(KBAK/KBFX) — The City of Arvin announced that they are holding a nomination period for a city council member starting May 5 This is for the special municipal election that will be held on August 26 The nomination period for this office begins on May 5 Anyone who is at least 18 years of age and who is a resident and registered voter in the City of Arvin may run for a seat on the City Council Those interested in filing to run for office are asked to call the Arvin City Clerk’s Office at (661) 854-3134 to schedule an appointment Sign In Register A Vancouver Provincial Court judge said Arvin Pasha’s May 2022 assault on the women left them “terrorized and traumatized.” who pleaded guilty in the May 2022 knife attack on two sisters at his Vancouver west side Airbnb has been handed a 22-month conditional sentence in Vancouver Provincial Court Arvin Pasha pleaded guilty to assault with a weapon and assault causing bodily harm and was sentenced May 1 by Justice Harbans Dhillon The judge said the incident was an “unprovoked “They were utterly unprepared for the violence that ensued,” Dhillon said had agreed to rent the space for a visit to Vancouver Their names are covered by a publication ban They did not know until they arrived that Pasha would also be in the suite Dhillon said it was in the early morning hours that Pasha was pacing around while holding a 12-inch knife he began banging on the living room window banging on doors as they tried to get out as one called 911 Dhillon said Pasha entered the hallway with the knife and began swinging at one of the sisters You’re killing me,’” Dhillon said one sister said She collapsed and Pasha turned his focus to the other woman shielding herself with a door The judge said the pair were “terrorized and traumatized," that the attack presented a “real risk to life and limb.” approaching Pasha with guns drawn at the residence near Third Avenue and Arbutus Street Advanced life support emergency units were brought The judge said the attacks have left the women disfigured Dhillon said Pasha’s use of marijuana and other drugs contributed to him being in psychosis at the time She said he believed the women were harming his pet She said it had also led to another incident where his mother was left in fear A sharpened axe was later found in the residence Dhillon said drug use contributed to Pasha’s breakdown he has been working on improving his mental health and has remained abstinent from psychoactive drugs She said he is now aware of the connection between cannabis use and his mental health “That reduces his moral culpability,” she said “He has taken steps to gain insight.” Pasha must obey a curfew for the first 12 months of the conditional sentence He also received 18 months’ probation He attended the Moravian Church in West Salem Burial will take place at a future date in the Moravian Cemetery in West Salem Ingram Meridith Funeral Home of West Salem © 2025. Meridith Funeral Home, P.C. All rights reserved. Login  Design: Serpentine (KERO) — Arvin Councilman Donny Horton has filed a claim against the city after an Arvin PD employee allegedly leaked a photo of him after a physical altercation the skimmable summary above is generated with the assistance of AI and fact checked by our team prior to publication Read the full story as originally reported below We're learning more about an Arvin police employee who allegedly illegally leaked a photo of a bloodied city councilman But that employee is now facing a felony criminal charge and the city could be on the hook for hundreds of thousands of dollars was arrested on March 28th and is facing a felony criminal charge alleging she unlawfully accessed and copied data from a police computer without permission a photo of Councilman Donny Horton suffering injuries to his face in May of last year The photo was taken after Councilman Horton had been in a physical altercation with his sister court documents say a news reporter reached out to the police chief asking for the status of the case "I give kudos to the reporting party on this who brought it to my attention asking a simple question that allowed me to go through the checks and balances that we have here," said Arvin Chief of Police Alex Ghazalpour When an investigator from the district attorney's office questioned Garcia Garcia denied accessing the case and sending Horton's photo.  But later documents say Garcia admitted to sending the photo which was taken when police responded to the fight between Horton and his sister "Garcia said the reason she sent the photo out was because she was venting  because she was upset with how this case was being handled." "This was a mutual combat misdemeanor not committed with our presence that we would handle on a day-to-day basis," said Ghazalpour Further auditing and internal investigation revealed that this wasn’t the only time Garcia had accessed sensitive information inappropriately and may have passed information to her roommate "I want to make it very clear that our department didn’t start doing audits after this alleged incident," stated Ghazalpour "We have the ability to audit every report that comes through Garcia has been on paid administrative leave Councilman Horton filed a demand letter asking for $450,000 in monetary damages from the city and threatening litigation if the city failS to respond “It is apparent that my previous incident that was fully investigated and given to the DAs office where no charges were filed was brought to light by certain city employees involving the city union rep and a now elected public official in order to slander and cause harm to me and my family.” “I am thankful this matter was investigated by the DA's office and look forward to it being resolved through the justice system I have no further comments on this matter." Upon asking both the City Manager and the Mayor the potential impacts the claim could have on the city Garcia is scheduled for a hearing at Lamont Court on April 14th Receive emails when new obituariesare published to our website When you experience the loss of a loved one you can trust us to guide you through the arrangements necessary to create a meaningful ceremony that celebrates the unique life being honored Our staff is committed to providing your family with the highest quality care and service in your time of need and we take pride in our responsibility to lighten your burden as you take the first steps toward healing Cease Family Funeral Home | (218) 694-6600407 Getchell Avenue NE Cease Family Funeral Home | (218) 751-97002807 Irvine Avenue NW Cease Family Funeral Home | (218) 835-330081 Main Street South Cease Family Funeral Home | (218) 652-3105105 Main Street Cease Family Funeral Home | (218) 732-7264710 West 1st Street © Cease Family Funeral HomeFuneral Home Website Design By Frazer Consultants & TA Your browser may not work with certain site. Upgrade now. Arvin High School will welcome Mariachi bands and ballet folklorico groups from all over the district to show off their skills in a showdown Mariachi and Folkloric groups from the Kern High School District are preparing to face off in the first-ever showdown and it's all happening at Arvin High School home of Mariachi Los Osos and Grupo Folklorico Mi Cultura becoming the first school within the Kern High School District to offer a mariachi program that would capture the hearts of several students like Margarito Santacruz I fell in love with mariachi music," said Santacruz it feels good to play something and for other people to enjoy what you're playing." Members from both Mariachi Los Osos and Grupo Folklorico Mi Cultura tell me they enjoy being part of these programs as they allow them to showcase their culture and improve their respective skills "We've really been trying to motivate other people to represent their culture as most of us here in the Kern County District are from Mexico or other Latinx countries," said Victor Villaseñor a member of Arvin's mariachi band With other schools now offering similar programs Arvin High Music Teacher Jorge Laris and Ballet Folklorico Coach Brenda Ruiz thought it was time to have groups from all over the district share the stage in one night coming up with "Mariachi and Ballet Folklorico Showdown." He adds that the purpose of the event is to allow students to experience what it is like performing in a professional setting "We haven't had anything like this and it's going to be very cool to see what other schools have to bring to the showdown like from different regions because I never imagined something like this at least here in Arvin," said Brian Cisneros member of the ballet folklorico group at AHS Laris says 11 schools are slated to participate in the event four folklorico programs and seven mariachi programs from KHSD AND ONE that is visiting from Madera "A lot of schools look up to us because we're one of the first schools that started dancing so I feel like they want to come and show us what they have too so I'm really excited to see what they have," said Luisa Padilla The 47th Annual Wildflower Festival is returning on April 26 and 27 with a carnival (KBAK/KBFX) — The 47th Annual Wildflower Festival is returning on April 26 and 27 with a carnival Entertainment includes artists such as Sonora Dina Mita (KBAK/KBFX) — A 19-year-old woman died and another was severely hurt after a crash on Bear Mountain Boulevard Wednesday night The California Highway Patrol said on Wednesday officers responded to Bear Mountain Boulevard CHP said a preliminary investigation found that a 2004 Honda sedan was traveling westbound on Bear Mountain Boulevard A 2014 Volvo semi-truck with trailer was traveling eastbound on Bear Mountain Boulevard at about 55 MPH the Honda suddenly began traveling westbound in the eastbound lanes where the front right of the Honda collided with the front left of the Volvo The driver of the Honda was pronounced dead at the scene The Kern County Coroner's Office identified the driver as 19-year-old Tyshawnda Shardi Lakeysha Griffin of Los Angeles One passenger in the Honda sustained major injuries and was taken to Kern Medical The driver of the Volvo immediately stopped at the scene and cooperated with the investigation Eastbound and westbound lanes of Bear Mountain Boulevard were closed for about four hours for the investigation CHP said it is unknown if alcohol and/or drugs appear to be a factor in this incident (KBAK/KBFX) — A Grand Jury investigation has highlighted significant issues within the city of Arvin including infrastructure attracting businesses to the growing community they interviewed several Arvin City department heads Some of the several findings include city employees voicing concern that other staff members are not doing the amount of work required for their position causing animosity in the workplace It also found staff is often missing causing the perception of two "teams" within the staff working in different directions The report said there is a swage pond that is under a reconstruction due to a "recent significant partial failure." The repair is expected to cost $5 million and take about a year The report emphasized the impact of businesses is suffering with poor street conditions and many permanently closed stores are planned to serve newer sections of the city Grand Jury found there is a need to repair streets in the downtown area They also found that there is a lack of scrutiny of billings from the Outside Law Group has resulted in payment of invoices that are billed in excess of the contracted amounts the city failed to hold a special election for a vacant city council seat and meeting minutes have not been published the report did highlight some positive developments It praises the Arvin Police Department on decreasing crime rates the city's transit department has converted its bus fleet to all-electric The Grand Jury released its recommendations Eyewitness News also spoke to Mayor of Arvin Olivia Calderon (KBAK/KBFX) — The Arvin Police Department announced that they have arrested an Arvin man on six alleged felony charges Officials are asking for more people to come forward if they have information on any victims who know Geraldo Alvardo.The charges against suspect Gerardo Alvarado include contacting a minor to commit a sexual offense oral copulation with a person under the age of 16 by a person over the age of 21 and possession of material depicting a minor engaged in sexual contact Alvarado is currently in custody at Lerdo and his bail is set at $270,000 The Arvin Police Department is actively searching for any additional victims of similar crimes committed by Alvarado Authorities are urging anyone with information related to the identification of additional victims to contact Arvin Police Detective Medrano at (661) 854-5583 For those wishing to remain anonymous, tips can be submitted via the anonymous tip line at (661) 606-6064 or online at arvin.org/181/police (KBAK/KBFX) — An Arvin Police Department employee was arrested for allegedly illegally sending an evidence photo to a WhatsApp group chat according to an interview with the Arvin police chief a city council member was involved in a physical altercation with his sister The incident was documented as a criminal complaint and was sent to the DA’s office the chief received a call from a news reporter The call dropped and after he was sent a text message consisting of a photo of the council member’s face showing an injury he got from the fight The chief questioned how the respondent received the photo “..responded saying he just had it sent to him via text message An audit was made and said in the document “the only