Governance Council Members

Governance Council and California Jobs First Structure

We extend our sincere appreciation to the members of the Governance Council for their dedicated participation in the California Jobs First initiative. Their contributions helped ensure that community perspectives were meaningfully reflected throughout the Catalyst Phase. The Governance Council fulfilled its responsibilities in September 2025.

Governance Council

Under the Community Economic Resilience Fund (CERF), each region was required to convene a Governance Council to support a community-centric planning process. As the state transitioned from CERF into California Jobs First (CJF), the emphasis broadened to include long-term economic resilience while continuing to value regional insight and community priorities. Within this transition, Kern’s Governance Council played an important role in ensuring that local perspectives informed early planning and supported the development of Kern’s strategic direction.We extend our sincere appreciation to the members of the Governance Council for their dedicated participation in the California Jobs First initiative. Their contributions helped ensure that community perspectives were meaningfully reflected throughout the Catalyst Phase. The Governance Council fulfilled its responsibilities in September 2025.

Regional Representation Across Kern County
‍The Governance Council served as a representative body reflecting the geographic and community diversity across the Kern Community College District service area. Members contributed insight grounded in the lived experiences of residents from Kern County’s rural, suburban, and urban communities. Their participation helped ensure that the California Jobs First initiative remained connected to regional priorities and the conditions identified throughout the planning process.This representation supported efforts to align emerging strategies with the goals of the Kern Regional Plan Part II, reinforcing the importance of place-based perspectives as the coalition transitioned from planning in Round I to action in the Catalyst Phase and into Implementation.

‍Community and Demographic Context
‍Council representation reflected the wide range of communities that make up Kern County, including areas shaped by agriculture, emerging clean-energy innovation, small-business activity, rural labor markets, metropolitan workforce centers, and multilingual, culturally diverse neighborhoods. This diversity helped ensure that the coalition considered the needs of communities experiencing economic transition, varying workforce conditions, and differing access to regional resources.

Organizational and Sector Representation
‍The Governance Council included representatives whose professional experience reflected sectors central to Kern County’s economic landscape. These sectors included:

Education and Workforce Development, contributing perspective on training access, learner needs, and regional skill-building efforts.
Community-Based and Social Impact Organizations, providing insight into equity, community engagement, and access to essential services.
Agriculture, Working Lands, and Water, reflecting the region’s rural economy and priorities identified in the Kern Regional Plan Part II.
Clean Energy and Emerging Technologies, offering perspective on economic diversification and workforce opportunities tied to regional transition.
Small Business and Local Economic Development, contributing understanding of local entrepreneurship, small employers, and place-based economic resilience.
Public Services and Community Infrastructure, supporting considerations related to regional access, service delivery, and community needs.

This broad organizational representation helped ensure balanced consideration of community priorities across sectors central to the Jobs First initiative.

Geographic Breadth Within the Service Area
‍The Governance Council included representation from communities located across the major sub-regions of the KCCD service area:

Northern Kern, including rural communities and agricultural hubs where working lands, ag-technology, and farmworker-centered needs are prominent.
Central Kern, including the metropolitan Bakersfield area where workforce training, education, logistics, and clean-energy sectors intersect.
Eastern Kern, including mountain and desert communities with unique access considerations and distinct regional economic assets.
Southern Kern, including small-town communities connected to renewable energy corridors, small-business development, and rural workforce opportunities.

This geographic diversity ensured that regional planning incorporated perspectives from across the full spectrum of Kern County communities.

Their service provided a strong foundation for the coalition’s transition from Round I through the Catalyst Phase and into forthcoming Implementation efforts.

Governance Council Roles and Responsibilities

Learn more about the Governance Council's roles and responsibilities throughout the Catalyst Phase. Gain insight into the roles and responsibilities of the Governance Council carried out throughout the Catalyst Phase in support of our shared work.

English

Governance Council Roles and Responsibilities (PDF)

Spanish

Consejo de Gobernanza Roles y Responsibilidades (PDF)

Governance Council Bylaws

Learn about the Governance Council's bylaws, codes of conduct and more.
Explore the Governance Council’s bylaws, codes of conduct, and additional resources below.

