A town hall meeting at the Lake Isabella Senior Center has drawn a large turnout to hear about public safety. Kern Law Enforcement Association President David Kessler attended Monday’s event and says he was pleased with what the residents had to say about deputies. They say law enforcement does good work, but there aren’t enough of them and response times are a serious concern. Supervisor Mick Gleason told the gathering that depressed oil prices prevent them from adequately staffing sheriff’s substations, but some said other counties that don’t have oil wells seem to do be doing just fine. They said oil revenue should be “the icing on the cake.” Sheriff Donny Youngblood explained that he’s working to fill 121 vacant positions in his department, but he cannot pay as much as Bakersfield or Shafter police, or departments on the Coast.

Sean Michael Lisle