Kern County

Kern County Director of Planning and Natural Resources, Lorelei Oviatt, kicking off the 2024 Kern County Energy Summit ⚡️

Today, the Kern County Board of Supervisors approved unanimously (4-0) the request from California Resources Corporation to facilitate the construction of and operation of Carbon Terra Vault 1 Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Project for permanent underground storage of up to 49.1 million tons of CO2 in two reservoir formations on approximately 9,104 surface acres in the Elk Hills oilfield in unincorporated Kern County with related initial source facility for the capture of CO2 and on-site CO2 pipeline, located within the administrative boundary of the Elk Hills oilfield on 9,104 surface acres, situated on the west side of Elk Hills Road and the north side of Skyline Road, in unincorporated Kern County. Kern County is proud to be the Energy Capital of California as we continue our commitment to innovation and excellence. 💪🔋🔌⚡️

On this week's Around Kern County, we're celebrating the grand opening of the Heritage Park improvement project. We're also promoting the District Attorney's Office upcoming domestic violence awareness event, honoring Public Health for their support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and providing an update on the 2024 November election ballots. Watch now!

Every decade, Kern County gets the opportunity to host elected officials and community leaders from all nine Central Valley counties. A few weeks ago, we welcomed board supervisors, governmental executives, business professionals, and California State Association of Counties leadership to Bakersfield with the intent to educate and inspire! Thank you to Fresno, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, and Tulare counties for joining us for the 2024 San Joaquin Valley Regional Association of California Counties Conference. We were THRILLED to hear from inspiring panelists ranging from energy to agriculture who celebrated our theme, “From the Fields to the Frontlines: We ARE the Essential Valley.” From offsite tours of our new Coroner facility to Central Valley trivia hosted by our Chief Economic Development Officer — it was an honor to spend a few days working together to strategize how to make our communities even STRONGER. We are so PROUD to gather together as a region that feeds, fuels, and defends the world! #KernCounty

An important part of Kern County’s mission is to be the BEST place in the State of California to start and grow a business! On Thursday, October 24, our Chief Economic Development Officer, Jim Damian, will moderate a panel at the Kern County Energy Summit on AI Energizers: Powering the Future. Jim will help his panelists educate conference attendees on how artificial intelligence is being used in Kern County’s economy, and how to further strengthen our regional workforce with the use of AI. Learn more about next week’s event at KernEDC.com.

We’re celebrating $4.2 million of investment in Heritage Park! Today, we completed our historic beautification and enhancement project thanks to funding from the Caltrans Clean California Local Grant Program. We broke ground on this exciting renovation back in February, and are THRILLED to deliver a state-of-the-art community hub to East Bakersfield residents! The park’s new amenities include: * Lighted walking paths + literacy trail * Upgraded lighting at the skate park + new murals and artwork * Shaded group picnic pavilions * Soccer field renovation * Amphitheater improvements * New playground equipment * Precast concrete restroom building * 68 new trees + upgraded irrigation system We’d also like to thank our construction and community partners for making this project possible! #kerncounty #parkimprovements

This month, we’re turning PINK! Earlier this week, Public Health and Behavioral Health & Recovery Services joined Links for Life and Kern Medical for a PINKtober kick off event with a Lace’n It Up Celebration Walk to raise awareness for breast cancer. From sharing the latest data to discussing its impact on our community to celebrating our incredible local survivors, we want to thank everyone who joined together for the walk. Thank you to Public Health and Kern BHRS for helping raise awareness for this important campaign! #kerncounty #thinkpink

Kern County is now supporting displaced oil and gas workers through a State funded program distributed by Kern County Employers' Training Resource. More than a $11.2 million dollars from California Employment Development Department and the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency have been allocated to Kern County to assist oil and gas workers whose career opportunities are shifting due to the change in California’s energy industry. Now through March of 2027, impacted residents can receive no-cost training and reemployment services to transition into other industry sectors with promising careers and wages comparable to those in the oil industry. These sectors include construction, transportation, renewable energy, advanced manufacturing, high technology, healthcare, law enforcement, government, and other high-growth, high-wage industries. Additionally, relocation assistance is available for those who need it. These services include but are not limited to vocational training, on the job training, certificated programs, and other job search assistance like resume development and interview techniques. To access this program’s services, please call (661) 742-2217 or visit https://lnkd.in/gjjY8vjn.

On this week's Around Kern County, we're celebrating our 100th episode! We're also explaining how to register to vote ahead of the November election, highlighting upcoming KCSO detentions deputy recruitment events, new Library open house events, and more. Watch now!

Kern County is thrilled to welcome our new Chief Administrative Officer, Nancy Anderson, to lead our region forward! Get to know her this Sunday morning on KGET-17 News’ Kern County In Depth! 📺🎥🎞️