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A new report found that just more than one-third of the California county’s 190,000 total jobs were “quality jobs.” But a public-private initiative wants to upgrade the region’s employment by about 20 percent. ....
Nearly 200 pages into their first written work, the diverse groups coming together from across Kern to reimagine the local economy have learned many things, not least of which is that giving everyone their say takes time. The effort s admittedly aggressive timetable for building and formalizing a plan to create better local jobs â B3K, it s called, for Better Bakersfield & Boundless Kern â has fallen about two months behind schedule. The delay s no problem, facilitator Marek Gootman said, as it results partly from groups historically left out of economic development discussions finally getting a chance to participate and express their priorities. Everything may yet come together by B3K s May deadline for producing a strategic blueprint â but it s OK if it s late because the process won t end there anyway, said Gootman, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, which was hired using public and private money to guide the county through the process. ....