English

Governance Council Bylaws (PDF)

Spanish

Estatutos de Consejo de Gobernanza (PDF)

Governance Council Past Meetings Agendas and Meeting Minutes

To follow along with the work that the Governance Council is undertaking, view meeting agendas and minutes below: To learn more about the work previously carried out by the Governance Council, please explore the meeting agendas and minutes provided below.

North Subregion

The North Subregion is the area of Kern County north of Bakersfield, including Shafter, Wasco, McFarland, Delano and Lost Hills.

Representatives

Silvia Romano

Residence: North Kern

Experience: Silvia has been working with communities for approximately four years. The reason she engaged in leadership was the visible imbalance of equality and equity or farming, Indigenous, and communities of color. Silvia is interested in serving on the
governance council to get involved in the processes, help advance and achieve the objectives within the Kern Coalition, and learn how to ensure a balance when making decisions based on good judgment, honesty, and transparency.

Quote on Equity: "Equity consists of providing or creating conditions of opportunity for growth and development for all people and communities. For example, providing the tools they need, so that they can be equal, in terms of opportunities, work, distribution of resources and the development of power within the same communities."

Veronica Vasquez

Residence: North Kern

Experience: Veronica has been actively involved in Kern County since 2007. With her experience working at the county, Veronica has seen the needs that communities face.

Quote on Equity: "Equity is needed in our rural communities to meet the needs, and this is the type of program that is necessary to provide a fair playing field for all communities, especially our rural communities."

South Subregion

The South Subregion is the area of Kern County south of the 58 and east of the 99, including Greenfield, FullerAcres, Lamont, Weedpatch, Edmunson Acres and Arvin.

Representatives

Fredi Castrejon

Residence: South Kern

Experience: As a resident of South Kern for over 30 years, Fredi has been involved personally and professionally in advancing the region in community, economic and cultural development. Fredi has held leadership roles in various organizations, all working for the betterment of South Kern communities. Fredi believes he can be the voice for the South Kern region and help ensure that the benefits that CERF will bring will meaningfully and appropriately reach all corners of South Kern.

Quote on Equity: "As we now focus on regional economic and recovery transition, we finally have the opportunity, and resources, to re-think this broken system that disproportionately harmed South Kern families... I hope and believe that CERF can play a pivotal role in making this equitable future a reality across all of Kern, especially here in South Kern."

Cecilia Delgado

Residence: South Kern

Experience: Cecilia has been actively involved as a community organizer since May 2020. She is interested in serving on the governance council to represent the community she currently serves. Her goal is to bring forward the prevalent issues and needs the community faces, advocating for these concerns within the council to ensure that resident voices are heard and addressed effectively.

Quote on Equity: "Equity needs vary across Kern County areas. For instance, Bakersfield has more options for recovery transitions due to its diverse job market, and smaller towns lack such opportunities. The transition toward creating more jobs could foster the necessary change that benefits both the economy and the community."

Rosa Lopez

Residence: Central Kern

Experience: Rosa has lived and worked throughout the county for over 25 years. She worked in the Central Subregion during her time at Greater Bakersfield Legal Assistance, Inc. (GBLA), where she assisted residents experiencing a number of legal and social barriers to accessing housing, medical care, immigration relief, and other basic necessities. Currently, Rosa works in all Subregions with the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California (ACLU SoCal), where she works with the community to uphold our rights, specifically with marginalized communities working to advance social and economic justice. Rosa is always seeking opportunities to continue supporting her community. The governance council offers her an immense opportunity to work alongside Kern’s most vulnerable communities and help advance racial and economic equity. Given her personal and professional experience, she has the skills necessary to ensure that directly impacted communities are central to the CERF’s implementation process. Thus, it ensures that the projects and industries reflect the needs and values of each sub-region.

Quote on Equity: "The COVID-19 pandemic showed us how vulnerable our communities, specifically Kern’s rural communities, are. These communities don’t have equal access to resources and opportunities... Allowing communities to actively participate through the CERF process will ensure an accurate analysis of each sub-region's challenges, thus developing and implementing appropriate opportunities to advance sustainable economic prosperity."

