MICHAEL W. TURNIPSEED

Michael Turnipseed has spent five decades building a career at the intersection of agriculture, business, and public policy in Kern County. Self-employed since 1975, he has built his reputation on fiscal discipline, direct engagement with local government, and a track record of translating policy analysis into results taxpayers can see.

Kern County Taxpayers Association

Michael was retained as Executive Director of the Kern County Taxpayers Association (KernTax) in March 2005, and in April 2009 was named President of the Kern County Taxpayers Education Fund, Inc., and Academy Director of the Kern Leaders Academy, a leadership program built on the premise that a strong business environment sustains a thriving economy, and a thriving economy sustains a vibrant community.

Under his leadership, KernTax has helped Kern County property taxpayers avoid more than $1.5 billion in general obligation bond payments while still allowing local school districts to meet their facility needs. In 2010, KernTax intervened at the California Public Utilities Commission in PG&E’s General Rate Case, saving Kern County PG&E residential customers tens of millions of dollars.

Michael has also driven regional workforce development. In 2014, working with the County of Kern, he launched “Closing the Skills Gap,” known today as the Kern County Workforce Taskforce. In 2015, partnering with the County, Kern Community College District, and Kern High School District, KernTax was a catalyst behind “The 1+1+2=Game Changer,” a dual-enrollment initiative launched at Arvin High School and expanded across KHSD campuses; more than 150,000 dual-enrollment credits have been completed since. In 2016, KernTax’s advocacy led KHSD to build an additional workforce development campus, which opened in 2020 as the Career Training Education Center, now one of the premier programs of its kind in the country.

Public Service & Governance

Michael served on the Kern County Employees’ Retirement Association (KCERA) Board from 2011 to 2016, appointed by the Kern County Board of Supervisors, chairing the board in 2014. From 2008 to 2018, he served on the California League of (School) Bond Oversight Committees. In 2023, he was appointed to the Kern Health Systems Board by the Kern County Board of Supervisors, where he continues to serve. Since 1994, Michael has operated Michael Turnipseed & Associates, a consulting practice specializing in governmental affairs and strategic planning, providing policy analysis, advocacy, and strategic counsel to organizations navigating complex governmental and business environments.

From 1975 to 2004, Michael was a partner in his family’s farming operation, and in 1979 he founded D and M Sprayers, an agricultural chemical application company serving orchards and vineyards.

Civic & Community Leadership

Michael’s community involvement spans five decades and a wide range of institutions. He has served as Board Chairman of the Kern County Taxpayers Association; Chairman of the Governmental Review Council of the Greater Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce; a member of the Executive Committee of the Kern County Farm Bureau and the State Board of the California Farm Bureau Federation; a member of the Kern County Permit Assistance Center Advisory Committee; a member of the Kern County Fair Board, Energy Task Force, and Water Resources Advisory Committee; and a member of the Citizens Advisory Group of Industries for the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District. He has also supported Project Clean Air, Couples Against Cancer, the St. Francis School Foundation, and the Garces Memorial High School Boosters Club, and is a member of the Bakersfield Breakfast Rotary Club and the Bakersfield Country Club. Outside formal committee work, he has coached Little League baseball and judged high school debate tournaments.

On the political side, Michael has served as a Director of Farm PAC, Treasurer of the Kern County Republican Central Committee, and Chairman of the South-Central Farmers PAC, advocating consistently for the agricultural community and for sound fiscal policy.

Recognition

Michael and his wife, Nancy, were named Literacy Champions at the Kern Literacy Council’s 2022 Read for Life Celebration and received St. Francis Parish School’s Legacy of Excellence Award in 2023. That same year, the Kern High School District honored Michael with the Jim Burke Light and Liberty Award for meritorious service to the cause of education in Kern County.

Education

Michael is a graduate of Delano High School and holds a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics from the University of California, Davis. His leadership training includes Leadership Bakersfield, the California Agricultural Leadership Program, the Executive Program in Management at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management, the SACRES Public Pension Investment Management Program at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, and the SACRES Advanced Principles of Governance Program at UCLA Anderson.

Personal

Michael has been married to his wife, Nancy, for 48 years. They have two grown daughters, Amy and Alissa, and three grandchildren, Harriet, Helen, and Henry.