Sparks already flying in 16th District
In June, California’s top-two primary election will be held. That means no matter how lopsided the vote, the two candidates with the most votes in each race are expected to face each other in the November general election. Kern County voters will cast primary ballots in two state Senate and two Assembly races.
All but the 16th state Senate race will be quiet. One state Senate race and one Assembly race have only two candidates competing. In one Assembly race, the Republican incumbent faces no opposition. That means all the competing candidates will advance to the November runoff, where the real political contest will be waged.
But buckle up for a knockdown-dragout in the 16th state Senate primary race. In fact, the sparks already are flying.
STATE SENATE 16TH DISTRICT
Five candidates are competing in the newly redrawn 16th District primary, with the top-two vote-getters advancing to a runoff in the November general election. They include Democrats Melissa Hurtado, who now represents the neighboring 14th state Senate District; Bryan Osorio, Delano’s mayor; and former Bakersfield Assemblywoman Nicole Parra; and Republicans David Shepard, a Porterville farmer; and Bakersfield pastor Gregory Tatum.
The real heat will be generated between Hurtado, who moved her residency to Bakersfield to run in the new district, and Parra, whose tenure as an assemblywoman was contentious and her relationship with Democratic leaders was strained — to put it mildly.
Parra served in the Assembly from 2002 to 2008. During that time, she often bucked her party leaders. In fact, in 2008, they kicked her Sacramento office out of the state Capitol after she voted against the Democratic budget.
Getting booted from the Capitol followed Parra’s years of feuding with her Democratic rival, state Sen. Dean Florez. Political sparing between the Florez and Parra families was the stuff of much local head-scratching and sometimes amusement.
Termed out in 2008, Parra endorsed Republican Danny Gilmore of Hanford to succeed her. Gilmore went on to defeat the Democratic challenger — Fran Florez, Sen. Dean Florez’s mother and a Shafter councilwoman. (Yep, the feud got ugly.)
But it doesn’t stop there. In 2013, Parra endorsed Republican Andy Vidak of Hanford in a special election to fill the state Senate seat vacated by the resignation of Bakersfield Democrat Michael Rubio, a one-time Florez legislative aide. Vidak won that election and represented the district until he was defeated in 2018 by Hurtado.
Following all this? That’s a lot of politics to forgive and forget. Although Parra will have the name recognition to pick up some votes, Hurtado already is targeting her with ads and a website — nicoleparrasparty.com.
Delano’s mayor, Osorio, is the other Democrat in the race. A 2018 UC Berkeley graduate, he is community solutions advocate for the Community Water Center, an organization that advocates for safe, clean and affordable drinking water. Osorio is a self-described progressive, liberal candidate.
Republican farmer David Shepard of Porterville supervises the table grape operations at E.W. Merritt Farms on land purchased generations ago by his great-grandfather. The other side of his family moved from Mexico to the outskirts of Bakersfield as migrant workers.
Shepard is a first-generation college graduate, who attended Porterville College and then UCLA. He describes himself as a young, conservative farmer. He has been endorsed by area Republicans, including Bakersfield Congressman Kevin McCarthy and state Sen. Shannon Grove.
The name of the other Republican in the race should be familiar with Bakersfield voters. Pastor Gregory Tatum has run unsuccessfully for Bakersfield city council, Bakersfield mayor and state senator.
In the 16th state Senate race, voters should cast their ballots for Democrat Melissa Hurtado, or Republican David Shepard. A runoff contest between these two candidates will give voters the best airing of issues and solutions.
STATE SENATE 12TH DISTRICT
Only two candidates are competing in this primary — Republican state Sen. Shannon Grove of Bakersfield and Democrat Susanne Gundy of Visalia.
Elected to the Assembly in 2010, Grove later was elected to the 16th state Senate seat in 2018. With redistricting moving political boundary lines, Grove now is seeking re-election in the 12th state Senate District. From 2019 to 2021, Grove was selected by Senate Republicans to serve as the Senate minority leader.
Gundy retired as a health educator and program manager for the Tulare County Health Department. She is active in the Tulare County Democratic
Party.
ASSEMBLY 35TH DISTRICT
Two Democrats are competing in the 35th Assembly District primary. They are Leticia Perez, who was elected to her third term representing District 5 on the Kern County Board of Supervisors, and Bakersfield physician Jasmeet Bains.
ASSEMBLY 32ND DISTRICT
Republican Vince
Fong is running unopposed in the 32nd Assembly District primary. With redistricting, political boundary lines have been moved and Fong’s district has been changed from the 34th to the 32nd Assembly District.