BAKERSFIELD, CA – Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 521 member and Kern County Public Health Project Specialist Selena Peña issues the following statement regarding Tuesday, January 27, Kern County Board of Supervisors’ public meeting:
“Decisions made by the Kern County Board of Supervisors have made the growing strain in our Public Health system evident. Their rejection of the core recommendations in the 2025 Grand Jury report speaks plainly to a continued unwillingness to prioritize Public Health funding or staffing, something my coworkers and I have consistently sounded the alarm about.
In August 2025, I was one of 27 public health workers laid off due to budget cuts, but then offered my position back. Kern is already a healthcare provider-shortage area, with the worst rates in the state for Valley Fever, STDs, and diabetes-related deaths.
For more than a decade, the board prioritized millions in reserves for emergencies like this, but failed to deliver on their promise to taxpayers.
Cutting or refusing to restore Public Health funding under these circumstances, in my opinion, is irresponsible and, without real public discussion, calls the Board’s transparency and priorities into question.
In the same meeting, the Board advanced a county charter proposal to be placed on the primary election ballot in June, despite widespread public concern.
If we believe in local control, we must also believe in transparency, accountability, and results. Our voters deserve nothing less, and this board failed to meet the moment for stronger leadership.”
###
Service Employees International Union, Local 521 represents 72,000 public- and nonprofit, private-sector workers in California’s Bay Area, the Central Coast, and in the Central Valley. Under a Community First vision, we are committed to making sure the needs of our community, and the vital services we provide our community, come first. We believe our communities thrive when residents, leaders and workers recognize that we are all in this together when it comes to our safety, health, and well-being.