employee who accessed this evidence photo and had no legitimate reason to do so was the evidence technician The photo that was sent showed a computer screening displaying the evidence photo The audit showed Garcia accessed the case on May 28 and May 29 she said he did not take the photo and did not send it to others She also said she had no idea who took the photo The interview said Garcia admitted to accessing the case in the database A search warrant was served for her work and personal cell phones Garcia admitted to taking the photo and sending it in a WhatsApp group message The document said Garcia worked in the APD property and evidence room for seven years the investigation of Garcia’s actions cost the city $13,500 it said there was a demand for monetary damages in the amount of $450,000 and “threatening litigation if the city does not respond.” According to the Kern County Superior Court Bryan Andrade shot a man at a 7-Eleven store on Bear Mountain Boulevard they found the victim with severe injuries though he was later released from the hospital Arvin police said that through store video surveillance and an extensive investigation they identified the alleged suspect as Bryan Andrade An arrest warrant was subsequently obtained Marshals Service located Andrade in Santa Paula and took him into custody without incident Andrade pleaded no contest to assault with a firearm on a person on February 7 Six other charges including attempted murder and assault with a firearm were dismissed Andrade received credit for 740 days of time served and 370 days for good behavior.Andrade was sentenced on March 11 was shocked to see murky water come out of her water faucet on November 17th Read the full story as originally reported below.BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT: This was the water that came out of a resident's home in Edmundson Acres water quality is an on-going issue in Arvin I questioned the water district about what was being done to clean up the water this was the water that came out of Maria De La Cruz's faucet as she attempted to wash her hands "I went into the water office and I let them know that the water was dirty and I wanted someone to come and test the water," said De La Cruz she says the Arvin Community Service District was dismissive of her request "The reason for not testing that water is because that's not the supplied water we're providing to the city," said Arvin Community Service District General Manager Raul Barraza Jr it's a key indication that there's a problem and we have to take care of the problem first." Arvin had a power outage causing the pressure inside the pipelines to fluctuate "What happens in those situations is you get this moving around of water inside the pipes at high pressure and it moves the sediments that typically you find in groundwater systems," explained Barraza Jr says the district followed protocol and flushed the fire hydrants in the area De La Cruz says the issue persisted and that the color of the water became even darker so she sent a sample for testing at Simple Lab the maximum containment level for arsenic in drinking water is 10 parts per billion but the results indicated that the water coming out of her faucet on November 17th contained 20 parts per billion says they continued to flush the fire hydrants in the area as well as De La Cruz's water heater he says they discovered a valve that was shut off and screwed on which ultimately created a dead end and leading the water to sit with sediment and minerals in that area "We had calls from other folks as well regarding pressure and some coloration but not as bad as what she was getting in her house and it has to do with the fact that she was closest to that area where we did have that stagnant water," said Barraza Jr De La Cruz says she wants the district to be more transparent and alert the community when the water is contaminated "There's a lot of people who cook and drink this water and if you do not put it in the container you really can't tell the water is all that dirty if you're not paying attention to it," said De La Cruz The district adds that they are working on building an additional well on the north side of town that will help maintain the water pressure consistent throughout the entire city It's yet to be determined if that will make the water any cleaner for Arvin residents Arvin City Council has settled on an all-mail ballot special election scheduled for August 26 It was behind these doors that the City of Arvin decided on how they'll go about filling the vacancy on the council the council voted to hold a special election It's about everybody here," said Arvin Resident Rene Garcia Garcia was just one of the many Arvin residents lining up to express their frustrations with some members of the council for not wanting to hold a special election at the next available date you'll see if you'll be there again by the time your seat's up The Arvin city council consists of 5 members That was highlighted by a recent Grand Jury Report stating the city "failed in its duty to appoint a replacement for the council vacant News that made some residents urge the city council to hold a special election as soon as possible to fill the vacancy "The council people need to get it to their heads that whatever the staff recommends that's what should be done," said another Arvin Resident Some residents also noted that without a complete council important decisions can not bee made because issues can't pass on a 2-2 vote as did the motion to have an all-mail ballot during the last council meeting Mayor Pro Tem Susana Reyes and Councilman Donny Horton originally voted against having an all-mail ballot special election "Make the will of the people happen," said Garcia If you guys think you're going to go for re-election leading to a unanimous vote to hold a special election by mail in August we were able to come to a resolution to now allow a special election to be considered now allowing a better sustainable decision-making for further council meetings to attend," said Jose Galindo it would take 30 days for the new council member to be sworn into office This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page It’s been nearly two weeks since the video of a dog in Arvin allegedly being sexually abused has gone viral The incident happened on December 4th and was caught on home video surveillance Eyewitness News followed up with the DA’s office on Tuesday about the case being processed and they said a charging decision would be made soon The Arvin community has been pushing for an arrest but what would justice look like after that Penal Code 286.5 (a) states “Every person who has sexual contact with an animal is guilty of a misdemeanor." Bakersfield Attorney Mark Anthony Raimondo explained the potential punishments