Arvin Mayor calls out members of city council absent from Tuesday meeting
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — A video posted on Mayor Olivia Calderon's social media shows Tuesday's council meeting that was cancelled due to lack of quorum.
'The two members, Reyes and Horton, who are part of the previous administration that was investigated by the Grand Jury,' said Arvin Mayor Olivia Calderon. 'We've inherited now all of these issues that were caused because of the poor decisions that were made in the previous administration…both of those members failed to show up.'
Mayor Pro Tem, Susana Reyes, was unavailable for an interview, but shared an email sent to City Manager Jeff Jones Monday afternoon, saying she would not make it to the meeting. She said the mayor and current councilmembers seem to constantly seek the spotlight in ways that undermine her and councilmember Donny Horton.
Mr. Horton was not available for an interview either. City staff was informed about his absence due to a family emergency with enough time to cancel the meeting, but they failed to do so.
Horton also issued his disappointment in Mayor Calderon and Councilmember Perez for weaponizing his family emergency against him.
Kern High School District announces 'Take Flight' aviation program
Newly elected councilmember Jaime Perez said usually the City Manager will let other councilmembers know if officials will be absent, but in this instance they were not made aware.
'There is a lot of tension there, but, people need to take that to the side and treat is as this is not personal, it's a business,' said Councilmember Jaime Perez.
Pressing issues that were scheduled to be discussed in the meeting included the contract of interim City Attorney Nathan Hodges, a special election to fill the vacant council seat left by Juan Murillo, and quality of the roads, among others.
Applications are open for a permanent city attorney and the deadline is March 5.
Click here to learn more.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
California lawmakers condemn violence amid anti-immigration raid protests
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Central Valley lawmakers spoke out against violent protesters as California residents, including those in Bakersfield, continue to protest against immigration enforcement. In a statement released on Wednesday, Assemblywoman Dr. Jasmeet Bains said while Americans have the right to protest forcefully but peacefully, she has no tolerance for 'masked crowds that loot stores and burn the American flag.' Bains went on to criticize politicians who interfere with law enforcement, pointing out President Donald Trump in particular. Protesters gather at downtown Liberty Bell for 2nd time as fear lingers over immigration raids 'A president who pardons felons who assault police officers should have kept his nose out of law enforcement's business,' Bains said in her statement, referring back to the Jan. 6 rioters pardoned by Trump in January. 'I don't want to see another TV interview with Trump, the Governor, or any other politician acting tough,' Bains said. 'Let our law enforcement leaders speak, give them what they need to restore order, and then get out of their way.' Protests against ICE agents and immigration enforcement activities have been roiling through Los Angeles, where Trump recently deployed the National Guard and the Marines in response. While there are no reports of immigration enforcement officers in Kern County as of June 11, a widespread fear took over the community in recent months when a sudden immigration raid in January targeted farm workers and laborers in the community. Since Monday, Bakersfield residents have protested against ICE raids in solidarity with L.A. On Tuesday, Congressman David Valadao announced his joining of a Republican delegation to introduce a resolution formally condemning the riots in L.A. Valadao shared similar words of opposition to violence and vandalism as Bains, but also urged Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass to 'restore peace' to California's streets through the resolution. 'Standing for law and order should be common sense, and ICE should continue to prioritize the removal of known criminals from our country,' Valadao said in a press release. Congressman Vince Fong heavily criticized Newsom and the protesters in L.A., calling Newsom's refusal to allow local law enforcement agencies to cooperate with federal agents 'disgraceful.' In an interview with NewsNation, Fong accused Newsom of refusing to protect federal agents and buildings, saying downtown L.A. is 'under siege' due to the protests. Never miss a story: Make your homepage 'You have search warrants that are being issued, approved by judges, arrests are being made on illegal immigrants that have committed heinous crimes, and the governor of California is opposed to that and won't allow the cooperation of state and local law enforcement to work with federal officials? I mean, this is the height of irresponsibility,' Fong said. Fong said he wants to see the 'progressive groups that are hellbent on destroying downtown L.A.' get arrested and be held accountable for damages. 'The number one priority for the government on the federal level, on the state level and on the local level is to protect communities,' Fong said. 'And if the local government and the governor of California won't do it, then someone has to, and the president is stepping up.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
