Local Election News
Kern finishes ballot count; Florez expected to concede
The election is over.
Californian exclusive: Florez named Senate majority leader
Florez said it's a chance to close out his Senate career with some big accomplishments, boost his 2010 bid for lieutenant governor and prove he's a team player.
When will Pine Mountain Club get its firefighter paramedics?
Pine Mountain Club residents voted this month to increase their taxes by $70 a year to fund paramedic services from Kern County firefighters stationed in their small mountain town.
Gilmore's lead grows again in Assembly race
Danny Gilmore added 63 votes to his lead in the 30th District race when Fresno County finished counting provisional ballots in the district.
Most absentees tallied, key races unchanged
Kern County elections staff plowed through 30,000 or so absentee ballots Wednesday, bringing close elections closer to a resolution but not changing any results.
POLITICO: Emmanuel accepts White House chief of staff job
Ex-U.S. Rep. Bill Thomas sounds off on the election
Former U.S. Rep. Bill Thomas, R-Bakersfield, who served in the House of Representatives for 28 years, took a few moments Friday to share his thoughts on Tuesday’s election results.
Florez still not conceding defeat in Assembly race
Fran Florez’s Assembly campaign is “in suspended animation,” the Shafter Democrat’s campaign manager said Thursday.
More than 40,000 votes still uncounted
The Kern County election’s division was a flurry of activity Wednesday, a day after a vote that settled the matter of the next president, but left several local races too precarious to call comfortably.
County clerk: No more marriage licenses will be issued to same-sex couples
Kern County officials stopped issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples Wednesday.
Politicos weigh in on election milestones, surprises
Californians helped elect the first black president Tuesday but denied same-sex couples the right to marry.
Gay activists jarred by California marriage defeat
Voters put a stop to same-sex marriage in California, dealing a crushing defeat to gay-rights activists in a state they hoped would be a vanguard
No charges filed against former Arvin mayor
The latest case against former Arvin Mayor Juan Olivares was referred back to the city’s police department, with no charges filed, according to the Kern County District Attorney’s office.
Hampton, also battling cancer, 'accepts' he's losing KHSD post
Bob Hampton, having battled cancer while also campaigning over the last three months, said Wednesday he accepts that challenger Bill Perry will replace him on the Kern High School District board.
Brehmer holds slim lead against Mitchell in judge's race
Tuesday’s judicial election between Kern County prosecutor Holly Mitchell and private attorney Charles “Chip” Brehmer remains undecided. Although Brehmer leads by a margin of more than 2 percentage points, with all precincts counted, more than 30,000 absentee and 10,500 provisional ballots remain to be tallied.
California high-speed rail bond approved
California voters are green-lighting the nation’s most ambitious high-speed rail system, approving a nearly $10 billion bond to speed bullet trains capable of topping 200 mph between the state’s major metropolitan areas.
Gay marriage ban likely to pass
After 19 years of being together, Carol Lair and Colette Shewcraft married this summer, something that made Lair feel part of society, not separate and apart.
Black voters elated by 'historic day in America'
Bakersfield City Councilwoman Irma Carson, 73, let out a scream when reached on her cell phone. “This is what America is all about,” Carson said, adding: “I didn’t think in my day this would occur.”
Gilmore leading in 30th Assembly District race
Republican Danny Gilmore held a slim lead over Democrat Fran Florez in one of California's tightest races Wednesday.