Kern County California Warrant Search

Kern County, California Kern County is a county located in the southern Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. Established in 1866, it extends east beyond the southern slope of the eastern Sierra Nevada range into the Mojave Desert, and includes parts of the Indian Wells Valley, and the Antelope Valley, and has an area nearly the size of New Jersey. From the Sierras the county extends across the floor of the San Joaquin Valley to the eastern edge of the Temblor Range, part of the Coastal Ranges. To the south the county extends over the ridge of the Tehachapi Mountains. According to the 2000 census, its population was 661,645. The county seat is Bakersfield (since 1874) with the original county seat being the former mining town of Havilah in the mountains between Bakersfield and Tehachapi.The county has a large agricultural base and is a significant producer of oil, natural gas, hydro-electric power, wind turbine power, and geothermal power. As of 2009[update], Kern remains California's top oil-producing county, with 81% of the state's 52,144 active oil wells. The county accounts for one-tenth of overall U.S. oil production, and three of the five largest U.S. oil fields are in Kern County. Kern is also noted for its mineral wealth, including gold, borate, and kernite. The largest open pit mine in California, which mines borax, is at Boron in Kern County.Department of Defense facilities in Kern County include Edwards Air Force Base and China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station. The Mojave Spaceport, operated by the county government, is also in Kern County. History The Kern County area was first claimed by the Spanish in 1769. In 1772, Commander Don Pedro Fages became the first European to enter the area. The expedition entered via the Grapevine Canyon (later the site of the Ridge Route along U.S. 99 and now Interstate 5). Walker Pass was discovered in 1834 and is an important pass across the Sierra Nevada as it is one of the few not closed by winter snows. It is now a National Historic Landmark. In 1848, the Kern area was ceded to the United States as part of the transfer of California, Nevada, and Utah and other lands under the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.[citation needed]Kern County was created in 1866 with the county seat located in the now abandoned mining town of Havilah. In its beginning, Kern County was dominated by mining in the mountains and desert. The area of the San Joaquin Valley was considered inhospitable and impassable at the time due to swamps, lakes, tule reeds, and diseases such as malaria. This changed when settlers started draining lands for farming and constructing canals, most dug by hand by hired Chinese laborers, to irrigate and drain these lands. Within 10 years the area of the San Joaquin Valley surpassed the mining areas as the economic influence of the county, and the county seat was moved from Havilah to Bakersfield in 1874.Tensions between Native Americans (mostly Mohave and Paiutes) following attacks on miners and encroaching settlers in the mountains turned deadly on several occasions. Most notably the ghost town of Keyesville is the location where 5 Indians were killed in 1856, and another 35 in were killed by soldiers in the 1863 Keyesville Massacre.[citation needed] Relations with other tribes were more cordial. The Haidu lived on the Tejon Ranch under General Edward Beale's protection on Ranchos, and relations between Beale and the Chiefs were cordial. The Yokut Indians of the San Joaquin Valley were peaceful and friendly. Spanish explorer Father Francisco Garces befriended the Yokuts at villages at the present day Garces Circle. They lived in Hogans along the branches of the Kern River Delta and hunted antelope, tule elk, deer, grizzly bear, fish, and game birds. The Yokuts for the most part died from diseases, with a few assimilating into the white man's culture. The Haidu assimilated into the local population with most intermarrying with Spanish/Mexican Californios.[citation needed]Many of the Paiute still live in the mountain areas of eastern Kern County, with no reservations in Kern County as in other counties. However, the less than 100 descendants of the Haidu near Kern City attempted to reorganize as the Rio Bravo Indian Rancheria in the late 1970s.