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Tehachapi council honors local business owner, proclaims Donate Life Month and recognizes dispatchers
Summary
The council recognized Marian Michello as an 'Extraordinary Woman,' read a proclamation declaring April Donate Life Month with transplant recipient Jim Gordon sharing his story, and presented a certificate honoring local dispatchers and National Public Safety Telecommunications Week.
The Tehachapi City Council used its community engagement portion of Monday’s meeting to honor local volunteers and public-safety staff.
Marian (Maryanne) Michello was presented with the city’s fifth 'Extraordinary Woman' recognition for her service on the Tehachapi Valley Parks and Recreation board and for local business leadership; speakers credited her with long volunteer service and with providing employment opportunities through her McDonald’s restaurants. Council members and community representatives praised her quiet, long-term service; meeting remarks included a statement that she has helped create or support "probably at least 10,000 jobs" locally over multiple decades.
The council also read a proclamation recognizing April as Donate Life Month to raise awareness for organ, tissue and blood donation. Jim Gordon, introduced as a OneLegacy volunteer who received a heart transplant, described years of heart disease and a two‑and‑a‑half‑year wait that ended with a life‑saving transplant. "I received the greatest gift of my life — I received a new heart," Gordon said, urging others to consider donor registration.
Chief Richard Sandridge presented a proclamation recognizing National Public Safety Telecommunications Week (Dispatch Appreciation Week, April 12–18) and highlighted dispatch statistics: the dispatch center handled roughly 12,851 phone calls, about 3,200 911 calls, approximately 7,877 dispatcher-initiated radio calls and nearly 9,894 officer-initiated incidents in the referenced reporting period. Sandridge emphasized the demands of dispatch work, turnover in recent years and recent investments in training and recruitment.
The recognitions were ceremonial; staff invited honorees and their families forward for certificate presentations and photos and thanked them for community service. The council then recessed briefly before moving to the evening’s regular agenda.
