BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — The Kern County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday opposed a retroactive occupancy agreement with Bakersfield Recovery Services to provide services at the Family Justice Center through March 2028, following months of controversy surrounding the center’s leadership and partnerships.
The vote marked the latest development in an ongoing dispute tied to the Family Justice Center and the District Attorney’s Office decision earlier this year to end its partnership with the Open Door Network.
Documents obtained by 23ABC from the District Attorney’s Office through a public records request included hundreds of emails related to the transition at the Family Justice Center, including communications between prosecutors, advocates and Bakersfield Recovery Services officials.
The District Attorney’s Office previously said it would not renew its contract with Open Door Network due to ethical concerns and disagreements over public comments made about active criminal cases. Open Door Network denied those allegations, arguing the organization was pushed out after speaking publicly about several high-profile cases, including one involving District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer’s nephew and former Kern County Supervisor Zack Scrivner.
During Tuesday’s meeting, Supervisors David Couch, Philip Peters and Jeff Flores recused themselves from the vote after disclosures that they had accepted campaign contributions from entities connected to Bakersfield Recovery Services.
Because of the recusals, the county clerk conducted a random drawing to determine which supervisors would participate in the vote despite the conflicts. Supervisors Flores and Chris Parlier were selected to join Peters in voting on the issue.
District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer addressed the matter publicly for the first time during the meeting, saying the agreement was necessary to allow a confidential case manager to work onsite at the Family Justice Center.
“That confidential case manager would be on site at the Family Justice Center,” Zimmer said. “Right now, that case manager is currently employed but is working off site because there requires board approval to be on site.”
Zimmer also defended the county’s process for selecting Bakersfield Recovery Services, saying the organization was chosen through what she described as a competitive and transparent process.
“We followed those rules and followed the advice, scrupulously by the county council, and it was a competitive, fair, and open process, in which nonprofits were asked to apply for this position of confidential cases manager at the Family Justice Center,” Zimmer said.
However, Bakersfield Recovery Services was the only organization to apply.
According to county documents included in the sole-source vendor justification, the county stated the organization would allow the Family Justice Center to “maintain confidential case management.”
Among the emails obtained by 23ABC were exchanges between Assistant District Attorney Ken Russell and Open Door Network CEO Lauren Skidmore. In those emails, Russell asked Skidmore not to comment publicly on active criminal cases, citing professional conduct rules limiting what attorneys can say about ongoing proceedings.
Additional emails showed similar language used previously in a June 30, 2025, exchange between Russell and Carla Pearson, an advocate with Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
Other emails between Russell and Bakersfield Recovery Services CEO Ganesh Archarya outlined operational needs at the Family Justice Center following Open Door Network’s departure. Russell wrote that the District Attorney’s Victim Services Unit could help train Bakersfield Recovery Services staff “on the skills necessary to operate as a nonprofit for those grants.”
Russell also identified services the center needed assistance with, including confidential case management, emergency shelter and housing, counseling and 24-hour response services for law enforcement and medical facilities.
After Archarya accepted the proposal, Russell responded in an email, “Thank you again and I think this will be a big bonus for both organizations.”
Supervisor Leticia Perez was absent from Tuesday’s meeting. Following the random selection process, Parlier and Flores voted in favor of the agreement, while Peters voted against it. Because the vote was not unanimous, the motion failed.
Peters said his decision was based on concerns raised by members of the public.
“As an elected official, I have a responsibility not only to ensure continuity of services, but also to safeguard public trust in the institutions that serve our community,” Peters said in a statement during the meeting. “In weighing one against the other, the concerns brought up repeatedly by the public outweighed the benefit of approving the proposed lease agreement at this time. Victim services are still being provided, and all parties involved will now have the opportunity to engage further and determine a path forward that works for everyone."
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