Compare and contrast response to parks
Let’s be clear. There is no excuse for vandalism of public restrooms — or vandalism of any kind. The issue is how public agencies respond to vandalism.
On March 7 in an article in The Californian titled “Park restrooms shuttered due to theft, vandalism” (with “doors twisted and pipes ripped from the walls”), Kern County staff offered no solutions except to close Virginia Avenue Park’s one restroom after a major break-in and theft.
Contrast the county’s closure with the city of Bakersfield’s solution-oriented vandal-resistant restrooms. A Feb. 16, 2022, story by Robert Price (this one from KGET-TV 17) highlighted “a number of steps to counter the persistent vandalism that has been plaguing city parks.”
In this story about Bakersfield’s five new vandal-resistant restrooms, city parks construction planner Fidel Gonzalez said that these restrooms are “built for almost prison standards, so a lot of the fixtures in there are stainless steel, mounted to a point where they are hard to remove or destroy.”
In his story, Price continues, “To the extent possible, there’s little or no exposed plumbing; it’s all in the walls of the building or underground.” He added that “timers automatically lock the restrooms when the park closes at 10 p.m.” and reopen in the morning.
Other possible preventive measures: (1) the use of security cameras (law enforcement will verify their importance), and (2) the example of the city’s extensive new lighting high above ground level at Planz Park (not located in a high-income area).
City/county price comparison: The $600,000 price tag for each of the city’s new restrooms was half of Kern County’s $1.2 million in county general tax revenues for its new (replacement) restroom now under construction at the Kern River Campground — approved prior to the passage of Measure K.
Another major point of contrast is the presence (or not) of Kern County rangers. Thanks to a California Public Records Act Request (authorized by the Sierra Club, Kern-Kaweah Chapter), information obtained about funding for ranger time was made available by the Kern County counsel. For the last full year of records (fiscal year 2021-22), approximately $3,200 was spent for ranger time in Virginia Avenue Park.
Contrast that $3,200 (or the $17,900 for the eight parks in Kern County’s 5th Supervisorial District) with the $329,000 in ranger time (needed and appreciated) for Hart Park. Is it a surprise that county rangers recently reported an arrest for vandalism in one of the restrooms at Hart Park?
Without Kern County rangers regularly patrolling county parks (including in economically disadvantaged sectors of the 5th District), these parks will continue to be underserved — and vulnerable.
The contrasts are stark. Instead of the blame game, Kern County: (1) staff ought to be focused on solutions using examples such as provided by the city of Bakersfield’s Recreation and Parks Department, and (2) policy-makers need to provide adequate county financial resources for ranger time in parks experiencing vandalism — similar to ranger time allocated to Hart Park.