BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — An excited room of Bakersfield city leaders gathered to celebrate the progress of California’s ninth most populous city.
From public safety to homelessness to upcoming projects, the city is championing the small wins.
“What I was able to highlight two decades of the unity of our community working together with so many different community partners, creating the results that we’re able to see now and then all of our community,” said Bakersfield Mayor Karen Goh.
Last year the city saw a 3% decrease in homelessness and a gradual increase in the number of beds for unhoused people in the city.
The nonprofit, Open-Door Network, will finish its Old Town campus opening 350 beds for city use, helping address the current lack of bed space.
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When it comes to crime, the city saw an 8% decrease in reported crimes and 30% decrease in violent crime.
“There are good wins and many more are coming,” said City Manager Christian Clegg. “But we need many, many more beyond that to really grow our job base. We need an all hands on deck approach.”
As the city grows, so does the need to invest in businesses and community.
Clegg stressed that a city as big as Bakersfield should be doing more to increase its budget to keep up with the growing demand of Kern County’s largest city.
“It’s not just about increasing our budget, it’s about having more resources to serve the community,” he said. “We don’t want more funds just to have a bloated city government. We want more funds so that we can very efficiently deliver more quality services to our entire community.”
The city also celebrated several infrastructure projects including City Lights, Greyhound Flats and improvements on 19th Street.
But as Bakersfield grows, what does that means for the cost of living?
“But as other areas have seen more pressure, we are seeing more interest in the Central Valley and it’s starting to drive out cost of living up,” Clegg said. “We’re concerned about it and we’re aware about it.”
Affordable housing projects and more housing developments are seen as options to combat potential rising costs.
And in the coming year, more are on the horizon.
Seven Oaks will see new communities popping up in undeveloped parts of the southwest. The East Bank Flats and Grayhound Flats projects will begin to see residents as early as next year.
Mayor Karen Goh said the city is excited about “all the potential” the city has.
“We have many who see Bakersfield as a place to invest,” she said. “With that comes jobs with that comes revenue for the people of Bakersfield.”
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