2026-10-07 - City Council

00:01[music] Welcome to the Bakersfield City

00:03Council meeting. This television

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00:09and the city of Bakersfield. You can

00:11watch the rebroadcast of this meeting

00:13[music]

00:13Saturday at 700 p.m., Sunday at 10:00

00:16a.m., and the following Wednesday at 7

00:18p.m. You can download the agenda for

00:21this meeting at www.bakersfieldcity.

00:26us. Preciding over this evening's

00:29meeting, the Honorable Mayor Karen K.

00:32Go.

00:35>> Good evening. It's my pleasure to call

00:36to order the 515 regular city council

00:39meeting of October 7th, 2026.

00:42Thank you to all of you for being here

00:44and engaging in the civic process. Madam

00:47clerk, please call the role.

00:49>> Mayor Go,

00:50>> here.

00:51>> Vice Mayor Core

00:52>> here. Council member Aras. Council

00:56member Gonzalez

00:56>> here.

00:58>> Council member Weir.

01:00>> Council member Smith,

01:01>> I am here.

01:02>> Council member Coleman

01:03>> here.

01:03>> Council member Basher.

01:06Thank you. Do we have an interpreter for

01:09Spanish speakers tonight? Uh, Madame

01:11Clerk, tonight we have an interpreter

01:13for Spanish speakers. And at this time,

01:15interpreters, if you would come forward

01:17and just very quickly let the audience

01:19know that equipment is available in

01:21Spanish and how to get it.

01:28Just a note.

01:40Gracias. If you're here to speak during

01:42the public statements portion of the

01:44meeting, you may need to pre-register.

01:46You will need to pre-register uh in the

01:49kiosks right in the back. Staff is there

01:51to assist you.

01:54Due to unexpected illness and a

01:56pre-planned engagement, we will lose

01:59quorum tonight. So, I'm going to change

02:01the order of the agenda so we can

02:03conduct as much business as possible

02:06before we lose quorum. We'll have

02:10presentations

02:11and non-aggenda public statements will

02:14be moved after public hearing items. And

02:18per staff's recommendation, public

02:20hearing item 8A, that's the north of the

02:23river zone change, will be open, closed,

02:26and referred back to staff. Please note

02:28that this item will come back at a

02:31future meeting.

02:33At this time, we are blessed to have

02:35Pastor Brandon Holt House, who's the

02:37senior pastor of Rock Harbor Church, to

02:40offer the invocation. It's a growing

02:42church. Thank you so much for all of

02:44your service to our community, pastor.

02:46And then following the invocation, Gabe

02:48Bridges, who's a senior at Bakersville

02:50Christian High School, will lead us in

02:53the pledge. Gabe is a Ford Dimension

02:56Dreambuilder with a 4.75 GPA, an AP

03:00scholar with distinction, ASB president,

03:04president of the Interact Club, member

03:06of Link Crew, and the National Honors

03:08Society captain of the club hockey team.

03:11He is the engineering pathway

03:15uh member at his school through project

03:17lead the way. He's founder and manager

03:19of his own nonprofit, the sports locker

03:22that provides underprivileged kids with

03:24sports gear. And so we're blessed to

03:26have both of you. Would you please

03:27stand?

03:32Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we come

03:34before you this evening with grateful

03:35hearts, acknowledging that you are the

03:37King of heaven and earth, and that all

03:39wisdom and authority and righteousness

03:41ultimately come from you. Your word

03:43tells us righteousness exalts a nation,

03:44but sin is a reproach to any people.

03:47Father, we thank you for this great

03:48nation, for the freedoms we enjoy, and

03:50for the privilege of living in this

03:51community. Tonight, we lift up our

03:53mayor, Karen Go, our city council

03:55members, and all those entrusted with

03:57the responsibility of leading and

03:58serving our city. Your word tells us

04:00that if anyone lacks wisdom, let him ask

04:02God, and he gives it graciously and

04:04generously. So tonight, Lord, we ask

04:07that you grant these leaders wisdom

04:08beyond their own understanding,

04:10discernment to distinguish right and

04:12wrong, courage to stand for what is

04:14right, and humility to remember that

04:16public office is a sacred trust, and an

04:18opportunity to serve others. May their

04:20decisions be guided by a fear of you and

04:23not a fear of man. that they would be

04:25guided by truth, justice, integrity, and

04:27a genuine concern for the people they

04:28represent. Father, we pray for the

04:31families of our city and for our first

04:33responders, our law enforcement

04:34officers, our firefighters, our

04:36teachers, our businesses, and especially

04:38those who are struggling and in need.

04:40Protect our community from evil.

04:42Strengthen our families. Bring peace to

04:43our neighborhoods. And help us to never

04:46take for granted the blessings and

04:47freedoms you have entrusted us. Lord, as

04:49the city council conducts its business

04:51tonight, may there be civility and

04:53disagreement, wisdom and deliberation,

04:55and unity in purpose and seeking what is

04:57best for our community. And above all,

04:59Father, remind us that unless the Lord

05:02builds the house, they labor in vain who

05:03build it. May we be be a city that

05:06honors you, values truth, protects

05:08innocent, and seeks righteousness. We

05:10commit this meeting and these leaders

05:12and this community into your hands and

05:14in the mighty and precious name of our

05:16Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We pray.

05:18Amen.

05:19>> Amen. Thank you, pastor.

05:24>> Please join me in the pledge of

05:25allegiance. Salute. Pledge. I pledge of

05:29allegiance to the flag of the United

05:31States of America, and to the republic

05:34for which it stands, one nation under

05:37God, indivisible, with liberty and

05:40justice for all. Thank you.

05:43>> Thank you. And you may be seated. And we

05:45are very very grateful to Ford

05:48Dreambuilders and their advisors uh

05:51Mikey Haye, Peggy Rivera for their

05:53investment in our young people. I got to

05:55speak with the uh youth this last week

05:58and what an amazing group and they just

06:00have so much potential there. We are in

06:03good hands, very definitely.

06:07Here are a few guidelines to help our

06:08meeting run smoothly. We request that

06:10you turn off your phones. Please be

06:12courteous in the use of cameras and

06:14videos. For safety reasons and as a

06:16courtesy to others, no signs are allowed

06:18in the council chamber or in the lobby.

06:21Applause is allowed during the

06:22presentations portion of the meeting,

06:24but not during other portions of the

06:26meeting. Everyone in attendance in

06:28person or by phone is expected to adhere

06:30to the rules of decorum established by

06:33resolution of the city council. Failure

06:35to abide by the city's rules of decorum,

06:37including any disruptive behavior that

06:39interferes with our ability to have an

06:41orderly and efficient meeting prevents

06:43the city council from conducting the

06:45business of the city. Consider this a

06:47first warning to everyone participating

06:49that conduct that disrupts this meeting

06:51may result in expulsion and/or the

06:54chambers being cleared. Behavior that

06:56disrupts the meeting includes repetitive

06:58statements, shouting, hate speech,

07:01interrupting staff or presenters during

07:03the meeting, speaking out of turn,

07:05outbursts from the audience. Telephonic

07:08participants are expected to adhere to

07:10the same rules of decorum as those

07:12attending here in person.

07:21I'm going to go ahead and

07:25just read the public statements portion

07:27and then we'll come back to the

07:29non-aggenda later. In keeping with

07:31council's resolution, the public

07:33statements portion is divided into two

07:35periods. There's a period for items

07:37listed on the meeting agenda and items

07:38not on the meeting agenda. Additionally,

07:41pursuant to changes in state law, the

07:43city council will now accept public

07:45statements via phone and in person

07:48statements for items listed on tonight's

07:50agenda are given a two-minute time

07:51limit. 10 minutes for participants by

07:53phone and 10 minutes for in-person

07:55participants, 20 minutes total per

07:58agenda item. The consent calendar as a

08:00whole constitutes one agenda item.

08:02Statements regarding items not listed on

08:04the agenda are given a two-minute time

08:06limit. 10 minutes for participants by

08:08phone and 10 minutes for in-person

08:10participants, 20 minutes total. If you

08:13have written comments that are longer

08:14than your verbal statement, give them to

08:16the clerk who will give copies to the

08:18council. If you're here to make a public

08:20statement, please register using the

08:22kiosk in the back of the chambers where

08:24you entered. Staff are there to assist

08:26if needed. We ask that you select

08:28whether you're here to speak on an item

08:29listed on tonight's agenda or in a

08:31matter not on the agenda. Speakers who

08:34do not identify a specific agenda item

08:36will be presumed speakers for the

08:38non-aggenda portion and will be called

08:40during the non-aggenda portion of the

08:42meeting. If you're here on public

08:45hearing items 8A

08:48or 8B, that would be well done energy

08:52solutions. Now is not the time to speak.

08:54You'll be given an opportunity when the

08:57item is called later in the meeting.

