The Poynter Institute Menu Donate State Editions * California * Florida * Iowa * Michigan * New Hampshire * New York * North Carolina * Pennsylvania * Texas * West Virginia * Wisconsin Issues * All Issues * Online hoaxes * Coronavirus * Health Care * Immigration * Extremism * Taxes * Marijuana * Environment * Crime * Guns * Foreign Policy * LGBTQ+ People * Joe Biden * Kamala Harris * Donald Trump * Mitch McConnell * Hakeem Jeffries * Ron DeSantis Media * PunditFact * Tucker Carlson * Sean Hannity * Rachel Maddow * Bloggers * PolitiFact Videos Campaigns * 2024 Elections Truth-o-Meter * True * Mostly True * Half True * Mostly False * False * Pants on Fire Promises * Biden Promise Tracker * Trump-O-Meter * Obameter * Latest Promises About Us * Our Process * Our Staff * En Español * Who pays for PolitiFact? * Advertise with Us * Suggest a Fact-check * Corrections and Updates * Newsletters Donate #### Follow us The Facts Newsletter Sign up English Español ### Get PolitiFact in your inbox. * Weekly Email Newsletter * Daily Email Newsletter Your Email Address Sign Up ![](\\" ![](\\" Arnold Schwarzenegger stated on December 1, 2019 in an interview on \"Meet the Press\": \"In Bakersfield, where there’s a lot of oil drilling going on, there’s more solar jobs now in Bakersfield and around that area than there are oil jobs.\" ![\\"true\\"](\\" false/33efdb6633e5e2fdc2d4e2f63383a1e0.jpg.\\") ![\\"false\\"](\\" false.jpg\\") * Environment * Climate Change * Economy * Energy * Jobs * California * Arnold Schwarzenegger ![\\"Former](\\" Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger claimed there are more jobs in solar than oil in the Bakersfield area. That\'s not the case. ![\\"Chris](\\" By Chris Nichols December 6, 2019 # Bakersfield has far more jobs in oil than solar, despite Schwarzenegger’s false claim Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger likes to boast about his home state’s move to clean energy sources such as wind and solar. But on Sunday’s Meet the Press on NBC, the GOP politician and climate activist may have gone too far. Schwarzenegger was on the show promoting World War Zero, a coalition of scientists, politicians and celebrities hoping to bring greater urgency to climate change, ahead of the 2019 United Nations Climate Change Conference. He said California’s embrace of renewables is evident even in Bakersfield, a city of 380,000 better known for oil derricks and country music than solar arrays and wind turbines. \"I just want to tell you that, for instance, in California, in Bakersfield, where there’s a lot of oil drilling going on, there’s more solar jobs now in Bakersfield and around that area than there are oil jobs,\" Schwarzenegger claimed. \"People are leaving the oil fields and going to work in solar and clean energy and stuff like that.\" More solar jobs than oil jobs in the Bakersfield area? We drilled down on a fact check. Our research Our reporting, along with a fact check by Bakersfield NBC TV affiliate KGET, calls Schwarzenegger’s specific claim into question. But it also shows renewable energy jobs are growing in the region. Asked about the claim solar jobs have overtaken oil positions, Kern County spokesperson Megan Person told the station \"we know that not to be true.\" She said the county is home to approximately 2,500 solar jobs, most of which are temporary and tied to construction and installation. By comparison, it has about 14,000 jobs directly connected to the oil and gas industry, most of which Person said are permanent oil jobs. She said the figures come from private service JobsEQ. It’s the same amount listed in a 2017 Oil and Gas in California report by the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation. Bakersfield is the largest city in Kern County, located south of Fresno and north of Los Angeles. The region, like much of the state, has seen a jump in renewables, but not to a level matching traditional energy jobs. #### Featured Fact-check ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/322c808c00e73c217d17772ddd5a0eb5.jpg\\") ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/8b142c91ebe468a84a192e6df2b7b994.jpg\\") Instagram posts stated on August 13, 2024 in an Instagram post Kamala Harris voted in favor of passing a law in 2022 to tax tips. ![\\"true\\"](\\" false/33efdb6633e5e2fdc2d4e2f63383a1e0.jpg.\\") ![\\"false\\"](\\" false.jpg\\") By Sofia Ahmed • August 15, 2024 \"Kern County is seeing a rise in solar installations, and I don’t mean just residential. I mean giant commercial projects,\" Person said, citing a new solar field that will generate 850 solar construction jobs. \"It could be confusion related to that,\" she continued. \"I don’t know where [Schwarzenegger’s] numbers came from. We can’t substantiate them.\" \'It was a mistake\' The former governor’s spokesperson, Daniel Ketchell, told PolitiFact California that Schwarzenegger \"meant to say new jobs. What he said was not meant to mislead. It was a mistake.\" Ketchell clarified that he intended to say the San Joaquin Valley has gained more new clean energy jobs than oil jobs. There’s some evidence for that, but it’s a far different claim than what the governor said on TV. The Valley includes a much bigger area, running from Stockton to Bakersfield, and clean energy goes beyond just solar. \"Yes, it’s on the rise,\" Carol Zabin, director of the Green Economy Program at the UC Berkeley Labor Center, said of solar and other clean energy sources. \"The big solar farms are located in various parts of the state. But there’s a concentration in the San Joaquin Valley.