the suspect might face if charges are filed by the District Attorney's Office Bakersfield Attorney Mark Anothy Raimondo says the alleged suspect could still face some repercussions “It’s really likely somebody would get some counseling for that I think the concern for most misdemeanors would be kind of an educational thing to teach the person a lesson as well as helping them deal with the issues that caused that to happen in the first place.” Legal experts say proving sexual abuse against an animal is much more difficult than proving general abuse and they both have the same level of punishment (KERO) — Arvin police tell 23ABC that on Wednesday one or more persons broke into the city's Public Works lot and stole several equipment the Public Works Lot behind me was broken into While the case is still under investigation When employees from the city's public works department went into work early Wednesday The chain that keeps the gate closed had been cut and several equipment was missing "As my officers responded over there they determined it wasn't just some items missing—there's a plethora of items missing from there—the place was broken in to along with 4 of their new trucks," said Arvin Police Chief Alex Ghazalpour authorities say the city allocated about 200 thousand dollars for the purchase of four F-150 trucks With the help of Kern County Auto Theft Taskforce and technology including automated license plate readers and flock cameras 3 trucks were located on Wednesday in different locations admitted to being the person behind the theft Police say the main suspect is 30-year-old Arturo Baltazar Cantero of the Arvin and Lamont areas Baltzar was booked in Lerdo and is facing a variety of felony charges The three individuals traveling with Baltazar were also booked into Lerdo and are being investigated further The fourth and final truck was found Thursday morning in Bakersfield Police Chief Alex Ghazalpour addresses those entering Arvin to commit crimes "To those who believe they can enter our city or our county and commit crimes against our residents or our municipal infrastructure let this serve as your warning: We will find you and we will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law." Arvin PD says the vehicles recovered will be off limits for about a week as they are being used as evidence and have to go through a safety inspection (KERO) — Former Arvin PD Sergeant Delia Reyes was arrested in November and charged with numerous drug-related charges Reyes was scheduled to appear in court on Friday but was not present A former sergeant with the Arvin Police Department Delia Reyes is fighting felony criminal charges Court documents regarding this case say the Kern County Sheriff's Office arrested Reyes in November for several charges including a felony for possessing a controlled substance while armed with a loaded firearm Filings say multiple search warrants were served concerning Reyes' boyfriend at the time who was suspected of illegally trafficking narcotics filings say units found several Arvin Police Department badges inside Beltran's black Mercedes-Benz along with paperwork belonging to Reyes When units arrived at Reyes' home on Alta Peake Court in southwest Bakersfield to serve a search warrant investigators said Reyes confirmed she had been dating Beltran for about three years and that she would sometimes drive his car and place her badge there The court documents say Reyes told authorities she would often bring her patrol vehicle home and that Beltran would sometimes sleep over When confronted about Arvin PD armor vests located at Beltrans' home filings say Reyes was in disbelief as she stated her boyfriend "would not have done that." And when asked if Beltran could have taken the vests out of her vehicle while she was asleep Reyes said "I don't know who he is now," according to documents documents say Beltran had one of Reyes' handguns alleging he had taken her gun to get handgrip measurements Reyes told authorities that she trusted him and said "I did not know he would screw me like this." When confronted about a plate with cocaine residue inside her bedroom documents say Reyes admitted to using cocaine with her boyfriend and his bandmates in the past Delia Reyes is no longer employed as a police sergeant by the City of Arvin Police Department." Reyes is next scheduled to appear in court on April 24th the Bakersfield College Arvin Educational Center opened it’s doors to students The new Bakersfield College Arvin Educational Center is now open The students came in through these doors on the first day of class "It's a dream come true," said Yovani Jimenez with the Kern Community College District "It's a journey that started back in 2010 that took community outreach that took the community effort to make this a reality." It's a dream that isn't just coming true for Jimenez According to the United States Census Bureau 4.3% of people 25 years and older in Arvin have a bachelor's degree With the opening of the Bakersfield College Arvin Educational Center officials say the new establishment will facilitate the process of obtaining post-secondary education for many in the community "I used to have to travel all the way to the southwest to take some of my classes so it was about 45 minutes just to get there," said BC student Genesse Southerland Southerland is a student at BC studying to become a teacher and the first student to arrive to class at the new center she says she never imagined an establishment like this coming to her neighborhood who says he recently moved to the city and is in his second semester of college I save gas instead of going all the way to Bakersfield to take my classes I can just come here and I'm sure a lot of people can to," said Melendrez the center will begin by offering a total of 25 classes focusing on subjects like math they say the college will fully launch all of its courses allowing students in Arvin the opportunity to take all of the classes required to complete their program "We want to make sure that we serve the community not come down here and plant our flag and do it our way we want to do it in the way that Arvin needs," said BC President Jerry Fliger Even though Tuesday was their first-day operating Fliger says BC is already thinking about ways they can meet the workforce needs and expand the economic development in the city the college says the official grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony will take place in February authorities initiated a traffic stop on a wanted subject at Georgetown and Glen Arvin Thursday afternoon Police are still working to locate that supect LEX 18 crew on the scene reported that there is a major police presence in the Glen Arvin area on Thursday authorities are searching for an individual likely inside a home in