09:11So, we will start tonight with the

09:14consent calendar comments. Madame Clerk,

09:19do we have any public speakers regarding

09:21items on the agenda?

09:27>> Mayor Go, we have not received any

09:29requests to speak via telephone or in

09:31person on items on the consent calendar.

09:34>> Thank you. And so we'll move on right

09:36now to the consent calendar. Clerk,

09:39would you announce whatever you would

09:41like at this point?

09:44Consent calendar items 8A or 6A through

09:496 I for approval. A staff memorandum was

09:52provided regarding item 6D1 requesting

09:54the item be referred back to staff for

09:57corrections.

10:00Thank you. And

10:03I have not received any requests for any

10:05of these items from council members to

10:07be pulled. Vice Mayor,

10:12>> a motion to approve consent calendar

10:14items 6A through 6J for approval. Thank

10:17you. You have a motion. Please cast your

10:19votes.

10:26Motion is approved with council members

10:28Aas Weir and Basher Tash absent.

10:32>> Thank you. Our next item is public

10:34hearings. Each side will be allowed 20

10:36minutes. It's 20 minutes for all

10:38speakers per side, 10 minutes for

10:40in-person speakers, and 10 minutes for

10:42speakers by phone. It's important that

10:44you identify yourself and make your

10:46statement succinctly so others may

10:47speak. If there's testimony on both

10:49sides, each side will be allowed a

10:5110-minute rebuttal. There's a clock on

10:53the TV screens behind me, which

10:54indicates 20 minutes.

10:57When you are called, please identify

10:59yourself. You may be asked questions.

11:01You may ask questions during your

11:03statement, but they won't be addressed

11:04until the public hearing is closed. If

11:07you have written comments that are

11:08longer than your verbal statement, give

11:10them to the clerk. She'll provide copies

11:11to the council. Please be courteous to

11:13others who wish to speak. Madame clerk,

11:16please read the first public hearing

11:18item.

11:19Public hearing item 8A, public hearing

11:22to consider planning commission's

11:23approval of zone change number 24-00004

11:27and its proposed mitigated negative

11:29declaration in ward 4. Provost and

11:32Pritchard representing North of the

11:33River Recreation and Park District is

11:36proposing a zone change on approximately

11:379.3 acres located northeast of Jenkins

11:40Road and Austin Creek Avenue. The

11:43request includes one, a resolution

11:44adopting a mitigated negative

11:46declaration pursuant to the California

11:48Environmental Quality Act. Two, first

11:50reading of an ordinance amending title

11:5217 of the Bakersfield Municipal Code by

11:54changing the official prezone

11:55classification from OS to and A to RE.

12:01Thank you.

12:04As the city clerk said, staff recommends

12:06that we open and close this public

12:08hearing, refer it back to staff, and

12:10note that this item will come back at a

12:11future meeting. Mr. K, do you have any

12:13comments at this time?

12:15>> Thank you, mayor. No, the motion is

12:16sufficient.

12:17>> Thank you. So, at this time, uh, public

12:19hearing item 8A is open. Is there anyone

12:25who would like to speak in opposition?

12:29And madame clerk, I believe you said

12:32there is no one.

12:33>> Correct. Mayor, nobody has requested to

12:35speak on this item.

12:36>> And either uh in opposition or favor. So

12:39at this point, uh seeing none, the

12:43hearing item remains.

12:46No, because it's not right. Is closed.

12:51Script is wrong.

12:54All right. And now moving on to the next

12:56one.

12:59Public hearing item 8B, public hearing

13:02to present findings and consider

13:04adoption of energy savings performance

13:07contract with WDEN energy solutions.

13:10One, resolution making findings

13:13authorizing entering into an energy

13:14savings performance contract and two,

13:17agreement with Will Dan Energy Solutions

13:19not to exceed 7,990,188

13:23to implement energy savings efficiency

13:25measures as well as energy generation

13:27measures.

13:29>> Thank you, Mr. Click.

13:31>> Thank you, Mayor and Council. This item

13:33tonight is an item that um will be

13:35familiar to council. It has been uh

13:37before your council before, but four

13:40quick points about this item, then I'll

13:41turn it over to staff. One is that the

13:44the scope has been refined and so the

13:48expenditure has been reduced. Also, uh

13:52it's important to note again that this

13:54is a savings to rateayers, this project

13:57that it was part of our planned budget

14:00and planned expenditures, but based on

14:02council feedback recently, we were able

14:04to refine that scope and we brought it

14:07back in a timely manner because there's

14:09risk of losing important grant funds and

14:12tax credits. So, it's back before you uh

14:14tonight and I'll ask Daniel Maldonado to

14:17walk through a presentation.

14:21Mr. Maldonado,

14:23and congratulations on your new

14:25position.

14:25>> Thank you, Mayor. Uh good evening,

14:27honorable mayor and council members. Um

14:29Daniel Maldonado, water director for for

14:31the city, and I'll be walking through

14:33the water department uh solar and

14:35battery storage project, excuse me, at

14:37[clears throat] 1000 Buav Vista Road, uh

14:39for your consideration tonight.

14:42And so before we begin, I want to

14:43provide some additional project

14:44clarifications and updates we've made to

14:46the to the project and some additional

14:48background. Uh as uh Christian Christian

14:52mentioned, uh Mr. Kle mentioned, the

14:53municipal water enterprise fund had this

14:55project programmed. Uh it's been a

14:57wellthoughtout and planned CIP project

14:58due to the amount of infrastructure we

15:00have at this facility. Uh in 2024, we

15:04identified this as a need uh to reduce

15:06some of the electrical costs for our

15:07fund. And so it was incorporated in the

15:092025 supplemental rate study uh which

15:12went through the prop 218 process uh in

15:152025. Uh in addition for this specific

15:18project budget authority was approved

15:20and was presented to the council uh in

15:22fiscal year 2026 and the fiscal uh year

15:252027 uh budget process. Uh the CIP

15:29dollars approved through the rate study

15:31um are not changed. We're not requesting

15:34additional funding for this project.

15:36It's all been fully encompassed in that

15:38supplemental rate study.

15:42And so how will this project help ease

15:43future burdens? I think initially the

15:46annual electrical cost for for year one

15:49is approximately $382,000.

15:52Uh that cumulative impact over time will

15:54directly impact future uh water rate

15:57increases due to that reduction of those

16:00costs. Uh in addition, what makes the

16:02urgency for this project is that onetime

16:04federal ITC tax credits which

16:06significantly decreases the amount of

16:08capital uh needed uh goes against the

16:11the total project cost. And so by

16:14implementing this project, the we'll be

16:15saving guaranteed units which hedges

16:17against future utility escalations,

16:19which we'll discuss more as we proceed.

16:23Um as Mr. Mr. Kle mentioned, we removed

16:26some some scope from the last time we uh

16:28discussed this project. The EV chargers

16:31and the infrastructure scope were

16:32removed. Um it still needs to be

16:33implemented, but it's going to be going

16:35forward with the citywide effort uh for

16:37EV. Um and with this uh reduction of

16:41scope, we've also um decreased the

16:45amount of site work costs that were

16:47taken out as well. And overall uh with

16:49that reduction of scope, we're we

16:51reduced the first cost of this project

16:53by $1.2 million. Um including the EV

16:56chargers in the last uh go at this uh

17:00the it extended the overall ROI because

17:02it was it was additional cost.

17:07And for the contracting clarifications,

17:09the city's util utilizing energy savings

17:11performance contracting uh to leverage

17:13energy savings and guaranteed maximum

17:16price contracting or GMAX. This is the

17:19the not maximum not to exceed amount

17:22that we are presenting to you today. Um

17:24this was a stated goal back in 2024 by

17:27by the council um when they went through

17:29the RFP process. And so contractually

17:32this means that this is the maximum

17:34price for the city unless the change

17:36orders are specifically requested by the

17:37city uh themselves. Uh Wilden cannot

17:40come come back to uh increase uh that

17:43not to exceed amount without the city

17:45giving that direction. Uh in addition

17:48just to discuss the contingency and

17:50allowances over the course of

17:51construction. So that we do have some

17:52contingency and allowances uh in this

17:55project scope. if there's no need for

17:57them, that that dollar amount then just

17:59comes off of the contract and returns

18:01back to the to the water enterprise

18:02fund.

18:05So, what if we do nothing? We wanted to

18:07discuss a little bit more on the doing

18:08nothing scenario. So, on this chart on

18:10the left hand side are the annual

18:12electrical costs for 10,000 Buav Vista,

18:15the site that we're proposed to have

18:17this solar and battery project. So, in

18:19the year 2027 with the utility rate

18:21increases that our PG&E uh are issuing

18:25for our department and you know for the

18:27citywide, we're looking at about

18:28$682,000

18:31of electrical costs just for this one

18:33site, just for this one year. Um and so

18:36we went through the next 15 years and

18:39utilized an 8% annual escalation um to

18:42really give you a sense of what the

18:44electrical costs are projected to be for

18:46this facility. Um, and just to note, the

18:49recent 5-year average is actually 11.7%

18:51increases with the 15-year being 8.2.

