[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6477933,"mediaKeyId","5711058-1fe1ad39fb409845bef7e48022e043ce","parentId",5711058,"title","Taft council hears police report and discussion on vagrancy; receives annual military-equipment report","audioSeconds",2484,"startMs",1521000,"endMs",4005000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5711058-1fe1ad39fb409845bef7e48022e043ce&start=1521&end=4005","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5711058-1fe1ad39fb409845bef7e48022e043ce/thumbnail_1521000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6477933/Taft/Kern-County/California/Taft-council-hears-police-report-and-discussion-on-vagrancy-receives-annual-military-equipment-report","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6477933-e14414032d8ddd13ff2f49eaf872a707/orig.mp4?Expires=1775970642&Signature=LtFaDbKNV92RRQ0uvUC~b1p2uZgyVWPljGq2mnbDVrpAWaIhKbeziNKe077Iic1QM83~OeTpmpLmsnJcARx4RwQWK~tHcO9XKWfULv4s~mWVeeZaTWO6gg5~fkECUNJPII3Spgg6UsfPsrOrh6DSqLGxg-mldD56fW2THWGit~1tEuNO2BhQZ9OAHURYKjWSDNNj8q0KIVis6BPYt8NPl63qwCYQCgaRxK8y9ECIKqAxTThk19h94h-45XXM6Eq23ir8qFiyzvBXK~EQGiX2aD8TbHPRJ4bZOiYBjY4iHe~pNS2NuLIXISAPVemZCwZEWhGnAvtE-l1T0Xb5~1qBXg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Taft City Clerk","date","2025-09-03T03:00:24.88Z","article","The Taft City Council received a department report from the Taft Police Department Tuesday, discussed homelessness and vagrancy along the city's rails-to-trails corridor, and voted unanimously to receive and file the Taft Police Department’s 2025 annual military equipment report.

Lieutenant McClurg of the Taft Police Department reported that in August 2025 officers responded to 1,061 incidents, including 445 calls for service and 616 officer-initiated incidents, and made 71 arrests (about 60 misdemeanor arrests and 11 felony arrests). He described ongoing efforts to address repeat offenders and to respond to each citizen call for service, saying, “We respond to every call for service.”

Council members used the department report as the basis for an extended discussion about unhoused people, encampments and public-safety concerns along the rails-to-trails corridor. Councilmember Scribe said volunteers and pantry operators reported a recent theft at the Need Center, stating that “somebody broke into the Need Center and stole about 500 pounds of frozen meat.” Councilmembers urged residents to call police and, when possible, remain available to provide witness statements to aid enforcement.

Senior Manager Joan told the council the city has been working with special counsel to modify the Taft Municipal Code to further delineate allowable behavior on the rails and in parks; she said those code changes would be brought back to council for consideration at a future meeting.

The council also considered the Taft Police Department’s annual military equipment report prepared under Assembly Bill 481 (AB 481). The report lists two armored military-surplus vehicles held by the department: a 2006 AM General armored Humvee and a 2008 BAE Systems MRAP. For both vehicles the report states the equipment was not used during the reporting year, that there were no complaints or internal audit findings, and that annual costs (acquisition, personnel, training, maintenance, storage and related costs) are approximately $500 for the Humvee and $600 for the MRAP. The report lists the general fund as the funding source for fiscal year 2025–26 and notes no planned future acquisitions. The council voted 5–0 to receive and file the annual military equipment report.

During Q&A, Lieutenant McClurg described enforcement options and limitations, noting the department provides citations for low-level offenses and will respond to reports of camping, open drug use, public urination and other criminal conduct. He said the department sometimes provides practical help — for example, officers will buy bus passes if that is what a person wants — while also attempting to redirect individuals to services. He summarized the operational challenge this way: when an arrested person is promptly released without access to treatment beds or court-ordered supervision, “we’re typically encountering the same person” multiple times.

The council passed its consent calendar (items 8–11) by roll call vote 5–0 before the discussion. Consent items listed in the agenda were: approval of minutes for the Aug. 19, 2025 regular meeting; payment of bills (about $280,000); award of on-call asphalt maintenance contracts to Kern Asphalt Paving and Bowman Asphalt Incorporated; and approval of a special-event permit for a carnival at Sixth Street and Supply Row (Sept. 23–Oct. 8, 2025). The staff report for the public-works contracts and the carnival permit cited CEQA screening under California Environmental Quality Act guidelines (section 15060(c)(3) and section 15378).

