Bakersfield, Calif. – On Tuesday, September 1, SEIU Local 521 appeared before Kern County Superior Court, arguing for its right to intervene in the County’s lawsuit challenging the City of Bakersfield’s exorbitant sewer rate increases.
Despite having issued a tentative ruling to deny the requested intervention, after hearing oral arguments on the matter, the Honorable Judge Bernard Barmann, Jr. decided to take the matter under submission, meaning he plans to take additional time to review the legal briefs and the law further before making a decision. It was the only case in the morning’s docket in which a tentative ruling was not confirmed.
A final ruling on the matter of SEIU intervening in the County of Kern’s lawsuit should be available in the coming days.
“I’m encouraged that the Court took the matter under submission because that allows the Court to take a closer look at the law, which clearly allows an interested party like SEIU Local 521 to intervene in this lawsuit. The workers and residents of Bakersfield deserve a voice in this case, as they are the ones directly affected by the City’s illegal sewer rate increases,” shares Adriana Ocha of Snell and Wilner, representing SEIU Local 521 in the lawsuit.
“Bakersfield ratepayers should not be subsidizing the cost of sewer infrastructure for growth we did not cause and will not benefit from, shares Genevieve Egana, SEIU 521 Kern County chapter president and City of Bakersfield ratepayer. “A 254% annual sewer rate hike over five years that largely benefits luxury developers and corporations is unfair and unconstitutional, and we’re going to court to stop it.”
“City workers are our union members and are the ones who fix, clean, and maintain Bakersfield’s sewer system every day, and we support maintaining and improving it. But working-class families shouldn’t be paying for the costs to build new service for million-dollar homes and processing plants. We urge the City to build on its commitment to fiscal stewardship by avoiding unnecessary spending on litigation. Meet with the County of Kern and SEIU Local 521 to explore a fair, negotiated solution that serves the public interest.”
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Service Employees International Union, Local 521 represents 70,000 public-and nonprofit, and private-sector workers in California’s Bay Area, the Central Coast, and 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 regarding our safety, health, and well-being.