18:54So, this is fairly conservative in what

18:56we're providing you. And so, by year

18:582041, we're looking at over $2 million

19:00of electrical charges for our one site,

19:04this administrative office. And so we

19:06implemented if we implement this project

19:08in the middle shows what the the those

19:10annual electrical costs would be with

19:13those uh offsetting of the of the uh

19:16units that we're going to be um

19:18generating. And then on the very right

19:20is the annual electrical budget savings

19:22each year. And so in 2027, as I

19:25mentioned previously, $382,000

19:28uh will be a savings that the department

19:30can use at its discretion to meet other

19:32high priority needs. Uh and then as you

19:34go down through 2041, it just escalates

19:36because we're hedging against those

19:38utility uh rate increases. And so the

19:41total savings from 2027 through 2041

19:43with the result of this project is

19:45anticipated to be uh nearly $10.4

19:47million, which is a significant figure.

19:52And so now I just want to talk a little

19:54bit about the updated project. So, the

19:56turnkey GMAX project that we're

19:57presenting, it includes the engineering,

19:59design, uh project management, uh

20:02procurement, materials, and labor. It's

20:04it's a one-stop shop. And so, the last

20:07time we discussed uh this project, there

20:10were some questions on the expected

20:11useful life and what that uh degradation

20:13of the PVs and the and the inverters.

20:16And so, um that was all incorporated uh

20:18last time. And so we just wanted to

20:20reiterate that we're aware that there

20:23are some um cash flow variables which

20:26include on the right hand of the of the

20:28page is electricity rate escalations uh

20:32inflation rates on and m escalation

20:34rates just due to the operation and

20:36maintenance of the of the system itself.

20:38Uh the PV degradation rate uh the

20:40battery degradation and the replacement

20:41of seven inverters. So all of that is

20:43being considered when you're looking at

20:45the financials of this project um which

20:48was the case uh last time as well.

20:52And so now we have the updated solar and

20:54battery project. Uh we carved out the

20:56energy projects themselves to get a

20:57better idea of what that return on

20:59investment would be. So the top line uh

21:01well the top table is the best case

21:03scenario. So we have the carport solar

21:05PV system as well as the interface um

21:08battery system. And so, um, the GMAX

21:12turnkey cost for the entire project is

21:147.9 million. There's some parking lot

21:16upgrades, city contingency and

21:18construction allowances in included in

21:20that as well. U, but we separated that

21:22because that doesn't give us a true

21:23sense of what the payback would be uh

21:25with the specific energy uh project. And

21:28so, we want to focus on the water

21:30department net cost uh for the best case

21:32scenario, $4.4 million. That's what

21:35would be netted um the net cost for the

21:38department if we were to receive the

21:39$3.5 million in incentives. Uh currently

21:42we have $1.5 million secured for the

21:45battery and there's uh an additional

21:48almost $2 million available for the

21:50solar PV aspect um which it has to be

21:53energized by December 31st, 2027. And so

21:57that's where the urgency comes to really

22:00get the construction going and complete

22:01this project and get energized to

22:02maximize the amount of grant incentives

22:04that we receive. Uh with the best case

22:06scenario, we're looking at 9.5 years uh

22:09payback uh for the for the energy

22:12projects. In the worst case scenario,

22:14for some reason we don't meet that

22:15deadline, um we're looking at 14.6 years

22:19uh which is still reasonable when you're

22:21looking at a 25-year um uh project.

22:28And so all those considerations that I

22:29mentioned, all those escalation and

22:31degradation rates, that's all in

22:32incorporated in this 25-year project

22:34cash flow. Uh just want to highlight

22:36that free the ITC tax credit that the

22:39federal government is offering is $3.5

22:41million. We have net total utility

22:44savings over the 25 years of 11.4

22:47million. And just to note, you know,

22:49just to really show the cash flow and

22:50the positive cash flow that this project

22:52will generate, we use a 5% escalation,

22:54which is a really conservative based on

22:57what the last 15 and and 5year rate

22:59increases. But just to show the the true

23:01benefit of this project, at a 5%

23:03escalation, we're looking at $1.4

23:05million in net utility savings, which

23:08gives a net pro program benefit over the

23:1025 years of $6.2 million, um, which

23:13provides a return on investment of 7.6%.

23:166%.

23:19And so just to s summarize, it's an

23:21investment in savings now this project

23:22as well as savings for the future. As I

23:24mentioned, the immediate savings of that

23:26year$1 of $382,000 is is a significant

23:29amount that can come back into the

23:30enterprise fund and be used for a

23:33variety of of uses, but really high

23:34priority operation and maintenance. Uh

23:37future savings, we're hedging against

23:38those f uh utility rate escalations. Um,

23:42and so those units as we increase, we're

23:44going to be saving. It's going to

23:47continue to to grow. Um, as I mentioned,

23:49the municipal water fund already had

23:51this pro projectmed. It's been approved

23:54by the rateayers. Uh, it's been approved

23:56by the the council through the prop 218

23:59and is just carrying out this project is

24:01the fulfilling the commitment that we

24:02made to our residents. Um, it also

24:05showcases fiscal responsibility helping

24:08reduce overall rate payer burden in the

24:10future. Um, as you saw that slide

24:13previously, over $10 million of of

24:15savings coming back within those next 15

24:18years. It's a really significant amount.

24:20Um, and to highlight them, highlight the

24:23last point, um, the grant funding from

24:24the federal government that's that's

24:26still available. Um, if we don't

24:29construct this project, if there is

24:30somewhat um, unapproval for this

24:32project, we'll miss out on $3.5 million

24:35in federal tax credits. Um and so just

24:37trying to be fiscally responsible and

24:39utilize as much grant incentives that we

24:41can to offset the costs of of future

24:43rateayers.

24:45And so with that, um that completes my

24:47presentation.

24:48>> Thank you, Mr. Maldonado. Mr. Kle, do

24:50you have anything to add?

24:51>> I do not. Thank you, Mayor.

24:53>> Thank you. So at this time, public

24:54hearing item 8B is open. And madame

24:58clerk, just want to confirm that we have

25:00received no speaker requests in

25:04opposition or in favor of this item.

25:08>> Go. That is correct. Thank you. And so

25:10with that, I'll close the public hearing

25:12and return it to council for comment and

25:15action.

25:16Council member Coleman, this is

25:20related to your area.

25:24>> Fair enough.

25:27Thank you, mayor. Uh [clears throat]

25:31uh this is for question is for the city

25:32manager. Uh in the past there was some

25:35question about Will Dan's role and what

25:38will Dan was brought in to do. Can you

25:41talk a little bit please about that

25:43history of what our understanding is

25:45with Willan?

25:46>> Yeah, thank you a council member. Uh

25:48several years ago, we identified that

25:49there were additional energy savings and

25:52energy efficiency projects that could

25:54benefit the city for many years to come.

25:56We wanted to have a creative approach

25:59that would help them to identify some of

26:02the solutions for us, whoever we chose.

26:04So, we created a request for proposals

26:06process that would choose someone that

26:09could help design these type of projects

26:11and bring them forward to the city

26:13council. But that also was a very vetted

26:16process because we knew that we were

26:18going to be uh essentially selecting a

26:21partner to help us with several projects

26:23into the future. We had a robust request

26:25for proposals process. Uh we actually

26:28for what it's worth um there were

26:31several um respondents who uh followed

26:35up very regularly with the city and were

26:38very vocal about um you know a objective

26:42fair and competitive process and

26:44ultimately we did select uh Wilden as

26:47the winner of that RFP process to then

26:50invite them to uh co-design and co-plan

26:53some of these possibilities with us as

26:55not non-energy efficient experts at the

26:58city. We wanted a partner who could help

27:00us identify the projects that both had

27:02the most time sensitivity like this one

27:04that grant you know opportunities were

27:06going to go away as well as really big

27:08savings in the long run. And so this is

27:10actually the first of many projects to

27:12come forward into the future.

27:15>> Okay. Thank you. Um

27:19most of us know the water building that

27:22little white building on boy.

27:25uh if I could ask the water director to

27:28talk a little bit more about what you

27:30really do at that build that building. I

27:32I know you're not running through

27:34$600,000 worth of electric every year

27:36running an office. So,

27:38>> yes, thank you, council member. Yeah, at

27:40that facility, it's it's one of our

27:42largest tank sites that we have. Uh it

27:44has a lot of a very robust uh booster

27:48pump station that is pumping water into

27:50our distribution system. it receives

27:52that water from different wells uh on

27:54the west side of town and treats it for

27:56for human consumption. And so that

27:59booster pumps are are running 24/7

28:01making sure that we're having the the

28:02safe, reliable drinking water for all

28:04residents in that specific area.

