Kern County workers represented by SEIU Local 521 will participate in a 24-hour strike on March 5 in response to staffing shortages, working conditions, and the lack of resources allocated to public services.
Kern County workers, including social workers and behavioral health professionals, voiced their concerns during the recent Kern County Supervisor Board meeting on February 25, arguing that this lack of resources and unsustainable workloads harm public services.
Daisy Graven, Substance Use Disorder Specialist, spoke about the mental health crisis in Kern County and the failures of the Kern Supervisors in addressing it. She stated that suicide rates in the county were 30% higher than the state average.
Graven explained that timely help is crucial for people seeking support, but because the county is short-staffed, important moments to assist those in need are being missed, which leads to lives being lost.
“Invest in mental health, invest in Kern County, before it’s too late,” Graven said.
Graven also claimed that in 2023, the board failed to deliver 164 million in mental health fund programs they promised to use.
Hashim Boss, a group counselor, spoke about the staffing shortages at Jamison Children’s Center, the only emergency shelter for abused and exploited children in Kern County.
He said the staff shortage is putting vulnerable children at greater risk and that dedicated workers are leaving for better-paying agencies, leaving the remaining staff overworked and unable to provide the stability and care that these children need.
“We are a 24-hour shelter, but we don’t have enough staff to properly care for the children we serve… How can we protect vulnerable children when our facility is overlooked, underpaid, and under-prioritized?” Boss said.
After the public comments, the audience full of SEIU members chanted “Fix Kern now!” In response, District 1 Supervisor Philip Peters said, “I would like to invite all the people, instead of chanting a slogan, to actually come down and listen to a response to the concerns that they had. But no, they’re just going to keep shouting and chanting because it’s not really a conversation. It’s propaganda.”
During the recent Supervisor Board meeting, a Kern County official responded to the financial claims cited by the union representatives, specifically addressing the $532 million shortfall. The official clarified that the number came from the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) rather than a budget document and stated that it was based on outdated and incomplete information.
“What was also not included is a shortfall of revenue. So if you don’t have revenue, you spend less. Also, there was no consideration for the transfer to other county programs that are not accounted for within our general fund,” said the Kern County official.
