BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — The Bakersfield City Council decided Wednesday night to continue leasing the historic Sumner Station from Union Pacific for another year. Still, at least one council member believes the city should walk away from the costly preservation project.
Ward 6 Council Member Zach Bashirtash said he opposes continuing the lease, which automatically renews on June 24, citing the city's budget constraints and other infrastructure needs.
"I love history, and I love the idea of preserving Bakersfield's history, but not at the expense of taxpayers," Bashirtash said. "I think if people are really passionate about something, they should pay for it, or find a way to raise the funds and pay for it, not put it on everyone else's burden."
The council directed city staff to continue negotiations with Union Pacific and return to the council at least 30 days before the June renewal date with an update. If talks continue to stall, terminating the lease remains an option.
Bashirtash criticized Union Pacific as an unreliable community partner, pointing to homeless encampments along railroad tracks and the company's lack of cooperation on the Sumner Station project.
"Union Pacific is not the best partner for our community," Bashirtash said. "They haven't been very helpful to our community."
The council member expressed frustration during Wednesday's meeting when discussing the city's approach to homelessness, arguing that current strategies are ineffective despite increased spending on cleanup efforts.
"The reports yesterday showed that we're cleaning up more trash and more encampments than we ever have been, and the historical numbers show that year over year it's continued to increase," Bashirtash said.
He advocated for the city's jail bed task force to create space to hold individuals accountable rather than continuing to spend money on cleanup efforts that don't address root causes.
Bashirtash, who campaigned on fiscal responsibility, said the city's unbalanced budget validates his concerns about spending priorities.
"This isn't a piggy bank that comes from the sky. This is taxpayer money, and we need to make sure it goes to benefiting all of our taxpayers," Schrader said.
The council will revisit the Sumner Station lease discussion in May, ahead of the June renewal deadline.
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