Bakersfield CA

In 2025, the Bakersfield-Kern Point-in-Time count reported more than 2,500 homeless individuals. Mercy House helps lower these numbers, celebrating its 500th permanent housing placement.

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Bakersfield Police Chief Greg Terry said the death of 8-year-old Genesis Mata is one of the most horrific cases the department has ever seen. Terry joined 17 News at Sunrise to talk about recent tragedies, including Genesis’ death and the fatal shooting on Rhone Drive. “This is one of the...

The Kern County Board of Education decided on Tuesday night that it will not be adopting. AB 495. Kern County serves approximately 5,000 migrant students. If a child is. facing family separation because of military deployment, incarceration, or deportation, the bill aims to protect students by ensuring family...

Two new Taft Police officers, both Taft residents, were sworn in at the Aug. 5 Taft City Council meeting. The officers were sworn in by Deputy City Clerk Faith Melton in front of a standing-room only crowd of family and friends in the Taft City Council chambers. Chief of Police...

Authorities are looking for an inmate who reportedly walked away from a Male Community Reentry Program Facility in Bakersfield on Thursday.

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — The stepmother of Genesis Mata — charged with torture and murder in the 8-year-old’s death — was assaulted in jail, according to sheriff’s officials. Graciela Bustamonte was assaulted Aug. 8 by another woman in custody and transported to a hospital for treatment, officials said. She was...

Hector Javier De Leon-Saldana, a 32-year-old from Bell Gardens, was killed Sunday during an off-road vehicle wreck near Edison Road, north of Barbela Avenue, according to officials.

United Farm Workers has been working to unionize Wasco’s Wonderful Nurseries for over a year under California’s card check law. Now Wonderful Co. is shutting down the nursery in a move that it says is purely business. The backstory: UFW, the union founded by Cesar Chavez and Dolores...

Tears, hugs, and plenty of excitement today as students across Kern County returned to school! But the joy was briefly interrupted by a social media threat that targeted Frontier High School.

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — The couple accused of torturing and killing 8-year-old Genesis Mata had their preliminary hearing delayed to October after defense counsel on Thursday said they weren’t close to being ready. Ray Mata Jr. and Graciela Bustamonte are now set for a preliminary hearing Oct. 16. If it goes...