News

Delano Mayor Joe Aguirre was the host of the Nov. 11 Veterans Day open house and celebration at the American Legion Post No. 124.

The two-hour event started with an opening prayer by Pastor David Vivas and the national anthem sang by Delano Union School District's Brenda Perry Reed.

A rare convocation of statewide leaders in higher education assembled Friday in a city that needs their guidance and commitment perhaps more than any in California: Bakersfield.

The numbers certainly make that case: Kern County’s baccalaureate attainment rates are roughly half the statewide rate, and in rural areas fewer than three in 100 hold at least a bachelor’s degree. Only 28 percent of those in the service area of the forum's organizer and host, Bakersfield College, hold so much as a high school diploma. And the area's per capita income is, at just over $21,000, among the lowest in California, well below the state average of $31,458.

Construction companies in Kern and certain other counties will be required to train their employees about valley fever risks and symptoms under a new law authored by Assemblyman Rudy Salas, D-Bakersfield, and signed late last week by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

A primary goal of the legislation, Assembly Bill 203, is to reduce the time lost, and medical expenses incurred, when people working outside breathe in invisible spores and end up contracting the airborne fungal disease also known as coccidioidomycosis.

The legislation was supported by industry and labor groups.

SACRAMENTO – Last week, Assembly Bill (AB) 971, authored by Assemblymember Rudy Salas (DBakersfield), was signed into law. This bill will improve the state’s ability to evaluate IT projects and hold contractors accountable for factors including cost overruns and delays. Specifically, this bill requires state departments that contract for Information Technology (IT) services to conduct post evaluations for each major contract totaling $500,000 or more.

Salas’s Legislation to Provide Tax Relief for Disabled Vets Signed by Governor

Press Release

Sep 24, 2019

SACRAMENTO – Late Friday, it was announced that the governor signed into law Assembly Bill (AB) 1257, authored by Assemblymember Rudy Salas (D-Bakersfield), which expands the sales and use tax exemption for disabled veterans when they purchase adaptive automotive equipment to allow people living with a physical disability to safely operate a vehicle, such as installing a platform wheelchair lift.

Salas joins community car cleanup to improve air quality

LEMOORE - Assemblymember Rudy Salas joined the annual Tune In and Tune Up car clean-up event hosted by Valley Clean Air Now (Valley CAN), Healthy Air Living, and the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, to encourage community members to get their cars checked and repaired to help improve air quality in the Valley. The first 525 vehicles were eligible to receive a $500 voucher for free smog repairs.

Gold Star Mothers' and Families' Day resolution authored by Rudy Salas passes Assembly

The Bakersfield Californian, Aug 26, 2019

The Gold Star Mothers and Families joined Assemblyman Rudy Salas, D-Bakersfield, on the floor of the State Assembly on Monday to witness the passage of a resolution that designates Sept. 29 as Gold Star Mothers’ and Family Day in California.

The resolution, ACR 61, which was authored by Salas, passed the Assembly unanimously with bipartisan support.

California Bill Makes It Easier to Seize Profits from Illegal Gambling

Ill-gotten gains from illegal California organized gambling activities will have a better chance of getting seized by local authorities under a bill that recently passed the legislature — and could be a model for legislation in other states.

Assemblyman Rudy Salas and Aera Energy donate school supplies to Lost Hills students

The Bakersfield Californian, Aug 16, 2019

Assemblyman Rudy Salas and Aera Energy hosted a backpack giveaway for local students in Lost Hills on Friday. 

Hundreds of students from the Lost Hills School District received backpacks and school supplies to help them for the upcoming school year, according to a press release.

"Teachers and parents know that when students are prepared, they learn better and they feel better," Salas said in the news release. "As a community, it is important that we work together to make sure every student gets the supplies they need to start a year off strong." 

Assemblymember Salas takes Corcoran students on tour of NASA lab

PASADENA – Assemblymember Rudy Salas (D-Bakersfield) joined students from John Muir Middle School’s Mission 12 and 13 programs on a tour of NASA’s famed Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

These students were selected because of their incredible work on science projects that were sent to the International Space Station during Mission 12.