Local gov’t is the leading edge of economic development
If there’s one thing recent headlines have reinforced, it is that the Bakersfield-Kern region must move quickly and decisively to diversify and grow our economy. Our people, our prosperity and, as local government, our ability to provide vital services for our residents depend on this.
To this end, we are encouraged by the progress and collaboration taking place in our region through the “A Better Bakersfield and Boundless Kern: Regional Action for Economic Prosperity” initiative, more commonly known as B3K Prosperity.
B3K Prosperity is a locally driven initiative that brings together diverse stakeholders from government, business and civic organizations to develop an action plan for the future economy of the Bakersfield-Kern region. With insights from the Brookings Institute, we are evaluating regional needs and opportunities to grow our economy, diversify traded sectors and create more quality jobs that pay sustainable wages, so that every person in the Bakersfield-Kern region prospers.
Growth and diversification are
key to improving the economic health and vitality of our region, beginning with individuals and families, all the way through our county and municipal governments. For our cities and county, a growing and thriving economy equates to a broad, diverse and expanding tax base. This provides sustainable revenue for local government to improve vital public services and invest in enhanced cultural amenities, which, in turn, enriches the lives of the people who call our region home.
Investing in economic development and maximizing opportunities is not new for our organizations. For years, Kern County has invested significant resources to streamline bureaucracy and simplify the processes
to develop projects that bring jobs to our county. Thanks to these efforts, we’ve seen the creation of thousands of jobs in industries like logistics and traditional and renewable energy.
Similarly, the city of Bakersfield is launching its own Economic Development department and is currently engaged with a team of consultants to recommend policies and incentives to help us attract more businesses and quality jobs to Bakersfield. Furthermore, one objective of the city’s Public Safety and Vital Services tax is to make strategic investments that grow our economy.
In Ridgecrest, the community is rebuilding after the impacts of the 2019 earthquakes. This rebuilding includes a federal commitment of more than $3.8 billion to repair and rehabilitate facilities at China Lake Naval Air Weapon Station. This opportunity will have the China Lake facility become the foremost updated and innovated military installation throughout the entire United States. The city of Ridgecrest, Kern County and our partners are working together to make sure that investment has the greatest impact on our local economy; turning the challenge of the earthquakes into an unprecedented opportunity in East Kern.
We are all energized by B3K Prosperity, because it provides an umbrella for trailblazing collaboration among county and municipal governments.
We’re often painfully aware of our shortcomings as a region. B3K Prosperity provides us with an environment to come together and complete a holistic deep dive into the data. From this, we look forward to identifying opportunities to align on the best policies and decisions that steer our local governments in a direction that primes our economy for growth.
Whether we’re considering incentives and other policies to attract new industries and quality jobs to the region, investing in quality of life services and amenities, or ensuring developers are able build enough homes and apartments to maintain an affordable cost of living, know that local government is committed to innovating and collaborating on solutions that help us all prosper.
The fates of Kern County, Bakersfield, Ridgecrest and every other municipality in our county are closely intertwined. We are not naïve or dismissive of the massive challenges that loom. But, with a spirit of collaboration, we are confident in our ability to rise together.
Please join us, and together, let’s do everything in our power to ensure we have a future where every person in Kern County can prosper.