[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-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",[32,75,87],{"_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",6457731,"mediaKeyId","5838069-15833b8bcc233be637e410429a48caf7","parentId",5838069,"title","LAFCO approves Frasier Park Public Utility District sphere of influence and MSR amid local water-supply concerns","audioSeconds",941,"startMs",5229000,"endMs",6170000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5838069-15833b8bcc233be637e410429a48caf7&start=5229&end=6170","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5838069-15833b8bcc233be637e410429a48caf7/thumbnail_5229000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6457731/Kern-County/California/LAFCO-approves-Frasier-Park-Public-Utility-District-sphere-of-influence-and-MSR-amid-local-water-supply-concerns","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6457731-0ebf724a7802c84beaf1ca51ed366865/orig.mp4?Expires=1770432542&Signature=npH2rk0GBmevGDmyAxUCBv2KcVuV-ZzF6bm1s7YKLtW80-6FuUZ1zG9r2R6S33L2Y31InoyfGYXNhT7ESKGERaTudmmPDnWabwh~MW6qL9bKhCyC869ZHQl-o2d93fGBGQUe1ZYvpFdt7yj0e9Z3aeqKOHYsrsdXFnYlPiPqqGHI64hMXqG-bi9A22kOotK7KUm1qMWduuXfHCn0JLxFH7pvwgVh4WwG5MbusIsjc3S1z13va~2wju5CmwNLKQJ74WZxP0pSQRi0cNp6blvg~Ob22ZrLKJSzItkk8sqWdVtJvLx3P1Y4lPGDEuHiXto38SY6hdZP6bkYI2llezdtig__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Official Kern County","date","2025-09-26T00:00:00Z","article","Kern LAFCO on Sept. 17 approved a sphere of influence amendment and municipal service review for the Frazier Park Public Utility District aimed at supporting state-funded planning to consolidate water providers in Cutty Valley and surrounding areas.

The commission voted to approve agenda items 18-53 (sphere of influence amendment) and 18-54 (municipal service review). The approvals permit the district to pursue state funds and studies needed before any annexation or service extension would be brought forward for formal action.

Executive Officer Mark Knox reminded commissioners that the action is not an annexation and does not authorize the district to take over water systems immediately; instead, the expanded sphere of influence allows planning and funding work to proceed. Knox said drilling new wells will be difficult in Cutty Valley because of complex geology and that the district planned to drill test wells before any annexation.

Joan Kotnick, president of the Lake Of The Woods Mutual Water Company board, told the commission her board voted unanimously in favor of the sphere amendment and MSR but asked that the municipal service review be updated to reflect more recent infrastructure and financial information than the June 2024 snapshot used in the report.

Frazier Park Public Utility District engineer Dee Jasper described an extensive seven-year water study and two recently drilled test wells. Jasper said the district'with the help of hydrogeologist Dr. Ken Schmidt'identified two candidate well sites with estimated capacity up to 1,000 gallons per minute each, though the district said it would not operate at that maximum unless necessary.

A caller asked how annexation would affect private wells and whether property owners would be taxed for new services; staff and Jasper advised that a sphere of influence or MSR does not by itself create taxes and that property owners would generally retain rights to use existing private wells unless they requested annexation into the district.

Commissioners discussed the complexity of well siting, the need for accurate up-to-date financial data and the procedural steps for annexation. The commission approved both items with a roll call; the sphere of influence vote passed 6-0 with 1 abstention and the municipal service review vote passed 6-0 with 1 abstention.

Why it matters

The actions allow the district to pursue state funding and complete technical work needed to determine whether and how the district could extend municipal water service into rural, private-well areas. In regions with limited groundwater reliability, establishing a sphere of influence is often a precondition to annexation and consolidation projects funded by state programs.

What happens next

Frazier Park and state agencies will continue well siting, permitting and technical studies. Any annexation or service extension would be a subsequent, separate action that could require additional environmental review and property-owner notice.

Sources: Kern LAFCO staff presentation and public comments at Sept. 17 meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Kern County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo), September 17, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Kern LAFCO approved a sphere of influence amendment and municipal service review for Frasier Park Public Utility District to enable state-funded water consolidation planning; speakers noted updated water-supply testing and financing concerns.","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},6457736,"Kern LAFCO approves East Kern Healthcare District sphere of influence, annexation and MSR; protest hearing to follow",4821,347000,5168000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5838069-15833b8bcc233be637e410429a48caf7&start=347&end=5168","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5838069-15833b8bcc233be637e410429a48caf7/thumbnail_347000.jpg","/articles/6457736/Kern-County/California/Kern-LAFCO-approves-East-Kern-Healthcare-District-sphere-of-influence-annexation-and-MSR-protest-hearing-to-follow","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6457736-e652def0860037daa7d1bfec0dfe5e0f/orig.mp4?Expires=1770432542&Signature=E0wT9DVxrRNkmT31uBwsAFlvBHAkrbyK7Po834VRaX0P57sKP63xxHreBDIWN7Taj81MGjxJ1wD-yL-rWd~OYD7zDmH4pog1ex4EyaqaYWWuEwlxbfqlqRBSzK59xuTNqTYWQQcvWPdxdfxoymd4NKvGAcKh8UvmTEyKnLj8Gytnu-yKsgmWzmsgZ2tvBqzX6JlY0yr3KZda85tq34dk4p-dSo9F3FqLmiYKCpBLbmP7tliTZDY6x6ohKEEJHKpVmIxc6bn8qDIEDxCOzG7b3eNnRS6kmVTpHBamJkxPzkqvJnQ7DBa35jsKCCfLjzXt8a4sA3Qrt7lUQ~cz6xeI~g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Kern Local Agency Formation Commission on Sept. 17 approved a package of actions to expand the East Kern Healthcare District to encompass Ridgecrest and Ridgecrest Regional Hospital, clearing the way for a formal annexation process but preserving the public''s right to file protests.

