BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Millions of dollars in state funding are coming to Kern County to help city officials and nonprofits prevent gun violence in the community, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Thursday.

Under the California Violence Intervention and Prevention Grant Program, also known as CalVIP, the state is awarding an additional $107 million to 42 cities, counties, community-based organizations and tribal governments across the state, according to a press release from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Office.

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The funding is meant to help reduce shootings, homicides and retaliatory violence using community-driven tactics throughout California, according to Newsom’s office.

“Public safety is as much about prevention as it is about enforcing the law,” Newsom said in the press release.

“CalVIP invests in people and neighborhoods that have been disproportionately impacted by gun violence. We’re supporting trusted community leaders who step in before a trigger is pulled — interrupting cycles of harm, saving lives, and creating real pathways to opportunity.”

The city of Bakersfield’s Office of Violence Intervention and Prevention, which was a CalVIP Cohort 3 grant recipient, identifies people who are at the highest risk of gun violence and engages them through a coordinated response.

That program is receiving an additional $4,899,000 from the state, state officials announced.

The city works with several county organizations such as the Community Action Partnership of Kern, Garden Pathways, the Wendale Davis Foundation and more.

In 2024, Bakersfield saw a 57% decline in homicides and 60% fewer shootings, according to state officials. City officials previously said there was a 74% reduction in gun violence-related homicides and non-fatal shootings between 2021 and 2024.

Following that data, the Bakersfield City Council approved applying for a grant seeking nearly $5 million to support the expansion of the OVIP program in August of 2025.

“With that foundation in place, this new cohort will not only allow our community partners to enhance this critical work but also allow our research partners to inform the field on best practices that correlate to both community-wide reductions and individual client outcomes,” said Bakersfield City Manager Christian Clegg in the release. “The CalVIP program is advancing best practices that can benefit all communities.”

Other recipients from Kern County are as follows:

Delano Police Department: $2 million

Garden Pathways: $3,401,093

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CalVIP was established in 2017 and has invested more than $350 million since 2019, state officials said.

While this is the fifth round of funding for CalVIP, it is also the first time the program is largely being funded through the Gun Violence Prevention and School Safety Act, state officials said.

This means the state is reinvesting fees collected from firearm and ammunition retail sales into communities most affected by gun violence — up to the first $75 million per year.

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