News to look for in the new year

The new year is only just starting and already it’s looking to be a busy 12 months for choosing leaders, addressing challenges and harvesting benefits across Kern County. Here’s a look at the year ahead:

ELECTIONS

2026 is shaping up to be a big political year with midterm elections in Congress and a gubernatorial race in California.

Both have already begun but the real work won’t start until after the June 2 primary whittles down the number of candidates.

Over two dozen candidates have filed for the governor’s race, with big names on both sides of the aisle. Republican candidates Steve Hilton, a former Fox News host, and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco have already made visits to Bakersfield.

Kern’s congressional races

Kern County is home to what’s expected to be one of the most closely watched races in the nation: California’s 22nd District.

The seat has been held since 2013 — with the exception of one term — by David Valadao, Republican of Hanford.

He has had to consistently fight off well-funded Democratic challengers in races where both candidates are bringing in millions of dollars in donations, often from donors outside the district and the state.

According to the most recent filings with the Federal Elections Commission, Valadao is well ahead of his Democratic challengers in fundraising, with $1.7 million in cash on hand.

The Republican incumbent is currently facing two Democratic challengers: Visalia school board member Randy Villegas, a progressive, and Assemblywoman Dr. Jasmeet Bains, a Delano centrist.

Villegas currently has roughly $290,000 in cash to Bains’ $238,000, but the real money is expected to come after the primary.

Even with the district’s lines being redrawn to favor Democrats under Proposition 50, the race for the 22nd District is still expected to be close.

Four candidates have filed to unseat Bakersfield’s other congressional representative, U.S. Rep. Vince Fong, a Republican.

Fong’s 20th district is viewed as a conservative stronghold and not nearly as competitive as Valadao’s 22nd. The four candidates who have filed to run against Fong are Ben Dewell, Patrick Robb, Carol Kristina Roper and Sandra Van Scotter.

California legislature

In the state Legislature, three of Kern County’s four seats are up for election this year, and all three have no incumbent.

With Bains running for Congress and Assemblyman Stan Ellis declining to seek re-election, both of the Bakersfield area’s Assembly seats are wide open.

Bakersfield Ward 2 City Councilman Andrae Gonzales, a Democrat, quickly mounted a campaign for Bains’ 35th District seat and was the only candidate for a time. Only later did emergency-room nurse Ana Palacio, also a Democrat, and McFarland Mayor Saul Ayon, a Republican, announced their candidacies.

After Ellis announced his intention not to seek re-election in the 32nd District, Kern County District 4 Supervisor David Couch announced his candidacy for the seat, with Ellis’ blessing.

Bakersfield Republican state Sen. Shannon Grove, who is reaching her term limit, is seeking a seat on the state Board of Equalization.

Currently there are two candidates who’ve filed statements of intention to run, both of them Fresno Republicans.

Fresno County Supervisor Nathan Magsig has declared his candidacy for the 12th District seat, as has business owner and former FBI agent Michael Maher.

Couch had weighed a run for Grove’s 12th District seat before pivoting to the Assembly.

Bakersfield City Council

Four of Bakersfield’s seven city council seats are up for election in 2026. Members Eric Arias, Ward 1; Ken Weir, Ward 3; Bob Smith, Ward 4; and Manpreet Kaur, Ward 7, all have terms expiring in November.

At least one person plans to challenge one of the council members. JC Llamas, a local MMA fighter known as the “Leg Lock Monster,” announced in February he would run for the Ward 3 seat currently held by Weir.

Weir missed roughly half the council’s evening meetings in 2025. In November he announced he’d been receiving treatment for cancer, which had kept him from his duties.

Gonzales was re-elected to the council last year, but if he wins the Assembly election, his council seat will become open.

Kern County Supervisors

Despite having just won his District 2 seat in November 2024, Chris Parlier is one of two Kern County supervisors up for election in 2026.

Parlier won a special election to fill out the remainder of former Supervisor Zack Scrivner’s term, set to end in 2026.

The other supervisor up for re-election is District 3 Supervisor Jeff Flores, whose term expires in January 2027.

If a candidate receives more than 50% of the vote in a primary election in certain California elections, there is no runoff election and that candidate is seated.

That’s what happened to Supervisors Couch and Phillip Peters last year, whereas District 5 Supervisor Leticia Perez was forced to defend her seat in a general election.

Similar to Gonzales, if Couch is successful in his bid for the Assembly, a special election will have to be held to fill the vacancy.

CITY SEWER

Bakersfield city officials have said they hope one of six funding plans to overhaul the municipal sewer system can be chosen in January, with new rates taking effect July 1.

City officials had to rescind the initial proposal after residents were shocked by the proposed 300% increase. One of the city’s wastewater treatment plants is in need of significant upgrades, which officials have estimated will cost $1.3 billion, including other upgrades to accommodate the expanding city.

Staff presented six funding scenarios to the council in October.

BUSINESS

The characteristics that make Kern County’s economy unique presented special challenges in 2025 that will continue to play out in 2026.

Energy projects

President Donald Trump’s enthusiasm for petroleum, mixed with his skepticism of renewable energy, made the past 12 months something of a wild ride in Kern County. Federal subsidies were withdrawn for several large projects, even as the preservation of a specific tax credit raised hopes locally. But there’s hope at least some of the proposals will survive.

