[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6366664,"mediaKeyId","2159406-24af6c339d733da353535d3ecd1979c9","parentId",2159406,"title","Kern supervisors proclaim February 2025 Grand Jury Awareness Month and Safely Surrendered Baby Awareness Month","audioSeconds",1144,"startMs",1502000,"endMs",2646000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2159406-24af6c339d733da353535d3ecd1979c9&start=1502&end=2646","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2159406-24af6c339d733da353535d3ecd1979c9/thumbnail_1502000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6366664/Kern-County/California/Kern-supervisors-proclaim-February-2025-Grand-Jury-Awareness-Month-and-Safely-Surrendered-Baby-Awareness-Month","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6366664-ad8dc87ff8d5fd5aed0a8d0eae580e93/orig.mp4?Expires=1771167937&Signature=RJyVpm~gjR2ZEGELNnFrHyO5VD4hu-iXxXX1ctP9mt4-oi~FIuyHY0Ebv6IKk00ck6T9OWdm4g-aAXi6eJjNSrN8zko0lK8ssyiTihDWLmK~O78eZAWd7ZV5tEy6ASx4UZKe7o92yx6FcY4idjH7jGJK1fvyLwx6TOFPhhn74U8uuQj7I4R1zXKAE4SDm22xG~MG5QpivCLJj-ACMyidtfvPA5y-gT19PPxPDjUzH-V95dYvKM3B4mt6Cj5puqmBmSrL52mdC0as9~RERxV9VlbTrMbdtZMVOKiGcH8VYYU76pbyB430~2rShV3R8VlUJZM8TevH9tKwg6yH6ZOjEw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Kern County CA","date","2025-01-29T07:37:38Z","article","The Kern County Board of Supervisors on Wednesday adopted two proclamations recognizing February 2025 as Grand Jury Awareness Month and as Safely Surrendered Baby Awareness Month.

The board approved the grand jury proclamation after Supervisor Jeff Flores presented it and invited members of the 2024-25 Kern County Grand Jury to the podium. Todd Lucas, foreman of the 2024-25 grand jury, thanked the board and said the designation both recognizes jurors' service and encourages citizen participation; he invited the public to an awareness event next Tuesday at noon in front of the county courthouse and a reception to follow.

Why it matters: County staff and the grand jury emphasized the grand jury's role as an independent local watchdog that issues reports intended to improve government transparency and accountability.

Safely Surrendered Baby proclamation: Supervisor Jeff Peters presented the proclamation declaring February 2025 as Safely Surrendered Baby Awareness Month. Cindy Utes, Chief Deputy Director of the Department of Human Services, told the board the state law (enacted in 2001) lets a parent surrender a newborn safely at a hospital emergency room or fire station without prosecution if the infant is unharmed and that Kern's coalition has raised awareness since 2006.

Department of Human Services staff said Kern County has recorded 103 safe surrenders since the county's program began: 5 in 2024 and the 100th celebrated last fall. The coalition includes county agencies, hospitals, clinics and nonprofit partners that conduct outreach and education to ensure caregivers know where to surrender a newborn safely. Cindy Utes said the county will hold a press conference on Thursday, Feb. 13 at Adventist Health Specialty Bakersfield Hospital with partner agencies to broaden outreach.

Board action and votes: Both proclamations were moved and seconded and approved by the board; the clerk recorded the votes as \"all ayes.\"

Ending: Supervisors thanked the volunteers and coalition members on both proclamations and encouraged public participation in the grand jury's awareness event and the safely surrendered baby outreach activities.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Kern County Board of Supervisors 9:00 a.m. meeting for Tuesday, January 28, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The board approved proclamations recognizing February 2025 as Grand Jury Awareness Month and Safely Surrendered Baby Awareness Month and heard remarks from grand jury foreman and county human services staff about outreach and services.","taxTitle","Kern County, California","taxId",2913,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6366670,"Kern supervisors approve committee recommendations, direct staff to pursue separate appointed registrar of voters",5039,3887000,8926000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2159406-24af6c339d733da353535d3ecd1979c9&start=3887&end=8926","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2159406-24af6c339d733da353535d3ecd1979c9/thumbnail_3887000.jpg","/articles/6366670/Kern-County/California/Kern-supervisors-approve-committee-recommendations-direct-staff-to-pursue-separate-appointed-registrar-of-voters","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6366670-74c1a0ddd010ce08a3aab79c09f4301c/orig.mp4?Expires=1771167937&Signature=dHOcmLOZaEyUk1JyT5-dTKw2StrLlKu2KKOgOY2CJJLHHxiNbzGIx~6fFgedY4J-72dmYm-lY5y1mDD84SUKpdQxhvUp3y~cwlnFWGzP0SkXp6P973FyJpGNGo5SvoniibRhI9otnv5Cp8NyI-gW-Lw5kOt1f-FEr3CA5I7boqB7MzC-WdjohiTCS4OfNv0jJevn~CycxfNpsBQKUyjiQ6hj8KFJKgaazgQlOzk0LpnuVcaNJF-udbv5hwBMsgfJQimvuZ2qZ2rNBTMSy9GcmkpzJ94xeR57XqZG8XDXlJRdK8-XkesR27IPtvBugV4kWYUR0llKA86QUzncCZvhQQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Kern County Board of Supervisors on Wednesday approved recommendations from its Finance and Administration standing committee to pursue state legislative changes that would allow the county to create a separate, appointed registrar of voters and to pursue a set of process improvements for the Registrar of Voters (ROV) function.

