‘We’re having a lot of issues in Kern County’: District 1 Supervisor incumbent Phillip Peters talks upcoming election
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — With the March election around the corner, the race is on for Kern County’s first supervisorial district seat.
The first district is the third largest in Kern County with a population of around 180,000. Incumbent Phillip Peters has held the seat since 2020, succeeding former Supervisor Mick Gleason.
Kern County’s first supervisorial district stretches from Ridgecrest through the Kern River Valley to Rosedale.
Based on 2020 U.S. Census data — which was used to guide the county’s redistricting process in 2021 — the district has the smallest Latino population and one of the smallest Black populations in Kern.
As of the morning of Feb. 1, Kern County Elections reports District 1 has a little more than 100,000 total registered voters. The area is predominantly Republican, with about 51% of voters registering as such. About 24% are registered Democrats and 17% registered independent. However, Kern’s Board of Supervisors is a nonpartisan office.
Kern County In Depth: Feb. 4, 2024
In the 2020 election, incumbent Phillip Peters got about 52% of the votes in the primary election and won the seat outright.
During his first term, Supervisor Peters faced multiple challenges, including historic rainfall in 2023 that led to severe storm damage, evacuation orders and repair efforts still ongoing. The Board of Supervisors also invested heavily in public safety in the sheriff’s office,fire department and anti-encampment efforts.
The Board also filed a lawsuit against California Governor Gavin Newsom in an attempt to protect the local energy and agriculture scene.
“I think that right now, we’re having a lot of issues in Kern County that are going to need an experienced hand at the wheel,” said Peters. “We’ve seen turnover in some of our seats that are really critical to ensuring success here.”
Peters brought up the fact that the county will soon have a new Congress member and Assembly member.
“I think we really need someone here at the local level that’s going to be able to continue the fight for Kern County as we wait for the new representatives to transition into those offices, and build on the momentum of everything we’ve been able to accomplish in the last four years,” said Peters.
Peters said he wants to continue to work on public safety, finish up some projects in the Kern River Valley and help new representatives focus on the gas, oil and agriculture industries in the county.
You can watch the full interview with Peters in the video player above.
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