the area This is a developing story and LEX 18 will have additional information as it becomes available Report a typo the Arvin City Council unanimously agreed to hold a special election to fill a vacant seat The vote was taken during their meeting Tuesday night following public comment Mayor Olivia Calderon said they're hoping to hold the election on August 26 "I'm just really grateful that people showed up and their voices were heard tonight and the council voted in favor of what the majority of the community is asking us for councilmembers were split on whether to hold a special election due to the costs The city council seat has been vacant since July 2024 There will be a special city council meeting on Thursday at noon to discuss public employees in a closed-door session Regular meetings are held 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month at 6:00 p.m inside the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month the Arvin and Lamont Kiwanis Club is offering scholarships to graduating high school seniors in Arvin Exciting news for high school seniors in the Arvin A scholarship application has opened up for students pursuing higher education "This is our star program," said Olivia Calderon president and chair of the scholarship committee with the Arvin and Lamont Kiwanis Club "We want to continue to pour into our every young leader in our city." Calderon with the Arvin and Lamont Kiwanis Club says this is the second year the club offers this scholarship to help support students as they venture into higher education and we know that this scholarship is going to support them so that they can make that academic dream and that vision for their life a reality," said Calderon Calderon says the club received about 60 applications and one lucky applicant received an award dedicated to her late mother After speaking to Calderon at Arvin High School I visited one of last year's scholarship recipients "I knew that starting at a college was going to be a little hard for me coming from someone who has one parent only I decided to apply for it—giving me a chance to have something to start with," explained Diaz she was able to begin her college career as she aspires to become an elementary school teacher "It helped me a lot because it allowed me to be able to buy all my materials during school and also just cover me with the stuff I knew I needed," said Diaz students must be graduating from high school Students must also submit a letter of recommendation and a short essay describing their personal or professional goals "We want for folks to come with that authentic voice and share with us what your story is and what your vision is for your life and speak from that place of truth is really what we're looking for," said Calderon and eligible students are encouraged to apply through May 1st The winners of the scholarship will be honored at a special banquet; the time and location are to be announced at a later time The Arvin community has been outraged over an incident involving a dog allegedly being sexually assaulted and the community has since been pressing law enforcement to act the Arvin Police Department released a statement saying that they are aware of the public concern surrounding the investigation into this case and that they will continue to follow their protocol through the investigation With the status of the investigation still unclear Eyewitness News contacted several local law enforcement agencies the Kern County District Attorney’s Office The Kern County Sheriff’s Office told us they have not been contacted to assist in this case The Arvin Police Department confirmed that the statement posted to the City of Arvin’s Facebook account was in regard to the dog incident and said that they’d completed their investigation The DA’s office said they expect to be complete with processing the case on Tuesday and will then decide if any charges will be filed The Arvin Police Department also strongly discourages the public from taking matters into their own hands (KBAK/KBFX) — A group of students at Arvin High School staged a walkout at the end of lunch today The walkout was meant to protest the recent ICE raids and deportations through-out California The demonstration was organized by students and the school implemented protocols to ensure the safety and well-being of participants Kern High-School District Public Information Officer said parents were informed about the situation "Regarding information you received about a lockout and not letting students back into classrooms is false Any student who left had the opportunity to return to class." Arvin High School stressed the importance of instructional time and school safety The school stated that student absences resulting from the walkout would be handled according to the district's attendance protocols (KERO) — Arvin city officials voted to terminate the city's contract with City Attorney Nathan Hodges during Tuesday's City Council Meeting Following a very critical report by the Kern County Grand Jury the city council here in Arvin took action Tuesday night and FIRED its city attorney "This Grand Jury Report was released on Monday February 10th," said Arvin Mayor Olivia Calderon Arvin city officials reviewed the report's findings and recommendations with the community during Tuesday's City Council Meeting the issues and the challenges are grave," stated Mayor Calderon One of the key findings reported by the Grand Jury indicates that city attorney Nathon Hodges had been "billing the city in excess of the contracted amounts." Further the city council was not doing its due diligence in reviewing those charges until recently elected Mayor Calderon made it a public issue "I've always said that a problem isn't a problem when there's a solution," said Arvin Resident Salvador Gomez I want to invite you to lead the council and see what is required to cancel any kind of contract we have with the attorney." "I don't understand why poor Arvin would pay the City Attorney over $400,000 a year when the CEO of the county of Kern doesn't get that and the city attorney of Bakersfield doesn't get that," said Former Bakersfield Councilman Mark Salvaggio the council voted to terminate its contract with Nathan Hodges— voting three to one— with Councilman Donny Horton being the only one who opposed quote—"The reason I voted not to terminate the attorney's contract was because I thought we should wait until we hired a firm full-time so there would be no chance for the city to be unrepresented we only have 30 days to overlook the proposals and agree as a council to hire a full-time firm." Fired City Attorney Nathan Hodges did not address the city council but he issued this statement after his dismissal "I am grateful for the opportunity I have had to work with the City for the