Kern COG outlines highway and local road projects, pushes for federal funding for California City Boulevard interchange

California City — Jay Schlosser, the newly appointed executive director of the Kern Council of Governments (Kern COG), told the California City Council on Sept. 23 that Kern COG manages long-range transportation planning and distributes federal and state transportation dollars countywide, and that the agency is actively pursuing funds to improve the California City Boulevard interchange with Highway 58.

Schlosser said Kern COG serves as the region's metropolitan planning organization and the county's transportation authority, responsible for identifying projects, modeling traffic and channeling state and federal grants. "We allocate, manage federal and state monies that come to this region and we act as a regional liaison with an eye for the future in the county," Schlosser said in the council chambers.

Why it matters: Schlosser told council members the interchange improvements are aimed at safety: he said the agency has documented significant fatalities at California City Boulevard and is pursuing about $10 million for the project. Schlosser said Kern COG applied for $4 million in federal discretionary funds and expects a funding decision in November; the full project is estimated at roughly $10 million, he said.

Local requests and responses: Council members raised local priorities, including widening California City Boulevard and resurfacing and repaving local streets such as Redwood and Hacienda streets. Council members asked whether Kern COG routinely funds projects inside California City; Schlosser replied that the agency distributes RSTP and other formula funds to jurisdictions based on population and that about $6.3 million in Kern COG-administered funding flowed into California City over the past decade.

Schlosser also described a $260 million truck-climbing lane project on Highway 58 slated to begin construction in early 2027 and said Kern COG is pushing for safety and interchange work with Caltrans and the Federal Highway Administration. "Part of my trip in Washington, D.C. we put in a grant application, dollars $4,000,000 to help get us to the total. We need about $10,000,000 to make the improvements we're looking at," Schlosser said.

Programs and assistance: Schlosser described the range of state and federal programs Kern COG administers — including CMAQ, RSTP and TDA — and said the agency can help cities pursue competitive grants and give preference points for projects that include workforce and community partnerships, such as the Conservation Corps. He explicitly told a resident that grant programs can award extra competitive points when projects engage the California Conservation Corps or similar organizations.

Bottom line: Kern COG offered California City technical support and grant advocacy and said it will continue working with city staff on the California City Boulevard interchange and local paving priorities. Council members asked staff to continue coordinating with Kern COG on priorities for the city's road-repair needs and to pursue available competitive funding.