BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Dozens of passionate animal advocates filled the Kern County Board of Supervisors chambers on Tuesday to oppose a proposed ban on feeding wild animals in public parks and county buildings without a permit.
The proposed ordinance would target cats, raccoons, foxes, skunks, and more. County officials argue the ordinance is meant to protect feral cats, claiming feeding creates known spots that can fuel pet abandonment.
But the public pushed back hard — and it worked.
Kern County Supervisor Leticia Perez addressed the crowd following the meeting.
"You were so powerful today, and you're so important, and you were so effective today that were gonna create a special committee to hear from you," Perez said.
Some speakers argued the ban could have legal consequences.
"It is a state crime to deprive any animal of necessary sustenance," Kathleen Collins said.
Others got emotional making their case.
"Feeding is essential," Lisa Rigdon said.
Opponents also warned the ban could backfire — actually driving stray populations even higher.
"The people doing the abandoning across Kern County need to have consequences, not the people of those who are taking care of those abandoned," Dixie Walters said.
Others argued the permit process itself would undermine efforts to manage stray populations.
"Feeding is essential to gain cats' trust for TNR, reunification with owners, and rehoming. Especially for recently abandoned non-feral cats and kittens, creating a permit process would only delay and deter these efforts," Annette Givens said.
With the new committee, the goal is to meet the needs of both the county and volunteers, as well as the stray animals of Kern County.
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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