kern county - CalMatters

Amy and her adopted children inside their home in Pine Valley on Apr. 1, 2023. Photo by Kristian Carreon for CalMatters

California Divide

California child welfare agencies under fire for pocketing foster kids’ Social Security money

by Jeanne Kuang April 5, 2023April 5, 2023

A California grandmother fights to retrieve $30,000 taken by San Diego County from her grandchildren’s survivor benefits. Counties take millions of dollars in federal benefits from foster children, says a lawmaker trying to stop it.

A guard tower at Kern Valley State Prison on Nov. 15, 2022. Photo by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local

Mentally ill prisoners in California are three times likelier to get shuffled around

by Byrhonda Lyons, Jocelyn Wiener and Erica Yee November 21, 2022May 2, 2023

An alleyway with tagging from local gangs near the intersection of Rosewood and Clinton Avenues in east Bakersfield on Nov. 16, 2021. Photo by Larry Valenzuela for CalMatters

‘A perfect storm of bad’: Report finds incarceration rates highest among rural Californians

by Nigel Duara August 31, 2022August 30, 2022

A memorial is set up on the corner of Foothill Road and Morning Drive for 17-year-old Jose Flores in east Bakersfield on Nov. 16, 2021. Flores was stabbed and killed in a fight near Foothill High School in January of last year. Photo by Larry Valenzuela for CalMatters

‘Devil on the loose’: What’s behind Kern County’s soaring homicide rate?

by Nigel Duara December 1, 2021December 1, 2021

Judges stand for a portrait outside the Imperial County Superior Court on April 29, 2021. Photo by Shae Hammond for CalMatters

California judges don’t reflect the state’s diversity — how that could change

by Byrhonda Lyons June 23, 2021June 23, 2021

In late January, thousands of vaccine appointments were cancelled at an OptumServe clinic in the Rohnert Park Community Center in Sonoma County due to a scheduling glitch. Photo by Christopher Chung, The Press Democrat

A dozen counties criticized OptumServe for vaccine clinic problems, documents show

by Caitlin Antonios and Bianca Fortis May 25, 2021September 28, 2021

People with and without masks walk along Santa Monica Pier on May 13, 2021. In Los Angeles County, about 45% of the eligible population — or a little over a third of the entire county population — was fully vaccinated as of last week. Photo by Marcio Jose Sanchez, AP Photo

Herd immunity? Only two counties are even close

by Ana B. Ibarra May 18, 2021September 28, 2021

Oildfield infrastructure dominates the landscape at the densely developed Kern River oil field just outside of Bakersfield on Feb. 20, 2020. Photo by Jay Calderon, The Desert Sun

Newsom orders ban on new oil fracking by 2024

by Rachel Becker and Laurel Rosenhall April 23, 2021April 23, 2021

Gov. Gavin Newsom tours a vaccination site at Our Lady of the Rosary Church in Union City on April 15, 2021. At a press conference following the tour, Newsom said the only challenge for vaccine distribution for the state is “manufacture and supply.” Photo by Anne Wernikoff, CalMatters

California hits huge vaccine milestone

by Emily Hoeven April 16, 2021April 16, 2021

Palo Alto resident Margaret Park, 91, is accompanied by her son to the waiting area after receiving her first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at Levi’s Stadium on Feb. 9, 2021. The 49ers arena opened on Tuesday as a vaccine distribution site for Santa Clara County residents 65 and older and is expected to inoculate up to 15,000 people per day once supplies become available. Photo by Anne Wernikoff, CalMatters

Vaccine appointments may be backed up for several weeks

by Barbara Feder Ostrov and Ana B. Ibarra March 26, 2021September 27, 2021