2021 saw the completion of an extensive, County-funded, region-wide market assessment by
the Brookings Institution, done in partnership with the City of Bakersfield and other economic stakeholder institutions and leaders from all across our county, known as B3K. B3K
will ensure and sustain region wide strategies on
economic growth and inclusion, and will serve as a foundational catalyst for our county’s economic diversification in the years to come. We are going to attract and support new business in sectors
such as carbon management and renewable fuel production, securing our county’s position as a national clean energy and carbon management center of excellence, and aerospace, business services and
advance manufacturing.
Kern County will be the very best place to start and grow a business in this state, by
developing and practicing long-term, comprehensive land use, permitting, and other public policy aligned with regional economic development strategies and industry preferences, by strengthening and
sustaining a supportive environment for entrepreneurship and business ecosystem development, support and success, and by continuing to promote and apply our Advance Kern and workforce development
incentives to attract, develop and retain new and existing business ventures. The Board of Supervisors is please that these efforts have directly led to the creation of thousands of new
jobs in our county in just the past few years.
Importantly, we will continue to promote and support our position as a national energy and
agriculture leader. This means further strengthening our position as the alternative energy leader among all other counties in this state. This means doubling down and
strengthening our position as a national leader in oil and gas production through responsible, streamlined permitting, long-term planning and industry evolution. Governor Newsom, and his
administration, is leading an all-out, zealous attack on our oil and gas industry. The Newsom Administration’s actions threaten tens of thousands of jobs in our community, along with hundreds of
millions in local tax revenue the County relies on to fund critical services for our residents, particularly public safety services provided by the Sheriff and Fire
departments.
We believe Newsom’s actions our outside the scope of his authority, and are outside the
scope of current state law, which allows for the clean, responsible production of oil and gas in California. This year, the Board of Supervisors filed a lawsuit against the Governor and his
administration over these decisions, and we will pursuing this legal action with vigor, on behalf of the nearly 1 million residents of Kern County.
The Board of Supervisors will also work to continue Kern’s position as a national
agriculture leader. The State of California is failing to implement smart water supply policies that support our local farmers who are feeding the world. This means supporting and
advocating development of state policies on innovative water reuse, banking, surface storage, water capture and conjunctive use.
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