With Assembly District 35 up for grabs, 3 candidates are hitting the campaign trail across Kern County tackling hot-button issues — housing, cost of living, and jobs.
“I wish them well but I’m the best candidate,” said McFarland Mayor Saul Ayon.
From improving the city's finances to bringing in three new water wells to the city, McFarland Mayor Saul Ayon, a Republican, says it’s this kind of experience that sets him apart in the race for Assembly District 35.
And if Ayon wins the seat, he’s already got a list in mind to take what he’s done locally to the next level.
“Cut down on these regulations, for the oil industry, housing, streamline permits to build homes, bring down city fees in order for people to get into their first homes,” said Ayon.
Assembly District 35 is entirely within Kern County, covering cities like McFarland, Delano, Shafter, Wasco, Lamont, Arvin, and parts of Bakersfield.
Also in the race — Democratic Bakersfield City Council member Andrae Gonzales. He says he’s running to bridge what he calls a disconnect between decisions made at the Capitol and the needs of local communities.
With 16 years in local government, Gonzales points to rising living costs across the county — and if elected, he plans to tackle high electricity prices, calling for changes to the state’s climate credit system.
“We pay more in the summer months than most other parts of the state, we should receive a higher credit in order to offset the increased cost in utilities,” said Gonzales.
The third candidate is Ana Palacio, a registered Democrat and healthcare worker with Kern medical who has no* political experience.
Spending her days in the emergency room, Palacio says her biggest focuses are healthcare, education, and the cost of living.
Palacio says she doesn’t see her lack of political experience as a fault, but rather, as her superpower.
“When we're not investing in those programs or we’re not putting resources into prevention, it shows up in the ER and so I see how that affects our community every single day whether its addiction, mental health, public health things like that,” said Palacio.
All three candidates bring in different perspectives from local government, to city leadership, and healthcare, but each say they’re running for the same thing, to improve life for families across Assembly District 35.
The two candidates who win the most votes in the primary will then run against each other in the November general election.
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