BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Polls closed at 8 p.m. Tuesday and voters are now awaiting the final results that will decide Bakersfield’s next Ward 1 council member.
As of 9:59 p.m., incumbent Eric Arias is leading the poll by nearly 10% against challenger Mercy Pena.
Arias was first elected to the Bakersfield City Council in 2020 in a partial term before being reelected in 2022.
In his reelection bid, Arias said he wanted to focus on crime, illegal dumping and homelessness in Ward 1, as he currently sits on the council’s Homelessness Committee.
Arias also serves as President & CEO for United Way of Central Eastern California.
Pena, a Bakersfield native, ran her campaign looking to focus on public safety, homelessness and sewer rate reform across the city.
Pena also serves as one of the Trustees for the Greenfield Union School District, a role she has been in since 2024. Serving District Area C, her term will be up in 2028.
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