28:07>> Okay. Thank you.

28:09[clears throat]

28:11Yeah. You know, the last time this came

28:14to council, I was opposed to it. Uh

28:18mainly uh I I just thought the the money

28:22was too much and the uh the return how

28:28long it took you to recoup your your

28:30money was too long. It was almost 18

28:33years in in some of the forecast

28:37[clears throat] which doesn't really

28:39give you much time what I call quiet

28:42enjoyment uh time when you're it's all

28:45paid for you've recouped all your money

28:47and now it doesn't cost me anything

28:48because it's got a 25 year life well if

28:51you takes 18 years for you to hit that

28:53you only have a short period of time to

28:55enjoy that before you have to reinvest

28:58that number has come down significantly

29:00by reducing the money which is what I

29:02thought it would happen. You know, we're

29:04down to somewhere between 9 and 14

29:06years. So, that gives you about

29:08somewhere between 10 and 12 years of

29:11quiet enjoyment before you have to

29:12replace everything. So, um uh I think

29:16the numbers gotten significantly better.

29:18Um, I just wanted to ask the city

29:21manager one more question about the

29:23money and where it comes from and be

29:26clear that this is coming out of capital

29:29improvement projects in the water

29:33uh enterprise and not out of general

29:35fund.

29:36>> That is correct.

29:37>> Okay. So, that all being said, I support

29:41this uh project and I'll make a motion

29:43to approve it.

29:45>> Thank you, council member. others who

29:47may wish to comment. Seeing none, you

29:49have a motion. Please cast your votes.

30:02Motion is approved with council members

30:04Aras Weer

30:07and Basher Tash absent.

30:09>> Thank you. And now we'll move to the

30:11next item which will be presentations.

30:14Madam clerk, would you announce that

30:15please? And at this point, council

30:18member Arya uh council member Gonzalez

30:19will be leaving. It is 5:46.

30:24Presentations item 4A, proclamation to

30:27Jennifer Henry, executive director of

30:29Links for Life, declaring Paint the Town

30:31Pink month in Bakersfield during October

30:342026.

30:58I'm being joined by Cole Cisada from the

31:01office of Congressman David Valadeo

31:04also. So, welcome to all of you. We know

31:07that mothers, daughters, neighbors,

31:08friends, even men will be affected by

31:11breast cancer, this invasive disease.

31:14One thing that has really struck me is

31:16that the majority of women who are

31:19diagnosed don't have a family history.

31:23More than 400 Kern County community

31:25members will be diagnosed with breast

31:27cancer annually, and the nearly 100

31:31nearly 100 will bravely lose the fight.

31:34I am just so grateful for organizations

31:36such as Links for Life. I've seen you

31:38almost every day since the beginning of

31:40of October this week. You're really

31:43emphasizing early detection and regular

31:46self-examinations and those regular

31:49routine mammograms. And so it's my honor

31:52to be able to present this proclamation.

31:55The mayor of the city of Bakersville,

31:56California, has officially proclaimed

31:59October 20th, 2026 as Paint the Town

32:03Pink Month in our city in recognition of

32:06the unwavering support of family and

32:09friends offering sanctuary and

32:11encouragement to loved ones in the midst

32:14of treatment. In recognition of Links

32:16for Life and other organizations

32:18committed to increasing awareness and

32:21finding a cure for breast cancer. in

32:24recognition of the importance of raising

32:26public consciousness and securing

32:28funding for research and in recognition

32:31of the efforts to unite our community

32:34through awareness and personal

32:36experiences by displaying the color pink

32:39during the month of October. We

32:41celebrate the million millions of breast

32:44cancer survivors, give hope to those in

32:47the battle, and honor those we've lost.

32:49Thank you links for life for more than

32:5230 years of service to our community.

32:55Jennifer and team, it's my honor to be

32:57able to present this to you. And then

33:00before we have you offer words from the

33:03office of Congressman David Valado, Cole

33:05Ques,

33:07>> thank you for having me. And I want to

33:09keep it short, but you know, I have a

33:10personal connection with this. My my mom

33:12was diagnosed and uh my gr my great uh

33:16grandmother as well. And so I just want

33:18to thank you and your organization for

33:20continuously bringing advocacy to this

33:22work. Um I know for a lot of different

33:25families this means a lot and I think

33:27without this awareness and access to

33:29resources um I think the circumstances

33:32for a lot of families would be different

33:33and so on behalf of Congressman Valido's

33:35office we have a certificate of

33:36recognition and you know we're just very

33:38grateful uh for your contributions to

33:39the community. So thanks.

33:45Go ahead and would you introduce your

33:46team?

33:48>> Yes, I have a team. So, I have staff and

33:51volunteers. Um, and the volunteers all

33:53here are survivors. So, this is Heather

33:56McMahon. She's our development manager

33:58who runs all of our um fundraising

34:00events. I have Liz Werta, our patient

34:02advocate manager who takes care of all

34:04the outreach and our patient services. I

34:06have Sta Bright, uh, a longtime

34:08survivor, over 30 years surviv 35 year

34:12breast cancer survivor, threetime breast

34:14cancer survivor. I have Jillian Stout,

34:17Fritz Stout, Stump, sorry, and she's a

34:21newly diagnosed and a huge advocate for

34:23us. And I have Charlotte Brandt, who is

34:25a um, 20-year breast cancer survivor.

34:28So, thank you. Yes, Links for Life has

34:32been here nearly 35 years. This past

34:34year, we serviced 511 survivors and

34:38caregivers through our support groups.

34:41We had over,300 walk into our office for

34:44support. We funded 290 mamograms and

34:47ultrasounds, three needle biopsies, no

34:50positive diagnosis this past year. Thank

34:52goodness. We provided 313 $100 grocery

34:56cards to women in active breast cancer

34:58treatment. And overall we provided

35:0115,000 services to our community.

35:04Part of the links for life mission is to

35:06improve breast health outcome. This year

35:09approximately 450 will be diagnosed and

35:11we'll lose approximately 100 to breast

35:14cancer. This is below the state average

35:17for diagnosis but the age adjusted

35:20mortality rate is higher in Kern County

35:22than the state.

35:24This past year in partnership with

35:26Cedarside Medical Center, we conducted a

35:29pilot research project with funding from

35:31the California Breast Cancer Research

35:33Program. We had six focus groups, three

35:35in English and three in Spanish to study

35:38women who were five years out of

35:39treatment and look as they transitioned

35:41from being followed by the roncologist

35:43back to primary care.

35:47There were also stakeholders involved in

35:49this information and we gathered their

35:52insight. The questions were, what

35:54challenges do breast cancer survivors

35:56encounter when they are moving on from

35:58oncology to primary care at the end of

36:00treatment? And two, what helps breast

36:02cancer survivors remain engaged with

36:05primary care during this time? These are

36:08questions that we were trying to answer

36:10through lost in transition grant. I'm

36:12excited to share we are actually having

36:14a forum coming up on January 9th at

36:18Valley Strong headquarters and we will

36:20we will be sending you invitations to

36:22release these findings. I'm also asking

36:25you to assist in a few things. Well, you

36:27misplacing it up, Mayor Goden. We had

36:30over a thousand participants at the park

36:32at Riverwalk. Actually, 996, just so

36:34parks and w know, we were under a

36:36thousand. And then also, um we'd like

36:39you to come to Luigi's on the 23rd.

36:41We'll be having an event at Luigi's and

36:43let me tell you, it's family style.

36:44You'll get enough.

36:46And then help us bring more mobile

36:48mimography units into Kern County and

36:50into Bakersfield. By the end of 2026,

36:53we'll have 10 mobile screenings. Last

36:56year, we provided 163 screenings who to

36:59women who had gone without. We were in

37:01Taft to Mojave to Arvin to Deleno to Ker

37:06Medical Center.

37:08What if each of you hosted a screening

37:10in your ward? Whose life would you be

37:13able to save?

37:15Since this summer, we've had three women

37:17who've had suspicious screenings that

37:19needed additional followup. What if

37:21links for life hadn't been there? How

37:23would they have been able to have their

37:25annual breast screening? What if you

37:27were able to save one person's life in

37:29your ward? What is that worth to you?

37:33Thank you for having us and for

37:35supporting us over these years.

37:42Let's go. Maybe that way.

37:49>> Oh, those. Sorry.

37:53>> Yes, we're going to take pictures.

38:13>> [laughter]

38:29>> We were

39:03Thank you. Give it up for [applause]

39:10[applause]

39:24Mayor Go, if I may, I just wanted to

39:26take you up on the request to host in

39:28our ward. I will volunteer to partner

39:31and host a mobile screening in Ward 7.

