Volume 50 | January 2019
Your monthly news & updates
Looking Ahead in 2019
As we enter 2019, local leaders share with you their hopes and goals for the year ahead.
Resolutions for Making Kern Healthy in 2019
Ryan J Alsop is the Chief Administrative Officer for Kern County. He has worked with BHC partners in the areas of the General Plan, the 2020 County budget, and land use. When asked about the coming year, he reflected,

In 2018 we focused on improving quality of life for County residents through improved services and access to parks and outdoor activities. I want to see that focus continue through 2019 and gain momentum.

We’re in the final year of our four-year deficit mitigation plan and we’ve seen great success with iterative cuts and efficiency gains through our Lean Six Sigma projects. In 2019 We’ll continue to be a model of excellence in managing our finances and employees.  
Describing his leadership style as that of an activist, Mr. Alsop wants to see change come to Kern County in a way that honors our residents and gives them all the good things they deserve. He assumes the best of those he works with and continually focuses on empowering people to get the work done. He’s not afraid of a challenge – evidenced by his willingness to dive in to leading a County in the midst of fiscal challenge and he brings a dreamers outlook with a realists planning approach to Kern.
BHC's Rapid Response Network consists of both local organizations and residents. Designed to address immediate needs in the community, particularly those related to immigration, the team made the following resolutions for 2019:

Refine and continue community outreach forums, particularly in outlying communities.

Monitor local implementation and compliance of the TRUTH Act.

Build stronger partnerships between local organizations to provide seamless integration for residents and build the larger cadre of people participating in this effort.
Supported by BHC-Kern, the Kern Education Justice Collaborative (KEJC) focuses on education equity. Looking at 2019, this group is focused on:

Ensuring that the goals of the Kern High School District lawsuit are met and the terms are implemented through timely monitoring, parent, teacher and youth participation, and the implementation of Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS) and restorative justice practices.

Increasing the number of parents, students, and community members participating in KEJC projects and sponsored events.
Local Latinas Have HOPE
Hispanas Organized for Political Equality (HOPE), in conjunction with Latina Leaders of Kern County and the Center on Race, Poverty, and the Environment hosted Latina Empowerment Day in Bakersfield this past November.

Valerie Gorospe from the Center on Race, Poverty, & Environment spoke at HOPE’s annual Latina Empowerment Day this past November in Bakersfield. Many of our BHC partners were able to attend thanks to The California Endowment.

Valerie spoke about several local environmental justice issues including poor air and water quality, and the ways in which our heath is impacted, particularly children. High rates of childhood asthma are associated with air pollution. Delano has some of the worst water quality in the State; residents pay for tap water they cannot drink, children go to school with water bottles because parents don’t want them drinking from the faucets.

Valerie asked all of the women in the room to make California the leader in environmental justice policies.

The one day intensive workshop series is designed to empower Latinas to increase their community impact and strengthen their skills and knowledge in a variety of issues. This year's topics included financial empowerment, energy and the environment, and personal skill-building.

One attendee stated that the day created a “safe community for Latinas in the San Joaquin Valley with a well-planned agenda and current issues” that are valuable to our community.
Stronger Together
On the third Saturday in January, thousands of Kern County residents marched through the streets of downtown Bakersfield in support of women's rights. Women, men, adults and children of many races and sexual orientation joined together in a shared message -
women's rights=human rights.

This was the third year of the event in Kern County. Local participants are committed to the event, which takes place on the same day, in cities across the country.
Meet Kern's Complete Count Team
To ensure that all residents are included in the upcoming 2020 Census, Complete Count California has created teams in each county throughout the State tasked with ensuring that hard to reach populations are included when the Census rolls out. Meet a few members of the Kern County Complete Count team!
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