Bakersfield
Former City of Bakersfield mayor, Harvey L. Hall, has distinguished himself as a tireless voice for the citizens of Bakersfield and has served as the "Mayor of All the People." He has lived up to his stated goal from his January 2, 2001, swearing-in ceremony: "Our city is one of greatness and it will be my goal every day to make every day better than the day before and to try and make this city the best city in America."
Harvey Hall was first elected mayor in 2000 under the slogan “Unity in the Community,” and was Bakersfield’s 25th and longest-serving mayor. His support for California State University, Bakersfield and the Bakersfield community is unwavering. Over his 16 years of service, he donated his entire mayoral salary to the Mayor’s Scholarship Fund, awarding more than $250,000 in scholarships to nearly 300 high school, community college and CSUB students. Affectionately known as “Mr. Bakersfield,” he has been a leading advocate for quality of life, businesses, beautification and restoration. He is our community’s biggest cheerleader.
Mr. Hall was instrumental in introducing, supporting and expanding several key projects, including Home First: Kern County’s Plan to End Chronic Homelessness; the Sister City Project Corporation; Keep Bakersfield Beautiful; the annual Great American Clean-Up; and the Mayor’s Freeway Litter Clean-ups. Mr. Hall is the founder and CEO of Hall Ambulance Service, Inc., now the largest emergency and non-emergency medical transportation provider in Kern County, and the largest privately-owned emergency and non-emergency medical transportation provider in California. He is widely esteemed as a pioneer of emergency medical services in the state. In celebration of the company’s 45th anniversary, Hall Ambulance donated eight lifesaving automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to the CSUB Athletics Department, one for each of the eight sports facilities.
Harvey Hall is a member of the Bakersfield Firefighters Burn Foundation; the Police Activities League; the Kern County Homeless Collaborative Steering Committee; and has served as an elected trustee of the Kern Community College District and board member of the Bakersfield College Foundation. He is an avid supporter of CSUB athletics. His awards are numerous and include the American Red Cross – Kern Chapter Real Heroes Life of Service Award; the Plank Foundation’s Humanitarian of the Year award; the Jim Burke Light and Liberty Award; and the CSUB School of Business and Public Administration’s John Brock Community Service Award.
Mr. Hall was raised in Bakersfield, and attended Bakersfield High School, Bakersfield College and San Francisco City College.
In recognition of his lifetime of selfless service, leadership, philanthropy and his distinguished achievements which embody the values of the university and the community, the Board of Trustees of the California State University and California State University, Bakersfield are proud to confer upon Harvey L. Hall the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters.