Our View: County offices: Voters should reelect incumbents
Four countywide offices and two district seats on the Kern County Board of Supervisors appear on the June 2 primary ballot. Incumbents in three of those races each face single opponents. The other three are running unopposed.
Unlike state and federal primary races, a county candidate receiving more than 50 percent of the votes in the primary is successfully elected. Under California's top-two system, the two state or federal candidates receiving the most votes in each race - regardless of how many or few votes that may be - must compete against each other in the November election.
The three contested county races should result in the reelection on Tuesday of the incumbents Auditor-Controller-Clerk Aimee Espinoza, 2nd District Supervisor Chris Parlier and 3rd District Supervisor Jeff Flores.
Auditor-Controller-Clerk
Incumbent Aimee Espinoza's reelection is being challenged by Delano resident Carlton Lennon.
While Lennon has a background in portfolio management and financial planning, he lacks experience serving in an elected office. In 2020, he was an unsuccessful candidate for Delano City Council and in 2022, he unsuccessfully competed against Espinoza to replace retiring Auditor-Controller-Clerk Mary Bedard.
Espinoza holds a bachelor's degree in accounting from Cal State Bakersfield. She worked seven years in accountant positions in the auditor-controller-clerk's office and another seven years as a fiscal and policy analyst in the county administrative office, before her appointment as assistant auditor-controller.
Her experience in government finances - particularly overseeing the revenues and expenditure of Kern County government - is critically important in these financially strained times.
Espinoza should be reelected to a second four-year term.
District 2
Incumbent 2nd District Supervisor Chris Parlier is being challenged for reelection by Sydney O'Connor.
The sprawling, mostly rural district includes Frazier Park, Tehachapi, Mojave, Boron, Rosamond, California City and portions of Bakersfield.
In 2024, Parlier was elected to finish the term of former Supervisor Zack Scrivner, who resigned after being accused of crimes. Parlier is now seeking a full, four-year term to represent the district on the Board of Supervisors.
Before being elected a county supervisor, Parlier served for eight years on the Bakersfield City Council and has a background in law enforcement.
His challenger is Tehachapi resident Sydney O'Connor, who has a background in home health care and union activism. She has been involved in labor negotiations for the United Domestic Workers Union and chair of the union's District 5, which includes Kern, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties. She has lobbied for workers' interests in D.C., Sacramento and before the Kern County Board of Supervisors.
A member of the Democratic Central Committee of Kern County, O'Connor has no experience in elective office. Although she actively campaigned in 2022 for Measure J, which established term limits on supervisors, this is her first campaign for public office.
Second District residents deserve a supervisor who has a record of public service and demonstrated ability to respond to a wide range of constituent needs. Parlier should be reelected to a second term.
District 3
In the 3rd District, incumbent Supervisor Jeff Flores is being challenged for reelection by businessman Johnny Olaguez, who unsuccessfully ran for Bakersfield City Council in 2024. He came in last in a field of four candidates.
The 3rd District includes the northern and northeastern parts of Bakersfield, as well as adjacent, unincorporated communities.
Flores was elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2022. Previously he was elected to the Kern High School District Board of Trustees and served as a Kern County planning commissioner.
He worked for 12 years as chief of staff for previous 3rd District Supervisor Mike Maggard, who did not seek reelection in 2022.
Born in Los Angeles, Flores moved to Bakersfield with his family as a teenager. He holds a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of San Diego, a master's degree in public administration from Cal State Bakersfield, and completed graduate work in public relations from the University of Queensland, Australia.
Born in Modesto, Olaguez moved to Kern County with his family as a young child. From his youth, he said he learned the sacrifice, responsibility and perseverance required to operate a family business.
Following his studies at UC Santa Barbara and after difficult years forced his family's business to shut down, Olaguez returned in 2017 to rebuild the company with only one truck. He reports the business now has expanded to include diesel repair and fleet services.
The depth of Flores' experience in elective office and knowledge of the 3rd District will provide residents with the representation on the Kern County Board of Supervisors they need and deserve. Flores should be reelected to a second four-year term.
Unopposed
Kern County Assessor-Recorder Laura Avila, Kern County Superintendent of Schools John Mendiburu and Assistant County Treasurer-Tax Collector Chase Nunneley, who is running to replace his boss, Jordan Kaufman, who is not seeking reelection, are unopposed.
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This story was originally published May 30, 2026 at 12:06 PM.