\" Zabin said the Center does not have figures comparing solar and oil jobs in the Bakersfield area. But in a 2017 study, it reported that California’s clean energy initiatives \"created 88,000 total jobs, including 31,000 direct jobs\" in the San Joaquin Valley from 2002 to 2015. She added that automation has led to a decrease in some oil and gas jobs in the Valley, though she noted demand for fossil fuels continues to be strong. Our ruling Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger recently claimed there are more solar jobs than oil jobs in the Bakersfield area. A spokesperson for Kern County said the area’s solar jobs amount to just 2,500 while the oil and gas industry includes 14,000 positions. Schwarzenegger’s spokesman told us he meant to say the San Joaquin Valley is seeing more new clean energy jobs than oil jobs. There’s some evidence for that, but it’s far different from what he said on TV. We rate Schwarzenegger’s claim False. _FALSE_ – The statement is not accurate. Click here for more on the six PolitiFact ratings and how we select facts to check. #### Read About Our Process The Principles of the Truth-O-Meter ### Our Sources Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Meet the Press interview, Dec. 1, 2019 Daniel Ketchell, spokesperson for Schwarzenegger, email exchange and phone interview, Dec. 2, 2019 Megan Person, Kern County spokesperson, phone interview Dec. 4, 2019 Kara Greene, Western States Petroleum Association spokesperson, email exchange, Dec. 5, 2019 Aaron Hegde, economics professor, California State University at Bakersfield, email exchange Dec. 5, 2019 Carol Zabin, director of the Green Economy Program, UC Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education, phone interview Dec. 5, 2019 KGET TV station, Arnold Schwarzenegger: There are more solar jobs than oil now in Bakersfield, Dec. 3, 2019 UC Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education, The Economic Impacts of California’s Major Climate Programs on the San Joaquin Valley, Analysis through 2015 and Projections through 2030, January 2017 UC Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education, The Link Between Good Jobs and a Low Carbon Future, July 2016 Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation, Oil and Gas Industry in California: 2019 Report, Aug. 27, 2019 ## Browse the Truth-O-Meter ### More by Chris Nichols slide 4 to 6 of 15 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on January 1, 2021 in a Facebook post: There are “absolutely no patients” at Los Angeles hospital considered the center of region\'s COVID-19 surge. ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Chris Nichols • January 6, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" James Gallagher stated on December 3, 2020 in a tweet: “Government imposed lockdowns do NOT reduce [COVID-19] cases or stop spikes.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Chris Nichols • December 16, 2020 ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump stated on November 11, 2020 in a tweet: Video shows California election workers \"cheating\" by collecting ballots from drop box on Nov. 4. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Chris Nichols • November 11, 2020 ![](\\" ![](\\" Larry Elder stated on August 31, 2021 in a CNN interview: “I don’t believe the science suggests that young people should be vaccinated. I don’t believe that young people should have to wear masks at school. I’m not sure the science is settled on that at all.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Chris Nichols • September 11, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Larry Elder stated on August 19, 2021 in a tweet: “California voters to be able to download ballots at home for recall election, sparking security concerns.” ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Chris Nichols • August 27, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Kamala Harris stated on June 1, 2021 in an interview on MSNBC: \"Sadly during the course of the pandemic one-third of our small businesses have closed.\" ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" mostly-true.jpg\\") By Chris Nichols • June 7, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" John Cox stated on May 4, 2021 in a campaign press conference: California Gov. Gavin Newsom “just let 76,000 inmates out of jail.\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Chris Nichols • May 5, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Kevin Kiley stated on April 26, 2021 in a tweet: “San Francisco had twice as many drug overdose deaths as COVID deaths last year.” ![\\"true\\"](\\" ![\\"true\\"](\\" By Chris Nichols • April 29, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Gavin Newsom stated on March 9, 2021 in a State of the State Address: “California’s [COVID-19] death rate has remained one of the lowest per capita in the nation: 134 deaths per 100,000, compared to 158 nationally, 153 in Texas and 247 in New York.” ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By Chris Nichols • March 10, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Doug LaMalfa stated on March 2, 2021 in a constituent email.: Voting-rights legislation proposed by Democrats in Congress called H.R. 1 “would force states to restore the voting rights of convicted felons—including violent felons convicted of murder or rape.” ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By Chris Nichols • March 4, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Kevin Sorbo stated on February 15, 2021 in a tweet: “So California is requiring signature verification for Gavin Newsom’s recall, but didn’t require it for the mail in ballots.” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Bill McCarthy • February 16, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Kevin McCarthy stated on February 9, 2021 in a press release: Raising the national minimum wage to $15 per hour “would destroy up to 3.7 million jobs.