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Municipal elections in Bakersfield, California (2017)
2018 →
← 2016
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| 2017 Bakersfield elections |
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| Election dates |
| Filing deadline: March 10, 2017 |
| General election: June 6, 2017 |
| Election stats |
| Offices up: City Council |
| Total seats up: 1 |
| Election type: Nonpartisan |
| Other municipal elections |
| U.S. municipal elections, 2017 |
Elections
Special election
Ward 5
- The following candidates filed to run in this election:[5]
- ☑ Bruce Freeman
- ☐ Ryan Nance
- ☐ Noel Pineo
Results
| Bakersfield City Council, Ward 5 Special Election, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Bruce Freeman |
62.03% | 3,204 |
| Ryan Nance | 32.70% | 1,689 |
| Noel Pineo | 5.17% | 267 |
| Total Votes | 5,160 | |
| Source: Kern County, California, "Kern County Election Results, June 6, 2017 Special Election," accessed June 7, 2017 | ||
Past elections
2016
| Bakersfield City Council, Ward 5, General Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Jeffrey Tkac |
51.89% | 9,817 |
| Harold Hanson Incumbent | 24.97% | 4,725 |
| Ryan Nance | 23.14% | 4,377 |
| Total Votes | 18,919 | |
| Source: Kern County Elections, "Official Final Results," December 1, 2016 | ||
Council Ward Map
Additional elections on the ballot
This special election did not coincide with any other elections.
Issues
Residency allegations
Ryan Nance, the only 2017 candidate who also ran for the Ward 5 seat in 2016, accused fellow candidate Bruce Freeman of committing voter fraud and stated that Freeman’s public statements about where he lived contradicted his voting records. In a letter released on March 6, 2017, Nance called for an investigation of Freeman’s residency between Newport Beach in Orange County and Bakersfield in Kern County. At the time, Freeman owned houses in both cities and voted in Newport Beach from 2014 through November 2016. Nance stated that Freeman was quoted in news articles as saying that he did not spend much time at his Newport Beach home, and Nance argued this proved Freeman was not voting where he lived.[6]
Freeman stated that he spent meaningful time in both locations during this period. He accused Nance of making baseless allegations and predicted that Bakersfield voters would not respond favorably to such attacks: "They want to hear about the candidates' skills, accomplishments, and experience, the things that count when you want to serve the city of Bakersfield."[6]
On March 28, 2017, the Kern County District Attorney’s office concluded that Freeman had “not violated any laws relevant to the accusations” and that he could claim a legal domicile for voting purposes in either Newport Beach or Bakersfield.[7]
Lawsuit video
In April 2017, Nance released a video that questioned Freeman’s role in a wrongful termination lawsuit filed in 2006 against Castle & Cooke, a real estate developer where Freeman served as a senior executive. Nance argued that the video, which was distributed via text message and on social media, raised issues relevant to voters about his opponent’s leadership at the company. Freeman responded that the suit in question had been summarily dismissed by the courts, and he accused Nance of campaigning solely on personal attacks and false charges.[8][9]
About the city
- See also: Bakersfield, California
Bakersfield is a city in California and the county seat of Kern County. As of 2010, its population was 347,483.
City government
- See also: Council-manager government
The city of Bakersfield uses a council-manager system. In this form of municipal government, an elected city council—which includes the mayor and serves as the city's primary legislative body—appoints a chief executive called a city manager to oversee day-to-day municipal operations and implement the council's policy and legislative initiatives.[10][11]
Demographics
The following table displays demographic data provided by the United States Census Bureau.
| Demographic Data for Bakersfield, California | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bakersfield | California | |
| Population | 347,483 | 37,253,956 |
| Land area (sq mi) | 149 | 155,857 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White | 67.7% | 59.7% |
| Black/African American | 7.6% | 5.8% |
| Asian | 7.4% | 14.5% |
| Native American | 0.9% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander | 0.2% | 0.4% |
| Other (single race) | 12.4% | 14% |
| Multiple | 3.8% | 4.9% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 50.2% | 39% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate | 80.1% | 83.3% |
| College graduation rate | 21.9% | 33.9% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income | $63,139 | $75,235 |
| Persons below poverty level | 17.4% | 13.4% |
| Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2010). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2014-2019). | ||
| **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Bakersfield special election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Bakersfield, California | California | Municipal government | Other local coverage |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ City of Bakersfield, "Notice of Special Municipal Election June 6, 2017," February 10, 2017
- ↑ City of Bakersfield, "Press Release Ward 5 Filing Period February 13th through March 10th," accessed May 22, 2017
- ↑ Bakersfield.com, "Colleagues stunned by apparent suicide of Bakersfield city councilman," January 5, 2017
- ↑ Kern County, California, "Election Results, June 6, 2017 Special Elections," accessed June 7, 2017
- ↑ City of Bakersfield, "Notice of Nominees for Public Office," accessed May 22, 2017
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Bakersfield.com, "Ward 5: Nance claims Freeman committed voter fraud," March 7, 2017
- ↑ Bakersfield.com, "DA: City Council candidate Freeman violated no laws," March 28, 2017
- ↑ KernGoldenEmpire.com, "New campaign video shakes up city council race," April 12, 2017
- ↑ YouTube, "Bruce Freeman Sex Scandal," accessed May 24, 2017
- ↑ Bakersfield City Charter, "Art. III," accessed on October 29, 2014
- ↑ City of Bakersfield, "Form of Government," accessed October 29, 2014
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