal. B A K E R S F I E L D OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER MEMORANDUM October 24, 2003 TO: Alan Tandy, City Manager Darnell W. Haynes, Assistant to the City Manage~,L/~ FROM: SUBJECT: G.E.T. Bus Stop Canyon Hills Sr. Retirement Center Council Referral No. 000615 (Ward 3) Councilmember Maggard requested staff address the need for a G.E.T. bus stop on Auburn Street near the Canyon Hills Assembly of God Retirement Center. In researching this issue I spoke to Pastor Steve Vinson, Ms. Joyce Ward, Resident Manager and Ms. Evelyn Morse resident of the Retirement Center and Mr. Chester Moland, General Manager of G.E.T. regarding the service for the facility. Pastor Vinson indicated that while Ms. Evelyn Morse had some concerns that the new G.E.T. bus stop on Auburn Street was too far east for the residents of Canyon Hills Senior Housing to use, the majority of the residents were pleased with the bus service and the location of the bus stop. Ms. Joyce Ward, Resident Manager also confirmed that the consensus of the residents and staff is to have the bus stop remain where it is now. Ms. Ward stated the residents appreciate the new bus stop across the street between the two apartment complexes and the location is much better than the ½ mile walk it used to be when it was located at the corner of Fairfax and Auburn Street. When I spoke to Chester Moland he was unaware of any concerns with the G.E.T. bus service to the Canyon Hills Retirement Center and had not received any written correspondence to date from the church or residents about the service. Since it is the official position of the church that the bus stop is adequate where it is, I will convey the same to G.E.T. and consider the issue resolved. S:\Darnell\cou ncilreferra1000615GET, doc