The workload moved in opposite directions
Kern County's Civil Service Commission reported 205 examinations and 8,653 applications in fiscal 2025-26, down from 273 examinations and 11,005 applications a year earlier. That is a decline of 68 examinations, or 24.9%, and 2,352 applications, or 21.4%.
Appeal activity moved the other way. The commission received 64 appeals, up from 53, and recorded 68 dispositions, up from 55. Those changes equal increases of 20.8% and 23.6%, respectively. The counts are administrative workload measures; they do not establish whether county personnel decisions became more or less fair.
| Measure | 2024-25 | 2025-26 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Examinations | 273 | 205 | -24.9% |
| Applications | 11,005 | 8,653 | -21.4% |
| Appeals received | 53 | 64 | +20.8% |
| Appeal dispositions | 55 | 68 | +23.6% |
Five dispositions reversed the action
Of the 68 dispositions, 28 appeals were denied, nine were dismissed, 10 were sustained, nine were withdrawn, five reversed the action, four were resolved, two were partly sustained and one ended in another result. Reversals therefore represented 7.4% of dispositions, while sustained or partly sustained appeals represented 17.6%.
Those percentages describe outcomes, not error rates. A disposition can involve different rules, evidence and procedural postures, and the annual report does not publish case-level facts. It would be misleading to infer that every denial validated the original action or every withdrawal proved the appeal lacked merit.
The report supplies counts, not causes
The commission also recorded four employee grievances, all dismissed, and adopted rule amendments concerning promotional hiring, layoffs, reemployment, expired lists and unsatisfactory probation. The report does not connect those rule changes to the increase in appeal decisions.
What's the Scoop With Broach calculated the percentage changes from the two annual columns. Material limits remain: the report gives no department breakdown, processing-time measure, vacancy denominator or explanation for the lower application volume. Those records would be needed to assess whether recruitment slowed or simply required fewer separate examinations.
Sources and further reading
Kern County Civil Service Commission Annual Report, fiscal 2025-26 ↗
Kern County Board of Supervisors agenda, October 27, 2026, miscellaneous documents ↗