The administration pulled financial support for a steel mill planned in the Mojave area, a cement plant proposed for overhaul near Gorman and four carbon management projects around Kern. In addition, Trump placed under review a federal loan guarantee for a compressed-air energy storage project expected to begin construction soon near Rosamond.

All of the projects’ price tags run in the hundreds of millions of dollars and won’t be easy to finance independently. But some of the developers behind them are still hoping to move forward in the near term, such as the company behind the steel plant, which is looking for alternative financing. It remains to be seen whether other projects, such as carbon-management proposals, can be rescued.

Carbon management faces a brighter future after the Trump administration decided against canceling the 45Q tax credit that supports carbon management projects like the one that Long Beach-based California Resources Corp. recently began construction on in western Kern. The company hopes to sign offtake agreements in 2026 with industrial users who want CRC to permanently bury their byproduct carbon dioxide.

Oil permitting

One of the biggest local news stories of 2025 — the passage of a state law allowing Kern County to issue its own oil-field permits for the next 10 years — is set to take effect this month. But there remain doubts as to how effective it will be in helping solve the state’s fuel crisis.

After years of sluggish permitting at the state level, several oil-field service companies have closed or moved out of state. This could be the year local oil production ramps up sharply, or it could be a time of demand for service meeting an insufficient supply of people to do the work.

Another question to be answered this year is whether a pipeline carrying local crude to Bay Area refineries will be able to secure the rate increase its operators say is needed to sustain the conduit. If not, local oil producers may have to rely on more expensive means to bring their product to market.

Other business uncertainties

Local farmers are waiting for a response from Congress on whether the Trump administration’s $12 billion ag subsidy package will substantially benefit California. Specialty crop growers were singled out for a mere $1 billion, leading farm groups around the state to pressure legislators to secure help. No official answer has been forthcoming.

Meanwhile, industrial property — until recently the darling of local real estate — is looking for a revival after a slowdown hit in early 2025. While speculative investment has since slowed, there is an understanding the sector will pick up eventually. But when?

Another question in local business is how much Kern County will ultimately benefit from the California Jobs First initiative, an economic development program originally inspired by work done locally.

The group trying to maximize local returns, called the Kern Coalition, got off to a rough start because of a power struggle. In 2025, a new problem emerged as scoring results in a key funding round were thrown out and had to be redone.

Leaders of the effort say there’s still time to apply for and win large state grants, though others have expressed doubts.

JAIL BEDS

The city’s quest to find more jails beds appears to be bearing fruit. Officials are hopeful about contracting with the city of Taft to house low-level offenders who officials say take up an inordinate amount of resources.

Low staffing at the Kern County Sheriff’s Office has forced the agency to close some of its jail facilities, leading to overcapacity at KCSO’s Lerdo jail and the early release of low-level offenders.

There are still a number of legal issues for the city to work out, but conversations with Kern County’s presiding judge have been positive and Taft Police Department officials have said their facility can provide for the city’s needs.

LDS TEMPLE

Plans for a proposed Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints temple on Stockdale Highway went out for environmental review in January. The project could go before the city in 2026.

The design of the proposed temple has drawn the ire of what could be its future neighbors, the residential neighborhood next to the vacant lot where the building is planned.

Residents there have voiced concern for the proposed 124-foot steeple included in the proposed designs. They note the structure far exceeds what’s allowed under the current zoning.

There are laws allowing zoning exemptions for religious buildings, but residents of the neighbor — Brighton Park, a gated, over-55 neighborhood near the intersection of Stockdale Highway and Jewetta Avenue, where the temple is planned — have organized a committee opposing the temple designs.

The committee has emphasized it doesn’t oppose the temple itself, only the “light and bright” of the proposed steeple.

Church officials have said the steeple is an important feature of the temple, which is a unique structure within the church, reserved for special occasions and restricted to church members.

CHILD SERVICES

The first listening sessions in an outside audit of Kern County Child Welfare Services are set for January as the embattled agency looks to restore public confidence.

Calls for a review of the department began following news of the death of 8-year-old Genesis Mata. Her father and stepmother have been accused of torturing her to death.

Police reports from the arrest of the father, Ray Mata Jr., and stepmother, Graciela Bustamonte, indicate that Kern CPS had been notified about Mata regarding another child whose school reported bruising on the arms.

Both Mata and Bustamonte face multiple felony charges including torture, child abuse and murder. The next hearings in their case are set for March 20.

AVENIDA DE CESAR CHAVEZ

A proposal to rename H Street for the late labor leader Cesar Chavez was sent to the Bakersfield Planning Commission in August. The proposal quickly rankled some in the community.

A petition against the naming gathered roughly 2,400 signatures, and some community members have been vocal in their opposition.

The plan had its fair share of advocates, as well. They argued that many cities have streets named for Chavez, who spent much of his life in Kern County working with farm laborers.

BUDGET WOES

Massive funding cuts are on the way from the state and federal governments, and it’s not yet clear how local jurisdictions will be impacted.

Concerns have been raised across Kern County, where large numbers of people are enrolled in government programs. More than half of Kern County is enrolled in Medicaid, known locally as MediCal, and roughly 17% of families are enrolled in SNAP, also known as food stamps.

A Kern County grand jury report in November recommended the county restore funding that had been cut from the Department of Public Health’s budget, claiming the reductions were negatively impacting health services and staffing.