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Bakersfield council declines $180,000 tree-inventory contract amid calls to prioritize planting and replacement
Summary
Community advocates and council members clashed over a proposed $180,000 contract to inventory 40,000 city trees. After extensive public comment and elected concern about implementation and replacement commitments, council voted to not approve the inventory; staff will return with a plan for planting, replacement priorities, and advisory-committee updates.
A proposed $180,000 contract to inventory Bakersfield’s trees drew sustained public comment and council scrutiny on Feb. 25, with community advocates urging the city to prioritize planting and replacing trees rather than funding a citywide count.
Speakers from CSUB and local chapters of the Sierra Club described Bakersfield’s low tree-canopy scores and heat disparities in disadvantaged neighborhoods, urging the council to delay the contract until a detailed strategic plan is in place. "For every tree removed, a tree shall be replaced," said one speaker citing language in the city’s tree plan and asking why removals had not been matched by replacements.
Council members expressed frustration with process and pace. Council Member Basher Tash said he was "really upset" that the item had been brought forward without clearer staff responses to community concerns. Council Member Arias pressed for immediate planting and asked that the council reallocate existing funds to get trees in the ground. Council Member Coleman said he wants a more complete plan and staff accountability before authorizing the inventory expenditure.
After debate the council voted not to approve the $180,000 inventory contract. Staff told the council that a memo responding to Sierra Club questions had been supplied in January and that staff will return with an update — including a planned report to the Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods Committee and inclusion of tree planting as a CIP option in the next budget cycle.
What happens next: staff will bring the tree-advisory update to the March 11 meeting and will include options for neighborhood planting prioritization, budget requests in the midyear process or the next CIP, and regular reporting to the council committee. Advocates urged using community partnerships and local colleges to help with inventory and planting work rather than outsourcing the whole survey.
