Serving the community since 1922
Serving the community since 1922
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Recent events have demonstrated that we are still a divided nation. It does not have to be this way in Kern County. In my years of political experience, I have seen and talked to folks from all over the county. I have heard from them what matters, and I have listened. My findings will not surprise you, nor should my recommendations on what we should do. But sometimes, in the face of fear and hatred, we need to be reminded of who we are. In the end, as I have said here in this column, as I have said on the campaign trail, and as I have said to...
Lost amid the COVID-19 news is a recent accomplishment for which the communities of Lamont and Weedpatch should be proud. The Sunset Labor Camp Bridge Housing Program that was set up by the Housing Authority of Kern County last fall as a temporary shelter for unaccompanied homeless women closed recently. But that is not the story that brings pride. The story of that temporary program, its accomplishments and the Lamont/Weedpatch community that embraced them is a story that needs to be told. People unfamiliar with those communities may not know...
We are going into another week of the COVID-19 shelter-in-place order, and I believe Kern County is doing great in terms of complying with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s order. But our numbers of those testing positive continue to increase. At the time of this writing, we had our first fatality, in our District 4 community of Delano, and I think we all know we’re not done yet. Sadly, there is more to come, but let’s follow the guidelines we’ve been given and stay as safe as possible. Many of you in the district, as well as many county employees, continue...
By now, I’m certain that all of us have been impacted by the COVID-19 virus, and I’m also certain that you are keeping informed so I will not use our weekly Couch’s Corner to provide you any “breaking news,” as it changes so fast. But I would like to keep you informed on what’s going on at the county, how to find out what services are still available, and how your District 4 office can help you with matters concerning the county. In compliance with the state emergency shelter-in-place guidelines, the county has shut down all nonessential functi...
On Wednesday, Feb. 26, I joined work crews from the Bakersfield Homeless Center and Caltrans as we kicked off a program that was initiated in the District 4 office and will serve the entire county well, especially all the communities of the district. This program is the litter abatement program on state highways in the county, utilizing the homeless and homeless-vulnerable workers employed through the county’s contract we just signed this week with the Bakersfield Homeless Center. When we try to solve the problem of homelessness, we have to u...
At the Board of Supervisors meeting on Jan. 14, I have to admit, I have never been more proud. The room was packed by concerned citizens from all walks sharing their concerns and points of view on oil production in Kern County, with key officials from Sacramento present. While the state has been talking about the “managed decline” of the oil industry, we here in Kern County have been concerned about those statements and their impact here. In my letter to the state dated Dec. 17, I invited the state to join us for a discussion and we had qui...
Much thanks to the Valley Ag Voice for their article “Local Leaders React to Passage of USMCA,” in their January issue. For those of you who may not know, USMCA is an updated NAFTA, and stands for United States Mexico Canada Trade Agreement. It was passed by the House of Representatives on Dec. 19 in a very bipartisan vote (385-41). Its impacts on the Central Valley -- and especially Kern County -- are profound, and it seemed appropriate to share parts of their story here. According to Valley Ag, the seven key provisions that impact agr...
I got the chance to speak at the second Annual Civil Rights for Immigrants Conference recently in October at Hodel’s. It was an honor to be invited by the host, the Greater Bakersfield Legal Assistance (GBLA), to welcome the attendees (about 280 people) from around the country. The following is the speech I prepared for that event. “I wanted to thank you all for coming today to this very important conference. While immigration is a very divisive subject in our country right now, I contend it does not have to be in Kern County. I believe we agr...
I recently learned of the Housing Authority of Kern’s concept of using farm labor camps they own in Shafter and Lamont to house about 50 homeless women from Kern County temporarily this winter. [Editor’s note: The county has since eliminated the Shafter camp from the plan for this year.] Having no more details than that, I let a member of the Shafter community know. Within days, our District 4 office phones were lighting up. Many people were upset and opposed to “the plan.” Not knowing any details ourselves, we contacted HAKC. We learned...
I recently learned of the Housing Authority of Kern’s concept of using farm labor camps they own in Shafter and Lamont to house about 50 homeless women from Kern County temporarily this winter. Having no more details than that, I let a member of the Shafter community know. Within days, our District 4 office phones were lighting up. Many people were upset and opposed to “the plan.” Not knowing any details ourselves, we contacted HAKC. We learned a management plan was being developed but not completed yet. So where do I stand on this? At this...
The Board of Supervisors adopted the fiscal year 2019-20 budget last week. In addition, we also adopted a resolution declaring the end of the County of Kern’s fiscal emergency. By the end of this fiscal year – June 30, 2020 -- the county will have addressed the structural deficit in the General Fund that occurred with the large drop in the price of oil in 2016 which, in turn, resulted in a large decrease in the property tax from oil-producing properties. Progress has also been made in addressing and mitigating the deficit in the Fire Fund. Tha...
Kern Transit will offer free rides to those from Wasco and Shafter attending Bakersfield College. The rides will continue through the summer session. In addition, the county also has funding available to offer the program again during the 2019-2020 school year. Over 12,000 free rides were given during the spring semester, and over 25,000 rides were given over the 2018-2019 fiscal year. Communities in District 4 who also receive transportation from Kern Transit are Arvin, Lamont, McFarland and Delano. The Wasco Road Yard did AC cutouts and...
This past Monday night and Tuesday morning at the Board of Supervisors Chambers, the TRUTH Forum was long, and at times tense, but successful. We had great attendance, a lot of public input and solid interaction between the public, the supervisors and the Kern County Sheriff’s Office. Now, everyone measures success differently, and you can disagree with me on what constitutes success, but when the community turns out to speak in such large numbers about a subject that means so much to them I call it a success. You may recall, the TRUTH Act a...
This week I wanted to discuss what seems to be the most controversial issue in our nation at this moment: immigration. It's important for all of us to understand the roles of all the different jurisdictions of government so that we can better know where one goes to get the results we want. As part of that, I have made it a goal of our office to better understand immigration law and policy and to understand where the county fits in this equation. As part of that education process, District 4...
