SACRAMENTO – Today, Assemblyman Fong (R-Kern County) introduced ACR 64 to designate the portion of Westside Parkway between the Coffee Road offramp and Allen Road offramp as the Harvey L. Hall Memorial Highway.
As a pioneer of modern emergency medical services and Bakersfield’s longest-serving mayor, Harvey L. Hall embraced his motto of “Unity in our Community” with a lifetime of service to Kern County.
“Mayor Hall’s heart for service was evident through his leadership,” said Assemblyman Fong. “From City Hall to the back of the ambulance, Harvey Hall dedicated his life to bettering Bakersfield and the entire Kern County community. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Hall Ambulance Service, the Harvey L. Hall Memorial Highway honors his legacy of compassion, mentorship, innovation, generosity, and service above self.”
“I am honored to be a part of this highway dedication to the late Mr. Harvey Hall, who was a friend, public servant, and inspiration to our community,” said Assemblyman Salas. “Serving alongside Mr. Hall on the Bakersfield City Council was a privilege that I will always cherish. I am glad that we are able to enshrine his legacy with this highway renaming so that his memory and legacy never fades away.”
At 19-years-old, Mr. Hall went on a ride-along with a local ambulance driver, piquing his interest in emergency response and further developing into a 58-year career of service. With a $15,000 bank loan and a vision to build the best ambulance company in the nation, Harvey Hall founded Hall Ambulance Service in 1971, with his residence serving as headquarters.
Four short years later, Mr. Hall introduced the first mobile intensive care paramedic program in Kern County. His dynamic, five-star service earned Hall Ambulance Service recognition as the U.S. Paramedic EMS Service of the Year in 1991. Mr. Hall later went on to launch Hall Air Ambulance and Hall Critical Care Transport, providing both ground and air, inter-facility transport solutions. In 2020, on the 50th Anniversary of California’s Wedworth-Townsend Paramedic Act, the National EMS Museum, in association with California Ambulance Association, profiled Mr. Hall as one of 17 Californians for their impact on shaping EMS in the United States.
Today, Hall Ambulance Service serves 88% of Kern County’s population as their exclusive 9-1-1 paramedic provider.
Mayor Hall’s tenure in office included, in part, leading 91 groundbreakings, performing 958 ribbon cuttings with his custom-made, oversized scissors, issuing 10,750 Certificates of Appreciation to community members and veterans, and introducing Home First: Kern County’s Plan to End Chronic Homelessness.
ACR 64 will be set for a hearing Assembly Transportation Committee in the coming weeks.