BAKERSFIELD, Calif.(KBAK/KBFX) — A Kern County Supervisors meeting became contentious Tuesday as public comments centered on the potential adoption of a county charter.
A speaker strongly opposed the initiative, arguing, “No to the Kern County charter initiative. While it’s presented as a plan to improve efficiency, this charter actually centralizes power in a small group of leaders, reducing transparency and limiting public accountability … This initiative is another invitation to more greed on the Kern County initiative, we are saying no!”
The speaker also expressed frustration with the timing of their speaking opportunity, exclaiming, “You put the clock on when I came up!” The meeting was temporarily halted, and the speaker was escorted out by deputies. After the meeting resumed, Supervisor Philip Peters apologized for the oversight in starting the timer, clarifying that all speakers are allotted two minutes. Peters noted that previous speakers had used less than their allotted time, despite the timer not being activated…