Business and community leaders have a better feel for the direction of our local economy after the 18th Kern County Economic Summit. Kern County is on track to grow as families from other parts of the state move to the region. Victor Davis Hanson was keynote speaker at yesterday’s Kern County Economic Summit, and people are realizing how our traditional industries like oil, ag and mining are core to the state’s success. Richard Chapman is CEO of the Kern County Economic Development Corporation, which hosts the annual gathering in Bakersfield, and says the rest of the country is watching us. The keynote speaker yesterday [wed] was Victor Davis Hansen, a Senior Fellow at Stanford’s Hoover Institute that studies economics and American values. He expects to see a huge push to cut taxes, both for consumers and the wealthy.

Suzanne Grant