Local news, the way Bakersfield deserves.

Bakersfield Weekly is an independent local news source covering Bakersfield, Kern County, and the southern San Joaquin Valley. We curate the most important reporting from trusted local newsrooms and present it in one calm, well-designed place.

We believe local journalism matters — especially in a region as distinct as ours. From city council meetings in downtown Bakersfield to harvests in Shafter, oil patch decisions in Taft, and football Fridays in Tehachapi, the Valley has its own story to tell.

This site is built for you: clean typography, fast pages, no clickbait. We summarize and link out to the original reporting at every turn — so the journalists doing the hard work get the readers and the credit.