Bakersfield Council: Arias Leads Ward 1, Crowl Ward 4 and Kaur Ward 7 in County Count

BAKERSFIELD, California — November 5, 2026. Four separate Bakersfield City Council wards were on the November 3 ballot, with three additional wards showing clear leads in the official Kern County election-night report. Eric Arias leads Ward 1, Ryan Crowl leads Ward 4 and Manpreet Kaur leads Ward 7. Ward 3 remains a much more divided five-candidate race, already covered separately by California58.

Ward 1: Eric Arias and Mercy Peña

The Kern County Elections Division lists Arias at 2,671 votes (53.12%) and Mercy Peña at 2,357 (46.88%), a reported 314-vote lead. The ward is its own electoral district with 40 of 40 precincts initially reporting. Those votes are not a measure of citywide support in Bakersfield.

Ward 4: Crowl leads Smith

Ryan Crowl has 5,751 votes (59.73%) against Bob Smith with 3,878 (40.27%) in the Ward 4 count, a 1,873-vote early lead. The county lists 43 of 43 precincts reporting. Even a large margin remains unofficial before the registrar’s full canvass and certification.

Ward 7: Kaur and Valdez

Manpreet Kaur leads with 4,299 votes (53.28%), compared with Angie Valdez with 3,770 (46.72%), for a difference of 529 votes. In this ward, 40 of 40 precincts initially reported. Different ward populations and turnout mean that 4,299 votes in one ward cannot be directly compared to a leader’s 2,671 in another as evidence of stronger citywide support.

Ward 3 has five candidates, not two

In Ward 3, Cassie Bittle has 2,864, Pedro Naveiras 2,366 and Kathryn Halling 2,259 in the official 2:55 a.m. Nov. 4 count. That contest has a different structure and candidate field. California58 has updated the previous Ward 3 article rather than creating a duplicate report for the same ballot.

Official next count

The Kern County report is labeled ‘Unofficial Final Results’ for the election-night reporting period. That wording does not signify a certified final vote, because eligible late mail and provisional ballots may still be processed. The county Elections Division posts subsequent updates; candidates are only officially elected after the canvass is completed.

Primary source: Kern County Elections Division, 2:55:39 a.m. November 4 election-night report. Published November 5; no candidate called certified.

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