I understand your frustration. I'll address this as a 2 part.
Band 26 can be summed up in 3 simple words, San Bernardino County. Basically it boils down to Public Safety rebanding, and they haven't completed their rebanding. It is supposed to be done this month. Said county is impeding Band 26 in a number of areas, not just LA. (Las Vegas, cough cough)
As for LTE deployment in the Bakersfield area, I'm not sure why there is a holdup now. Maybe there is an issue with carrier cards, missed deliveries, backhaul issues (Bright House/Charter merger; AT&T/Directv merger), lack of integration techs, etc. I would hope once Band 26 starts rolling out across the area things will really get going again.