[{"_1":2,"_110":-5,"_111":-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",[32,74,86,98],{"_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":56,"_73":56},"mediaId",6571087,"mediaKeyId","3156677-8b64bc8bff988f3f8be93cdf1c9afc68","parentId",3156677,"title","Supervisors direct ad hoc review of Kern Health Systems governance and board composition","audioSeconds",2287,"startMs",8505000,"endMs",10792000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3156677-8b64bc8bff988f3f8be93cdf1c9afc68&start=8505&end=10792","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3156677-8b64bc8bff988f3f8be93cdf1c9afc68/thumbnail_8505000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6571087/Kern-County/California/Supervisors-direct-ad-hoc-review-of-Kern-Health-Systems-governance-and-board-composition","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6571087-166bdf0a2a39a385a632b76e74f84652/orig.mp4?Expires=1771061595&Signature=ORz22gJc32VBfDALxFTIj83WbkLmMg1KSfmxoIOBlLsrnVH71WloNHzl07vNJiSeVkMGDCo~I44MPi3x0V7C~Xs4hjeyVYg0yWho~qHJGzqMLQTYtn7bVvplncLyL5Szo3goHenLWluN6ufGJJY6skiiflyyt-IAvkWhRmIyqi-lA7AmhU2Cf43qt2duJvSkS1-k4mQ-19O5d1peB~mNChUZSJ9We5zxuoIRiekLTqNidvp1~XVo31Gcve2cq-nH7mPDFJUfgNIDmwwcfCJ~~uT5LcGfkNaTHUOppbuc2rHC1wBm8byTUp0C1MHY1rKtvKzmtYVgoyn6IydRTU~Bkg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-04-30T15:52:56.147Z","article","The Kern County Board of Supervisors on April 29 directed staff to establish an ad hoc committee to review the governance, board composition and county coordination with Kern Health Systems, the county’s Local Initiative for Medi‑Cal managed care.

Assistant County Administrative Officer Elsa Martinez briefed the board on the history and role of Kern Health Systems, noting the entity is a public agency separate from the county and that the board formed the local initiative in 1994 to preserve safety‑net provider financing while Medi‑Cal moved to managed care. Martinez listed recent changes in Medi‑Cal policy — including CalAIM and new requirements that managed‑care plans address social determinants of health and expanded behavioral‑health responsibilities — and said those changes increase the need for closer coordination between county agencies and the managed‑care local initiative.

Martinez noted the enabling county ordinance (chapter G6155 / chapter 294) has been amended several times and currently sets a 16‑member Kern Health Systems board that includes up to 10 community representatives; she said some community appointees’ terms have expired and that the ordinance’s representative categories (for example, a pharmacy seat) no longer map neatly to current responsibilities because pharmacy benefits have moved to the state. Martinez recommended reviewing board size, membership categories and qualification language, and asked whether the county should require approval of Kern Health Systems bylaws or tighten the ordinance’s appointment/term language.

Supervisor Couch said the Medi‑Cal population in Kern is large and in flux and asked the board to be more engaged in fiscal oversight. The board discussed possible ordinance changes including adding a behavioral‑health or social‑services representative, setting clearer qualifications for community representatives (including a beneficiary representative), and whether one or two county supervisors should sit on the Kern Health Systems board. County counsel confirmed supervisors may serve on the KHSD board provided a quorum of the Board of Supervisors is not present on that body.

