Candidate for
City; City of Bakersfield; Ward 6

Fire Department Issues

The Fire Department has suffered severely under the current city government. With a growing population, over 30,000 since the last election alone, we are actually cutting staff and reducing the size of our Fire Department. We even have equipment in mothballs because there aren't enough firefighters to operate them. Our community is not as safe as it was at the last election. We need to address this problem and fix it rather than just make public statements that public safety is #1.

Police Department Issues

The Bakersfield Police Department is facing serious problems right now. These problems are only going to get worse over the next few years. Growing population and fewer officers per capita have lead to increased response times and the crime rate rising 24% since 2000. These issues need to be addressed now before crime spirals out of control.

Roads

The roads in Bakersfield are in terrible disrepair. Years of neglect have left us $80 - $100 million behind in road repair. This is serious issue that has developed because of poor planning and management not because of a budget crisis. We did not get over $80 million behind in roads over the last two years.