NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING BEFORE THE
BAKERSFIELD CITY COUNCIL
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a public hearing will be held before the Bakersfield City Council on WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 13, 2025, at 5:15 p.m., or soon thereafter as the matter may be heard, in the Council Chambers of City Hall, 1501 Truxtun Avenue, Bakersfield, California, to accept public testimony regarding the following:
Per CA Government Code 53083, the City Council of the City of Bakersfield must hold a noticed public hearing and, prior to the public hearing, provide all the following information in written form and available to the public and through the City’s Website, regarding an economic development subsidy to be provided by the City to DHF Peace and Justice Corporation.
The purpose of the following report is to provide the information required pursuant to Government Code Section 53083. The report shall remain available to the public and posted on the City’s website until the end date of the economic development subsidy, as further described in number 2 below.
1. The name and address of all corporations or any other business entities, except for sole proprietorships, that are the beneficiary of the economic development subsidy.
DHF Peace and Justice Corporation
P.O. Box 2087
Bakersfield, CA 93303
APN Numbers: 00544101, 05, & 06
2. The start and end dates and schedule, if applicable, for the economic development subsidy.
If the Agreement is approved by City Council, the subsidy begins upon execution on August 13, 2025, and expires afte r sixteen (16) months (December 2026).
3. A description of the economic development subsidy, including the estimated total amount of the expenditure of public funds by, or of revenue lost to, the local agency because of the economic development subsidy.
The economic development subsidy shall be three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000).
4. A statement of the public purposes for the economic development subsidy.
The economic development subsidy includes a grant ($300,000) for site improvements for development on a vacant site in Downtown Bakersfield. The public purpose of the subsidy is to encourage revitalization, reuse of vacant sites, and new economic growth with funds allocated Downtown revitalization that supports infill development, public infrastructure improvements, and landscape enhancements. This subsidy would support the following on -site improvements: replacement of curbs, gutters, and sidewalks with accessibility improvement s, sewer improvemen ts, and
landscaping.
5. The projected tax revenue to the local agency because of the economic development subsidy.
As a nonprofit, there is no direct sales tax or property tax revenue collected, but as a nonprofit, they provide services for the public good, such as social services, education, and the arts . The new cultural center will bring many visitors to the area that can increase tax revenue. Providing access and e ncouraging pedestrian travel through these improvements could promote indirect sales tax revenue generated by employees or patrons who may utilize the improvements as passage to frequent surrounding businesses , lodging or other activities.
6. The estimated number of jobs created by the economic development subsidy, broken down by f ull-time, part -time, and temporary positions.
The city is supporting the development of a new non-profit headquarters that provides essential services to the community and would retain full-time and part-time employees in Downtown Bakersfield. The building will produce 150 temporary construction jobs. Upon completion, the Cultural Center will result in a community benefit of approximately 35 full -time jobs, and 25 part - time jobs. and is designed to serve 6,000 local community residents.
All written comments must be received by the City Clerk’s Office, 1600 Truxtun Ave., Bakersfield, CA 93301 on or before the public hearing date/time indicated above. You may review and/or obtain copies of all public documents at the same location. If you challenge the action taken on a specific project in court, you may be limited to addressing only those issues raised at the public hearing or in written correspondence delivered to the City of Bakersfield.