About Bakersfield's Form of Government

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Mayor Harvey L. Hall

Mayor Harvey L. Hall Home
Mayor's Scholarship
Mayor's Homelessness Plan
Bakersfield Sister Cities

City Councilmembers

Ward 1, Rudy Salas
Ward 2, Sue Benham
Ward 3, Ken Weir
Ward 4, David Couch
Ward 5, Harold Hanson
Ward 6, Jacquie Sullivan
Ward 7, Russell Johnson

City Council Resources

--City Charter
--City Council Committees
--City Council Committee Calendar
--City Council Goals
--City Council Meeting Video
--City Council Wards Map

Dedication of National Mottos
Form of Government
History of Bakersfield

Mailing Address:

City of Bakersfield
Attn: (Councilmember)
1600 Truxtun Avenue
Bakersfield, CA 93301

Mayor Phones:
Office: 661 - 326-3770
Fax: 661 - 852-2035

Council Phones:
Office: 661 - 326-3767
FAX: 661- 323-3780

E-mail Mayor Harvey L. Hall:
Mayor@bakersfieldcity.us

E-mail City Council Members: City_Council@bakersfieldcity.us

About Bakersfield's Form of Government

The City of Bakersfield operates according to the council-manager form of government which vests authority in an elected city council which, in turn, hires an appointed executive. The city council is composed of seven members elected from the seven wards of the city on a nonpartisan basis to serve overlapping four-year terms. The mayor is elected at-large to serve a four-year term as presiding officer at city council meetings and as the official head of the city for legislative and ceremonial purposes. The city manager is appointed by the city council and serves at the pleasure of that body.

The city council is the city's legislative and policy-making body. Acting as a whole, the city council is responsible for passing ordinances and orders necessary for governing the city, as well as for setting the direction of city policy. The city manager is responsible for the overall administration of the city. This responsibility includes implementation of the general policies set by the city council in addition to the day-to-day operation of all city functions. The city manager, with the help of the staff, provides the city council with the information needed to fulfill its policy-making role.

The council-manager form of government separates legislative and executive responsibilities in a manner similar to state and federal governments. This system provides "checks and balances" of both policy and administrative branches of government by limiting the power of each.

More than a third of America's communities currently operate under the council-manager form of government. As the issues involved in municipal management have grown more complex, the number of communities which hire professional managers has also increased.

In the State of California, there are nearly 500 cities of which more than 400 are the council-manager form. These cities include such large cities as Sacramento, Oakland, San Jose, San Diego, Long Beach and Anaheim.