past three and a half years and have enjoyed helping them grow and make positive changes I wish the community the best of luck in the future," said Hodges The city is now reviewing applications from potential firms as they seek to hire a new city attorney Hodges's last day serving the City of Arvin is April 10th 30 days from the council's decision to terminate his contract (KERO) — The Arvin City Council has been governing without a complete quorum since August 2024 A recent Kern County Grand Jury Report revealed that the City of Arvin could not govern efficiently as it did not have a complete quorum the council is scheduled to make an important decision that may change that following the resignation of Council Member Juan Murillo in August 2024 "The City Council failed in its duty to either appoint a replacement for the Council vacancy "The council has five members," stated Arvin Mayor Olivia Calderon "You already had two appointed members so if the appointment would've resulted in a majority of the members thereby appointment you cannot appoint." Leaving the council with only one option—to call for a special election Mayor Calderon said the city set aside 30 thousand dollars She also says they are working with the Kern County Elections Office to follow the recommendations from the Grand Jury the special election will be held on August 26th "What we've been told is that the August election is a mail-in election and that's according to the election's office at the county," said Mayor Calderon At the city's next council meeting on Tuesday the council is scheduled to vote on whether to hold an all-mail ballot special election A decision that some residents say is critical as the lack of a complete quorum has affected the council's efficiency "It's slowed down some of the changes that the city requires It's obviously become a problem because if the council can't make a unanimous vote no decision can be made," explained Arvin Resident Elvia Duran While many can agree that a complete council is required to govern effectively there's debate on whether a mail-in election is the best option The city attorney was way over billing our city we don't have that much money to begin with and the sooner we get people elected the sooner we can have a fuller and unified council," said Arvin Resident Rene Garcia "This is where I think corruption comes in because we've had a lot of people running this city before for a position that did a lot of ballot gathering by having parties once the people are there they fill out their absentee ballots and that's how they get into a position by winning," said another resident Ramon Gracia Mayor Calderon encourages residents to attend the council meeting on Tuesday (KERO) — With increased border patrol presence in the county some Arvin residents say people fear leaving their homes As Border Patrol officials continue to be seen throughout the county worry spreads among residents in places like Arvin it’s causing many people to fear leaving their homes With the Border Patrol enforcement operation seemingly getting closer to Arvin city limits business owner Eli Perez tells me the community has become almost like a ghost town The stores are practically dead," said Perez Though border patrol presence has yet to be reported inside the city limits multiple units were seen just miles away on Wednesday morning Witnesses at the Shell gas station located on Comanche Drive just off Highway 58 say border patrol detained a man who was in the area Though they preferred to remain off camera employees at the gas station say that business has been slower than usual since the news broke about the operation And they’re not the only ones noticing that change Lots of people usually come here in the morning to buy lunch not that many people came," said Antonio Gomez "I would say about 70 percent of our usual customers weren’t here." Though the border patrol claims it is targeting individuals suspected of smuggling not everyone is convinced that is the case They’re going to be targeting just one community and I think that’s where the problem is this seems like a race thing now," said Perez To show their support towards those being affected the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno issued this statement on Wednesday “The Catholic Diocese of Fresno prays for all of those affected by the Border Patrol detentions in and around Kern County.” “We invite individuals in need of immigration services to reach out to our Catholic Charities office in Bakersfield.” "The solution to the problem is not to deport people instead I think we need to take care of our people," said Gomez "The labor of the Latino community is the engine that keeps California and our entire nation running." Know Your Right Community Town Hall Meetings are continuing to be held throughout the county There is one scheduled to take place on Thursday at 6 pm at the Bakersfield College Campus in Delano ARVIN, Calif. — The Arvin City Council remains divided over how to fill a vacant fifth council member seat following a contentious meeting on Tuesday night The council was split on whether to hold a special election in August with Mayor Olivia Calderon and Council Member Jaime Perez voting in favor while Council Members Susan Reyes and Donny Horton opposed The seat has been vacant since July 2024, and city staff had suggested a special election in hopes to quickly fill the seat. RELATED: Arvin City Council meeting canceled due to lack of quorum "If the fifth city council seat remains empty for an extended period of time it could lead to a lack of representation for the community." "The issues that are facing our city are glaring and they demand that we take action," she said I asked Calderon what was causing a divide between the members understanding the rationale for why there would be this continued delay and allow for the city to be at risk," she said she voted against having a special election because she's concerned that this approach could disenfranchise voters who may face difficulties with the mail-in process "There is a special election scheduled for November which will provide a more inclusive opportunity for voters to participate." Calderon highlighted progress in other areas including a $5 million grant from the State Water Board to repair the city's wastewater treatment plant "I'm really thrilled that we're going to start doing those repairs this summer," she said Calderon remains optimistic about the city's future that the greatest disinfectant is sunshine and that whenever we're all in here in community that as we're working through these issues right now but as we're working through these issues For updates on the city, community events, and local businesses in Arvin, Calderon encourages everyone to follow their Facebook page, Arvin in