Oct. 10—Chevron Corp.'s recent emphasis on workspace consolidation doesn't stop at its headquarters in San Ramon. It's cutting back in Bakersfield, too.

The oil company says it's looking to sell some of the property it owns at the Bakersfield Energy Center, 9525 Camino Media, as it maximizes its use of space in Chevron field offices around the region.

News of a local consolidation, contained in an email a Chevron spokesman sent last week in response to questions from The Californian, follows news last month the company has sold its global headquarters east of San Francisco. It has leased a much smaller, more modern space near the old 92-acre complex, called Chevron Park, and is paying for some employees to move to Houston and work at company offices there.

The company says none of this is to be interpreted as Chevron making plans to leave the Golden State, where it has been based for about 140 years.

"Chevron will remain headquartered in California," spokesman Sean Comey said by email. He added that the company has more than 800 employees in Kern County, and that "we do not expect the office consolidation to change that."

In July, Chevron reported second-quarter earnings of $11.6 billion, nearly three times as much as it earned a year before. Meanwhile, clouds are gathering: Gov. Gavin Newsom has continued a pattern of anti-oil moves, most recently calling a special legislative session to consider a new tax on the profits of California oil producers and refiners above a certain level.

Comey said Chevron is using less than half the space it has available on Camino Media, which is considered the headquarters office for its San Joaquin Valley Business Unit. According to its website, more than 400 employees report to work there daily.

Plans for consolidation around Bakersfield came after the company identified an opportunity for marketing property there for sale, Comey said, adding that Chevron intends to move all remaining workers at that property into a single building.

Some employees at the energy center have already moved to Chevron's offices at the Kern River Oil Field north of Bakersfield, and "other groups may also be doing so as part of this consolidation," Comey stated.

"We need to continue to be flexible as our operations continue to evolve so we can effectively address the challenges we face in the current business environment for the oil and natural gas industry in California," he wrote.

The Wall Street Journal reported last month Chevron's presence in California has declined since 2019, while its employee base in Houston has grown to about 6,000, or about three times its headcount in San Ramon. The newspaper said the company earlier this year offered to cover moving costs for employees willing to move to Houston, in a state with lower taxes, a lighter regulatory burden, no state income tax and less expensive real estate.