BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — As we get closer to the first day of Fall, many are preparing for the return of pumpkin spice-flavored coffees, football season, and Halloween, but on November 3rd residents will also cast their ballots for the next era of their city council members.
Depending on which city a Kern County resident lives in, their council can be structured in a few different ways: districts, at-large, or a mix of both.
District elections require candidates to live within the district they represent, and voters only get to vote for candidates in the district they reside in.
At-large elections only require candidates to live within city limits, voters generally vote for several candidates on one ballot, and the top vote-getters are awarded a seat on the council.
However, similar to the 2024 election, some residents in Wasco and Tehachapi likely won't vote for their city council members as they are running unopposed. Wasco City Council is slated to vote on cancelling the District 3 race where Valentin Medina is the only candidate. A spokesperson for the City of Tehachapi indicated the city intends to do the same, as there is only one candidate per race on their city council ballot.
However, McFarland is unable to take advantage of the same scenario despite only having one candidate per district. City Clerk Erika De La Cruz told 23ABC in an email, "In this case, two measures and one initiative have qualified for the upcoming election. As a result, the City cannot proceed under Section 10229(a). Additionally, the Kern County Elections Office has confirmed that there is no additional cost to the City for including the unopposed candidate contests since the City already has measures on the ballot."
The Kern County Elections Office will begin to mail out mail-in ballots to eligible residents starting on October 5; residents are able to vote in person on Election Day on November 3.
Below is a list of all city council elections that Kern Residents will be tasked with deciding this November; the official list can be found on the Kern County Elections website.
Arvin — At-large (three open council seats)
- Nora Perez
- Lissette Medina
- Susanna Reyes (Incumbent)
- Anabel "Quintino" Rubio
- Gabriel Garcia
- Jose Luis Garcia, Jr.
Bakersfield — District races (four open council seats)
Ward 1
- Mercy Peña
- Eric Arias (Incumbent)
Ward 3
- Kathryn Halling
- Juan Carlos “JC” Llamas
- Pedro Naveiras
- Cassie Bittle
- Seth M. Hewett
- Johnny Olaguez
Ward 4
- Ryan Crowl
- Bob Smith (Incumbent)
Ward 7
- Manpreet Kaur (Incumbent)
- Angie Valdez
California City — Mayor and two at-large council seats
Mayor (2-year term)
- Marquette Hawkins (Incumbent)
- Isaac Barcelona
At-Large Council Member #1
- Ron Smith (Incumbent)
- Jeanie O’Laughlin
- Karina Perez
At-Large Council Member (Short-Term)
- Dawn Ferguson
- Elexis Shaw
- John Fischer
Treasurer
- Keith Middleton (Incumbent)
- Inishia White
Delano — At-large (two open council seats)
- Mario Nunez Jr. (Incumbent)
- Liz Morris (Incumbent)
- Elizabeth Arteaga-Gonzalez
- Carlton M. Lennon
- Aaron De Santiago (Not qualified)
Maricopa — At-large (two open council seats)
- Cory Morse (Incumbent)
- John Crump Jr.
- Malinda Adams
- Richard W. Albright
- Virgil Bell (Incumbent)
McFarland — District (all unopposed incumbents)
Mayor
- Ricardo Cano
District 1
- Maria Perez
District 2
- Martin Gutierrez
District 3
- M. Anita Gonzalez
Ridgecrest — Mayor and two at-large council seats
Mayor
- Megan Washington
- Jeremy ‘JV’ Vaughn
Councilmember (At-large)
- Brenda Licitra
- John P. ‘Skip’ Gorman (Incumbent)
- Ron Strand
- Debilyn Kinzler
- Lawrence C. Gaceta
- Tamara ‘Charlon’ Bouyer
- Daniel Neal (Not qualified)
Shafter — At-large (two open council seats)
- Malachi Gonzales
- Dusti McDaris
- Gustavo Olvera Jr. (Incumbent)
- Nelson Salinas
- Dale A. Scadron
- Rafael S. Zamudio
- Cathy Prout (Incumbent)
Taft — At-large (three open council seats)
- Bob Leikam
- Ronald Waldrop (Incumbent)
- Dennis Schertz
- Josh Bryant (Incumbent)
- Jeremy Gregory
Tehachapi — District (all unopposed)
- District 1 — Kim Nixon
- District 3 — Marianna Gutierrez
- District 4 — Joan Pogon-Cord
- District 5 — Hannah Chung
- City Treasurer — Coty DeArmond
Wasco — District (two open council seats)
District 1
- Gilberto Reyna (Incumbent)
- Aubrey E. Wimberly
District 3
- Valentin Medina (Incumbent)
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