[citation needed]Kern County was the site of the Battle of San Emigdio, in March 1824, between the Chumash Indians of the Santa Barbara Mission who rebelled against the Mexican government's taking over mission property and ejecting the Indians. This battle between Mexican forces from Monterey under the command of Cárlos Carrillo occurred at the canyon where San Emigdio Creek flows down San Emigdio Mountain and the Blue Ridge south of Bakersfield near Highway 166. It was a low-casualty encounter, with only four Indians killed, and no Mexicans; the surviving Indians were pacified and brought back to Santa Barbara in June 1824, after a pursuit and negotiation in which many were allowed to keep their arms for the return march over the mountains.Former U.S. Ambassador and U.S. Army General Edward Fitzgerald Beale established and owned the large Tejon Ranch in the mountains south of Bakersfield. It was the consolidation of four separate Mexican Ranchos he purchased in 1846 after his part in winning California independence in the Bear Flag Revolt against corrupt and inept Mexican government officials. Today, the Tejon Ranch is the largest tract of privately owned land in California. The Beale Memorial Library, Beale Avenue, General Beale Road, The Beale Memorial Clock Tower, Beale Park, and Truxtun Avenue are named after the influential Beale family, both for Edward and his wife, and their son Truxtun.In 1854 the First Regiment, U.S. Dragoons established Fort Tejon near the head of the Grapevine Canyon. The post's mission was protecting peaceful Indians living on the nearby Tejon Indian Rancherias, as well as safeguarding miners from raids by hostile Mohave and Paiute Indians.[citation needed] The Indians of the Tejon Ranch, most of whom were Haidu, assimilated into the local population and the Rancherias no longer exist. Located next to the Ridge Route (now Interstate 5) just north of the town of Lebec, the fort is a California State Historical Park featuring living history programs and Civil War re-enactments (although no Civil War battles were fought there).Kern County was formed in 1866 from parts of Los Angeles and Tulare Counties. The county derives its name from the Kern River which was named for Edward Kern, cartographer for General John C. Fremont's 1845 expedition, which crossed Walker Pass. The Kern River was originally named Rio Bravo de San Felipe by Father Francisco Garces when he explored the area in 1776. Kern County was nearly named Buena Vista County for the large, and now drained, Buena Vista Lake between Bakersfield and Taft. The western half of Kern county being on the southern end of the Central Valley was regarded as infertile or semi-desert (chaparral) with less than 10,000 residents in the entire county, according to the 1866 population report.Oil development began in the late 19th century, with the 1894 discovery of the enormous Midway-Sunset Oil Field, the third-largest in the United States. It was on this field, in the southwestern portion of Kern County near Maricopa, that well drillers brought about the 1910 Lakeview Gusher, the largest recorded oil gusher in U.S. history. The oil well spewed approximately 9,000,000 barrels (1,400,000 m3) for a year and a half onto the adjacent landscape before workers finally were able to cap it. Other huge oil fields in southwestern Kern County discovered early in the 20th century include the Buena Vista Field, the South Belridge Field, and the Cymric Field, which is currently the fastest-growing field in California in terms of barrels produced per year. Other large oil fields elsewhere in Kern County include the enormous Kern River Oil Field, the fifth-largest in the U.S., the adjacent Kern Front Oil Field, the Mount Poso Oil Field in the lower foothills of the Sierra north-northeast of Bakersfield, and the Fruitvale Oil Field, which underlies much of the city of Bakersfield itself, along and north of the Kern River.Elk Hills, another one of the large oil fields in Kern County, was involved in the Teapot Dome Scandal, an infamous example of corruption of President Warren G. Harding's administration. In 1923 it was revealed that Harding's Secretary of the Interior, Albert Fall, transferred portions of the naval petroleum reserves into private hands without competitive bidding, and in the case of Elk Hills, in exchange for personal 'loans.' The illicit deals involved the reserves at Elk Hills and at Teapot Dome in Wyoming. The Supreme Court in 1927 returned Elk Hills to public ownership, and it became the U.S. Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 1; this was to remain until 1997 when the Department of the Interior sold it to Occidental Petroleum. Occidental currently leases 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) of oil producing land, primarily in Kern County.On July 22, 2009, Occidental announced it had discovered 150 to 250,000,000 barrels (40,000,000 m3) of oil equivalent in Kern County, which the company calls the largest oil discovery in California in 35 years. The find adds about 10% to California's known reserves. Occidental's Ray Irani said it is likely that more oil will be found in the areas outside the initial six wells that tapped the discovery. Occidental has not revealed the exact location of the find, two-thirds of which is natural gas. BNET, an industry web publication said the find will add to the company's 708,000,000 barrels (112,600,000 m3) proven reserves in California. Occidental owns 80% of the Kern County lease where the find was made, with California based Chevron holding the remaining 20%. Industry insiders say oil discovered on the company's Kern lease cost only $10 a barrel to produce.On July 21, 1952, an earthquake with the epicenter located about 23 miles (37 km) south of Bakersfield, Kern County measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale killed 12 people. The Kern County earthquake was the largest earthquake to strike Southern California since the Fort Tejon earthquake of 1857 and the Lone Pine earthquake of 1872, causing immense and widespread damage. In addition to 12 fatalities, it was responsible for at least 18 injuries and over $60 million in property damage. The main shock was felt over most of California and as far away as Phoenix, Arizona and Reno, Nevada. The strength of the shock was sufficient to cause power outages in Los Angeles. It was followed by several aftershocks, at least 20 of which were magnitude 5.0 or greater. The quake occurred on the White Wolf Fault and was the third strongest quake in California history, behind the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and the 1872 Lone Pine quake.As home to Edwards Air Force Base the Air Force's main flight test facility, Kern County has been the site of many milestones, including the first supersonic flight and the first landing of the Space Shuttle. The base has brought prosperity to the railroad towns of Mojave and Rosamond. Kern County is also the home of the first inland spaceport in the United States, the Mojave Spaceport. Kern County is also home to the China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station at Ridgecrest where many naval weapons were (and continue to be) developed and tested.Between 1983 and 1986, several ritual sex ring child abuse cases allegedly occurred in Kern County. These resulted in numerous long prison sentences, all of which were overturned, some only decades later, because the prosecutors had coerced false testimonies from the children. The Kern County cases marked the beginning of a series of similar cases all over North America and beyond.The Kern County Clerk announced in mid-June 2008 that the county would stop performing all civil marriage ceremonies. County officials cited budget and staffing constraints. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Clerk Ann Barnett made her decision after county lawyers told her she could not refuse to marry same-sex couples. Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 8,161 square miles (21,137 km2), of which 8,141 square miles (21,085 km²) is land and 20 square miles (53 km²) (0.25%) is water. It is the third-largest county by area in the contiguous United States. Cities over 300,000 population Bakersfield(County seat) Cities over 50,000 population Delano Cities over 10,000 population Ridgecrest Wasco Arvin Shafter Tehachapi McFarland Cities under 10,000 population California City Taft Maricopa Census Designated Places The following are census-designated places within Kern County:CDPs over 10,000 populationOildale Rosamond Lamont CDPs over 1,000 populationCDPs Under 1,000 population Adjacent counties Los Angeles County, California- south Ventura County, California- south Santa Barbara County, California- southwest San Luis Obispo County, California- west Monterey County, California- northwest Kings County, California- northwest Tulare County, California- north Inyo County, California- northeast San Bernardino County, California- east Public transportation Golden Empire Transitis the local bus operator in and near Bakersfield. Kern Regional Transitprovides countywide intercity bus service. Kern County is also served byGreyhoundandOrange Belt Stagesbuses andAmtraktrains. Airports Meadows Fieldin Bakersfield is an international and general aviation airport. (IATA:BFL) Mojave Airportin Mojave, California. (IATA:MHV) California City Municipal Airportin California City, California. (FAA:L71) Delano Municipal Airportin Delano, California. (IATA:DLO) Kern Valley Airport, in Kernville, California. (FAA:L05) Inyokern Airportin Inyokern, California. (IATA:IYK) Lost Hills Airportin Lost Hills, California. (FAA:L84) Shafter Airport(Minter Field) in Shafter, California. (IATA:MIT) Taft