BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Election Day is less than two weeks away and 23ABC is continuing with coverage of the candidates, issues, and races until the last vote is counted. One of those races is for the District 3 seat on the Kern County Board of Supervisors.
District 3 covers a wide portion of southwest, northwest, and even some parts of northeast Bakersfield. Two candidates are competing for the District 3 seat this year: Jeff Flores and Brian Smith.
Brian Smith is a retired California Highway Patrol commander and a veteran of the United States Marine Corps.
“I really wanted to see what I could do having 34 years in law enforcement to help beef up the Sheriff’s Department and detentions deputies,” said Smith.
The other candidate, Jeff Flores, is the assistant to the current District 3 Supervisor Mike Maggard. Flores has also served three terms as a trustee for the Kern High School District.
“To serve the constituents of the 3rd District to the best of my ability because of the challenging issues facing Kern County,” Flores said about what he intends to do if he’s elected to the Board of Supervisors.
One of the primary concerns of the residents of District 3, as with people living all over Bakersfield, is crime and public safety. It’s an issue both candidates say they plan to address if elected.
“This thing about getting citations for crime… people need to serve time in jail and we need to get serious,” said Smith. “One of the problems is we don’t have enough deputies. We don’t have enough detention deputies, so we do need to make it desirable for deputies to stay. We need to make it desirable that they want to join the Sheriff’s Department and other law enforcement agencies in the county.”
Flores agrees that public safety is an issue in the district, but thinks there’s a more modern solution than just throwing more cops at it.
“When we have successful economies that’s when it translates to a more robust public safety,” said Flores. “More funding for county services. More funding for law enforcement to position them to be the best in the Central Valley. Make ours the best. Give them the technology that’s needed, and give them the resources that it takes to be number one.”
Another issue facing District 3, Bakersfield, Kern County, and the nation is homelessness. Both candidates are considering how they will address it.
“Everything in our arsenal we need to attack homelessness,” said Flores. “Take down the encampments. It’s unacceptable that they are in our parks. It’s unacceptable that they are in the medians. They are blocking business corridors. We move all encampments using our crews, getting them into the services that they need.”
Smith agrees that something must be done, but strains to walk the line between concern and criminalization.
“I like to call it tough love because I do care about them,” said Smith. “I don’t want to jail people that have mental illness. I don’t want to jail people that are just homeless because they’re poor. We need to help them out as well. But most of these issues, most of these homeless issues, and crime, and breaking into your car… I’ve spoken to homeless people. I’ve spoken to friends and the families, and even the parents want something done.”
Election Day is November 8th. From early voting to the final tally, stay connected with 23ABC both on the air and online for the latest in candidate profiles, breakdowns of the ballot proposals, and all the latest election information.