Bakersfield

Kern County has a major opportunity to add executive leaders to its community colleges and university who reflect the region's majority Latino population.

Students at high-poverty schools pose challenges that can cause many newer teachers to leave. But some teachers with decades of experience stay at those schools because they believe they can make a difference in students' lives.

The latest report from the California High-Speed Rail Authority projects costs for the initial segment at $35 billion, which exceeds secured funding by $10 billion. Other segments of the system are likely to have their projected costs increase, too. The state hopes it will get more federal aid.

California's bullet train project is still lacking enough money to complete its initial segment in the San Joaquin Valley, much less financing for a statewide system.

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?