Gonzales, Koman and Bashirtash ahead in council races
Incumbent Bakersfield City Councilman Andrae Gonzales took a lead in early election returns Tuesday night, as did candidates Larry Koman and Zack Bashirtash in their respective council races.
Gonzales had 61.4% of the vote, while his challenger in Ward 2, Michael Cardenas, had 38.6% as of 10:29 p.m., after the Kern County Elections Division released a second round of results.
In the Ward 5 race, Koman had 42.2% of the vote. Michael Madrigal was in second place with 40.7% and Kevin Oliver was trailing with 17.2%.
Bashirtash was leading with 38% of the vote in the Ward 6 contest. Challenger Imelda Ceja had 31.7%, Tom Webster had 18.7% and Johnny Olaguez had 11.6%.
Vice Mayor Gonzales, CEO of the nonprofit Stewards Inc., is the only incumbent in all three council races. His ward covers most of downtown but it extends further west, east and south. In office he has focused on homelessness and revitalizing downtown and Old Town Kern.
His only challenger was Cardenas, a cameraman and businessman who moved to Bakersfield from Los Angeles in 2019. He recalled being inspired to run for office by the disruption California underwent during the pandemic and said more should be done to help business businesses and address homelessness.
The Ward 5 race was contested by three men, all Republicans, who cited their business experience as a key qualification. Each named police, fire and public safety as among their top priorities. The ward is in the city's southwest, mostly south of the Kern River and west of Gosford Road.
Koman, endorsed by outgoing Ward 5 Councilman Bruce Freeman, has served on various boards and commissions, notably including the Measure N Tax Oversight Committee. Many of his endorsements came from local business groups.
Madrigal fought in the Middle East after joining the U.S. Marine Corps out of high school. He was the only candidate in the race endorsed by the Kern County Republican Party.
Oliver was endorsed by a variety of local law enforcement organizations. He is a local real estate broker and investor serving on the Kern County Planning Commission.
The most crowded of Bakersfield's three council races, for Ward 6, had no incumbent because Councilwoman Patty Gray announced earlier this year she would not run for reelection. The ward lies generally east of Gosford Road and west of Highway 99, with Truxtun Avenue as its northern boundary and Panama Lane as its southern limit.
Bashirtash oversees two Bakersfield car dealerships as director of operations for Love Automotive Group. A vocal supporter of greater investment in public safety, he has served on the Bakersfield Planning Commission for five years and is a central committee member of the Kern County Republican Party.
Ceja, a retired project specialist with the Kern County Public Health Services Department, previously served on the Central Committee of the Kern County Democratic Party. She has spoken in favor of addressing local quality of life issues.
Olaguez runs a trucking company that has contracted with the city, and he said that experience has convinced him there is a great deal of waste in Bakersfield government. This is his first time running for public office.
Webster, an advocate for safety upgrades on local roads and sidewalks, said his experience serving on the Panama-Buena Vista Union School District Board of Trustees has allowed him to forge relationships with city council members. He works in communications at Clinica Sierra Vista.