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Chris Nichols • February 11, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Bloggers stated on January 28, 2021 in a blog: Facebook tried to “shut down” the campaign to recall California Gov. Gavin Newsom. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Chris Nichols • February 2, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Rusty Hicks stated on January 12, 2021 in a press conference: The effort to recall California Gov. Gavin Newsom is \"a coup.\" ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Chris Nichols • January 14, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Shannon Grove stated on January 6, 2021 in a tweet: \"Antifa\" is to blame for storming the U.S. Capitol. ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Chris Nichols • January 7, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on January 1, 2021 in a Facebook post: There are “absolutely no patients” at Los Angeles hospital considered the center of region\'s COVID-19 surge. ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Chris Nichols • January 6, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" James Gallagher stated on December 3, 2020 in a tweet: “Government imposed lockdowns do NOT reduce [COVID-19] cases or stop spikes.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Chris Nichols • December 16, 2020 ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump stated on November 11, 2020 in a tweet: Video shows California election workers \"cheating\" by collecting ballots from drop box on Nov. 4. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Chris Nichols • November 11, 2020 ![](\\" ![](\\" Larry Elder stated on August 31, 2021 in a CNN interview: “I don’t believe the science suggests that young people should be vaccinated. I don’t believe that young people should have to wear masks at school. I’m not sure the science is settled on that at all.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Chris Nichols • September 11, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Larry Elder stated on August 19, 2021 in a tweet: “California voters to be able to download ballots at home for recall election, sparking security concerns.” ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Chris Nichols • August 27, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Kamala Harris stated on June 1, 2021 in an interview on MSNBC: \"Sadly during the course of the pandemic one-third of our small businesses have closed.\" ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" mostly-true.jpg\\") By Chris Nichols • June 7, 2021 ### Bakersfield has far more jobs in oil than solar, despite Schwarzenegger’s false claim * ![](\\" ![](\\" Kamala Harris stated on August 28, 2024 in an ad: Project 2025 would defund K-12 schools. ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By Samantha Putterman • September 6, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on September 4, 2024 in an Instagram post: “The entire family of Kamala Harris’ running mate, Tim Walz—they are all supporting Donald Trump.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 6, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Josh Stein stated on September 5, 2024 in a press release: “Mark Robinson skips Board of Education vote on teacher bonuses to hold campaign event.” ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Paul Specht • September 6, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on September 4, 2024 in an Instagram post: An image shows the social media profile of the accused suspect in the Apalachee High School shooting. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 5, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Social Media stated on August 31, 2024 in a post: McDonald’s “said they have no record whatsoever of Kamala Harris ever working at any of their locations.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Sara Swann • September 5, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" X posts stated on September 4, 2024 in an X post: “BREAKING: Apalachee High School shooter has been identified as non-binary trans girl Samantha Hyde.” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Loreben Tuquero • September 5, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Instagram posts stated on September 3, 2024 in an Instagram post: “Kamala Harris said she will shut down X if elected.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Sofia Ahmed • September 5, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on September 2, 2024 in an Instagram post: “In less than 48 hours the United States government is shutting down for good.” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 5, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 2, 2024 in a Facebook post: Photo shows a child “saved” by Deputy Ryan Braidley in Elko County, Nevada. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 5, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump stated on August 30, 2024 in an interview at a Moms for Liberty Conference: “The transgender thing is incredible... your kid goes to school and comes home a few days later with an operation. The school decides what’s going to happen with your child.\" ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Grace Abels • September 5, 2024 Load more ### Support independent fact-checking. Become a member! In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts. 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In Bakersfield where there’s a lot of oil drilling going on there’s more solar jobs now in Bakersfield and around that area than there are oil jobs