Poll: Homelessness, safety top of mind for local voters

A recent poll of 300 registered voters in Kern County shows clear support for increased efforts to address homelessness and public safety.

The poll, conducted by the Greater Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce Political Action Committee, seeks to inform the chamber as the city prepares to vote on the budget for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1.

Notably, after more than a year of lockdowns and high unemployment, the poll showed higher than usual frustration with not only the state government, but local government as well.

“Voters are frustrated with government at all levels,” Nick

Ortiz, president and CEO of the chamber, wrote in an email to The Californian. “Historically, voters dislike what is happening in the state and national capitols but feel positive about their local governments. This is an opportunity for our local government partners to demonstrate that they can solve problems and work collaboratively, in contrast to what we sometimes see in Sacramento and D.C.”

The political action committee, known by its acronym, BAKPAC, will use the poll to inform its advocacy work moving forward, especially for Measure N spending. BAKPAC has conducted four polls in just over a year, only releasing this one to the public.

“Our takeaways are that voters in Kern County and Bakersfield are clear about their priorities — they want government to focus on (and fund) efforts to improve public safety, decrease homelessness and boost the economy,” Ortiz said. “We recognize that our local governments have broad responsibilities, we just want our leaders

to be aware of voter sentiment as we head into local budgeting processes.”

Poll respondents skewed conservative, according to demographic information recorded as part of the process, and nearly two-thirds reported an income of $50,000 or more. People who identified as white or Hispanic/ Latino comprised the vast majority of responses.

A breakdown of the results can be seen below.

MEASURE N

Overall, 45 percent of voters approve of the use of Measure N funds compared to a 29 percent disapproval rate. In terms of prioritizing those dollars, 79 percent of voters want Measure N addressing homelessness, according to poll results. BAKPAC said that 41 percent of voters wanted Measure N funding directed toward public safety, particularly the hiring of additional police officers. After that, voters prioritized improving streetscapes and crosswalks (27.6 percent), revitalizing Old Town Kern and downtown Bakersfield (18 percent), and improving local parks (18.5 percent).

RIGHT TRACK/WRONG TRACK

Voters appear frustrated with the direction of California, with 59.8 percent saying the state is on the wrong track while just 31 percent said it’s headed in the right direction. According to BAKPAC, this sentiment is also carried to the local levels of government although with less intensity. In Kern County, 41 percent of voters feel it’s heading in the wrong direction and 31 percent said it’s doing OK. In Bakersfield, 43.9 percent of voters say the city is off on the wrong track, and 23.6 percent say it’s trending the right way. BAKPAC said while a previous poll showed voters are generally satisfied with local government, quality of life appears to be the basis of their current frustration.

TOP ISSUES FACING KERN COUNTY

Voters stated their top concerns in Kern County are reducing homelessness (38 percent), reducing crime and increasing public safety (36 percent), and creating jobs and fixing the economy (32 percent). Voters also feel reopening schools (25 percent) and protecting the local oil and gas industry (22 percent) were top priorities. Revitalizing downtown Bakersfield and Old Town Kern was not nearly as critical to voters as some of the issues listed above, according to BAKPAC.

LOCAL ECONOMIC CONDITIONS

Over a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, 44 percent of voters said they’re no better or worse off in their personal economic situation than they were a year ago. Eighty percent of voters also said they believed that increasing access to housing is critical in terms of curbing homelessness. Housing affordability was seen as a bigger obstacle than availability although many believe it’s a mix of both, according to poll results.

OTHER ISSUES

More than half of the voters supported the recall against Gov. Gavin Newsom (58 percent yes, 36 percent no). Voters are split when it comes to high-speed rail (37 percent support, 41 percent oppose, 15.8 percent neither). The main reasons people appear to support high-speed rail is because they view it as good for the environment and convenient. Those in opposition cited the cost to taxpayers as the primary drawback.