The action returned several recommendations from a committee chaired by Supervisor David Couch and directed county staff to pursue legislative language and to refer recommended state/federal law changes to the board's Legislative Program Committee. The board voted to pursue the option of creating an appointed registrar of voters (what staff presented as \"option 3\") and approved a package of process improvements and requests that the current Auditor-Controller/County Clerk/Registrar of Voters respond in a public presentation. The motion passed unanimously, \"All ayes.\"

Why it matters: Residents and several speakers at the meeting said errors in past elections and a growing workload argue for organizational change and clearer accountability. County staff told supervisors that California's election processes have become more complex and that a dedicated official focused on elections would provide ongoing attention to the workload, mapping and mail-ballot processes that the committee found vulnerable to error.

What the board approved and asked staff to do: Elsa Martinez, the county CFO and staff to the committee, summarized three organizational options (separate the county clerk as an independent elected office by ordinance; make the county clerk an appointed department head via ballot measure; or create a separately appointed registrar of voters subject to state law change). Martinez told the board that pursuing an appointed registrar would require legislative action to amend Government Code Section 26802.5 and that timing is constrained by state legislative deadlines.

Kern County Auditor-Controller/County Clerk/Registrar of Voters Amy Espinosa answered detailed questions at the meeting and provided status updates on a number of operational items the committee had raised. Espinosa said the office sent letters on Dec. 13 to 204 voters whose records had a placeholder birth date of Jan. 1, 1900; of those, 4 were found to be deceased and removed, 8 returned corrected forms, 3 updated online, and 23 letters were returned undeliverable and moved to inactive status. She also said the office removed 34,617 change-of-address registrations on Aug. 5, 2024, and that another 30,510 were scheduled to be canceled on Feb. 12 unless the voters contacted the office. Espinosa noted these removals follow state procedures and blackout periods around elections.

Public comments: Dozens of members of the public urged structural change. Concerned citizens including Charles Shinn, who identified himself as a retired Marine and concerned citizen, and others asked that the board rescind Ordinance G6050 (1994) that combines the Auditor-Controller and County Clerk/Registrar roles. Speakers cited election-material errors, slow reporting times, staff turnover and lawsuits as reasons for separation. Several speakers asked for greater transparency on the voter-roll maintenance and for the committee's five-year removals report.

Operational details discussed: Staff described the technical and manual steps required to align district boundary GIS shapefiles with the elections precinct database and addresses. Martinez said map updates require cross-referencing GIS shape files, county road data, Google Maps and the elections management system. Espinosa said mail-ballot processing and signature cures are governed by state law, including new timelines that extended the signature-cure period (a factor in when counties can certify results). Espinosa also said ballot-package production involves many vendors and more than 300 ballot layouts in some elections.

Next steps and board direction: The board directed staff to pursue the legislative route for option 3 (seeking authority to appoint a registrar of voters) and to refer recommended legislative items to the Legislative Program Committee for refinement and action. Supervisors also asked staff to schedule a public tour of the elections office for supervisors and interested parties outside of an active election cycle. Martinez and Espinosa said any structural change could not be implemented in the middle of an incumbent's current term and that timelines must respect filing periods if the board chooses option 1 or 3.

\"This process is full of tension, is full of excitement,\" Supervisor Leticia Perez said in opening the item, and the board concluded with a unanimous vote to move forward on the committee's recommendations.

Ending note: Supervisors said they expect follow-up at future meetings and a committee meeting is scheduled for February 10 to refine options and next steps.","The Kern County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve process improvements for elections operations and to pursue state legislative change to create a separately appointed registrar of voters, following public concerns about recent election administration errors and voter-roll maintenance.","actionData","errors"]

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Kern supervisors proclaim February 2025 Grand Jury Awareness Month and Safely Surrendered Baby Awareness Month

Kern supervisors approve committee recommendations, direct staff to pursue separate appointed registrar of voters