SHAFTER, Calif. -- In a city with more than a 25 percent unemployment rate, Shafter city officials said they are focusing their efforts on bringing more jobs to the area.

Shafter, like most cities in Kern County, is known for its agriculture industry, but city manager John Guinn said jobs in that area are still not enough.

That's why city officials are excited about two new companies coming into Shafter.

C-TEC is under construction right now and is slated to open in six months. Guinn said it will handle approximately $30 to $35 million a year in sales. The second company, California Paper, is considered a “green company” since it will make new paper out of waste paper. It is slated to begin construction in six months.

Guinn said those businesses will bring in about 85 jobs total and stimulate the local economy.

Guinn said the city is also installing a fiber optic project that is slated to bring the very best in technology and Internet capabilities to every business and home in Shafter.

He said since a portion of Shafter is in the 20th Congressional District, the poorest in the nation, city officials must take action now to help residents thrive in the future.