39:34So, I I will reach out to you. Thank

39:36you.

39:37>> Thank you for the call to action.

39:39>> Thank you, Vice Mayor. Thank you for

39:40responding and I'm counting on all of

39:43you to do the same.

39:45Next item, Madame Clerk, please.

39:51Presentations item 4B, proclamation

39:55presentation to Eileen Para, director of

39:59the client services for the Open Door

40:02Network, and Lawrence Skidmore, chief

40:04executive officer of the Open Door

40:06Network, declaring domestic violence

40:07awareness month in Bakersfield during

40:09October 2026.

40:15>> Are they here?

40:17Oh.

40:27You were hiding.

40:33Fear, anxiety, depression, domestic

40:36violence impacts persons of all

40:38demographics, socioeconomic backgrounds,

40:41and ethnicities. Warning signs include

40:44controlling behavior, excessive

40:46possessiveness and isolation, jealousy,

40:49constant harassment.

40:52We can't let that go on. Open Door

40:54Network, thank you so much for your

40:56investment in our community to make sure

40:59that we are supporting victims and to

41:02make sure that as time goes on, we're

41:05able to reduce the number of victims.

41:08It's my honor to read this certificate,

41:10this proclamation. Whereas domestic

41:12violence is an intolerable and pervasive

41:17violent crime with devastating safety

41:19and health implications for victims,

41:22survivors, family members, neighbors,

41:24and co-workers. And whereas the

41:26elimination of domestic violence in Kern

41:29County calls for active public and

41:32private efforts to condemn domestic

41:35violence and bring awareness to

41:37prevention systems. And whereas

41:39collaborative community efforts improve

41:42the quality of service for those

41:44profoundly affected by domestic

41:47violence. Now therefore, I Karen Go,

41:49mayor of the city of Bakersfield, do

41:51hereby proclaim October 2026 as domestic

41:55violence awareness month in our city and

41:59urge all Bakersville and Kern County

42:01residents to remain firm in condemning

42:04domestic violence by supporting victims

42:06and survivors and assisting local

42:09organizations and law enforcement in

42:12their commitment to preventing future

42:14violence. It's my honor to be able to

42:16present this to Lauren Skidmore,

42:19CEO of the Open Door Network. Oh, that's

42:22a formal handshake there. I know.

42:24>> Oh, you can say thank you. But also

42:26before we do that, Cole Quesada from the

42:29office of Congressman David Valado.

42:32>> Thank you once again. And uh again, we

42:34just want to There we go. Thank you,

42:37Mayor. Uh we just appreciate your guys'

42:39work and effort in our community. uh

42:41your your organization and your facility

42:43is really a safe haven for a lot of

42:45families and individuals uh during their

42:47most vulnerable time. And so we're

42:49forever grateful that you're in our

42:50community and within our district. And

42:52so uh on behalf of Congressman Valido's

42:54office, uh we have a certificate of

42:56recognition. So thank you,

43:00>> honorable mayor, members of the council.

43:02Thank you so much for allowing us to be

43:03here this evening. Uh I talk to all of

43:06you all of the time. You don't want to

43:08hear from me. Uh but you really need to

43:10hear from a an amazing woman who has

43:13undergone this type of crime in her own

43:15home. Um this is really a crime and a

43:19social issue that is affecting more

43:21people than we know about. Uh there are

43:23so many women and individuals that are

43:26suffering in silence. And the goal for

43:28us this month during domestic violence

43:30awareness month is to bring awareness to

43:32this dark issue and allow individuals

43:35that are suffering to realize that they

43:37are not alone. Um, we are really, really

43:39grateful for the city of Bakersfield,

43:42especially with partnership with

43:44Bakersville Police Department because

43:46they are walking along alongside us to

43:48try to bring light to this issue to to

43:51try to provide a safe space for victims

43:53to come forward and for ultimately

43:56situations uh to be able to come to

43:58light and to have survivors then

44:01overcome and share their story, which is

44:03so difficult for them to do. And so, I'm

44:05so honored. I want to pass it over so

44:07she can share a little bit about her

44:09victimization and just what a hero she

44:11is.

44:15>> Good evening, council, and thank you for

44:17letting me speak. Um, also, um, Open

44:19Door Network, thank you as well. Um,

44:22raising awareness to domestic violence

44:24is important to me. Domestic violent

44:26crimes are a heinous act towards women,

44:29and I know this because I am a survivor.

44:32On average, nearly three to five women

44:34are murdered by an inmate partner every

44:37single day in the US. In my family, we

44:40have had three generations of domestic

44:42violence, and seven of the women in my

44:44family are survivors, including myself.

44:47I could have easily been one of the

44:50statistics. I was 19 with my first

44:53abusive relationship who enjoyed choking

44:55me. After 3 years, I finally left. 10

44:58years later after staying single, I

45:01attracted another abusive partner

45:03because I didn't have the knowledge of

45:04what a healthy relationship was. I

45:07didn't know what red flag red and green

45:09flags were when dating. I wasn't shown

45:12how to set boundaries in an intimate

45:14relationship. This is why awareness is

45:17important. And if I didn't have the Open

45:20Door Network services, I wouldn't be

45:22here today. The services that the Omador

45:25network provided me gave me hope and a

45:27new life for me and my children. My

45:29healing journey was hard work and it

45:31took me time. But now I am currently in

45:34a healthy and loving relationship for

45:36over a year. I no longer have to deal

45:38with someone diminishing my character or

45:40putting up with lies and manipulation

45:44nor deal with any other abusive

45:46behavior. With this wisdom, I'm able to

45:48break this vicious cycle over my

45:50children's lives and every generation

45:52after. Domestic violence awareness is

45:54crucial to prevent generational domestic

45:56violence abuse. As a community, we

45:59should be offering this to other avenues

46:01and also teach in a school setting as a

46:04way for early prevention. Being aware of

46:07these types of behaviors in a

46:09relationship and knowing that isn't

46:11normal nor acceptable behavior is very

46:15important to learn at an early age.

46:17Awareness, prevention, and a community

46:19standing with survivors can save many

46:22lives. If we don't promote and change

46:26nor break these cycles over our famil

46:28family's lives, then there will be many

46:29more women suffering at the hands of men

46:32who claim to love them. Thank you.

46:39And I'll just quickly end by inviting

46:41everyone to attend our domestic violence

46:44awareness month vigil which is happening

46:45on Wednesday, October 28th at 5:30 at

46:48Compassion Corner. Uh this will be an

46:50opportunity for the community to come

46:51together, lift up survivors, and hear

46:53stories of resilience. Thank you so

46:55much.

47:42Good afternoon. Open the door now.

47:44[applause]

48:28And now we'll go back to non-aggenda

48:32public statements. Madame clerk, would

48:33you just let us know who we have who

48:36would like to speak, please?

48:39Mayor Go, if I can just announce that a

48:40staff memorandum was provided uh

48:43transmitting correspondence received

48:45regarding non-aggenda items.

48:47>> Thank you. And how many speakers do we

48:50have?

48:52>> Margo, there have been six registered by

48:55phone speakers, but only three of those

48:57are currently connected and we have six

48:59in-person speakers.

49:00>> Thank you. and I already read the

49:03guidelines that we have and so I will

49:05ask you to be respectful and uh stay on

49:09task and within your time limit please.

49:12Madame clerk, would you call the first

49:14speaker by phone, please?

49:17>> The first speaker is Jason Cper.

49:28>> Mr. Cosper, can you announce yourself

49:30and go ahead, please?

49:32>> Yes. Good evening, mayor and members of

49:35the council. My name is Jason Kper. I

49:38live here in Bakersfield and I

49:40co-founded the Anti- Capitalist Computer

49:42Club. I'm calling to invite every one of

49:45you to a community organized town hall

49:47on flock cameras and the Arctic. It's

49:50next Wednesday, October 14th at 5:30

49:53p.m. at Salon Wararez, 8:15 East 18th

49:57Street. We're hosting it with the Kern

49:59County Criminal Justice Coalition.

50:02We've asked this council to hold hold

50:04the town hall about flock in the Arctic

50:06more than once. We got tired of waiting

50:09it that we're doing it ourselves.

50:13Here's our ask. Come and listen. We'll

50:16keep the presentation short and then

50:17hand the floor to your constituents.

50:20They have real questions about who sees

50:22this data and where it goes. They

50:24deserve to put those questions to the

50:26people who voted to fund it. We've

50:29invited Chief Stratton, too. And anyone

50:32running for open council seats in

50:34November is welcome as well. We hope to

50:36see you there. Thank you.

50:39>> Thank you, Mr. Casper. Madam Clerk, next

50:41speaker, please.

50:45The next speaker is Advika Richaya.

50:51Welcome. Please introduce yourself.

51:00>> Good evening, Mayor Go, Vice Mayor Carr,

51:03and council members. My name is Advika

51:06Retaria, and I'm a high school senior.

