Kathy Scrivner · Kern High School District · Trustee Area 4
“You guys need to not say too much. Just keep quiet.”
Sheriff Donny Youngblood’s on-air account of sealed body-camera video, as reported by 23ABC.1
That is what the Kern County Sheriff says school-board trustee Kathy Scrivner told two boys, her own grandchildren, while investigators were interviewing them in a child-abuse investigation involving her son.
She joined the board promising school safety. She has not been charged. She denies it. She remains a trustee on the board.
The public is owed a full answer.
The video is sealed. The accounts conflict. A seat that helps govern more than 43,000 students should come with transparency, not silence.
Statement of purpose
Why a school-board seat deserves this much scrutiny
A trustee does not teach a class. A trustee casts one of five votes over the safety rules, the staff, and the policies that cover every student in the Kern High School District. Few local offices touch more children with less public attention.
News reports describe trustees as trained mandated reporters. The California Department of Education guidance those newsrooms quoted is plain:
“It is not the job of the mandated reporter to determine whether the allegations are valid.”
California Department of Education guidance, as quoted in news coverage3 14
In this page’s opinion, that duty does not include managing a family’s reputation or keeping a mess from getting bigger.
2022 · What she promised
School safety.
When Kathy Scrivner joined this board she was described as a lifelong local educator, and she named school safety as one of her top two priorities.11
2024 · What the Sheriff says she did
“Just keep quiet.”
Deputies were interviewing two boys in a child-abuse investigation involving her son. The Sheriff says she walked in and told them not to say too much.1
This page exists to put the public record in one place, with every claim tied to a published source, so that anyone can weigh it for themselves.
Key findings
Two officials. Two agencies. Weeks apart. The same conduct.
What follows are statements by public officials as reported by news outlets. They are accounts, not a verdict.
Sheriff Donny Youngblood · The Ralph Bailey Show · January 2026
The Sheriff said he reviewed the body-camera footage himself. This is the exchange as he recounted it on air.1
What’s going on in here? You guys need to not say too much. Just keep quiet.
Hey, hey, hey listen, we’re not allowed to do that. It’s a crime to dissuade people from making reports to law enforcement.
Oh, I know, but this is escalating into something (of) a real big mess.
By the Sheriff’s account, she was told to her face that what she was doing is a crime, and she answered that she knew.1 4 12 A week later he described the same tape again: “What I saw was her telling them not, they didn’t, not to talk to us.” He said a deputy “admonished her that that was illegal.”13
Deputy Attorney General Joseph Penney · Kern County Superior Court · December 2025
“The police reports indicate that the defendant’s mother was encouraging the children not to speak to the officers.”
Penney said this to a judge, in open court, while arguing against mental health diversion for her son. The Bakersfield Californian reported he also said she “exhibited annoyance” that law enforcement had been called.3 12
What the public can’t see
The video is sealed by court order
The Sheriff cited laws protecting children and crime victims. He said the investigation was provided to the state Department of Justice and the Attorney General, and that reports went to the FBI for federal review.13
The phone call
The District Attorney is family
Kern County District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer is Zack Scrivner’s aunt. The Bakersfield Californian reported that she phoned the Sheriff directly instead of calling 911. The Sheriff has defended that call as appropriate.2 12 The case against Zack Scrivner was prosecuted by the state Attorney General’s office, not the county District Attorney.5
The office
- Office
- Kern High School District Board of Trustees, Area 4. One of five votes.
- Students
- 43,116 enrolled in the district in 2023–2417
- On the board since
- December 20229
- Took office
- December 9, 20229
Her son’s case
She is not the defendant. The statements about her were made during his prosecution.5 6 7
- Defendant
- Zack Scrivner, former Kern County supervisor
- Prosecutor
- California Attorney General’s office
- Charges
- Three felony counts of child abuse, Penal Code § 273a(a), and two of possessing assault weapons, § 30605(a). Filed February 14, 2025.
- Diversion
- Granted December 19, 2025, over prosecutors’ objection. Conditions include psychiatric care, weekly therapy, sobriety, and random testing.
- Appeal
- The Fifth District Court of Appeal declined to overturn the diversion in July 2026.
