Bakersfield

With Bakersfield Republican Kevin McCarthy as House Speaker, voters in Kern County and across California can expect more theatrics and little relief for our most pressing issues.

One shared takeaway from the otherwise very different starts to new legislative sessions in Sacramento and Washington, D.C.: What a difference 20 votes make. The Legislature that reconvened Wednesday in the California Capitol is the most diverse in state history, with a record 50 women — although there’s still a slim possibility that number could […]

Note: The amazing Ben Christopher will be handling the newsletter on Monday and Tuesday. I’ll see you Wednesday! Don’t underestimate Kern County. This swath of land in the southern Central Valley produces 70% of California’s oil, and industry groups have already raised more than $8 million to gather signatures for a 2024 referendum to overturn […]

East Bakersfield may be the most fiercely fought-over part of the state for the Nov. 8 election. Key races for U.S. House and the state Legislature overlap in the changing, mostly Latino area.

Kern County has had state’s highest homicide rate since 2016, with rival prison gangs warring on its rural northern border.

California now has a scaled down plan for a 171-mile bullet train in the Central Valley. Is it worth the cost?

A huge number of people have been working from home for the better part of the year. The long-term implications for housing will likely benefit higher-earning workers and hurt lower income Californians.

Months before Election Day, tensions had been building in Bakersfield between Black Lives Matter supporters and a group of Trump backers calling themselves the 1776 Patriots. They’ve clashed in parking lots, on sidewalks and in the road, leading to three arrests–one of a BLM protester brandishing a firearm, another of a 1776 Patriot openly carrying […]

In Kern County, gyms are avoiding prohibitions against indoor workouts by citing membership in an association for medical fitness centers.

A still rampaging coronavirus pandemic means schools have spent gobs of money just to add the necessary protective equipment and cleaning staff necessary for a safe and effective school reopening.