The commission voted to approve the sphere of influence amendment for East Kern Healthcare District (agenda item 18-37), to approve annexation number 18-38 to bring roughly the area that includes Ridgecrest and the hospital into the district, and to adopt the municipal service review (agenda item 18-39). All three items passed by roll-call vote.

The measures are intended to let the nonprofit Ridgecrest Regional Hospital seek improved reimbursement and funding streams available to a district-operated hospital, while also providing a path for local residents in the annexation area to vote for district board members.

Executive Officer Mark Knox told the commission the request began in March 2023 after Ridgecrest Regional Hospital accumulated pandemic-era debt and sought mechanisms to stabilize its finances. Knox said district and hospital leaders arrived at an approach that would expand East Kern Healthcare District'which currently owns leased health-care properties and has limited staffing'to include Ridgecrest and the hospital facilities. He described a revised concept in which the hospital would retain facility ownership, the district would become the licensed operator and the hospital would operate services under a management agreement.

\"This proposal does not fully resolve Ridgecrest Regional Hospital's financial challenges,\" Knox said, adding that the hospital has signed a funding agreement with the Navy and developed a financial turnaround plan included in the municipal service review.

The commission emphasized that approving the sphere of influence and MSR does not itself transfer ownership or make the hospital part of the district. Commissioner Flores said the action \"is the beginning stages of a possible partnership\" and that any annexation would include public notice and a protest process.

Hospital consultant and interim executive Thomas Hayes told commissioners that becoming a district hospital could unlock intergovernmental transfers and additional state and federal reimbursements, an estimate previously calculated at roughly $3.5 million to $4 million annually (an estimate from about 18 months earlier that participants said may change with recently enacted legislation). Hayes said the projected additional funds would be federal and state reimbursements (intergovernmental transfers), not private-insurer payments.

Several Ridgecrest residents and East Kern Healthcare District board members spoke during public comment. Jessica Rojas, an East Kern Healthcare District board member, said the district currently has no general manager and no part-time staff member and asked that the Commission allow local board members time to review materials. \"As a board member, I would like to possibly have some of these votes tabled a little bit more until our board of directors are able to review this,\" Rojas said.

Others including Renee Westelusk and Sandra Van Scoter urged the commission to move forward, saying the hospital is in \"dire straits\" and that annexation offered the best chance to sustain services. Community activists from California City and Ridgecrest spoke in favor of the annexation as a partnership that could preserve emergency and ambulatory services.

Knox said there will be a formal protest hearing in Ridgecrest and that notices will be mailed to landowners and registered voters in the annexation area. Because the commission received opposition, it did not waive the protest hearing requirement under the Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Act.

Actions recorded in the meeting package require further steps: if the annexation moves forward after the protest period, district and hospital leaders will negotiate the exact operating and management agreements and the district will seek state licensure to operate a hospital. Commissioners and speakers repeatedly noted that the hospital has not yet formally agreed to become part of the district and that any change in operational control would be a later, separate action.

The commission's approvals were conditioned on the executive officer's recommended provisions and did not increase local taxes; Knox and Hayes said neither the district nor the hospital is asking for additional property tax allocations at this time.

The commission directed staff to proceed with notices and the protest process; a hearing in Ridgecrest was noted for October as part of the annexation sequence.

Votes at a glance

- Agenda 18-37: Approve sphere of influence amendment to East Kern Healthcare District (motion passed, roll-call: Commissioner Ayone Aye; Commissioner Clark Yes; Commissioner Endicott Aye; Commissioner Flores Yes; Commissioner Fowler Yes; Commissioner Gonzales Yes; Commissioner McKibben Yes; Commissioner Saragosa Aye.)

- Agenda 18-38: Approve annexation number 18-38 to East Kern Healthcare District (motion passed; roll-call recorded as unanimous/\"all ayes\").

- Agenda 18-39: Adopt East Kern Healthcare District municipal service review (motion passed; roll-call recorded as unanimous/\"all ayes\").