- Status
- In treatment under court supervision. The charges could be dismissed if he completes it. He is presumed innocent.
Timeline
From the safety platform to today
- Nov. 8, 2022
Joins the board promising school safety
She becomes the Trustee Area 4 member of the Kern High School District board. She was described as a lifelong local educator and named school safety as one of her top two priorities.9 11
- Dec. 9, 2022
Takes the oath
She assumes the Trustee Area 4 seat. Her term runs through December 2026.9
- April 23, 2024
Deputies respond to her son’s Tehachapi home
The call is a mental health crisis involving an armed person at the home of then-Supervisor Zack Scrivner. About 30 firearms are seized the next day.6
- Feb. 14, 2025
Five felony counts filed against her son
The California Attorney General charges Zack Scrivner with three counts of child abuse and two of possessing assault weapons. He is presumed innocent. This page is about what the Sheriff and a prosecutor say his mother did during the investigation.5
- December 2025
A prosecutor names “the defendant’s mother” in open court
Deputy Attorney General Joseph Penney tells a judge that police reports indicate she encouraged the children not to speak to officers. On December 19 the judge grants her son mental health diversion over prosecutors’ objection.3 6
- Jan. 7, 2026
Kathy Scrivner denies it
In a written statement she says she would never discourage the reporting of danger to a child, including her own children or grandchildren.3
- Jan. 12–13, 2026
The Sheriff describes the body-camera video
On the radio, Sheriff Donny Youngblood says he watched the footage and recounts her telling two boys to keep quiet. The same week she takes her seat at a KHSD board meeting. A senator, an assemblywoman, and a former trustee call for charges, federal review, or her resignation.1 4 10
- Jan. 20, 2026
The video stays sealed
The Sheriff says the file went to the state Attorney General and that reports went to the FBI. The public still cannot watch the tape.13
- February 2026
Members of her own family speak publicly
Her grandson and his mother, Christina Scrivner, appear with Sen. Shannon Grove to back a bill restricting mental health diversion.15
- July 2026
Appeals court leaves the diversion in place
The Fifth District Court of Appeal rejects the Attorney General’s challenge. The five felony charges against her son can be dismissed if he completes treatment.7
- September 2026
The SCRIVNER Act is signed
AB 2273, written after this case, requires prosecutors to explain certain charging decisions. It takes effect January 1, 2027.8 19
Who is speaking out
Both parties. A former member of the same board. Her own family.
As a mandated reporter and an elected official entrusted with protecting the best interests of children, her actions represent a complete failure of that duty. She must step down without delay to restore public trust.
Shannon Grove
State Senator, Republican
We must urge any leaders whose character has undermined the public trust in such a breathtaking way to step down.
Chad Vegas
Pastor, former KHSD trustee
Vegas called publicly for her to resign from the board he once served on.10
Tragically, shockingly and unbelievably, my children’s cooperation with the system led to their own personal exposure and their own vulnerability with zero consequences.
Christina Scrivner
Mother of the children
She spoke publicly at a news conference with Sen. Grove.15
Her response
She disputes these accounts. Read her words next to the Sheriff’s.
Kathy Scrivner · Written statement · January 2026
“I have never and would never, under any circumstances, fail to report or discourage the reporting of any physical or emotional danger to a child, including my own children or grandchildren.”
As reported by 23ABC, Jan. 7, 20263
Asked about the Sheriff’s account after a KHSD board meeting, she said, according to a KGET headline, “I don’t know anything about that.” The Bakersfield Californian reported she did not respond to its repeated requests for comment.10 16
She has not been charged with any crime. Nothing on this page says or implies otherwise.
No court has ruled on her conduct. These are statements by officials, not a verdict.
The dialogue quoted above is the Sheriff’s account of a video the public has not been allowed to watch.
Her son is presumed innocent. His charges are allegations. He is in court-approved diversion.
Critical questions
Ten questions Kathy Scrivner has not answered
Each one rests on a statement by a public official or a published report cited on this page. She denies the accounts and has not been charged. The answers are yours.
The Sheriff says she told two boys being interviewed by investigators to “just keep quiet.”1
Is that what you expect from a school-board trustee?