Board members directed staff to form a small ad hoc committee of board members to meet with Kern Health Systems and county departments and return with recommendations. Supervisors Couch and Parlier volunteered to serve on the ad hoc group; the board approved the motion and the appointments by unanimous vote.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Kern County Board of Supervisors 2:00 p.m. meeting for Tuesday, April 29, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","After a staff report on the county's role and the changing Medi‑Cal landscape, the Kern County Board of Supervisors formed an ad hoc committee to review Kern Health Systems' governing ordinance, board composition and county coordination with managed‑care responsibilities.","taxTitle","Kern County, California","taxId",2913,"location","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},6571091,"Board sends conditional support to California Energy Commission for Willow Rock long‑duration storage project",1979,6418000,8397000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3156677-8b64bc8bff988f3f8be93cdf1c9afc68&start=6418&end=8397","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3156677-8b64bc8bff988f3f8be93cdf1c9afc68/thumbnail_6418000.jpg","/articles/6571091/Kern-County/California/Board-sends-conditional-support-to-California-Energy-Commission-for-Willow-Rock-longduration-storage-project","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6571091-fd30a219366eae5711e77ba6ea22d6b5/orig.mp4?Expires=1771061595&Signature=RTSMMY8~wr~rkGoRmpz5cVimq29z-W6eOGygVumjGJItNHiWi43TVOYr~5270z8gyYHeOrGEIasulBZcwIJFev6JANwKKkcieUWy8ECmn2B1upXjLYRshVNsb-cOA6NRsvSeMKo9fBeAd8ktUho4xAgMuljec50WV7YYMBE22Eeh8Zh8DiDIIOarN3lc8uahGi7fAfywqGwxTf5-HI4HihpVAFqCZwgkEH3kLMnc8rK4YU~2C5heewoZviuRpo1wAXQaUJnl2P3yacJw9~1xJZBM1-HJNwuDZizYZWNVHC7hEMpFQcH9jWDKWBUbUQ3xOBEPL~hH1jLcJsePA~ECTQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Kern County Board of Supervisors on April 29 authorized the chair to send a conditional letter of support to the California Energy Commission (CEC) for the Willow Rock Energy Storage Center, a proposed 500‑megawatt, 4,000‑megawatt‑hour compressed‑air energy storage project north of Rosamond.

Planning staff and the applicant described the project as long‑duration energy storage that stores energy using compressed air in a deep cavern (staff said the cavern would be roughly 3,000 feet deep and the size of a football field) and releases it during peak demand. The project would require construction of a large on‑site operation, up to 700 construction workers at peak and about 19 miles of high‑capacity transmission lines to the Willowspring substation.

Planning staff recommended a conditional position of support tied to seven mitigation measures the county wants the CEC to require. Key county requests described in staff’s presentation included: acquisition and placement of an urban search‑and‑rescue vehicle located in eastern Kern (estimated applicant cost cited in the staff report: $1.9 million), funding to support expanded emergency response capacity during construction, traffic‑management and road‑repair/maintenance commitments for heavy hauling of rock (an estimated 1.6 million cubic yards to be removed over 3–4 years), limits on road closures (county asked that closures not exceed 10 minutes and not occur during Willow Springs Raceway high‑traffic days), provisions to ensure sales tax is realized in unincorporated Kern County and a 50% local‑hire goal.

Representatives of HydroStore (the applicant) told the board the project team had been coordinating with county staff and supports the proposed conditions. Numerous local governments, education and business groups filed or delivered letters of support; speakers from economic‑development and community groups told the board the project would generate construction and permanent jobs, local tax revenue and other downstream economic benefits. Several Rosamond residents raised visual and environmental concerns about construction and transmission‑line routing.

