Welcome to the Special Meeting of the Bakersville City Council,
now speaking the Honorable Mayor Karen K. Go. Afternoon. It's
my pleasure to call to order the 12 p. m.
Special City Council meeting. Of August 26, 2026. Madam Clerk,
please call the role. Marigo. Here. Vice Mayor Cor. Council
Member Aryas. Here. Council Member Gonzalez. Here. Council Member Weir.
Council Member Smith. I'm here. Council Member Coman. Here. Council
Member by Sher Tash. Here. Thank you. In Keeping with
Council's Resolution, the Public Statements portion is divided into two
periods. There's a period for items listed on the meeting
agenda and items not on the meeting agenda. Additionally, pursuant
to changes in state law. The City Council will now
accept public statements via phone and in person. Statements for
items listed on this afternoon's agenda are given a two
- minute time limit, 10 minutes for participants by phone
and 10 minutes for in - person participants, 20 minutes
total. Statements regarding items not listed on the agenda are
also given a two - minute time limit, 10 minutes
for participants by phone, and 10 minutes for in -
person participants. If you have written comments that are longer
than your verbal statement, give them to the clerk who
will give copies to the council. If you're here to
make a public statement, please register using the kiosk in
the back of the chambers where you entered staff are
available to assist if needed. We ask that you select
whether you're here to speak on an item listed on
this afternoon's agenda or no matter not on the agenda.
Speakers who do not identify specific agenda item will be
presumed speakers for the non - agenda portion. Those speakers
will be called during the non - agenda portion of
the meeting. Everyone in attendance is expected. To adhere to
the world's vineycarum established by resolution of the city council
failure to abide by the city's relations of decorum, including
any disruptive behavior that interferes with our ability to have
an orderly and efficient meeting. Prevents the City Council from
conducting the business of the city. Consider this the first
warning to everyone had participating. That conduct that disrupts the
meeting may result in expulsion and or the Chambers being
cleared. Behavior did its reps of meeting includes repetitive statements,
shouting, hate speech, interrupting staff or presenters during the meeting,
speaking out of turn, outbursts from the audience. Telephonic Participants
are expected to adhere to the same worlds of decorum
as those attending here in person. Madam Clerk, do we
have any public speakers regarding regarding items not listed on
the agenda.
Regarding items not listed on the Agenda, all Public Speakers
are in person. Thank you. Would you call for them,
please? The first public speaker is Michael Orloff.
Have some. Materials here. Well, complete introduce yourself. Michael Orloff,
I'm a resident of Larry Cohen's district, Ward 5. Thank
you very much, counsel. I'm writing to you today to
request that each council member consider going on the record.
About a rule of law, resolution, or the city of
Bakersfield. I strongly oppose any effort to designate Bakersfield a
sanctuary city American citizens are the victims of foreign nationals,
not the immigrants. Sanctuary City Policy is fiscally irresponsible, exacerbates
inflation. Ruins the American dream. Foreign nationals reduce job availability
and drain our health care, feeding, education, housing, criminal justice,
and public safety systems. The cost of sustaining population of
foreign nationals is part of the problem and exacerbates the
CPI increases that we've seen in the last few years.
Sanctuary City violates federal law. And interferes with law enforcement
and facilitates about 10 different federal crimes. Border security by
contrast, including ICE, serve important functions, dismantling international criminal networks
involved in human trafficking, weapons smuggling and financial crimes. I
fully support everyone who comes here to escape from oppression
and improve their lives so long as they enter America
legally. Council should kindly go on the record with the
attached resolution of rule of law. For the city of
Bakersfield. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Orloff. Next speaker, please.
Jesse Sanders. Morning. Boy. Jesse Sanders. Welcome. S. A. N.
D. E. R. S. I hear, I am here also
to oppose Sanctuary Cities. Excuse me, sorry, can we hold
on for just one moment? We're having a technical difficulty
with the timer.
