Since Measure N was implemented in 2019, there has been some confusion about the citizen oversight committee the law created.
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00:00 been five years since Bakersfield voters passed Measure N. This is the
00:03 one cent city sales tax that was meant to fund public health and safety
00:07 projects is implemented in 2019. And there has been some confusion about
00:11 the citizen oversight committee that the law created back in june. The
00:15 current county grand jury released a report titled Measure N. Is it working?
00:19 City of Bakersfield has now released its response to the report. The grand
00:23 jury report address says 11 findings and gives seven recommendations for the
00:28 city to attempt to complete by january 2nd of 2024. In summary, the topics
00:34 addressed in the report include orientation of committee members, the
00:37 confusion about the role of the committee, the process and timelines
00:41 for the committee to review budget recommendations and the process for the
00:46 committee to make recommendations to the city council. And one of the
00:50 recommendations was for the city council to provide all committee members with
00:54 a manual outlining the following details of the responsibilities for
00:58 members, information on frequency of meetings and to put together a calendar
01:02 for more details on the Ralph and Brown Act. A copy of the measure and ballot
01:07 and contact information of committee members and city staff has mentioned
01:11 all of this must be completed by january 2nd. Now, as mentioned, measure
01:15 and introduced in order to improve parks, infrastructure, homelessness and
01:19 policing, taking a look into some of the other policies. According to
01:23 Bakersfield city officials, measure and also aims to improve rapid responses to
01:29 assaults and robberies and keep public areas safe and clean. It also aims to
01:34 enhance amenities throughout the community to improve the quality of life
01:37 and attract more visitors.