By the Sheriff’s account, investigators told her that dissuading a report is a crime, and she answered, “Oh, I know.”1
What does that answer tell you?
Weeks apart, a sheriff and a state prosecutor each described her discouraging children from talking to officers.1 3
How many officials would it take for you to be concerned?
The children in that interview were her own grandchildren.13
If that is what happened with them, what would happen with a student she has never met?
She is described as a trained mandated reporter.3 14
If a student came forward with something hard to say, are you confident what she would tell that student?
She joined the board in 2022 naming school safety as a top priority.11
Does the Sheriff’s account sound like school safety to you?
The body-camera video is sealed by court order.13
Should the public be able to see what the Sheriff saw?
A Republican senator, a Democratic assemblywoman and a former KHSD trustee called for charges, federal review or her resignation. She remains on the board.2 4 10
Is that the accountability you expect?
Asked about the Sheriff’s account, she said, according to a KGET headline, “I don’t know anything about that.”16
Is that enough of an answer for you?
She says she would never discourage a report. The Sheriff says he watched her do it on video.1 3
Whose account do you believe?
Know the truth
A trustee helps decide policy for more than 43,000 students.
The public deserves to know the record.
She joined the board promising school safety. A sheriff and a state prosecutor have since described her discouraging children, her own grandchildren, from talking to law enforcement in a child-abuse investigation. She denies it and has not been charged.
Read the facts. Check the sources. Draw your own conclusions.
What you can do
- Read the sources yourself. Every number on this page points to one. Don’t take our word for it.
- Ask the questions out loud. At a school board meeting, in your community, or at your own kitchen table.
- Stay informed. Follow local reporting as the story develops.
- Share the facts. Pass this page to parents and neighbors who care about student safety.
Sources
Read them yourself
Links open the original publisher’s site.
- 23ABC, “Kathy Scrivner intervention confirmed by Sheriff’s video review,” Jan. 13, 2026. turnto23.com
- The San Joaquin Valley Sun, “Grove calls for charges against Kathy Scrivner,” Jan. 14, 2026. sjvsun.com
- 23ABC, “Kern school board member denies discouraging children from speaking to police during investigation,” Jan. 7, 2026. turnto23.com
- KBAK / Eyewitness News, “Sheriff’s comments spark calls for charges in Scrivner case,” Jan. 15, 2026. bakersfieldnow.com
- California Attorney General, “Felony charges filed against former Kern County supervisor,” Feb. 14, 2025. oag.ca.gov
- South Kern Sol, “Judge grants mental health diversion to Zack Scrivner,” Dec. 19, 2025. southkernsol.org
- Taft Midway Driller, “Court rejects appeal of diversion for Zack Scrivner,” July 2026. taftmidwaydriller.com
- The San Joaquin Valley Sun, “Newsom signs Bains’ SCRIVNER Act into law,” Sept. 30, 2026. sjvsun.com
- Ballotpedia, “Kathy Scrivner,” updated 2026. ballotpedia.org
- The Bakersfield Californian, “Pastor calls for Kathy Scrivner to resign KHSD board,” Jan. 2026. bakersfield.com
- 23ABC, “A closer look at the candidates for Kern High School District Area 4,” 2022. turnto23.com
- The Bakersfield Californian, “Youngblood defends Zimmer for not calling 911 in Scrivner incident,” Jan. 13, 2026. bakersfield.com
- 23ABC, “Kern County sheriff discusses sealed video showing trustee interfering with investigation,” Jan. 20, 2026. turnto23.com
- KUZZ News, “Former Kern supervisor’s mother under fire,” Jan. 6, 2026. kuzz.com
- Taft Midway Driller, “Grove, Scrivner’s son speak at news conference,” Feb. 25, 2026. taftmidwaydriller.com
- KGET, “‘I don’t know anything about that’: Kathy Scrivner responds to Kern County Sheriff,” Jan. 2026. kget.com
- Ballotpedia, “Kern High School District elections, 2026,” updated 2026. ballotpedia.org
- 23ABC, “Governor signs Scrivner Act into law,” Sept. 2026. turnto23.com