ARVIN, Calif. (KERO) — The race to fill the 5th seat in the Arvin City Council has officially begun! Meet Anabel Quintino Rubio, who's been living in Arvin for more than 50 years.
- Anabel Quintino Rubio is a candidate for the Arvin Special Election.
- The Special Election will be held on August 26th.
- Rubio is running against two other candidates: Tim Tarver and Henry R. Oliver.
- The elected candidate will serve through the November 2026 election.
For your convenience, the skimmable summary above is generated with the assistance of AI and fact checked by our team prior to publication. Read the full story as originally reported below.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
The race is on! Three candidates will be running in the Arvin Special Election to fill the 5th seat on the council. One by one, I'll introduce you to each of the candidates, starting with Anabel Quintino Rubio.
"I'm here because I feel like I can make a difference," stated Rubio.
Born in Fresno, Anabel Quintino Rubio is the daughter of migrant parents who lived in a labor camp. Then, at the age of one, Rubio says she and her family moved to Arvin, where she would grow up and start a family.
"I grew up in Arvin. I am a product of Arvin. The schools Arvin High—Arvin Union," said Rubio.
Throughout her years living in Arvin, Rubio says she became an active resident, coaching for the Arvin Little League, attending council meetings, and serving as a board member for the Arvin Union School District, where she was president for seven years. Currently, Rubio is the Director of Nutrition Services at Vineland School District, where she has worked for more than 23 years.
If elected council member for the City of Arvin, Rubio says one of her main focuses would be on unifying the council.
"As a council, we need to show them that we are strong, that we are united and that we are working collaboratively to make all those things that we're either promising or wanting to help progress in our city," said Rubio.
She adds that she intends to use her experience she's gathered in her former leadership roles to help address key issues in the city.
"To help bring more funding, apply for more grants that are out there in the state to help fix our streets, which we all know and our community knows that we need that," said Rubio.
With this position serving through the November 2026 election, Rubio says she is aware it will be a challenge to achieve her plans in a short period of time, but is ready to hit the ground running.
"It will not be easy," stated Rubio. "It's going to be hard, but I am willing to work hard for my community."
Ballots will be sent out on July 28th and must be postmarked by August 26th.
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