Our apologies to that. Please go ahead. Good morning. So
Carl Sololensky and Cloud and Pivots never use the term
sanctuary city because it wasn't coined in their day. However,
sanctuary city status fits boldly into their strategy. Because selectively
enforcement of laws create victimhood status, social strife and lawlessness,
much like the gang shooting at our high school here,
just the other night. Where a young man was killed.
Needlessly. Sanctuary City status has been strategically tabled only to
be reinduced at a more convenient time down the road.
Un contrary, a rule of loss status would invite law
- abiding citizens, promote law and order, and send a
message to our local and federal law enforcement that the
city backs our officers in the field. I urge a
counsel to proclaim Bakersfield City as a law and order
city. Protect our U. S. citizens in Bakersfield. Much of
this can go on to what we're addressing at the
Board of Supervisors with the roach coach areas around. They're
trying to shut them down. But a lot of them
aren't following the laws because they didn't follow the laws
to get here. I'm having, I'm in Andrew Gonzalez, who
I have some of those trucks dumping their ways in
my trash cans, which means I'm picking up their cost.
That they should be paying, which means my taxes go
up, they're not paying it to their profiting. On my
taxes. I think the law should be applied all the
way across the board. I don't care what your race
or color is. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Sanders. Next
speaker, please. Dennis McLean.
Welcome. Please introduce yourself. Dennis McLean, MCLAN. Good afternoon, Council
members. I was denied the opportunity to speak at the
August 5th meeting due to our liberal governor's time restraints
for public comments. So we will continue on. I'm a
county resident for 75 years. And I'm opposed to the
Bakersville becoming a sanctuary city. The previous administration flooded our
nation with illegal foreign nationalists, and we must enforce the
rule of law. And remove these illegal individuals. Your counsel
is not representing the needs and desires of the citizens
of Bakersfield. Are failing infrastructure is a result of bad
decision - making and mismanagement of city funds. Homelessness, crime,
depleted roads and highways, wasted spending on the downtown area.
Millions spin on 90 cential bike paths. The list goes
on and on. I recommend city council members. I'm sorry,
I commend counsel, member Bastard Hart for standing up for
the citizens of our community. We need more common -
sense in decision - making on this Council. I'd like
to close and saying God bless Dolly Pardon. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. McLean. Next speaker, please. Eddie Lane.
Welcome. I'm editing with the Cyril Clow. This feels so
odd today with nobody here. My comments today are regarding
an August 18 letters into the city council. With regard
to our letter, we were informed that the city council
received a copy of the letter. But that the city
attorney would treat it as a California Public Records Act
request. That was not our request. Got it. We in
the Sierra Club have submitted many, many letters in the
past. Uh, as well as California Public Records Act requests
directly to the city attorney's office. Previous records Act request
the City Attorney's Office and resulted in invoices as one
attached to them. Here. Um, not reports. The invoices are
the records. Our very first August 18 request is reports,
not invoices prepared by and for the staff to the
Council and the Public regarding number of trees trimmed, removed,
planted during fiscal year 25, 26, including caused by ward.
We, you the council and then the tax paying public
need to know where we have been before we plan
to go where we're headed with the 500, 000 dollars
We want to plan wisely for the 500, 000. It's
not up to the city attorney who is not elected
to decide to invoke the California Public Records Act as
a default for your position. Based on invoices we did
receive many months ago. We found out that the city
trimmed over 1, 000 trees in August and September of
2025. National Standards, which the city is using now to
advise the public for use are clear. We shall only
be trimming and planting when the trees are dormant. Without
regular reporting, again, our first request in our letter, important
issues are hidden from the Council and the public. We're
asking for transparency. Thank you for your consideration. Thank you,
Mr. Lane. Madam City Clerk, is that our final speaker.
Marigo, that is our final speaker. We have not received
any speaker requests for the closed session item. Thank you.
So would you please read the next item. Close session.
Close session with legal counsel personnel matter. Conference to conclude,
excuse me, to conduct interviews with potential chief assistant city
attorney applicants. And to consider discuss the employment, appointment of
a chief assistant city attorney. Thank you. We're adjourned to
close session.