Airportin Taft, California. (FAA:L17) Tehachapi Municipal Airportin Tehachapi, California. (IATA:TSP) Wasco Airportin Wasco, California. (FAA:L19) Flora and fauna Chaparral comprises a considerable portion of the natural area within Kern County; however, the species diversity within these chaparral habitats is considerably less than in many other regions of California. California Whitethorn is a prominent example of chaparral species inhabiting the rocky slopes of the Sierra Nevada as well as the Inner Coastal Ranges. California Buckeye is a notable tree that is found in both chaparral and forests and whose southern range terminates in Kern County. Demographics According to the census of 2000, there were 661,645 people, 208,652 households, and 156,489 families residing in the county. The population density was 81 people per square mile (31/km²). There were 231,564 housing units at an average density of 28 per square mile (11/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 61.60% White, 6.02% Black or African American, 3.37% Asian, 1.51% Native American, 0.15% Pacific Islander, 23.22% from other races, and 4.14% from two or more races. 38.39% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 8.4% were of German, 7.2% American and 5.7% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000. 66.8% spoke English, 29.1% Spanish and 1.0% Tagalog as their first language.There were 208,652 households out of which 42.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.6% were married couples living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.0% were non-families. 20.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.03 and the average family size was 3.50.In the county the population was spread out with 31.9% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 29.80% from 25 to 44, 18.7% from 45 to 64, and 9.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 105.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.3 males.The median income for a household in the county was $35,446, and the median income for a family was $39,403. Males had a median income of $38,097 versus $25,876 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,760. About 16.8% of families and 20.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.8% of those under age 18 and 10.5% of those age 65 or over.The center of population of California is located in Kern County, in the town of Buttonwillow . Racial/cultural diversity After being informed that gay couples could not be denied marriage licenses in light of the legalization of same-sex marriage, the county announced a halt to all wedding ceremonies, but will issue marriage licenses as required by law. Officials claimed that there would not be enough resources to accommodate ceremonies for both straight and gay couples. Clerks in other counties have called this rationale '...poorly disguised discrimination against gay and lesbian couples.' Races White Non-Hispanic (49.5%) Hispanic (38.4%) Other race (23.2%) Black (6.0%) Two or more races (4.1%) American Indian (2.6%) Filipino (1.6%) Asian Indian (0.7%) (Total can be greater than 100% because Hispanics could be counted in other races) Politics Kern is a strongly Republican county in Presidential and congressional elections. The last Democratic candidate for President to win a majority in the county was Lyndon Johnson in 1964.Kern is part of California's 20th and 22nd congressional districts, which are held by Democrat Jim Costa and Republican Kevin McCarthy, respectively. In the State Assembly, Kern is part of the 30th, 32nd, 34th and 37th districts. The 30th, 32nd, and 34th districts are held by Republicans Danny Gilmore, Jean Fuller and Bill Maze respectively. In the State Senate, Kern is part of the 16th and 18th districts, which are held by Democrat Dean Florez and Republican Roy Ashburn respectively.On Nov. 4, 2008 Kern County voted 75.5% for Proposition 8 which amended the California Constitution to ban same-sex marriages.At the county level, Kern County is governed by a five-member board of supervisors. As of 2008, they are: John McQuiston representing the 1st District, Don Maben from the 2nd District, Mike Maggard from the 3rd, Ray Watson from the 4th, and Michael J. Rubio from the 5th.According to the California Secretary of State, as of April 2008, Kern County has 283,732 registered voters. Of those, 101,580 (35.8%) are registered Democratic, 131,878 (46.5%) are registered Republican, 10,752 (3.8%) are registered with other political parties, and 39,522 (13.9%) declined to state a political party. The cities of Bakersfield, California City, Maricopa, Ridgecrest, Taft, Tehachapi, and the unincorporated areas have