Meet the 2024 candidates for District 2 supervisor: Dale Cisneros

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Ahead of the Nov. 5 general election, 17 News will profile candidates for federal, state and local offices.

We begin with the Kern District 2 Supervisor race to replace Zack Scrivner.

In this race, six candidates are battling to represent the county district of about 177,300 residents.

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The Kern County Board of Supervisors is a nonpartisan office.

Below is a recap of 17 News' conversation with the candidate.

Kern voters may actually be more familiar with Dale Cisneros' wife — Kern Board of Education Trustee Lori Cisneros — who dons an American flag blouse on the daily.

But Dale Cisneros is now also trying for public office, saying now feels like the right time. "I am not a politician," said candidate Dale Cisneros. "I am a grassroots American patriot, and I believe in the Constitution."

That point, is a repeated emphasis from candidate Dale Cisneros, who said he's been eyeing the District 2 seat for years.

"We were frustrated because we had no answers, and for the longest time, we were not only being ignored and then finally abandoned by the former supervisor," Cisneros said, as he took a stab at previous leadership.

Cisneros was one of many who called on Zack Scrivner to resign amid the various allegations.

District 2 is geographically the largest in Kern, stretching east from Taft and Maricopa to portions of south and east Bakersfield and through the mountains of Tehachapi through most of the Kern Desert.

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District 2 was added last-minute to the November ballot, when former supervisor Zack Scrivner resigned in August.

That left the seat vacant.

The 55-year-old was born and raised in Bakersfield and moved to Tehachapi seven years ago with college sweetheart and now-wife Lori Cisneros.

One ambition, Cisneros said, is to hold regular meetings with each District 2 community in person or virtually.

"It's a full-time job. So, I'm going to make time to do that... Be that bridge with the other supervisors and look for solutions," Cisneros said.

Cisneros also noted that a priority is retaining oil and gas.

"Number one, it can't go away," he said.

On the transition to clean energy like carbon capture, Cisneros stated that the future of such industries is "inconclusive."

"As of yet, there's no real answers as to what the returns could be," he added.

And when it comes to state regulations on oil, gas and water, Cisneros said he would "Negotiate, stand our ground if need be."

On issues like the influx in homelessness, however, Cisneros blamed the less local topics of the southern border and drug trafficking.

"We're seeing a lot of, I'm going to call them attacks on humanity," Cisneros said.

17's Jenny Huh: "As a county supervisor, there's only so much you might be able to do when it comes to tackling the border directly, comes to tackling the drug trafficking. So again, expand on those local potential answers for us a bit more."

Dale Cisneros: "Work with the agencies that are already operating, like mental health, like resources like the homeless centers."

Cisneros is also positioning himself an advocate for economic development, specifically small businesses.

"That is what really makes economies thrive," the candidate noted, adding that he wants to reduce barriers to entry for aspiring small business owners.

He also addressed concerns with local oil and gas jobs being cut short.

The potential answer to resolving District 2's struggles?

Cisneros suggested changing Kern from a state law-abiding general law county to a charter county — one with more local governance authority — could help.

"I do believe that local control as a charter would better serve the people," he said.

Cisneros also pushed for heightened county management in certain areas, particularly the "outlying communities."

Cisneros said he's heard from residents that such parts of the district have become hotspots for drugs, crime, and squatters.

"We need help for these areas," the supervisor hopeful said. "It's not just about Bakersfield City... We're all part of Kern County."

for the full interview with Cisneros.