Action. (KERO) — “A City with Growing Pains” is how a recent Grand Jury Report describes the City of Arvin and it is also critical of certain city practices A just-released Grand Jury report is critical of financial practices in Arvin That report also points to several issues it says the city needs to address Some of those findings by the Kern County Grand Jury include the city's poor infrastructure regarding its roads and sidewalks the council's failure to appoint or replace a vacancy on the city council or to call for a special election Is the charges to the city by city attorney Nathan Hodges All of these concerns are no strangers to Arvin Mayor Olivia Calderon voiced the same concerns at City Council meetings The issues that the grand jury report has now made public are concerns that I have been expressing for some time now." The Grand Jury takes the city council to task for failing to closely examine the billing by the city attorney "The lack of scrutiny of billings from the Outside Law Group has resulted in the payment of invoices that are billed in excess of the contracted amounts." Nathan Hodges was hired on a temporary basis and is not full-time The mayor has since requested that the city begin accepting bids to hire a full-time city attorney I am going to ensure that when it comes to our public funds—our taxpayer dollars—that we're being responsible," said Calderon for basic services that could be assigned to paralegals at the cost of 115 dollars per hour the city has to pay the attorney 260 dollars an hour "We have a small budget here in the City of Arvin It's an eight million dollar budget and the needs are great," said Calderon The report also highlights some of the city's accomplishments Among those is the Police Department's focus on community policing which has reportedly decreased the city's crime statistics The city has also been recognized for its Transit Department and its ability to convert its bus fleet to fully electric The city now has 60 to 90 days to respond to the report preventing the council from reaching a quorum and conducting official business The absence of Reyes and Horton meant the council could not address pressing issues outlined in a recent grand jury report which highlighted challenges in infrastructure Because the challenges we are facing are great," Calderon said She expressed frustration over an open city council seat which she attributed to past leadership's failure to act leading to potential meeting cancellations "The last council failed to follow the law Failed to call a special election," Calderon said She emphasized the importance of holding a special election to fill the vacancy such as a drop in crime and a transition to an all-electric bus fleet Calderon and Perez faced tough questions from community members about the absence of their colleagues To apologize to each and every one of you," Calderon said KGET 17 News States with the most strict DUI laws - info from Nolo 1 dead at construction site in west Bakersfield Digital Addiction: The time spent in front of cellphone screens has 'rewired' modern childhood Jason Kayser was supposed to be on that plane—until he was pulled off moments before takeoff A breakdown of some common misunderstood or misused gun terms President Trump’s idea to reopen Alcatraz as a functioning prison is a reflection of his political instincts and personal tastes even as it is a long shot to come to fruition the island located off the coast of San Francisco was closed as a prison in 1963 and has since been turned into a public museum The excessive cost to operate Alcatraz was the driving factor in its closure as a prison the City of Arvin is hosting this year's Christmas Parade This comes after the City's Chamber of Commerce announced they were canceling it this year After rumors going around about the Arvin Christmas Parade being canceled this year city officials say plans are well underway officials are saying the parade will also have a new route The Arvin Christmas Parade was started by the city's Chamber of Commerce years ago but canceled in 2020 because of the pandemic the chamber announced it would not be held playing Santa Claus and hosting the parade this year "We have a profound responsibility to continue to get the kids involved and this is one of those family traditions we want to keep alive," said Arvin's Human and Community Resources Manager Megan Miller one of the organizations participating in the parade "The more things we can do as a community and community engagement all together is always a positive thing," said Look Angela Look says it's events like these that unite people "It's part of the beauty of a small town it's these kinds of activities and get-togethers when everybody comes out just like the annual night out and all those different things," said Dr "It's part of what drew us to Arvin—part of what I love about being in a small community." Snyder says the parade would take place on the city's main street she says the parade will take an alternative route starting from the Arvin Police Department making its way down Meyer Street Snyder encourages any organizations interested in participating in the parade to contact the city by calling (661) 972-6945 or emailing PIO@Arvin.org "It's a long-standing history and it's one of those traditions that Arvin doesn't want to lose," stated Snyder The parade is scheduled to take place on Saturday (KBAK/KBFX) — The PG&E website reports there is an ongoing power outage affecting areas in Arvin PG&E said the outage was first reported on November 17 86 customers are currently affected by the outage The estimated time of power to be restored is around 5:30 p.m The Arvin Police Department said on a post on Facebook they are aware of the ongoing power outage The police department said they encourage residents to remain cautious and to avoid unnecessary travel near downed power lines The Arvin Police Department also said they are aggressively patrolling the affected areas to ensure public safety (KBAK/KBFX) — No one was hurt after an Arvin High student pulled out a knife during an incident Wednesday afternoon A message was sent out to parents on the incident saying no staff members or students were hurt They reminded parents that “Weapons are not tolerated on Arvin High’s campus appropriate law enforcement and disciplinary action has been taken.” Officials with the Kern High School District did not release additional details on the incident The message said disciplinary action had been taken (KERO) — Some Arvin residents claim that the city attorney is overcharging the city Mayor Olivia Calderon is saying she’s doing her part to ensure the city is being mindful of its taxpayer dollars Some residents in Arvin have been raising concerns claiming that the city attorney is overcharging the city "We