51:08I'm calling about the city's plan to

51:11direct 80% of this year's tree planting

51:14to disadvantaged communities. In August,

51:17the tree advisory group talked about

51:19finding areas with low tree canopy, high

51:22heat exposure, and the greatest need for

51:24shade. So, this summer, I taught myself

51:26satellite and census data and built a

51:29free interactive map called Cool Equity.

51:32It combines heat, tree cover, and census

51:35data to rank about 3,800 areas across

51:38the city by need of shade. It estimates

51:41that most Bakersfield residents live in

51:43areas with less than 10% tree cover. The

51:47two hottest spots it identifies around

51:50Walkabout Drive in the south and Steinum

51:52Plants roads in the southwest have just

51:543 to 5% tree cover and surface

51:57temperatures in the summer can go near

52:00125°.

52:02The map gives staff a public repeatable

52:04way to narrow down which city blocks

52:07should be prioritized for tree planting

52:09and why. As staff finalizes planting

52:12locations this fall, I'm asking that

52:14this data be considered alongside

52:17resident input and that the final

52:19locations and how they were chosen be

52:21shared publicly. I would appreciate it

52:24if the council would direct recreation

52:26and park staff to add cool equity to the

52:29tree advisory groups agenda for further

52:32discussion. The map is free at

52:34coolquity.org

52:36org and I'd be happy to walk the parks

52:38department or tree advisory group

52:40through it. Thank you.

52:44>> Thank you. And next speaker, please.

52:49>> The next speaker is Laten Andrade

52:52Cabalino.

52:56>> Good afternoon, mayor, vice mayor, and

52:58city council members. My name is Latiana

53:01Andrade Capalino. I am a resident of

53:03Bakersfield, currently W 6, soon moving

53:06to Ward two. First, I'd like to thank

53:09you for allowing an extension in

53:10submitting comments on the Bakersfield

53:12city general plan. Per SB 10000, the

53:16city of Bakersfield should include clear

53:18actionable action steps in the general

53:20plan.

53:22As it stands, the plan is vague in the

53:24outcomes desired with no from to

53:27guidelines. The plan must be specific in

53:29identifying the outcomes it will

53:30deliver. In the process of revisioning

53:34the general plan, the city should

53:35include language that clearly pinpoints

53:37the issues it is targeting, how it will

53:40address them, what the clear end results

53:42will be, and how the outcomes will be

53:44measured. Important items that should be

53:47focused on include a standalone

53:49environmental justice element that

53:51thoroughly and clearly addresses the

53:53components of SB 1000 aimed at reducing

53:56health risks in the disadvantaged areas

53:58of Bakersfield and urban greening. Urban

54:02greening helps create better air

54:04quality, lower temperatures, better

54:06mental health, and helps mitigate

54:08extreme weather. Making this a priority

54:11specifically in the underserved areas of

54:13East Bakersfield will significantly help

54:15the city's future. I ask of you today

54:17for transparency while the city reviews

54:19[clears throat] public comments and that

54:21information is shared on how the

54:23comments are being used in the revision

54:25process. This is highly important as it

54:28is the blueprint for our city over the

54:30next 20 years. To put this into

54:32perspective, anyone born when this plan

54:34is initiated will be in college by the

54:36end of it. You have the opportunity to

54:39make a pass sorry to make a positive and

54:43lasting impact on our city. Please do

54:46the right thing for our community and

54:48our future. Thank you and have a great

54:50evening.

54:51>> Thank you. Next speaker, please.

54:55>> Margo, that was our final speaker by

54:57phone. We will now move on to speakers

54:59in person.

55:00>> Thank you.

55:00>> The first speaker is Abby Power,

55:03followed by Charles Shin.

55:15Welcome. Please introduce yourself.

55:17Thank you. Um, good evening, mayor and

55:18council members. My name is Abby Power.

55:20I'm a policy advocate with leadership

55:22council. And these comments reflect

55:24feedback from community members and

55:25fellow community organizations who are

55:27part of the Bakersfield for

55:28Environmental Justice Coalition. I want

55:31to echo Lithan's comments thanking the

55:33city for extending the public comment

55:35review and also for facilitating

55:37workshops where the public could learn

55:38more about the general plan. Um, and as

55:41you all know, the 2045 general plan

55:43update is crucial to the future of

55:44Bakersfield and to ensure that all

55:46residents have equal opportunity to live

55:48in a healthy safe environment. Right

55:50now, the majority of East Bakersfield

55:52communities are in disadvantaged census

55:54tracks. And according to

55:55Calenvirroscreen, many of these

55:56communities face a pollution burden that

55:58is higher than 90% of all census tracks

56:01across the state. SB 1000 and California

56:04government code section 65302H

56:07require the city to adopt environmental

56:09justice policies in their general plan

56:11that will reduce the unique and

56:12compounded health risks in disadvantaged

56:14communities. As currently drafted, the

56:17general plan's environmental justice

56:18policies will not do this um as they are

56:21weak, uninforceable, and inadequately

56:24address the pollution burden and other

56:25hazards impacting disadvantaged

56:27communities. So, we're asking the city

56:29to show a commitment to improving health

56:31outcomes for underserved residents and

56:33to fully comply with SB 1000 by revising

56:35many of the environmental justice

56:37policies in the draft general plan so

56:39that they are specific, concrete, and

56:41targeted as recommended by the state

56:43attorney general's office. The city

56:45should revise the policies so that they

56:47comprehensively address each required

56:49topic of SB 1000, avoid ambiguous

56:51language, and provide specific timelines

56:53with target years and potential funding

56:55sources to achieve implementation.

56:57Further, we ask the city to facilitate

56:59transparency during the revision process

57:01by ensuring residents and community

57:02organizations are notified of how their

57:04comments were taken into consideration

57:06and that community members are involved

57:08in the revision process. This

57:10transparency and further engagement will

57:11help ensure that policies which are

57:13adopted by your council next year do

57:14reduce the compounded health risk and

57:16pollution burden faced by disadvantaged

57:18communities. Thank you.

57:19>> Thank you. Right on the timer. You're

57:24you're very good about doing that. I've

57:25noticed. Thank you. Next speaker,

57:27please.

57:29>> The next speaker is Charles Shin,

57:32followed by Jose Ortiz.

57:34>> Welcome. Please introduce yourself. Good

57:36evening, mayor, to the council members

57:38and staff. I am Charles Shen. The

57:42intersection of rule of law, sanctuary,

57:44and the homeless industrial complex has

57:47become a central issue here and in every

57:49other city in California. First off,

57:52what policies are we as a city

57:54following? The city council seems happy

57:57to be continually in search of free

58:00grants to access the complex issues uh

58:04that evolve from our governor inviting

58:06the world to California for free stuff

58:09and services. Uh here's a hot tip.

58:12Nothing is free and you always get more

58:14of whatever you subsidize. Hence, the

58:17problem continues to grow exponentially

58:20when you create more bureaucracy and

58:23taxation to manage the problem you've

58:26invited in the first place. You cannot

58:29fix a problem by chasing away

58:31businesses, oil production, egg, the use

58:35of water while pricing out the middle

58:37class and employees for free stuff.

58:42inviting global non-citizens and

58:44homeless from across the nation to

58:46compete for an evershrinking budget. You

58:49create chaos. This is a globalist system

58:52taking shape. It is not happening

58:55without considerable effort and local

58:58participation.

58:59It is the plan. I remind this council

59:03that we have asked for months for a

59:05simple up or down vote for the rule of

59:07law city resolution put forth by Dr.

59:10Angelo Frasier. We have been met with

59:13silence and reservation to even discuss

59:15it. One council member said privately

59:19he thought that we were already a rule

59:22of law city. Well, I don't see what

59:24what's the problem. We are not a fringe

59:27group asking for something that is

59:29unreasonable and we're still waiting for

59:32an answer. Thank you.

59:33>> Thank you, Mr. Shin. Next speaker,

59:35please.

59:42The next speaker is Jose Ortiz followed

59:44by Angelo Frraasier. Welcome. Please

59:47introduce yourself.

59:48>> Hello. My name is Jose Ortiz, Ward One

59:50resident. So, I'm not too good with uh

59:53public speaking or writing anything down

59:55like that, but I'm going just go ahead

59:56and shoot it from the hip. Um, I came up

59:59here to speak to Eric Aras. wanted to

1:00:02see if he could set up a meeting with

1:00:03residents along South Union and East

1:00:05Panama on u you know following the unmet

1:00:08needs that we have out there. you know,

1:00:10Ward One, I feel like um or I know it's

1:00:12been set up since 2007 and

1:00:16uh we still have a lot of unfinished

1:00:17neighborhoods and I've seen uh

1:00:19everything west of the 99 within the

1:00:21past 5 years have ex explosive growth

1:00:24while uh south of the 58, east of the 99

1:00:27uh is still undeveloped 20 years later

1:00:30coming up next year. So, um I just

1:00:33wanted to see if uh you know, Eric Aras

1:00:35could end up uh you know, setting up a

1:00:37meeting for us or anything like that.