No new ordinances or immediate funding allocations were adopted during the meeting. The council adjourned open session and recessed to closed session on an anticipated litigation matter.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Taft City Council Meeting | September 2nd, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Taft City Council received a department report from the Taft Police Department Tuesday, discussed homelessness and vagrancy along the city's rails-to-trails corridor, and voted unanimously to receive and file the Taft Police Department’s 2025 annual military equipment report.","taxTitle","Taft, Kern County, California","taxId",58534,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6477938,"Taft proclaims September 2025 Hunger Action Month as local food banks warn of rising need",665,453000,1118000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5711058-1fe1ad39fb409845bef7e48022e043ce&start=453&end=1118","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5711058-1fe1ad39fb409845bef7e48022e043ce/thumbnail_453000.jpg","/articles/6477938/Taft/Kern-County/California/Taft-proclaims-September-2025-Hunger-Action-Month-as-local-food-banks-warn-of-rising-need","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6477938-0db3a00000efa0205b611dad13259060/orig.mp4?Expires=1775970642&Signature=N-rf-XKZKp0-ilyBTccR5KxWp1k55FXbBQ9vg0jyDPiMzYgJhqBhzRvD2~hA9F0fcYaYZkAPpzwODNSeHYy2gj55CW~EJ3QLnKTyGGNyv3NEbvyt0wRvx3JQ~LJleH0AUtIzElm86tNpub6IQ7XniI5cdHCTxVEd9yRktYbTc3gnity-pvCeBJyImayDsbarIlhr4cK0bfDHIVVhcJ1ixV0kqAza4Umns4bQRQpbKGxXOb8Z4dwNs9un6p-J0GIaaWtux3ayXwlb1VjhY03HtWCOHyOeQ98vNWCFZ--Phk3yUoKEx0N3DU4qF3ROgMCGh90ygAr~FARJZFUw1EqYzw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Mayor Pro Tem Tim Bryant read a proclamation at the Taft City Council meeting Tuesday declaring September 2025 as Hunger Action Month in Kern County.

The proclamation accompanies presentations from the Community Action Partnership of Kern (CAPK) and the Kern County Food Policy Council, which described rising demand, thinning supply and multiple volunteer and donation opportunities. A CAPK representative said, “Right now, families in our community are going hungry. Not next week, not next month, today.”

The food-bank speakers outlined recent distribution totals and local partnerships to illustrate the scope of need in Taft and Kern County. The CAPK representative said CAPK distributed more than 22.5 million pounds of food across Kern County in the past year and that CAPK distributed “nearly 765,000 pounds of food to food insecure neighbors in the city of Taft” during 2024. The speaker said federal and state support has been cut and urged donations and volunteers, adding, “Just $25 can feed a family for an entire week.”

A representative of the Kern County Food Policy Council described the council’s membership and efforts to coordinate between public agencies, nonprofits, schools and growers to strengthen food access and nutrition across the county and called the proclamation “a call to action.” That speaker listed planned local activities for Hunger Action Month, including a community blood drive, a Hunger Action Day event on Sept. 10 with drive-through service and a community box-building day for volunteers, and noted CAPK’s partnership with the Kern County Fair on Sept. 23 (free fair entry with six canned goods).

Council members and staff thanked the presenters and posed no substantive policy changes during the meeting; the proclamation was presented and a photo opportunity followed. The council did not take a separate formal vote recorded on the proclamation in the minutes beyond the ceremonial reading and acknowledgement.

The presentations emphasized immediate community needs (seniors skipping meals, parents prioritizing children) and requested volunteer help, donations, and participation in scheduled events. Speakers urged residents to contact CAPK or local partner pantries for ways to assist.

Local partners named during the presentations included 5 Loaves Pantry, Need Center, New Hope Temple and St. Mary (as CAPK access points). The CAPK representative invited the public to visit capk.org for donation and volunteer information.

The council’s discussion and the presenters’ remarks focused on community-level responses (donations, volunteer events and school meal programs) rather than on new municipal policy actions. The proclamation and presentations are intended to raise awareness and encourage community participation in hunger-relief activities during September 2025.

","The Taft City Council issued a proclamation declaring September 2025 Hunger Action Month after representatives from the Community Action Partnership of Kern and the Kern County Food Policy Council described rising local food insecurity and volunteer and donation needs.","actionData","errors"]

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Taft council hears police report and discussion on vagrancy; receives annual military-equipment report

Taft proclaims September 2025 Hunger Action Month as local food banks warn of rising need