KernLife.com

larger view

Bakersfield City Government
The seven-member Bakersfield City Council meets on two Wednesdays of each month (except once in July or August and once in December) at 5:15 and 6:30 p.m. in Bakersfield City Hall, 1501 Truxtun Ave. There is a closed session of the council between the two sessions. The main portion of the business is conducted at the 6:30 p.m. session. The council is served by a city staff that makes reports and recommendations on issues brought before the council. However, it is the council's prerogative whether or not to act upon those recommendations. The city's mayor is an elected, but largely ceremonial, position. He only votes to break a tie.

Mayor
Harvey Hall, owner of Hall Ambulance. Term ends in January 2009. 326-3770.

City Council members
Council members can be reached through Bakersfield City Hall, 1501 Truxtun Ave., 93301, 326-3767, city_council@bakersfieldcity.us.

• Ward 1: Irma Carson, retired, 325-4327. Term ends December 2010.

• Ward 2: Sue Benham, chief development officer at Bakersfield Memorial Hospital, 325-8273. Term ends December 2008.

• Ward 3: Ken Weir, certified public accountant, 619-2472. Term expires December 2010.

• Ward 4: David Couch, financial consultant, 328-7611. Term ends December 2010.

• Ward 5: Harold Hanson, banker, 664-9241. Term ends December 2008.

• Ward 6: Jacquie Sullivan, property owner, 834-4943. Term ends December 2008.

• Ward 7: Zack Scrivner, staffer for Assemblywoman Jean Fuller, 304-4065. Term ends December 2010.
 

The City of Bakersfield provides a rich explanation for the form of government exercised on a local level, should you wish to explore the way our local government functions in more depth.