1:00:39Um,

1:00:41I ended up submitting a video. There's a

1:00:45older gentleman south of Birkshshire. He

1:00:47has to use a mobility scooter through

1:00:50the dirt and jump over a bridge that

1:00:52never got completed or finished by the

1:00:54city. That's the safest way he could get

1:00:57to the CVS pharmacy because South Union

1:01:00has no sidewalks, has nothing for people

1:01:04on mobility scooters or those that can't

1:01:07walk. Um, bike lanes are still

1:01:08non-existent over there, you know. So,

1:01:12it would be nice if we had somebody

1:01:13representing uh Southeast Bakersfield,

1:01:16you know, you South Union and East

1:01:18Panama. That's it. That's all I have.

1:01:20>> Thank you, Mr. Ortiz. Next speaker,

1:01:22please.

1:01:27>> While I can't make a referral, um, will

1:01:29you please reach out, Mr. Kle? And um

1:01:32though council member Arius is not here

1:01:34today due to illness, we'll make sure

1:01:36that uh I'm sure he'd be more than happy

1:01:38to set up a meeting with residents and

1:01:41as a neighboring uh ward in South

1:01:44Bakersfield, uh we'll make sure to get

1:01:46with our city managers so that council

1:01:48member Audius could set up a community

1:01:49meeting in your area. Thank you for

1:01:51coming today. Thank you, Mr. Mayor.

1:01:53Mayor Go, can we please have a moment to

1:01:55um reset our timer here? We're having a

1:01:57technical issue.

1:02:34Mr. Ortiz, I just want to make sure that

1:02:36we do have your contact information. Did

1:02:38you input that when you signed up for

1:02:40the meeting?

1:02:41>> Yes, I did.

1:02:42>> Okay, great. Thank you.

1:02:44>> Thank you, Margo. We are ready to go.

1:02:47>> Welcome. Please introduce yourself.

1:02:49>> Hi. Uh, I'm Reverend Dr. Angelo Frasier,

1:02:53mayor, city council member. I feel like

1:02:54Rodney Dangerfield. I get no respect.

1:02:57Um, I filled out the forms with my I'm

1:03:00an ordained minister. I have a doctorate

1:03:02in theology. I'm a pastor and a

1:03:04chaplain. And it just seems Oh, just

1:03:06Angelo. It just seemed and this is the

1:03:08second time in a row this has happened

1:03:10at the city council. So, here's my

1:03:12question here. I uh was in Israel a

1:03:15little while ago. I stood there on the

1:03:16grounds and where the worst uh terrorist

1:03:20attacks since 911 happened. I talked to

1:03:22the survivors there, met a city

1:03:24official, met local officials, met uh

1:03:27national officials there and and with a

1:03:30thousand pastors. And what I came away

1:03:33with, Israel said to us, you don't don't

1:03:36go back uh advocating for us. We don't

1:03:38need that. All we want you to do is two

1:03:40things. Care about your history and tell

1:03:42the truth. I've come before this council

1:03:45a number of times and as Charles

1:03:46mentioned since August 5th we put in a

1:03:50resolution the rule of law. The question

1:03:52is and I can't seem to get an answer.

1:03:55Don't know why I'm not getting an

1:03:57answer. Is it the color of my skin? Does

1:04:00I matter? Do I have a voice? I don't

1:04:01know why. Other people have come before

1:04:04this council and gotten answers. I'm not

1:04:06asking you how to vote telling you how.

1:04:09I just say say something. There are a

1:04:11lot of people who spoke on this issue,

1:04:13put a lot of work in the rule of law and

1:04:15nothing from the city council on the

1:04:17record. And I don't think that's really

1:04:20fair. There are people uh we had people

1:04:22roll into this council and all of a

1:04:24sudden we were we were going to be a

1:04:26sanctuary city at one point and the

1:04:28community pushed back on it. We put in a

1:04:31resolution rule of law. What are we as a

1:04:33city? So I'm just asking does my voice

1:04:36matter? Thank you for your

1:04:38consideration. Thank you, Council Member

1:04:41Coleman.

1:04:43>> Thank you, [clears throat] Mayor.

1:04:46Uh, Dr. Frasier, I want to thank you for

1:04:48coming here and and talking to us. I

1:04:50know you've been here a few times. Uh,

1:04:53uh, Charlie Shin, you've been here as

1:04:56well talking about this issue and and

1:04:58you know, the the

1:05:01first of all, I want to say that these

1:05:03are my comments and I won't speak for

1:05:05the council. Okay. Um

1:05:10uh I've heard this term dignified

1:05:12response from you that you're not

1:05:14getting a dignified response.

1:05:16Uh and I I agree that everyone deserves

1:05:20a dignified response, but I don't think

1:05:23what you're talking about is a dignified

1:05:25response. A dignified response means

1:05:27listening, taking into consideration.

1:05:30Doesn't require the city to take any

1:05:31action. And that's really what you want

1:05:34is somebody to take action. And for you

1:05:36to to imply that we're not doing it

1:05:40because of your color, your skin is

1:05:42quite frankly offensive to me.

1:05:45>> And so, um, I I did want to, uh, ask the

1:05:49city manager to,

1:05:52uh, because I we're on a a a possible

1:05:56Brown Act issue. So, I'm going to defer

1:05:58to the city attorney and to the city

1:06:01manager to address uh the issue of how

1:06:05that that uh

1:06:08resolution process works and then if

1:06:11there's more to be said, I'll add

1:06:14something at the end. So, could I ask

1:06:16one of you? I know that we've had some

1:06:18discussion about this in the past and I

1:06:20was hoping you could share that,

1:06:22>> Mr. Click.

1:06:22>> Yeah, thank you, Mayor and Council. if I

1:06:24can do that within um the bounds that we

1:06:26have available to us tonight. So, first

1:06:29thing I would reflect on, Council Member

1:06:31Coleman, is just that um there may be

1:06:35different definitions that folks may use

1:06:38uh when thinking about this particular

1:06:40topic. So, let me not try and assume

1:06:44everyone has the same definition, but

1:06:46just share some factual information with

1:06:48your council. So we do have a set of

1:06:52laws in our municipal code, state law,

1:06:55federal law that are clear, defined, and

1:06:59predictable. Those laws are applied

1:07:01consistently, equitably, and fairly to

1:07:04all across our community. No one is

1:07:08exempt, and all are treated equal under

1:07:10the law.

1:07:12So I would reflect that that is our

1:07:15status our case and it always you I

1:07:18can't say always before what 1848 but

1:07:22um not trying to be too glib there but

1:07:25in in reality our community since

1:07:28incorporation has always followed a set

1:07:31of clear defined predictable and

1:07:32equitably enforced uh laws particularly

1:07:36our police department today um and our

1:07:39city government today I can make a

1:07:40commitment as you know your chief

1:07:42executive that we apply our laws uh

1:07:45consistently to everyone. Um there are

1:07:49uh always considerations of

1:07:50prioritization, staffing capacity,

1:07:53resources to uh prioritize within um uh

1:07:59the our ability uh to do that, but it is

1:08:03done equitably and fairly uh within that

1:08:06context. The only other reflection I

1:08:08would add uh council member Coleman just

1:08:10about sometimes we have requests uh for

1:08:14consideration. Um we and this is my

1:08:17recommendation and I think it's

1:08:18consistent with what city council action

1:08:20has been uh in recent years is that you

1:08:23know the city council direction is

1:08:25typically focused on priority actions,

1:08:28tangible actionable topics that are

1:08:31consistent with city council goals and

1:08:34uh not necessarily those uh types of

1:08:36activities that you know may not produce

1:08:39real outcomes for our community or or

1:08:42may be symbolic. that we've got a lot of

1:08:44things that we're working on and

1:08:45focusing on and I appreciate that your

1:08:47council um uh does the best to uh focus

1:08:51on those types of requests for action

1:08:54that are consistent with your goals and

1:08:56producing measurable outcomes for our

1:08:58community. And so in light of that uh

1:09:01you know we we recognize and know that

1:09:04uh we need to continue to uh serve our

1:09:07community fairly, predictably and

1:09:09equitably. uh we have done and we will

1:09:11continue to do so.

1:09:13>> Thank you, Mr. Clay. Madam City

1:09:15attorney, would you like to make any

1:09:17comment?