haven’t approved this invoice at this point," said Mayor Calderon at Tuesday night's city council meeting I’m the new mayor here and I know that the city has hired us to do our due diligence and to be able to get clarity on how we’re spending our tax dollars." Mayor Calderon motioned to hold off on signing payment for city attorney Nathan Hodges Calderon says she is listening to public concerns about high payments made to Hodge's and she questions some of his billings to the city the city’s budget for legal services is about 240 thousand dollars I want to say it’s about 150–160 percent of the budget." Though Mayor Calderon did not discuss what items on the invoice she had questions about she requested to delay the payment of his invoice until she discussed those charges with the city attorney A request that Vice Mayor Susana Reyes was not fully convinced of so I was just thinking if you are okay with certain items “The City Attorney’s check has been held since January 2 this practice could damage the city's operational efficiency and create a cycle of deficiency and mistrust between the city and its vendors,” end quote the city council voted to delay paying the charges Calderon had questions about until she discussed those charges with the city attorney what would happen then is it would go back to the city council and they would vote whether or not to pay that particular item so it would ultimately be the decision of the council whether to pay an item or not," said Jones Calderon also directed the City Manager to begin a Request for Proposal process to hire a full-time city attorney the city adopted a resolution and hired Hodges as an interim city attorney —a period that the resolution says was not to exceed six months or until a permanent city attorney was hired Since the city has not gone through that process Calderon asked that action be taken to hire a full-time permanent city attorney 23ABC reached out to Hodges for a comment on both items discussed at the meeting but have not received a response by news time Calderon says she plans to meet with both the City Attorney and the Vice Mayor to go over her questions early next week Arvin High School students demonstrated their love for the community by giving back to those in need Arvin High School's Honor Society showed their love by giving back to the community Students came out to the Arvin Navigation Center (ANC) to deliver gifts to those struggling with homelessness A Blanket," said one of the guests at the ANC as he opened his gift Arvin High School students distributed backpacks filled with socks and hygiene kits to those who often visit the navigation center "We chose to give back to those at the navigation center because we noticed that there are about 20 to 30 homeless people here in Arvin which is a crazy amount considering how small the town is so there's obviously a need here," said President of the National Honor Society Esmeralda Ramos this experience is representative of the community that the group is trying to cultivate in Arvin She adds that they are thankful for being able to put the event together and for being able to let the individuals at the navigation center know that they are loved and cared for "Their reactions honestly made everything worth it," said Ramos "I thought it was so nice to see them like——I'm sorry." the students gifted them Valentine's Day Cards that they created with special messages We hope you have a wonderful day.' For others we had bible scriptures and just quotes we thought they needed to hear and that we wanted to give to them," said Vice President of the National Honor Society Kelly Velazquez the students bonded with the homeless by serving them food and playing games with them The honors society says they will continue their efforts to work alongside the community and make events like this one an annual tradition The City of Arvin is increasing their sewer rates for a second consecutive year This increase is part of a series of annual adjustments that started in 2024 If you're a home or business owner in Arvin you can expect to see an increase in how much your paying for sewer services And this is only the second increase of a series of annual adjustments the City of Arvin implemented new sewer rates as a series of annual adjustments that will last through 2028 it's called Proposition 218 to do this every five years," stated Arvin City Manager Jeff Jones there was an increase of $77 and on July 1st residents will see another increase of $78 "Our rates are needed to be increased for infrastructure and major repairs in the city," said Jones "The plant was last upgraded in 1998 so we have a lot of parts the city's last sewer rate increase was in 2017 he says an increase was necessary to keep up with inflation what's not sitting well with some residents is that single family homes are being charged at the same rate as businesses Only on the days we open and it's mainly just for the restroom and sink but both aren't used as much," said Arvin Resident and Homeowner Mar Quintero Quintero has been a home and business owner in Arvin for 18 years and says she doesn't agree that the community is being charged a flat fee regardless of usage "Most of the businesses here don't open every day of the week There's also some residents that aren't here most of the time Something that Jones says their third-party consultant considering that some businesses may use more water than a household "They should've looked at capacities for businesses versus residential so if you have a business that uses a lot of water that should've been tiered a little bit differently," said Jones Jones says the city will conduct a new study to determine future adjustments Arvin city council to decide on special elections (KBAK/KBFX) — The Kern County Library has announced that the Arvin Branch Library will undergo significant renovations thanks to the Building Forward Library Infrastructure Grant from the California State Library The library will be temporarily closed from April 8 The $205,052 grant will fund life-safety upgrades and critical maintenance to enhance the library's infrastructure The project will address key facility needs The Arvin Branch Library is one of many Kern County libraries benefiting from the Building Forward initiative a statewide effort aimed at modernizing and preserving library facilities the California State Library allocated $439 million in one-time funds to address essential maintenance and safety needs in public libraries During the closure, library patrons are encouraged to visit the Lamont Branch Library, access online resources, and utilize digital services. The digital library collection remains accessible 24/7 to all Kern County residents, offering eBooks, eAudiobooks, streaming content, and more at kernlibrary.org/elibrary.