BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — The deaths of several Kern County children in recent years, including 8-year-old Genesis Mata, have reignited community concerns about the county’s child welfare system and prompted an independent audit of Child Protective Services.
Community listening sessions tied to the audit began this week, following years of calls from residents and family members seeking answers about how abuse reports were handled before the children died.
Genesis Mata died last year after authorities say her father and stepmother tortured and killed her, despite allegations that multiple reports had been made to Child Protective Services beforehand. Years earlier, the disappearance and deaths of Orrin and Orson West — also known as Classic and Cincere Pettus — raised similar concerns about oversight within the agency.
Those cases, along with others, led residents to demand accountability from county leaders, prompting the Kern County Board of Supervisors to authorize an independent review of CPS.
Among those still seeking answers is Brendia Pettus, the paternal grandmother of Orrin and Orson West, whose case drew national attention.
“It bothers me so bad,” Pettus said. “It goes through my mind, how, why the CPS — why they didn’t turn them over to us.”
The West boys were removed from their biological mother’s home in 2016 and 2017 and later placed with adoptive parents Trezell and Jacqueline West, who were eventually convicted of murder in the children’s deaths.
Pettus said she repeatedly asked CPS to place the boys with her, noting she had previously raised other grandchildren.
“She asked CPS, ‘Please, please give them to me,’” Pettus's attorney Geoffrey A. Neri said.
Recent child abuse cases have reopened old wounds for Pettus, including the killing of Andres Perez Jr., who authorities say was killed by his foster mother last year, and Mata’s death, which spurred the CPS investigation.
The audit is being conducted by the Social Policy Institute at San Diego State University. Lori Clarke, the institute’s director, said the goal of the community cafés is to hear directly from residents about their experiences with the system.
“We’re here to hear directly from the community — to understand concerns, what’s working, and what needs improvement,” Clarke said.
Clarke said the review will result in recommendations rather than enforcement actions but emphasized the importance of candid public feedback.
Although Pettus no longer lives in California, she said she hopes the process leads to meaningful change.
“If the system can make sure that they have been educated first — to have patience, to have love, to have kindness,” Pettus said. “If we can get a system that’s built on that, not only just the foster parents, but the foster system.”
Pettus previously filed a lawsuit against Kern County and CPS over the placement of her grandchildren in the West home. A judge dismissed the initial suit, citing lack of legal standing because the children had been legally adopted. Her attorney has since filed an appeal, with a hearing scheduled for May.
Despite years of legal setbacks, Pettus said she remains hopeful.
“I don’t know. I really don’t know,” she said. “I want it to for babies, for children. They’re innocent.”
Clarke said the Department of Human Services has so far been cooperative during the review. The audit is expected to take up to six months, with findings anticipated to be released in the spring.
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