BCSD to use general fund to finish HVAC projects after US Department of Education rescinds spending extension
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — The Bakersfield City School District is expected to fund the remaining $22 million balance for its HVAC improvement projects through its general fund after federal officials abruptly canceled a previously approved COVID-19 fund spending extension in March. The HVAC upgrade and chiller replacement projects seek to replace the chiller-based heating and cooling systems at schools with new HVAC systems, which provide 'more energy-efficient and reliable climate control' while also improving indoor air quality for students and staff, according to BCSD spokesperson Tabatha Mills. The project is ongoing and under active construction at eight schools: Munsey Elementary Fremont Elementary Wayside Elementary Washington Middle School Horace Mann Elementary Mt. Vernon Elementary Pioneer Drive Elementary Roosevelt Elementary Mark Luque lands new job after surprise resignation as head of Bakersfield City School District These projects were launched when the school district received funding through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief III program, which was meant to support American schools as they address the impacts of the pandemic, according to Mills. The remaining project balance is $21,912,159, according to the agenda for the board meeting set for Tuesday. On March 28, the United States Department of Education rescinded its decision to extend the spending deadline for ESSER III for school districts that applied and were approved to get an extension. While local education agencies like BCSD who were approved for an extension had until March 2026 to liquidate all its received funding, the Department of Education changed the deadline to March 28, 2025. KHSD to consider banning discriminatory teaching material in proposed revision to policy U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon announced the new deadline in a letter addressing state education chiefs on the same day as the new deadline, saying they 'ran the risk' of getting their extension request denied by not meeting the formal deadline in January. 'Extending deadlines for COVID-related grants, which are in fact taxpayer funds, years after the COVID pandemic ended is not consistent with the Department's priorities and thus not a worthwhile exercise of its discretion,' McMahon said. This change prevents BCSD from finishing the HVAC improvement projects using federal grants. At the board meeting May 27, the board approved the updated ESSER III Expenditure Plan. Through the updated plan, the funding source for the HVAC updates was moved from ESSER to the district's general fund to successfully complete the projects. Never miss a story: Make your homepage This shift in funding will not result in any increase to BCSD's general fund budget and the board is not looking to approve new spendings regarding these projects at tonight's meeting, according to Mills. If approved, BCSD will report the remaining construction commitments as of June 30 in its financial statement, Mills said. The projects are all expected to be completed in the next fiscal year, according to the agenda. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
KHSD to consider banning discriminatory teaching material in proposed revision to policy
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — The Kern High School District Board may update its policy to ban the use of textbooks and other class materials that would subject a student to discrimination. According to the agenda for the KHSD Board of Trustees meeting scheduled for Monday, the revision is meant to reflect Senate Bill 153, a new California law passed in 2024. The existing policy, first adopted in November 2009 and revised Jan. 18, 2024, outlines the procedure of processing complaints made against instructional materials for the school district. KHSD offers free meals for children, teens this summer The proposed revision, if passed, would prohibit the school district's Board of Trustees from adopting or approving textbooks, instructional material, supplemental teaching material and class curriculum that would make a student suffer from 'unlawful discrimination.' Unlawful discrimination includes discriminating against someone based on their disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, immigration status and other characteristics, according to California's Education Code 220. The bill also allows anyone to file a complaint if they believe the board violated this prohibition. However, the KHSD policy maintains the school district will only accept complaints from the school district staff, district residents or the parents and guardians of the district's students. Never miss a story: Make your homepage If the Superintendent determines the violation to be true and the board doesn't take corrective action within 60 days, the California Department of Education can 'use any means authorized' to make the district comply, according to SB 153. The school district board could also face financial penalties, the bill says. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
