BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — At the morning meeting of the Kern County Board of Supervisors on June 27, as part of a discussion on the county's proposed 2023-24 budget, District 2 Supervisor Zack Scrivner asked the county what its plan was regarding taking people charged with misdemeanors into custody.
"Our ability to house misdemeanants has been greatly impacted in a negative way, and I think that has led to a lot of quality of life issues in our Downtown and in our neighborhoods," Scrivner said at the meeting. "These are crimes such as theft under $999.00, hard drug use in public; such as heroin, methamphetamine, fentanyl, et cetera, vandalism, and we have had over the years with the City of Bakersfield and their interest in expanded services as far as jails are concerned with misdemeanants."
Scrivner went on to say the variables, such as staffing, mental services, and health care within the jail that drive the cost up are no longer too expensive now that Measure K is in place.
Kern County Chief Operations Officer Jim Zervis said the primary issue with being able to house misdemeanor offenders is the staffing level within the Kern County Sheriff's Office, which is the agency that operates the jail.
"We have met with the city and it is a coordinated effort to do this. It is not just a county issue. This is a community issue, and so we are working on that diligently, and hopefully, as soon as we are able to bring staffing levels up to that acceptable level, we're able to open those additional bed spaces," said Zervis.
Scrivner concluded his comments by saying the public would see an improvement in this 'quality of life component' if the county can expand the bed space within the jail.
