City of Bakersfield

The department has agreed on an annual contract of $70,000 with Zencity, a global technology company with which BPD created the resident survey.

“Unforeseeable business circumstances and other reasons” were cited in layoff notices sent to employees last week. The notices leave unanswered questions about next steps for a business accelerator that has raised more than $150 million in outside capital since its founding about 10 years ago.