a plurality or majority of voters registered Republican. All of the other cities and towns have Democratic pluralities or majorities. Recreation Kern County's geography offers a wide variety of outdoor geography. Among the outdoor recreational activities are: Horseback riding, water skiing (Lake Buena Vista, Lake Ming, and private ski ranches), offroad biking and dune buggies (Jawbone Canyon, California City, and Randsburg), auto racing (Willow Springs, Buttonwillow, Bakersfield Speedway, Famoso, & and an unnamed half-mile speedway under construction), hunting, paint ball courses, white water rafting, Olympic quality kayaking, snow skiing (Shirley Meadows), shooting ranges (5 Dogs Creek Range), hiking, biking (trails, paths, and roads), camping, fishing, and other activities. Oil production While the west side of the county is often associated with the oil industry today, it was an 1899 Bakersfield area discovery along the Kern River, today part of the giant Kern River Oil Field, that was the breakthrough in Kern's oil production. The county today contributes more than three-quarters of all the oil produced onshore in California. Oil was refined here even before the establishment of the county. The Buena Vista Petroleum Company was organized and incorporated in 1864. Soon thereafter a refinery was built that operated until April 1867 when work ceased because of high freight charges.The discovery well of the Kern River Oil Field was dug by hand in 1899. Soon the towns of Oil City, Oil Center and Oildale came into existence.Some of the large oil fields in Kern County which are still active include:Buena Vista Oil Field Cymric Oil Field Elk Hills Oil Field Fruitvale Oil Field Kern Front Oil Field Kern River Oil Field Lost Hills Oil Field McKittrick Oil Field Midway-Sunset Oil Field Mountain View Oil Field Mount Poso Oil Field North Belridge Oil Field Round Mountain Oil Field South Belridge Oil Field Newspapers Bakersfield Californian, Bakersfield, north/west Kern The Mountain Enterprise, southwest Kern mountains area Mojave Desert News, east Kern desert area The Daily Independent, Ridgecrest, China Lake, and The Indian Wells Valley The Kern Valley Sun, Kern Valley area The Tehachapi News, Tehachapi. Bakersfield News, Bakersfield. Midway Driller Newspaper, Taft. Crime (reported by the sheriff's office or county police)Murders: 28 Rapes: 134 Robberies: 339 Assaults: 1,190 Burglaries: 3,260 Thefts: 6,926 Auto thefts: 2,009 Footnotes ^abFeatures of Kern County. County of Kern. Accessed: 07-22-2010. ^'2008 Report of the state oil & gas supervisor'.Department of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources. California Department of Conservation ('DOGGR 2009'). 2009.ftp://ftp.consrv.ca.gov/pub/oil/annual_reports/2008/PR06_Annual_2008.pdf. Retrieved March 10, 2010. p. 66 ^Rio Tinto Borax. Accessed July 3, 2007. ^Hubert Howe Bancroft,History of California. The History Company, Publishers. San Francisco, 1886. pp. 532-536. ^Hoover, p. 118 ^San Joaquin Geological Society article on the gusher. ^abCalifornia Department of Conservation, Oil and Gas Statistics, Annual Report, December 31, 2006, p. 2 ^Hluza, A.G.Calloway Area of Fruitvale Oil Field: Callifornia Division of Oil and Gas, Summary of Operations. 1961. Vol. 47 No. 2. 5-6 ^DOGGR (2009), 63 ^abcdefAngus M Gunn, ed (2008). 'Kern County, California, earthquake'.Encyclopedia of Disasters: Environmental Catastrophes and Human Tragedies.Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 419.ISBN 9780313340024. ^Hoover, p. 134 ^Truth In Justice. Accessed January 28, 2008. ^The San Francisco Chronicle,2 counties to halt all weddings, gay or not, Wednesday, June 11, 2008 ^The Wasmann Journal of Biology (1967) University of San Francisco, San Francisco, California, v.25 ^Arthur Sampson (1963)California Range Brushlands and Browse Plants, ANR Publications, 162 pagesISBN 0931876540 ^C. Michael Hogan. 2008.Aesculus californica, Globaltwitcher.com, ed. N. Strömberg ^Zonlight, Margaret.Land, Water and Settlement in Kern County, California, 1850-1890. Arno Press Inc, 1979.ISBN 0-405-11328-5. Page 257. ^Transportation History Timeline: Before 1900. KernCOG. Accessed: 04-21-2010. ^Population by counties 1900-1990, California. US Census. Accessed: 04-13-2010 ^'American FactFinder'.United States Census Bureau.http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. ^Lagos, Marisa. (June 10, 2008)A few California counties refusing to marry same-sex couples - citing budget restraintssfgate.comAccessed June 10, 2008 ^ab'City-data - Kern County, California'.analyzed data from numerous sources.http://www.city-data.com/county/Kern_County-CA.html. Retrieved 2009-03-17. ^abcdefHoover, p.128