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Kern County highlights new coroner, public administration and psychiatric health facilities
Summary
Chair Leticia Perez said Kern County opened a new coroner and public administration building and two psychiatric health facilities intended to expand acute care for adults and youth; officials called the facilities decades in the making.
Leticia Perez, chair of the Kern County Board of Supervisors and 5th District supervisor, said the county has opened a new coroner and public administration building and two new psychiatric health facilities intended to address acute care needs for adults and youth.
"The facilities provide a safe and welcoming environment for our community members and neighbors during what may be the most challenging period of their lives," Perez said during the 2025 State of the County address, describing the centers as joining an existing network of inpatient providers.
Perez said the projects were "decades in the making" and that the buildings include modern equipment to strengthen forensic, administrative and behavioral-health capabilities. She framed those openings as part of a broader county effort to improve service delivery and public safety.
The chair linked the psychiatric facilities to the county’s behavioral-health strategy but did not provide specific operational details in the speech, such as bed counts, operators, licensing status, or recurring operating costs. Perez said the new facilities will better serve the population "in a more efficient manner."
During the address Perez also noted investments in services for vulnerable residents, including homelessness efforts. The county announced its first tiny home village and other social-service investments elsewhere in the speech (see related article). Specific interagency agreements or regulatory citations were not provided in the remarks.
