BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — The recent closure of the 7-Eleven on Roberts Lane and Chester Avenue has Oildale residents questioning the state of businesses in the area.
23ABC posted in the Facebook group "You know you're from Oildale when" asking residents how they are feeling regarding the state of businesses in the area.
"I’m more upset with the N. Chester branch of Chase Bank closing. Too many businesses are closing in Oildale. It is very inconvenient to have to go to other areas to do regular business. Especially with the price of gas," one commenter said.
"I'm upset about Chase Bank closing on North Chester. Wendy's, Del Taco, of course, Rite Aid. Everything in Oildale is closing," another commenter said.
We reached out to a handful of people to speak on camera, but I was not able to lock down an interview.
On Thursday afternoon, we sat down with District 3 County Supervisor Jeff Flores to discuss the state of the area. Flores said when oil permitting was cut off, it had economic ripple effects in the region, but recent business openings and the reintroduction of permitting are making him look forward positively.
"When you don't issue permits for 10 years, and the state cracks down on oil, the number one, one of the biggest you know, jobs in business, for the economy, for county services and jobs. You know that hurts people shopping. It hurts people shopping at restaurants, buying cars, and frequenting the business district. So all of that has an effect, but luckily, and fortunately, we've turned the page on that. We have a local ordinance. We're back in the permitting game, so I'm cautiously optimistic," Flores said.
Commenters also brought up the unhoused population and drug use, limiting business owners' desire to open up shop in the area.
Flores said the county is working on the issue and noted that it is partnering with a local nonprofit to provide even more services in the area.
"The county has just hired Open Door Network to work on outreach with outreach teams proactively in Oildale. Starting in June, they're going to go out and try to get people connected to services," Flores said.
Flores noted that if residents of Oildale have an issue they want to bring to the county’s attention, they can download and report it on the My Kern app.
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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