1:09:19>> I'll keep it really brief. So, as the

1:09:21council knows, non-aggenda item speakers

1:09:24are free to speak their mind on any

1:09:26matter that is within the jurisdiction

1:09:28of the city. Um, but that being said,

1:09:30non-aggenda items mean that they that

1:09:32the city council cannot take action on

1:09:34them. Um, and so if you wish to take

1:09:38action, that typically takes the form of

1:09:40a referral, but there is no obligation

1:09:42for the city council to make a referral

1:09:44to staff and absent a referral, um,

1:09:47action is typically not taken. So,

1:09:50>> thank you,

1:09:52Council Member Coleman.

1:09:53>> Thank you. [clears throat] Thank you,

1:09:54Mayor. So, um,

1:09:59we've established that the city already,

1:10:02uh, complies with all state and federal

1:10:05laws. And so, we had a very brief

1:10:10discussion about sanctuary cities a few

1:10:13months ago, uh, that really didn't go

1:10:15anywhere. Uh I was opposed to the

1:10:18discussion about sanctuary cities

1:10:21because I don't believe another local

1:10:22ordinance is necessary

1:10:25and for the same reason. I don't believe

1:10:27we need a rule of law resolution either.

1:10:31Uh we never had a vote council never

1:10:33voted on the issue because it's never

1:10:35been before this this council. I know

1:10:38there are some comments about oh some

1:10:40council members we never had a vote. So

1:10:44um I I don't think we can say that um I

1:10:48I wanted to address this issue about

1:10:50whether uh becoming rule of law city

1:10:53protects us from being from becoming a

1:10:55sanctuary city because there's some imp

1:10:58implication that if we adopt this thing

1:11:01that'll prevent us from being a

1:11:03sanctuary city and frankly uh adopting

1:11:08the rule law ordinance does not bind the

1:11:11city this current council or any future

1:11:14council from discussing any other uh

1:11:18resolution. So, it doesn't really

1:11:21prevent us from doing anything

1:11:23either now or in the future.

1:11:27I just wanted to be consistent about it.

1:11:29I opposed to uh I was opposed to a

1:11:32sanctuary city ordinance. I'm opposed to

1:11:34this. uh and sometimes

1:11:37uh leadership uh means knowing when to

1:11:42legislate. There are some things that I

1:11:44want us to focus on and I I I think that

1:11:47the the city manager hit on it. we have

1:11:50some core uh things that the city

1:11:54council as a group has decided that are

1:11:57important and so we generally focus on

1:12:00those items and um you know one of the

1:12:04things we've talked about is you know

1:12:06how do we uh recruit and uh retain

1:12:10outstanding city employees including

1:12:12fire and police uh because uh you know

1:12:16we we lose a lot of people because of

1:12:19the compens compensation issues and that

1:12:20kind of thing. That's an important thing

1:12:22that the council continues to to wrestle

1:12:26with. Uh responsible budgeting is things

1:12:30that we need to be worrying about.

1:12:32Staffing, police, and fire. These are

1:12:35areas that the council can make a

1:12:36significant impact on. And so I I don't

1:12:40think the city of Bakersfield needs to

1:12:42be a sanctuary city or a rural law city.

1:12:46We just need to be the city of

1:12:47Bakersfield. So, thank you.

1:12:49Thank you, Council Member Coleman.

1:12:51Madame Clerk, uh any additional Madame

1:12:55Clerk, uh who's the next speaker,

1:12:56please?

1:12:58>> The next speaker is Don Miller, followed

1:13:00by Alejandra Garcia.

1:13:04>> Welcome. Please introduce yourself.

1:13:06>> My name is Don Miller.

1:13:08Once again, I'm here to remind

1:13:10Beckersfield that on the 15th, July

1:13:1215th, three city council members,

1:13:14Gonzalez, Arias, and Cora, carelessly

1:13:17supported drafting documents to make

1:13:18Bakersfield a sanctuary city.

1:13:20[clears throat]

1:13:21Sanctuary jurisdictions do not provide

1:13:24sanctuary anything but potential

1:13:25violence and political theater.

1:13:27Therefore, from now until November, I'll

1:13:29be reminding Bakersfield voters what was

1:13:31said on July 15th and who said it. This

1:13:34council also supports flock camera

1:13:35funding. The following paragraph I will

1:13:37read is from Senator Josh Holly and what

1:13:39he revealed in a recent Senate hearing

1:13:41regarding automated license plate

1:13:43readers.

1:13:45Flock acknowledged to in a letter to me

1:13:48it conducts very little oversight of

1:13:50client searches and instead relies on

1:13:53its clients to police themselves. They

1:13:55said the underlying search records are

1:13:58owned and controlled by each customer

1:14:00agency. In other words, once you

1:14:02subscribe, you've got access to the

1:14:04whole database. So these images,

1:14:06billions and billions of images a month

1:14:09have not been set to expire or be

1:14:11expuned. Flock customers have entered

1:14:14the reason for a search to be search or

1:14:16LOL. Flock also admitted in their letter

1:14:19that it is possible to search for human

1:14:21images. That is the direct quote. Let me

1:14:24say that again. It is possible to search

1:14:26for humans in images taken by flock

1:14:28cameras. That's currently today and all

1:14:31powered by AI. That concludes Senator

1:14:33Holly's statements in the hearing, but I

1:14:36want to go back

1:14:39to the quote from Flock themselves in a

1:14:41letter to the senator that says, "The

1:14:43underlying search records are owned and

1:14:45controlled by each customer agency."

1:14:48There's confusion about this.

1:14:50The agencies do not own the billions and

1:14:54billions of pictures. They own the

1:14:57search records of that local

1:14:59jurisdiction or agency. So if officer

1:15:02Smith does a search in flock, then the

1:15:07local agency owns his search records,

1:15:11not the big database.

1:15:12>> Thank you, Mr. Miller. Next speaker,

1:15:15please.

1:15:19>> Next speaker is Alejandra Garcia.

1:15:29>> Welcome. Please introduce yourself. I'm

1:15:31not that tall. [laughter]

1:15:32Good evening, mayor, council member. My

1:15:35name is Alejandra Garcia with Building

1:15:37Healthy Communities. Sorry about that.

1:15:40I'm here tonight to talk about the draft

1:15:422045 general plan. I want to echo the

1:15:46recommendations [clears throat] we

1:15:47recently submitted alongside the

1:15:50leadership council and several of our

1:15:52committee partners.

1:15:54As we all know, the general plan is a

1:15:56powerful and rare long-term opportunity

1:16:00to shape a healthier, more equitable

1:16:02future for Bakersfield.

1:16:04By working together, the people in this

1:16:06room and the people each we each reach,

1:16:10we can continue addressing

1:16:11infrastructure gaps in neighborhoods

1:16:14like East Bakersfield and work towards

1:16:16ensuring every residents has a chance to

1:16:19thrive.

1:16:21First, we strongly support meeting the

1:16:24goals of SP 1000 by establishing a

1:16:27dedicated environmental justice element.

1:16:30We recommend pairing these goals with

1:16:32measurable targets, realistic timelines,

1:16:35and identified funding resources. We

1:16:39believe this will help all of us track

1:16:41our progress together.

1:16:44Second, we want to collaborate on

1:16:46protecting our hardest hit neighbors

1:16:48from extreme heat and poor air quality,

1:16:52expanding our tree canopy, improving

1:16:54access to clean sites, and applying the

1:16:58new AB98 guidelines for truck routes and

1:17:01warehouse buffers are critical steps to

1:17:04keep families safe.

1:17:06Third, we encourage the city to prior

1:17:09prioritize, excuse me, investments like

1:17:12safe housing, parks, healthy food access

1:17:16into the communities that need them the

1:17:18most.

1:17:20When planning affordable housing,

1:17:22distributed in healthier, low population

1:17:25areas will help lead to a high quality

1:17:28of life for those families. Next, we

1:17:31know the strongest plans are built

1:17:33alongside the community. We recommend

1:17:36forming an environmental justice

1:17:38advisory committee led by residents.

1:17:41>> Your time is up. Can you bring your

1:17:42comments to a close, please?

1:17:43>> Thank you. Thank you for your time.

1:17:45>> Thank you, Madam Clerk. Do we have any

1:17:48other We have reached the end. Margo,

1:17:51that was our final speaker.

1:17:53>> Thank you very much. And to all of you

1:17:55from um our colleges, Bakersville

1:17:58College, Professor Holmes, Professor

1:17:59Kim's class, welcome. Thank you for

1:18:01joining us tonight. We hope that you

1:18:04continue to engage in the process.

1:18:06Typically, colleagues, at this time, we

1:18:08would have room for uh council comments.

1:18:11If you have anything that is not a

1:18:13referral that you would like to state

1:18:15tonight, you're welcome to do so. Is

1:18:18there anyone who would like to? Seeing

1:18:20none, with that, thank you everyone. We

1:18:22stand a journ at 6:34.

1:18:39feel.

1:18:51Hey

1:18:55>> [music]

1:19:13>> Hey,

1:19:15you feel me?

1:19:23>> [music]