AGENDA HIGHLIGHTS
July 23, 2025 COUNCIL MEETING
REGULAR MEETING – 3:30 PM
No items to highlight.
REGULAR MEETING – 5:15 PM
AGREEMENTS
Item 7.e.3 Local Behavioral Health Project Grant Support (All Wards) The City has received $1.56 million through national opioid settlement agreements with major pharmaceutical companies and pharmacy chains. Although not a party to the original lawsuit, the City received $1.56 million from the 2022 and 2023 National Opioid Settlement Agreements and desires to allocate these funds in alignment with approved strategies for addressing the opioid crisis outlined by the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS). The City has committed $250,000 to support the Bakersfiel d American Indian Health Project’s Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program (BHCIP) Bond 1 grant application. The proposed project would help establish a range of behavioral and mental health services in Kern County, including outpatient treatment and wellness centers, serving underserved communities with 25 new outpatient slots.
Item 7.e.6 VCCDC Displacement Avoidance Plan (Wards 1, 2, & 3) On March 10, 2025, the City entered into Agreement No. SGC23129 with the California Strategic Growth Council (SGC) for the Transformative Climate Communities (TCC) grant in the amount of $22,125,000 for the Southeast Strong initiative. Funds will be used to support multiple revitalization projects and programs for Southeast Bakersfield. The Southeast Strong Displacement Avoidance Plan (DAP) will tie proposed programs and projects with residents to create a synergy around investing in the TCC focus area. The City will partner with four agencies to execute the DAP. Cohesively, the partners in the DAP will facilitate meaningful dialogue and connection with residents to ensure programs and projects impact the livelihood of residents in the focus area. This agreement would award Ventura County Community Development Corporation (VCCDC) $103,559.60 in TCC funds for the DAP. There will be no fiscal impact on the General Fund.
Items 7.e.12 & 7.e.13 Gun Violence Prevention Sub-Grants Increase (All Wards) In July 2022, the Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) awarded the City of Bakersfield a multi -year California Violence Intervention and Prevention (CalVIP) Cohort 4 grant totaling $3,114,625. The grant supports the implementation of a Socioecol ogical Model to enhance the City’s ongoing efforts to reduce gun violence. On August 31, 2022, the City entered into Agreement No. 2022-174 with the Wendale Davis Foundation, allocating CalVIP Cohort 4 funds to provide intervention, prevention, and mentoring services aimed at educating, motivating, and rehabilitating individuals at risk of gun violence. Similarly, the City entered into Agreement No. 2022-199 on September 21, 2022 , with the Community Action Partnership of Kern (CAPK), also allocating CalVIP Cohort 4 funds . The City of Bakersfield has continued to experience a decline in group -related gun violence, indicating the success of the program. BSCC recently extended the grant’s end date from December 31, 2025, to June 30, 2026. With this extension, the City was authorized to increase the Wendale Davis Foundation’s and CAPK’s sub-grants by $25,000 and $85,000, respectively, bringing the total not-to-exceed amounts to $485,500 for Wendale Davis and $663,731 for CAPK. Funding for this agreement is derived solely from grant proceeds. The General Fund is not affected.
PUBLIC SAFETY/VITAL SERVICES MEASURE
Item 7.i.1 Increasing Playground and Fitness Equipment in City Parks (All Wards) Since August 2021, the City Council has approved several amendments to Construction Projects Agreement No. 2021 -183 with Playcore Wisconsin, Inc. DBA Gametime for the provision and installation of playground and outdoor fitness equipment, increasing the contract amount from $6,235,182 to $11,520,182 and extending the
term through August 9, 2025. The proposed final amendment would extend the agreement by one year, through August 9, 2026, and increase the total not -to-exceed amount by $1,500,000, bringing it to $13,020,182. Funding for the agreement has been approved thr ough the Recreation and Parks Department’s CIP budget within the Public Safety and Vital Services Fund and the Capital Outlay Fund.
Prepared by: Jaritza Nunez, Management Fellow CC: Department Heads Alex Hinojosa, Management Fellow City Manager’s File City Clerk’s File
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