BAKERSFIELD, CALIF. (KBAK/KBFX) —

"We've been broken into at least a dozen times in the last two years since we've been here," Galen Harris, President and Owner of Sequoia Paint store in Old Town Kern, said. "We've lost windows, we've lost fencing in the back."

Harris says they spent $12,000 on security for three months and it just wasn't cost-effective.

Last week, he and about a dozen other small business owners went to a roundtable in Old Town Kern to talk about how the city wants to help them.

Old Town Kern is one of seven areas the city is putting money towards from the American Rescue Plan Act Funds.

It's $500,000 of one-time money, which is meant for small businesses to recover from COVID-19.

"Not just in Old Town Kern, but actually all throughout the city of Bakersfield," Andrae Gonzales, Vice Mayor of the City of Bakersfield, said.

"We know that property crime and crimes related to businesses are significant issues facing our businesses in this community," Vice Mayor Gonzales, said.

Gonzales says there's three tiers to this program.

"The first tier is site enhancements related to upgrading the security system or security cameras or additional lighting surrounding the outside of a building," Gonzales, said.

Tier two focuses on site hardening, metal door security and covers on windows. Tier three is private security, not for private businesses, but for business associations.

"So, similar to the $50,000 that the DBA recently was allocated, we're willing to work with...

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