KULIKOFF FOR CONGRESS

Dear Central Valley Residents,

As a child that grew up below the poverty line after a series of unfortunate events, I learned early on to hustle and scrape for every penny. My earliest memories were living in Bakersfield during the 1980s; smokestacks, agriculture, and oil. I'm a grandson of a potato farmer, a child of an orange farmer and concrete mason.

I am the fourth sibling of 9. The kid at 6 years old that hustled golf balls to golfers for arcade and baseball card money. At 8 years old, selling items door-to-door from a catalog and at 15 working grounds maintenance and refuel at the local airport.

It was my mother's courageous battle with stage 4 breast cancer that taught me the true meaning of hope and determination. When the cancer spread to her bones and her house was in foreclosure, my brother and I knew we had to act fast. We sold everything we owned of value and pooled our resources to buy her a home in Tehachapi so she could focus on fighting the disease without worrying about a roof over her head. It was a defining moment for me, seeing how quickly life can change and how important family is.

I doubled down on my own dreams,  working tirelessly in construction, real estate, and even storage and vehicle impound auctions. I pushed through setbacks and naysayers, fueled by my mother's unwavering spirit and my brother's unwavering support. And when the Great Recession hit, I refused to let it define me. Instead I dug deeper, seized new opportunities, and emerged stronger.

And now, as I prepare to represent the Central Valley in Congress, I know that teamwork will be just as essential to achieving our goals. By working together with industry sectors, community leaders, and the people of our great state, we can tackle the big challenges facing our region.

As Mayor of California City (Kern County), I successfully introduced and gained consensus for approval of;

• A developer fee reduction extension that has lead to increased economic development.

• Water infrastructure risk management and capital improvement planning to help protect, support, and expand our water resources.

• Fast Track Permitting Process that has translated to more successful project completions.

• Changed and successfully implemented through policy and process improvements residential 3-Plex to 4-Plex as a ministerial process, saving time and other valuable resources for developers and staff. This has also paved the way for more affordable and available housing to help meet the needs of housing instability.

• Successfully advocated for the protection of senior affordable housing from a special interest group land grab.

• The funding and development of a Skatepark, Splashpad, and Clubhouse.

• Internal work policy improvements. I fought to minimize going out to bid on projects and instead moved more projects in-house. This adjustment will have the potential to save millions of dollars in the short term.

• Various other policy and process improvements.

Today, I proudly live the American dream, a testament to the power of hope, determination, and family. As someone who has spent over 30 years working and growing in Kern County and the Central Valley, I'm committed to empowering others to do the same, and to ensuring that our Golden State continues to shine bright with hope and opportunity for all. 

My heart remains rooted in California's vast potential. With a lifetime of sweat equity in Kern County and the Central Valley, I'll keep fighting for our Golden State's boundless horizon.

Sincerely,

Kelly Kulikoff