BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Bakersfield’s Clean City initiative has become a key part of downtown cleanup efforts in recent years, employing people experiencing homelessness while providing sanitation and outreach services across the city.
But some downtown business owners say they have recently noticed changes in how the program operates.
David Brust, owner of Roosters Cantina on 19th Street, said cleanup crews play an important role in maintaining the area, particularly after busy weekends.
“Typically, when we come in on a Monday, we’ll find trash all straight out in the alley,” Brust said. “Sometimes you can’t even drive by.”
He said crews working through the Clean City program often handle a wide range of debris and sanitation issues.
“Everything from boxes and furniture to human feces — they come down and clean it all up and do a great job,” Brust said.
The program has become a staple for many downtown businesses, which rely on regular cleanups to help maintain safe and welcoming streets.
“Downtown would be a lot more difficult for business owners if the streets weren’t cleaned by these teams,” Brust said.
City officials say the program itself is not being reduced, but reorganized.
Bakersfield City Manager Christian Clegg said the city continues to invest more than $1 million annually into Clean City services and that the recent changes are intended to improve efficiency.
“We’re still investing more than a million dollars a year, and we’re still doing Clean Cities, and our service level impacts are intended not to change,” Clegg said. “But we’re organizing the work just a little bit differently.”
According to Clegg, the program expanded significantly over the years, growing from just a few partner organizations to more than 10 cleanup teams operating throughout the city.
As part of the restructuring, the city streamlined contracts and adjusted how some services are delivered.
For example, biohazard cleanup services are now handled through a separate contract, while pressure-washing services for downtown businesses have been reduced from five days per week to three.
“One of the important services that has been available to our downtown businesses has been pressure washing in front of their businesses,” Clegg said. “That used to be available five days a week. That’s now available three days a week.”
The city has also shifted how the program is funded. Clean City operations are now supported by county landfill fee revenue rather than Bakersfield’s Public Safety and Vital Services tax.
Clegg said the change allows the city to use landfill revenue for sanitation-related work while freeing up tax dollars for other priorities.
“We can take that money that’s intended for this type of purpose of cleaning up and fund our Clean Cities teams from there,” Clegg said. “That frees up the Public Safety Vital Services tax for other high-priority things like public safety.”
Today, the city spends just under $2 million annually on Clean City efforts, including biohazard cleanup services.
For business owners like Brust, the program remains a critical part of keeping downtown clean and welcoming.
“We want downtown to be inviting, and we want people to come downtown Bakersfield,” he said. “The truth of the matter is, as downtown goes, the rest of the city of Bakersfield will go.”
City officials say about 70 to 80 people are currently employed through the program, providing cleanup services across Bakersfield.
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