BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Congressman Adam Schiff paid a visit to Bakersfield on Wednesday. The 30th District representative, who is also running for the U.S. Senate, hosted a round-table conversation with local Latino business leaders.
“I am here to listen. To learn. To find out how I can be of service and how I can be an effective champion of Kern County in the U.S. Senate,” said Schiff.
Some of the topics discussed during Wednesday’s roundtable meeting between Schiff and local leaders were workforce needs, funding for public schools and non-profit organizations, among others. When it comes to the concerns wired around funding for education, Schiff says one of the things that he has been working on is fully funding the individuals with disabilities legislation.
“That requires us to make sure that we’re fully funding special education. We have never done that in the way that we have promised. If the federal government would do that it, I think that would provide a lot of the resources schools need for all kinds of programming.”
Another topic of discussion between Schiff and Kern County leaders that many find to be critically important is the implementation of additional resources for agricultural workers.
“It’s vitally important that we make sure that those who are producing that food have access to healthcare, they have access to broadband, they can get a good education that their needs are being met, and that we have the kind immigration reform also that makes it possible for people to come to work here to raise a family to become citizens,” continued Schiff.
Considering Kern County has many rural communities, Schiff says he also finds it important to improve healthcare access in these areas.
“When a hospital shuts down in a rural area it means that people literally die because they can’t get to a hospital on time. I want to make sure that we change the economics so that our rural healthcare can not only survive but thrive.”
Schiff says he felt it was important to learn what the community of Kern is trying to accomplish and ask how he can help in order to really understand the needs of the community.