Why it matters

If the hospital later becomes a district-operated facility and the district assumes provider agreements, the hospital may be eligible for additional intergovernmental reimbursement and grant funding not available to a nonprofit hospital. That revenue could materially affect the hospital's finances and service capacity for Ridgecrest and the Indian Wells Valley, which also supports nearby military operations.

What happens next

The commission's approvals start a formal process that includes mailed notices, a protest hearing in Ridgecrest and follow-up negotiations between the hospital and district on a management and licensing agreement. The public will have a chance to file protests before any annexation is finalized.

Sources: Kern LAFCO staff report and public comments at the Sept. 17 meeting.","Kern Local Agency Formation Commission approved a sphere of influence amendment, annexation and municipal service review that would expand East Kern Healthcare District to include Ridgecrest and Ridgecrest Regional Hospital; a protest hearing will be held and hospital participation in the district is not yet finalized.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6457727,"McFarland feasibility study draws debate; city urges takeover to stabilize parks and recreation services",2682,6477000,9159000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5838069-15833b8bcc233be637e410429a48caf7&start=6477&end=9159","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5838069-15833b8bcc233be637e410429a48caf7/thumbnail_6477000.jpg","/articles/6457727/Kern-County/California/McFarland-feasibility-study-draws-debate-city-urges-takeover-to-stabilize-parks-and-recreation-services","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6457727-89dda22de10eb1d21f656f028b9f13e0/orig.mp4?Expires=1770432542&Signature=MjHzmCWksInwgTo9y9755Taarp5C1ML6G0UOTUiWRIMS2bl5j1pEcuitLkTmqNH-EZNg9a9TkYU4vLjhvdpi16OCaEwL3uFb5gI8LTbDJzl5lxlSim28of90M22SJBiFbXh~Y4plOzZ~RfGp-uW1TgGQ0NLpUAX0vk3wEzrFzfpBqTdiYac69NioN6RNmMA0C1H3HK-sZ2eh6YLNt-2zOEXYuYhVEh391O9l00RoFGt9KQoGc43vVAk2ueYBgszzFeYd6RtT~5CFNH44XEABvg5XFTYc5CDymuRJb19jI8IO6y8Ohca697Uiwo8wMVngn-jvPVDMybwoJeQtNxMYIw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Kern LAFCO commissioners on Sept. 17 received an informational briefing and extensive public comment on a feasibility study about McFarland Recreation and Park District's finances and service delivery.

The city of McFarland submitted materials contesting parts of the staff report and asked LAFCO to acknowledge that the city provided substantial financial documentation. City Manager Diego Vermonte, who also serves as the city's finance director, said the city provided budgets and audits dating back 10 years and other materials but that a small follow-up request was missed before the staff report was published. Vermonte said the city's position is that the district is not sustainable in its current form and that the city can offer more stable management and resources.

Vermonte noted that the district's independent auditor, in note 11 of the FY 2023-24 financial statements, expressed doubt about the district's ability to continue as a going concern because of operating losses and declining cash reserves.

LAFCO Executive Officer Mark Knox said the city did submit materials but that the additional documents did not change the conclusions of the feasibility analysis. Knox recommended attaching the city's responses to the staff report and tabling the item to allow the city to complete its internal deliberations.

Public commenters'including current and former district residents, rec and park volunteers and the district board president'described a mix of perspectives. Some urged the city to take over to preserve programs and facilities; others urged patience and support for the district's new interim leadership. The district president, Lisa Marroquin, said the board hopes to continue operating as a special district and pointed to plans to bring in an interim director focused on financial stabilization.

Several speakers emphasized programs for youth and seniors and the loss of recreational programming and a community pool as key local concerns. City Manager Vermonte and others said the city has a record of completing infrastructure projects and may be better positioned to expand services if it assumes responsibility.

No formal action was taken; the item was presented as informational and LAFCO staff offered to continue the review and incorporate materials the city provided. Commissioners asked staff to accept the new documents and bring an updated record back to the commission for review. Several commissioners urged cooperation between the city and the district and suggested county supervisors could help mediate.

Why it matters

McFarland Recreation and Park District provides recreational programming and facilities used by children, seniors and community groups. The district's financial condition and governance affect local access to services such as pool programs, youth sports and senior activities.

What happens next

LAFCO staff will incorporate documents submitted by the city into the record; commissioners indicated they expect to revisit the matter once the city and district have had further opportunity to meet and explore governance and transitional options. Options discussed include a joint appointment structure, city-provided staffing, or other governance changes.","Kern LAFCO heard an informational presentation and public comment about a feasibility study examining whether McFarland Recreation and Park District should become dependent on the City of McFarland or otherwise change governance; the city says the district's auditors flagged going-concern issues and urged consolidation or a governance change.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

LAFCO approves Frasier Park Public Utility District sphere of influence and MSR amid local water-supply concerns

Kern LAFCO approves East Kern Healthcare District sphere of influence, annexation and MSR; protest hearing to follow

McFarland feasibility study draws debate; city urges takeover to stabilize parks and recreation services