A community coalition led by the Central Labor Council will be holding a press conference to give updates on the progress made in their campaign to call for a special election to fill the vacancy in Bakersfield's 5th ward.

On January 10th, a community coalition began work to ensure the democratic process is respected while selecting a replacement for the late Council Member Jeff Tkac. 

Volunteers have been knocking on doors throughout Ward 5 in Southwest Bakersfield to collect the 4700 signatures needed to avoid a city appointment and force a special election. 

The community's response has been overwhelmingly supportive for a special election.  The coalition's hope is that those City Council members who publically stated their support for a special election will not deviate when they meet next on Wednesday, January 25th. 

Should the Council fail to call for a election, the coalition intends to collect the final number of signatures needed by the February 1st deadline.