Yuriria Lopez Arciga

Experience: Yuriria has been working as a community organizer and leader for seven years. She has been serving the school districts and has volunteered with Vision y Compromiso and Lideres Campesinas. She is passionate about community service and has been involved in health by participating in asthma prevention and education projects in farm working and rural communities. She is a community volunteer and advocates for the struggles of farm workers and low-income communities.

Quote on Equity: "To begin, it is important that we mention that equity is to give everyone what they need so that they may lead a dignified and happy life. Therefore, our laws must constantly consider this, especially in the divided communities. Here, we have seen the imperative need to fight for equity for members of the Indigenous communities, specifically in the areas of health, language, and education, so that they, too, can achieve a dignified life. That is why distributing resources equitably and fairly promotes the development and dignified life for all; we must first collect the data necessary to understand the specific needs and challenges these communities face.”

Gema Perez

Residence: Bakersfield

Experience: Gema has lived in the city of Bakersfield for 21 years, where she has helped in her daughters' schools, community cleanups and other voluntary ways. Gema started the Greenfield Walking Group with the intention of improving her community. Her interest in serving on the governing council is to ensure that projects create jobs, are accessible to marginalized and low-income people, and that industries do not affect or harm the environment and health.

Quote on Equity: "A transition that implements equity for me includes creating jobs for all, including the marginalized people and for industries to work harmoniously with their neighbors and to help us train the youth so that they can integrate into the workforce, giving better opportunities and decent jobs for them and employment opportunities for local workers."

Lori Pesante

Residence: Central Kern

Experience: Lori lives in the Central Subregion and teaches at the Bakersfield College Delano Campus. Lori seeks to serve on the governance council to bring more opportunities to those most marginalized and overlooked.

Quote on Equity: "Equity means everyone has their needs met no matter where or how they started or have journeyed in life."

Alissa Reed

Residence: Bakersfield

Experience: Alissa has sought opportunities to promote and further collaborative efforts to advance long-term strategic workforce development. In her current role as Executive Secretary, she advocates for labor through building relationships that advance apprenticeship programs and offer economic development opportunities for career growth in the construction industry. Alissa has been involved in our local community and workforce development efforts for many years, serving on the Workforce Development Board since 2008. She is interested in serving on the governance council and actively participating in efforts to reach disinvested populations to ensure equitable participation in programs and services offering workforce development in disadvantaged communities.

Quote on Equity: "In the recovery transition process, equity means prioritizing the needs of the most marginalized residents who may have been disproportionately affected by economic downturns or crises to ensure that recovery efforts not only rebuild the economy but also address longstanding inequities leaving no one behind."

Jaime Lopez

Experience: Jaime is new to serving the West Kern community but has extensive experience serving rural communities across Kern County. Throughout his career, he has worked in various capacities supporting the development and implementation of Workforce Development programs and Education opportunities for disadvantaged populations in rural Kern. With his extensive experience in education and workforce development, Jaime believes he would serve the Kern CERF Coalition well in promoting economic development through an equity lens. Serving in the governance council would also allow him to leverage his expertise and continue supporting the advancement of the Taft community through equity-focused economic development initiatives.

Quote on Equity: "Equity in regional economic and recovery transition means providing disadvantaged groups in our community with the necessary tools to overcome their challenges. Kern County is home to many from disadvantaged groups such as farmworkers, English Language Learners, and foster youth, which positions us well to create long-lasting impacts to support residents."

Nataly Santamaria

Residence: Bakersfield

Experience: Nataly has been a resident of Kern County since 2007. During that time, she established roots by raising her family here. Kern County is also where Nataly began her work as a Promotora in her community, acting as a bridge to resources and advocating. She believes that as a community navigator, she is responsible for being in spaces where she can lift the voice of the community. By being on the governance council, that space will allow and ensure that the community is represented and has a seat at the decision-making table.

Quote on Equity: "There are many ways to promote equity. One important step is to address historical and systemic inequities that have marginalized certain groups of people. Another important step is to create amore inclusive economy supporting businesses that are owned and operated by women, people of color, and other underrepresented groups."

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Governance Council Members

Governance Council and California Jobs First Structure