Kern County Supervisor Leticia Perez is set to enter the race to replace Asm. Rudy Salas (D–Bakersfield), following through with a long-hinted prospective campaign.
Perez will officially announce her candidacy for the Assembly next week, a Kern County source with knowledge of the matter told The Sun.
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Earlier this week, Salas announced his candidacy for Rep. David Valadao’s (R–Hanford) seat in the 2022 election, opening up the door for Perez and other competitors to vie for his spot.
In August, Perez told media outlets that she would enter the race to replace Salas if he took on Valadao.
Perez was first elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2012 and has since been reelected three times.
The Supervisor has attempted a bid for state legislature, running for an open State Senate seat – now represented by Sen. Melissa Hurtado – in a 2013 special election.
Perez was defeated in that bid by Hanford cherry farmer Andy Vidak, who would go on to serve through 2018.
Since her current Supervisorial term runs through 2025, if Perez winds up taking Salas’ seat, her Supervisor seat would be subject to appointment by Gov. Gavin Newsom due to Kern County’s status as a general law county.
