The Kern County Board of Supervisors recently approved spending $908,000 of the taxpayers' money on out-of town attorneys and consultants to initiate another layer of unaccountable government called the Oildale Redevelopment Agency.

Why not use the money to just hire some local community activists as Community Improvement Liaisons (CIL) within a designated target area?  The CIL would act as an out reach clearinghouse to coordinate the existing governmental and private resources to effect bottom up change.

The CIL would patrol each street of the designated area weekly and compile a status report of all possible violations and deficiencies including: graffiti, vacant & derelict buildings, abandoned cars, health, safety, pot holes, gang & drug activity, trash, weeds, building repoars, broken sidewalks, truants, overgrown trees, nuisances, errant animals, and zoning issues.  They would help the respective investigators and inspectors in their research and citing of the offenders or correction of the problems.

The CIL would coordinate community groups who can adopt streets for quarterly cleanup.  The court-ordered orange vests can be utilized for regular cleanup of parks and other common areas.  They can encourage commercial owners to cooperate in simple facade improvements and painting programs.  The CIL can promote civic pride awards and neighborhood watch programs.

They would go door to door continuously and be a source of initial information on low interest home improvement loans, energy saving programs, bulk trash programs, social welfare and faith based programs.  The CIL could report to the County Supervisor with a measurable work product.

We don't need any more taxpayer funded boondoggles.  There are simple solutions to problems if government just provides the basic services they are supposed to provide very well.