Six candidates have filed to run for former Kern County Supervisor Zack Scrivner’s seat.
The winner will serve out the remainder of Scrivner’s term, which runs through 2026.
The big picture: The candidates who filed to run to represent District 2 are Dale Cisneros, Ben Dewell, Pete Graff, Kelly Lee Carden, Bernita Jenkins and Chris Parlier.
- Cisneros, who will be listed on the ballot as businessman/farmer, is a real estate agent in Tehachapi. His wife, Lori Cisneros, was elected to the Kern County Board of Education in 2022.
- Dewell, listed as a board director/scientist, is the director of the Stallion Springs Community Services District. He is also the chairman of the Hearing Board with the Eastern Kern Air Pollution Control District. He ran for Congressional District 20 this year as an independent and challenged former Speaker Kevin McCarthy in 2022 as a Democrat.
- Graff, listed as watch commander federal, is a former Tehachapi police officer. He previously challenged Scrivner in 2022, receiving five percent of the vote.
- Carden also challenged Scrivner in 2022 and placed second with 22 percent of the vote. He is listed as a small business owner.
- Jenkins is listed as a retired labor representative
- Parlier is listed as retired law enforcement, having worked for California Criminal Justice Bureau Narcotics Enforcement. He served on the Bakersfield City Council from 2014 to 2022.
The backstory: The six candidates only had a short period of time to file for the election.
- Scrivner submitted a letter of resignation on Aug. 1, just ahead of the Aug. 9 deadline for candidates to enter the race with the Kern County Elections Office.
- The county was unable to extend the deadline past Aug. 9 because Scrivner vacated the seat. Had he been an incumbent who simply chose not to run, the county would have been able to give more time to prospective candidates to file.
What we’re watching: While the candidates will face off in November, California Gav. Newsom will appoint a temporary supervisor in the meantime.
- Newsom’s appointee will hold the position until the November election.
