Residents press council on tree canopy; council pauses $180,000 inventory contract

Community advocates and city council members pressed Bakersfield staff on Feb. 25 over a proposed $180,000 contract to inventory the city’s trees. Speakers from the Sierra Club, local residents and academic experts said tree removals have outpaced plantings and asked the council to delay the contract until a strategic plan with clear goals, timelines and ward equity commitments is in place.

Sharon Grill of the Sierra Club asked the council to "delay the approval of the $180,000 contract to inventory 40,000 trees until a strategic plan is in place to guide its use," citing the parks and recreation master plan and a community‑developed Appendix H she said contained actionable steps. Professor Anjie Lauer, a member of the Tree Advisory Group, presented tree‑canopy data showing wide disparities across wards and urged prioritizing a planting budget to reduce heat disparities in disadvantaged areas.

Councilmembers split on the best immediate approach. Councilmember Komen and others criticized the staff engagement and called for clearer public updates from the Tree Advisory Group; Councilmember Arias proposed reappropriating the $180,000 to tree planting and requested quarterly Tree Advisory Group updates to the Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods Committee. City staff and the city manager said the MIG tree plan contains recommendations, estimated costs and a tree palette, and that an inventory can support comprehensive strategy and phasing; staff also said a memo responding to Sierra Club questions had been provided in January and that a Tree Advisory update would be scheduled for the March 11 meeting.

After debate, Councilmember Komen moved to not approve the inventory agreement. Councilmember Arias asked staff to bring back options for spending the money on plantings; the motion to disapprove the contract passed (with Councilmember Gonzales absent). Councilmembers stressed they want clearer reporting from staff and the tree advisory group and urged immediate neighborhood plantings and partnerships where feasible.

What happens next: staff committed to include tree‑canopy updates and to return with recommendations and budget options at upcoming meetings, including a Tree Advisory Committee update at the March 11 meeting and midyear budget recommendations.

Source: Public comments and council debate on consent item 7F1.