Residents press Bakersfield on pedestrian deaths; councilmember seeks local‑hire ordinance for Southeast Bakersfield projects

Residents and community advocates used the public‑comment period to press Bakersfield officials on pedestrian safety and reuse of vacant properties, while a councilmember urged the creation of a local‑hire ordinance to ensure Southeast Bakersfield residents benefit from upcoming public works investments.

"We had 57 fatalities confirmed with the mortuary or the morgue," said cycling advocate and special‑education teacher Zachary Griffin, recounting a rise in pedestrian deaths over the prior year and urging the council to pursue cultural and policy changes to improve safety. Councilmember Smith responded by asking police staff to provide annual pedestrian‑fatality numbers at the next council meeting, noting some figures cited by speakers reflected countywide totals.

During council comments, a councilmember described planned investments of more than $100 million in Southeast Bakersfield funded by state and federal grants and referred staff to draft a local‑hire ordinance that would set standards for outreach, recruitment, training and hiring of neighborhood residents. The councilmember also asked staff to include strategies to build capacity among locally owned, minority‑, women‑ and veteran‑owned businesses and to return with an annual report assessing progress.

Other public commenters proposed reusing vacant commercial buildings for artist workspaces and shared concerns about lane reductions on H Street; one speaker raised conflict‑of‑interest concerns about prospective commission nominees and alleged they were named in FPPC investigations.

What happens next: The police department was asked to provide annual traffic‑fatality statistics at a future meeting. Staff was asked to explore a local‑hire ordinance and to return with a recommended schedule and reporting plan.

— Reporting by the Bakersfield City Council meeting transcript