Following presentations and public comment, the board voted unanimously to adopt a conditional position of support and authorized the chair to sign the letter to the California Energy Commission that lists the county’s requested conditions. Planning staff said the CEC had just released the project’s preliminary staff assessment (PSA) ahead of an expected public workshop in late May or early June and that the county’s docketed support letter would be the first from the Board of Supervisors.","Kern County supervisors voted to send a conditional support letter to the California Energy Commission urging mitigation measures for the proposed 500 MW/4,000 MWh Willow Rock (HydroStore) compressed‑air energy storage project; the county asked for specific road, safety and local‑hire conditions.",{"_33":87,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":88,"_41":89,"_43":90,"_45":91,"_47":92,"_49":93,"_51":94,"_53":95,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":96,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":97,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},6571096,"Board approves zone change request for northern parcel near Hageman Road and Jewetta Avenue",2070,4345000,6415000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3156677-8b64bc8bff988f3f8be93cdf1c9afc68&start=4345&end=6415","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3156677-8b64bc8bff988f3f8be93cdf1c9afc68/thumbnail_4345000.jpg","/articles/6571096/Kern-County/California/Board-approves-zone-change-request-for-northern-parcel-near-Hageman-Road-and-Jewetta-Avenue","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6571096-a8e61c2bb239dc643f4564404571ab3b/orig.mp4?Expires=1771061595&Signature=KlhC3s6pYmj4Xihybg8dh9-ZghmimtYqtEfBsAqTZmpo4GYyEmfrQX8TV2H5S4cGrryB6zakRET9F2HACcNoFOdSH5OC0h34gZEQr584ssHsGlpczPrxtGYMGeu4ifMQzLOg99vXhNjXZoJmA6XUYYkpU-8vA0VQxSEmPXeSxI5NdNowzOrGn4pndHdX7ZKYjG1WP2b3YQMXyMLTDq1U~RQCjgpnbTiFFTzGphSXPCO7vssTX2nUWn8k3XDX1M5hVCwwzpbop34wWleS-vxs5L8YIH5MMxFdukr~qRQ8kS0CW1lMcBVcde2Pzry38tmyUwpR6PTc7y4yYR6FNah6Cg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Kern County Board of Supervisors on April 29 approved a request by Airstar Properties LLC (DeWalt Corporation) to change the zoning on the northern portion of an approximately 9‑acre parcel near the corner of Hageman Road and Jewetta Avenue from single‑family to R2 medium‑density residential.

Craig Murphy of the Planning and Natural Resources Department told the board the northern portion of the site had a Metropolitan Bakersfield General Plan land‑use designation of low‑medium density residential and that the proposed zoning change does not alter the underlying general‑plan maximum density of 10 dwelling units per net acre. The southern portion of the parcel will retain its estate residential quarter‑acre designation.

Planning staff said the applicant indicated plans to pursue duplex units on the northern portion and quarter‑acre lots on the southern portion, but that no final site plan or subdivision map was before the board at this meeting. A trip‑generation analysis prepared for a hypothetical 52‑unit project showed the project would not exceed the County’s threshold requiring a formal traffic study, Planning staff said, and the City of Bakersfield told staff it concurred with that determination.

Three comment letters and two adjacent property owners opposed the project at the planning commission hearing, citing potential effects on neighborhood character, property values, traffic and density. Planning staff responded that the county’s development standards require compatibility measures — including a six‑foot block wall where multifamily abuts single‑family lots, limits on balconies and window treatments within buffer distances, adherence to dark‑sky lighting and minimum landscaping — and noted surrounding land uses include existing multi‑family and rural residential properties.

After staff and public comment, the board approved the ordinance and resolution to enact the zone change by an all‑ayes vote. No development plan or subdivision map was approved at the meeting; future building or grading permits for multi‑unit development would require site‑plan review and utility “will‑serve” letters from water and sewer providers.

Supervisor Peters and county staff answered questions about a drainage easement (referred to repeatedly as a “sump”) behind an adjacent property; the county public‑works director said staff will re‑engage the private property owner and could open a code enforcement case if required to secure maintenance access.

The Planning Commission had recommended approval by a 3–1 vote with one commissioner opposed and one absent.","The Kern County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve a zoning change allowing R2 (medium‑density residential) on the northern portion of a roughly 9‑acre site near Hageman Road and Jewetta Avenue; the southern portion remains quarter‑acre estate residential.",{"_33":99,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":100,"_41":101,"_43":102,"_45":103,"_47":104,"_49":105,"_51":106,"_53":107,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":108,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":109,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},6571101,"Residents and rescue groups press Kern County for prompt fixes to animal shelter and abandonment response",1941,2372000,4313000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3156677-8b64bc8bff988f3f8be93cdf1c9afc68&start=2372&end=4313","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3156677-8b64bc8bff988f3f8be93cdf1c9afc68/thumbnail_2372000.jpg","/articles/6571101/Kern-County/California/Residents-and-rescue-groups-press-Kern-County-for-prompt-fixes-to-animal-shelter-and-abandonment-response","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6571101-8abbc30afc5aaa114e3ef6cf56a4aac6/orig.mp4?Expires=1771061595&Signature=Dk33wur~pHdazXiSA4-Q00G~rQCqgYbyq7INcezhFUUGHcnJtQ-wOfEQ9CK44SS9g~D1Ariy5U~I~ZOfddGM0xlOgoUYHSLFIZ7zKs5F5eWH9gvmVZqCox48qRmt1jCrjAyDuDIyAl~7fOa5nwxEZKuqqJ6v-vPVg6IAT4rrOID3nT3FgPV2NL-~UcWl~liaFu64V06MCr5lAYwWdDm~GdoTHFJbrVr72cWHPYZE9juHtlGaT8A5gT23wlGp6KSRaP6vJkr7Au4Gagkv-o3F8o9IdA8rGViBAxKPIyWgmy3Fw6Y0izmLU7LO7-dobFvoygvRpMab-mGcwZ4JozCBdQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Dozens of residents and animal-rescue volunteers told the Kern County Board of Supervisors on April 29 that abandoned and abused dogs are a growing public‑health and welfare problem across Bakersfield and eastern parts of the county.

