BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) \u2014 Mercy Pe\u00f1a, a candidate for the Bakersfield City Council’s Ward 1 seat, confirmed court records showing she has two felony convictions for forgery. <\/p>\n
Pe\u00f1a says accountability and transparency are at the center of her campaign for the seat, currently held by Eric Arias.<\/p>\n
As I reviewed her background, I found court records showing two felony convictions for forgery under the name Mercy Mary Pe\u00f1a. <\/p>\n
After comparing signatures from those records with her election filing, Pe\u00f1a confirmed the records are hers. Pe\u00f1a currently serves on the Greenfield School District Board of Trustees.<\/p>\n
When asked why she had not previously mentioned her past felony charges when applying for the Board of Trustees or entering the Ward 1 race, Pe\u00f1a spoke about her history directly. <\/p>\n
“I haven’t gotten expunged, but at the end of the day that was a mistake I made in 1992 and – like I said – it’s part of my past…I’m going to fess up to it because it did happen,” Pe\u00f1a said.<\/p>\n
Pe\u00f1a says she’s learned from her past, and those experiences now shape how she looks at city spending. <\/p>\n
She also spoke about the nature of the work itself.
“It’s not a glamorous job. It’s not a big funded job to do but..something has to do it,” Pe\u00f1a said.<\/p>\n
She says the city should first listen to residents and identify their biggest needs before deciding how to spend public money. <\/p>\n
For Pe\u00f1a, that means prioritizing long-term recovery programs for homelessness and giving the community more of a say in city decisions. “Talk to the people in that area. Ask them what they want to resolve?” Pe\u00f1a said.<\/p>\n
If elected, Pe\u00f1a says addressing residents’ concerns head-on is the best strategy to increase public safety in Ward 1.<\/p>\n
With all of Bakersfield’s city council candidates having had their chance to make their case to voters, the decision now heads to the ballot box.<\/p>\n
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.<\/p>\n
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