BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — More than a dozen residents spoke at Wednesday's Bakersfield City Council meeting, urging council members to preserve the city's tree canopy as the council approved a one-year extension of its tree trimming contract.
The council approved the extension with Rancho Tree Service on a 5-to-1 vote, increasing the contract's total value to up to $1.4 million for continued tree trimming, pruning and removal services at city properties.
Speaker after speaker urged city leaders to do more to protect mature trees, arguing they provide shade, improve air quality, and help combat Bakersfield's extreme summer heat.
"You can't butcher our community, because that's what you're doing when you butcher the trees, you're butchering our community. The shade we can walk under, where our children can play, where seniors can walk, in the summertime," a public speaker said.
The debate over trees also spilled into the city's proposed budget discussions. Several residents criticized what they called a mismatch in priorities, noting the proposed budget would dedicate nearly half of the city's general fund to the police department while parks and tree-related investments receive a much smaller share.
"I'm seeing on the east side where you guys are cutting the trees so severely they're dying," a public speaker said.
Councilmember Andrae Gonzales said he wants to continue addressing concerns raised by residents before the budget is finalized, while Councilmember Eric Arias argued the city should make a larger investment in neighborhoods with little tree coverage. Gonzales abstained from the contract vote.
City Manager Christian Clegg pushed back on claims that the city isn't prioritizing trees, saying Bakersfield has adopted recommendations from its Tree Advisory Group, added arborist reviews before removals, and planted more trees than it has removed.
"Trees are absolutely getting a priority in policy and in funding that they haven't historically," Clegg said.
Vice Mayor Manpreet Kaur, who voted against the contract extension, said residents' frustrations highlight a need for stronger action, including exploring new protections for mature trees.
"Whoever comes and advocates, it's falling on deaf ears if we're not actually doing something. We're spending money to trim trees, where we could be spending the same money planting those trees," Kaur said.
The proposed city budget is expected to return for final adoption at the June 24 council meeting.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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