Speakers described dogs left in orchards and desert areas, animals found dead or injured, and shelter workers handling overcrowded, hot and unsanitary conditions. Janet Armentar asked, “What will it take to end the tragic fate of dogs abandoned to face the dangers of speeding vehicles, predation by coyotes, poisoning from chemicals, shootings or starvation in our community's orchards?”

The comments prompted extended discussion among supervisors and county staff. Supervisor Peters noted the shelter’s staff has an above‑80 percent save rate and that the county is working to open a new shelter; Fiona Thomas said the new facility’s groundbreaking is anticipated to begin in early 2026. County staff and supervisors urged coordination with volunteer groups and said they will meet with advocates to map immediate and longer‑term steps.

Volunteers and rescue groups described several priorities: expand mobile spay‑and‑neuter (SNP) services, deploy stabilization stations for injured animals in rural areas, install surveillance at high‑abandonment locations, increase rural field officer enforcement, and advance policy changes to give animal control more enforcement authority. Debbie Sianca Mayer, who works with a SNP bus in Tehachapi, told the board her nonprofit spends about $9,500 a month to sterilize 42–60 animals and said demand exceeds capacity.

Several speakers, including Robbie Miller and Joel McKay, described rapid signups for mobile SNP appointments in rural communities and urged continuation and expansion of those mobile clinics. Speakers from Bakersfield Strays and other local rescue groups asked for improved enforcement of existing laws and more immediate shelter improvements; Fiona Thomas described the current Fruitvale Avenue shelter as a former mechanical garage with mobile kennels that expose animals and staff to extreme summer heat and sanitation problems.

Supervisors acknowledged the long-term program work already done and the setbacks caused by the pandemic. Supervisor Parlier said county services have provided mobile clinics to Rosemond and pledged to have staff present a “360‑view” update at a future meeting. The chair asked volunteers to coordinate with county staff to set follow‑up meetings and said staff will schedule a county segment to highlight available animal services and penalties for abandonment to raise public awareness.

The board did not take a binding policy vote at the meeting; supervisors directed staff to meet with advocates, provide a status update on mobile SNP programming, and report back on shelter replacement planning and options to strengthen enforcement and rural response.

Local volunteers said they will continue regular attendance at board meetings to press for faster action.

The public presentations portion of the meeting included other topics, but the animal shelter comments drew the largest group of speakers and the most sustained board response.

The board’s next regular meeting packet will include staff follow‑up and scheduling for a briefing from animal services staff and community partners.","Dozens of residents and rescue groups implored the Kern County Board of Supervisors to improve conditions at the county animal shelter, expand spay-and-neuter services and increase enforcement of abandonment laws. Supervisors said staff will return with updates and pledged further coordination on mobile clinics and a new shelter site.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Supervisors direct ad hoc review of Kern Health Systems governance and board composition

Board sends conditional support to California Energy Commission for Willow Rock long‑duration storage project

Board approves zone change request for northern parcel near Hageman Road and Jewetta Avenue

Residents and rescue groups press Kern County for prompt fixes to animal shelter and abandonment response