BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Improving public safety and keeping the city's budget from dipping into reserves are among the initiatives Bakersfield City Councilman Eric Arias says he will continue advocating for if re-elected to the Ward 1 seat.
Arias, who has served six years in office, is pointing to major upgrades across Ward 1 — revitalized recreation centers, expanded city departments to strengthen crisis response services, and improvements to housing units.
"We have about 1600 units of housing that's going to be affordable coming online but it's taken years to get to that point," Arias said.
Arias says his time in office has taught him an important lesson: listening to residents and securing funding are only part of the equation. The other half, he says, comes down to figuring out how long projects will take from start to finish.
Outside of improving infrastructure, Arias notes the overall impact of city council efforts, such as decreasing homelessness in Bakersfield within the last year.
"It's a figure of 2.3%. It's not a huge number. We have to do better. We have to do more. We acknowledge that fact," Arias said.
Arias says his goal, if re-elected, will remain the same.
"I think obviously the job isn't finished and we're just committed as we were when we first started to deliver on those promises we made to the community," Arias said.
With one challenger competing for the seat, Arias says he is doing what he can while he remains in office.
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