SURVEY: It’s election season. Tell us what you want the candidates to know.
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – Days after he resigned from office, Kern County Supervisor Zack Scrivner's seat is now up for election.
The Kern County Board of Supervisors voted Monday to authorize the county’s registrar of voters to formally seek candidates to replace Scrivner. But candidates have just days to file paperwork. The state deadline to file for the Nov. 5 general election is Friday.
Whoever is elected to the District 2 seat will serve until November 2026, when Scrivner’s term would have ended.
Scrivner’s resignation spurred questions about just how exactly the county could fill the vacancy. One option included having the governor appoint a supervisor. Another option was to leave the seat vacant for the remainder of Scrivner’s term.
But supervisors were not willing to have the seat remain without a representative for so long – and all wanted residents to have a voice.
“I think it’s fundamentally important in terms of representation and democracy that we allow the citizens in District 2 to have a say on the matter,” Supervisor Jeff Flores said during a special meeting to approve the election.
Several residents from Scrivner’s district showed up to the meeting to express interest in serving in the seat. There was some opposition from at least one speaker to the short timeline to seek a candidate. In the end, all supervisors voted to approve the election.
Meanwhile, an investigation continues into Scrivner, who in April was accused by county Sheriff Donny Youngblood of sexually assaulting one of his children, and was reportedly stabbed by one of his other children at his Tehachapi home.
Since then, Scrivner has not been seen in public. His attorney has denied the allegations against Scrivner. Criminal charges, if any, have not been announced against him as the state's Department of Justice reviews evidence.
